Sight and Sound Poll

Early next year, Sight and Sound will release their poll, conducted every ten years since 1952, of the best films of all time, according to critics from all over the world. The 1992 list will certainly change, as it does every ten years, and I'm wondering which films you would vote off the list and which you would include into the new list. You needn't name the top ten, but think about worthy candidates which have so far been ignored, and those works on the list that have been, perhaps, rated too highly. Here's the list:


1. Citizen Kane


2. Rules of the Game


3. Tokyo Story


4. Vertigo


5. The Searchers


6. L'Atalante


The Passion of Joan of Arc


Pather Panchali


Potemkin


10. 2001: A Space Odyssey


11. The Bicycle Thief


8 1/2


The Seven Samuri


Singin' in the Rain


Sunrise


16. L'Aventurra


The General


John

The movie "John" sounds like a dud to me. Get rid of it.


Regards,


Rick

Rick,


Yeah, it went right in the toilet.


John

Sredni isn't cultured enough to respond intelligently. This hasn't stopped Sredni in the past either.


Ferretic candidates include:


Beastmaster


Starship Troopers.


Both movies have ferret roles, so they are a big hit with the ferret union.


On a less ferretous note, Sredni thought highly of Amistad, but doubts it will make that type of list.


Of course there's always Conradin's documentary reels...if you can emancipate them from the hidden archives.


Sredni Vashtar


Vertigo?

I don't know if it belongs there or not, but I think 2001 will be gone in the next poll. If I had to replace it with a fil from the same era - Point Blank.


I can think of a dozen Kurosawa films that I liked better than Seven Samurai, so I hope one or more of them make it.


I like Vertigo, but am not sure it's my favorite Hitchcock.


Two that were recently re-released, Lawrence of Arabia and Apocolypse Now would make nice additions.


Raging Bull is a great flick that has been making a lot of these lists lately.


Two of my all-time favorites that have little chance: A Man for All Seasons and Sign 'O the Times.


Mack


P.S. I don't see Top Hat on the list. What is Sight and Sound?

My ten favorite movies:


1) Modern Times


2) The Godfather


3) The Wizard of Oz


4) On the Waterfront


5) The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly


6) Fargo


7) Life is Beautiful


/images/glasses.gif Double Indemnity


9) Chinatown


10) Once Upon a Time in America


There's just no accounting for taste.

Two of my favorites: "The Sound of Music" and "A Clockwork Orange." ...they'd make an interesting double-feature.

A subscriber to Sight and Sound, huh? That would have saved us at least three sessions, my man...


Your list is just fine, in my book, John, but here's an offering I've rarely seen in any such "lists", totally out of left field as they say, but which gets even better with age.


L'important c'est d'aimer (The Main Thing Is To Love) by Andrzej Zulawski, 1975, which, also had what must be the most maudit cast of all time! Check it out :


-- An actress manquée whose claim to fame was as a star in small budget Austrian "costume dramas" (ROMY SCHNEIDER)


-- A French rock singer [JACQUES DUTRONC]


-- Ursula Andress' boyfriend [FABIO TESTI]


and


-- KLAUS KINSKI.


A brilliant movie. They will never make them like that anymore.

John,


I am with others who think that there are some great films on this list but their choices from the same directors would be different. Personally, I think that Citizen Kane is the most overrated film ever. I would dare anyone to watch it and Touch of Evil back to back and tell me they liked CK better. 2001 is also a great film but I consider The Shining superior, although with the "high art" focus of the S&S list I doubt it would ever appear. I think there are better Kurosawa and Hitchcock too but I agree with the Ozu choice. I am glad to see Rules of the Game so high. It is a true masterpiece. Personally, I think that some of the best films have dealt with crime but that genre is not represented. How about Le Samourai by Melville or Rififi? The French noir are even better than our American variety. Finally, the American films of the 1970s are my personal favorites and I think they rarely get their due in these polls. They changed filmmaking with their gritty, realistic approach, IMO. I would say one of Dog Day Afternoon, Marathon Man, Straw Dogs, or maybe Network belong on the list somewhere. When the list for 2020 comes out I would hope to see some Dogme 95 on there too (Celebration would be my choice) but I think their impact will not be fully grasped until then.


KJS

Cyrus,


Not a subscriber, but as a long time denizen of various libraries, a reader. List is S&S 1992 poll. My candidates to fade: 2001 and The Bicycle Thief. Look for growing support of Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev or The Stalker. Never seen your left field pick, but I hold a special place for Sturges's Sullivan's Travels and Wiseman's Titticut Follies.


John

Mack,


Ditto on Lawrence of Arabia. Saw it first when I was nine years old, and I loved every minute of it then. Sign 'O the Times?


John

Great question!


"The Searchers" easily counts as the most over-rated of the films on that list. It's just not a very good film, and in fact, it contains some fairly out-dated racist elements. (One of the characters "accidentally" gets married to a squaw and it's supposed to provide some humour, but it makes you squirm uncomfortably).


Now, if you want to put a western in there, "Unforgiven" is a masterpiece compared to "The Searchers". I think "Unforgiven" has a decent chance of making the list now that it's been 11 years since the making and critics still seem to love it.


For the life of me, I cannot understand why "The Third Man" is not on the list. Easily one of the best films ever made.


All musicals suck and "Singin' in the Rain" is no exception. But its inclusion is probably a nod to the genre without any real passionate love for the film.


"Citizen Kane" is there, and will always be there, because of Welles' performance and even more importantly, because of the radical, innovative cinematography which today seems totally unimpressive but at the time was absolutely mind-blowing. Many of the camera techniques used by Welles in that film had never been done before, and to this day are copied over and over again by every film director alive. The story may not have been so fantastic, but the film is on the list to stay, and I agree it should be there.


One recent film which could probably be included on merit but doesn't have much of a chance due to being so new:


"Life is Beautiful" What can I say? This movie is NOT over-rated. Benigni is brilliant. He may not have made movies this good before, and he may never make another one even close to this good, but "Life is Beautiful" is untouchable. If you haven't seen it, it's wonderful.


natedogg

Nice pick Phat Mack! The purple one may be the artist of the century, if it weren't for the Beatles.


natedogg

Holy cow! I agree with everything you say! The only quibble I have is that I like some musicals: The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Jesus Christ Superstar and My Fair Lady. But most do suck; the all-time worst is Moulin Rouge.


The Third Man: yeah, I had forgotten about that one, a great, great movie. Harry Lime's speech (the great Orson Welles) on the ferris wheel is one of the most chilling scenes in movie history. And that great music. And the final scene in the sewers. Good choice.

Natedogg,


I think you're misreading The Searchers. I agree completely that racism is certainly a part of the film (note that Ethan's nephew has Indian blood); Ford, I think, uses the film to comment on American racism, and it is, for me anyway, a scathing indictment of racism.


John

"Unforgiven" is a masterpiece compared to "The Searchers".


What?!? I'm willing to bet good money that "Unforgiven" is not gonna make the Top-10 List in the next 10 years at least. Are you asleep in your seat, man? :-)


For the life of me, I cannot understand why "The Third Man" is not on the list. Easily one of the best films ever made.


Now you're talking! "Easily" is right.

Comrad Natedogg,


you wrote "All musicals suck and "Singin' in the Rain" is no exception. ". Hahahahaha. Truer words have not been written since Das Kapital.


When we take over I'm sure you will get the Minister of Culture post.

I would like to nominate "The Best Years of Our Lives." It has for years been the film that first comes to mind when I think of my favorites.

beastmaster was actually okay for a junk movie, ive watched it a few times. but the absoulte best movie for fun was the blues brothers, how could anyone not love that movie,not for anything great execpt for the time you had watching it.

Natedogg,


I don't think The Third Man will make the Sight and Sound list; however, it's part of my top ten for many of the reasons you list. Note Trevor Howard's narrative style at the beginning of the film--it seems influenced by the melodramatic "pulp fiction" written by Joseph Cotton's character. And the closing shot remains one of the best in film history


Compare this style to the narration of Camps of Death, also done by Trevor Howard. If you haven't seen it, the documentary, culled from footage shot by the British, details the liberation of concentration camps. It was edited by Alfred Hitchcock, somewhere around the time he was working on Vertigo.


John

The French noir are even better than our American variety.


I disagree completely. I don't think the French ever got noir. I loved Rififi, but it had an American director.


If The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep are too popular to make the list, how about the Asphalt Jungle or the one where they rob the race track?


BTW, Kurosawa made a great noir flick that is somewhat hard to find. I think it's called High and Low or Up and Down - something like that. Well worth checking out.

"Unforgiven" is a masterpiece compared to "The Searchers".


What?!? I'm willing to bet good money that "Unforgiven" is not gonna make the Top-10 List in the next 10 years at least. Are you asleep in your seat, man? :-)


They are both way too in and politically correct. Let's go with The Wild Bunch.

I've wanted to say this the whole thread, but feared getting shouted down by these chardonay-sipping cheese-eating avante-garde snobs. The Feeneys of the world can have their private schools and tennis lessons. But you and I know The Blues Brothers is the best damn movie ever made.


http://www.jimgeary.com/faves/FAVFILMS.HTM


jg

Gee, Jim,


Just because I've never seen The Dead Pool doesn't make me a cheese eating snob.


John

In addition to Clint's subtle performance, you get to see Jim Carrey and Liam Neeson early in their careers before they starred in two of the most important movies ever made (Ace Ventura & Schindler's List). Jim Carrey plays a cracked out misogynistic rockstar and Liam Neeson a primadonna director. Highly recommended.


JG

I dare you to start a thread on the Ten Best Ever Porno Movies Ever...

ahhh, the blues brothers. a movie i can watch, again, and again, and again. it nevers loses quality. it just gets better, and better, and better. i love films i can watch over, and over, and over again. caddyshack comes to mind, as does jaws.


that is all,


dannyboy :o)

i hate to agree with you on anything cause it seems you want to blow the whole world up with nukes, but caddy shack and jaws were great. i just loved robert shaw in jaws. he played his part so well. those were the two other films i was going to include but i left them out as i wanted to just put one in. what a coincidence.

midnight run is also one of my loved favorites. best matchup ever of two actors. grodin and dinero. i also cant believe anyone but me liked where eagles dare(oh so long ago). i liked diehard as well.


great escape

papillion

bridge on the river kwai

braveheart

midnight run is also one of my loved favorites. best matchup ever of two actors. grodin and dinero. i also cant believe anyone but me liked where eagles dare(oh so long ago). i liked diehard as well.


great escape

papillion

bridge on the river kwai

braveheart

out of africa

ok then does you dinner table at home have a tablecloth or not.

What about Animal House? This movie has to rank with the best of the just fun movies.

Ray,


Dinner table? I still eat "supper." Sans tablecloth.


Remember, that's the S&S poll. Just because I've seen those movies, doesn't automatically make me a yuppie.


Okay, last great movie I've seen: From the Journals of Jean Seberg; before that, Vanya on 42nd St. Shoot me if you want.


John

Hear I'm accused of asskissing a 2+2 author. Over on the general theory board, they're ready to string me up for saying S&M are obsolete. It's tough thinking for yourself.


JG

I haven't watched alot of classic films but two of my favorites that I think deserve consideration for any list are Raging Bull and 12 Angry Men.

The Elephant Man. Saw it last night again after not seeing it for many years. World class performance by John Hurt and excellent performances by Anthony Hopkins and John Gielgud. I've hated every other David Lynch movie, but this one is a masterpiece. A thrilling, touching, beautiful movie.