Anyone who knows me even a little knows I'm a film geek. When I like a movie, I talk about it, recommend it, and push it on anyone willing to listen—until they're probably sick of hearing from me. I love movies of all genres: action/adventure, biopics, comedy, crime, drama, fantasy, foreign, historical, horror/giallo, melodramas, musicals, mystery, noir, pre-code, romance, silent films, trash cinema, and westerns. Just not most rom-coms.
I’m certainly not claiming that the following are the ten greatest films of all time; they’re simply ten films I adore, and repeat viewings have done nothing to diminish my enthusiasm for them. You can click on the titles or names for links to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) or the Criterion Collection.
1. Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du paradis, 1945, France, dir. Marcel Carné)
Theatre and real life intertwine in this tale of ill-fated love between Baptiste, a theatre mime, and Garance, an actress pursued by three other men. Filmed during the Nazi occupation of Paris, this movie stands as one of the great achievements in the history of cinema. I still vividly remember the exhilaration of my first viewing—and, by golly, I feel it every time I watch it again.
2. The Deer Hunter (1968, U.S.A., dir. Michael Cimino)
Who doesn’t get choked up when hearing the guitar strains of John Williams’s Cavatina (listen here) from this film? The slow pace of the first third is just the calm before the storm, preparing us for the violent tragedy that unfolds in the remaining two-thirds. The Russian roulette scene in the Vietnam concentration camp is still painfully difficult to watch. De Niro delivers a performance as Mike that is both subdued and powerful (watch the trailer)). John Woo’s Bullet in the Head (1990) pays obvious homage to this great film (watch trailer here).
3. 8 ½ (1963, Italy, dir. Federico Fellini) This was my introduction to Fellini’s world—perhaps not the most typical, but I still remember being swept into his colorful, surreal, charming, and carnavalesque universe (watch the fabulous opening!). Marcello Mastroianni plays Fellini’s alter ego, a womanizer struggling with director’s block. Though filmed in black and white, it feels as if it bursts with color. Strangely, whenever I play the "Préambule" from Schumann’s Carnaval, I imagine the final scene of this film.
4. The Spirit of the Beehive (El Espiritu de la colemna, 1973, Spain, dir. Victor Erice)
Víctor Erice’s 1973 film, Espíritu de la colmena (Spirit of the Beehive), is one of the most magically haunting Spanish films I’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of film that shows cinema is not just about storytelling; it’s a completely unique art form. This movie seeps into your mind and lingers for days, perhaps even longer, before you fully grasp why. Ana Torrent’s portrayal of Ana is one of the most extraordinary examples of child acting in film history. (watch the Spanish trailer)
5. Late Spring (Banshun, 1949, Japan, dir. Ozu Yasujiro)
I think Kurosawa is essentially a Western director, driven by plot, character, and moral dilemmas. Ozu, by contrast, embodies a more Eastern aesthetic. My usual reaction after watching an Ozu film is a sigh: “Life….” What can we do? There is no good or bad; life just is. Yet, with his slow pace, long shots, and low camera angles (reminiscent of watching Noh theatre, as seen in this scene), I believe the serene beauty of Ozu’s work has the power to make someone more sensitive, thoughtful, and, essentially, a better person. Hara Setsuko is one of my idols (along with Catherine Deneuve and Greta Garbo). See her at her luminous best here. Hara plays the 27-year-old daughter of Chishyu Ryu (who seems to never age, having played old men since his forties). She prefers living with and caring for her father, but those around her urge her to get married. The film beautifully reveals the complex relationship between father and daughter. Near the end, Hara, radiant in her bridal kimono, lifts her face to smile at her father—it’s the saddest, most beautiful face. As I fought to hold back my tears in the theater, an elderly man next to me bawled like a child. How can an apple peel be so sad?
6. The Godfather I and II (1972, U.S.A., dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
Each character is so well-developed that the story unfolds with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy. What an opening. Part I focuses on the transfer of power from Vito Corleone, the aging leader of a crime dynasty, to Michael Corleone, his youngest (and least expected) son (watch the trailer. Part II reveals the origins of the dynasty, tracing Vito’s early life in Sicily and 1920s New York, while simultaneously following the expansion of the family business under Michael and his spiritual downfall. Decades after its release (and fierce disgust), I was surprised to genuinely enjoy Part III and accept that it serves as a fitting closing act to this tragic saga.
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, U.K./U.S.A., dir. Stanley Kubrick)
I first watched this at the Museum of Modern Art in New York during a field trip with my Film Studies class at Juilliard. I’ll never forget the experience of that first "black hole trip." At the time, I didn’t understand what the ending meant—and then I realized, perhaps no one is really supposed to. I went on to watch other Kubrick films (for many years, I believed A Clockwork Orange was a movie that should never have been made, but later came to see that its awful truths really do exist in today’s society). Still, none of Kubrick’s films haunted me as profoundly as 2001: A Space Odyssey.
8. City Lights (1931, U.S.A., dir. Charles Chaplin)
The Tramp falls in love with a poor, blind flower girl, and, pretending to be a wealthy man, tries to raise money for her eye operation. I would include this film on the list if only for the final, justly famous close-up of the Tramp’s shy, embarrassed, fearful, and hopeful expression as the girl, now able to see, looks at him for the first time as he truly is.(watch it here--I dare you not to cry).
9. Top Hat (1935, U.S.A., dir. Mark Sandrich)
Watching Fred Astaire never fails to exhilarate me, filling me with wonder and joy. He truly seems to defy gravity. Every performing artist could learn from his professionalism and tireless work ethic. Who cares about the plot (or even Ginger, for that matter)? We’re really here to watch Fred dance on air (watch the Top Hat number). Michael Jackson’s incredible performance of Dangerous wouldn’t exist without the Top Hat number (watch it here. Just look at the shooting section in Jackson's performance—it's a clear homage!
10. Ikiru (1952, Japan, dir. Akira Kurosawa)
It's the story of a government clerk who discovers he has terminal cancer (my cheerful nature shining through again). The movie, Ikiru (which means "To Live"), follows his search for meaning in his remaining days. Just thinking about him singing "Inochi mijikashi, koi seyo otome..." (Life is brief, fall in love, young maidens) while on the swings makes me cry. (watch the trailer).
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