102 films you must have seen to be movie-literate

[G. Fieendish]

Grimley's alternative nominations are....
Akira
Alphaville
Brazil
Catch-22
Farenheit 451
Rollerball (Original Version)
Solaris (Both versions)
The Bed Sitting Room
THX 1138

 

[gnoriac]

63 at a rough count, but I am knocking on a bit.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

72. I've had lots of time to watch movies.

 

[learydeary]

I only counted three movies made in the last twenty years....Bit of a skeewed distribution

Surely there must be more than that. Has movie making got worse? and by the way don't call me surely

 

[Flashman]

63 for me. Where's Kind Hearts and Coronets? Subjective blah blah can't be arsed.

 

[phildwyer]

I *think* I've seen 65, but its hard to tell innit? I mean, you think you've seen some of them but probably you've just seen clips or heard about them or something.

 

[Flashman]

Yeah I thought "yep" for a few then had to admit no, you've seen bits of it you daft cunt and had to cross them off.

 

[phildwyer]

Its the same with books actually, I sometimes think I've read "Ulysses..."

 

[Cadmus]

I think it's a fairly decent list tho it does lack some films, notably some of the european works from the 60s. but certainly not rubbish like matrix, etc.

i had a friend who organised educational film nights for friends when we were about 14. we were watching and discussing fellini and alike at his place on saturdays and it was ace.

he works in a video store now.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Its the same with books actually, I sometimes think I've read "Ulysses..."

I know I haven't. Just like I haven't read The Sound and the Fury, even though I had it cracked open on my coffee table for a month.

 

[Flashman]

I still haven't read The Catcher in the Rye and I've had my copy for 20 years. For fucks sake.

 

[phildwyer]

I know I haven't. Just like I haven't read The Sound and the Fury, even though I had it cracked open on my coffee table for a month.

You can read books by osmosis though. I was once given a weirdo psychic occult-type book, by a weird psychic occult-type friend. He told me all about it, how it would change my life forever etc, and then as he was leaving he said: "there's just one more thing--don't leave this book anywhere near your head while you're asleep..." Needless to say it went straight in the bin.

 

[clandestino]

a mere 42 for me.

.

 

[subversplat]

He deliberately says its not a list of 'best films', it's a list of films that teach you something about the history and evolution of cinema.

Well then even more "No Life of Brian?!"

Were there any other hilariously sly parodies of Our Lord And Saviour(TM) that faced quite so much opposition at the cinemas beforehand?

 

[Fledgling]

72. I've had lots of time to watch movies.

How come? Are you very old or unemployed or have insomnia or something?


I've seen 12, yes a paltry 12.

 

[Reno]

The list is far from academic, most of the films on there are sheer pleasure.

I've seen all of the films and most of them more than once. I think if you are passionate about film, then you'd want to see these films anyway and don't question it or bitch about it. Then you'll want to see thousands of more films. Before complaining watch all of the films on there and then feel free to add your own.

I think it's a great list, but of course it's a personal one. I agree with nearly all films on there and then would add many of my own.

 

[Dubversion]

not quite sure why people are so offended or bothered by that list. it's less 'academic' than other similar ones i've seen, and by its very nature it's bound to be partial and incomplete. I think there are sound reasons for the inclusion of most of the oddball entries. And Ebert is a notoriously opinionated AND US-centric critic so it's not really a surprise that the US dominates.

 

[Dubversion]

I've seen all of them and most of them more than once.

I think it's a great list, but of course it's a personal one, though many of the films would be on my list as well.

i haven't seen them all - 65 or so - but yeh, i think it's a good list. And remember he's claiming the list relates to movie literacy. IE that each film represents something, in terms of the language of cinema or a shift in the way films are made or something. So while there may be better films, perhaps he doesn't consider them significant in other senses

 

[Reno]

Wizard of Oz?

Wizard of Oz is a seminal film in terms of developing colour technology as much as anything.

It's also a seminal musical film full of great tunes, contains several iconic performances, is based on a very witty screenplay with many of the most quotable lines ever. It influenced scores of directors from Martin Scorsese to David Lynch, in terms of art direction it's as eye popping as anything Tim Burton has ever done and dare I say it, it's actually a lot of fun. Anybody questioning its inclusion in a list of this is genuinely clueless about film history and has no taste.

this isn't a list of the best films ever, it's a list of films that pioneered cinematographic techniques.

No it's not. It's also a list of great directors, screenplays, narrative techniques, fantastic editing, unforgettable performances and anything else that makes a film great.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Ebert is a notoriously opinionated AND US-centric critic so it's not really a surprise that the US dominates.

The list wasn't actually compiled by Ebert; it was originally put together in 1999 - the only revision for today was the addition of Fight Club, I think.

 

[gnoriac]

It's also a seminal musical film full of great tunes, contains several seminal performances, is based on a very witty screenplay with many of the most quotable lines ever. It influenced scores of directors from Martin Scorsese to David Lynch, is as whacked out as anything Tim Burton has ever done and dare I say it, it's actually a lot of fun. Anybody questioning it's inclusion in a list of this kind is genuinely clueless about film history and has no taste.

You could say the same about the Sound of Music
[puts on tin hat, hides in air raid shelter, etc]

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Just over 50 for me, with a few that i have started watching and, for various reasons from over-indulgence thru to boredom, not finished. Such a subjective thing anyway, different strokes for different blokes and all that - i'd question the omission of Suspiria, Black Cat White Cat, Sante Sangre, Three Colours, etc etc

 

[Reno]

You could say the same about the Sound of Music
[puts on tin hat, hides in air raid shelter, etc]

You could and you'd be wrong, but not wrong enough to be funny.

Some of it is true for the Sound of Music as well, which I actually quite like. The film has a few good tunes and is entertaining enough. Unfortunately performances, art direction, pioneering cinematography and witty script do not apply to the same degree and it only influenced overpriced turkeys like Song of Norway and Star! which were the death the film musical instead of inspiring some of the greatest directors of modern cinema.

 

[jugularvein]

i've seen 46 which i'm pleased with as i'm only a youngster

 

[bluestreak]

45, which i think is quite good for someone who doesn't really watch movies.

 

[Bomber]

What a pretentious twonk! Crap list as well! I've seen 57, as if it matters, but Wallace & gromitt's Wrong Trousers is a shameful omission and renders the list even more redundant !

 

[elevendayempire]

Embarrassingly, I've only seen 35. Despite having done an MA in Film.

Pah! Just go to www.angryalien.com and watch the bunny versions...

SG

 

[Cadmus]

not quite sure why people are so offended or bothered by that list. it's less 'academic' than other similar ones i've seen, and by its very nature it's bound to be partial and incomplete.

Agreed.

If i were to intervene in the list, i'd first change Bergman's "Persona" to "Det Sjunte Inseglet" and switch later Hitchcock's works (Vertigo, Rear Window) for "39 Steps" and "Rebecca". Chaplin's "A Woman in Paris" is obviously missing too, as is "Apu Trilogy" by Satyjit Ray.

For comparison, a similar list is here.

 

[Cid]

It's also a seminal musical film full of great tunes, contains several iconic performances, is based on a very witty screenplay with many of the most quotable lines ever. It influenced scores of directors from Martin Scorsese to David Lynch, in terms of art direction it's as eye popping as anything Tim Burton has ever done and dare I say it, it's actually a lot of fun. Anybody questioning its inclusion in a list of this is genuinely clueless about film history and has no taste.



No it's not. It's also a list of great directors, screenplays, narrative techniques, fantastic editing, unforgettable performances and anything else that makes a film great.

Yeah, you're right - I was generalising vastly to make a point...

I've seen about 52 of them I think (there are some I'm not sure whether I've seen or not ).

 

[Badgers]

Only 34 for me and I have really spent a long time watching films.