Hello IndieTalk Forumites!
I know I said that I would not return here, but I changed my mind.
Participating in this most irresistible Thread, forces in the ether are grabbing my hands and forcing me to type...
DISCLAIMER:
Yes, Rankings and Lists are cool to participate in, but I would throw out my standard DISCLAIMER that states that everyone has many different variables when compiling any List of any topic, and way too much seriousness is a common result. My methods of Rankings and Lists are my attempts to enlighten, have fun, and hopefully open a different world to at least one other person.
1. The Godfather. The pinnacle of the gangster/mafia genre, Francis Ford Capolla's Epic showed audiences details that were largely unknown to them, showed personal triumphs of basic survival ( Vito Corleone's mother dying to give her son a chance to run), and one of the ultimate ironic Character Arcs of all-Cinema: Michael Corleone leading the next generation of the crime family via tragic plot turns.
2. Waterloo.
This 1970 Napoleon Bonaparte movie has the late, great Rod Steiger as the exiled Emperor, attempting to reclaim his Crown. The performance by Steiger was so great, it will not be matched any time soon. Stanley Kubrick had worked for 3 years on his own Napoleon project, could not get the financing, and seeing Steiger was the final straw, forcing the late, great MASTER of Cinema, Stanley Kubrick, to quit the Napoleon project. Kubrick took many elements of his unfinished Epic and made Barry Lyndon.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Kubrick rules, see # 2 in reference, and this movie was made BEFORE THE APOLLO 11, the history-making moon landing. Kubrick had corresponded with over 70 agencies, getting designs, factoids about space flight, computer technology of that time, and the Musical Score almost matched the Special Effects. The "jump-cut" of the Ape throwing the bone-weapon in the air/the descending Space Satellite was a stroke of genius. When I heard of this movie as a teenager, I thought that there would be the normal "monster/zombie" encounter, and was shocked at the real villain of this classic. Kubrick was insistent on each frame looking like the most expensive post card on the planet. This movie set a high standard for subsequent Space movies.
4. Cruising.
This 1980 movie, directed by William Friedkin, was way ahead of it's time. The gay bar scene had never been shown as such up until this movie came out. There were protests in the streets of NYC because of this movie. Friedkin should have let the Bond Company take this movie over, but he stuck to his guns, and though threatened with bodily harm, courageously turned out an underrated film.
5. Das Boot.
The ultimate submarine movie. Tragic irony to close out this classic. Director Wolfgang Petersen apparently knew how to get proper coverage in a set mimicking a sub-tin-can 15 feet wide by 120 feet long. Pipes, gauges, etc. The dialogue all had to be ADR'd. Great performances by everyone, as the range of emotions from angst, panic, boredom, working under inhumane conditions had to be shown as realistically as possible. Das Boot does all of that.
6. Psycho.
Alfred Hitchcock ruled during his days, and this movie defied a few basic conventions yet untested by anyone. How DARE Hitch kill off one of the main characters during the first third of the movie? Showing a commode? Not done until this movie. Casting Anthony Perkins as Bates? Everyone raved over the luscious Janet Leigh cast as the Secretary Marion Crane, which has merit, but few people other than Hitch knew that without Perkins, this movie is probably forgettable. Perkins makes this unforgettable. The shower scene? Also unforgettable, took at least six days to shoot during Principal Photography. Oh, Paramount did NOT want to do this movie, Hitch had some type of contract with the studio, and Hitch found a way to get his TV show production company to do this classic, sort of "on-the-cheap", but most would never have figured this out. This movie was the first movie that my Mother told me that had LINES around the block EVERY DAY, and she never got to see it. Which leads to:
7. Love Story.
The most romantic movie of all-time. Class issues, religious issues, attractive young couple in love, and a tag-line of "Love means never having to say you're sorry". Made for a budget for just under 2 million, this grossed over $105 million the first year of Theatrical release. The Score, which won the Oscar, by Francis Lai, was his only win ever, and this Score is ranked as one of the highest Scoring in Cinema of all-time. Many viewers of Love Story claim that the music makes the movie, period. Again, this was a movie that my mother saw LINES around the block, but this was 1970, not Psycho's 1960, and she somehow found a way to see this in a Theatre. This was the 2nd movie along with Psycho that my Mother ever saw those long lines to get in.
8. Au Hazard Balthazar.
The French Director Robert Bresson created this unheralded masterpiece about a Donkey named Balthazar, passed around from owner to owner, suffering abuse, but strives forward the best he can. The young farm girl. Marie, sees Balthazar even though he keeps changing hands( her family was the first to sell him), and the abuse the girl suffers mirrors in many ways what Balthazar suffers. There is a moment of glory for the Donkey, in a Circus, and a rare shot: the silent part where the other Circus animals and Balthazar meet briefly. Pure genius.
9. Persona.
Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's story about the Nurse and patient, whose minds and spiritual energies meld together, set a great standard for psychodramas forever. Acresses Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullman were beautiful, and Bergman knew how to cast for the best maximum effects; their looks and abilities resulted in the best possible product.
10. The Bounty.
This 3rd installment of the famous Mutiny of the Bounty made in 1984, has a cast of gargantuan measures: Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson, Bernard Hill, Lawrence Olivier. A Dino De Laurentiis Production, so no cost was spared per se. Score by Vangelis, the haunting theme throughout most of this great movie. Directed by Roger Donaldson, the pace was so good, it is hard to turn away for a second, the true mark of a fantastic movie. Well-written, and sticks to the basic facts the world knows about that infamous mutiny. Shown at Cannes, received a lukewarm reception, and did not do that great at the box-office, barely eeking out a small profit. But is helped launch the cast mentioned above except Olivier, already cemented in Cinematic history. Hopkins portrayal as Captain Bligh should have won the Oscar. Take this statement lightly? Rent this then contact me and we can discuss it at any length you wish. Oh, the importance of this movie? Easy. After this masterpiece, no one else will dare to try a 4th installment of that mutiny. This one closed that door.
I wish I could do more here, ten movies is not enough. The French New Wave had important movies, John Cassavettes is considered the father of Independent movies, David Lynch had interesting movies( Eraserhead, Wild at Heart, Elephant Man), and the Master Kubrick had about 12 great movies I could be here up all night typing about, and Spielberg? Milos Foreman w/ Cuckoo's nest? Silence of the Lambs? Patton? I could go on and on, so I tried to list what I think are IMPORTANT and SIGNIFICANT movies that came out at certain times. Papillon? Another great movie, the ultimate escape movie, was largely overlooked in the early 1970's.
Gotta run, I hope someone out there gets something out of this. I hope someone enjoys this just a fraction that I did typing this.
Ironman1
