Many of the "best films of all time" weren't even made in the sound era, IMO.

Posted by Audiophilander (A) on February 4, 2007 at 02:03:42

In Reply to: Agree completely, but would add... posted by semuta on February 3, 2007 at 20:10:28:

I have to more or less disagree with both of you as to the 'best films' of all time from a historical standpoint, but no offense is intended. We are discussing subjective impressions, so there is no right or wrong.

The greatest films on my silent cinema list include at least one that is arguably euro-mustard fare as well, but old grey poupon gains something from being more universal in an unrelenting use of the silent medium to great effect:

From Europe:

The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodore Dreyer); very potent mustard
Pandora's Box (E. A. Dupont)
Metropolis (Fritz Lang)
Spies (Fritz Lang), but only the restored version
Faust (F. W. Murnau), the restored domestic version (European release)
Napoleon (Abel Gance) Note: This version doesn't star Victor, but it has been sliced and diced by Francis Ford Coppola so that he could give his old man's music score acclaim. The original as restored by Kevin Brownlow is supposedly VERY close to the original with a beautiful orchestral score, but we may never get the opportunity to see it because of the Coppola clan's defensive meddling.

In the U.S.:

Sunrise (F. W. Murnau)
The Gold Rush (Charles Chaplin); arguably City Lights is better
Greed (Erich Von Stroheim); unfortunately we're left with only the Cliff-Notes version of this masterpiece, but oh, what a film!

Sound era films in the U.S. are somewhat sketchier in my estimation because they were heavily restricted as to content by code between mid-1934 and the mid-1960's when a rating system was devised, but even with the Hayes code in place several films stand out:

Citizen Kane (Orson Welles), which you mentioned
Casablanca (Michael Curtiz)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise) okay, this is a guilty pleasure, but it's also a great film that I doubt would feature prominently on anyone else's 'best films' list even with it's use of SF themes to debunk the prevalent anti-communist paranoia of the period

From Europe in this period:

Beauty and The Beast (Cocteau)
The Seventh Seal (Bergman), not one of my personal favorites; it's literally reeks of GP, but a classic of the genre none the less.

With the code (english language releases):

The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)
Brazil (Terry Gilliam)
Godfather (Coppola), begrudgingly; I usually don't like Coppola's work
A Clockwork Orange (Kubrick)
Lord of The Rings trilogy (Peter Jackson)

This is far from a complete list, but these selections for 'best films' are personal preferences; of course, YMMV.

AuPh

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - "8 1/2," yes, definitely one of the best films of all time. - tinear 06:05:18 02/03/07 (22)

I haven't really warmed up to it yet - 4season 09:56:20 02/04/07 (0)

Re: "8 1/2," yes, definitely one of the best films of all time. - patrickU 03:58:13 02/04/07 (0)

Agree completely, but would add... - semuta 20:10:28 02/03/07 (4)

Coppola's films are wonderful entertainment which, unlike the pulp - tinear 05:05:19 02/04/07 (0)

Many of the "best films of all time" weren't even made in the sound era, IMO. - Audiophilander 02:03:42 02/04/07 (2)

The thread is about one-two punches. Surely your - tinear 05:11:10 02/04/07 (1)

There are no one-two punches unless you're being rope-a-doped. - Audiophilander 01:29:34 02/05/07 (0)

Whatever happened with Mickey Rourke? - Eldragon 16:17:08 02/03/07 (1)

Got the clap and it spread to his face. * - mr grits 19:18:31 02/03/07 (0)

Asa Nisi Masa - mishmashmusic 14:34:58 02/03/07 (1)

"You're right about the payoff from multiple viewings." - You mean film fans are now PAID to see this more than once? - Audiophilander 00:49:48 02/04/07 (0)

I differ completely with your impressions; on a 1 - 10 scale I'd give it what was left after the film's title, but YMMV. - Audiophilander 10:26:22 02/03/07 (10)

You already made that lame joke before... running a deficit, clearly - Victor Khomenko 10:34:57 02/03/07 (9)

While Antonioni is similar to Barnett Newman or Mark Rothko, in that - tinear 16:22:22 02/03/07 (2)

Maybe Miro for me - Victor Khomenko 06:49:20 02/04/07 (1)

Miro, Klee, Chagall... all had a good sense of humor. Rothko is like - tinear 08:47:48 02/04/07 (0)

Never linked that image, dude; if folks want fresh material, they should try a different brand of mustard. - Audiophilander 13:34:25 02/03/07 (5)

this matching of wits doesn't... - dave c 15:13:00 02/03/07 (4)

Auph just can't catch up. nt - tinear 05:13:38 02/04/07 (3)

That's because I'm not driving an Italian tank. :O) - Audiophilander 00:58:05 02/05/07 (2)

I guess my ketchup went over your head. Your response tanked. nt - tinear 14:27:19 02/06/07 (1)

Okay, you were trying to give me a Dressing down and I'll admit that I just Glazed over it. - Audiophilander 22:03:37 02/06/07 (0)

Follow Ups

Many of the "best films of all time" weren't even made in the sound era, IMO. - Audiophilander 02:03:42 02/04/07 (2)

The thread is about one-two punches. Surely your - tinear 05:11:10 02/04/07 (1)

There are no one-two punches unless you're being rope-a-doped. - Audiophilander 01:29:34 02/05/07 (0)

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