Which movie do you consider a great movie ? perhaps the greatest. For me personally it is Lawrence Of Arabia. This scene in the movie is one of my favorite scenes ever. What is your favorite great movie ?
There is no single favorite, but many are listed here: http://www.filmsite.org/greatlists.html The site always gives me a small popup from classmates on first click.
I think Bondarchuk's "War an Peace" or "Voyna i mir" 1966 is one of the greatest movies, an eight hour epic. This is not the American version with Henry Fonda and Audrey Hepburn. Sergei Bondarchuk's War and Peace
My top 3 are: 1. Citizen Kane - It was the beginning of modern film making. What Orson Wells did with camera movement and lighting is simply amazing. 2. 2001: A Space Odyssey - Breathtakingly beautiful and intelligent. 3. Lawrence of Arabia - You can watch this movie with the sound off, just watching the vistas. The power of the desert is palpable, the performances are amazing.
Not all of these are "great" as far as technical analysis is concerned, but these are some films that have had an impact on me and which I think approach greatness in their ways (rather than just being personal favorites). In no particular oder: Arsenic and Old Lace -- I saw this for the first time as a kid, and it was the first time I grasped the concept of dark comedy. Happily it stands both the tests of maturity and time. Tampopo -- Probably the "greatest" movie on this list. Also, marry me, Ken Watanabe? Paper Moon -- Two words: Daddy Issues. Smoke Signals -- The first time I'd seen a non-stereotyped, positive, and accurate portrayal of Indians in the media. Hedwig and the Angry Inch -- How a musical about an East German transexual punk rock singer so perfectly captures exactly what it is like to be an 18 year old American girl, I'll never understand. The Apartment -- One of the few romantic comedies (dramadies?) that gives me hope.
The last two on your list are favourites of mine - I first saw The Apartment on TV when I was quite young, and have watched it countless times since. The chemistry between the two leads is amazing. And every time I watch Hedwig I can't get it out of my head for days, which is always an enjoyable experience to have. JCM is a bloody genius.
My pick for greatest movie would be Mulholland Drive. My favorite scene is in it and it's this, although it really needs to be seen in context.
Well, duh: I mean, "great" is right there in the title. ... I KID! Okay, serious example: ... because every minute of it, that's why.
^There was this fantastic psych study I read which suggested that watching depressing movies makes people feel more optimistic...presumably because their own lives don't seem quite so shit by comparison. I thought it hilarious that the movie they used on the test subjects was Atonement, because, you know, when you're trying to think of a bleak film.
A few greats off the top of my head; Instinct with Anthony Hopkins, Usual Suspects, Hotel Rwanda, and Fight Club. Honorable mentions; The Avengers, X2, X-Men: Days of Future's Past, 300, Dark Knight, Jurassic Park, What Dreams May Come, Ghost Busters, Blues Brothers, and the original Star Wars and Lord of the Rings trilogies.
Bicycle Thieves is easily my favorite. Though my shortlist of greatest films would also include: Sunrise, Rashomon, Andrei Rublev, The Mirror, Persona, Vertigo. Does that study prove causation or is it just a correlational study? Like, how do we know it isn't just that optimistic people prefer depressing movies?