Shoot the Piano Player

John Barry (1933-2011)

One of the great film composers died yesterday at the age of 77. Some of his works include many of the James Bond films, Midnight Cowboy, Out of Africa, and my personal favorite of his, the beautiful score of Dances with Wolves.

100 All-Time Films (To see the entire list, click here)

Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1957)

We go from Kurosawa’s perfection to another equally famous director’s masterpiece. Both oddly enough include a ‘seven’ in their title (maybe it IS lucky). Ingmar Bergman’s Swedish film, The Seventh Seal, is a major classic of world cinema. Bergman became world renowned because of the film and contains scenes often parodied nowadays.

The story begins with a journey by a medieval knight from the Crusades who encounters Death. He has come to take his life until the knight challenges Death to a game of chess in order to prolong his eventual demise. This movie is not strictly about the chess match as is most famously perceived. The title itself is based around a passage in the Book of Revelations; “And when the lamb had opened the Seventh Seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (Revelation 8:1). The film revolves around many subjects, but none so strongly as the silence of God. The story takes place during despicable times of war and plague and the crux is that God is nowhere to be seen. Where is he during times of wrath?

This is most certainly an art film. Like Fellini’s 8 1/2 this film can be hard to wrap your head around - especially after first viewing - but the artistic beauty is clearly evident. Before this time, films were not given attention in schools as books were. The ‘art’ of film was growing and The Seventh Seal became a staple of film classes. Bergman himself became known as the first great auteur of Swedish cinema, a very well respected country for making films. Without The Seventh Seal, this would never have happened. 

100 All-Time Films (To see the entire list, click here)

Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai (1954)

The quintessential masterpiece from arguably the greatest director who ever lived. It is one of the most influential films and one of only a few Japanese films that became widely known to the West for an extended period of time. It is a high concept plot about seven ronin (masterless) samurai who protect a defenseless town from raiding invaders. This almost four-hour film takes its time and the patient viewers are rewarded in the end.

The Seven Samurai is considered to be one of the first films to devote itself to the topic of gathering a team of heroes to accomplish a specific task, a plot device used almost too commonly nowadays. Examples of this would be The Dirty Dozen, Ocean’s Eleven, Inception, and The Magnificent Seven, the western remake of Kurosawa’s film. Another relatively new idea was the introduction of the reluctant and moral hero.

The length of the film allows the characters to breathe and warm your hearts. You know each and every samurai and learn to love them for their different ways. Toshiro Mifune stands out as the “faux” samurai, the odd one who is perceived to be too foolish and inexperienced to join the mission. A very different role for the typically badass Mifune but one that he succeeded brilliantly at. 

Personally, this is one of my all-time favorite films and truly one of the few epics. A film like this will never be repeated or topped and nor should it be attempted. Kurosawa made a film that cemented his legacy as one of the greatest auteurs in cinema.

Another Alternate Universe poster

Alternate Universe poster

100 All-Time Films (To see the entire list, click here)

John Ford’s The Searchers (1956)

Arguably the greatest western ever made from the greatest director of the western genre, John Ford. This is a big screen adventure which showcases fantastic scenery (in typical Ford fashion), the iconic John Wayne in his best role, and exploring complex themes that we wouldn’t see so commonly in the cinema until the 1970’s. 

In my opinion, only Sergio Leone matches John Ford in their visual style of the west. I prefer Leone to Ford (I like the Italian style) but Ford makes everything so BIG. Look at the picture showcasing this post. Its absolutely unbelievable. I only wish that I could see this on the big screen. Leone focuses on the sweaty faces of his characters while Ford looks to focus on the beauty of Monument Valley.

When watching it, some of the acting feels dated and the dialogue can feel out of place and awkward but the characters and their intentions are stamped in your mind forever. John Wayne, playing Ethan Edwards as a blatant racist making him a borderline antihero, is fabulous. His demeanor, swagger, and determination make him really tough to root against but his character is pretty detestable. Ethan’s journey to find and rescue Debbie (Natalie Wood) is so powerful that he refuses to give up even after five years. He doesn’t even consider giving in. These two ends of the spectrum make him a difficult character to root for or against.

In my mind, The Searchers will be remembered for its great storytelling, characters, and visuals. The ending is absolutely breathtaking in that it is one of the greatest ending sequences you will see in any genre. No one can deny its impact on the pantheon of film history and no one should try to. 

100 All-Time Films (To see the entire list, click here)

Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993)

There are a lot of things about this film that amazes me. How did Steven Spielberg, the ‘blockbuster king’, the guy who did Jaws, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, do this? Where did this come from? With Schindler’s List, Spielberg became more than a gimmicky director known for heart and big action. He took his sentimentalities and it put it smack in the middle of some of the most atrocious events in modern history. The Holocaust was never portrayed like this before.

Even if every event wasn’t entirely accurate as some critics cry out, the fact that Oskar Schindler, the German businessman saved more than a thousand Jewish-Polish refugees by employing them in his factories is simply outstanding. The performances Spielberg gets out of Liam Neeson (Schindler), Ben Kingsley (Itzhak Stern), and Ralph Fiennes (Amon Goeth, in one of the most powerful villain roles you’ve ever seen*) is unbelievable. We can see a lot of selfishness through Schindler early on, but Stern is the one who brings out the heart and soul of him. It would be foolish of me not to mention the performances of every actor and extra in the film. They really got at the feeling of what it would be like in a concentration camp and were the black and white paint of Spielberg’s canvas. 

*On a side note, how did Ralph Fiennes lose Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards? No disrespect to Tommy Lee Jones who is a fine actor, but he plays a cop in The Fugitive. Are you serious? I could name 30 other actors who could have performed that role with the same strength as Jones. Fiennes was terrifying as the Nazi.

Critics will point out that this film was misguided showing minor success during a time where 6 million people were killed. Yes, that is true but this film was not Disney-fied. The fact that it showed success is a good thing in my opinion. To survive in any position of death you need hope and this film is as inspiring to people as any film can be. What does just showing death do for an audience looking to escape? People aren’t ignorant enough to forget about the Holocaust just because they see a handful of people getting saved. 

When people think of this film, the first reaction is how depressing it is. The subject matter is depressing but I realized something the last couple of times I watched it. It has great humor. Spielberg somehow infused humor into this bleak material. I find that more unbelievable than anything. You will be absorbed in every minute of Schindler’s List.

100 All-Time Films (To see the entire list, click here)

Josef Von Sternberg’s The Scarlet Empress (1934)

The finest example of the great collaborations between director Josef Von Sternberg and actress Marlene Dietrich, The Scarlet Empress is one of the best German Expressionist films to come out of cinema. Like The Night of the Hunter on this list, it is a one-of-a-kind film that is unique in almost every single way.

The film recounts the rise of power of Empress Catherine II of Russia (Catherine the Great) in a historical melodramatic sort of way. What stands out in the film is the elaborate designed sets and the moodily sculpted cinematography. It definitely had an excessive amount of expressionistic images but in my opinion, it could have used more. The sculptures and sets set the mood for a weird romantic passion that portrays Catherine as a sex-crazed woman. The Scarlet Empress was one of the last mainstream films in Hollywood to be released before the Hays Code (the censorship guidelines) was strictly enforced. 

Dietrich is riveting on screen while her supporting cast are mere accessories. She plays it so delicately in the beginning and slowly transforms into the strong empowered woman that Catherine the Great is known to be. You can see how much Von Sternberg loves her as the camera is so enamored with her face. This is the epitome of star worship and Dietrich without a doubt is that star vehicle behind this film.

The film doesn’t have the best script but it is lifted by the unforgettable images with its lighting, shadows, faces, and the way the image moves. You’ll laugh at the hammy performances and craziness, but will love the ride it takes you on. It is the prototypical star vehicle that classic Hollywood is so well known for nowadays. 

2or3thingsiknowaboutfilm:

Paulette Goddard in “Modern Times” (1936)

100 All-Time Films (To see the entire list, click here)

Hiroshi Inagaki’s The Samurai Trilogy (1954-1956) The films in the trilogy are Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island. 

The novel based around these trilogy of films are considered to be the Gone with the Wind of Japan. It follows the character of Musashi Miyamoto and his journey from brash young solider to introspective samurai leading to his duel with the greatest opponent he can face. Played by the great Toshiro Mifune, Inagaki’s character study of Miyamoto is as good as it gets in cinema. 

It is a biography on possibly the greatest swordsman who ever lived and is said to be a very accurate representation of his life. It is shot beautifully and unravels kind of slowly, but Musashi Miyamoto’s life is so interesting that you are willing to sit through it. This is a different Mifune role compared to his badassness in other films like Yojimbo or Samurai Rebellion. You always root for him but you feel extreme passion for his character’s journey. It’s all about him.

It is a bit melodramatic (like I said, it’s like Gone with the Wind) but if you enjoy that sort of film, you’ll love The Samurai Trilogy. You may not have heard of it but it should be talked about more among the canons of film history. 

100 All-Time Films (To see the entire list, click here)

Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Definitely, positively, absolutely the most controversial choice for this list. Can you really say The Royal Tenenbaums is an all-time movie? I completely understand all the reasons why it shouldn’t so allow me to make my case why I placed it on the list.

When the film came out, it had strange reviews. Some people really enjoyed it but most were befuddled by it. People agreed it was shot beautifully but it was hard to get past the dryness of the humor. Almost ten years have gone by and it has become more appreciated with time. I think it has a very important place in American history by being the masterpiece near the start of the American New Wave movement.

People will point out that Spike Jonze’s Being John Malkovich and even Wes Anderson’s Rushmore were before this film and seemed to echo the beginning of the movement. The directors behind these films seemed to follow the coattails of the independent movement that blossomed in the early 1990s and managed to wage an aesthetic campaign against imanginationless filmmakers. Whether you think there was actually a movement or not, Wes Anderson created a memorable portrait of a dysfunctional family with his star studded cast. Featuring Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, and Danny Glover, the film used the ensemble cast to its advantage without any one star taking over the film.

More than any other living director I can think of (except maybe Tim Burton), Wes Anderson creates his own world through the colorful and imaginative sets and his tone of acting he instills upon his actors. Shooting a comedy with such symmetry that is borderline Kubrick-like, Anderson has clearly defined his own style whether you like him or not. His films are beautiful. 

I’m doing a little projecting with this film but I still think future generations will look at The Royal Tenenbaums with praise and will see its influence on films and other forms of media. I’m noticing it with films that have been released now and the previous ten years. It is an atypical comedy done in an original style that we probably haven’t seen since M*A*S*H*.