As a movie-lover, who is constantly on the look out for
great cinema, one thing I find it hard is to prepare a list of my top ten or
fifteen favorite movies. But, still I have tried my best to prepare one such
list. I have seen hundreds of great films outside the titles mentioned in the
list. The films mentioned below are the ones that has been entrenched in my mind far deeper than the other great films. May be if some one asks my favorite
movies at some other point in my life, there might be some changes to this
list.
Metropolis (1927)
Written and directed by one of my favorite film-makers Fritz
Lang and his wife Thea Von Harbou, this epic German expressionist movie offers
a utopian vision of society. In this futuristic world, the wealthy have gone too far with their
exploitation of workers. Metropolis introduced the first major robot (called
“Maria”) in the history of film. By using a scientific innovation like AI, Mr.
Lang tapped on to our inherent fear of a modern industrialized society, where
humans would be capable of manufacturing human-like life form. Lang’s majestic
vision of a futuristic city and the shots of toiling laborers walking between
shifts like ‘zombies’ have had a greater influence in sci-fi genre (for eg,
“Blade Runner”, “Brazil”, etc). Every time
i watch Metropolis I feel that it is a great monument of cinema.
The Great Dictator (1940)
Chaplin’s first talkie is also one of the greatest satirical works in cinema. Here, his universal character of ‘Tramp’ is given an
identity and some impersonal forces humiliate the ‘tramp’ because of that
identity. The inhumane nature is personified in the nature of dictator Hynkel.
The comedic device is the resemblance between tramp and the dictator. Chaplin
had an unrivaled international stardom before taking a huge risk like The
Great Dictator. Remember, it was a time when most of the powerful individuals
and nations around the world, turned a blind eye to the inhumane mechanics of
fascism. The film may have its shortcomings, but it’s this bravery and a fine
resonating, universal message at the end makes it an unforgettable movie
experience for me.
Seven Samurai (1954)
War and conflicts is one of the things that provide our
human race a meaning. It is the victory of good force over the evil in such
conflicts gave us hope and advancement. But, to attain that victory we have to pay
great prices; may be human lives. Japanese master Akira Kurosawa’s Seven
Samurai bestows a engaging framework to look into the hopeful force that
drives us for betterment and the little emptiness which afflict us after
achieving those goals. It says how we men and women, who are constantly waging
war against evil to preserve higher aspirations, are made obsolete by the
wheels of time. Even if you don’t delve deep into its themes, you can immensely
enjoy this film for Kurosawa’s majestic staging of each sequence. There’s not
one dull second in the entire 200 plus running time and the final hour action
sequence gives us an exhilarating feel that could not be provided by any of
these polished, modern CGI works.
Apu Trilogy (1955,’56,’59)
My favorite critic Roger Ebert called Mr. Satyajit Ray’s
‘Apu Trilogy’ as “a prayer, affirming this is what the cinema can be, and no
matter how far in our cynicism we may stray”. In the early 1950’s, a commercial
artist from Calcutta went to a pawnshop with his wife’s jewels. He later rented
a camera, gathered up some of his friends, went down a picturesque Bengali
village he knew. This man didn’t study
in great film schools and this was the man with his debut feature changed the
face of Indian cinema, forever. “Pather Panchali”, “Aparijito” and “Apur
Sansar” aka “The World of Apu” traces the life of free-spirited Apu, from the
days of his childhood innocence to adolescence to the love and losses he
encounters in adulthood. Ray’s trilogy showed the enduring human spirit, in the
face of poverty and death.
The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Seventh Seal, one of the landmark works of film
expression also has the most memorable image for a Bergman movie: a knight
playing chess with death. The film set in 14th-century Sweden, depicts a land
that’s being torn apart by the crusades and the plague. The use of landscape in
this film offers and increases the sense of foreboding which later followed in
many of Bergman’s works. And the image of death is powerfully framed. Man’s
search for definitive answers in life and the alleged aloof nature of divine
being is subtly explored in this great work, along with many other allegorical
offerings. This was my first Bergman movie and the first time I watched it was
hard to keep up with what’s happening on-screen. But, my growing interest in
contemplating the frailty of human condition has often made me to revisit this
feature (along with another superior work of Bergman “Persona”).
Human Condition Trilogy (1959-61)
Humanist film-maker Masaki Koboyashi’s epic trilogy, based
on the six-volume novel of Junpei Gomikawa, narrates the tale of
Kaji, a pacifist, who faces dreadful consequences for standing against the
inhumane compromises made in war-time Japan. The Human Condition Trilogy was
one of the rare works of cinema to not masquerade or gloss over the horrors of
war. Kobayashi’s films always stood for humanism rather than embrace a
glamorized history or ideals. The scope and visual beauty the director achieved
in this epic story without a little trace of self-pity is unbelievable. There are
some moments of melodrama, but for a larger part Kaji’s dilemmas and
humiliation burns and stays within us, extracting immense empathy. One of the
rare enriching movie experiences I had that is totally worthy of its
nine-and-a-half hour running time.
Viridiana (1961)
The vicious cycle of cruelty humans afflict over each other
and one’s inability to do anything to break this cycle is movingly and sharply
portrayed by Luis Bunuel in one of his controversial feature Viridiana. The
film is about a novice nun, clinging to her Catholic principles, while her
lecherous uncle and a group of ‘rowdy’ paupers tests Viridiana’s faith and send
her into a darker vortex of pain and guilt. Bunuel isn't just interested in social institutions, but in the human
beings enclosed within such institutions, whose behavior quickly replaces high
ideals to only embrace primal human behavior of greed. I like how Bunuel calibrates his dreamlike
images between light and dark, extracting both empathy and revulsion within the
trajectory of a single sequence.
Andrei Rublev (1966)
Russian auteur Andrei
Tarkovsky’s second feature-film “Andrei Rublev” tells the story of the life of
15th century Russian artist who created numerous religious icon paintings. This
film is full of long philosophical and existential dialogues and also
has extensive tracking shots, which demands our patience; to relax, and
enter this world of complete meditation. More than being a story of a artist,
it delved deep into the essence of art and the importance of faith. Interestingly, for a movie about artist we rarely look at
any art works. In this episodic film, Tarkovsky uses the thoughtful, creative
central character to ponder over the themes of freedom, religion, loss,
individuality, doubt and creativity. There are many inventive, phenomenal shots in this
film. The way Tarkovsky masters the use of time and space in cinematic medium always fascinates me (of course,
along with Bergman, Bresson and Ozu many can’t stand the works of Tarkovsky).
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The first time i watched this epic
sci-fi film from Stanley Kubrick (one of my top ten favorite film-makers) I
wasn’t very impressed. But, with repeated viewings, over the years I have come
to appreciate its beautiful, vague, poetic, overwhelming and ambiguous themes
and images. It starts with primordial apes discovering the first tool and ends
with human traveling beyond the boundaries of known universe. I think there is no other Kubrick scene as famous as
the ape triumphantly throwing his bone weapon into the air, after which the
camera cuts into a space station in outer space, continuing the movement from
millions of years later. The sequence where spacecraft slowly revolves to Johann
Strauss’s Blue Danube waltz is another unique audiovisual experience I ever
had. I think the warnings about uncontrolled technological advance never
offered such an equivocal vision in cinema.
The Godfather II (1974)
While Godfather still proudly wears the 'greatest-movie-ever-made' status we can’t refuse,
I have always liked the sprawling sequel. It wonderfully explores a cold man
who grows tightly coiled as his budding empire is threatened on all sides. He
chooses greater violence to restore some order. Godfather explored the transformation of power center with in the Corleone family, whereas the sequel widened the circle to go away from
the family; to take a closer look into the actions and consequences created by
Corleone family members. May be I have come to like Michael’s coldness more
than his father’s sense of being honest. The 2nd part also took us
deep into the darker side of an otherwise inspiring American Dream.
Taxi Driver (1976)
I like movies that invite
multiple viewings. Not the one's that has conniving, multi-layered
intellectualism, but the one's where the characters and their actions continue
to linger or haunt us for days. When I watched Taxi Driver for the
first time, I knew it told the story of an alienated and psychotic Taxi Driver.
But I didn't understand much. I thought it had great acting, some cool violent
sequences, although i never got into the movie's core. May be at that time i
was not attacked by the alienated or lonely feeling. Years later, touched upon by the throes of alienation, i
had repeatedly watched the existential pain of Travis Bickle. I was able to
look into that raging vortex which had all the power to consume us lonely
individuals. We can come across many individuals like Travis Bickle in our
fast-moving, soulless society. They are the people who search for 'something',
but all they get is abundance of loneliness and empty gestures from fellow
human beings. Individuals like Travis Bickle have a conscience or even a moral
sense, but only this uncaring society pushes them to engage in destructive or
self-destructing activities.
Vengeance Is Mine (1979)
Based on Ryuzo Saki’s biographical novel which chronicles
the 78 day man-hunt of sociopath/swindler Akira Nishiguchi, Shohei Immamura’s
hard-hitting feature explores the ideological and economic decadence in the
society. The vision of chaotic evil in this film would disturb a viewer like no
other film in the history of cinema. It is a challenging film to watch from
the start since it couldn’t be classified to a genre or narrative framework.
This is also a cinema of defiance, which strongly implies that societal
restraints and conventions are just superficial things, created solely for
economic gains, and that it is in devouring our basic human values. The most
disturbing aspect of this film (apart from detailed staging of murders) is that
we aren’t offered answer to the question of ‘what makes the central character to
kill people?’ As Mr. Ebert commented in his review “What’s disturbing about
Enokizu (protagonist) is that he has no feelings at all about his victims”.
Fight Club (1999)
Davind Fincher’s Fight
Club (based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel) makes it clear that in a
delusional and schizophrenic existence, it is the idea of commodity which
offers us the only identity. Don't we feel (I once felt) we can establish a
worthy identity or attaining a perceived 'status' through buying 'worthy'
commodities? The film also tells us how we can't totally give ourselves to the
self-destructive attitude. We might want to
reconstruct ourselves and that reconstruction couldn't happen on the basis of
destruction. All the violence in Fight
Club insinuates that point: about how enlightenment is meaningless if it
is only going to result in total destruction. This is a film that just didn't
provide calm insights about our (metropolitan white-collar workers) boring, routine
existence; it rather gave a jolting shock to look at this material-chasing,
technology-afflicted reality.
Yi yi (2000)
Whenever the pain of existence
perplexes me, I watch Yi yi. It doesn't say anything incendiary or
totally new, but its soothing visuals, elucidating words, and impeccable
characterizations of flawed individuals give me a lot of questions to reflect
upon. The dilemmas, disappointments, and existential angst felt by each member
of this movie's middle-class family have an unbelievable, timeless universal
appeal. The movie begins with a wedding and ends with a funeral -- the circle
of life. Of all the scenes in "Yi
yi" that made me cry, laugh and contemplate, two sequences stays with me:
One is when the family's over-caring teenage girl lies at her grandmother's lap
and wonders "Why is the world so different from what we thought it
was?"; then the final speech by wise 10 year old Yang-Yang. Even thinking
about these two elegant scenes shakes up my emotional core. Anyone interested
in witnessing a emotionally resonant, profound family/drama must watch "Yi yi".
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)
A small group of cars passes
through like snake in the parched steppes of Anatolia, in the night time. They
are looking for a murdered man who was buried somewhere. The confessed killer
is confused about the place he has buried the man. Much of the landscape looks
the same and killer says he was drunk that night of murder. The frustrating
search for the body continues through the night and we slowly get acquainted
with fascinating mixture of characters. Through furtive gestures and little
bits of revealing dialogues, we slowly delve into a profound atmosphere of
jealousies and resentments. Every character in this meditative story
brings his entire life experience to the search, and this human experience is
wonderfully and subtly expressed. The impeccable
shots and staging of Turkish film-maker Ceylan alongside the stand-out
performances from Taner Birsel as prosecutor and Muhammet Uzuner as Doctor
diffuses the film with deep layers. Ceylan's camera may not be more kinetic,
but his long, still gazes reveals great truth about human condition. To wholly
sponge up the film’s illustrious quality, you would require enduring patience
and an open-mind.
Comments