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By D. W. O'Dell
Recently I’ve been doing what everyone should do every decade or so—reviewing my personal list of the top ten films ever made. I’ve decided to elevate two films onto the list, the biggest single shake up since . . . since I started the list. The list follows with new additions noted with an *:
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The most glorious Technicolor™ film ever made! Errol Flynn is perfectly cast as the ultimate Robin Hood - dashing, clever, fearless, and he looks good in tights. The Oscar-winning cinematography is sumptuous; the Oscar-winning score, glorious; and the climactic swordfight between Flynn and Basil Rathbone is one of the best ever. Plus, the supporting cast is composed of veteran character actors and the lovely Olivia de Haviland. It’s pure entertainment from beginning to end.
Annie Hall
A romantic comedy that technically doesn’t end happily, but somehow manages to. Woody Allen’s masterpiece is an insightful look at life in the 1970s, in addition to being one of the funniest films of any decade. Diane Keaton remains one of the few women to win a Best Actress Oscar for a comedy, as well as setting a fashion craze with her own bizarre wardrobe. How the film failed to be even nominated for Best Editing is a mystery. Allen uses every trick in the director’s book (flashbacks, flash forwards, subtitles, cartoon segments, split screen). It is both moving and funny.
Apocalypse Now
Martin Sheen gives the single best performance I have ever seen that did not get nominated for an Oscar. The ending doesn’t make any sense, but who cares? (Shallow insight #137—it’s all about the journey.) The Ride of the Valkyries segment is fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Francis Ford Coppola maintains an appropriately nightmarish quality throughout.
Casablanca
The greatest love story ever told (apologies to Romeo and Juliet). Through some strange alchemy a B-picture originally slated to star Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan morphed into an enduring story of love and redemption (okay, the Reagan/Sheridan story isn’t true—it’s a myth created by the studio publicity departments of the time). Bogie is Bogie, Bergman is Bergman, and a kiss is just a kiss.
Citizen Kane
Orson Welles called the set of Kane, "The greatest train set a kid ever had." Welles approached film making with the panache of a stage director, while borrowing the technical expertise from cinematographer Gregg Toland. It’s like watching Babe Ruth swing for the fences and hit a home run.
*City of God
Incredibly audacious filmmaking on a shoestring budget. When I heard critics rave about an artsy film set in the dangerous ghettos around Rio de Janeiro, I rolled my eyes. Then I watched the movie and my jaw dropped. Director Fernando Meirelles doesn’t know how to film a boring scene - every moment is dynamically photographed. Great work by a cast of amateur actors as well.
8 1/2
It’s a cliché now, but at the time it was incredibly innovative - a film about a director with a creative block. Marcello Mastroianni, as Guido, perfectly embodies the ennui of someone who is vacant all the way through, but who must maintain a facade of being full of life. Federico Fellini captures Guido’s boredom with himself, and somehow makes it interesting. Also, Claudia Cardinale is GORGEOUS.
A Night at the Opera
It’s the Marx Brothers vs. high society - high society doesn’t stand a chance. After experimenting (and flopping at the time) with anarchy in Duck Soup, the Marx Brothers struck gold by having a tight plot and a more believable story. There are too many great scenes to acknowledge, but the stateroom scene in particular bears a mention as it remains a classic.
*Pulp Fiction
The plot spirals around and folds in on itself, but somehow you never lose the thread of the story. Quentin Tarentino brilliantly weaves three stories about Los Angeles low-lifes into a single film that ends up being about redemption. Samuel L. Jackson stands out in a great cast that includes a dozen recognizable names and faces; Bruce Willis and John Travolta both do the best work of their careers.
Tom Jones
All 18th century literature should be so entertaining. One of the few comedies ever to win a Best Picture Oscar, Tom Jones also won for script, score, and direction (Tony Richardson never really made another film of this calibre). It also holds the distinction of having three nominees in the Best Supporting Actress category. Albert Finney is totally winning in his second film, charming and roguish.
Dropping off the list are The Third Man and The Maltese Falcon, not because my opinion of them has diminished, but because with Casablanca on the list I felt it was over-representative of 1940’s film noir. Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odyssey are just below the tenth spot—I left Strangelove off because I felt with Annie Hall, the Marx Brothers and Tom Jones that comedy was already overrepresented. 2001 is an impressive film, but ultimately too cold to really embrace. I hate leaving Raiders of the Lost Ark - the greatest popcorn movie of all time - off, but I admire Robin Hood and I thought one real lark was all I could afford. A Hard Day’s Night also just misses the list; it is technically innovative and socially important (it created both MTV and the Beatle’s public persona), but again I felt that comedy was adequately represented. I am pained by the lack of silent films on the list, but while there are many silent films I admire (The General, Metropolis, Modern Times) there are none that I love.
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