The Movie Forums Top 100 of All-Time Refresh: Countdown
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Took a few days off for the holiday, so I am way behind. Several excellent films have appeared in my absence, such as Die Hard, North by Northwest, There Will be Blood, and City of God. None of those made my list, but are definitely worthy of the countdown!
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Hmm, surprised to see both...
I remember liking The Night of the Hunter quite a bit, but I haven't seen it in a good while. Should probably revisit it.
As for North by Northwest, it is a lot of fun. That said, it barely makes my Hitchcock Top 10 (Have it at #9 or 10) so it didn't make my list... which is more a testament on the Master's output than it is on the film. It's a pretty darn good film, plus you gotta love all those conversations between Cary and Eve
I remember liking The Night of the Hunter quite a bit, but I haven't seen it in a good while. Should probably revisit it.
As for North by Northwest, it is a lot of fun. That said, it barely makes my Hitchcock Top 10 (Have it at #9 or 10) so it didn't make my list... which is more a testament on the Master's output than it is on the film. It's a pretty darn good film, plus you gotta love all those conversations between Cary and Eve
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Nice to see The Night Of The Hunter receive some love and show up, the opening scenes which set the tale and the resolution are a little weak/rushed imo but most of it is quite dark and enjoyable with some beautiful imagery and I think it's a worthy enough entry on the countdown.
North By Northwest is top tier Hitch for me so I'm very pleased to see it retain a place on the list, even if it has suffered a slight drop.
Seen: 37/44 (Own: 16/44)
Faildictions (Eternal vsn 1.0):
56. The Straight Story (1999)
55. On The Waterfront (1954)
North By Northwest is top tier Hitch for me so I'm very pleased to see it retain a place on the list, even if it has suffered a slight drop.
Seen: 37/44 (Own: 16/44)
My list:
Faildictions (Eternal vsn 1.0):
56. The Straight Story (1999)
55. On The Waterfront (1954)
Never saw Night of the Hunter, but North by Northwest is almost flawless. I don't remember what that small flaw was, but it's my number 2 for Hitchcock.
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The Night of the Hunter is a highly expressionistic country thriller that simultaneously plays like an Americana gothic horror. I watched the film twice and enjoyed it much more the second time around but can't say it's a favorite. Still, the cinematography slays and the triangular roof attic scene from Tree of Life always reminds me of a similar shot in this flick. The water and frogs are images still imprinted in my mind which makes the film more memorable than most other films. Mitchum is manic as Harry Powell and the expressionistic approach to the character makes some scenes feel overacted (expressionism is much harder to nail with sound cinema than it was with silents). It's a good performance but I still like what he did in Cape Fear most from his entire oeuvre. Apparently, the film was a big financial disaster, and the actor Charles Laughton never directed another film. I wonder if the studio tempered with the movie itself. Funny. I seem to remember the film much more fondly than when I actually watched it. Oh, and Lillian Gish gives one badass performance in this. Look out for it!
North by Northwest is not necessarily Hitch's best but no doubt one of his more entertaining films. A proto-Bond spy mystery with a wide selection of both funny (the auction) and iconic (the plane and the Mount Rushmore finale) scenes. Cary Grant never reaches James Stewart's levels of cute but still is a joy to watch. Still, the final shot of a train entering a tunnel is a "seriously?!" sex metaphor moment. Note: In case you missed it, look up the poster with Hitch's face as one of the Mount Rushmore presidents!!!
North by Northwest is not necessarily Hitch's best but no doubt one of his more entertaining films. A proto-Bond spy mystery with a wide selection of both funny (the auction) and iconic (the plane and the Mount Rushmore finale) scenes. Cary Grant never reaches James Stewart's levels of cute but still is a joy to watch. Still, the final shot of a train entering a tunnel is a "seriously?!" sex metaphor moment. Note: In case you missed it, look up the poster with Hitch's face as one of the Mount Rushmore presidents!!!
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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.
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North by Northwest is not necessarily Hitch's best but no doubt one of his more entertaining films. A proto-Bond spy mystery with a wide selection of both funny (the auction) and iconic (the plane and the Mount Rushmore finale) scenes. Cary Grant never reaches James Stewart's levels of cute but still is a joy to watch. Still, the final shot of a train entering a tunnel is a "seriously?!" sex metaphor moment. Note: In case you missed it, look up the poster with Hitch's face as one of the Mount Rushmore presidents!!!
After all they got away with in the dialogues between Cary and Eve, I really wasn't surprised by that shot. Hitchcock sure loved his little innuendos. To Catch a Thief, also with Grant, is the other one from him that made me go like "huh? did he?" 
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Night of the Hunter is better in my mind than what I rated it so I should probably see it again. Cool pick either way. Don't really care about Hitchcock outside of Rear Window tbh.
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Two excellent films.
The Night of the Hunter wouldn't make my top 30, but would probably make my top 50 if I went higher. When I consider how it's able to weave so many horror elements into a cohesive whole, like slashers, monster films, and home invasion films (not to mention the frequent chiaroscuro shadow effects, or some magnificent horror sequences like the boat ride down the river which is reminiscent of a child's storybook and the horrifically beautiful underwater shot which has already been posted here) without any of them feeling out of place - all while simultaneously not feeling like a horror film in spite of all this - it's one of the most impressive films I can think of.
As for North By Northwest, there are several Hitchcock's I prefer, but that's more or less a testament to how great he is and to the amount of great films he produced throughout his career. It's still a fine film and the crop duster sequence is definitely one of the best action scenes from any movie I've seen, in particular. And yeah, the Mount Rushmore climax is also excellent.
The Night of the Hunter wouldn't make my top 30, but would probably make my top 50 if I went higher. When I consider how it's able to weave so many horror elements into a cohesive whole, like slashers, monster films, and home invasion films (not to mention the frequent chiaroscuro shadow effects, or some magnificent horror sequences like the boat ride down the river which is reminiscent of a child's storybook and the horrifically beautiful underwater shot which has already been posted here) without any of them feeling out of place - all while simultaneously not feeling like a horror film in spite of all this - it's one of the most impressive films I can think of.
As for North By Northwest, there are several Hitchcock's I prefer, but that's more or less a testament to how great he is and to the amount of great films he produced throughout his career. It's still a fine film and the crop duster sequence is definitely one of the best action scenes from any movie I've seen, in particular. And yeah, the Mount Rushmore climax is also excellent.
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Finally some truly great classics turns up! Though I voted for neither as my list was more than full. Still thrilled to see these two superb films make the grade.
Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
About: In prison (Robert Mitchum) who's a religious fanatic preacher, learns about a stash of $10,000 from a robbery. When the preacher is released from prison he goes looking for the money an finds the widow of the man who stole the money and then marries her. He then begins tormenting her children to learn of the whereabouts of the stolen money.
Review: Is there anything more iconic that Robert Mitchum's LOVE HATE finger tattoos? Those ink marks have been imitated everywhere, from rock musicians, to the Simpson's TV show. Just Google Love Hate finger tattoos and you'll see, they're everywhere! Even on toes!
I'd seen this movie before when I was first getting into film noir and I remember how it impressed me. This time around I'm even more impressed by the unique cinematography and set designs. Especially the river voyage scene where the children drift downstream in a small boat. I loved the way the river set looked almost poetic, with the small animals along the shore and in the background silhouettes of old farm houses. I loved the lighting and the star filled sky too. And that was all done on the set. No it doesn't look real, and it doesn't look gritty noir either, it wasn't suppose to...It does look like a storybook, as the children take the same journey Moses did down the Nile.
I thought this film balanced it's religious themes quite nicely. One of the highlights was when the stalking Reverend (Robert Mitchum) was singing Leaning on the Everlasting Arms cappella with Rachel (Lillian Gish). I like the juxtaposition of how the evil Mitchum sings lean on me while the good Lillian Gish sings lean on Jesus. A nice touch to define the difference betwixt them.
North by Northwest (Hitchcock, 1959)
I love the composition of that screen shot in the dust covered corn field. The big empty space with Cary Grant far off to one side speaks volumes.
I always enjoy Hitch's movies. I can't think of a Hitch film I've seen that I disliked. I say that because I tend to focus my critique on things that I didn't care for even when my overall review is positive.
Right off the bat I loved the opening title credits and music score...The title credits are important, they set the theme of the movie...and it's feeling too. The credits were frantic, fast paced, with diagonal lines...Lines everywhere! Like points on the map.
Then the credits dissolve into a diagonal shot of the U.N. building. Very effective! Then the theme of fast confused movement continues as Cary Grant bustles down a very crowded New York City street. There's people everywhere! All going somewhere, movement, movement, and more movement!....That's the theme of the movie...and Hitch brilliantly establishes that in the opening scene. Hitch is a genius.
Instantly the film grabs me and pulls me into it's world. The first 45 minutes where Cary is mistakenly abducted was gripping. The script is very intelligently written throughout the entire film. Cary reacted to his kidnappers in the way I would have expected him to. The plot twist and grows as it's story elements continually broadening the underlying spy theme.
Cary Grant is perfect for this role. As much as I like Jimmy Stewart, he would have been all wrong here. But the suave and yet irritated Cary worked perfectly. So did James Mason. Damn is this Mason good or what! The more I see of James Mason, the more I like him.
The last hour is fun and exciting and reminds me of Spielberg's Indiana Jones movies, with lots of action and thrills and fun trick camera shots.
Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
About: In prison (Robert Mitchum) who's a religious fanatic preacher, learns about a stash of $10,000 from a robbery. When the preacher is released from prison he goes looking for the money an finds the widow of the man who stole the money and then marries her. He then begins tormenting her children to learn of the whereabouts of the stolen money.
I thought this film balanced it's religious themes quite nicely. One of the highlights was when the stalking Reverend (Robert Mitchum) was singing Leaning on the Everlasting Arms cappella with Rachel (Lillian Gish). I like the juxtaposition of how the evil Mitchum sings lean on me while the good Lillian Gish sings lean on Jesus. A nice touch to define the difference betwixt them.
I always enjoy Hitch's movies. I can't think of a Hitch film I've seen that I disliked. I say that because I tend to focus my critique on things that I didn't care for even when my overall review is positive.
Right off the bat I loved the opening title credits and music score...The title credits are important, they set the theme of the movie...and it's feeling too. The credits were frantic, fast paced, with diagonal lines...Lines everywhere! Like points on the map.
Then the credits dissolve into a diagonal shot of the U.N. building. Very effective! Then the theme of fast confused movement continues as Cary Grant bustles down a very crowded New York City street. There's people everywhere! All going somewhere, movement, movement, and more movement!....That's the theme of the movie...and Hitch brilliantly establishes that in the opening scene. Hitch is a genius.
Instantly the film grabs me and pulls me into it's world. The first 45 minutes where Cary is mistakenly abducted was gripping. The script is very intelligently written throughout the entire film. Cary reacted to his kidnappers in the way I would have expected him to. The plot twist and grows as it's story elements continually broadening the underlying spy theme.
Cary Grant is perfect for this role. As much as I like Jimmy Stewart, he would have been all wrong here. But the suave and yet irritated Cary worked perfectly. So did James Mason. Damn is this Mason good or what! The more I see of James Mason, the more I like him.
The last hour is fun and exciting and reminds me of Spielberg's Indiana Jones movies, with lots of action and thrills and fun trick camera shots.
Last edited by Citizen Rules; 12-28-20 at 12:59 PM.
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Loved North By Northwest when I saw it 20 years ago but didn't like it at all when I watched it a couple of years ago. My reality is probably somewhere in the middle.
I've been meaning to see Night of the Hunter again. I didn't like it as much as I thought I should the first time.
I've been meaning to see Night of the Hunter again. I didn't like it as much as I thought I should the first time.
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Two more classic classics that didn't make my list.
The Night of the Hunter is a fairy tale (or maybe a 20th century Bible story) with appropriately artistic B&W tableaux photography by Stanley Cortez (The Magnificent Ambersons). The story and the music are both a simple battle of Good vs. Evil with kindly caregiver Lillian Gish and her soothing hymns going up against serial killer Robert Mitchum and his wolf in preacher's clothing and his blaring attack music. Gish cares for a brother and sister when their parents (Shelley Winters and Peter Graves) meet their fates. The expressionistic sets, lighting and photography are reminiscent of something by Murnau. This was the only film directed by acting giant Charles Laughton (Witness for the Prosecution, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hobson's Choice.)
North by Northwest is almost an Alfred Hitchcock "Greatest Hits Collection" movie. It takes the best bits and pieces of Hitch's films for the previous 25 years and distills them into one big entertainment package. I'm guessing some may not like it because it seems too light and mainstream. It's true that it isn't as scary or suspenseful as some of his more serious, "unique" films, but I still find it massively watchable.
This is as good a time as any to share an anecdote connected to NBNW. It probably won't mean much to anybody since it happened so long ago, and it's still only hearsay since only one person could confirm the story, but he confirmed it to my wife Brenda. She was a pilot and she was about to get her instrument rating at Van Nuys Airport in 1989 if she passed her check ride. The flight examiner was Adam Williams whose name is pretty unknown, but he was in lots of TV and most famously in North by Northwest. He played one of James Mason's henchmen and he went off Mount Rushmore at the end of the movie.
(l. to r.) Robert Ellenstein, Cary Grant, Adam Williams
(l. to r.) Adam Williams, Cary Grant, Martin Landau, Robert Ellenstein
Brenda was talking to the flight examiner about our love of movies, and that's when he told her who he was and an anecdote about filming Flying Leathernecks in 1951. This was at the height of McCarthyism and the blacklist. The cast was on location at Camp Pendleton, and after filming was over for the day, it divided up into two groups who got together on opposite sides of the place and had drinking parties. One half had John Wayne, Jay C. Flippen and other conservative, pro-blacklist cast and crew, and the other had director Nicholas Ray, actors Robert Ryan, Adam Williams and the more-liberal personnel. This would happen almost every night, and during the day, there was quite a bit of friction, so it was probably a good thing the plot was written (or rewritten) to have tough commander Wayne unhappy with his second-in-command Ryan for being too easy and compassionate with his men.
Brenda passed her check ride, and we never heard from Adam Williams again.
The Night of the Hunter is a fairy tale (or maybe a 20th century Bible story) with appropriately artistic B&W tableaux photography by Stanley Cortez (The Magnificent Ambersons). The story and the music are both a simple battle of Good vs. Evil with kindly caregiver Lillian Gish and her soothing hymns going up against serial killer Robert Mitchum and his wolf in preacher's clothing and his blaring attack music. Gish cares for a brother and sister when their parents (Shelley Winters and Peter Graves) meet their fates. The expressionistic sets, lighting and photography are reminiscent of something by Murnau. This was the only film directed by acting giant Charles Laughton (Witness for the Prosecution, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hobson's Choice.)
North by Northwest is almost an Alfred Hitchcock "Greatest Hits Collection" movie. It takes the best bits and pieces of Hitch's films for the previous 25 years and distills them into one big entertainment package. I'm guessing some may not like it because it seems too light and mainstream. It's true that it isn't as scary or suspenseful as some of his more serious, "unique" films, but I still find it massively watchable.
This is as good a time as any to share an anecdote connected to NBNW. It probably won't mean much to anybody since it happened so long ago, and it's still only hearsay since only one person could confirm the story, but he confirmed it to my wife Brenda. She was a pilot and she was about to get her instrument rating at Van Nuys Airport in 1989 if she passed her check ride. The flight examiner was Adam Williams whose name is pretty unknown, but he was in lots of TV and most famously in North by Northwest. He played one of James Mason's henchmen and he went off Mount Rushmore at the end of the movie.
(l. to r.) Robert Ellenstein, Cary Grant, Adam Williams
(l. to r.) Adam Williams, Cary Grant, Martin Landau, Robert Ellenstein
Brenda was talking to the flight examiner about our love of movies, and that's when he told her who he was and an anecdote about filming Flying Leathernecks in 1951. This was at the height of McCarthyism and the blacklist. The cast was on location at Camp Pendleton, and after filming was over for the day, it divided up into two groups who got together on opposite sides of the place and had drinking parties. One half had John Wayne, Jay C. Flippen and other conservative, pro-blacklist cast and crew, and the other had director Nicholas Ray, actors Robert Ryan, Adam Williams and the more-liberal personnel. This would happen almost every night, and during the day, there was quite a bit of friction, so it was probably a good thing the plot was written (or rewritten) to have tough commander Wayne unhappy with his second-in-command Ryan for being too easy and compassionate with his men.
Brenda passed her check ride, and we never heard from Adam Williams again.
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What I assume rounds put the list, with a few open spots to spare:
56 slots left
The Godfather
Shawshank Redemption
Rear Window
Psycho
Casablanca
Goodfellas
Pulp Fiction
Se7en
Reservoir Dogs
Matrix
Unforgiven
Fellowship of the Ring
Return of the King
Dark Knight
Up
Shining
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Blade Runner
Raging Bull
Aliens
Jaws
Taxi Driver
Alien
A Clockwork Orange
Godfather Part 2
2001
Persona
Once Upon a Time in the West
Dr. strangelove
Lawrence of Arabia
12 Angry Men
Seven Samurai
All About Eve
Citizen Kane
Fight Club
Fargo
Silence of the Lambs
No Country for Old Men
Wall E
Social Network
Inception
Spirited Away
Back to the Future
Star Wars Episode 5
Apocalypse now
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
On the Waterfront
Third Man
Double Indemnity
It's a Wonderful Life
The Master
Actually that leaves 5 slots. Lebowski and The Departed could obviously too. I'm probably missing a couple glaring omissions.
56 slots left
The Godfather
Shawshank Redemption
Rear Window
Psycho
Casablanca
Goodfellas
Pulp Fiction
Se7en
Reservoir Dogs
Matrix
Unforgiven
Fellowship of the Ring
Return of the King
Dark Knight
Up
Shining
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Blade Runner
Raging Bull
Aliens
Jaws
Taxi Driver
Alien
A Clockwork Orange
Godfather Part 2
2001
Persona
Once Upon a Time in the West
Dr. strangelove
Lawrence of Arabia
12 Angry Men
Seven Samurai
All About Eve
Citizen Kane
Fight Club
Fargo
Silence of the Lambs
No Country for Old Men
Wall E
Social Network
Inception
Spirited Away
Back to the Future
Star Wars Episode 5
Apocalypse now
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
On the Waterfront
Third Man
Double Indemnity
It's a Wonderful Life
The Master
Actually that leaves 5 slots. Lebowski and The Departed could obviously too. I'm probably missing a couple glaring omissions.
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Chinatown and Rashomon.
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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
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Hmmm, these are good guesses. A few I'm not so sure of...
What I assume rounds put the list, with a few open spots to spare:
56 slots left
The Godfather
Shawshank Redemption
Rear Window
Psycho
Casablanca
Goodfellas
Pulp Fiction
Se7en
Reservoir Dogs
Matrix
Unforgiven
Fellowship of the Ring
Return of the King
Dark Knight
Up
Shining
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Blade Runner
Raging Bull
Aliens
Jaws
Taxi Driver
Alien
A Clockwork Orange
Godfather Part 2
2001
Persona
Once Upon a Time in the West
Dr. strangelove
Lawrence of Arabia
12 Angry Men
Seven Samurai
All About Eve
Citizen Kane
Fight Club
Fargo
Silence of the Lambs
No Country for Old Men
Wall E
Social Network
Inception
Spirited Away
Back to the Future
Star Wars Episode 5
Apocalypse now
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
On the Waterfront
Third Man
Double Indemnity
It's a Wonderful Life
The Master
Actually that leaves 5 slots. Lebowski and The Departed could obviously too. I'm probably missing a couple glaring omissions.
56 slots left
The Godfather
Shawshank Redemption
Rear Window
Psycho
Casablanca
Goodfellas
Pulp Fiction
Se7en
Matrix
Unforgiven
Fellowship of the Ring
Dark Knight
Shining
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Blade Runner
Raging Bull
Aliens
Jaws
Taxi Driver
Alien
A Clockwork Orange
Godfather Part 2
2001
Persona
Once Upon a Time in the West
Dr. strangelove
Lawrence of Arabia
12 Angry Men
Seven Samurai
Citizen Kane
Fargo
Silence of the Lambs
No Country for Old Men
Social Network
Inception
Spirited Away
Back to the Future
Star Wars Episode 5
Apocalypse now
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
On the Waterfront
Third Man
Double Indemnity
Actually that leaves 5 slots. Lebowski and The Departed could obviously too. I'm probably missing a couple glaring omissions.
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