Over my many years as a cinema nut I have always championed trying to see as many of the great classics as possible if for no other reason than it gives a film fan different perspectives and insights into what inspired today's movies and filmmakers. But also some of the best movies in the world are the type rarely seen by the general public just looking for whatever is on the New Release rack right now. I wouldn't give up my viewings of Kurosawa, John Ford, Sam Fuller or Anthony Mann movies for anything. But I have been thinking recently about the ones I haven't yet seen. The big and small movies held up as ones well worth seeing for more than just their fine stories. Those held up as good examples of movie making at its best on one level or another. Here is my hastily compiled list of movies I haven't seen that I feel I really should.
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949)
SHANE (1953)
GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
42ND STREET (1933)
THE LADY EVE (1941)
NASHVILLE (1975)
SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
GIANT (1956)
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945)
LA STRADA (1954)
8 ½ (1963)
Some of these might be a surprise to my friends but I swear I have never seen them. How I've kept from watching all of MIGHTY JOE YOUNG is beyond me but there it is! So in the next year I intend to cross some if not all of these off the list.
And if there are some others I can think of I'll add them as I go. Come to think of it, there are a few Kurosawa's that I haven't caught up with yet.....
4 comments:
Apart from MIGHTY JOE YOUNG and GONE WITH THE WIND, I've never seen the films on your list either!
I've got ALL ABOUT EVE on my long-overdue-to-view list as well, Rod. Others on my list would be ON THE WATERFRONT, GIANT, HIGH NOON, VERTIGO, and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.
From your list, I can highly recommend LA STRADA, 8 1/2, SHANE, NASHVILLE, & DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. I enjoyed SOME LIKE IT HOT but wouldn't place it on the all-time comedy list like most do. I wouldn't kill yourself to be in a hurry to see MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, except that it does have a giant ape...wait, what am I saying? A giant ape means it must be seen immediately!
I'd be curious to know what both of you guys think of GONE WITH THE WIND. I've stayed away from it for years as it looks dreadfully dull. I know it probably not but it looks far too long and far too sentimental.
"Dull" is not a word I would use to describe GWTW, although it can certainly be accused of being overlong. The hardest thing to get past, as you might expect, are some of the broad stereotypes and the romanticized view of the slavery-era South. There is much to like, including some breathtaking cinematography and some really good performances, plus it's interesting to see a 4+ hour film that centers around a heroine that really, when all is said and done, isn't a very good or likable person. It's good if you're in the mood for classic 30's-style hollywood spectacle. Using your rating scale, I'd give it a 7.
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