Ten Films That Made Me
Jun. 20th, 2018 09:00 pmFive years ago now I engaged in one of those reflective, life-spanning, meme, Ten Books That Made Me. A couple of weeks ago, courtesy of ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
funontheupfield on FB, I was induced to the equivalent for film. Whilst previously posted in other social media, it is worth repeating here in a summary form on what is my main 'blog.
1. Blade Runner (1982). Bringing science fiction back to earth, as it were, this neo-noir classic essentially established the genre of cyberpunk, and for decades since I have been living in its shadow. Aside from the overwhelming visuals, superb soundtrack, the unfolding and immersive narrative, and the troubled characters there is the thematic exploration of what it means to be human, the existential crisis of limited lifespan, the doubts of memory, and of course, one of the most famous and quoted death-scenes of in film history.
2. Casablanca (1942). Romance and high drama, deadly political intrigue, absurd comedy, so many quotable lines, gorgeous settings, a great plot, magnificent acting by some of the greatest on the screen, famous theme song (along was a great performance of "La Marseillaise", performed by people who were mostly refugees from the Nazi regime), and rightly recognised as one of the greatest films of all time.
3. Princess Mononoke (1997). Historical-fantasy is always close in my heart, and it astoundingly well executed in this particularly bloody and epic narrative where the mythic past crashes into early modernity. Even more so, each of the major characters is not without flaws or good intentions. The hero has superhuman strength but is consumed by a violent demon. The demon itself results from attempts to protect the natural environment from encroaching industralisation. The encroaching industrialisation gives opportunities to the marginalised of traditional society - and so it goes on.
4. Dr. Strangelove (1964). A stunning combination of absurdity and comedy with pathological effects. The also listed Threads is utterly terrifying in the realism of the effects of nuclear war, Dr. Strangelove explores the all too plausible ridiculous human failings that could lead to a tragic comedy of errors. Peter Sellers does superbly performing multiple different iconic roles and of course, the entire film is quotable scene after quotable scene.
5. Jason and the Argonauts (1963). It was in my early childhood that I first saw this film and was, of course, highly impressed by the famous stop animation sequence with the skeleton warriors, the defeat of Talos, the harpies, and the symplegades. Truly brilliant stuff, and looking back at it one cannot help but marvel at the work. Plotwise, I am also impressed by what constitutes as improvements to the story to the traditional Hellenic myth, insofar that unnecessary supernatural elements and interventions were removed in favour of more subtle hints and human inventiveness.
6. Breathless (aka À bout de souffle) (1960). The high point of the French New Wave, which I readily admit that my initial love of the film was because Jean Seberg leaves me quite weak at the knees. But of course, there is the roguish main character played by Jean-Paul Belmondo, the numerous references to other films throughout, and, very importantly, the radical jump-cut editing that emphasised character decision points. Breathless showed the rules of film-making could be smashed and a great film could still result.
7. Threads (1984) and I share his opinion on this docudrama. Terrifyingly realistic, the grim story is dryly interspersed with factual information and best estimates of what the effects of a full nuclear war would have on Britain - starting with a 90% population loss, and the living will envy the dead.
8.The Man Who Would Be King (1975). Presents itself as a boy's own adventure of British Imperialism (rather like it's twin, "Zulu"), but it is a devastating critique of the same. The main characters are complete rogues, and suffer the effects of hubris in their empire-building with inevitable results. The performances of Michael Caine, Sean Connery, and Saeed Jaffrey are nothing short of brilliant.
9. Novecento (1976). Unloved by critics, 1900 is a long (two versions 247 minutes and 317 minutes) politically partisan drama spanning from 1900 to 1945 and beyond as two friends experience the changes in Italian society between those years - especially the conflicts between communism and fascism. Includes an array of famous actors, scenes ranging from the hilarious, earthy, and gruesome.
10. Ratatouille (2007). A complex and multi-layered narrative covering ambition, betrayal, loyalty, competence. criticism, love, all whilst pretending to be a cute film for kids that involves rats, and features one of the greatest flashback scenes in film history. Will also appeal to francophiles, lovers of fine food and wine, and those who have worked in kitchens.
funontheupfield on FB, I was induced to the equivalent for film. Whilst previously posted in other social media, it is worth repeating here in a summary form on what is my main 'blog. 1. Blade Runner (1982). Bringing science fiction back to earth, as it were, this neo-noir classic essentially established the genre of cyberpunk, and for decades since I have been living in its shadow. Aside from the overwhelming visuals, superb soundtrack, the unfolding and immersive narrative, and the troubled characters there is the thematic exploration of what it means to be human, the existential crisis of limited lifespan, the doubts of memory, and of course, one of the most famous and quoted death-scenes of in film history.
2. Casablanca (1942). Romance and high drama, deadly political intrigue, absurd comedy, so many quotable lines, gorgeous settings, a great plot, magnificent acting by some of the greatest on the screen, famous theme song (along was a great performance of "La Marseillaise", performed by people who were mostly refugees from the Nazi regime), and rightly recognised as one of the greatest films of all time.
3. Princess Mononoke (1997). Historical-fantasy is always close in my heart, and it astoundingly well executed in this particularly bloody and epic narrative where the mythic past crashes into early modernity. Even more so, each of the major characters is not without flaws or good intentions. The hero has superhuman strength but is consumed by a violent demon. The demon itself results from attempts to protect the natural environment from encroaching industralisation. The encroaching industrialisation gives opportunities to the marginalised of traditional society - and so it goes on.
4. Dr. Strangelove (1964). A stunning combination of absurdity and comedy with pathological effects. The also listed Threads is utterly terrifying in the realism of the effects of nuclear war, Dr. Strangelove explores the all too plausible ridiculous human failings that could lead to a tragic comedy of errors. Peter Sellers does superbly performing multiple different iconic roles and of course, the entire film is quotable scene after quotable scene.
5. Jason and the Argonauts (1963). It was in my early childhood that I first saw this film and was, of course, highly impressed by the famous stop animation sequence with the skeleton warriors, the defeat of Talos, the harpies, and the symplegades. Truly brilliant stuff, and looking back at it one cannot help but marvel at the work. Plotwise, I am also impressed by what constitutes as improvements to the story to the traditional Hellenic myth, insofar that unnecessary supernatural elements and interventions were removed in favour of more subtle hints and human inventiveness.
6. Breathless (aka À bout de souffle) (1960). The high point of the French New Wave, which I readily admit that my initial love of the film was because Jean Seberg leaves me quite weak at the knees. But of course, there is the roguish main character played by Jean-Paul Belmondo, the numerous references to other films throughout, and, very importantly, the radical jump-cut editing that emphasised character decision points. Breathless showed the rules of film-making could be smashed and a great film could still result.
7. Threads (1984) and I share his opinion on this docudrama. Terrifyingly realistic, the grim story is dryly interspersed with factual information and best estimates of what the effects of a full nuclear war would have on Britain - starting with a 90% population loss, and the living will envy the dead.
8.The Man Who Would Be King (1975). Presents itself as a boy's own adventure of British Imperialism (rather like it's twin, "Zulu"), but it is a devastating critique of the same. The main characters are complete rogues, and suffer the effects of hubris in their empire-building with inevitable results. The performances of Michael Caine, Sean Connery, and Saeed Jaffrey are nothing short of brilliant.
9. Novecento (1976). Unloved by critics, 1900 is a long (two versions 247 minutes and 317 minutes) politically partisan drama spanning from 1900 to 1945 and beyond as two friends experience the changes in Italian society between those years - especially the conflicts between communism and fascism. Includes an array of famous actors, scenes ranging from the hilarious, earthy, and gruesome.
10. Ratatouille (2007). A complex and multi-layered narrative covering ambition, betrayal, loyalty, competence. criticism, love, all whilst pretending to be a cute film for kids that involves rats, and features one of the greatest flashback scenes in film history. Will also appeal to francophiles, lovers of fine food and wine, and those who have worked in kitchens.
