60. The Solid Gold Cadillac – Judy Holliday is sublime as Laura Partridge, a (very) minority stockholder in a major corporation who keeps questioning the company’s crooked board members during its public meetings. To keep her from badgering them, the board members hire Miss Partridge as their Director of Shareholder Relations—a “do nothing” job until she decides to make something of it. This delightful comedy teams Holliday with Paul Douglas, whose warmth is a perfect complement to her bubbly persona. Fans of Born Yesterday may disagree, but I think the underrated Solid Gold Cadillac is easily Holliday’s finest film.
59. O Lucky Man! – A lengthy tale of a young ambitious man seeking meaning in life, this Lindsay Anderson film is an acquired taste. I think it’s an underappreciated one-of-a-kind gem mixing sharp satire, impeccable performances, and an awesome score by Alan Price (who was a founding member of The Animals). Price’s songs, which serve as a Greek chorus, are so catchy that I scoured used record stores (I was a college student!) the day after I saw the film in search of its soundtrack (I found it). Malcolm McDowell reprises his role as Mick Travis from Anderson’s earlier If; the later Britannia Hospital is related, but not really a sequel. Helen Mirren and Ralph Richardson headline a great supporting cast, in which several performers play multiple roles.
Bond battles Oddjob. |
Lee contemplates his next move. |
56. The Fearless Vampire Killers (aka Dance of the Vampires) – I consider this cult classic a stylish parody of Hammer Films’ fangs-and-damsels formula. One’s affection for it will depend, in part, upon familiarity with the Hammer approach. All the expected ingredients are present: attractive women in low-cut attire, a Transylvanian setting, a Gothic castle, garlic hanging from the ceiling of a beer haus, a hint of eroticism, and a well-prepared vampire hunter. To this mix, Polanski adds a dash of the unexpected: a bumbling love struck assistant, a Jewish vampire, a gay vampire, and a darkly humorous ending. It’s also one of my favorite “snow movies.”
The other hand spells "hate." |
Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. |
McDowell as H.G. Wells. |
52. Where Eagles Dare – Set in the white-capped mountains of Austria, Where Eagles Dare sends seven special forces soldiers to rescue a U.S. general being held captive by the Nazis. But this is no routine mission: the soldiers must break into an impregnable mountaintop castle, there appears to be a traitor among them, and their squad leader seems to trust no one—except the blonde agent hiding in the barn. Most of the plot takes place in the first ninety minutes, including some unexpected twists that reveal the true nature of the mission. The last hour consists of a series of explosive action sequences, the highlight being a fight atop a cable car leading from the mountain castle to the village below. Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood are the stars of this perfect popcorn movie—one of my favorite flicks to watch on snowy day.
51. To Sir With Love - In a role seemingly tailored for him, Sidney Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, a young engineer looking for a job. Unable to find one in his chosen profession, he accepts temporary employment as a teacher in an inner-city London school. It’s a bleak situation—the students are out of control, most of the teachers are burned out, and the school reflects the poverty of the surrounding neighborhood. Thackeray’s initial attempts to reach his students fail miserably, but he eventually makes a difference in their lives. Cynics criticize To Sir, With Love as simple-minded and obvious. Perhaps, it is, but the story is put across with such conviction and professionalism that it’s impossible to ignore its many charms. In particular, a subplot involving an attractive student (Judy Geeson) who develops a crush on Thackeray is handled impeccably. The film’s theme, sung by Lulu (who plays one of the students), became a huge pop hit. Director James Clavell must have recognized the song’s potential—it’s heard repeatedly throughout the picture.
Next month, I'll count another ten, including films featuring Vincent Price, Elizabeth Taylor, two Hayley Mills, Toshiro Mifune, and millions of nasty ants!
These films look like a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I must say, it would have been difficult to come up with an ordered list of top 100 films! I have trouble finding a top 15, not because I couldn't think of 15 great films, but because I'd have trouble finding an order for them!
Another solid list and 10% of your 100! I must shamefully admit that I've never seen TIME AFTER TIME, despite the exceptionally cool plot (I've already added it to my Netflix queue). GOLDFINGER is terrific and always a great film to recommend for people interested in seeing a Bond film; the same can be said for FIST OF FURY and film buffs looking for a Bruce Lee flick. I like the soaps, and though I'm not a Troy Donahue fan (his perpetual expression was easily captured in the still you've included), Sandra Dee always gets a thumbs up, and A SUMMER PLACE is quite good. I also liked TO SIR, WITH LOVE immensely, and THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER features superb direction, wonderful cinematography, and a wickedly delightful performance from one of my favorite actors. Thanks, Rick!
ReplyDeleteThe influence of film part 1: My husband always refers to McDonalds as The Scottish Restaurant. Always.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to share your list.
Emmy, if I sequenced my list right now, it would probably be different. It's pretty much a snapshot in time, though the top 20 or so have held steady for several years. Sark, always nice to hear that someone likes A SUMMER PLACE and TO SIR WITH LOVE, two films which seldom get their due respect. Caftan Woman, that's one of my favorite lines in TIME AFTER TIME and I have made the same remark.
ReplyDeleteRick, another fascinating post of favorite films. Like you, I think Judy Holliday and Paul Douglas are excellent in "The Solid Gold Cadillac." I love "The Night of the Hunter." There is a scene where Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish sing a duet of "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms," where she is rocking in a chair inside with a rifle over her lap and he is outside pondering his next move. It is quite disturbing because this "preacher" means to harm children, if necessary. "Where Eagles Dare" is quite tense because of the isolated setting, made even more so by the confined cable car. Excellent choices again, Rick. And Sark, I think you would love "Time After Time."
ReplyDeleteYou have much more civilized favorite movies than I do....my list would include WAY too many films with John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, and Clint Eastwood.
ReplyDeleteAny favorite film list that has "Time After Time" on it is OK with me. My dad and I saw it at a national sneak preview a week or two before it opened. They were handing out fake newspapers tied to the film, with the front page headline saying something like "Ripper Murders in San Francisco." Inside was a bunch of information about the film, including a whole sidebar on the Rozsa score. I think I still have it somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe Ron Goodwin score matched to the airplane flying over the snow capped mountains in that credit sequence of "Where Eagles Dare" make that one of my favorite opening titles ever. the rest of the film was not a let down either. A great favorite of mine.
I've never seen "O Lucky Man" and always wanted to. Just one that got away from me. And Malcolm McDowell is a great favorite of mine, so I really need to make amends on that one.
Can't wait to see the rest of the titles.
Toto, that may be my favorite scene in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Nathanael, thanks for stopping by! Kevin, loved your story about the TIME AFTER TIME promo newspaper. I remember going to WHEN DINAOSAURS RULED THE EARTH and getting a booklet that translated to English what the cave people were saying. I kept that for many years...perhaps hoping it would escalate in value!
ReplyDeleteRick, I'm a little behind in participating -- I love these lists of your faves. The only ones I have not seen are The Solid Gold Cadillac (I don't know why - love Judy Holliday), O Lucky Man (again, love Malcolm McDowell)-- have to rectify those omissions! I like all the others -- really, really like Fearless Vampire Killers and Summer Place -- really, really love Night of the Hunter, To Sir, With Love and Time After Time (I am a sucker for Jack the Ripper books and movies, H.G. Wells and time travel -- this had them all! Plus, I was completely chilled by the statement you quoted above, "Ninety years ago, I was a freak. Now I'm an amateur." Scary...
ReplyDelete"Goldfinger" is my favorite James Bond film, a great combiation of dark humor, sex, action ad gadgets. "The Night of the Hunter" just makes you wish Laughton had directed more films with an devilish performance from Mitchum. "The Fearless Vampire Killers", and I just mentioned this over at my place on a comment, I need to see again. It's been a long time. Really the same for "Time After Time" and "To Sir, With Love," it been too long to even comment since I have seen them. Your list may give me the kick I need to revisit some of these. Great job!
ReplyDeleteRick, this is a great list of films. My favorites from your list are: The Night of the Hunter and Time After Time. Can you imagine watching both film in the same evening ? :o
ReplyDeleteDawn