In reverse-chronological order:
PULP FICTION
STAR WARS
JAWS
THE GODFATHER
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
BEN-HUR (1959)
CITIZEN KANE
KING KONG (1933)
INTOLERANCE
THE BIRTH OF A NATION
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A few notes:
I'd actually rather see the 1925 silent version of BEN-HUR (pictured above) than the 1959 version.
-- You know how I feel about big Technicolor affairs...
And I have seen an hour or so of THE GODFATHER, but it was on TV, with commercials, so I thought, "This isn't the way to watch a great film!" and forced myself to turn it off.
I don't even know what the heck LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is about! But I hear it's good, right? ;)
-- Always listed on those Top 100 lists.
I also hear BIRTH OF A NATION is one of the most racist films ever. While I'm not really looking forward to all that, as a film buff, and a Southerner, I imagine I can handle it.
And if you've lost all respect for me now -- especially as a classic film fan -- due to my never watching CITIZEN KANE, I'm sorry, I'm not gonna watch it.
Nope. Never.
-- My brother-in-law and I have a pact!
I'll tell you 'why' later...
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13 comments:
Pulp Fiction - Lucky you: it's tripe.
Star Wars - Don't worry: it's for kids.
Jaws - Yes you have. Everyone has.
The Godfather - See Pulp Fiction.
Lawrence of Arabia - Recommended. V. beautiful.
Ben Hur - Depends on how much you like Chuck Heston, really. I like Chuck Heston. Don't bother if you don't like Chuck Heston.
Citizen Kane - I won't tell you off until I hear your reason.
King Kong - Really?
Intolerance - Me neither.
Birth of a Nation - Can't say I enjoyed it as such, but you know, very important and all that.
I'd say give King Kong a go.
Yeah, I'm with you on a couple of these. I have no excuse, either!
I'm with Matthew Coniam on King Kong & Pulp Fiction; disagree on The Godfather & Lawrence of Arabia. Birth of a Nation? I'd just say there are a LOT of silent films out there I'd watch first, starting with almost anything of Chaney's you haven't seen & Nell Shipman (a personal bias) & King Vidor's Wild Oranges. Like MC, will hold off on Citizen Kane awaiting further explanation!
Oh--also not a Star Wars fan--don't bother!
Star Wars is also for the young at heart! i saw it when it came out and a million times since and i still love it. i love all 6 of them actually. every now and then i do a Star Wars weekend and play them all.
also a big Tarantino fan and would say you should see Pulp Fiction once, if for nothing else, the amazing performances of the entire cast (even Travolta who normally revolts me) but i think its one hell of a picture on all counts.
Jaws, once again if for nothing else its a tour-de force for Robert Shaw. but i think its a damn good film.
Godfather, yup that is a must see! and then see part II to see a sequel even better than the first and be blown away by DeNiro's take on the young Don.
i'm with you, as much as i like Charlton heston, i prefer the silent Ben-Hur. having said that, the Chariot race in the 1959 version is a staggering piece of cinema!!
your reason for never wanting to see Citizen Kane is going to be intersting! too bad though, its really one of the most amazing pictures ever made. totally compelling story, acting, visuals music, etc etc etc.
King Kong - Really? lol!! how have you managed that?!?!?! i cant imagine life without King Kong! but do yourself a favor and steer far clear of either one of the remakes. bloody awful pictures!!
Birth of a Nation - its worth seeing once maybe twice. so far i find Broken Blossoms to be my fave Griffith film, but i've only seen a few.
never saw Lawrence of Arabia or Intolerance either, but i will eventually.
I love lists like this! I think we all have some famous movies we've never seen, it's always fun to compare. Godfather's on mine as well.
Well, I've seen of those:
Pulp Fiction -- thought it was crap. At least I'm honest, guys, so don't shoot me.
Citizen Kane -- well, you should, unless you're making a point of not watching it.
Ben Hur (1959) -- I enjoyed it, esp. the chariot race, Hugh Griffith performance awarded by a Supporting Actor Oscar, and Miklós Rózsa's score (it's amazing!). And yeah, I like Chuck Heston, and he was pretty good in it.
Lawrence of Arabia -- I saw it but don't remember much, except Peter O'Toole riding a camel. This film seemed too long to me (and I generally like long films). And I absolutely can't stand Omar Sharif, so... No, I wasn't impressed by it, with the exception of the overall grandeur, maybe.
Ginger, Ginger, Ginger!
Pulp Fiction is must see as much for the way the story is told & the movie put together as for the great performances.
The Godfather is indeed excellent & I agree the sequel absolutely turns it up a notch. Close to a perfect movie!
The rest of the films I don't feel strongly enough about to comment on except to say Lawrence of Arabia may not live up to expectation for some. I'm only saying.
King Kong is also excellent & amazing considering it's time. The special effects are awesome & I remember watching as a young child & being genuinely terrified in parts.
Now Citizen Kane is again very much must see. I don't know the details of whatever pact with the devil you made that prevents you from watching it but I feel it pretty much revolutionized film making at that time. The cinematography is astounding. The use of unusual camera angles, extreme closeup, alternating long shots & overlapping dialogue by the actors. O.W. brought in many techniques that he borrowed from the theater to great effect. If you really can't get out of the unholy alliance that prevents you watching well then watch Touch Of Evil instead. If you remember the great tracking shot of Hitchcock's in Notorious that closes in on the key in Ingrid Bergman's hand, then you will love the great shot that opens what I feel is maybe Welles' best film.
The only ones on your list that I've seen are Lawrence of Arabia (which I watched totally because Peter O'Toole is so gorgeous), Citizen Kane (only got around to seeing this about a year ago, it's good but not my favorite), and King Kong (good if you actually WATCH it... if you're cooking dinner while it's on and not really looking it's just like listening to a scream track.)
I haven't seen a lot of the must-see 50's films like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Streetcar Named Desire, East of Eden, etc. Also none of the big color musicals like West Side Story, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Millie constantly chides me for not seeing this but I WILL NOT BUDGE), anything Gene Kelly, etc.
I'd say if you had to cave and watch just one of the ones on your list (based on what I've seen/heard) I'd go with Lawrence of Arabia, it's a beautiful movie and if all else fails you get to stare at Peter O'Toole for four hours!
^^^^^this is the asshole that's been reposting people's blog pages without permission! i guess that isnt enough so now he's going to pollute their blogs with crap like this.
I really, really love Star Wars, so I highly recommend checking it out. It's a fun move if you don't take it too seriously. I like to watch it like a western in space (I've heard that's how it was intended) and that makes it kind of fun and wacky. Also, if you watch it, please watch IV first!
Of the others you listed, I've only seen Ben-Hur and I wasn't too impressed. It may be an amazing movie, but it doesn't stand out much in memory so I don't give it much thought.
I'm rather relieved to know that I'm not the only one who hasn't seen those classics!
I'm just as bad! I've only seen most of "LOA".
AND
Citizen Kane...which I LOVE. Seriously. I first saw it when I was ten...and was FASCINATED. If a dumb, slightly insane ten-year old finds CK fascinating...EVERYONE COULD! haha!
Really it's great.
KATE: YOU WILL WATCH 7BF7B! And WHAT??! You promised me you'd watch EOE. And NO COAHTR. Sheesh. No longer my friend. ;-D
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