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| ‹ ‹ ‹ past OPINION articles |
:: OPINION :: |
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by Tim Mathiesen |
 June 2006 |
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#10 As you scan down the rest of the list, this may not seem to fit the mold of
my choice of best films of all time, but this trilogy is the greatest acheivement in
blockbuster history. Mainstream audiences ate it up along with artists and critics alike,
who have been waiting a long time for a film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein's work.
Although the trilogy has now become a cultural icon, it has not lost its original magic.
In some ways it is a typical blockbuster production, but the film is perfectly balanced by Tolkein's
magical storytelling alongside the incredible imagination and creativity of Peter Jackson's talented production team.
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#9 One of Hitchcock's most complex storylines, "Vertigo" is a psychologically thrilling film.
James Stewart plays a detective hired to follow a woman who is suspected of being possessed
by the spirit of a dead woman. From the detective's obsession with the death of his subject
to the eerie performance by Kim Novak as two separate female characters, this film is a classic
example of an Alfred Hitchcock film. The final twist and climax of the movie is one of Hitchcock's best.
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#8 Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky took on film from a more conceptual view of storytelling. Rather than lay out the story
for the viewer, the viewer was responsible for finding the connection on their own. It is a spacious, sweeping
epic, yet the film is so simple. The events are often very large and powerful, but the scenes that matter
most are the quiet simple moments in between. Though Andrei Rublev is the main character, there are
scenes when he was merely part of a crowd viewing a major event. The film beautifully captured an artist's struggle
with the definition of sin and redemption along with the question of his purpose as not only an artist,
but as a human being.
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#7 The three colors of the French flag represent Liberty (blue), Equality (white) and Fraternity (red).
Kieslowski took a relational, rather than political, approach on each ideal from France's national motto.
Each film is visually, mentally, and emotionally moving. Separate in storyline and style
(White is a dark comedy) each film has something to offer on its own, although Red ends with a subtle
connection that ties all three films together. The colors are beautifully represented as they appear
as the primary color used in each film. Using human connection as the main theme, Kieslowski studies
not only the desire, but the necessity of human relationships that drives our every day decisions and purposes in life.
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#6 A complex film on the surface, yet it serves a very simple purpose.
An artistic take on the study of the human mind set around a mysterious storyline
that ends in a depressing turn of events. A couple out of focus split-second
scenes can reveal the real purpose of the film and suddenly tie the entire film
together. David Lynch created not only a masterpiece in
film and art, but a masterpiece in the study of psychology as well.
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#5 A gorgeously artistic film about the meaning of life and the fear of death.
A knight returning from the Crusades finds his country deeply effected by the
plague and challenges Death to a game of chess to prolong his life in order to
see his wife one last time. Many questions of death, God and
human existence arise as the knight meets various characters along the way.
The story is told in a fairytale-like style that gives the film a familiar foundation
for the difficult questions of life.
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#4 A promising director, Fernando Meirelles' first film, "City of God," won critical
praise and awards all over the world including an Oscar nomination for Best Director
in 2004, which he lost to Peter Jackson for "Lord of The Rings." "City of God" is an
amazing portrayal of the violence in Rio de Janeiro, following two friends who take
two very different roads in their lives, but constantly feel the effects of the other's
decisions on their own along the way. The film has an emotional impact on the viewer
through the violence and heartbreak that comes out of greed, desperation and revenge,
along with broken and realized dreams.
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#3 A beautiful film that moves at a slow, captivating pace. "Ikiru" is the
story of a man who learns he is dying of cancer and decides to search for a way to bring
meaning to his monotonous life. Each word in the poetic script is essential to the film
and the story eventually builds to the subtle, yet moving climax. The cinematography is
spectacular as the darkness and high contrast add to the intensity and emotion. The
acting is possibly the best that I have seen in a Kurosawa film, and as in most of his films,
each character represents a different personality within Japanese culture.
"Ikiru" is a great study of human reaction to the realization that life is slipping away.
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#2 Stanley Kubrick did it all in the director's chair: A Sci-fi project with "2001,"
an epic film with "Spartacus," a period piece with "Barry Lyndon," a political statement
with "Dr. Strangelove," and a Vietnam War film with "Full Metal Jacket." Then there was
"A Clockwork Orange," a film that perfectly adapts the original novel by Anthony Burgess
that makes a very powerful statement and raises some difficult questions. The film is full
of controversial violence that grabs it's audience by the stomach, then asks the question,
"Is evil beneficial to the human psyche?" It then goes on to take the question a step further by asking,
"If feelings of evil are conditioned what happens to free will?"
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#1 This film may be at the top of most typical Top 10 lists and I wanted more than anything
to keep this film from topping mine, but it cannot be denied that this film has set the
standards in most areas of film making from cinematography and lighting to acting and directing.
Orson Welles captured the gorgeous lighting of Igmar Bergman, the realistic acting of Marlon Brando,
and the powerful directing of John Huston and Frank Capra, but the twist is that he created
"Citizen Kane" before they created their masterpieces. Whether Orson Welles influenced these great artists
or not, I don't know, but "Citizen Kane" has gone down as one of the greatest masterpieces of the
20th Century.
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