10. Kes (1970)
This is the second most recently viewed on the list, as I was able to find a Criterion DVD edition of the film this September at my college library. It was an unexpectedly brilliant viewing experience, infinitely more complex and artistically different than I had expected of a film about a 15-year-old boy and his relationship with a kestrel. The film is actually more about the hopeless situation of this young boy's generation more than anything else, as it is about every middle class mining town with little hope of escape for the young children expected to grow up and take on more low-skill jobs. The director, Ken Loach, grew his career in making socially active middle-class dramas for the BBC, and this film sees him taking on a less overtly socio-political but nonetheless powerful story. Indeed, the protagonist's future remains bleak by the end of the film, but the reason we have any hope for him in the first place is thanks to the rare, perfectly magical moments we see him come alive while training his young "Kes". This movie exemplifies the kind of great filmmaking that I have found as my own motive for working to enter the art, being a morally beautiful and brutally honest film that explores a seemingly simple story with great authenticity and storytelling genius. Even greater examples of this kind of filmmaking will be found lower on the list.
9. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
I distinctly remember going to the theatre to see the 20th anniversary re-release of this film back in 2002. My Mami was and is a huge fan, and she helped convince me to see Spielberg's most personal film prior to Schindler's List. It was an amazing experience, and its interesting that the part I most remember watching in the theatre is the scene where Elliot's brother Michael finds the dying E.T. down by a river. To this day, I find that section of the movie so hard to watch. Spielberg's 80's output may be remembered for over-the-top sentimentalism, but I have never been so heartbroken for an alien in my movie-watching life. Cinematically speaking, the movie is a true masterpiece, a powerful watching experience of emotion and magic. One of the tapes I also saw a lot of when I was kid was the televised reunion of the E.T. cast, with additional behind-the-scenes anecdotes. I guess that tape played a certain part in how I saw E.T., and it remains a movie that never loses its childlike wonder. I will always love the spookiness of the opening, the wonder of the friendship between Elliot and E.T., the humour of the frog dissection scene, the magical aura of the moonlight bicycle ride, and the excitement of that incredible finale. It is a movie I will watch over and over again, and its a movie I will share with my children as the passing of magic from the previous generation to the next.
8. City Lights (1931)
I need to put this movie here, at this spot, simply because it contains one of the most beautiful endings in cinematic history. The rest of the movie is very funny and well-made, and I need to see the full thing again to better appreciate it, but what an ending. The movie features a sweet love story to begin with, and Charlie Chaplin is at top form as both protagonist and director. I have few comedies that I look up to as much in terms of filmmaking. There are two others, though, that I look up to even more.
7. The Great Dictator (1940)
That's right, two Charlie Chaplin films in a row. I haven't seen too many films to dethrone this one from its spot, but that's more because of its genius than my lack of choices. Making fun of Hitler was never done better than in this great comedy from an older, more vocal Charlie, this time playing the dual roles of The Jewish Barber (based on his earlier character The Tramp) as well as insane dictator Adenoid Hynkel. There are plenty of genius comedic scenes in this epic of satire, but that all makes the end speech, delivered straight to camera by Charlie Chaplin, all the more intense and moving. Sure, the film doesn't depict the most complex picture of oppression, but that's not the point - evil is evil, and Chaplin is determined not just to fight the Nazis, but all injustice, with the power of comedy. Laughter is what captivates the audience, but the lasting impression of The Great Dictator is one of inspiration.
6. The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)
This is actually the most recently viewed on the list, again a Criterion pick from my campus library that changed my outlook on film in one night. What an incredible film this is, full of subconscious childhood memories and inspired encounters with the unknown. Ana Torrent is probably one of the most captivating child protagonists in film history, if not the most, delivering a performance that is as enigmatic as it is naturalistic and tender. The entire movie is so imaginative and magical you just become entranced by it, and the ending even manages to make you feel something more spiritual than all that came before it. Rich with imagery and endlessly lyrical, this is one movie that will never lose its power. Victor Erice is one of cinema's least appreciated directors, Luis Cuadrado may be cinema's most tragically short-lived cinematographer, and this is one of cinema's most special films.
5. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Now, beginning the top 5 is what I consider the best comedy in film history. Yes, after already including two Charlie Chaplin films, I give that title to this movie. Why? Because it is the most cinematic comedy film in the entire genre, an incredibly funny equal to the type of incredible work done in Citizen Kane. Not only does Buster Keaton experiment with incredible stunts and visual jokes in the film, he does the same with a film within the film. I never cease to be amazed by the genius ideas in this movie, and its ending remains a lovely moment of screen comedy and romance for me. And that scene of the changing screen backgrounds is pretty much still unparalleled in its perfection. A great comedy, but an incredible movie.
4. Paths of Glory (1957)
Remember that type of cinema I mentioned loving? This is where it becomes essential to humanity. If there is one film that truly makes one register the uselessness of war and yet somehow shows the nobility and heroism of the people fighting them as well, it is this one. Stanley Kubrick would go on to make many brutal, pessimistic films showing truly disturbed human beings, but this film manages to show the truly good among us as well as the monsters. The truly good man at the heart of this film is Kirk Douglas' Colonel Dax, who is forced to endure the unfair and corrupt execution of three of his own men by the power-hungry men running the war from their posh palaces and war rooms. Fortunately, Colonel Dax regains his hope for humanity when he experiences yet another of cinema's greatest endings ever. An incredibly simple story, yet its one of filmmaking's most powerful experiences.
3. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
When I first saw this film during high school, thanks to the great movie channel Turner Classic Movies (which is where I first saw both Sherlock Jr. and Paths of Glory as well), it blew my mind. I never realized, before watching this movie, how incredibly possible it was to find a great story in something so ordinary. It changed my perspective on filmmaking, and along with Paths, helped me begin forming the thesis on making movies that has been cemented with others. Again, you could not find a simpler story: a poor man and his son search throughout troubled post-WW2 Rome for a bicycle, something which is essential to the father keeping his job and continuing to provide for his family. But through Vittoria De Sicca's compassionate direction, Cesare Zavatinni's careful and sensitive script, the heartbreaking score by Alessandro Cicognini, and finally, the great natural acting of the cast, it becomes an absolute masterpiece. It is undoubtedly a turning point in film, and will remain a treasure of realistic storytelling.
2. Star Wars (1977)
Like the previous films here, Star Wars remains a historic moment in movies. It is, for many, the ultimate cinematic experience, an unbelievable science-fiction adventure with timeless scenes and story. The special effects are still exciting, the music and sound still bear so much importance, and the archetypal characters and their adventures have not lost any of their simple brilliance. This movie is the definition of great screen fantasy, and will continue to be when I show it to my kids for the first time. Remember Star Wars, because many great filmmakers have and still do.
1. Toy Story (1995)
This movie means more than words to me. I watched it so many times as a child that I now have it ingrained in my heart. I know every scene, every moment, every line and word of dialogue. However, watching galleries of the concept art, its strange and startling to see how many different ideas were considered and discarded or changed to make the final movie, which we all know and love so much. Its weird to think it could have been any different from how it is now, and yet it could have been so much different. Looking back from this age, this can kind of serve as a metaphor for how I've developed. It is difficult to imagine being different from who I am now, but its taken a lot to get me where I am today. I can only hope, though, that I can make anything close to the perfection of Toy Story in the career that I desire to have. This is my favourite film because there is no other way I can think of improving it, or changing it, or reconsidering it. Toy Story is a masterpiece in its own way, and I will always love it.
That's my list. It may change in the future, but the top 5 should remain the same forever. This list summarizes my feelings and experiences of cinema so far, and to quote John Lasseter from the Toy Story Making-Of video, its only the beginning.
