The Sunday Mail from the UK has published a list of “50 Films to See Before You Die.” The list was compiled by David Puttnam (producer of Chariots of Fire and Midnight Express) and others to mark digital channel Film4 going free-to-air.
The list has many of the films that you typically find on such lists, but it also has quite a few that typically don’t. There are some huge gaps as well. There is no overlap with my “Essential Films for Theologians: The ‘Director’s Cut’â€? so the list is clearly flawed! (see also my Essential Films of 2005 for Theologians – Extended Edition)
I have seen over half of the films, so I guess I have a bit of work to do before I die. (I have marked the films I have seen with an “x”)
- Apocalypse Now (x)
- The Apartment
- City of God (x)
- Chinatown (x)
- Sexy Beast (x)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (x)
- North by Northwest
- A Bout de Souffle (Breathless)
- Donnie Darko (x)
- Manhattan
- Alien (x)
- Lost in Translation (x)
- The Shawshank Redemption (x)
- Lagaan: Once Upon A Time in India
- Pulp Fiction (x)
- Touch of Evil
- Walkabout
- Black Narcissus
- Boyz’n the Hood (x)
- The Player (x)
- Come and See
- Heavenly Creatures (x)
- A Night at the Opera
- Erin Brockovich (x)
- Trainspotting (x)
- The Breakfast Club (x)
- Hero (x)
- Fanny and Alexander
- Pink Flamingos
- All About Eve
- Scarface (x)
- Terminator 2 (x)
- Three Colours: Blue (x)
- The Royal Tenen-baums (x)
- The Ladykillers (x)
- Fight Club (x)
- The Searchers
- Mulholland Drive (x)
- The Ipcress File
- The King of Comedy
- Manhunter (x)
- Dawn of the Dead (x)
- Princess Mononoke
- Raising Arizona (x)
- Cabaret
- This Sporting Life
- Brazil (x)
- Aguirre: The Wrath of God
- Secrets and Lies (x)
- Badlands (x)
(HT Arts and Faith)
Hi Tyler,
I actually got tpo watch the programme on Channel 4, although I missed the first few so thanks for posting the whole list. I don’t think I’ve seen quite as many as you (28)! It’s a good list, but kind of strange as well. What exactly does 50 films to watch before you die mean exactly? Is it just a fancy title for top 50 films? If so there are some major omissions. Does it take as read that everyone has seen films like The Godfather? If so why include such popular, but forgettable films such as The Shawshank Redemption? If it is trying to bring lesser known films to a wider audience, why have they stuck with such a high percentage of US films?
But it was a good programme for someone like me that’s seen a lot of the standard stuff, and wants a easy way to get a feel for which of the films they often hear talked about might be worth watching. I’ve already watched Cabaret for the first time as a result of the programme, and there are several more which I’ve thought I really must get around to seeing. However, I can probably live without watching Pink Flamingos before I die…
why include such popular, but forgettable films such as The Shawshank Redemption?
And why include such atrocities as Fight Club and Terminator 2? There are good films on this list, but some are peculiarly placed for a “top-50” list.
And no Citizen Kane? Incredible.
The Shawshank Redemption is hardly “forgettable.” It’s one of the finest films of the nineties, IMO. Perhaps this goes to show how many of these kinds of things is a matter of opinion.
I agree about Terminator 2. As a replacement I’d suggest On the Waterfront, alone for the scene in the car between Charley and Terry (is there a better example of method acting?), not to mention the moralizing of the priest played by Karl Malden against the bosses.
Loren, Loren, Loren… Fight Club an “atrocity”? Come now. I actually quite liked it; one of the few times when I liked the movie better than the book.
I’m not sure if I could stomach Pink Flamingos either, Matt. Watching Divine just isn’t my cup of tea!