15 Movies

Like my recent albums post, here's another note that's been circulating of late on Facebook.  So figured I'd throw my hat into the ring and post mine:

1.  Holiday (1938)
2.  Pierrot Le Fou (1965)
3.  In a Lonely Place (1950)
4.  The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
5.  Rio Bravo (1959)
6.  Chinatown (1974)
7.  Blow Out (1981)
8.  Kings of the Road (1976)
9.  Shoot the Piano Player (1960)
10.  Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
11.  La chienne (1931)
12.  Heat (1995)
13.  Splendor in the Grass (1961)
14.  The French Connection (1971)
15.  McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)

1938: Holiday (George Cukor)

1938: Holiday (George Cukor)
Ah, how Cukor pulls this one off for me!  There's as much suspense in this romantic comedy as there is in any mystery or drama I can think of from this period.  I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it. But suffice it to say, you're not sure where Cukor's taking the story until almost the very last second.


I guess I also have a thing about conformity.  The way that this film deals with familial pressure and the pressure to conform affects me in a very personal way.  In fact, it affects me as deeply as any film from the thirties.  


This is one of those years where it's absolutely no contest for me. Holiday is a desert island film for me.  Brilliant, I think, but more important, just a film that's extremely personal for me.  

Other contenders for 1938: There are a few films I still need to see from this year, most notably Michael Curtiz's Angels with Dirty Faces, Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky, and Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes.  I do really like Howard Hawks' Bringing Up Baby but not near as much as the Cukor.  And, I love Jean Renoir's La bete humaine. But I can't say it affects me in the same deeply personal way as Holiday.


7/13/10 I watched Michael Curtiz's Angels with Dirty Faces.  There are some tremendous moments, particularly when Cagney starts yelping near the end and the shootout in the drugstore.  But there's something about Curtiz's touch for me that often feels a little heavy.  All in all, I enjoyed it even if it didn't all totally work for me.  


7/15/10 I watched Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes.  It's one of his most well-respected British films, but I must say I was a little disappointed in it.  I enjoyed much of the humor of the first thirty minutes, but I wasn't as involved once the suspense part of the film kicked in.  Based on one viewing of The Lady Vanishes, I still much prefer The 39 Steps and consider it by far my favorite of what I've seen from Hitch's British period.  


7/25/10 I watched Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky.  Devoid of Eisensteinian montage, this one derives its power from a certain spareness and a commitment to combat verisimilitude.  I could never fully connect to the characters, but Prokofiev provides a haunting score and some of the acting is quite strong.