The Big Whatsit

Flicking through the 1,000 Top Films of all time, as compiled by They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They?, I was dismayed to see how few of the ‘grand’ I’d actually watched. Having downloaded the list, and clearly with an hour or so to kill, I worked out my viewing tally, which turned out to be a meagre 207. That’s just over 20%, if my addled grasp on basic mathematics hasn’t failed me.

Pathetic, as I’m sure you’ll agree. All the same, it did make me think about how worthwhile these lists are. The TSPDT version, for instance, has been put together from ‘1,320 individual critics’ and filmmakers’ top-tens.’ It doesn’t get much more objective than that, you’d think, and sure enough the list contains all the usual gems, including films from across the world to produce a truly global elite. Yet it’s still a countdown based on peoples’ opinions.

How about, instead, looking at the top grossing movies of all time? Surely, the power of numbers is as neutral as anything, and by any estimation the number of feet piling into theatres should have the final say over what rocks, right? Hmm, well according to Movieweb’s biggest moneyspinners in America, Titanic is number one, followed by Star Wars, and then Shrek 2. By anyone’s estimation, these aren’t the best films ever, and in fact highlight the power of marketing, combined with the popular appeal of each title. There’s nothing wrong with any of them, but let’s be fair, stick Far Far Away up against TSPDT’s number three, Vertigo, and there’s little contest over the more virtuous body of work.

The IMDb Top 250 is another potential source for finding the real great and good. Based on the votes of users, it gives a fair representation of what your public thinks when freed from the publicity machine surrounding your latest cinema blockbuster. And sure enough, their poll isn’t a million miles away from that of the critics, if a little more populist, and dominated heavily by American releases (which coincides with IMDb being an American site, serving a majority of visitors from the USA).

I don’t think any list is perfect. As much as I can claim to admire many of the entries, the simple truth is my own Top 1,000 would look very different, which of course is just as it should be. Check out the personal chart belonging to Flick Filosopher’s Mary Ann Johanson. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai is at number one… er, some mistake surely, until I’m forced to remember that this is Ms Johanson’s list, and she’s entitled to find delight in anything she likes. If only we could all admit that, instead of chin stroking our way through some old Fellini masterpiece, our favourite is The Goonies, Big Trouble in Little China, or some similar mid-eighties fluff.

As a self-confessed movie lover, however, I’m forced to admit that the one thousand entries offered by TSPDT form an enviable body of work. Many I’ve ticked off as having seen are indeed classics, and I’m intrigued to find what the other 793 have in store for me. Here’s the top ten:

1. Citizen Kane (Country: USA, Year: 1941, Director: Orson Welles)
No surprise there. What lingers long after Kane’s technical achievements have been aped and advanced are the superb story, the judicious imagery, and the way it’s all perfectly acted. A monumental slice of celluloid that has stood the test of time 66 years after its initial release.

2. The Rules of the Game (France, 1939, Jean Renoir)
I haven’t seen it.

3. Vertigo (USA, 1958, Alfred Hitchcock)
An excellent adventure into the darkness of man’s soul, Vertigo features dazzling colour images alongside a gripping plot that depicts James Stewart’s unravelling in such a way it’s impossible not to breathelessly admire the director’s intention.

4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (UK, 1968, Stanley Kubrick)
A feast for the eyes, with its elusive message of evolution, spaceships moving at a stately pace (much like the film itself) and a computer singing ‘Daisy’ as its artifical life ebbs away.

5. 8½ (Italy, 1963, Federico Fellini)
Not seen it - boo.

6. The Seven Samurai (Japan, 1954, Akira Kurosawa)
I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t seen it. Correction - I’ve watched bits, but I am yet to sit through the three hours and twenty minutes of alleged masterpiece. What makes it worse is that I had it sitting on Sky + for weeks before deleting it to make way for Match of the Day…

7. The Godfather (USA, 1972, Francis Ford Coppola)
The IMDb’s numero uno is obviously bloody brilliant, though I prefer Part II as a slice of entertainment. Perhaps this is because by that stage, we know the story’s set-up and all its characters, and can enjoy the fireworks. The first instalment had it all to do, laying on slices of exposition whilst introducing the Corleone family, its friends and enemies. And yet it holds up so well, producing more memorable scenes and quotes than any number of rivals, and introducing to this writer a love of Italian food. Watching it again recently, I could pinpoint the exact moment when Michael’s moral decay began, a process that reaches its heartbreaking apex in Part II.

8. Tokyo Story (Japan, 1953, Yasujiro Ozu)
Not only haven’t I seen it, I’ve barely heard of the thing. Having read about it now, I have to say I’m intrigued…

9. The Searchers (USA, 1956, John Ford)
It bored me, but I was young at the time and will probably have to give it another chance.

10. Singin’ in the Rain (USA, 1952, Stanley Donen/Gene Kelly)
Another that deserves a proper viewing. I don’t do bloody musicals!

You can download the full TSPDT list as a handy Excel spreadsheet from the link at the top of this page. From there, you can import it into Access and set up a nice database for easy reference, or simply do what I did and colour in the cells when you have seen the movie listed. I’m determined to see more than 207 of the greatest critics’ choices ever, and am already working through the TV schedules to see what can be committed to Sky + (I’ll watch it this time, honest!) and where I might have to make a DVD purchase. Gaslight (770 on the list) is on Turner Classic Movies tomorrow. Film Four are showing The Apartment (77) on Friday…