Movies Again

[Barrett]

I just came across a list of the "100 greatest movies" from 1996, generally regarded as the centennial of motion pictures. No indication of the judges or criteria, but obviously the artsy crowd judging by some of the selections. Having been a motion picture critic myownself, it's obvious that some of the judges didn't have a clue. :
The top 10 were (with my ratings):

1. Citizen Kane ****
2.Casablanca *****
3.Godfather Pt I ****
4.Gone With The Wind *****
5.Lawrence of Arabia **** (M1919s vice Maxims)
6.Wizard of Oz **** (No shooting)
7.The Graduate *** (Ditto)
8.On the Waterfront *** (Double ditto)
9.Schindler's List ****
10.Singin' in the Rain **** (No shooting)

Of these, only Lawrence is actually a war film though Nos. 2, 4 and 9 are set in wartime. Other war films among the top 100 were:

13. Bridge on the River Kwai *****
26. Dr. Strangelove *****
28. Apocalypse Now ****
37. Best Years of Our Lives **** (No shooting)
39. Dr. Zhivago ****
52. From Here to Eternity ****
54. All Quiet on the W. Front *****
56. MASH (vastly over-rated) ***
79. The Deer Hunter ****
83. Platoon *****
89. Patton **** (M60 tanks on both sides)

Actually, it's a list of 100 English-language films. No "Grand Illusion," one of the great Great War movies.
(Unaccountably, two outstanding WW I films were not included: Paths of Glory ??? and The Blue Max .

As any film critic SHOULD know, the two ingredients for a completely satisfactory motion picture are guns and horses, hence MY all-time pick of The Greatest Achievement in the American Cinema is John Milius' 1975 "The Wind & the Lion."
Beyond that, the "top 100" list only has 7 westerns, led by High Noon, Butch Cassidy, and Stagecoach. THE best western, John Ford's "The Searchers," was only 96th. >

Make mine WITH butter. Over to you, moviegoers...

[mike_baram]

"High Noon" should be in the top ten. Grace Kelly with a six-shooter....my kind of woman.

Although the movie wasn't very good, the scene in "True Grit" with the Duke holding the reins in his teeth and charging Robert Duvall and the baddies is a classic.
"That's mighty bold talk for a one-eyed fat man."
"Why, fill your hand, you sonovabitch!"

Dr. Strangelove...definitely. Peter Sellers was brilliant. Was brilliant. Was brilliant.
I'd have to put Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" up there, too, along with "Paths of Glory".

Somewhere I read that "Raging Bull" was the best American film ever. Pity I never saw it.

Barrett,
I always pay attention to what the film critics say. If they say the movie stinks, I know I have to see it. Except for "Planet of the Apes". There's something unreal about guns in the hands of gorillas.

VBR.
Mike

[Barrett]

Yup, The Duke outdid hisself with that classic scene in "True Grit." Definitely deserved the Oscar.
"Raging Bull" was voted (by someone) the best movie of the '80s. I saw it in Edinburgh (it's a long story) and never understood all the adulation. B&W, which is fine; terrific director & cast but it just...didn't...hook me. No guns or horses.

[Shooter]

Barrett:

Growing up in the '50's I thought all war flicks were B&W. Saturday matinees did not seem to have many that were not.

Some of my favorites: Gregory Peck, Rip Torn, etc. in Pork Chop Hill; James Whitmore, Van Johnson, Don Taylor, et al in Battleground, Gregory Peck, Dean Jagger, Gary Merrill and the rest of the cast in 12 o'Clock High, a Brit flick filled with actors I never heard of in a piece called Yesterday's Enemy, and last--but hardly least--John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, and Jon Agar in the Sands of Iwo Jima.

Semper Fi,

Shooter sends

[Barrett]

Ref. SOIJ, several months ago there were reports that Spielberg's next film would deal with Iwo Jima, presumably based on the book "Flag of Our Fathers." Haven't heard a peep since then--maybe Spielberg shot his amphibious wad with SPR! However, apparently the USMC code talker film with Nick Cage is slated for Christmas relief. Trailers look really good but of course they're supposed to. Usual hype, however, about code talkers strategic impact (i.e., "We can lose the war if they fail.")

[45_Auto]

I remember reading this list when it first came out and wondering about it. There were none of the classic silents that have stood the test of time on it like The Gold Rush, or The General, both better movies than many of the "modern" flicks that made the list. I wondered how much movie watching some of the "artsy crowd" has actually done with the heavy preponderance of "new" movies on the list. As I remember, the westerns as you guys pointed out, were lacking in the top 100 and there are several good ones out there besides Stagecoach & High Noon that are better movies than some of the movies that made the list. The Wild Bunch is a better movie & more watchable than Platoon or The Deer Hunter, and has better characterization, and acting. It probably didn't make the list because it is too "violent" and not PC enough for the "artsy crowd". (plus you don't have to take as many drugs to follow it as you do for a movie like Apocolypse Now so it probably took all the fun out of watching it for some of these folks!)

[WFS]

In the Eighties I was a buyer for a couple of video stores. To keep current I read a lot of movie reviews. I noticed three things: certain critic were going to pan certain movies, regardless of quality, based on those critics' opinions of the director and or star; most critics save their highest praise for movies that leave almost everyone else wondering what the heck they had just seen, many critics don't get past the first five to fifteen minutes of most films.

When it comes to "guns and horses" flicks I have to put in a plug for one of my personal favorites. "Silverado" isn't a classic but it had an all-star cast and a fine director. It was and is entertaining and fun.

Best Regards,
Wayne

[Shooter]

Here, here, Wayne!

Next to the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance I found Silverado to rank with my favorites of all times. *Kevin Costner stole the show. *While I think Costner is a flake, he was good in that flick.

As far as Duke performances go, the Searchers is up there too!

Shooter sends

How could I resist dipping my oar into this topic? I'm one of those critics you all love to hate. Mind you, I always call myself a "movie" critic and not a "film" critic, because I usually only review Hollywood pix. Which, by the way, was the point of that Best 100 Films list: it was prepared by the American Film Institute and its subject was Hollywood movies, pure and simple. This still doesn't explain how "Blue Max" got left off the list; my own guess is that nobody can watch the towel scene without thinking of Barrett, and this just causes too much psychological trauma.

Personally, I think that "High Noon" is over-rated, but I do like Coop and Kelly in it. And I'm definitely with 45 on the subject of silent pix: some of these are just breath-taking.

One of the things I like best about "True Grit" is the dialogue. I don't know whether 19th-century frontier people really spoke that way, but dammit they should have. And if you ask me, the Duke never had a better line than "Fill yore hand!"

Finally, add my vote to the "Silverado" fan club list. ("Where's the dog?") I'll watch anything Kasdan does. (I even found good things in "Wyatt Earp".)

[BobE]

"Back in my day..." Oh no, here comes the old fart again.

I grew up with all those old British colonial war films.
Drums, Four Feathers (the original."Guns.guns.guns".)and of course Gunga Din.The latter is still probably my favorite. I've seen it dozens of times. Black and white, no blood but lots of guys getting shot off towers and walls and dying what we used to call "neat" deaths. Lots of humor and wonderfully choreographed fight scenes. I still thrill to the sound of "the pipes".

Another goodie was "The Fighting 69th". Don't remember much except Jimmy Cagney throwing himself on a grenade to save his buddy.

I do know one thing for sure. They say movies don't have any real effect on kids but I distinctly remember coming out of the movies wanting very much to be a hero like those guys.

I can't leave off without saying something about Paths of Glory. That is not just a film about war it's a film about life.
Really tells it like it is. I used to work in the Home Office of a large corporation and we found a staff member to match every character in the film. Have to confess the last scene always makes me cry. When those poor bastards start singing with the German girl before being sent back to the front it always makes me think "Why the Hell does life have to be this way?"

Bob