Film 101

With my newly aqquired knowledge that I in fact do not know anything, I've realized how massive so many subjects are. I used to be under the impression that for my age, I saw a good amount of films that were not just entertaining, but what one might say was a "good" film. Yeah right. My knowledge of film in minimal, sure I have opinions, but my opinions are based on my emotions. I would like for them to be based more on experience and a study of the patterns in a genre and the techniques used by a director ect...My goal is not to become nessecarily a film expert, but to have a clear understanding of not just the basic principles of film, but everything involved in it. A knowledge of film that would allow me to differentiate the 'good' films from the 'bad', or to find out if it is possible to differentiate. The best way suitable for me to approach this daunting task is to begin at the beginning.

At this moment in time I don't have a clear vision of what exactly I will be doing, but I think I am going for films in the 1930's-1940's.

So good people of the board, help enlighten me. My first Film 101 question is; If I wanted a comprehensive overview of film in the 1930's-1940's, what movies should I be watching? I would like to explore all genres.

Thank you in advance for your time.

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I am moved by fancies that are curled
Around these images, and cling:
The notion of some infinitely gentle
Infinitely suffering thing.
T.S Eliot, "Preludes"

wizard of oz
gwtw
old alfred hitchcock
gangster films with humphrey bogert, james cagney, e g robinson
death takes a holiday
dr. jekyll and mr hyde
holiday inn
mr. smith goes to washington
little women
it's a wonderful life
philadelphia story
just to name a few

You definately need to see the following:
M [Directed by Fritz Lang - 1931]
Citizen Kane [Directed by Orson Welles - 1941]
The Maltese Falcon [Directed by John Huston - 1941]
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre [Directed by John Huston - 1948]
Bringing Up Baby [Directed by Howard Hawks - 1938]
Casablanca [Directed by Michael Curtiz -1942]
Modern Times [Directed by Charles Chaplin -1936]
City Lights [Directed by Charles Chaplin - 1931]
The Great Dictator [Directed by Charles Chaplin - 1940]

Those are just a few.

And I know this wasn't part of your question, but I wanna do it anyway.

1950's
Rear Window [Directed by Alfred Hitchcock -1954]
High Noon [Directed by Fred Zinnemann - 1952]
North By Northwest [Directed by Alfred Hitchcock - 1959]
Vertigo [Directed by Alfred Hitchcock - 1958]
Singin' in the Rain [Directed by Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly - 1952]
The Bridge on the River Kwai [Directed by David Lean - 1957]
Rashômon [Directed by Akira Kurosawa - 1950]
Throne of Blood [Directed by Akira Kurosawa - 1957]
The Seven Samurai [Directed by Akira Kurosawa - 1954]
The Hidden Fortress [Directed by Akira Kurosawa - 1958]
The Seventh Seal [Directed by Ingmar Bergman - 1957]

1960's
Lawrence of Arabia [Directed by David Lean - 1962]
Psycho [Directed by Alfred Hitchcock - 1960]
2001: A Space Odyssey [Directed by Stanley Kubrick - 1968]
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly [Directed by Sergio Leone - 1966]
Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop Worrying and Love the Bomb [Directed by Stanley Kubrick - 1964]
Once Upon A Time in the West [Directed by Sergio Leone - 1969]
The Graduate [Directed by Mike Nichols - 1967]
Who's That Knocking At My Door [Directed by Martin Scorsese - 1968]
Yojimbo [Directed by Akira Kurosawa - 1961]
To Kill A Mockingbird [Directed by Robert Mulligan - 1962]
8 1/2 [Directed by Federico Fellini - 1963]


1970's
The Godfather [Directed by Francis Ford Coppola - 1972]
The Godfather Part II [Directed by Francis Ford Coppola - 1974]
Nashville [Directed by Robert Altman - 1975]
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest [Directed by Milos Forman - 1975]
Apocalypse Now [Directed by Francis Ford Coppola - 1979]
Chinatown [Directed by Roman Polanski - 1974]
Monty Python and the Holy Grail [Directed by Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones - 1975]
Taxi Driver [Directed by Martin Scorsese - 1976]
Mean Streets [Directed by martin Scorsese - 1973]
The Sting [Directed by George Roy Hill - 1973]
A Clockwork Orange [Directed by Stanley Kubrick - 1971]
Straw Dogs [Directed by Sam Peckinpah - 1971]
Annie Hall [Directed by Woody Allen - 1977]
Eraserhead [Directed by David Lynch - 1977]
Young Frankenstein [Directed by Mel Brooks - 1974]
Network [Directed by Sidney Lumet - 1976]


1980's
Raging Bull [Directed by Martin Scorsese - 1980]
The Elephant Man [Directed by David Lynch - 1980]
Amadeus [Directed by Milos Forman - 1984]
RAN [Directed by Akira Kurosawa - 1985]
The Last Temptation of Christ [Directed by Martin Scorsese - 1988]
The Shining [Directed by Stanley Kubrick - 1980]
Blade Runner [Directed by Ridley Scott - 1982]
Full Metal Jacket [Directed by Stanley Kurbrick - 1987]
Once Upon A Time in America [Directed by Sergio Leone - 1984]
Platoon [Directed by Oliver Stone - 1986]
Brazil [Directed by Terry Gilliam - 1985]
After Hours [Directed by Martin Scorsese - 1985]

Read. Seriously - this is comin' from a guy that wouldn't read a book if it had a chick with 8 tatties' on her left arm.. actually.. I would, but that's another thread. I'd say the basics of what actually make a film are; Sound, Cinematography, Acting, Editing, and Directing. You could find a book that covers the basics of all those which would give you a better understanding of what the director/actors/anyone involved is doing while giving you a whole new appreciation for film. A good book will give you examples and refference films, then you can watch them.

For me, when I started hittin' the boozznicks' about film, I started to watch them from a completely different perspective, allowing me to shape my own opinion as to what is Good and what is Entertaining [don't get me started]. Hope this helped.

I definitely agree with your choice of the 1980's movies Ezikiel

__________________
You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me And Not You.

Have you seen The King of Comedy yet? If you have I'm suprised you don't have it listed.

Some film "textbooks" I'd recommend, Understanding Movies by Louis Giannetti. And American Cinema, American Culture by John Belton.

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Horror's Not Dead
Latest Movie Review(s): Too lazy to keep this up to date. New reviews every week.

There is no substitute for seeing a ton of filim. It's time-consuming, but you have to do it. Anything you hear mentioned repeatedly, you need to see. Personally, I dated a director of photography who told me how different a scene could be if he lit it slightly differently, or shot from a slightly different angle, and it opened my eyes to how much EVERY person involved can affect the final product, in film. Every little thing you see, from the degree of focus to the objects in the background to the emotions displayed to the words used... all of that is a science called "semiotics" - the study of how things have meaning. All of that factors into it. I could give you a list of what I think are critical films from the era you mention, but your best bet is to go look up what films won awards during that era and see all of them, as a starting point. I have to compliment you on your ambition: film is a huge thing to try to understand. I hope it pays off for you.

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Review: Cabin in the Woods 8/10

I love movies of the '30s and '40s (and the 1950's had some great ones to offer, too)

Rather than post a list of movies, how about a list of directors?
You pretty much can't go wrong with the following:
-Alfred Hitchcock (suspense)
-Howard Hawks (comedies and westerns)
-John Ford (westerns)
-Billy Wilder (comedies, film noir)

Oh what the hell. Here are some great movies:
Comedies:
Duck Soup
A Night At The Opera
Bringing Up Baby
His Girl Friday
Arsenic And Old Lace
The Philadelphia Story

Drama/Suspense/Romance:
Rebecca
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
M
The Lost Weekend
Notorious
Casablanca

Film Noir: (a genre unto itself, and one that I happen to love)
The Maltese Falcon
The Big Sleep
White Heat
Double Indemnity
Out Of The Past
Key Largo
The Third Man
The Killers
Sunset Blvd. (it's 1950, but so what?)

Yes I have seen The King of Comedy and I thought it was wonderful. But when I made my list, I wanted to put the films I thought were the greatest in the 80's, and although I loved The King of Comedy, I didn't think it was one of the greatest. But if I had taken more time on making the list longer, I would have put the film in there. Still, I think it's another Scorsese classic.

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I love the old movies from the 30's, 40's. Here's another list for you Glitter. Some goodies have already been mentioned but I listed them anyway.


Top Hat (1935)
Swing Time (1936)
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Captain Blood (1935)
The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)
The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Jezebel (1938)
Laura (1944)
Gaslight (1944)
The Little Foxes (1941)
Random Harvest (1942)
Stage Door (1937)
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Adam's Rib (1949)
His Girl Friday (1940)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
The Women (1939)
Bachelor Mother (1939)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
Harvey Girls (1946)
The Snake Pit(1948)
All About Eve (1950)

Thanks guys your all awesome! I now have 52 films to choose from, hopefully I'll be able to get to the library tomorrow night so I can at least order some of the movies, they might have to have them sent in from different branches. Right now I am hoping to get Bringing up Baby, Rebecca, and The Man who Came to Dinner. Thanks again folks!