See - that’s a great suggestion. I went back and forth on Metropolis. I wanted to have a silent film on here to represent the tradition and an earlier version of this list included Metropolis after City Lights. I leaned towards City Lights in the end because it felt more accessible to a generation already predisposed to ignore these silent films. Thanks!
I get what you mean. City Lights is probably easier to relate to on a character level, but I find the visuals of Metropolis and what they managed to achieve with the technology they had at the time very impressive.
I know! I went back and forth on which silent to include and ended up with City Lights. Make a Keaton recommendation for those who will read the comments and discover a treasure. What’s the must see Keaton in your opinion?
Another alternative would be Sherlock Jr., with similar notes regarding the character he creates and technical skill of the film, but which also has a great meta-commentary on movie-making/fiction itself (for those who haven’t seen, may be most enjoyable to watch without looking up plot in advance).
I guess the must-see is The General. Here his brave everyman is at its consistent best. Though his extraordinary physical comedy may show up more obviously elsewhere, this may have the strongest plot of all. Some of the others are more episodic vignettes (like early and late Tati). Which isn't to say that The Navigator or Steamboat Bill Jr or others fail.
For me the thing about Keaton's silent world is his modest dignity, his character much put upon without complaint. Chaplin was a deal more sentimental.
For a short taste it's hard to go past the first 5 minutes of The Boat - streaming on the U-tube.
There's no way to make a definitive list of 52 films that encompass all of the classics, but you're off to a good start. Were I to attempt this, I'd probably draw the line at Star Wars, and come up with 52 films released before it. I'd certainly include more silent films, as the silent era ran from about 1895 to 1930. If 1977 is my cut-off, the silent era makes up nearly half that period of time. At the bare minimum, I'd include The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Nosferatu, Sherlock, Jr., and Metropolis along with City Lights.
Generally, I'd focus a lot more on the period before 1960, as that was the true golden age of film. A handful of films from the '60s and '70s are worth including, but most of the true masterpieces of cinema were created before 1960.
Thanks! Ultimately, I went with a different tactic, but I considered the approach you suggest here. I’d love to see a “52 film” list that works within that frame.
Great stuff, Kyle. Nearly ten years ago I decided to explore films in depth. I discovered pretty quickly what turned out to be for me an extremely valuable resource, a survey conducted every ten years of the ‘greatest’ films of all time, by Sight and Sound. You can read more about it in Wikipedia. Having now watched nearly all of the over 250 films on the last two surveys, I highly recommend the survey results to all. Here’s one place you can find the results of the last survey, from 2022:
At least one film noir seems appropriate for late ‘40s into ‘50s period, whether to demonstrate cinematographic innovation with shadow and light, classic detective tropes, or the psychological fallout as society worked through the consequences of World War 2 and early Cold War. Opinions will certainly vary for the best representative: Out of the Past, Sunset Boulevard, Third Man, Double Indemnity, Cry of the City, Shadow of a Doubt, In a Lonely Place, Touch of Evil, among others.
I don't know about you but when we sit down to watch anything on TV the wife has limited taste in what we watch. I love her but I am more opened minded in this area. Also I have to think I am not the only one in this situation.
Oh, okay I understand now. Yes, if you watch with a spouse, who doesn’t like those kinds of movies, I can see that it would be a problem to make it through the list!
In her defense she has enough taste to enjoy all of the best streaming series on HBO, Apple, Netflix , Paramount+ Hulu which is what we mostly watch. I've felt for quite a while we're in a golden age of well written TV even the Network series have upped their game. Well aware of many of the movie on this list & not being inclined to watch anything during the day will try to slip a few into our viewing habits in the evening.
At last,a list of films,most of which I've seen not all,but all on tv back when UK daytime tv was end to end old movies ,of all sorts,it was like attending Film School without knowing it. The Searchers is THE ONLY Western I rate (apart from Carry On Cowboy),it's subversive and poses questions even if it doesn't answer them. I've read that John Wayne didn't want to do this film because he could see his character was really a Baddie,or certainly more nuanced than he usually played. He got persuaded or coerced into it and maybe he needed the money too. It's a great movie imo.
Cheers on this attempt! Looking forward to seeing the rest. Good to see that foreign-language films have a place despite the caveat. A list like this couldn't possibly be complete without some of those directors (you already list Kurosawa and Bergman, but Tarkovsky, Fellini, and Bresson are equally crucial, at the very least).
Help me with Fellini and Bresson - I am woefully uneducated with how best to approach those two (and Italian cinema in general). I’ve got one Italian coming up on this list, but his entry is in English.
8 1/2 is the ordinary starting place for Fellini, but La Dolce Vita and La Strada could also be good entry points. For Bresson, Pickpocket is often compared (justly) to Crime and Punishment, both in terms of subject matter and narrative structure but also aesthetic achievement. All his films are wonderful but that's a great place to start.
Thanks! I am adding these to my watchlist. I think I checked out Fellini at the wrong time, so it’s probably time to circle back and try again. Teamwork makes the dreamwork!
This is a great idea! I would add 1927 Metropolis (full reconstructed version).
See - that’s a great suggestion. I went back and forth on Metropolis. I wanted to have a silent film on here to represent the tradition and an earlier version of this list included Metropolis after City Lights. I leaned towards City Lights in the end because it felt more accessible to a generation already predisposed to ignore these silent films. Thanks!
I get what you mean. City Lights is probably easier to relate to on a character level, but I find the visuals of Metropolis and what they managed to achieve with the technology they had at the time very impressive.
Chaplin but no Keaton? Really?
I know! I went back and forth on which silent to include and ended up with City Lights. Make a Keaton recommendation for those who will read the comments and discover a treasure. What’s the must see Keaton in your opinion?
Another alternative would be Sherlock Jr., with similar notes regarding the character he creates and technical skill of the film, but which also has a great meta-commentary on movie-making/fiction itself (for those who haven’t seen, may be most enjoyable to watch without looking up plot in advance).
I guess the must-see is The General. Here his brave everyman is at its consistent best. Though his extraordinary physical comedy may show up more obviously elsewhere, this may have the strongest plot of all. Some of the others are more episodic vignettes (like early and late Tati). Which isn't to say that The Navigator or Steamboat Bill Jr or others fail.
For me the thing about Keaton's silent world is his modest dignity, his character much put upon without complaint. Chaplin was a deal more sentimental.
For a short taste it's hard to go past the first 5 minutes of The Boat - streaming on the U-tube.
There's no way to make a definitive list of 52 films that encompass all of the classics, but you're off to a good start. Were I to attempt this, I'd probably draw the line at Star Wars, and come up with 52 films released before it. I'd certainly include more silent films, as the silent era ran from about 1895 to 1930. If 1977 is my cut-off, the silent era makes up nearly half that period of time. At the bare minimum, I'd include The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Nosferatu, Sherlock, Jr., and Metropolis along with City Lights.
Generally, I'd focus a lot more on the period before 1960, as that was the true golden age of film. A handful of films from the '60s and '70s are worth including, but most of the true masterpieces of cinema were created before 1960.
Thanks! Ultimately, I went with a different tactic, but I considered the approach you suggest here. I’d love to see a “52 film” list that works within that frame.
k done
https://allthemovies.substack.com/p/52-weeks-to-film-literacy
I'll get on it! :)
Great stuff, Kyle. Nearly ten years ago I decided to explore films in depth. I discovered pretty quickly what turned out to be for me an extremely valuable resource, a survey conducted every ten years of the ‘greatest’ films of all time, by Sight and Sound. You can read more about it in Wikipedia. Having now watched nearly all of the over 250 films on the last two surveys, I highly recommend the survey results to all. Here’s one place you can find the results of the last survey, from 2022:
https://letterboxd.com/bfi/list/sight-and-sounds-greatest-films-of-all-time/
At least one film noir seems appropriate for late ‘40s into ‘50s period, whether to demonstrate cinematographic innovation with shadow and light, classic detective tropes, or the psychological fallout as society worked through the consequences of World War 2 and early Cold War. Opinions will certainly vary for the best representative: Out of the Past, Sunset Boulevard, Third Man, Double Indemnity, Cry of the City, Shadow of a Doubt, In a Lonely Place, Touch of Evil, among others.
Great note - I think that was a missed opportunity in my list. I just rewatched Sunset Boulevard and it is excellent.
I love a good movie but there's no way I could get through this list being married. Am I the only one with this observation?
What does being married have to with it?
I don't know about you but when we sit down to watch anything on TV the wife has limited taste in what we watch. I love her but I am more opened minded in this area. Also I have to think I am not the only one in this situation.
Oh, okay I understand now. Yes, if you watch with a spouse, who doesn’t like those kinds of movies, I can see that it would be a problem to make it through the list!
In her defense she has enough taste to enjoy all of the best streaming series on HBO, Apple, Netflix , Paramount+ Hulu which is what we mostly watch. I've felt for quite a while we're in a golden age of well written TV even the Network series have upped their game. Well aware of many of the movie on this list & not being inclined to watch anything during the day will try to slip a few into our viewing habits in the evening.
At last,a list of films,most of which I've seen not all,but all on tv back when UK daytime tv was end to end old movies ,of all sorts,it was like attending Film School without knowing it. The Searchers is THE ONLY Western I rate (apart from Carry On Cowboy),it's subversive and poses questions even if it doesn't answer them. I've read that John Wayne didn't want to do this film because he could see his character was really a Baddie,or certainly more nuanced than he usually played. He got persuaded or coerced into it and maybe he needed the money too. It's a great movie imo.
Cheers on this attempt! Looking forward to seeing the rest. Good to see that foreign-language films have a place despite the caveat. A list like this couldn't possibly be complete without some of those directors (you already list Kurosawa and Bergman, but Tarkovsky, Fellini, and Bresson are equally crucial, at the very least).
Fear not friend, Tarkovsy will show up soon!
Help me with Fellini and Bresson - I am woefully uneducated with how best to approach those two (and Italian cinema in general). I’ve got one Italian coming up on this list, but his entry is in English.
Where should I start with Fellini and Bresson?
Start Bresson in France, where he’s from, not Italy. Film-wise, start with his Au hasard Balthazar.
8 1/2 is the ordinary starting place for Fellini, but La Dolce Vita and La Strada could also be good entry points. For Bresson, Pickpocket is often compared (justly) to Crime and Punishment, both in terms of subject matter and narrative structure but also aesthetic achievement. All his films are wonderful but that's a great place to start.
Thanks! I am adding these to my watchlist. I think I checked out Fellini at the wrong time, so it’s probably time to circle back and try again. Teamwork makes the dreamwork!
I love this! Wow, thank you for taking the time—I’m going to start soon.
I read through the comments because I assumed someone would bring it up...alas, I have to ask: Seven Samurai over Rashomon?