2 THE GODFATHER
3 CASABLANCA
4 RAGING BULL
5 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
6 GONE WITH THE WIND
7 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
8 SCHINDLER'S LIST
9 VERTIGO
10 THE WIZARD OF OZ
Citizen Kane, written, produced and directed by Orson Welles who was also Kane, the lead actor (he dies in the opening scene but the film is all flashbacks)...an opus indeed.
The top ten above are all fantastic films (IMHO) and the only one I would question is The Wizard of Oz but of course the special effects for the time (1939) were impressive...btw, despite my thoughts that they are all great films they are not my top ten. Any films you'd definitely add if it were your top ten?
11 comments:
I would make a comment that is probably heresy for most film buffs and that is that in Singin' In The Rain the star is Donald O'Connor and not Gene Kelly.
Citizen Kane has become such shorthand for great film making that people often overlook its real cinematic influence. That said, and I'm going to name drop here, myself along with Orson Welles himself and Melvyn Bragg consider A Touch Of Evil, with its one take opening tracking shot to be Welles masterpiece.
Why The Godfather and not Godfather II? I'd have to say that either 8 1/2 or Dolce Vita would be in my top 10 instead of Schindler's List - take out Vertigo and replace it with Rear Window or North by Northwest and replace Raging Bull with Leone's masterpiece Once Upon A Time in The West.
Am I allowed to say that I hate Citizen Kane or does that make a philistine of the worst kind? I really cannot stand the film and fail to see what all the fuss is about.
Must look out for some of Rodrigo's shirts.. :-/
Mags, Not a philistine at all...each to his (her!) own.
Paul that is also a great film (Tpuch of Evil) He is such a slob and a bastard. The opening shot (if I remeber correctly) is a famous pice of camera work (and the first time it was done, of zooming in whilst moving away (I think!) that also has great effect in vertigo).
Once Upon a Time in The west would also be in my top 10, fantastic with musical 'accompaniments to the main characters - fantastic climax gunfight (well the build up...the actual fight is one shot each!) with Peter Fonda and Charles Bronson
I must be some kind of phillistine : I've only seen Wizard of Oz on that list. I don't usually watch films that require me to engage any significant part of my brain so the last two I've seen are "Hot Fuzz" and "Pirates of the Caribean". No doubt the family will drag me off to see Shrek 3 but I suppose that's one of the downsides of parenthood!
hehehe, I've been told Hot Fuzz is worth seeing, very funny 'English' humour...or should that be 'British'?
Mr Mags recommends Hot Fuzz. I am yet to watch it.
I've got Hot Fuzz downstairs, you know what I mean at the back there Span minor! I shall watch it this week - watched Little Miss Sunshine last night with Nathalie and it is very good - not for small people though (15 rating).
Not sure about Rodrigo's shirts, loved his concerto de orange juice though.
Little Miss Sunshine was funny and very embarrassng at the end (well just before the end...hilarious and sad)
I was/am indeed Ows minor and was always being told off for talking/giggling etc...in later years I was even in the guardhouse/icehouse/cornershop for it too...TWICE!...but that's another story!
pp. Re Rodrigo...all a bit moody for me, 'orange juice' presuming you mean Aranjuez (a district in Madrid) was mentioned in the book I recommended to Mags (Winter in Madrid) and they go to see the opening performance (apparently the 2nd half was inspired by the Guernica bombing)
Hi Span,
I've seen six of the films on that list. When Paul started to put North By North West and others that have been suggested. This is the problem just as with music, some you never change your opinion on. Others you discover. Some you change your opinion.
And it's do you want funny, imaginative or serious. Truth is I am so out of the loop with films and I really would like to sit down and start watching them again but I have few dvd's and if I video stuff I never seem to see what I have taped, played back(still got 1,000's of radio shows to enjoy)I'll never hear them all but still add more and more.
Remarkably, I have never seen Citizen's Kane, saw Casablanca and was disappointed. Singing In The Rain is there, it's as good as any musical I guess, I still like Errol Flynn's version of Robin Hood.
I have a feeling if I had a collection of films in a library most would be from the 30's, 40's and 50's. I'd also have to put Laurel And Hardy in there too.
Hi Gildy, most of the really good átmospheric'films were B&W. I actually enjoyed Casablanca but I know what you mean, many of the classics (On the Waterfront etc...) are dated and we need to remember what was available to the film makers. These days they've good it easy what will all the camera/light/special effects...
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