I'll keep it short -- well, except for the stuff on my list - not so much.
22: The Great Dictator (1940, Charlie Chaplin) I've always admired and considered Chaplin to be a man with a beautiful, childlike soul when it came to his cinematic work. And with this movie, that soul cries out with child-like urgency: Stop! PLEASE, stop!
21: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, William Wyler) A poignant and well-crafted "After The War" and three servicemen and what it has done to them.
20: The Cranes Are Flying (1968, Mikhail Kalatozov) Like numerous Life-affirming films that illustrate the Beauty of those enduring Horrorific situations, TCAF captures the very essence of it and all the subtitles, nuances, and cinematic magic that we, as movie lovers, crave: To be engaged, be entertained, laugh, cry, and be happily lost in the story/film before us.
Coming in at #1
19: The Great Escape (1963, John Sturges)
The Great Escape reigns high on my List of Countless Watches from early childhood of viewings on TV on both Night at the Movies or the Afternoon Movies where it was split into two days. For the longest time, there was not a year that did not pass without watching this film that has endeared itself to my heart.
While there is a certain amount of Hollywood glamourizing to the storyline, it still remains an incredible story adhering rather closely to historical fact, with, of course, that all American prisoners had been moved prior to what occurred. It does not change my love and adoration for this film. From the score that slips into my brain at any given time from the "first day" of foiled escape attempts where we are introduced to the cast, the details brought forth in tunneling, disposing of the dirt, the counterfeiting of documents, the 4th of July celebration of ass-kicking moonshine and the tragedy that sobers the moment of joy to the very escape itself as everyone makes a mad dash at freedom. To this day, the end dedication to the fifty executed still affects me.
I have adored this film throughout my life, and its position in the first place was guaranteed. Seeing it just "break out" of the twenties at #19 is f@ckin awesome! THANK YOU MoFos!!
17. The Thin Red Line (1998, Terrence Malick) Saw this at the Theater upon release, thinking it was something along
Platoon. I was not prepared for Malick's style nor the ability at the time to appreciate him. Should revisit but still count it as a see.
Coming in at #15
16. Platoon (1986)
[first lines]
Pvt. Gardner: [seeing body bags]
Oh, man. Is that what I think it is?
Sergeant: All right, you cheese-dicks, welcome to the Nam. Follow me!
It's not often you see a war film that is a sans glorification of the ones involved in it. And this, my friends, is high on that list.
An extremely intense, nerve-racking ordeal that shows the reality of war for us lucky ones who never had to go and a reminder to those poor b@stards who did of the demons that still plague both their waking hours as much as their sleeping ones.
Oliver Stone wrote and would direct a lot of the sh#t that he experienced while in Nam and put the actors through an utter hell of not only basic training but also kept them sleep-deprived and ran them ragged to get the most realistic feel of those out in the field.
It is also extremely well done technically when it comes to tactical and day-to-day affairs of war. At the very heart of this war film are the two "fathers" who seem to be split from the same soul, played with such aggressive brilliance by both Tom Berenger and Willem Defoe. Together, they signified the two sides of the war-torn coin. The only thing more haunting than some of the events of the film is the soundtrack. Specifically, Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" plays over some of the more emotional scenes, and it is SUCH a heart-rendering bit of music as if your very soul is weeping. A beautiful bit of music that still affects me to this day.
15. Inglourious Basterds (2009) It's Tarantino who is great at twisting a scene into something crazy and over the top, entertaining the f@ck out of me.
14. Casablanca (1942) A lifetime favorite, this could have easily made my list and scored high on my 40s Countdown, but it did not make this one. There is an absolute array of favorite scenes and quotes: dialogue, characters (from the main all the way down to extras), the music, cinematic and technical aspects, and so forth. This movie ALWAYS puts a smile on my face, and I relish sitting through it every single time.
Coming in at #20
13. Downfall (2004)
This is an exceptional film with far more gravitas on a far more expanded field than similar films I have seen on the final days as Russia invaded Berlin.
Starting with the POV/witness and our escort into the doomed Bunker, with actual footage of Hitler's secretary, Traudl Junge, in both the opening and closing of this film. This perspective seemed to open the doors to many occurrences involving lower officers and staff, along with Bruno Ganz's impressive multi-layered performance of Adolf Hitler. For all the parody fodder that erupted on YouTube, I remained mesmerized by the Humanity and pathos contained throughout the Bunker and its privileged residents and the very streets of Berlin as the citizens were caught in the crosshairs of both Russian invaders and the cold disregard dealt with them by their leaders.
Even if this were not a Historical Piece, it would still be a compelling film with all that occurs within this finely crafted film of a very grim comeuppance and the devoted zealots who went down with the blazing ship.
Coming in at #6
12. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Setsuko: Why do fireflies die so soon?
This is one of two heartbreakers that I've included on my list, the second one not making the Countdown. This was everything I had expected it to be, including how beautifully sad it would end up being. I knew for a fact that I would have rather not viewed this for the emotional impact it would cause me. Knowing full well how incredibly beautiful this film would be and is.
It still permeates and weighs me down. Its emotional impact was still powerful enough to circumvent the foreknowledge of what would occur, along with the opening scene. The inevitable sadness STILL affected me due to how masterfully poetic director Isao Takahata brings this story of orphaned Seito trying his very best to care for his little sister, Setsuko, amidst the ever-present air bombing. Its devastation was relentlessly visited by American aircraft continually bombing Japan at the end of WWII.
11. Schindler's List (1993) I was both impressed by and emotionally captured through it all by the humanity of the victims and the precious few survivors. Spielberg deserves every accolade he was given for making this film. There is a beautiful balance between the death that is, at times, overwhelming but, more importantly, the Life of those who suffered it.
Coming in at #21
9. Das Boot aka The Boat (1981)
I own a double VHS of the extended director's cut of this film and always found it quite fulfilling exploring life on a U-Boat. I am curious to see the shorter version and perhaps compare, but for now, I will praise this film and its addition to my List for taking me deep into the precarious life of the German shipmates and all that they encountered and the effects upon them all. The ending will always cause my heart to drop, having become so completely engaged with them all. An excellent, EXCELLENT film.
Coming in at #19
8. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
For me, the epitome of the Day of Storming Normandy extends to a personalized fictional search of the last surviving brother of three soldiers to be sent home, making it protocol to prevent the very common scenario of entire families being decimated by war. A story I remembered from childhood based on real-life
The Fighting Sullivans (1944). I am forever moved by this film on the countless rewatches; its placement was pretty much a guarantee from the get-go.
7. Full Metal Jacket (1987) Is a film whose first half outweighs commentary in the second half, but still, WHAT a second half. Sadly, having already placed two others from that era and war, I just did not have room to place this one.
Countdown List Watched 52 out of 94 (57.45%)
1. The Great Escape (1963) (#28)
2. Rome, Open City aka Roma città aperta (1945) (1945) (#37)
3. Stalag 17 (1953) (#35)
4. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) (#66)
5. Patton (1970) (#28)
6. Grave of Fireflies (1988) (#12)
7.
8.
9. l'armee des ombres aka Army of Shadows (1969) (#29)
10.
11. M*A*S*H (1970) (#39)
12. The Dirty Dozen (1967) (#32)
13. Glory (1989))
(#38)
14. Johnny Got His Gun (1971) (#97)
15. Platoon (1986) (#16)
16.
17. Braveheart (1995) (#25)
18.
19. Saving Private Ryan (1988) (#8)
20. Downfall (2004) (#13)
21. Das Boot aka The Boat (1981) (#9)
22. 1917 (2019) (#31)
23. Mrs. Miniver (1942) (#85)
24.
25.
One-Pointers Watched 5 out of 24 (20.83%)
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