Top ten films are personal. They could be something you saw as a child, as a teen or an adult. A film when first seen can create a powerful impression on one that lingers long after the movie is finished. For me, I consider my top ten to maybe not be the "Best Films of All-Time," necessarily, but they are good, and when I saw them I was in such a place that they left a lasting impression on my psyche. These are films I can view again and again. They're movies that defy criticism. So here they are. I will present them alphabetically, as it is impossible for me to pick one favorite, and besides, that may change from one day to the next. Not only the ranking, but the films included in my top ten may even alter from time to time. But these ten are the core favorites and that never changes. These are the first three; coming soon, the next three, followed by the final four.
The Apartment - 1960- Director: Billy Wilder.
I first saw this on TV around 1975 on Channel 5 out of L.A. I watched it because it had Jack Lemmon, and I knew that he had just won an Oscar for Best Actor recently, and I wanted to check out some more of his work. I think this may be his best. Jack Lemmon aside, the rest of the cast is nothing short of delightful: Shirley MacLaine as the girl he loves but cannot tell; Fred MacMurray as Mr Sheldrake, his slimy opprotunistic boss; Ray Walston [ Uncle Martin from My Favorite Martian a fave '60s TV show ] as co worker Joe Dobisch; Jack Kruschen as neighbor and conscience Doc. But the real star of the film is Billy Wilder: His writing, with partner I.A.L. Diamond, and direction is pitch perfect: Tough, funny, cynical and touching, without ever being maudlin.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - 1969 - Director: George Roy Hill
One of the first movies I saw in a theater that really hit me. Packed a wallop! When I left the theater, I didn't want to be Paul Newman - I wanted to be Butch. He was a fellow my eleven year old mind could grasp. Always trying to come up with a new scheme, doesn't have a steady girl, not flashy with a gun, and not quite as bright as he thinks he is, either. Redford's Sundance is the flashy, blonde-haired, quick-draw ladies man. A good friend to Butch, but I could never see myself in him. Then there is Katherine Ross who is just there. A worthless part in many ways, but she brings the sex, which certainly made this boy sit up a little higher in his seat, wanting to get a better view. After I got home, my dad said to me, "I suppose you're gonna be Butch from now on." I was embarrassed. I thought I hid it so well, but he was on to me.
Casablanca - 1943 - Director: Michael Curtiz
Has there ever been a more economical script written? Characters are explained better in two or three sentences than several pages that other movies would need. Best short-hand writing ever. And that classic love story: Rick in love with Ilsa, who is married to Victor. A classic triangle, yet we don't hate any of the three. We would like to see Rick win Ilsa back, but not because we hate Victor, or because he treats her badly. We want Rick to have her because Rick is our hero, even if he's not really heroic until the final reel. He is out for himself - as he says many times "I stick my neck out for nobody," but in the end he does - and he does it not for the cause, but for her. He lets her go on that plane with Victor because he knows it's right, even though all he feels for Ilsa tells him not to. That is the heroic gesture in Casablanca: Selfless love. Loving someone enough to let them go. Of course there is more much more going on in the movie: Claude Rains' rakish Capt.Renault [how that man NEVER won an Oscar after four nominations is one of the Academy's great failures]; Conrad Veidt as Major Strasser, chief Nazi; Sydney Greenstreet as Ferrari, Rick's business rival; and the very great Peter Lorre in what is essentially a cameo as Ugarte who possesses the "letters of transit" that the plot revolves around - and it's all blended magically together by Micheal Curtiz's swooping camera and breakneck pacing. If you've never seen it, see it. If you have already, see it again - you won't regret it.
I loved Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid too. I loved your description of Butch... There was something almost childlike in his character- stumbling about trying to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up and not afraid to make mistakes. Something we all can relate to. I enjoyed all of your reviews... Can't wait for the next three.
ReplyDeleteTop notch, Nick. I remember the first time I saw each and every one of your three picks. Yeah--how Claude Rains never won an Oscar is baffling.
ReplyDeleteOk Bro...gonna try to post comment on this one. Love the picks, tho while they may not be mine, I cannot disagree with as great films to view. Loved them all.
ReplyDeleteThat you have been able to narrow down your list to ten is, I think, absolutely remarkable. I cannot even begin to prepare a list (although I DO know what my favorite movie is, so that's something, right?).
ReplyDeleteI've only really been able to begin appreciating Casablanca more in the last few years. It's just never been a favorite of mine. I really like what you've said, though, about how there is no bad guy in the love triangle (I mean, Rick is the main character, but in a traditional story, he's the antagonist; Victor's the protagonist. You know you've got something special when the movie's focus is the anti-hero.) You want Rick and Ilsa to be together because they are in love. But Victor is such a good man! It's too bad that the speech Rick gives at the airstrip has become a cliche what with Bogart's delivery and the "here's looking at you, kid," because it's so important to listen to what he's telling her. He talks about them ending up in a concentration camp. Victor's in the resistance. This movie was made in 1942! I don't know, all of those things resonate with me. To me, it's such a gift to discover a movie the way I have this one. I never have loved it, but appreciating it, I feel like I have had to figure out why it's good, which has been a great experience. And, truly, it must be one of the top 5 best casts in movie history. Quite possibly number 1.
Do you know how long it was before I realized that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a comedy as much as it was anything else? When I was a kid, I thought it was, ugh, a western. I'm very glad to have discovered it was both. And I could launch into a whole thing here about how Katharine Ross was really just window dressing in an attempt to make the whole movie more heterosexual (even Paul Newman said so), but I won't. Suffice it to say, BEST BUDDY MOVIE EVER. And Newman and Redford, man, who wouldn't want to watch? What's the old saying, men wanted to be them, and women wanted to be *with* them? Yeah, that.
Working backwards . . . I love Jack Lemmon. I can't remember when I didn't. Isn't it amazing to think that you didn't see The Apartment until you were a teenager? I've been so lucky: I've been watching these movies my whole life! Thanks mostly to you and my mom. . . . Can I just say, though, really, come on, Ms. Kubelik! You're going to choose Mr. Sheldrake over C.C. Baxter? I know Baxter's made some bad choices, but he's got a good heart!
This is a wonderful post. I'm looking forward to numbers 4-10.