summer film series - the classics

[karlwinslow]

one of my friends and myself decided that we would culture the rest of our friends by doing a weekly movie night kind of thing.  we want to focus on the classics, of any country.  we've each made a shortlist of films, but i'm wondering what everyone else would include.  what would you want to see if you were a part of it?

[ses593]

How uneducated are these friends on classic movies?  Are we starting with a blank slate here?  Any genre in particular?

[matt tmw]

And what are your objectives? Like an overview of world cinema?

[zarodinu]

I suggest you narrow it a bit.  Its like Oprah saying "this summer we will read all the good books", gotta be a little more specific.  Pick a country, or a decade, or a genre.

[WallE]

I would start with some classics that they might have seen or know about... maybe a week of Godfather or Alien or The Magnificent Seven or Touch of Evil or Midnight Cowboy or some such... that way they get in the mindset that older films can be just as awesome as new great films.

This is a hurdle that is hard to jump. Thats how I was introduced to classic cinema in film classes back in school and I recommend that you don't jump right into the deep end the first week out... unless you want the movie night to become just you and your other friend.

[ses593]

Off the top of my head:

Double Indemnity
On the Waterfront
To Kill a Mockingbird
Casablanca
Rear Window

It's really hard to narrow it down.

[matt tmw]

Some suggestions. I don't have a theme here, they're just all masterpieces.


Rome, Open City
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Seven Samurai
Singin' in the Rain
Notorious

[karlwinslow]

it's not meant to be educational.  not specific to anything.  just whatever tickles us at the moment.  just wanted to make sure i wasn't omitting anything that i'd want to include.

Some suggestions. I don't have a theme here, they're just all masterpieces.

that's what we're going for here.

[pixote]

Thirteen films I'd like to watch with a group of friends (emphasis on communal experience):

The General (Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton, 1927)
À nous la liberté (René Clair, 1931)
The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
Sullivan's Travels (Preston Sturges, 1941)
The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)
The Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
Woodstock (Michael Wadleigh, 1970)
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975)
Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog, 1982)
Close-Up  (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990)

Ideally, each film would be preceded by a Looney Tunes short.

Friends not included.

pixote

[roujin]

Thirteen films I'd like to watch with a group of friends (emphasis on communal experience):
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975)

Whaaaaaa?

[sdedalus]

One film per decade:

Sunrise
Duck Soup
Casablanca
The Searchers
Pierrot le fou
Taxi Driver
Do The Right Thing
Miller's Crossing
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

[pixote]

Thirteen films I'd like to watch with a group of friends (emphasis on communal experience):
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975)

Whaaaaaa?

Hmm, I thought that was maybe the best choice on my list.  I mean, the film definitely elicits a strong audience reaction ... and watching as part of a group would heighten that dynamic, I think ...

pixote

[pixote]

...I mean, I think you'd come out of that screening with stronger bonds of friendship than when you went in.  The "let's never talk about this ever again" kind of bonds.  The "what we saw tonight we can't unsee" kind of bonds.

pixote

[CSSCHNEIDER]

Citizen Kane
The Third Man
Casablanca
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
The Philadelphia  Story

[pixote]

we've each made a shortlist of films...

So what titles are on your shortlists?

pixote