Posted on 09/12/2009 9:47:56 PM PDT by Saije
Frank Darabont, the director of The Shawshank Redemption, has words for the millions of people who believe his 1994 prison drama is the greatest film of all time. “I think that’s a little crackers, to be honest, especially when you think of the other films on the list.” He means films such as The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Lolita, Vertigo and foreign-language contenders like Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist, Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt, Luis Buñuel’s Belle de jour or Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant.
But, hey, pointy-headed film critics can have their highfalutin’ crushes. There’s no getting round the fact that The Shawshank Redemption, which stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, is consistently being voted the best film ever in all sorts of readers’ polls. It currently sits atop the 250 best movies of all time on the world’s most popular cinema website, imdb.com, as it has done for most of the past decade...Empire’s readers have also voted Shawshank their favourite film of all time.
What gives? How has a film set mainly in a bleak prison, in which women are barely glimpsed, by an unknown first-time director, adapted from a little-known Stephen King novella, become such an enduring crowd-pleaser? Shawshank tells the story of the friendship of two prison inmates, Andy, played by Robbins, and Red, played by Freeman. It’s a film that can make strong men — including the rugby star Jonny Wilkinson, who loves it — blub like babies and insist that they will change their lives pronto. Devotees quote its life-affirming mantras: “You can get busy living or get busy dying”; “Fear can keep you a prisoner. Hope can set you free”.
(Excerpt) Read more at entertainment.timesonline.co.uk ...
PATTON
Hell no!
Some not mentioned:
Flight of the Phoenix (Stewart)
The Wizard of Oz
Back to the Future I
Back to the Future III
Caddyshack
Star Wars Episode III (Darth Vador created)
The Ghost and Mrs Muhr
Carlito’s Way
Rio Bravo
A Christmas Story
It’s a Wonderful Life
"Heat" also has some notable flaws: the domestic strife experienced by Pacino's cop character was more distracting than entertaining; De Niro's intensity overwhelmed Pacino in their meeting; and "Heat" mostly neglected a key point about criminals that "Goodfellas," "Godfather," and other crime movies make good use of: the pathological impulsiveness, stupidity, and waywardness of criminals.
It’s Adrienne Barbeau.
Having thought about it for awhile, I’d have to add The Man Who Would Be King to my best of, maybe even in first. Excellent movie.
And the scene where Pinto is with the dean’s daughter and the devil and angel pop up on his shoulders...
IMHO the best movies are from the silent era. The greats from that era are rapidly approaching their centennial. The true test of art is the test of time.
The Quiet Man.
No.
One of my favorites of all time. But not necessarily the best of all time.
Awesome!
and then, in no particular order
2) Star Wars -- It became not a legend, but a cliche in its own time
3) Lord of the Rings
4) The Passion of the Christ
5) D-Day
6) Ferris Bueller's Day Off
7) Team America: World Police
8) Das Boot
9) The Incredibles
10) Beau Geste (anything with so many remakes *must* be good)
Cheers!
“IMHO the best movies are from the silent era. The greats from that era are rapidly approaching their centennial. The true test of art is the test of time.”
You may already be familiar with it but here is a site which reviews the DVD quality of older films.
It can tell you if a better version of the film is available and which DVD version is the best. For instance the Eureka version of “Birth of a Nation” released in 2000 has the best image quality while the Kino 2002 DVD has the best extras.
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/compare.htm
In a word, No.
to follow on the movies I think best from the sound era...
30s Gone With the Wind
40s The Best Years of Our Lives
50s the Heston epics The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur
60s A Man For All Seasons
70s Patton
80s Chariots of Fire
90s Schindler’s List
00s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bella
The Quiet Man.
“Ah but it’s just a wee humble cottage” says Michaleen O’Flynn.
A great flick.
No I wasn’t familiar with the site. Thanks
I actually enjoyed the Fresh Prince, along with Six Degrees of Separation and The Pursuit of Happy-ness. Other than that, I could do without Will of West Philly.
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