Shhhhh! It's Time to Pick Your Bestavorite Silents!

[Bob Birchard]

At least that's where I'd like this thread to head. I've had an idea kicking around in my noggin for quite some time and just haven't had the patience to enact it. I've even discussed this idea somewhere on the boards, but for the life of me I don't remember where I was rambling on about it.

(snip)

Please submit your 25 films on this thread to get us started. I will post mine soon, just as soon as I figure out how to limit it to 25.

25 films in no particular order:

1. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
2. How Green Was My Valley? (1941)
3. Intolerance (1916)
4. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
5. The Man Who Laughs (1928)
6. The Navigator (1924)
7. Girl Shy (1924)
8. The Circus (1928)
9. The Mark of Zorro (1920)
10. Love Me Tonight (1932)
11. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
12. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
13. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
14. Strangers on a Train (1951)
15. Alice Adams (1935)
16. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
17. Miracle Woman (1931)
18. The Dark Horse (1933)
19. Moonrise (1948)
20. Stardust Memories (1980)
21. Where's Poppa? (1970)
22. The Godfather (1972)
23. The Thieving Hand (1907)
24. Casablanca (1943)
25. La Ronde (1952)

The above are some favorites of mine. I don't pretend this to be the 25 greatest films of all time, just 25 I like a lot.

[mrsl]

Mr. Birchard:

I must say I like your list, You don't seem to favor any one particular genre and you have a few relative unknown films. Number 21 Where's Poppa intrigues me. I dated a guy who LIVED for comedy films. To him the sun rose and set with comedy and that was the best comedy ever made in his opinion. I, myself have never seen it, but he knew it like many people know Blazing Saddles. We sat many times where he would describe a scene and say the dialog, and even that made me laugh. One day, when I'm thinking of it, I will be sure to find it in the video store, just to know what he was talking about.

Thank you for a very interesting week, I asked my one question, and in your answers to other people, you satisfied my curiosity about other things.

Anne

[Bob Birchard]

Mr. Birchard:

I must say I like your list, You don't seem to favor any one particular genre and you have a few relative unknown films. Number 21 Where's Poppa intrigues me. I dated a guy who LIVED for comedy films. To him the sun rose and set with comedy and that was the best comedy ever made in his opinion. I, myself have never seen it, but he knew it like many people know Blazing Saddles. We sat many times where he would describe a scene and say the dialog, and even that made me laugh. One day, when I'm thinking of it, I will be sure to find it in the video store, just to know what he was talking about.

Thank you for a very interesting week, I asked my one question, and in your answers to other people, you satisfied my curiosity about other things.

Anne

Gang Leader to Sidney Hocheiser [Ron Liebman]: "Every night you come boppin' through the park, and every night you gots ta have some bread with you, man! You remember Cornell Wilde? Tou remember that movie 'The Naked Prey'? Well, you Cornell, and you better start prayin', cause you gonna be naked!"

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Here's my 25 in no particular order:


A Letter to Three Wives
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Out of the Past
The African Queen
Night of the Hunter
The Major and The Minor
Baby Face
Bringing Up Baby
Lion in Winter
Top Hat
Rear Window
Singing in the Rain
The Gods Must Be Crazy
For Whom The Bell Tolls
I Want to Live
The Philadelphia Story
His Girl Friday
Notorious
Sunset Boulevard
Stalag 17
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Casablanca
Lonely Are The Brave ( Kirk's Coda to every Western ever made.)
Pillow Talk

[klondike]

So, thought you were being clever, did you, Mr. C. Lover, Esq? Thought I wouldn't trip to your little scheme . . . sure, plant a seed, drop a word or two here, and there . . well, I'm uppin' your little jig right now, Fella . . quite the bon vivant weren't we . . make with the chit-chat, all friendly & kosher like, wink-wink, bob's yer uncle . . well I saw right through your cunning charade, Mack . . couldn't back off could ya . . couldn't give a Joe room to breathe, no, not you . . well, here's the whole thing for ya, right down to the milk money -
1) THE FOUNTAINHEAD
2) I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING
3) CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT
4) THE 13TH WARRIOR
5) THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
6) THE WICKER MAN (1973)
7) LEGENDS OF THE FALL
8) ADAM'S RIB
9) THE DEAD OF NIGHT (1945)
10) BRAZIL
11) ALIAS DR. SYN (aka: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh)
12) A CANTERBURY TALE
13) 1776
14) TO HAVE & HAVE NOT
15) THE 49TH PARALLEL (aka: The Invaders)
16) THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN
17) SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS
18) TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
19) PACT DU LOUPS (aka: Brotherhood of the Wolf)
20) MATEWAN
21) SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON
22) YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
23) MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949)
24) IRON WILL
25) THE VALLEY OF GWANGI

Ohhh, the humanity - will Mr. Blandings ever chat me up over the backyard fence again? Will Nikki, wild dog that he is, ever come home, after this ? Will Kirk & Burt think that I'm the Devil's disciple now?! How can I ever book another room at the real Holiday Inn? What if I need to hire Phillip Raven & his gun, ever again? When I call Federico, and Ingmar, will they just hang-up?!
:cry:
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY NOW, CHRIS!!! . . scoundrel . . . wastrel . . miserable poltroon . . . there are private boxes in Hades reserved for people who make other people do things like this!
:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

[cinemalover]

Klondike wrote:
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY NOW, CHRIS!!! . . scoundrel . . . wastrel . . miserable poltroon . . . there are private boxes in Hades reserved for people who make other people do things like this!


Klondike,
Accusations all duly noted and true. I always wanted box seats so yeah, baby! While perusing your list I can only drool in envy at the wise and wonderful choices you have shared with us. My only question, and I'm sure it's merely an oversight, is where, oh where is Goldfinger on the list? Surely it must qualify as a choice du jour after our decisive analysis of its inherent value as a film of choice.

And have I mentioned the high regard with which I hold Bride of Frankenstein....

[cinemalover]

Bob,
Thank you so much for participating, I hope you'll come back to visit when the voting starts. It was a pleasure having you around this week.
Take care,
Chris

[cinemalover]

SueSue,
Very classy list, but I would expect no less!
Thanks for sharing and adding a few that we have overlooked.

Chris

[Dewey1960]

Christy, to me yours is a great and interesting list, as is Bob Birchard's; MOONRISE is an inspired choice. Hope you continue to post, Bob!

[Hollis]

I don't think I could narrow my list of favorites to 100, let alone 25. There are just too many great works out there and I always seem to come across another I haven't seen before which only serves to compound the problem. I've just watched "In Which we Serve" for the 5th or 6th time and while there may be more beautifully constructed films like "Lawrence of Arabia", or films with more breathtaking cinematography like "The Quiet Man," I don't know if I've ever felt more emotionally moved by a movie than I did at the end of this one. I continue to react the same way each time I see it. I think it's a brilliant film. Beyond "Casablanca" which I think is an obvious choice and the aforementioned "In Which We Serve," how does one go about eliminating films from consideration as the best of all time when there are so many to choose from? It would require a far more critical mind than my own to attempt this task!

As always,

Hollis

[Hollis]

Okay, I'm back. And for better or worse I couldn't get this thread out of my mind since I came across it. I've manged to compile a list of 30 of my favorites, several of which I've heard others mention at times as being among the best ever made. Try as hard as I might, I couldn't pare this list down to 25, and it could easily have been doubled, tripled or even quadrupled (doesn't the AFI list it's 100 best?) without too much effort on my part. So in no particular order, (save for the 1st movie listed) here goes: (and no, my mind has not become more critical, just older)

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! These films have now been assigned their appropriate rankings!

1. Casablanca
5. Lawrence of Arabia
23. The Maltese Falcon
6. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
15. The Bridge on the River Kwai
8. Goodbye, Mr. Chips
11. The Lion in Winter
16. A Man for All Seasons
7. Schindler's List
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
3. The Godfather
18. On the Waterfront
17. Meet John Doe
19. The Philadelphia Story
9. None But the Lonely Heart
12. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
22. In Which We Serve
4. Mrs. Miniver
13. It Happened One Night
10. Captains Courageous
14. Gone With the Wind
24. Arsenic and Old Lace
20. Raging Bull
21. Elmer Gantry
25. Taxi Driver

See how "easy" that was? Might I have left anything out? Hmmm...

As always,

Hollis

[movieman1957]

When this is all done my Netflix list will be set for at least 18 months.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

I had to make a change in my "Top 25." I forgot to add Lion in Winter!
It has one of the greatest scripts of all time, so I had to drop Design For Living. I just don't have the gene for making lists because I am constantly revising.
Do forgive!

[cinemalover]

Christy (SueSue),
No worries. Many (including myself) have changed our lists already, and, may well do so again. Up until November 30th it's all fair game. As I see other lists I am reminded of films I may have overlooked, and I'm not above trying to sell others on films I love (see earlier in the thread). Thanks for adding a great list to our little contest.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Thanks, Chris!