Rank: 75
Release Year: 1970
Genre: Drama
Plot
Summary: Marcello Cierici is a man without strong political feelings,
but in 1938 he takes a job working for Mussollini. He is courting a young girl
looking to marry as well. The couple goes to Paris for their honeymoon, but
Marcello also has an assignment: to track down his old professor, who fled
Italy when the fascists took power, and assassinate him.
What
Makes It Special: On a pure aesthetic level, The Conformist is a stylistic
and photographic wonder. Vittorio
Storaro’s lighting is magnificent, helping Bernardo Bertolucci create a
film that often feels surreal. At face value, the film is a disdainful look at
fascism, but Bertolucci digs a lot deeper with his lead character. He explores
many of the value systems and morals that we build society upon and their
ramifications on the human spirit.
Rank: 74
Release Year: 1957
Genre: War Drama
Plot
Summary: Two prisoners in a Japanese POW camp during WWII have very
opposing ideas on how to treat their imprisonment. An American, Shears, is dead
set on escaping, while a British Colonel, Nicholson, believes they should
behave in a gentlemanly manner. Nicholson even goes as far as to cooperate with
the Japanese to build a bridge across the River Kwai if it means keeping his
men alive, aiding the Japanese effort, while completely unaware that the Allies
plan to destroy it.
What
Makes It Special: David Lean is the master of epic filmmaking, and The
Bridge on the River Kwai is one of his brilliant sprawling dramas. And yet, for
all its scope and scale, this is at its heart a very human story of competing
wills. The Japanese POW camp commander must have his bridge, Nicholson must
have his men treated in a humane manner by the Japanese, and Shears must make
it through the war – each will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. The
interplay between each character is riveting. Plus, it has one of the best
climaxes in cinema history.
Rank: 73
Release Year: 1949
Genre: Revenge Drama
Plot
Summary: Louis is a distant relative of the Duke of D’Ascoyne, but his
mother was an outcast from the family and they lived poor all her life. Now
with a little ambition, Louis plots to murder all eight of the remaining heirs
ahead of him in the line of succession, claiming the title for himself.
What
Makes It Special: This wonderful forgotten gem from British cinema
features great performances (including Alec Guinness playing eight characters),
sly witty dark humor, and a true sense of Britain in the 1940s. Kind Hearts and
Coronets is full of irony and satire as Louis is a charming, dapper man
completely set on preserving his manners as a gentleman, meanwhile
remorselessly murdering his entire family. British cinema has a reputation for
its clever, subtle humor and this may be it crowning achievement.
Rank: 72
Release Year: 1977
Genre: Sci-Fi
Action/Adventure
Plot
Summary: Farm boy Luke Skywalker, who dreamed of a different and more
exciting life, is suddenly thrust into a galactic adventure, when he must
deliver two droids to a former Jedi Knight, only to be pulled into a fight to
save the Universe from the evil Empire and rescue Princess Leia from Darth
Vader. Luke joins forces with a reluctant hotshot pilot, Han Solo, to find the
Princess and destroy the Empire’s ultimate weapon.
What
Makes It Special: While the modern blockbuster may have been birthed
with Jaws two
years earlier, Star Wars changed everything (for better or worse). The film
captured the imagination of filmgoers of its generation, and each generation
subsequently, with its great characters, strong narrative and drama, and
exciting action. As a kid, there was maybe no other film that thrilled me more
– and it is one of the few films (beloved by me as a child) that holds up into
my adult years as well. There may never be a greater fantasy saga (and we are
currently living in a time of constant massive blockbusters releases).
Rank: 71
Release Year: 1948
Genre: Romance Drama
Plot
Summary: Lisa Berndle lives next to a handsome pianist, Stefan Brand, as
a young girl and develops a deep crush, devoting her life to being his alone.
Yet, Stefan does not even notice her. As the years pass Lisa has an opportunity
to be with Stefan, but will he truly love her or merely treat her as one of his
many conquests?
What
Makes It Special: French cinema auteur Max Ophuls is most notably
remembered for his films La
Ronde, Le Plaisir, and The Earrings of Madame de…, but
it is Letter from an Unknown Woman that is his finest work – though mostly
forgotten now. The film is incredibly sad, as it makes no illusions about its overall
tragic narrative arc. However, the film is still very romantic and features
many lovely, beautiful scenes. Yet, it is subversive in it approach to love.
Yes love is glorious, but it transient as well. Lisa is obsessed with Stefan,
giving him all her love – and for her it was worth all the pain and struggle
even though it is unrequited. This is what makes the film so heartbreaking. It
both champions love and distrusts it.
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