........... in No Particular Order.
Dec 01 '02
The Bottom Line It's very hard to make a list........
Last night, I was checking out the Epinions site, and went through some of these Top Ten Best Films of All Time write-ups. I always enjoy these things, just because I like lists, and think it’s funny to see what individual people put on those lists. Of course, you get a mixture of lists which include classics, and those which include only flicks that have hit the multiplex within the last few years (Dumb and Dumber as one of the greats!?). What’s even funnier is when people fight and fight each other on the comments section, usually arguing to the other fellow that he/she has a severe lack of taste. (By the way, I need some laughs; please fight in the comment section. I’ll just sit back and laugh. Thank you.)
Well, I decided I’d present my own version of a top ten. However, I must put a qualification upon this list. While lists are fun to read, I can’t for the life of me make a list of my own, that would be a solid, fixed representation of what I’d believe would be the top films of all time. Really, how could you make a good list. There are certainly more than ten great films throughout history. Also, different films are great for different reasons. It’s like trying to pick your favorite child -- it’s impossible, and possibly cruel.
The best I can do on this list, is to give you ten films which are probably the ten best (or ten of the best), but which are not in numerical order.
Ponette - absolutely the best film ever made about children, even more so because of its subject -- a child coming to grips with the death of her mother -- and because of the lead player -- the actress playing Ponette is only four years old. The very first time I saw this film, it was almost too much to bear for me. I don’t really cry during movies, but, with Ponette, I came close many, many times. I’ve rented it again the other day, so I hope to give you a full review very soon.
Network - the kind of film that Hollywood could never make again. Why? For one thing, Network is basically a stage play transferred to screen; it’s all talk, and great talk at that. As well, it’s just two hours of sustained rage. This film has nothing good to say about its subject of television; considering that this film was written by Paddy Chavesky, a veteran of live TV, I’d consider this to be an insider’s take. Peter Finch, as the deranged newsman, is the highlight, but Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall and William Holden are great as well.
Short Cuts - one of Robert Altman’s greatest films; a three-hour study of more than 20 characters, and the lives they lead. The neatest thing about this film is that all the stories could be told separately, but all of them intersect in very odd and unique ways. Sometimes, fate can be determined not by yourself, or people you know, but by people or events that don’t seem to have anything to do with your own life, and this film makes us aware of that fact.
North by Northwest - when I first watched this film, I thought that this was Hitchcock’s most fun movie. This is pure fluff of the best kind; we get comedy, suspense, romance -- and Cary Grant. Grant has always been good with the charm and the one-liners, and here in Hitchcock’s universe, he has to use that charm and wit to get himself out of a diabolical mess involving spies and counterspies -- as well as a few deadly traps. It sounds like a Bond film, except done by Hitchcock, and with a typical Hitchcock/ordinary man/innocent man lead.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance -- John Ford made many good Westerns, but this is one of the best. John Wayne was in most of the Ford classics, and he is joined here by James Stewart. The story is about the transition of the values of the West from the outlaw, violent Old (symbolized by John Wayne) to the rational, organized New (symbolized by James Stewart). The ending is sad and ironic, and John Wayne is up to the challenge. The reason I had to watch this film was because of a scene I saw while flipping the channels one day -- in a fit of rage, Jimmy Stewart punches John Wayne in the jaw, sending him to the ground! I knew I had to see this film, after witnessing this patently surreal moment........
Do the Right Thing - Spike Lee’s best film (although to be fair, I’ve not seen a lot of his work). It’s a powerful story about race relations in a small neighborhood in New York, and it’s not pleasant to watch. It’s the type of film that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, if you’re not paying attention, until everything explodes in a grueling final half-hour. Sometimes I enjoy movies that are basically one long, slow burn until everything boils over in the end, and this film is the best example of that. It’s been said before, but this film doesn’t take sides --- if Spike Lee really were a big white-hater, there would surely be certain shots here that he’d never use. They’d be seen as too sympathetic to the “enemy”.......
Stalag 17 - the film that got me hooked on director Billy Wilder. This film is basically Hogan’s Heroes, except believable. The humor in this movie is for the benefit of the characters, lest they go completely insane. The plot has to do with William Holden, a cynical sort who is suspected by the other POW’s of collaborating with the German captors. Wilder’s cynicism shines throughout this picture; there’s a lot of witty lines and situations, but the film is never, ever corny or tacky.
The Bridge on the River Kwai - the way a war movie ought to be done. Since this David Lean film is mostly about the British, it doesn’t feel the need to degrade itself in pointless jingoism. The story has to do with a group of Brit POW’s at a Japanese prison camp, who are forced to build a bridge for the Japanese. What ends up happening is a battle of personalities, between the Japanese commander and the British officer played by Alec Guinness. These two men are portrayed evenhandedly and sympathetically, and the film itself manages to be suspenseful, action-packed, and even quietly satirical.
It’s a Wonderful Life -- A Christmas favorite, it’s also a strong film in its own way. James Stewart gives his best performance as a man who feels that his life has been one big waste, and wants to end it all, until an angel tells him that his life really was worth living. The plot sound sappy, and there are some corny bits, but the filmmakers believed in this story, which is why the film is powerful. There are some very strong bits, mainly involving the despair that Stewart feels, and the romance between him and Donna Reed is also lovely. I think that James Stewart is one of the best; everyone thinks of him as a goody-two-shoes, but he’s done a lot of daring work, and even this movie is daring.......
Rear Window - ...... and this movie is pretty daring too! James Stewart -- Peeping Tom! This is Hitchcock’s classic about voyeurism. Stewart sits in his apartment all day with a broken leg and a camera, spying on his neighbors, until he is convinced that a murder has taken place. Of course, this doesn’t stop him from continuing his voyeurism, until it may be too late. To be fair, the ending is no surprise, but the design of the film is what makes this film work. We are just like Stewart, in that we are spying on all of these neighbors, and are following their sorry little lives -- for our pleasure. Sooner or later, this will come back to haunt us. The shot in which Raymond Burr looks up to see Stewart and his camera -- and us -- watching him, is truly creepy. This is a very sick movie, when you think about it.........
Well, that’s ten movies. But I could have included so much more..... There are many other films that are equally, or almost equally, great! I guess you can think of these as alternate choices: Vertigo, another equally sick James Stewart/Alfred Hitchcock collaboration, Lawrence of Arabia, another great one from David Lean, Cries and Whispers, which I think is the best of Ingmar Bergman, Crimes and Misdemeanors, which I think is the best of Woody Allen, Ikiru, an Akira Kurosawa film that is long and sad, and without samurai, but which was really powerful, and The 400 Blows, a Truffaut film that is probably the second-best film about children.
..... but this article is supposed to be about the Ten Best Films, so I better cease and desist with this list.....
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Epinions.com ID:
DavidMac
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Member: David Macdonald
Location: Prince Edward Island
Reviews written: 612
Trusted by: 108 members
About Me:
Alice, a story in nine parts, posted on Sept 24, 2008 - http://www.epinions.com/content_5241348228
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