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[Danne-Danger]

7. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)

... why?

Apart from the cinematography it's nothing special, Leone made at least 3 westerns that kick the shit out of it. Hell, even Ford has made better westerns than The Searchers (Liberty Valance, for one).

 

[snoopeasystreet]

Would love to see Moon on this list.

 

[Borgnine]

... why?

Apart from the cinematography it's nothing special

This is a pretty good example of why people feel they get burned by these lists filled with old movies. Like if someone said to you "hey The Searchers is considered the 7th best film ever, go watch it" you'd probably end up pretty disappointed. It looks like this website doesn't really do it, but I'm sure there's something out there that tells you WHY you should watch it. You know like treat it more like a classroom, I think it might help people get more engaged. I know after I watched Ebert's commentary on Citizen Kane I had a whole new appreciation of the film (though I loved it the first time anyway).

Though this didn't work out so well for me and The Seventh Seal, which I read up on before watching but still did nothing for me.

 

[AlteredBeast]

No Shawshank? pffffff. I am sorry, movie snob or not, that is a top 100 movie.

Top 50 in my opinion, but that is narrow, as I haven't seen a lot of silent movies or Bauhaus flicks...

 

[3rdman]

So basically another case of "the first movies were the best! These new things, colour, CGI or watever sucks. Just so you know!!!"

No....those movies are some of the best films ever made and deserve to be there for it's impact on film making as a whole. You all can mock movies like Citizen Kane but when the makers of the films you love name it as their #1, you kinda lose your argument.

 

[DeathbyVolcano]

Citizen Kane needs to stop being number 1. It's awesome but not number 1. It's the Ocarina of Time of films.

 

[Timber]

To the OP: I notice that you are a huge McCabe and Mrs. Miller fan. I saw that for the first time recently, and while I liked it, I was kind of surprised that it is as acclaimed as it is. Is it the type of film that you have to watch a few times to really fall in love, or do you have a review somewhere that could maybe help me figure out what I am missing? As I said, I did like it, but I want to love it.

About a year ago I started to really warm up to the Western genre. John Ford is now one of my favourite directors. His movie Stagecoach introduced a lot of themes, elements and characters that have been adopted by many other Westerns that have come since. You'll be hard-pressed to find Westerns made between 1940 and, say, 1965 whose protagonist isn't some handsome, tough gunslinger who has an enigmatic past, probably a criminal one. The famous shot in Stagecoach where John Wayne swaggers towards the lens in the heat was the introduction of that character that has since become an archetype. His love interest in that movie was also someone with a past: a hooker who has, as they say, a heart of gold.

Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven uses the same characters. That movie is from 1992. I think it helps to be familiar with Western tropes if you want to fully appreciate McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

In McCabe & Mrs. Miller, the McCabe character is first introduced as someone who's rumoured to have killed a man. He's John Wayne. As the movie progresses, the validity of these rumours is put into question he's revealed not to be a bad-ass gun-totin' outlaw, but someone much more nuanced and complicated. But to put it simply, he's something of a loser.

And then there's Mrs. Miller, the hooker. According to the unwritten law of the Western, she's there solely to be swept away by the rugged manliness of McCabe. But she's much smarter than him and much more interested in the business McCabe is running and worries over him more than she loves him. Their relationship goes above and beyond the relationship in any other Western. What's great about the movie is how it subverts these familiar characters without being disrespectful or condescending to them; it gives them many extra dimensions and humanises them to a great degree.

There are other Western standards the movie subverts, sometimes even inverts. It's a Northern more than a Western and the town of Presbyterian Church is such a wonderfully realised place and its denizens so idiosyncratically affable and unique. And the 'shoot out' at the end is without any bravado. It's a cat and mouse, hide and seek game that, like most of the movie's elements, is utterly unique.

Another great thing about Westerns is that they're always reflections on the past of the USA. They depict an era of lawless budding societies and civilisation that we know will not last long, and the filmmakers know this as well. They know that whatever will emerge from this era will become the foundation of modern America. In John Ford's My Darling Clementine, the titular character is the only one who remains in the town. She's the only one who's truly peaceful, and she's the one who will build America.
In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, arguably the deepest Western ever made and in my opinion the best 'pure' one, James Stewart plays someone who seeks to educate the people. First he's a schoolteacher, later he becomes a Senator. John Wayne plays John Wayne again, this time shown as even more conflicted than he was in The Searchers. He knows time has passed him by and hands the country over to James Stewart.

Sam Peckinpah utilised this theme as well, the whole "death of the old west" thing. In The Wild Bunch, the gunslingers ride their horses amid automobiles and are confused at what happens around them. They practically commit suicide by the end of the movie.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller also knows that the age of outlaws and cowboys is a transitory one, but it does something with this knowledge that is very different and clever. In other Westerns, violence and death make way for peace and prosperity. In McCabe they are replaced by a much more insidious kind of violence, embodied by the mining company. The lone gunman, or in this case the small, independent businessman, is eradicated by the forces of harsh capitalism. I could also go into the symbolic significance of the church being burnt down, but this is getting very long as it is.

These are somewhat impersonal reasons for liking the film, but it did strike a very personal note with me. I really like the relationship between the two eponymous characters. I like how McCabe craves for Mrs. Miller's love yet she remains distant. I like how Mrs. Miller tries to protect him from both himself and the powers that will crush him. She seems to know what will happen to McCabe in the end, which is perhaps what prevents her from getting closer to him. She's the strongest female character in any Western with the possible exception of Joan Crawford in Johnny Guitar. And I guess I very much identify with McCabe. I know I called him a loser earlier so this might not seem too confident on my part, but for what it's worth I find him to be a tragic, romantic and heroic loser "I got poetry in me!"

 

[gdt]

Citizen Kane needs to stop being number 1. It's awesome but not number 1. It's the Ocarina of Time of films.

:O

>_<

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

 

[Yes Boss!]

Goddamn, I love McCabe and Mrs. Miller.

 

[msdstc]

Not a bad spot for Eteneral Sunshine... I think it will move up with time. Most of the top movies are from a long ass time ago. Is this people being stuck in the past, or do they just not make movies like they used to? I've seen a lot of them and they're great, but I wonder if this will change with time.

edit- also Jaws needs to be higher.

 

[Timber]

... why?

Apart from the cinematography it's nothing special, Leone made at least 3 westerns that kick the shit out of it. Hell, even Ford has made better westerns than The Searchers (Liberty Valance, for one).

You know, on one hand I agree with you. There are three John Ford movies I mentioned in my other post (Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine and Liberty Valance) that I prefer over the Searchers. But to call it "nothing special" is just soooo wrong. It examines the psychology of the western hero in a way that had never been done before it, and hardly ever after it. Liberty Valance is IMO the only one that trumps it in that regard. And the story that is born from this pathological character - the obsessive search for the Pure White Maiden in order to rescue her from the Evil Indjuns - is a gripping and morally complex one. It exposes the evil of the white man, and that's a hell of a thing for a western to do, especially coming from the people who played such a huge part in establishing the white=good, red=bad standard.

What I'm saying isn't original and has been said time and again and much more extensively and eloquently. I'm just reiterating these points because there are a hell of a lot of reasons to admire The Searchers and realise it's something quite special.

Goddamn, I love McCabe and Mrs. Miller.

high five! it deserves all the love in the world

 

[Dabookerman]

I think we should seriously abandon TOP x number lists. And instead of X number best films list.

I mean, if this was a list of the 1000 best films in no order, then I'm sure no one would complain.. unless they're favourite film was left out etc.

 

[McBacon]

Nice, haven't seen any of the Top 25.

(6 of the newly added films though, get in!)

 

[Danne-Danger]

You know, on one hand I agree with you. There are three John Ford movies I mentioned in my other post (Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine and Liberty Valance) that I prefer over the Searchers. But to call it "nothing special" is just soooo wrong. It examines the psychology of the western hero in a way that had never been done before it, and hardly ever after it. Liberty Valance is IMO the only one that trumps it in that regard. And the story that is born from this pathological character - the obsessive search for the Pure White Maiden in order to rescue her from the Evil Indjuns - is a gripping and morally complex one. It exposes the evil of the white man, and that's a hell of a thing for a western to do, especially coming from the people who played such a huge part in establishing the white=good, red=bad standard.

What I'm saying isn't original and has been said time and again and much more extensively and eloquently. I'm just reiterating these points because there are a hell of a lot of reasons to admire The Searchers and realise it's something quite special.

The impression I got when I saw it (last year, mind you) was that the movie didn't know what it wanted. It had the racist John Wayne at the forefront and I saw hints that maybe he was heading for some sort of "redemption". That is, before they return to the Indian camp by the end and slaughter everyone.

I don't know, maybe I'm just being harsh to it since I was so bummed out by the ending, but I felt it was a very uneven movie throughout.

I read through Ebert’s comments after Borgnine's post and I can sort of see why one would hold it in such high regard even though it didn't click with me.

 

[J2 Cool]

Best films of the last 30 years:

1. Raging Bull (1980, #19)
2. Blade Runner (1982, #40)
3. Goodfellas (1990, #96)
4. E.T. (1982, #122)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994, #130)

The top #25 only has one film 1980's and up, Raging Bull. In the top 50 are only two, Raging Bull and Blade Runner. Goodfellas comes in as the third in the top 100. Kind of seems pointless to "update" a list like this, other than to swap spots. How many people read the last 900?

 

[CajoleJuice]

How many people read the last 900?

I think it's an impressive collection of movies everyone should see. It just gives you an insane amount of movies to choose from; it's basically a database of greatness. And I bet I've only seen 1/5 of them, if that.

But I do think it's telling that Eternal Sunshine is 535th on the overall list when it's 4th for the past 10 years.

 

[Veidt]

So basically more posts that scream "I have not seen 90% of these movies but will complain about their position anyway" and/or "I am a giant toolbag!"

Point taken.

However, others and I were getting at the fact that according to that list, for the last few decades, there apparently haven't been any great films ( top 25). Which is to us a very questionable case. Great movies have indeed been released. And clinging on older films for almost 100 years now, is absolutely narrow-sided. It's sort of how the academy awards doesn't perceive motion capture ( in the vein of avatar) performance as acting, and hence will never nominated or award an actor or actress for their performance no matter how great.

but when the makers of the films you love name it as their #1, you kinda lose your argument.

Some film makers I guess. I've never looked up what they like. Because I am pretty damn certain that some of those films are beyond my generation.

Those films are from their generation. They have a natural bias towards them. Directors prior to them, would consider films from their generation to be great by that logic. So what's some people's excuse to select films from other generations that have clearly passed and automatically disregard their own generation? Clearly film makers aren't doing it then why should we?

BTW. 2001 should have been nr.1
I don't like it that much. But it deserves the spot regardless.

 

[GreyMatter]

Amazing. Kill Bill Volume 1 being selected over Volume 2, that is.

 

[Danne-Danger]

How many people read the last 900?

I'm down to nr. 250 and I'm finding a lot of movies that I'd like to see in the future. It's a real treasure chest. Reading the quotes beside the movies I have seen is interesting as well.

 

[J2 Cool]

I think it's an impressive collection of movies everyone should see. It just gives you an insane amount of movies to choose from; it's basically a database of greatness. And I bet I've only seen 1/5 of them, if that.

But I do think it's telling that Eternal Sunshine is 535th on the overall list when it's 4th for the past 10 years.

True, I just think it's a bit hesistant a list to champion anything new, or forget anything old off the list. Scorsese's the safest picks for new films that can stand up with the rest. It is a great list, I've seen most of the top 25 and enjoyed almost all of them, but it wouldn't be my top 25. There's something academic about the inclusion of Battleship Potemkin and The Passion of Joan of Arc, and I'm not sure that's the way you should do a list.

 

[CajoleJuice]

True, I just think it's a bit hesistant a list to champion anything new, or forget anything old off the list. Scorsese's the safest picks for new films that can stand up with the rest. It is a great list, I've seen most of the top 25 and enjoyed almost all of them, but it wouldn't be my top 25. There's something academic about the inclusion of Battleship Potemkin and The Passion of Joan of Arc, and I'm not sure that's the way you should do a list.

I'm totally fine with a more "academic" approach, considering there's stuff like IMDB and Flickchart if one wants to see which movies are popular.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Hell, there is something "academic" about the inclusion of the Seven Samurai. You could say that about a lot of "classics" that have been eclipsed by films of the last 50 years

 

[Timber]

Point taken.

However, others and I were getting at the fact that according to that list, for the last few decades, there apparently haven't been any great films ( top 25). Which is to us a very questionable case. Great movies have indeed been released. And clinging on older films for almost 100 years now, is absolutely narrow-sided. It's sort of how the academy awards doesn't perceive motion capture ( in the vein of avatar) performance as acting, and hence will never nominated or award an actor or actress for their performance no matter how great.

I went into this earlier. Not just the top 25 are great films. Every single film on that whole list is considered great by people. There's absolutely nothing questionable about that.

Some film makers I guess. I've never looked up what they like. Because I am pretty damn certain that some of those films are beyond my generation.

Those films are from their generation. They have a natural bias towards them. Directors prior to them, would consider films from their generation to be great by that logic. So what's some people's excuse to select films from other generations that have clearly passed and automatically disregard their own generation? Clearly film makers aren't doing it then why should we?

Do you think the people who voted for movies made in the 1920s and 30s were there when they released?

Most of my favourite movies are from generations past. And that makes more sense than "sticking to your own generation" because most movies were made before I was born. I don't see why that should be much of an issue. I'm 22 so if I were to limit myself to the things that are from my generation I'd be depriving myself of many great things. This goes for movies as well as music and books.

 

[Borgnine]

BTW. 2001 should have been nr.1
I don't like it that much. But it deserves the spot regardless.

Interesting that essentially all of Stanley Kubrick's movies are on the list, his lowest one is 555.

Also 75% of Terrance Malick's films.

 

[Fladam]

998. The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)

GO BABY GO!

 

[Veidt]

I went into this earlier. Not just the top 25 are great films. Every single film on that whole list is considered great by people. There's absolutely nothing questionable about that.


Do you think the people who voted for movies made in the 1920s and 30s were there when they released?

Most of my favourite movies are from generations past. And that makes more sense than "sticking to your own generation" because most movies were made before I was born. I don't see why that should be much of an issue. I'm 22 so if I were to limit myself to the things that are from my generation I'd be depriving myself of many great things. This goes for movies as well as music and books.

Good point.
As I was intending to say. I just don't know how to agree with what's on that list while it just ignores great films of our generation. Great films that easily belong in the top 20 list such as Blade Runner are just being thrown to the side. If these sort of lists get spread widely enough and for long enough, such films will not get the recognition they deserve.
You absolutely do not have to stick to your generation and should not stick to your generation, however excluding the great films that are testament to your generation is an injustice to yourself. Blade runner was released before I was born. Yet I see it as one of the greatest films I have ever seen. At the same time. I do not belittle what great films such as The Matrix have done for our generation. Quality is not limited to a time frame. Which is exactly what this list is guilty of. That's all some of us are saying.

 

[Yes Boss!]

I started to go through the list.

Very nice to see Conformist in the top 100 (my favorite movie of all time). I'm probably going to go through all 1000 and count the titles I've not seen yet. Of the top 200, I've watched 193. Most of them multiple times over the years.

Seeing The Music Room in there was quite nice as well.

 

[Timber]

Many people who are eligible to vote for this list are academics, so it should come as no surprise that you would find that perspective to be well represented. I wouldn't place Battleship Potemkin anywhere near my top 100, but I did enjoy watching it and it's easy to see why it's such an influential and perennial work. Charlie Chaplin and Billy Wilder considered it their favourite movie. The mutiny scene where there's a cut almost every second set the standard for every action sequence to come, and it actually took quite some time for movies to catch up with it. Hell, you could say the Bourne movies owe their entire existence to Potemkin. And let's not forget that scene in The Untouchables.

The Passion of Joan of Arc I found harrowing to watch and it resonated with me very strongly. I don't think I've ever felt a greater urge to jump into a movie screen to comfort a character as much as when I watched Joan of Arc.

So that's one movie I have no strong feelings for and another one that I appreciated not just from a formalist point of view, but that hit me on a gut level. And I'm sure there are plenty of others for whom the opposite rings true. Academic appreciation is very much present in this list, but I don't think it's fair to exclude the more personal reactions to movies that people might have solely because you didn't feel that way.

 

[AlteredBeast]

I will probably go through this list some night and see how many I have seen. Already in the top 100 glancing through I have seen movies in there I would not enjoy ever seeing again.

Greatest and Favorite have different meanings though

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

About a year ago I started to really warm up to the Western genre. John Ford is now one of my favourite directors. His movie Stagecoach introduced a lot of themes, elements and characters that have been adopted by many other Westerns that have come since. You'll be hard-pressed to find Westerns made between 1940 and, say, 1965 whose protagonist isn't some handsome, tough gunslinger who has an enigmatic past, probably a criminal one. The famous shot in Stagecoach where John Wayne swaggers towards the lens in the heat was the introduction of that character that has since become an archetype. His love interest in that movie was also someone with a past: a hooker who has, as they say, a heart of gold.

Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven uses the same characters. That movie is from 1992. I think it helps to be familiar with Western tropes if you want to fully appreciate McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

In McCabe & Mrs. Miller, the McCabe character is first introduced as someone who's rumoured to have killed a man. He's John Wayne. As the movie progresses, the validity of these rumours is put into question he's revealed not to be a bad-ass gun-totin' outlaw, but someone much more nuanced and complicated. But to put it simply, he's something of a loser.

And then there's Mrs. Miller, the hooker. According to the unwritten law of the Western, she's there solely to be swept away by the rugged manliness of McCabe. But she's much smarter than him and much more interested in the business McCabe is running and worries over him more than she loves him. Their relationship goes above and beyond the relationship in any other Western. What's great about the movie is how it subverts these familiar characters without being disrespectful or condescending to them; it gives them many extra dimensions and humanises them to a great degree.

There are other Western standards the movie subverts, sometimes even inverts. It's a Northern more than a Western and the town of Presbyterian Church is such a wonderfully realised place and its denizens so idiosyncratically affable and unique. And the 'shoot out' at the end is without any bravado. It's a cat and mouse, hide and seek game that, like most of the movie's elements, is utterly unique.

Another great thing about Westerns is that they're always reflections on the past of the USA. They depict an era of lawless budding societies and civilisation that we know will not last long, and the filmmakers know this as well. They know that whatever will emerge from this era will become the foundation of modern America. In John Ford's My Darling Clementine, the titular character is the only one who remains in the town. She's the only one who's truly peaceful, and she's the one who will build America.
In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, arguably the deepest Western ever made and in my opinion the best 'pure' one, James Stewart plays someone who seeks to educate the people. First he's a schoolteacher, later he becomes a Senator. John Wayne plays John Wayne again, this time shown as even more conflicted than he was in The Searchers. He knows time has passed him by and hands the country over to James Stewart.

Sam Peckinpah utilised this theme as well, the whole "death of the old west" thing. In The Wild Bunch, the gunslingers ride their horses amid automobiles and are confused at what happens around them. They practically commit suicide by the end of the movie.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller also knows that the age of outlaws and cowboys is a transitory one, but it does something with this knowledge that is very different and clever. In other Westerns, violence and death make way for peace and prosperity. In McCabe they are replaced by a much more insidious kind of violence, embodied by the mining company. The lone gunman, or in this case the small, independent businessman, is eradicated by the forces of harsh capitalism. I could also go into the symbolic significance of the church being burnt down, but this is getting very long as it is.

These are somewhat impersonal reasons for liking the film, but it did strike a very personal note with me. I really like the relationship between the two eponymous characters. I like how McCabe craves for Mrs. Miller's love yet she remains distant. I like how Mrs. Miller tries to protect him from both himself and the powers that will crush him. She seems to know what will happen to McCabe in the end, which is perhaps what prevents her from getting closer to him. She's the strongest female character in any Western with the possible exception of Joan Crawford in Johnny Guitar. And I guess I very much identify with McCabe. I know I called him a loser earlier so this might not seem too confident on my part, but for what it's worth I find him to be a tragic, romantic and heroic loser "I got poetry in me!"

Thanks for this. I'll try to keep all this in mind the next time I watch the film; I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but this was actually my first Robert Altman film, which means it may just have been my unfamiliarity with his style/tropes that made the film a bit impenetrable for me. I'm going to watch a few of his other films before I watch McCabe and Mrs. Miller again, as I am bothered whenever I don't fall in love with something that is acclaimed (though sometimes, like with Slumdog Millionaire, I am okay with not 'getting' it).

Also, did anybody notice The Big Lebowski in the 400's? That made me happy; that's probably the best screwball comedy of all time in terms of writing and direction.

 

[Timber]

Good point.
As I was intending to say. I just don't know how to agree with what's on that list while it just ignores great films of our generation. Great films that easily belong in the top 20 list such as Blade Runner are just being thrown to the side. If these sort of lists get spread widely enough and for long enough, such films will not get the recognition they deserve.
You absolutely do not have to stick to your generation and should not stick to your generation, however excluding the great films that are testament to your generation is an injustice to yourself. Blade runner was released before I was born. Yet I see it as one of the greatest films I have ever seen. At the same time. I do not belittle what great films such as The Matrix have done for our generation. Quality is not limited to a time frame. Which is exactly what this list is guilty of. That's all some of us are saying.

Thrown to the side? Sorry, but WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT? It's number 40! I know it's one of your personal favourites so obviously you'd put it in your top 10, but if you'd just watch more of these movies you'd realise how much of an honour 40th place is. My favourite movie isn't even in the top 100, but even then its mere presence on the list signifies that it's very much respected and canonised, and I see no reason to argue against its exact position-- that's a very petty thing to do.

Really man, number 40 means it's considered one of the best movies ever. If you're going to complain even then then you've completely lost your marbles.

Thanks for this. I'll try to keep all this in mind the next time I watch the film; I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but this was actually my first Robert Altman film, which means it may just have been my unfamiliarity with his style/tropes that made the film a bit impenetrable for me. I'm going to watch a few of his other films before I watch McCabe and Mrs. Miller again, as I am bothered whenever I don't fall in love with something that is acclaimed (though sometimes, like with Slumdog Millionaire, I am okay with not 'getting' it).

Altman is very divisive, and I understand why someone would be lukewarm on his style or his movie(s). When you watch McCabe again and still don't fall in love with it then just shrug it off and watch something else. You like some, you dislike some.

Bunuel's 'Viridiana' is in the top 100 and I HATED that movie with capital h, a, t, e and d, and I have no desire to ever watch it again or to somehow force myself into liking it.

 

[kruskev]

what the hell is so special about "In the mood for love?" In fact, all the movies that I have seen from this director (In the mood for love, chunking express, 2046) do absolutely nothing for me.

 

[Veidt]

Thrown to the side? Sorry, but WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT? It's number 40! I know it's one of your personal favourites so obviously you'd put it in your top 10, but if you'd just watch more of these movies you'd realise how much of an honour 40th place is. My favourite movie isn't even in the top 100, but even then its mere presence on the list signifies that it's very much respected and canonised, and I see no reason to argue against its exact position-- that's a very petty thing to do.

Really man, number 40 means it's considered one of the best movies ever. If you're going to complain even then then you've completely lost your marbles.

I guess I went a little bit

Spoiler

A LOT

over the top :lol

P.S
I just hope you don't think I'm being an asshole or something. Really not my intention by the way.

 

[Yes Boss!]

Really man, number 40 means it's considered one of the best movies ever. If you're going to complain even then then you've completely lost your marbles.

I got a chuckle seeing his comment about Blade Runner. I reckon most folks would probably slot the movie in somewhere between the top 200-400 of all time. For it to appear so high on this list was kinda refreshing.

 

[Timber]

I guess I went a little bit

Spoiler

A LOT

over the top :lol

P.S
I just hope you don't think I'm being an asshole or something. Really not my intention by the way.

It's cool, man. I don't think people on the internet are assholes because I think they're wrong. I know I tend to come across a bit intense when I argue but it's in no way meant to be mean-spirited. Well, perhaps the part about you losing your marbles was a bit

Seeing The Music Room in there was quite nice as well.

I really can't wait to see this. The only Ray I'm familiar with is the Apu Trilogy, and if I put them together they effortlessly make it into my top 10. I was so moved when at the end of World of Apu he

Spoiler

walks along the road with his son on his shoulders when before that everyone he cared for had died

. I'm of the age where bildungsromans really appeal to me, and the Apu Trilogy are the best 'bildungsfilms' I've ever seen.

 

[Kowak]

I started to go through the list.

Very nice to see Conformist in the top 100 (my favorite movie of all time). I'm probably going to go through all 1000 and count the titles I've not seen yet. Of the top 200, I've watched 193. Most of them multiple times over the years.

Seeing The Music Room in there was quite nice as well.

i was glad to see this so high, as far as political films go it is the best of them all.

Didnt expect the Searchers to be so high, but glad it is, along with Amarcord and ikiru.

Seeing Battleship Potemkin at 10 annoys me, in terms of its concept it is amazing but actually watching it is a bore, Nowhere near as good as October which is down in the 300s.

Also i hate that star wars and ESB are so low, ESB is my favourite film ever and while i dont think its the greatest movie ever made(that honour goes to The Bicycle Thief) it is the best for movie watching experience and should at least be in the top 30.

My personal top 10 would be

1. the Bicycle thief
2. Seven Samurai
3. Citizen kane
4. Lawrence of Arabia
5. Empire Strikes Back
6. North by Northwest
7. casablanca
8. 8 1/2
9. The good, the bad, and the ugly,
10.Some like it hot.

However, the whole list become invalid because Requein for a Dream is in the top 1000.

 

[Yes Boss!]

I really can't wait to see this. The only Ray I'm familiar with is the Apu Trilogy, and if I put them together they effortlessly make it into my top 10. I'm of the age where bildungsromans really appeal to me, and the Apu Trilogy are the best 'bildungsfilms' I've ever seen.

Yeah, The Music Room/Jalsaghar is my favorite Ray movie. I was lucky enough to see a gorgeous 35mm print of it back in the late 90s when Sony Classics trotted out those nine restored titles to a few theaters.

i was glad to see this so high, as far as political films go it is the best of them all.

It is almost always up at the top for cinematography lists because of Storaro but rarely is it openly celebrated on the academic lists. I refuse to watch it on DVD and instead hit it up every few years when it shows up at the archives.

 

[CajoleJuice]

The multiple Top 100 lists are pretty interesting in their differences.

 

[Kusagari]

I've looked through the top 150 so far...

Where the fuck is 12 Angry Men?

 

[Kowak]

I've looked through the top 150 so far...

Where the fuck is 12 Angry Men?

WOW 473 is a joke.

Cant Believe The Hidden Fortress didnt make it in.

Italian films seem to have done quite well in this list which makes me happy, especially as Rome, Open City just sneaked in to the top 100(#98)

 

[Kano on the Phone]

724. Robocop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987)

I marked.

 

[CajoleJuice]

I have seen 102 out of the 1000 films. Damn. :lol

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

I marked.

I'd buy that for a dollar!

 

[Timber]

Cant Believe The Hidden Fortress didnt make it in.

Yeah, this one's kind of odd. It was in there every year before this, hovering between 600 and 650. No idea why it suddenly dropped so far. Really not one of Kurosawa's best, though...

The multiple Top 100 lists are pretty interesting in their differences.

Perhaps I'm being blind, but which top 100 lists are you referring to?

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

Seeing Citizen Kane at #1 truly puts a frown to my face. Most over-rated film ever...period.

 

[CajoleJuice]

Perhaps I'm being blind, but which top 100 lists are you referring to?

These.

(excel file)

 

[swoon]

913/1000

ones i haven't seen if someone could recommend things off this list:

Where is the Friend's Home?
It's a Gift
Kes
Teorema
Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors
Damned, The
Devils, The
Underground
Story of a Cheat, The
Jour se lève, Le
Outskirts 
Hellzapoppin'
Hour of the Furnaces, The
Belle noiseuse, La
Ceddo
Pakeezah
Mother
Limite
Trou, Le
Sugar Cane Alley
Judex 
Saragossa Manuscript, The
Red Sorghum
Kameradschaft
Caro diario
Ju Dou
Yeelen
Red and the White, The
Nibelungen, Die
Spider's Stratagem, The
Happiness 
Out 1: Spectre
Touki Bouki
Pixote
Douce
Mädchen in Uniform
End of St. Petersburg, The
Wild River
Moana
Festen
Chikamatsu monogatari
Under the Bridges
Ride Lonesome
Rose Hobart
Death of Mr. Lazarescu, The
Too Early, Too Late
Ceremony, The
Baker's Wife, The
Devil in the Flesh
Night of the Shooting Stars, The
My Friend Ivan Lapshin
Kanal
Shin heike monogatari
Arsenal
Song of Ceylon
Toute une nuit
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

 

[Spider from Mars]

Amélie

 

[CajoleJuice]

913/1000

wow

 

[harSon]

It's disappointing to hear people say that older movies are only held in high regard today due to their influence at the time, and while that's certainly true in a few instances, it couldn't be any farther from the truth.