Cinema's greatest classics

[ajay124]

Claude Chabrol!
One of the greatest directors of the 20th century,part of the French Nouvelle Vague,along with Francois Truffaut and Jean Luc Godard,died on 12th September.
I 'grew up' watching the films of Chabrol and the other auteurs from the 40's-70's....Bresson,Godard,Truffaut,Resnais,Rohmer,Fellini,Antonioni,Fassbinder,Dreyer,Bergman,Tarkovsky,Mizoguchi,Ozu,Kurosawa,Imamura,Ray....Will cinema ever scale the glorious peaks of these directora again?With Hollywood,ruling the roost,and the rest of the world cinema,also opting for 'sensation' over 'sensibility',I don't think so!
http://filmsdefrance.com/FDF_cchabrol.html

 

[sivasarjun]

Yes sad day.Yet Truffaut is MY filmmaker among the french new wave .Especially 400 blows,Jules and jim,two english girls ,wild child etc.

 

[ajay124]

Yeah!400 Blows,Jules Et Jim,Breathless,Alphaville,Hiroshima Mon Amour,Rules Of The Game...great films....But my favorite French film is Diary Of A Country Priest by Robert Bresson.Have watched it several times on the big screen and something like 6-7 times on DVD.Claude Laydu's performance is IMO the finest ever by a male actor.And in his very first film!
Brief Review
YouTube - Diary of a Country Priest Movie Review

 

[moktan]

the last movie i watched was on TV...it was the same with the movie before that..what a shame..though i must confess that even on TV i look forward to Cohen Brother flicks..and i wish that Lars Von Trier too figure in the menu of the modern masters..i was thinking of dogme...

 

[ajay124]

50 Films to watch before you die!

Borrowing headline from the media.
(Sensational,eyeball grabbing,and a bit silly,as there can never be a list
which can compress world cinema into 50's or 100's.
But most of us love lists as they gives us the illusion that we are making sense of the confusion and disorder of our lives....).
So here goes.One per director to prevent the list from becoming unmanageable!
Quite happy with the first 35 or so.Filled in the rest in a hurry to finish the list.

1.Andrei Rublev/Andrei Tarkovsky
2.The Seventh Seal/Ingmar Bergman
3.Diary Of A Country Priest/Robert Bresson
4.La Dolce Vita/Federico Fellini
5.Viridiana/Luis Bunuel
6.L'Avventura/Michelangelo Antonioni
7.The Marriage Of Maria Braun/Rainer Werner Fassbinder
8.400 Blows/Francois Truffaut
9.Breathless/Jean Luc Godard
10.Pathar Panchali/Satyajit Ray
11.Tokyo Story/Yasujiro Ozu
12.Roshomon/Akira Kurosawa
13.The Passion Of Joan Of Arc/Carl Thedore Dreyer
14.Underground/Emir Kusturica
15.Hiroshima Mon Amour/Alain Resnais
16.Farewell My Concubine/Chen Kaige
17.Ballad Of Narayama/Shohei Imamura
18.The Round Up/Miklos Jancso
19.The Rules Of The Game/Jean Renoir
20.Battleship Potemkin/Sergei Eisenstein
21.Mephisto/Istvan Szabo
22.Metropolis/Fritz Lang
23.Children Of Paradise/Marcel Carne
24.Umberto D/Vittorio De Sica
25.On The Waterfront/Elia Kazan
26.The Double Life Of Veronique/Krzystof Kieslowski
27.Modern Times/Charlie Chaplin
28.Red Sorghum/Zhang Yimou
29.Ashes And Diamonds/Andrzej Wajda
30.Rear Window/Alfred Hitchcock
31.In The Mood For Love/Wong Kar Wai
32.Story Of Women/Claude Chabrol
33.Satantango/Bela Tarr
34.The Life Of Oharu/Kenji Mizguchi
35.A Taste Of Cherry/Abbas Kiarostami
36.Camille Claudel/Bruno Nuytten
37.Jean De Florette/Claude Berri
38.Mama Roma/Pier Paolo Pasolini
39.Aguirre:The Wrath Of God/Werner Herzog
40.Chinatown/Roman Polanski
41.Carmen/Carlo Saura
42.Hidden/Michael Haneke
43.Dogsville/Lars Von Trier
44.Marius/Cesar/Fanny/Marcel Pagnol
45.Beauty And The Beast/Jean Cocteau
46.The Return Of Martin Guerre/Daniel Vigne
47.Claire's Knee/Eric Rohmer
48.Citizen Kane/Orson Welles
49.Forbidden Games/Claude Berri
50.The Lost Honour Of Katharina Blum/Volker Schlondorff
*By no means an exhaustive list.Everybody,feel free to add more.Merely a quick list of good films.Have watched all of them except Satantango,Marius Trilogy,Hidden.
*No Almodovar/Innaritu-Entertaining.But...
*No Scorsese/Coppolla/Kubrick/Zemeckis/Bertolucci/Allen/Ford/Wilder/Wyler/Coen Brothers/Tarantino/Lynch.....Don't much care for their films.

 

[sivasarjun]

Good list.Although limited to only one film per director.Some of the glaring misses-Bicycle thieves,Sacrifice,mirror.Nothing by Ghatak.

 

[micjak77]

Claude Chabrol!
One of the greatest directors of the 20th century,part of the French Nouvelle Vague,along with Francois Truffaut and Jean Luc Godard,died on 12th September.
I 'grew up' watching the films of Chabrol and the other auteurs from the 40's-70's....Bresson,Godard,Truffaut,Resnais,Rohmer,Fellini,Antonioni,Fassbinder,Dreyer,Bergman,Tarkovsky,Mizoguchi,Ozu,Kurosawa,Imamura,Ray....Will cinema ever scale the glorious peaks of these directora again?With Hollywood,ruling the roost,and the rest of the world cinema,also opting for 'sensation' over 'sensibility',I don't think so!
Claude Chabrol / director / realisateur / films / biography

Hey Ajay - hats off to your knowledge on World Cinema. I am in awe. here's a random pick of some of the movies which have I loved.

Samsara (Pan Nalin)
Manorama Six Feet Under - Navdeep Singh (I hear that it was inspired by HW cinema, great nevertheless)
Chasing Amy ( I have liked all of Kevin Smiths movie's Mall Rats etc)
There will be blood (My all time fav)
LSD (I find Dibakar Banerjee very promising)

I have not been exposed to world cinema barring few that I get to catch up on UTV World Movies.

Ajay you are on a whole diff level....

 

[ajay124]

Good list.Although limited to only one film per director.Some of the glaring misses-Bicycle thieves,Sacrifice,mirror.Nothing by Ghatak.

For Vittorio De Sica I had to choose between three of his best films-Bicycle Thieves,Shoeshine and Umberto D.Bicycle Thieves(Thief) is one of the seminal films of the 20th century.It has inspired generations of filmakers.I love it.Also Shoeshine.But Umberto D is one of my favorite films.Carlo Battisti in the lead role is top notch.The ending (for me) raises this film to a level where it had to be in the list,leading to the exclusion of Bicycle....I am not particularly fond of dogs,but people who are will have a lump in their throats and possibly a tear in their eyes watching this wonderful film about an old man and his dog.
It was because of Tarkovsky that I struck to the 1 film per director rule.Otherwise all his films would have been in the top 50.They are difficult to watch,but once you 'enter' their ethereal beauty it will be a revelation which will make most other films 'redundant'.Personally I like Andrei Rublev best,followed by Ivan's Childhood and Stalker.I have not seen the last one-OFFRET(SACRIFICE) although I have had the DVD for the last two years!I am hoarding it for a special day,preferably when a projector and a screen is available.
Had bought a collection of Ritwick Ghatak films.Watched Meghe Dhaka Tara and snatches of the rest.Did not like them much.Just my impression.Lots of critics,people adore them.Many other good Indian directors--Shyam Benegal,Govind Nihalani,Shahji,Mrinal Sen,Girish Kasaravalli....But the only indian directors I personally consider world class are Satyajit Ray and Adoor Gopalakrishnan.
@micjak77
The Reliance owned Bigflix DVD rental service has a world cinema section which has a 100 odd Dvd's.They have films by many of the directors I have mentioned above.These films have been released in India by NDTV Lumiere/Palador/Shemaroo/Moser Baer.In fact Umberto D was released in India in June 2010 by Moser Baer and would probably make its way to UTV World Movies soon.I have watched UTV world cinema (at friends houses as I don't watch TV at home.Don't have a connection) and though it's better than the other movie channel there are a few things which ruined the viewing of the films.
1. The selection of movies.1 or 2 'gems' a month and lots and lots of duds which may not be 'Made in Hollywood/Bollywood' but share the same 'formulas' and are equally bad.2. Repitition of movies ad-nauseum.3. TOO many ads,TOO many times for durations which are TOO long!Imagine watching a depression era movie like Bicycle Thieves,interspersed with ads for mobile phones,washing machines,instant noodles...
TV for me is inherently crass and unwatchable.

 

[sivasarjun]

Two women can also be considered as among desicas classics. Ghatak may not appear to be as sophisticated as Ray but his cinema has LIFE.another reason to like Meghe takha tare is that the legendary ustad amirkhan singing in the film.The scene when the younger brother returnes after becoming a succesful singer is lovely.(Hansdwani.)One of the better examples of how music can be used in movies.Infact music in particular hamsadhwani is itself a character in the movie.

Excuse me for the liberal use of cliches while describing deeply felt things.My lack of proficiency in expressing myself in english is also a reason.
Cheers

 

[ajay124]

Two women can also be considered as among desicas classics. Ghatak may not appear to be as sophisticated as Ray but his cinema has LIFE.another reason to like Meghe takha tare is that the legendary ustad amirkhan singing in the film.The scene when the younger brother returnes after becoming a succesful singer is lovely.(Hansdwani.)One of the better examples of how music can be used in movies.Infact music in particular hamsadhwani is itself a character in the movie.

Excuse me for the liberal use of cliches while describing deeply felt things.My lack of proficiency in expressing myself in english is also a reason.
Cheers

Two Women is based on a novel by Alberto Moravia,truly a wonderful writer from Italy.Have read the book but not seen the film.I think it stars Sophia Loren.Should be very nice.
Maybe I did not appreciate Ritwick Ghatak because his films seem to be rooted in the Indian ethos where as I prefer art with a European slant.Satyajit Ray,is closer to the European film makers than to most Indian film maker.Charecters,locations,themes may be Indian but his sensibility is influenced by rationalist and liberal western thought.Just my opinion.Every critic and fan would have his own interpretation of Ray's/Ghatak's cinema.Personally I like 7-8 Ray films and find the rest to be fairly good.The best ones for me are the Apu Trilogy,Charulata and Jalsaghar.

 

[ajay124]

Most filmgoers are familiar with the stars from Hollywood /Bollywood but have very little knowledge about actors from other places.
Listing some great actors form the rest of the world.
France
Gerard Depardieu
Isabelle Hupert
Danny Auteil
Juliette Binoche
Jean Paul Belmondo
Alain Delon
Yves Montand
Jeanne Moreau
Brigette Bardot
Catherine Deneuve
Simone Signoret
Arletty
Jean Louis Barrault
Julie Delpy
Isabelle Adjani
Jean Reno
Fanny Ardant
Marion Cotilard
Audrey Tautou
Italy
Marcello Mastroianni
Anna Magnini
Sophia Loren
Roberto Benigni
Spain
Fernando Rey
Javier Bardem
Sweden
Ingrid Bergman
Max Von Sydow
Victor Sjostorm
Erland Josephson
Ingrid Thulin
Anita Ekberg
Germany
Marlene Dietrich
Klaus Kinsky
Hanna Schygulla
Austria
Klaus Maria Brandauer
Poland
Zbigniew Cybulski
Japan
Tatsuya Nakadai
Toshri Mifune
Kinuyo Tanaka
Chisu Ryu
Setsuko Hara
China
Gong Li
Maggie Cheung
Tony Leung
Leslie Cheung
Zhang Fengyi
Russia
Anatoly Solonitsin
Alexander Kaidanovsky
Nikolai Grinko

 

[ajay124]

Andrei Tarkovsky.Brief Introduction.
Andrei Tarkovsky
Some highlights from the article:
"cinema's capacity for capturing time was in his view its most important feature....long takes that allowed the time flowing through an individual shot to take effect on an audience.
"a cinema based on the rapt observation of the present moment as opposed to a plot-driven preoccupation with what will happen next"(italics mine)
"Vividly textured images of nature....with the four elements - earth, air (in the form of wind), fire and water - highlighted time and again."
"Buildings are often ruined and decaying, always on the point of being reclaimed by nature"
"vulnerability is expressed in images like snow floating through the roof of a sacked cathedral"
"His camera lingers on his actors' faces, mercilessly probing the anguish of his male characters but usually regarding his actresses with an enigmatic distance."
"The oneiric intensity of the childhood scenes in particular is so hypnotic....the impact of moment after moment of the most visually stunning, rhythmically captivating filmmaking imaginable."
"If ever a film embodied the concept of cinema as a recreation of the human thought process, Mirror is it."

 

[ajay124]

Andrei Tarkovsky on 'Mirror'
Mirror by Andrei Tarkovsky
Highlights from the article:
"There are no entertaining moments in the film.In fact I am categorically against entertainment in cinema:it is as degrading for the author as it is for the audience."(italics mine)

Would the modern 'entertainment guzzling' multiplex audience have even a faint notion about why Tarkovsky felt that 'entertainment' in cinema or for that matter in any art form is 'degrading'?
IMO
Tarkovsky's films reveal the hidden colours of life.They are about looking at and learning from life.The pleasure of viewing his films comes from the revelation of the beauty and ugliness of real life.Not from gimmicky and concocted 'events' which are supposed to be entertaining.
Where as 'entertaining' films,paint a synthetic collage of inconsequential trivia over real life.They creates a faux reality,replacing the ordinary(normal) with the extraordinary(sensational).Audiences worldwide are being fed on a steady dose of sensational stuff by the 'formula factories' and Television.The dose progressively becomes stronger as appetites become jaded.'Real life' becomes boring and unrecognizable....
Degrading-To lower to an inferior level'(Merriam Webster Dictionary)

 

[malvai]

Andrei Tarkovsky on 'Mirror'
Mirror by Andrei Tarkovsky
Highlights from the article:
"There are no entertaining moments in the film.In fact I am categorically against entertainment in cinema:it is as degrading for the author as it is for the audience."(italics mine)

Would the modern 'entertainment guzzling' multiplex audience have even a faint notion about why Tarkovsky felt that 'entertainment' in cinema or for that matter in any art form is 'degrading'?
IMO
Tarkovsky's films reveal the hidden colours of life.They are about looking at and learning from life.The pleasure of viewing his films comes from the revelation of the beauty and ugliness of real life.Not from gimmicky and concocted 'events' which are supposed to be entertaining.
Where as 'entertaining' films,paint a synthetic collage of inconsequential trivia over real life.They creates a faux reality,replacing the ordinary(normal) with the extraordinary(sensational).Audiences worldwide are being fed on a steady dose of sensational stuff by the 'formula factories' and Television.The dose progressively becomes stronger as appetites become jaded.'Real life' becomes boring and unrecognizable....
Degrading-To lower to an inferior level'(Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Bro, isn't music, cinema, theater essentially about entertainment FIRST?
In fact 'Play' is a term used to describe theatre... "going to see a Play" etc... Play is about 'playing'... and playing is fun, isn't it? I feel good cinema is entertaining. It should have a healthy amount of the "navrasas"... All 9 emotions. If it ain't entertaining it ain't "play". Cinema too, is an evolution of 'Play". And it needs to be entertaining. In the process if it enriches a person - even better. Then it ain't hollow. Tarkovsky is definitely 'enriching entertainment'. And not the firvolous, hollow non-sense that we get no-a-days! Just my two bits

 

[deepikarao]

Some of my favorite hindi classics are Ashiqui, Dil, Ham apke hai kaun, Hum, Andaz apna apna, Kuch Kuch hota hai, Dilwale dulhaniya lejayenge,Dil to pagal, Rangeela, Bombay, Hum hai rahi pyaar ke,Dil se, Gulam, satya...

 

[ajay124]

@Malvai
In fact 'Play' is a term used to describe theatre... "going to see a Play" etc... Play is about 'playing'... and playing is fun, isn't it? I feel good cinema is entertaining.

I agree...theatre,cinema,fiction is a 'play'....a mimicing of reality.And 'play' should be fun.
But the problem with a debate is that words acquire different meanings for different people.We would all have different notions about what is 'entertaining' and what is 'degrading'.I can only elaborate on mine.
I do not find a cinema based on cliches,coincidences and formulas 'entertaining'.I do find a cinema which has nothing going for it,except over dressed or under dressed mannequins,indulging in meaningless sex and violence 'degrading'.
I do not like the majority of films made for the 'box office'.... because I feel these films are peopled by caricatures rather than human beings....picture postcards rather than nature....plots rather a natural unfolding of events.
How can a cinema which has no grounding in 'reality' be entertaining or meaningful? Sure there are great myths and fables.But these myths and fables highlight eternal and universal verities.I do not believe that 'box office' cinema can qualify for any other definition except a 'box full of empty cliches'.
Unfortunately,a film requires enormous resources and therefore a 'return' on these resources!Filmaking as a 'business' can generate profits and losses but it seldom generates good cinema.State funded cinema is an option as long as the state provides the funds and gives the filmakers artistic freedom.Quite a tall order indeed!
Considering all the ingredients in the mix it is incredible that films like Pathar Panchali,Andrei Rublev,Wild Strawberries ever got made....

 

[malvai]

It should have a healthy amount of the "navrasas"... All 9 emotions. If it ain't entertaining it ain't "play". Cinema too, is an evolution of 'Play". And it needs to be entertaining. In the process if it enriches a person - even better. Then it ain't hollow. Tarkovsky is definitely 'enriching entertainment'. And not the firvolous, hollow non-sense that we get no-a-days! Just my two bits

Bro, I am in agreement with you, observe the contents of my response...

I agree...theatre,cinema,fiction is a 'play'....a mimicing of reality.And 'play' should be fun.
But the problem with a debate is that words acquire different meanings for different people.We would all have different notions about what is 'entertaining' and what is 'degrading'.I can only elaborate on mine.
I do not find a cinema based on cliches,coincidences and formulas 'entertaining'.I do find a cinema which has nothing going for it,except over dressed or under dressed mannequins,indulging in meaningless sex and violence 'degrading'.
I do not like the majority of films made for the 'box office'.... because I feel these films are peopled by caricatures rather than human beings....picture postcards rather than nature....plots rather a natural unfolding of events.
How can a cinema which has no grounding in 'reality' be entertaining or meaningful? Sure there are great myths and fables.But these myths and fables highlight eternal and universal verities.I do not believe that 'box office' cinema can qualify for any other definition except a 'box full of empty cliches'.
Unfortunately,a film requires enormous resources and therefore a 'return' on these resources!Filmaking as a 'business' can generate profits and losses but it seldom generates good cinema.State funded cinema is an option as long as the state provides the funds and gives the filmakers artistic freedom.Quite a tall order indeed!
Considering all the ingredients in the mix it is incredible that films like Pathar Panchali,Andrei Rublev,Wild Strawberries ever got made....

No debates here...

But- a big BUT... Making, writing, producing films is a BIG task in itself! I have been struggling with my magnum opus script for 2 years now.... Trying to ensure that it entertains and edifies all the senses... and believe me bro, i think even mediocre film-makers need to be given credit to make something for simply trying!


And then there are some that need to be shot on sight for even trying!

 

[ajay124]

@Malvai
'I have been struggling with my magnum opus script for 2 years now....'
Wow!Best of luck!

 

[Pratters]

@ Ajay -

Foreign language films would seem more attractive because having been exposed to so much of Hollywood films, it wouldn't seem as fresh. However, a huge amount of great films are produced in Hollywood today, a lot of which goes under the radar. I am a huge fan of most kinds of cinema from around the world including Hollywood. I must say though that I despise most of mainstream cinema mostly because it is made to cater to the audiences and is not a free form of expression by the directors generally - the way art should be.

 

[Pratters]

I recently made a top 12 which I would point to people as a starting contribution to this thread -

1. Greed
2. Heat
3. The Godfather
4. The Big Parade
5. Sunrise
6. American History X
7. The Rules Of The Game
8. Talk To Her
9. Murder In The First
10. Bolweiser
11. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
12. Touch Of Evil