Rank: 95
Release Year: 1942
Genre: War Drama
Plot
Summary: With the outbreak of war between England and Germany in 1939, a
British family living in a small town struggles to survive the first few
months, amidst the looming fear of invasion and continuous air raids.
What
Makes It Special: When Mrs. Miniver was first released in America June
1942, the United States had just very recently declared war on Japan (following
the Pearl Harbor attack December 7th, 1941) and Germany (and its
allies). However, many in America were unaware of the struggles that Britain faced
on a daily basis. And in this way, Wyler’s film does play a bit like propaganda
to rally support against Germany – but it does so very eloquently with
beautiful, touching, and heartbreaking performances and moments. This film did
wonders rousing American support for the war in Europe (which had been somewhat
waning, especially in the wake of WWI – a wholly unpopular war in America).
Rank: 94
Release Year: 1940
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Romance
Drama
Plot
Summary: An awkward (maybe even sheepish), naïve girl is wooed by
wealthy widower Maximilian de Winter, and at first she finds her new life
wondrous, but a little intimidating as well. However, she soon finds herself
tormented by the memory of her husband’s late (and extravagate) wife.
What
Makes It Special: Rebecca is often remembered as the only Hitchcock film
to win a Best Picture Oscar; or maybe that it is the prolific director’s first
Hollywood film (working with famed producer David O. Selznick). Those facts
aside, the film is maybe most memorable for Hitchcock and his director of
photography George
Barnes’s mastery of black and white photography. There may not be a better
shot film in the medium (playing wonderfully off the Gothic romance tone). Joan
Fontaine also gives what ultimately amounts to be a very strong female
performance very much coming into her own by the end (even though her character
is not ever given a name), allowing the text (which can be taken as very un-feminist)
to play as being a feminist work (which is a bit funny, given Hitchcock’s later
films like Vertigo
or The Birds).
Rank: 93
Release Year: 1964
Genre: Action/Adventure/Spy
Thriller
Plot
Summary: James Bond takes a mission to Miami to investigate smuggler Auric
Goldfinger, only to uncover a much grander scheme – one that involves pulling
off a heist to infiltrate Fort Knox (where a large portion of America’s gold is
held – back in the 1960s, the value of the U.S. dollar was still linked to the
value of gold).
What
Makes It Special: While Dr. No and From Russia
with Love came first introducing the world to a new kind of film: the
action/adventure spy thriller predicated on a suave lead (that all women
wanted, and all men wanted to be), bombshell female stars, international
locations, and massive action set pieces, it was with Goldfinger that James
Bond really became a worldwide phenomenon (and Sean Connery the highest paid
actor in the world). While Jaws is considered
the first ‘blockbuster’, the James Bond films certainly seem to fit the bill a
decade earlier. Even now with twenty-three James Bond films, Goldfinger remains
the best and most iconic of the franchise (not to mention it is one of the
greatest spy films ever made – even if James Bond is a lousy spy in the
traditional sense).
Rank: 92
Release Year: 1981
Genre: Adventure Mystery
Plot
Summary: The Ark of the Covenant might hold the power for complete world
domination. On the brink of world war, the Nazis have hired their man to find
it, and they are close. Thus, the U.S. government turns to famed adventurer and
archeologist Indiana Jones to find it first.
What
Makes It Special: Much like another George Lucas brainchild
Star
Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark has everything a cinemagoer could want from a
summer movie: action, drama, comedy, adventure, thrills, iconic heroes, and
great villains – and, like Star Wars this film was also nominated for a Best
Picture Oscar. In today’s cinema landscape of studios investing everything in
their big releases, it would be nice if we had more great films like Raiders of
the Lost Ark that both excel as blockbusters and quality pieces of cinema (though,
there are a few that still do) instead of the perpetual assembly line of bland,
boring mind-numbing sameness. After more than thirty years since its release, Raiders
of the Lost Ark is still an unheralded masterpiece of cinematic fun.
Rank: 91
Release Year: 1959
Genre: Epic/Drama
Plot
Summary: After Jewish Prince Judah Ben-Hur is betrayed and sent into
slavery by the Romans, he struggles and fights to regain his freedom – all the
while dreaming of the day he might return and have his revenge.
What
Makes It Special: Throughout cinema’s history there have been epics (starting
with The
Birth of a Nation) expressing just what the medium is capable of in its grandest
form, as they capture the imagination of the audience and show them something
spectacular of massive scope and scale (something they could never see in real
life). Ben-Hur fully embraces this great tradition (one that has been awfully
sullied by the sorry excuse that is today’s event cinema – again barring a few
great releases) with its grandiose action set pieces, wonderful score, lush
design, and beautiful photography. Yet, its most striking feature might be just
how engrossing Ben-Hur’s narrative journey is – from prince to slave and back. It
is a magnificent piece of cinema (and one of its greatest epics).
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