Best films ever made...IMO (of course)

Everyone has a list in their minds……some which develop right from where the umbilical cord is cut, and some which develop from adulthood bias, right into the afterlife. I have one such list, and no, it’s not developed from bias, neither is it innate. Like the late Heath Ledger says in The Dark Knight, “Do I look like a guy with a plan?” Anyway, instead of talking in riddles, let me get to the point. Being a crazy movie buff, and because people love comparing lists nowadays, I’m about to give you a little insight into what I think are the best made films of all time.

The Godfather Part 2

Let me start of by talking a little about The Godfather Part 2, which also turns out to be my favourite film of all time. The movie, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, gloriously portrays two subsequent eras of the ruthless Corleone Family. The movie brilliantly captures the time when young Vito Corleone (played brilliantly by Robert DeNiro) escapes from the notorious Don who killed his entire family in Sicily. He eventually sets sail to the U.S where he grows up in Hell’s Kitchen in New York and slowly gets introduced to the criminal world after murdering a local Don who is feared as much as he is loathed. He soon gets the status of Don himself, and becomes the head of one of the most powerful families in all of America. My favourite scene during Vito Corleone’s story is the one where, after becoming a high ranked criminal in the U.S, heads back to Sicily and kills the same Don who had murdered his entire family before he escaped. The other time which is captured in the film is during Michael Corleone’s (One of Vito Corleone’s sons who becomes the head of the Corleone Family at the end of the first Godfather film) exploits. 

 

Al Pacino & Robert DeNiro

Al Pacino brilliantly portrays Michael Corleone, for which his not winning an Oscar was, in my opinion, THE biggest miscarriage in the history of the Oscars. Coppola brilliantly manages to show the hardships Michael has to face in order to take his family into a legitimate arena. Coppola takes on a journey with Michael right from Nevada to Cuba, where Michael is betrayed, angered, but keeps his cool as a silent killer (literally) and shows us that “if history has ever taught us anything, it’s that anyone can be killed”, and eventually gets rid of all his enemies. He also shows us the icy cold side of human nature, when Michaels older brother, Fredo, involuntarily organises a hit on Michael and his family, and how Michael eventually even gets his own brother killed on the pretext on sending him off for fishing.

 

Al Pacino

 I would also like to mention here that, the scene after Michael’s mother had passed away,  Fredo hugs Michael and Michael hugs him back (showing that he has just forgiven him after the “hit”), but when Michael slowly looks up at his bodyguard while hugging Fredo (which shows that he STILL wants his brother to be killed, whether he is helpless or not), and the way the bodyguard slowly looks down, is definitely one of THE best scenes in all of cinematic history. The musical score in the film, composed by Nino Rita compliments the brilliance of the movie and makes one feel as if one is a distant cousin of the Corleones.  Both stories are also shown on the screen at the same time, and not in a sequential manner, which further beautifies an already beautiful movie.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Next up, I would like to give a brief debriefing on what I consider to be THE best Spaghetti western of all time, and one of the best films of all time. The film is directed by Sergio Leone, the person who made American Westerns look like Walt Disney romances. The film revolves around 3 pivotal characters- The Man With no name- The Good (played by Clint Eastwood), Angel Eyes- The Bad (played by Lee Van Cleef) and Tuco- The Ugly (played by Eli Wallach).

 All 3 characters are unique and are driven by an ulterior motive. The Man With no Name is a kind of anti-hero who is very ruthless, and is reward driven, but one who abides by principle. Angel Eyes is a ruthless mercenary who, makes sure a job is done, even if it means shooting a little boy in cold blood. Tuco is the most complex character- a bandit who changes his loyalty faster than a chameleon changes colour.  All 3 men are eventually driven by a fortune in buried Confederate gold. Sergio Leone takes the film further by showing us how these 3 characters try to outsmart each other in order to get the gold. The film is directed with utmost perfection- including the acting, landscapes and the vintage Sergio Leone zoom shots. The score by Ennio Morricone is according to me, along with the score of The Godfather, the best movie scores of all time. It just grips you like a vice and never let’s go, even during the credit roll. This summary wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the ending, which has one of THE best scenes of all time, this time in the form of a final stand-off between The Good, The Bad and The Ugly in a cemetery in which the Confederate gold happens to be buried. As for what happens during the stand-off, you’ll have to see it to believe it.

A Clockwork Orange

Now, I would like to take you down a path which leads to one of the craziest and most important films ever made. A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick, and written by Anthony Burgess, gives the most important insight into the power the State has, over the individual.

Malcolm McDowell

 Taking place in a dystopian future, the film follows Alex (played by Malcolm McDowell) and his “droogs” as they go on a chore consisting of exploiting women, inducing acts of violence, listening to Beethoven, and having a very special “drink” at a milk bar. The law eventually catches up with Alex, and instead of forever confining him behind bars, the State decides to reform him by using the “Ludowico” technique to change Alex against his will. The film poses very important questions- Should a person’s inner evil be left alone just because it is innate? Or should it be curtailed? Should the state change a person beyond his/her will, even if that person is a criminal? Should people change according to what society wants them to be? Or should they be left alone to follow their own path in this omniverse? Should people have the freedom to make their own choices? Or should the Government make their decisions for them?

The Ludowico Technique

  Even though the film may seem political, it is a huge metaphor for the same. Hugely controversial and disturbing, it is meant to be watched at least once, and with an open mind. People will definitely get appalled by the graphic sexual violence, but they should remember that the movie is about a much bigger picture. The direction is absolutely flawless, with unique sets, and language spoken throughout the movie. Not for the fainthearted, but for the inquisitive, A Clockwork Orange is one of the biggest political and social message to be sent onto the big screen.

Goodfellas

Goodfellas, according to me, along with the Godfather Trilogy, is the best crime saga to ever hit the big screen. Directed by Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas is a true story based on the life of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta) and how he embarks on a journey through crime within Paul Cicero’s (played by Paul Sorvino) crew. The film, through brilliant direction involving the typical Scorsese freeze panes and stills, and through the authenticity with which Martin Scorsese showed us how the Crime families worked in Brooklyn, paved the way for a whole new genre of crime- in contrast to the operatic mood of The Godfather, and the rawness of Al Pacino’s Scarface.

From Left to Right (Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Paul Sorvino, Martin Scorsese and Joe Pesci)

  The film shows us Henry Hill’s involvement with a Crime Family, his rise and eventual downfall, amidst a whirlwind of violence, style, women and cocaine. The acting is also top notch. Robert DeNiro is actually scary in his role of Jimmy Conway, a ruthless stone cold gangster who is devoid of principle. But, who really stands out is Joe Pesci, who plays the psychotic Tommy DeVito. It’s no wonder Pesci bagged the award for the Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, for his seemingly unscripted way of acting and of course, for the “Funny Guy” scene (Why Am I funny? What the fuck is so funny about me? Tell me what’s funny.). But, overall, the acting, the direction, and the Jazzy score of the film, make it one of the best films ever made, and it is the definitely one of Martin Scorsese’s finer moments.

Taxi Driver

Another Martin Scorsese film on my list, Taxi Driver is also one of the most thought provoking films ever made. The film follows the life of Travis Bickle (played with an intensity of the zenith level by Robert DeNiro), who’s a Vietam war veteran, come to Manhattan, New York to work as a taxi driver. Travis is shown to be a mentally unstable and depressed insomniac who’s main thought in life is to hope that “the rain washes away the cunts and filth off the streets”.  Travis is very disturbed by the corruption and dirt which humans have involved themselves with, and wants to rid himself of all the filth in the world.

Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle

 He eventually shows off his other personality, the Mohawk sporting freak who wants to be a hero. Travis eventually tries assassinating a politician, whom he earlier admired, and rescues a prostitute (Jodie Foster) from her abusive pimp (Harvey Keitel), so that she can return back to her parents. Travis Bickle is one of the most complex characters to be shown in film. Some might call him crazy, and psychologically scarred owing to the Vietnamese war, but I personally feel that, like many of us who live a normal life, indistinguishable to others, there are some of us who want to be heroes, by doing anything to gain attention.

The psychotic Travis Bickle

 I even feel that, his rescuing the prostitute, played by Jodie Foster, was actually Travis’s imagination, because he wanted to become a hero in the eyes of people even though he was a nobody. He wanted to imagine himself as a hero, to provide himself satisfaction, both psychologically and physically. The direction by Martin Scorsese is extremely raw, gritty and has a sort of Film Noire feel to it. Robert DeNiro takes his character to a whole new level…..he apparently drove around in a cab a few weeks before the film just to get a feel of the character. The famous lines- “You talkin’ to me?” are also uttered by Travis Bickle during a scene where he’s admiring his newly acquired arms. Very realistic, and true to heart, Taxi Driver is not a movie to be missed.

Pulp Fiction/Reservoir Dogs

Many of you have heard of Quentin Tarantino- Whether you hate him, or love him. I belong to the latter class of people. He is one of those directors, who consistently make great movies. It was a while before I could choose a film made by him, which I liked the most.

Pulp Fiction. Left to Right (Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson, John Travolta and Uma Thurman)

 While shuffling between Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, I finally chose both (not too much to ask for, I hope). What I really liked about both films were the dialogue heavy scenes, and the humour which was introduced in scenes which were meant to be anything but funny (Mia’s overdose scene in Pulp Fiction, for example). The characters were very unique, and I feel that only someone like Tarantino could’ve created them.

Reservoir Dogs- seconds away from the infamous ear cutting scene

 The characters who I really liked were Samuel L Jackson (Jules in Pulp Fiction) and Michael Madsen (Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs). Both actors stole the show in their respective movies- Samuel L Jackson with his stone cold, and consequent eccentric demeanour (“English motherfucker, do you speak it?!”), and Michael Madsen with the famous ear cutting scene.

A very bloody Samuel L Jackson & John Travolta from Pulp Fiction

 Tarantino was at his best with these two films- right from the over the top violence and the non- linear storyline, to the non- conventional background score and dialogue heavy scenes. Film makers like Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Andrei Tarkovsky, etc., are generally considered to be perfectionists with the typical conventional style of film making. But, Quentin Tanrantino started a whole new trend altogether. Although not yet on par with the abovementioned directors, he, with his unique and original style of film making, will soon be regarded as one of the best film makers of all time.

Apocalypse Now

Let us now take a look at another of Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpieces- Apocalypse Now. When we hear of the war genre, all the films which come to our mind are Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down etc. But, there are certain war films, which deal solely with the psychological aspects of war, which in my opinion, are THE most important aspects of war. It’s simply not enough to put forth gun battles, and a victorious side, and claim that you have made a war movie. Films like Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, particularly Apocalypse Now, solve this problem. Apocalypse now takes place during the infamous Vietnamese war, and talks about a mission conducted by the U.S services by sending one of their soldiers (Martin Sheen) to bring back a Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) back from the clutches of Cambodia; a colonel who has gone astray and slightly insane due to the horrors of war, and where he has formed his own cult of locales who have developed their own idea of sacrifice and freedom.

Marlon Brandon as the renegade, Col. Kurtz

What’s most compelling about the film is not only the acting, which is flawless, owing to Marlon Brando’s psychotic  performance, but also due to the large scale on which the movie was made, despite the terrible conditions the film crew had to shoot in. Allow me to quote Francis Ford Coppola’s famous line which he had occurred during a press conference, here, “We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane”.

Martin Sheen, just before the surreal finale

 Getting back to the message of the film, it brilliantly goes in depth into the evils of the human mind, and shows us where the human limit can lie, and whether or not war is justified. The ending, which talks mainly about sacrifice, and the famous synonymous scene between Marlon Brando and a bull, is a perfect contrast which shows us how soldiers, despite their brilliance, are treated as commodities, and how soldiers have a completely different understanding of what war really is and really should be, and how soldiers are eventually a means to a meaningless sacrifice. In the end, all I would like to say about this brilliant film is, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning”.

The other films which I really enjoyed and think are perfectly made, perfect enough to be mentioned here are-

Rashomon

 the epic “Rashomon” (directed by the perfectionist Akira Kurosawa), 

 

Oldboy

 

Oldboy

the disturbing and intense “Oldboy” (directed by the insanely gifted Park Chan Wook),

 the compelling and thought provoking “La Dolce Vita” (directed by the acclaimed Federico Fellini), 

Marlon Brando as the iconic Don Vito Corleone

 the operatic “The Godfather” (directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola),

Bicycle Thieves

 the simple, yet beautifully crafted “Bicycle Thieves” (directed by Vittorio De Sica), 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

 the heartwarming Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (Walt Disney),

Cinema Paradiso

  the cinematic Cinema Paradiso (directed by Giuseppe Tornatore)..........to name a few.

References:

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