Watch the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

In October I watched these films from the list:

221 – Trouble in Paradise (1932)
222 – An Affair to Remember (1957)
223 – Dracula (1931)
224 – The Unknown (1927)
225 – High Noon (1952)
226 – The Big Parade (1925)
227 – Les Diaboliques (1955) – a.k.a. Diabolique

All good stuff and all recommended :)

I didn’t do very well in September with watching movies from the list. I only managed to knock out 2 films.

In September I watched:

219 – In a Lonely Place (1950)
220 – Jezebel (1938)

Still thought both of the above were great, though. Recommended :)

I’ve seen 218 films from the list now.

In August I watched:

212 – GoodFellas (1990)
213 – The Wrong Man (1956)
214 – Footlight Parade (1933)
215 – Stand by Me (1986)
216 – The Awful Truth (1937)
217 – Gun Crazy (1949)
218 – La Strada (1954)

A great movie-viewing month. Enjoyed all the flicks I saw above. I just wish I had seen more films from the list! This is a fun goal :)

GoodFellas (1990)

Dir: Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Samuel L. Jackson, et al.

I finally got around to seeing this and it was fantastic. A masterpiece of the gangster genre. Fast-moving, stylish, and violent with a terrific, well-chosen soundtrack.

Scorsese doesn’t disappoint and proves that he is one of the finest living directors today.

Broken Blossoms (1919)

Dir: D.W. Griffith. Cast: Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess, Donald Crisp, et al.

“The Spirit of Beauty breaks her blossoms all about his chamber.”

This is an exquisitely poetic silent film. Lillian Gish is luminous and heartbreaking as a sad, abused young girl. Its gorgeous images and tragic story will stay with me for some time.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Dir: Elia Kazan. Cast: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, et al.

A masterpiece of fine acting and a brilliant script. Leigh’s performance was magnificent and well deserving of her Academy Award. Her most famous role is most definitely that of Scarlett O’Hara, but I would argue that her performance here is greater. And what more can be said about Brando’s game-changing performance that hasn’t already been said? His character Stanley is deplorable but yet you can’t look away from him either. Brando is electric on screen. His Stanley is raw, real, and carnal. Sexy doesn’t begin to describe him. Kim Hunter and Karl Malden round out the main cast with excellent performances from both. Director Elia Kazan is to be commended for doing such a fine job with his actors and for the feeling of tension, heat, and seediness that pervades throughout the film. And one can’t go without mentioning Tennessee William’s rich screenplay, which he adapted from his Pulitzer Prize winning play. This one really got under my skin and I won’t soon forget the experience.

Babes in Arms (1939)

Dir: Busby Berkeley. Cast: Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Charles Winninger, Guy Kibbee, June Preisser, Rand Brooks, Margaret Hamilton, et al.

Classic musical of the “let’s put on a show” variety. This was the first of several Rooney and Garland musicals that would follow this formula, all hugely successful at the box office. In fact, Mickey Rooney was the top box office star of 1939 and would hold that title for the next 3 consecutive years.

Mickey and Judy display such talent here that it’s literally bursting out of them. Their rendition of the classic song “Good Morning” is almost as good as the more well-known version from Singin’ in the Rain. Judy’s amazing way with a song is in full force here and she was only 16 years old. This film can definitely get a little corny at times but it’s still worth checking out to see Mickey and Judy giving it their all. But personally, corniness in old movies doesn’t really bother me all that much anyways. I find it kind of charming & old-fashioned (in a good way). Actually, I often wish that today’s world had less cynicism and more heart.

One word of warning: there is a minstrel number in black face that modern audiences will most likely find offensive. I just tried to see it as a product of its time and attempted to concentrate on the top-notch skills of the singers & dancers instead. But it did make me feel grateful that we have progressed to the point where something like that wouldn’t fly today.

All in all, I enjoyed this and would especially recommend it to fans of Judy Garland and/or Mickey Rooney. You can watch the movie’s trailer here.

Lolita (1962)

Director: Stanley Kubrick. Cast: James Mason, Shelley Winters, Peter Sellers, Sue Lyon, et al. Screenplay by Vladimir Nabokov (based on his novel of the same title).

Wasn’t planning on watching this today but I just happened to catch it on TCM when it started and I got sucked in. I was intrigued by it from the beginning right up until the end.

Jules et Jim (1962) – a.k.a. Jules and Jim

Director: Francois Truffaut. Cast: Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, Henri Serre, et al.

A classic film from the French New Wave. I’m having a hard time coming up with what to write about this movie because I’m still processing it. There’s a lot more to it than what is visible on the surface.

Jules (Oskar Werner) and Jim (Henri Serre) are the best of friends. Enter Catherine (Jeanne Moreau), a beautiful, free-spirited young woman who fascinates them both. Jules falls in love with her and eventually marries her. Later, Jim ends up falling for Catherine too. But Jules’ reaction to this is probably not what you would expect. I couldn’t accurately predict the plot of this movie like I can with some other movies. It continually surprised me and I found its realism & unconventionality refreshing. The famous scene where Catherine dresses as a boy, donning a cap & a penciled-on mustache and challenges the men to a race across a bridge was adorable. Jeanne Moreau was captivating. Every time she is on the screen, you can’t take your eyes off her. I read that Truffaut was in love with her and that comes through in the film.

I usually enjoy the movies I see from this list and this was no exception. I love that this goal is helping me to broaden my movie-viewing horizons :)

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

Written & directed by Woody Allen. Cast: Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Dianne Wiest, Van Johnson, et al.

Sublime, magical, charming, enchanting, etc. etc. etc. I could continue on with more positive adjectives to describe this wonderful film but I’ll keep this simple & just say that I loved this movie! It portrays the magic of cinema in a brilliantly inventive, funny & touching way.