36. The Bridge On The River Kwai

 

 

 

What it's about

Some men make a bridge.

What I thought
I really liked the theme tune and Alec Guinness.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "Great performances from Holden and Guinness, not forgetting Hayakawa. Beautifully filmed, its only flaw is to claim to be a portrayal of true events."

What Dad thought
Dad had seen this one before. "This is another awesome film! I've loved this film since i watched it as a child. Guinness performance is exemplary as the stiff upper lipped officer who bargains with nothing and wins concessions from the Japanese officer in charge of the camp.
Guinness's characters pride in the bridge grows as it becomes a symbol for one of the few things that he can actually control.
Great film, great acting and an awesome ending. "

35. Annie Hall

What it's about

It's a love story, kind of.

What I thought
Boring.

What Mum thought
Mum can't remember whether she has seen this one before. "This film has a lot of strengths. A few A list cameos, some cartoon work, some breaking of the fourth wall, interesting subtitles... Allen used every gimmick available to make this film unique, and it won him some Oscars. Having said that, I giggled a bit at a few of the jokes, but then, as I am often found doing with Woody Allen films, I got bored. The film may be one of the shortest on the list yet it felt like it went on forever. Keaton was very good, I just find Allen annoying, and his films kind of end up being mashed together into one for me, that's why I can't remember whether I've seen it before or not."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I was wary of Woody Allen films as he's usually portrayed as a character of himself. I didn't know how much of the neurotic I could take but at just over 90 minutes, Annie Hall was just the right length.
I enjoyed the breaks in the fourth wall and the insane bits such as Snow White animation or when he was standing in line at the cinema.
Overall I thought this is a good romantic comedy."

34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

What it's about
Evil step-mum wants to kill Snow White. Snow White escapes to live with 7 dwarfs.

What I thought
I really liked this, especially the singing and the dwarfs.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "Snow White is my least favourite Disney princess. Although for its time, brilliant animation etc... I find it boring."

What Dad thought
Dad had seen this one before. "Not a fan."

33. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

What it's about

It's about a man, who's a little strange and the people he's in hospital with.

What I thought
This one wasn't really for me. Time for my nap!

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "I've read the book and seen the film a fair few times. I love it, I love the performances and Chief is amazing. It alternates between being utterly uplifting to downright depressing. Superb story."

What Dad thought
Dad had seen this one before. "Fantastic film! I've seen this one before and Nicholson's performance never fails to stun me. The energy he exudes as he plays McMurphy, like bottled lightening and can't help but have an effect on the other patients.

The scenes where he goes up against Nurse Ratched are some of the most powerful in cinematic history. I love this film and I'm very pleased it's on the list."

32. The Godfather Part II

What it's about

It's two stories, one about how the dad found the business and one about how the son ran the business.

What I thought
I liked when the band played Pop Goes The Weasel, but like the first one it's probably a film I'll like more when I'm older.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "It's better than the first part, I love this one. The use of flashbacks really works and Robert De Niro is superb, as is Pacino. Michael can never come to terms with the fact his father's empire was built on love and respect, his on fear and violent treachery. Instead of being a mafia film, this is one which depicts brilliantly a man's struggle with himself and those around him. Brilliant, atmospheric cinematography; this film shows just how good Coppola is."

What Dad thought
Dad had seen this one before. "It is a great film. However, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to sit through it again. Why, oh why, are 90% of these films over 3 hours long!"

31. The Maltese Falcon

What it's about

Everybody wants a statue of a bird.

What I thought
I liked Peter Lorre.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "I'm not a big fan of Bogart, however, he is Sam Spade. Some witty writing and good performances. Not the best film of its genre on the list, still, it is pretty good."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "It's a cool film. The pace worked really well and a witty script. Bogart is uber-cool and great supporting cast."

30. Apocolypse Now

What it's about

A man goes on a boat trip.

What I thought
I loved the soundtrack and the helicopters.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "It has some great scenes, memorable quotes, great cinematography and I'm always surprised this made it to being a film. 16 months filming, Brando turning up overweight and knowing little about what he was there to do, the helicopters used were fighting in a war at the same time as filming was taking place, certainly a lot of work went into the film making it what it is. Having said that, it's just far too long, especially the Redux version we watched with the extra scenes which quite frankly ruin the film. Worst one has to be the scene in the parked helicopter and the Playboy playmates. Ugh."

What Dad thought
Dad had seen this one before."Apocalypse now? More like Apocalypse wow! I last saw this film about a decade ago and while I liked it at the time I was more impressed with the action scenes then any characterisation or plot. This time I found myself greatly impressed with the story of descent into madness.

The characters were so vivid and bigger then life. The surfing Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore is one of my favourite characters, not just in this film, but ever. I would actually follow him to war. Probably wouldn’t last long but it would be an adventure.

Sheen’s performance as he heads to meet his target is deeply moving and the closing scene is almost haunting. Though I had to watch the film in two sittings (its bloody long) I loved it.

If I had to make a criticism it would be with the version I watched, Redux, there is an added scene on a French Plantation half way up the river. This return to civilisation just when he is on the road to damnation really jarred and didn’t add anything to the film. It should have been left on the cutting room floor.

Ultimately an excellent film and probably my favourite war movie."

29. Double Indemnity

What it's about

A man and a woman manage to get money through killing her husband.

What I thought

I was chatting so missed a lot of this one. I did like watching the people and the music though.

What Mum thought
First time for Mum. "Loved it. Snappy, witty script written with a little help from Raymond Chandler. Brilliant performances from Stanwyck, Macmurry and Edward G. Robinson. In sharp contrast to All About Eve, there are periods where not a lot happens yet it never gets boring."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "Another good film, incredible script, really fast paced witty dialogue. The characters gave awesome performances (especially Barbara Stanwyck) and the story, while not incredible original, is done really well."

28. All About Eve

What it's about

A young lady becomes friends and some theatre folk in order to become a star herself.

What I thought
I got bored and went to bed instead.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "Although I have seen this one before, it was quite a while ago. I'm afraid I can see why I couldn't remember much about it. Baxter does a decent enough job, as does Davis, but none of the performances stand out for me. The only slightly interesting thing about it is the circular aspect of the story. The script is slow paced and far from the kind of thing that makes me laugh."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "Mmm, I must admit it annoys me when a film on the list of the top 100 films doesn’t reach my expectations. This film should have it all, its got a great cast and a good story but it doesn’t do anything with them.

I’m not going to go on about it in detail but it could have been so much more."

27. High Noon

What it's about

A Marshall stands up against some baddies and everybody else in the town hides.

What I thought
I really like the song in it.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "This is one of my favourite Westerns, very pleased to see it on the list. I love this film for a number of reasons. Firstly, Cooper's performance is brilliant, Kane has a remarkable amount of inner-strength and morality which enables him to uphold the law at all costs, even if it means losing his new wife. I love the song, although perhaps Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling is played a little too often in it, also the cinematography is brilliant, in particular the crane shot and the clocks as the movie counts down to noon."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad.(Contains spoilers)

"OMG! This film was amazing! I loved all of it! The fact its filmed in real time (or as close as to not bicker), the performances of all the characters and the soundtrack.

“Do not forsake me oh my darling.”

The film tells the story of a sheriff looking for help in dealing with a pose of criminals but every where he turns he just gets embarrassed looks and weak excuses. In this respect it seems realistic. People don’t want to get involved, they want to be looked after but don’t want to get there hands dirty.

The ending was classic as well, with him just leaving the town to their fate and riding off with his wife. Loved it."

26. Mr Smith Goes to Washington

What it's about

A very nice man gets to go work in Washington where other people lie about him.

What I thought
I like James Stewart a lot, I smile when he's on telly. I got a little bored with this film though.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "I'm a big fan of both James Stewart and Frank Capra, and this partnership doesn't disappoint. Stewart is brilliant as the awestruck, naive yet stubborn Jefferson Smith and I love the filibuster scenes. Jean Arthur is also fab as the savvy assistant. A classic film in which, as the story itself is a rather stylised statement concerning US politics, the characters really make the difference."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "This should be a good film. This should be a film that I rate very highly indeed. David versus Goliath with Goliath being a corrupt government and David a naive but patriotic man? This should be right up my street. But its not.

Stewart doesn’t really impress me with his performance. I didn’t feel moved by his filibuster and the situations were ridiculous. Grown men beating boy scouts to stop them getting the story out? The government just believing this guy was trying to screw the scouts? I was thoroughly disappointed.

Sorry, I really wanted to like this one."

25. To Kill a Mockingbird

 

What it's about
A little girl tells the story of her very brave and kind father.

What I thought
I thought the kids were lovely, I wanted to be there friend. I liked Atticus a lot too.

What Mum thought
Mum hadn't seen this one before. "I've read the book but never seen this film. Peck is Atticus Finch, a brilliant portrayal as well as excellent performances from the rest of the cast. A timeless classic everyone should see."

What Dad thought

First time for Dad. "This was a decent film dealing with some serious issues. Atticus is a cool main character, far ahead of his time in dealing with his children (they don’t call him dad, how cool?) and his attitudes.

His bravery in standing between a lynch mob and the innocent Tom with nothing but a smile and a book is a true piece of cinema history. John Wayne may have sought justice with a six shooter and his fists but here is a man who uses debate and rhetoric to defend people. Oh, and he just happens to be the best shot in the county anyway!

Ultimately I find the subtle heroes much more impressive then those who enter stage left with guns blazing and this coupled with the themes of the film lead me to believe it deserves its place on the AFI list. If anything it could be a little higher."