In working through the rich archives of my new blog friend, Tony B (of Other Men's Flowers), I discovered that he is, like me, an avid cinephile. In one of his early posts he produced a list of his 50 Most Memorable Films from a lifetime of cinema-going. (There are only 5 or 6 of his 50 I haven't seen.)
I am tempted to try and follow suit, but I'm really not sure that I could whittle my favourites down to any such manageable number. (Readers with keen memories might recall that I have previously offered two lists of films here on Froogville: a single top pick from each of 10 major genres, and a list of "life-changing moments" in my personal experience of the cinema.)
When I was (briefly) lecturing on film at the China Broadcasting & Communications University earlier this year (to the class with the most outlandish collection of 'English names' I have ever encountered), I gave my students the American Film Institute's list of The 100 Best American Films of the 20th Century (mysteriously unavailable online at the moment - drat!). I was distressed, though scarcely surprised, to discover that most of them knew no more than 4 or 5 films on that list; only a few of the most enthusiastic film-watchers amongst them could claim a total approaching 20. I think my figure was around 85 (yes, even the old silent classics - I would always eagerly watch out for the latest of Kevin Brownlow's restorations to appear on Channel 4, or, occasionally, in a special screening at the National Film Theatre or the Barbican). And I had at least heard of every single one of the films on the list. It will, I fear, be a long, long time before the Chinese achieve any real 'cultural literacy' in regard to the West.
But yes, I am a freak. There are very few people who've seen as many films as I have. My pirated DVD collection here in China now runs to several hundred titles. I would guess that I've probably seen at least 400 or 500 films on the big screen (in a much shorter time than Tony); and uncountable thousands on TV. Picking 'Top 10s' - or even a 'Top 50' or 'Top 100' - from such a multitude is next-to-impossible. But I may yet try......
5 comments:
Actually, I didn't say that those 50 were my favourites, only that they were memorable; in some cases I remembered them because they were awful, though I did say that I wouldn't mind seeing them again.
I found a 1998 AFI List of greatest American films and had seen about 85, as you did on the Twentieth Century list. But I had not heard of three or four (or couldn't remember them), so I give you best on that score.
But when I was your (guessed) age I had seen a lot more than your 500: no TV or DVDs then, and there were other reasons for going to the pictures besides seeing the film.
Nowadays I go to a cinema about once a month and am just compiling a list of films seen in the last three years on the big screen, on which I will ask your opinion in due course.
As for films on TV, I reckon that I watch half a dozen a week of the dozens that are shown. This is not difficult with a PVR and no work to go to.
I did take care to name your list as 'Most Memorable' rather than 'Best', as you admitted you didn't like The Usual Suspects much (to my relief).
I think the AFI list we saw was the same one, from the late '90s. Strange that it has disappeared now. Strangely unnavigable website for such a big organisation!
The 1998 AFI 100 Best American Movies is still on their website, in a .pdf file which you can download HERE.
Thanks, Tony. That link doesn't seem to be working for me at the moment. I wonder if it's more China censorship?
Ah, pity. If you really want it I could paste the text into an email.
You say you go for visual impact, so among British films Kubrick's Barry Lyndon should be one of your top favourites. The visuals are so beautiful that you can ignore the boring O'Neal and just enjoy the interiors shot by candlelight while you listen to the music (a Schubert trio etc).
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