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I never had the ambition to make or be directly involved in making films, although I'm close to people who direct, write and act. They are, without question, fascinating people because they live in a slightly different dimension. That's why, the best of them, manage to inspire, startle, question and provoke the world where we all live.
- Rocco and His Brothers (1960) .. Luchino Visconti
It lives inside me like a living breathing thing. Realism of the rawest kind but also lyrical, almost operatic. Extraordinary.
- The Conformist (1970) .. Bernardo Bertolucci
It changed me and it changed the way I saw films.
- Rosemary's Baby (1968) .. Roman Polanski
The anguish of the character became a pleasure, the cinematic kind. Flawless.
- Lolita (1962) ..
Sharp, witty, unsettling. Unbelievable performances. A provocation by a director like no other
- A Place in the Sun (1951) .. George Stevens
A study in chemistry. Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift are out of this world and George Stevens presents them to us in an unforgettable way.
- Bicycle Thieves (1948) .. Vittorio De Sica
The simplicity of the tale becomes enormous, personal. When people talk about masterpieces this is a film that always comes to mind.
- Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) ..
Satire and then some by a director like no other.
- Notorious (1946) .. Alfred Hitchcock
The power of the stars. Hitchcock knew how to use the faces of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. My favorite Hitch.
- Odd Man Out (1947) .. Carol Reed
Tense. The atmosphere is at times breathtaking. James Mason is superb. Carol Reed at his best.
- The Apartment (1960) .. Billy Wilder
Jack Lemmon shows an invisible man become a romantic hero without sentimentality. Shirley MacLaine makes that miracle totally believable. Great Wilder.
- Paths of Glory (1957) ..
War and an argument against it by a director like no other.
- Singin' in the Rain (1952) .. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly
Startling. The colors, the Hollywood parties, the musical numbers...Fellinesque before the expression existed.
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) .. John Huston
Greed as a visual element. Magnificent.
- If.... (1968) .. Lindsay Anderson
A powerful portrait, so powerful, it became a type in my mind although Malcolm McDowell creates something unique. Lindsay Anderson rules!
- The Tenant (1976) .. Roman Polanski
The masochist side to my personality's favorite film. Unbearable sometimes, Unbreathable. Exquisite. 100% Polanski.
- Taxi Driver (1976) .. Martin Scorsese
Asphyxiating even in exteriors. Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Bernard Herrman a ménage a trois made in heaven.
- Don't Look Now (1973) .. Nicolas Roeg
At moments I was terrified, literally.
- Double Indemnity (1944) .. Billy Wilder
It sizzles even today, Underrated Fred McMurray gives a sensational performance. Stanwyck and Edward G Robinson at the top of their game. Great Wilder.
- Sullivan's Travels (1941) ..
Ageless. McCrea with Preston Sturgess is something else. To be enjoyed, often.
- Nashville (1975) .. Robert Altman
Altman's fascinating and brutal look. An epic.
- All About Eve (1950) .. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Delicious. Superb script. Bette Davis created an icon.
- Citizen Kane (1941) .. Orson Welles
Shrouded in its own mystique, it's always wonderful to get lost in this Orson Welles’ feverish adventure.
- Nights of Cabiria (1957) .. Federico Fellini
A performance by Giulietta Masina that gave the whore with the golden heart a real face.
- His Girl Friday (1940) .. Howard Hawks
Fast, furious, irresistible. Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and Howard Hawks on magic steroids.
- The Age of Innocence (1993) .. Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese sharing his
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962) .. David Lean
Magnificent, absurd. A perfect marriage between image and sound. To be seen in a huge screen.
- Psycho (1960) .. Alfred Hitchcock
No matter how many times I've seen it, it's always thrilling.
- O Lucky Man! (1973) .. Lindsay Anderson
Anderson and McDowell together again. A slap, a kiss, an insult, a poem.
- The Graduate (1967) .. Mike Nichols
It makes me understand its day. Brilliant, satire and melodrama presented as a
- Plein Soleil (1960) .. René Clément
Rene Clement brilliantly directs Alain Delon as an amoral, brutal con man. Stunning to look at.
- Chinatown (1974) .. Roman Polanski
Polanski breathing life to a superb Robert Towne noir.
- The Godfather: Part II (1974) .. Francis Ford Coppola
After the well deserved success of "The Godfather" Coppola had the freedom to make the film he wanted to make. I don't know this for a fact, I just feel it.
- Ed Wood (1994) .. Tim Burton
The Tim Burton I love. Johnny Depp at his best.
- Vertigo (1958) .. Alfred Hitchcock
Hitch's erotic fantasy. To be savoured many times.
- La Dolce Vita (1960) .. Federico Fellini
A document in many different flavours and the eye of Federico Fellini.
- The King of Comedy (1982) .. Martin Scorsese
Acid, furious and very funny. Scorsese and De Niro in superb form and a Jerry Lewis to write home about.
- The Passionate Thief (1960) .. Risate Di Gioia
A Mario Monnicelli gem with a blonde Anna Magnani, Toto and Ben Gazzara. One of my favorite buried treasures.
- Body Heat (1981) .. Lawrence Kasdan
Modern day look at Double Indemnity. Lawrence Kasdan, William Hurt, Kathleen Turner and composer John Barry concoct a steamy delight.
- Some Like It Hot (1959) .. Billy Wilder
Scrumptious script, Scrumptious Marilyn Monroe and hysterical Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Another great Wilder.
- Dog Day Afternoon (1975) .. Sidney Lumet
Brilliantly staged, amazing performances.
- The Sound of Music (1965) .. Robert Wise
Still unbeatable.
- Rear Window (1954) .. Alfred Hitchcock
Stunning Hitch. His most entertaining film. Grace Kelly's entrance, one of my favorites.
- À Bout de Souffle (1960) .. Jean-Luc Godard
Jean Luc Godard bursts into the international scene with a breath of fresh air that has remained fresh to this day.
- Apartment Zero (1988) .. Martin Donovan
Superb performances in a torturous and funny game of intrigue and sexual repression. A gem for film lovers.
- Deliverance (1972) .. John Boorman
John Boorman take us for a ride through some very muddy rapids. Unique.
- Darling (1965) .. John Schlesinger
Julie Christie is kind of a goddess here. Schlesinger's documentary eye transforms this trend setter into a X ray of its day.
- Munich (2005) .. Steven Spielberg
Spielberg has made some extraordinary films but this recent opus has found a place in my subconscious.
- Day for Night (1973) .. Francois Truffaut
I love Truffaut but this valentine to his profession is the one of his films that I've seen more times than all the others.
- Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) .. John Schlesinger
Schelesinger at his most introspective. Another brilliant document with a beating heart.
- King of Hearts (1966) .. Philippe de Broca
A war time fairy tale told in ways that stayed with me always.
I am, naturally, appalled at the omissions but 50 seems to be far too few but I just closed my eyes and listed the film I could see again right now. This is the order in which they came to my mind. They are all constant companions.
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