A nice little discussion. I watch a bit of film, including non-English films. Here are some other film polls I enjoy (mostly polls of film critics, film directors, and other film professionals):
Sight and Sound film magazine Has been done every 10 years since 1952!
They Shoot Pictures Don’t They? An aggregation of various prominent film polls.
Senses of Cinema A film poll conducted by an Australian online film magazine.
1001 films to see before you die - That is the list. The book gives fuller information.
As for me, my list conflates both my “favourite” and “best” films. So in no particular order, and with many honourable mentions (it was impossible to stick to ten!):
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968, USA): From the majestic opening fanfare of Also Sprach Zarathustra, the amazing jump cut from a bone to a spaceship, and the meticulously prepared special effects that hardly seem dated, there is much in this film. Honourable mention: Also see Kubrick’s version of
The Shining (1980).
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979, USA): Both the original version and longer 2001 “redux” version are available. I prefer the original, as the storyline is more focused and concise. Honourable mentions:
The Godfather (1972) and
The Godfather: Part II (1974) – hard to go past these other Coppola films, and one of those rare series where a fantastic first film is surpassed by its sequel.
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958, USA): Perhaps the most intricate and disturbing of Hitchcock’s films. It demands repeated viewings. Of course, don’t miss the famous “vertigo” effect produced by the camera. Honourable mentions: Too many!
North by Northwest (1959),
Psycho (1960),
Dial M for Murder (1954),
Rear Window (1954). A prolific director, with numerous masterpieces.
Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968, Italy/USA): This is gun-slinging as high art, with several iconic gun fights and a mind-blowing Ennio Morricone score. Also a loving homage to many great westerns, with a scene shot in John Ford’s beloved Monument Valley. Honourable mention:
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953, Japan): “Not to have seen Tokyo Story is not to have lived”. I wouldn’t quite go that far, but this is a film of radiant humanity. It is a tale of generational conflict between elderly parents and their adult children, who mostly have no time for them anymore. Resigned, observant, yet never despairing, it transcends its particular setting: a post-war booming Tokyo, and becomes universally recognisable.
Ugetsu Monogotari (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953, Japan): “No praise is too high for this man” – Orson Welles (director of Citizen Kane). A cautionary tale of mindlessly pursuing greed set in feudal Japan. Mizoguchi’s famed wide angle shots, fluent elaborate camera work and astonishing visual beauty all come together in this masterpiece. Perhaps the greatest of Japanese directors, but following his premature death, he was overshadowed by his contemporaries Ozu and Kurosawa (
The Seven Samurai) Honourable mentions:
The Life of Oharu (1952) – majestic and tragic,
Sansho Dayu (1954) – I haven’t seen this yet; it has the reputation of being Mizoguchi’s finest film of all.
The Leopard (Luchino Visconti, 1963, Italy): A rare occasion where a masterpiece novel is adapted into a film of equal quality. Lampedusa’s novel of aristocratic decline during Italy’s 1860s Risorgimento is captured with exquisite and opulent period detail. Burt Lancaster is commanding in the title role. Honourable mention:
Death in Venice (1971) – another superb adaptation by Visconti of Thomas Mann’s famous novella.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928, Denmark): A dramatisation of Joan of Arc’s trial, it almost defies belief that such a film was made in the silent era. Stupendous camera angles help make it wrenchingly moving experience.
Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966, France): A story that tracks the fortunes and mostly cruel misfortunes of a donkey Balthazar and his owner Marie. Told in Bresson’s trademark concise style it reaches a state of grace that is ineffable.
Bashu: The Little Stranger (Bahram Beizai, 1985, Iran): Perhaps the greatest post-Iranian revolution film. As well as being a great story it examines the effects of war’s horrors on a child, the need to belong, compassion, the role of women in society and many other things. It lies in the vanguard of the New Iranian Cinema, which was sometimes viewed, during the 1990s, as the most significant national cinema apart from Hollywood. Honourable mentions:
Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990, Iran),
The Runner (Amir Naderi, 1985, Iran).
Others that didn’t make my “director’s cut”:
Citizen Kane (Orson Wells, 1941, USA): Often seen as the #1 American film. So many cinematic innovations in this film.
Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927, Germany): Even those it’s mostly seen in a butchered form, it still staggers to this day. It has recently been fully restored.
The Searchers (John Ford, 1956, USA): The finest of Ford’s westerns. It looks simple, but it is beautifully shot and there is much subtlety lying beneath the surface is this epic story.
Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophuls, 1948, USA): Based on Stefan Zweig’s story set in fin de siècle Vienna, a man receives a “letter from an unknown woman”, and so a tale of forgotten love commences. Exquisite cinematography and highly moving.
Lola Montes (1955) and
The Earrings of Madame de…(1953) are arguably even better, but I like Unknown Woman the best.
Anything by
Charlie Chaplin: His humour is well-nigh universal. See
Modern Times, The Circus, The Kid etc.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975, Australia): The eerie atmosphere, the mystery of the disappearance, make it the finest Australian film I’ve seen so far.
Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson, NZ/USA, 2001-3): A stupendous achievement. As a fan of the novels, I couldn’t have asked for much more.
Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985, Russia): Perhaps the most harrowing war movie I’ve seen, and there’s some pretty stiff competition there!
Then there are many great films for children that I could talk about, but I’ll start another thread for that:
http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65743