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Monday
April 22, 2002

Top Five(ish) Films by Peter Cresswell

Having been asked by the SOLO Headmaster to choose and discuss my top five films while avoiding, for the most part, the obvious Objectivist canon, I have found that to name only five is too difficult, and I herewith protest that to demand five is blatant and unforgivable rationalism. Thus unencumbered by my protestations, I present my top bunch, excluding docos, and in no particular order… (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (55 messages)

Sunday, December 15, 2002 - 10:11am

The Matrix
South Pacific
Speed
Blood Sport
Fucking Amal

Monday, April 25, 2005 - 7:03am

Good article Peter. I laughed out loud at your "The Life of Brian" quotes. I watched both Cotton Club, and Educating Rita in the past week.

Speaking of the former, and Duke Ellington, I've put a playlist on the computer on my sons room. I start it everynight as bedtime music and the Duke features prominantly (for now).

Very nice to come across this in the random postings.

John
(Edited by John Newnham
on 4/25, 7:05am)

Monday, April 25, 2005 - 7:16am

Very much concur with your choices, Peter - tho Quiet Earth is the only one I've not seen.. presume, of course, you meant the original Twelve Angry Men... and what of Inherit the Wind? or Flight of the Phoenix?

Monday, April 25, 2005 - 11:19am

May I add "Casablanca" and "Judgment at Nurenberg" to the list of dramas? I can't make through either without crying buckets.

Ginny

Monday, April 25, 2005 - 11:23am

May I add my own list of " Top Ten Films for Objectivists" -- and, while I'm at it, a second list of "100 Inspiring Film Classics," arranged by category?

Monday, April 25, 2005 - 11:23am

Ginny yes! Casablanca is on my gallery list for that reason. I've also read the script and it is beautiful. The dialogue is finely crafted and packs an emotional punch.

Monday, April 25, 2005 - 1:24pm

I'll chime in to add 'Gattaca' and 'Schindler's List'. The latter one brought me nearly to tears. When I was a child, I was also affected by 'The Inn of the Sixth Happiness'. I watched this again a few years ago and strangely had no effect at all.

Disclaimer: I'm not Number00001. 'Bloodsport' and 'Fucking Åmål' [both correctly spelled] seem interesting, though.

Monday, April 25, 2005 - 3:25pm

Five of my favorites (watch at least twice a year, every year).

Spencer's Mountain (heartfelt trials and victories)
Casablanca (stellar dialogue and heart-wrenching)
Rio Bravo (great sense of life and fun)
Lawrence of Arabia (stunning cinematography and Peter O'Toole is a god)
Spy Game (great mind game, great acting, great plot, great ending)

Monday, April 25, 2005 - 11:17pm

Thanks for your comments, guys.

I did mean the original 'Twelve Angry Men.' I hadn't realised there was another?

When I wrote in 2002 I hadn't seen 'Inherit the Wind.' Now I have, I might just add Every Spencer Tracy Film as anther entry. He plays a man of integrity with such comsummate ability that I can't think of another actor who could touch him for that.

Casablanca? Probably heresy, but it's not one of my own faves. I do like it, but not as a top five(is) choice. But I could happily watch it again, as I could every Bogart movie I've seen.

Judgment at Nuremberg? I imagine you are NOT referring to the dire Alec Baldwin-starring piece of dross, but unfortunately I haven't seen the older one.

Gattaca - another one I haven't yet.

Like all of Spielberg's films, Schindler's List I found too contrived, though the last scenes are still tear-jerkers. I always feel that I'm being emotionally manipulated by Spielberg, I'm afraid. Peter O'Toole aside, Lawrence of Arabia is a snore-fest - I believe we had a lengthy discussion of this one only a short while ago.

Perhaps while the head SOLOists are away we could have a discussion of our top five directors? Mine would probably include Mamet and Hitchcock and exclude Spielberg, but beyond that I'm feeling uninspired this afternoon.

And Robert, no you mayn't. Gor blimey, talk about self-aggrandisement. :-)

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 5:22am

Mamet for screenplays more than directing.
Hitchcock and his wannabe, M. Night

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 7:13am

Peter,

You haven't seen the original Judgement at Nuremburg? Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Maximilian Schell, Montgomery Clift, it won a couple of Oscars and it has the "Inherit the Wind" director... If you like Spencer Tracy, you will like this film! BTW, There is something seriously F*&$ed up about the SOLO movie ratings system that puts this movie well below crap like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and True Lies and a Star Wars epi-sod. Maybe it's my review?

I'd agree with you about Spielburg, although there is a lot to recommend the movie Amistad. The actors for one, the subject for another, Anthony Hopkins final summation before the supreme court (he plays John Quincy Adams). And, for once, the story is roughly true to life. Unlike "Saving Private Ryan," the ahistorical characters - that Spielburg has added for dramatic effect - do not dilute the drama of the history, they enhance it!

(Edited by Robert Winefield to fix the hyperlinks - Thanks to Kernon for spotting the error)

(Edited by Robert Winefield on 4/26, 7:01pm)

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 7:45am

Call me a sap. I LOVE Spielberg's films.

The man knows how to tell a great story about universal values and explode in a proper climax. His technical movie-making skill is also magnificent and breathtaking (I drool at his camera angle use and I love John Williams, who writes practically all of his music).

He is not superficial, er... contrived. (slap)

(... except for the end of The Color Purple maybe, which forced things quite a bit.)

I especailly like whacky offbeat-type comedies like Bagdad Cafe and Raising Arizona.

Also, any film where the good guy kicks the shit out of the bad guys and gets the girl in the end.

Not very Objectivist in content, but great sense of life stuff.

Michael

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 7:52am

"Also, any film where the good guy kicks the shit out of the bad guys and gets the girl in the end."

LOL well said.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 9:18am

Hey Peter,

Many great films on your list. I thought I was probably the only Objectivist that liked Last Temptation of Christ!

Ethan

(Edited by Ethan Dawe on 4/26, 9:18am)

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 3:32pm

What makes a movie a favorite for me is it's ability to continually entertain me even after multiple viewings. That said, my favorites are My Cousin Vinny, The Princess Bride and The Mark of Zorro (1940 version).

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 4:17pm

Here are some from my "recommended" list (no particular order and duplicating some above):

- The Princess Bride
- Desparado (Robert Rodriguez)
- Strictly Ballroom
- High Noon
- Judgement at Nuremburg (the Spencer Tracy one) - Required viewing - this one should be in any Objectivist "Top 5" list
- Inherit the Wind
- Chocolat
- Pirates of the Carribean

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 4:57pm

Robert - Could you double check your hyperlinks? They don't work for me (seems like you fell prey to an extra "http").

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 6:34pm

Seven of your eight are terrific, Shayne. I haven't seen Desparado with Rodriquez.

Three of my favorite comedy adventures are Princess Bride, Pirates of the Caribbean and Some Like It Hot.

Of the classics, I love:

Philadelphia Story
Inherit the Wind
From Here to Eternity
To Kill a Mockingbird (though I don't like Peck's courtroom demeanor or the ending)
High Noon
The Searchers
Stagecoach
The Vikings
Spartacus

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:48pm

David: Desparado is the only questionable entry of the eight. I wouldn't recommend it for children or those who are offended by a lot of violence. Though it's kind of like cartoon violence; thankfully he doesn't try to make it look realistic, which is part of the overall style I liked.

Most on your list I actually haven't seen, I'm going to have to revise my list of movies to see.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 10:23pm

The Princess Bride ROCKS!!!!!

Other favorites of mine include Chocolat & The Big Night (shocker), and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I'm not a huge movie fan, but the ones that capture my attention become keepers.