Support NeoGAF

[MetatronM]

I haven't seen this posted anywhere else, so if it's old, just say so.



A panel of experts at the British Film Institute has released a list of 50 films it believes, for one reason or another, parents should have their kids see by the age of 14. The first 10 films are ranked by the number of votes they received, and the remaining 40 are in alphabetical order.


THE 10 CHOSEN BY THE BFI

1. Spirited Away (2001) - Animated Japanese film about gods and sorcerers

2. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Musical classic

3. Les Quatre Cents Coups [The 400 Blows] (1959) - French 12-year-old turns into a hellraiser

4. The Night of the Hunter (1955) - Robert Mitchum as a serial killer in America's Deep South

5. Where is My Friend's House? (1987) - One of Iranian director Kiarostami's earlier works

6. Show Me Love (1998) - Coming-of-age tale of two Swedish girls

7. Toy Story (1995) - Buzz Lightyear and Woody brought to life by computer animation

8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - Steven Spielberg's sci-fi tearjerker

9. The Bicycle Thief (1948) - Italian film focusing on life after World War II

10. Kes (1969) - Gritty working class British drama


THE REMAINING 40

A Day at the Races (1937) - Marx Brothers comedy

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - Oscar-winning Sherwood Forest action

Au Revoir les Enfants (1987) - World War II drama set in French boarding school

Back to the Future (1985) - Michael J Fox's time-travelling adventure

Beauty and the Beast (1991) - Disney's musical masterpiece

La Belle et la Bete (1946) - French telling of Beauty and the Beast

Billy Elliot (2000) - Working class boy discovers a love of ballet

Edward Scissorhands (1990) - Romantic tale of an uncommonly gentle man

Etre et Avoir (2002) - Portrait of a French school staffed by one teacher

Finding Nemo (2003) - Underwater animation

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - Frank Capra's uplifting family feature

Jason and the Argonauts (1963) - Greek hero and his adventures

The Kid (1921) - Charlie Chaplin as a tramp

King Kong (1933) - Giant ape thriller

Kirikou et la Sorciere (1998) - Animated African folk tale

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) - French comedy about a holidaymaker who wreaks havoc

My Life as a Dog (1985) - Swedish boy abused by his family

My Neighbour Totoro (1988) - Japanese animation

Oliver Twist (1948) - Charles Dickens' classic

The Outsiders (1983) - Francis Ford Coppola crime drama

Pather Panchali (1955) - Indian story of survival for a boy in Bengal

Playtime (1967) - Jacques Tati in a French farce

The Princess Bride (1987) - Rob Reiner directed fantastical fairytale

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) - Aboriginal epic

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Harrison Ford goes on a perilous quest

The Railway Children (1970) - Charming drama set in Edwardian England

The Red Balloon (1956) - French parable

Romeo & Juliet (1996) - Baz Luhrmann's modern take on Shakespeare's tragedy

The Secret Garden (1993) - Maggie Smith stars in the classic journey of discovery

Singin' in the Rain (1952) - Gene Kelly musical

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(1937) - Classic animated fairytale

Some Like it Hot (1959) - Classic comedy with Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) - Tense drama set in post civil war Spain

Star Wars (1977) - George Lucas's sci-fi epic

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Movie of the Pulitzer winning novel

Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902) - Vintage French space travel

Walkabout (1971) - Children stranded in the Australian outback

Whale Rider (2002) - New Zealand tale of love

Whistle Down the Wind (1961) - Hayley Mills finds Jesus on a farm

The White Balloon (1995) - Iranian tale


List taken from the Daily Mail

 

[ronito]

Spirited Away at #1?

I approve of this list.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Anime sucks.

 

[distantmantra]

This should be posted at all Blockbuster and Hollywood Video stores.

 

[The_Sorrow]

No Lion King? What the hell?

 

[dem]

What about Debbie Does Dallas?

 

[KingGondo]

Night of the Hunter @ #4?

Don't get me wrong, great movie, but that would scare the bejesus out of almost any kid under the age of 14.

Robert Mitchum is the fucking man.

 

[Cloudy]

No "Sound of Music"? Worthless list...

 

[Uter]

A panel of experts at the British Film Institute has released a list of 50 films it believes, for one reason or another, parents should have their kids see by the age of 14.

Funny how some anonymous group of "film critics" somehow feels the need to tell parents what their children "should" be watching.

 

[MC Safety]

I guess the BFI is being fairly elitist about this, and I can imagine it really, really wants kids to get their recommended allowance of sleep. And then some.

 

[ChryZ]

Back Door Sluts 9

 

[MetatronM]

Funny how some anonymous group of "film critics" somehow feels the need to tell parents what their children "should" be watching.

The BFI isn't exactly anonymous. And there is actually a point to the list:

The BFI produced the list as part of its Watch This initiative, which is aimed at broadening the range of films children watch. It is also being considered by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which is looking at an overhaul of English lessons. It is examining whether films should have a greater role in the curriculum.

Cary Bazalgette, head of education at the BFI, said: "Films are a really important part of our culture. They join us up with other people and parts of the world just as the other arts do.

"If they are great films children will love them, whether they have subtitles or not. This is quite a controversial list that's likely to provoke continuing debate but that's the idea.

"We're not imposing this selection - we intend the list to evolve."

 

[levious]

No "Sound of Music"? Worthless list...

haha, there's more than enough musical fruitiness on this list.

And Some Like it Hot? They probably picked that just to annoy conservative american parents.

Funny how some anonymous group of "film critics" somehow feels the need to tell parents what their children "should" be watching.

are you just as mad about the AFI telling you what 100 films you should watch as well? Assuming you're an adult.

 

[MetatronM]

And Some Like it Hot? They probably picked that just to annoy conservative american parents.

Personally I think it's on there to carry on the weird British tradition of having men dressed in drag as the cornerstone of all comedy.

 

[Minotauro]

I guess the BFI is being fairly elitist about this, and I can imagine it really, really wants kids to get their recommended allowance of sleep. And then some.

Yeah, seriously. What regular kid is actually going to be able to sit through a Monsieur Hulot movie?

 

[Escape Goat]

:lol


Back to the Future...thats odd. Its a good movie but why should kids see it by age 14?

 

[Poody]

I thought this thread was about fiddy cent peeing on little kids and filming it.

 

[cybamerc]

dem:

> What about Debbie Does Dallas?

Well, Show Me Love has two underage girls kissing each other passionately. If you're under 14 it may just be a suitable alternative.

 

[Matlock]

Spirited Away (2001) - Animated Japanese film about gods and sorcerers

Billy Elliot (2000) - Working class boy discovers a love of ballet

Whale Rider (2002) - New Zealand tale of love

I see the BFI has a taste for shit.

 

[3rdman]

The Bicycle thief has got to be one of the most depressing movies to come out of the whole neo-realism movement in Italy. That and Umberto D are enough to make you slit your wrists.

...and they want kids to see this???

 

[ConfusingJazz]

Boo to lack of bad news bears.

 

[Nameless]

You have not had a complete child hood if you have not seen:

OR

 

[Umpteen]

This list should be subtitled
"How to turn your child into eurotrash before age 14"

Come on, some of these are great films, but how freaking PRETENTIOUS do you have to be to even think a kid <14 would sit through half of those??

 

[MetatronM]

While I do agree it's a rather elitist list, it is at least refreshing to see people treat kids as something other than pea-brained sheltered morons who should be exposed to nothing but rainbows, candy, and farts.

Kids are at least a little bit brighter than a lot of people give them credit for, and giving them more of a window to some darker and more complicated elements of the world isn't such a bad idea (remember, it is up to 14, and I think plenty of 14 year olds can handle some of the more depressing and dark films on the list), though I do wonder how many of them would be excited to watch a 103 year old silent French sci fi film.

 

[Matlock]

Kids are at least a little bit brighter than a lot of people give them credit for

Yet, they're dumb enough to watch Spirited Away.

 

[Uter]

are you just as mad about the AFI telling you what 100 films you should watch as well? Assuming you're an adult.

I don't remember their list instructing me on what to watch, it was simply their list. BFI is telling parents what they "should" be showing to their kids. "We're not imposing this selection - we intend the list to evolve.". "imposing this selection"? wtf.

 

[Mercurial]

This list should be subtitled
"How to turn your child into eurotrash before age 14"

Come on, some of these are great films, but how freaking PRETENTIOUS do you have to be to even think a kid <14 would sit through half of those??

I would have and did sit through (and for the most part, enjoyed) a lot of those movies before the age of 14. I thank my mother every time I see her for infusing me with good taste.

Of course most children you know wouldn't be able to sit through a lot of those films. Just look at how they're brought up and what they're exposed to.

 

[Umpteen]

Awww, do you want a medal for being a pretentious preteen?

I said lots of the films are good. Yet nothing about that list (except the inclusion of some great "children's" features) would suggest it was for developing children.

Some Like it Hot?? There is nothing of value in that movie. What sort of lesson is that supposed to teach my daughter? That older corny comedies are somehow good just because they are old? Sorry, I don't subscribe to that theory.

And you must be a guy. . .thanking your mother for infusing you with her taste?

If my kid turns 14 w/o having seen Some like it hot, King Kong (seriously, this movie does not hold up. Must've been really impressive in the thirties I'm sure), or Baz Luhrman's mockery of Romeo and Juliet I am not going to feel like I failed to class her up.

 

[Forgotten Ancient]

How the Goonies escaped this list is way beyond me.

 

[MetatronM]

I don't remember their list instructing me on what to watch, it was simply their list. BFI is telling parents what they "should" be showing to their kids. "We're not imposing this selection - we intend the list to evolve.". "imposing this selection"? wtf.

They mean it's not a permenant "be all, end all" list. It's apparently going to be an ever-changing recommendation list.

 

[CB3]

:lol :lol :lol

Im 16 and ive seen 3 of the movies on that list.
Raiders of the lost Ark
Romeo & Juliet 1996
Secret Garden

 

[MetatronM]

:lol :lol :lol

Im 16 and ive seen 3 of the movies on that list.
Raiders of the lost Ark
Romeo & Juliet 1996
Secret Garden

What kind of kid grows up without seeing any Disney movie, Star Wars, ET, The Wizard of Oz, and The Princess Bride?

That's a depressing sounding childhood.

 

[Mercurial]

Umpteen, I really think you're underestimating most children but I guess I don't blame you. It's become far too common in North America to shelter them and feed them censored, candy-coated pish-posh.

Attempting to broaden a childs horizens is not pretentious. Also, I don't agree with all the choices on the list either. I doubt anyone would. But I agree with the general idea of the list.

 

[CB3]

What kind of kid grows up without seeing any Disney movie, Star Wars, ET, The Wizard of Oz, and The Princess Bride?

That's a depressing sounding childhood.

Oops i didnt see star wars on that list. Ive seen all 6. Im Not that bad. :lol

Also looking again i missed quite a few.

Toy Story
Back to the future (one of my favorite movie series of all time)
The Outsiders

 

[Umpteen]

You can do a good job of educating your child on the truth of the world by not showing them any movies at all, including a bunch of old/foreign flicks.

Take your kid out into your city with you. Talk to them about what they see. Maintain open, nonjudgmental dialogue with said kid.

My daughter is 2 and a half and she has a better grasp of things like politeness, gratitude, and listening comprehension than lots of adults I know. She did not get this awesome cognizance from watching movies or TV. (Although she has an obsession with Ed, Edd, and Eddy/ The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy that I can't quite fathom.)

But I agree most people coddle their children way too much. Stop it parents, or they will turn out like Olimario!

I just feel that this list has a few too many movies I have seen and can't really get what will enrich my daughter's life that is inside them.

 

[Synth_floyd]

Spirited Away is number 1? Ugh. Miyazaki's 80s stuff (Laputa, Nausicaa, Kiki, though Kiki might be early 90s) kicks ass. His newer stuff (Howl, Mononoke, and Sen to Chihiro) is total shit. His contempt for humanity must have grown exponentially with his initial successes.

 

[Ferrio]

Wow, a marx brothers movie. Bravo.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Wow, a marx brothers movie. Bravo.

Needs two: Horsefeathers.

 

[J2 Cool]

No Lion King? What the hell?

Honestly, what the hell. Maybe the most inspiring film I seen when I was younger. Also, where's Terminator 2? I loved that movie as a child. Spider-man also looks like something I'd have really liked when younger. Kids need a well done good vs. bad movie at that age. Land Before Time, couple other Don Bluth films, and the whole list of Disney films are also stuff I'd show my kids. Snow White('37) - Jungle Book('67) are just magical films. Especially liked 101 Dalmations, Pinnochio, Bambi, and Dumbo hit the spot. Other stuff I think are fantastic for children are Disney flicks from Oliver & Company('88) - Lion King('94). Most people thought it started with Little Mermaid in 91 but Oliver & Company and Rescuers Down Under aren't too shabby either. In fact, Down Under may be the only sequel better than the original imo. Little Mermaid was just the one that opened people's eyes. All Pixar movies are must see for kids. Even more so Brad Bird's 2 films, Iron Giant and The Incredibles. Iron Giant Top 10 for sure. Brave Little Toaster, Ducktales the movie, and Donald/Goofy shorts are great material too. Oooh, and Bruce Lee flicks. Loved those as a kid.

Anyway, I'd knock quite a bit on this crappy list. They're just kidding themselves with some of these old flicks. The great thing with animated films though, was that as a child, they were just timeless. Those classics could have came out a year before I watched em as far as I was concerned. 101 Dalmations has about as much style as any animated film I could think of.

 

[MetatronM]

Honestly, what the hell. Maybe the most inspiring film I seen when I was younger. Also, where's Terminator 2? I loved that movie as a child. Spider-man also looks like something I'd have really liked when younger. Kids need a well done good vs. bad movie at that age. Land Before Time, couple other Don Bluth films, and the whole list of Disney films are also stuff I'd show my kids. Snow White('37) - Jungle Book('67) are just magical films. Especially liked 101 Dalmations, Pinnochio, Bambi, and Dumbo hit the spot. Other stuff I think are fantastic for children are Disney flicks from Oliver & Company('88) - Lion King('94). Most people thought it started with Little Mermaid in 91 but Oliver & Company and Rescuers Down Under aren't too shabby either. In fact, Down Under may be the only sequel better than the original imo. Little Mermaid was just the one that opened people's eyes. All Pixar movies are must see for kids. Even more so Brad Bird's 2 films, Iron Giant and The Incredibles. Iron Giant Top 10 for sure. Brave Little Toaster, Ducktales the movie, and Donald/Goofy shorts are great material too. Oooh, and Bruce Lee flicks. Loved those as a kid.

Anyway, I'd knock quite a bit on this crappy list. They're just kidding themselves with some of these old flicks. The great thing with animated films though, was that as a child, they were just timeless. Those classics could have came out a year before I watched em as far as I was concerned. 101 Dalmations has about as much style as any animated film I could think of.

I too agree this list needs more animation on it. Aside from standing up better over time in many cases, they also often convey powerful moralistic messages to kids a manner that is much more readily apparent and understandable to children than some of the more elite fare they listed. And they could do it while still going for the "enlightened/highbrow" motif they're sort of going for here by including something like Fantasia.

Add, say, Lion King, Nausicaa, Fantasia, An American Tale, The Iron Giant, and maybe something like The Brave Little Toaster, and I think the list improves dramatically. It also makes it much closer to a 1:1 ratio between things kids would normally voluntarily watch and things you would pretty much have to impose upon them.

 

[Spectral Glider]

Hmmm, by the time I was 14 I had seen:

Star Wars, Empire, Jedi
Raiders, Temple of Doom
Superman I-IV
Poltergeist
E.T.
Jaws 1-3
Rocky 1-4
Gremlins
Goonies
War Games
Vacation
Enter the Dragon
Dreamscape
Clash of the Titans
The Black Hole
Beastmaster
Friday the 13th parts 1-5
Nightmare on Elm Street 1-3
Halloween 1-3
The Exorcist
Psycho
Ghostbusters
Romancing the Stone
Karate Kid
Terminator
Back to the Future
Aliens
Predator
Beverly Hills Cop I and II
The Thing
The Dark Crystal
Never Ending Story
Secret of Nimh
Young Frankenstein
Planet of the Apes
The first two Muppet flicks
Several James Bond flicks
Both King Kongs
Almost all of the original Godzilla flicks.....
and countless other films I'm forgetting.

Frankly, I think they're list is lacking.

 

[Shinobi]

While I do agree it's a rather elitist list, it is at least refreshing to see people treat kids as something other than pea-brained sheltered morons who should be exposed to nothing but rainbows, candy, and farts.

Kids are at least a little bit brighter than a lot of people give them credit for, and giving them more of a window to some darker and more complicated elements of the world isn't such a bad idea (remember, it is up to 14, and I think plenty of 14 year olds can handle some of the more depressing and dark films on the list), though I do wonder how many of them would be excited to watch a 103 year old silent French sci fi film.

Agreed with this...Christ, when I was that age I had friends who'd already seen Robocop. :lol

Anyway they've got Raiders of the Lost Ark on the list, so I can't totally hate on it. Too bad they don't have Animalympics. And Prince of Egypt (along with it's psuedo-prequel Joseph King of Dreams) is a terrific movie, though non-Christians/Jews might find it a little preachy. And the lack of Ghostbusters is a crime. But who really cares? If I do have a kid, I'll be brainwashing 'em with Batman Animated, The Man with No Name trilogy, Ronin and anything else I've ever liked. That's generally the way it goes, doesn't it?

 

[HokieJoe]

I'd probably add Charlotte's Web and Willy Wonka in there somewhere.

 

[ToxicAdam]

Yea, definitely Willy Wonka. Throw in LOTR, Willow, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan (any version), TRON and Iron Giant.


Really, almost any Tim Burton movie. They are all fantastic for early teens.

 

[sefskillz]

I don't know why anyone would think a kid could sit through Rabbit Proof Fence.

 

[eLGee]

No "Dawn of the dead"? Any list is incomplete without "Dawn of the dead" somewhere in the top. Anyway...

"Show me love" (named Fucking Åmål in it's native language) is an overrated POS-movie. I know alot of people love it, but for me it just feels like a boring caricature.

 

[Hilo]

What, no My Dog Skip love?

That's an awesome movie that every kid should see. I know my kids love it.

 

[xsarien]

By the time I hit 14, I had been raised on a steady diet of nearly every 80s comedy imaginable, horror movies wacky (e.g., Transylvania 6-5000, Repossessed), scary (e.g., first Hellraiser), and weird (e.g., Critters, Troll). Also, Disney movies.

This most likely accounts for me being a sort of pop-culture blender today; just as likely to watch the three color trilogy as I am the Sci-Fi channel's presentation of Ssssss. But I don't mind, although I'm slightly annoyed that I'm pretty much trained to think of Linda Blair dancing (kinda) whenever I hear "Devil in a Blue Dress."

That's not cool, and while this list is good, it's not terribly realistic. It's like the medical establishment telling kids to once again eat more vegetables: Good advice, never gonna happen.

 

[Warm Machine]

I don't know why anyone would think a kid could sit through Rabbit Proof Fence.

That is the type of movie I used to watch as a kid. The movie is about kids making their own way in the world with hardship. Disney used to make live action movies with that type of theme back in the 70s.

My kids are going to watch Godzilla and King Kong long before they get to see Jurassic Park. I really want them to have an appreciation of movies as well as technology. Most kids will watch anything projected infront of them whether it is new or not. Even if a few key scenes or shots get burnt into their subconsious it is worth it.

Realistically the list should be before 12 years old and not 14. By the time you are 12 you start searching out more adult style content whether you are ready for it or not. End of the day it is best for the kids to watch the movies with their parent(s).

 

[heidern]

This list need more Breakfast Club and Goonies. But yeah, Spirited Away at no 1 is awesome.

And I don't know about 14, but I do know by the time I was 7 I had seen The Exorcist, Evil Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.