A few months back the American Film Institute announced its 10th anniversary edition of its 100 Years 100 Movies List of the best American films of all time. Taking a note from Sight & Sound's famed best of all time list, AFI will be revamping the list every 10 years to allow in newer films that were not eligible previously as well as gauge changing thoughts on cinema. Films moved up and down the list and 23 films were replaced with other films. Only three films that fell off really surprised me. THE THIRD MAN, REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and PATTON really deserve to stay on the list. With GIANT falling off too, does it mean that James Dean has lost some of his iconic status in the last 10 years? Other films that fell out of favor, which deserve the place as the best of all time include AMADEUS, FANTASIA, CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD KIND and FARGO. But I'm not going to shed any tears that JAZZ SINGER or AN AMERICAN IN PARIS dropped from the list.
The AFI list will inspire several lineups over the course of the year. Four will be dedicated to the great new films that made the list. Maybe I'll go out on a limb and pick the five best films that fell off the list. The best new films to join the coveted list include IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, 12 ANGRY MEN, DO THE RIGHT THING, BLADE RUNNER, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and TOY STORY. The weakest include TITANIC and INTOLERANCE. The later is a make up vote for people feeling awkward for including BIRTH OF A NATION on the original list. INTOLERANCE isn't completely worthless, but on a filmic level it's not as good as NATION, but it makes people feel better about themselves. If you don't want to embrace the racism of NATION, but want to honor D.W. Griffith, there are much better films on his resume that could have been chosen. I love THE SIXTH SENSE, but I wouldn't consider it one of the 100 best American films of all time. Though not my favorite Buster Keaton film, THE GENERAL comes in at #18, fixing the awful Keaton omission from the original list. There are three films on the new list that I haven't seen — CABARET (#63), SPARTACUS (#81) and SUNRISE (#82). But for this week's lineup I chose the two highest ranking new films (that deserve to be on the list), two of the best films from the '60s that are new to the list (that I've seen) and another deserving correction of an omission from the first list.
So the Friday night film is an epic and will probably spur you to want to watch two other epic films along with it. It's the new #50 — THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. It's interesting that with all three films on the original 400-film ballot that the first in the series and not the Oscar-winning finale, RETURN OF THE KING, would make the list. The final film has more emotional resonance, but it's clearly a trilogy were the three films make up a start, middle and end to a larger story. As I state clearly in my review of the extended edition of FELLOWSHIP, there is no reason to watch the theatrical cut. Many of the new added scenes were character moments, cut so that the theatrical version would be more action packed. Peter Jackson grand epic is truly a modern classic; quickly taking a position along with STAR WARS as one of the greatest adventures ever. Like George Lucas' space opera did for science fiction, THE LORD OF THE RINGS has done the same for fantasy. With technical advances allowing more fantastic tales to be realized in more believable ways, FELLOWSHIP will stand as a landmark in film history as the dawn of a new renaissance in fantasy filmmaking. That being said, though it is only six years old, it definitely deserves to be listed among the best of all time.
The Saturday lineup features two apologies to the original list. The opening film is SWING TIME, which makes up for no Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films the first time around. If one wants to truly represent the full impact of American cinema, the musical must be represented. And when its comes to the triple threat of dancing, singing and acting, no one is better than the vibrant pairing of Astaire and Rogers. The first AFI tend toward recognizing many technical achievements rather than the "best" films. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, with its record length final dance number, made the first AFI 100 list, but Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron don't nearly have the screen chemistry as Astaire and Rogers. From the dance studio scene to the final number, SWING TIME is filled with some of the most joyous routines ever put to celluloid. It's a perfect example of charming performances and great style raising a simple story to another level, which is an argument I go into more depth in my original review. At #90, one can argue whether the higher ranking musicals (SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, WEST SIDE STORY) are all better than this one, but no one can argue that this film isn't among the best of all time.
The second Saturday film is the second make good film in this week's lineup. Coming in at #18, THE GENERAL is the highest-ranking new edition. It's also the first and only Buster Keaton film to make the list. One could go on for days and never come to a consensus on whether Keaton should be only represented once while Charlie Chaplin is represented three times (CITY LIGHTS, THE GOLD RUSH, MODERN TIMES). But that goes back to the pointless argument on who was the better silent film star. For me Keaton and Chaplin are different enough comedians as are George Carlin and Richard Pryor. They have a lot of similarities on the surface, but their style is very different. THE GENERAL is a great representation of Keaton at his best. Great gags, astonishing stunts and a compelling dry underdog story. Outside of STEAMBOAT BILL, JR.'s famed falling building stunt, Keaton sitting on the wheel of the train as it pulls forward is probably his next most iconic image. This gags accompanies dozens of other inspired moments. Keaton is a film legend for good reason. Out of all silent filmmakers and stars he is the one that has stood the test of time the best, because his performances are natural. Keaton never did anything to force us to like him. He always put his characters in situations and scenarios where we can relate to him. In addition to that he had impeccable comedic timing and a stuntman's courage that would make Jackie Chan and others jealous. Check out my original review to find out why this is absolutely one of the greatest silent films.
For Sunday, I've picked two of the three new films from the 1960s. They are both two of the best films of the decade and one of them is a personal favorite. Coming in at #67 is 1966's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Before he made his other AFI list winner, THE GRADUATE, Mike Nichols burst on the film scene with this powerful screen adaptation of Edward Albee's play. Made in the middle of their first marriage, stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton have never been more natural or raw as the mentally sadomasochistic couple. Taylor deserved her best actress Oscar as did Sandy Dennis for best supporting actress in the thankless role of the pretty young, drunk newlywed. Haskell Wexler's Oscar-winning cinematography, along with Nichols pitch perfect direction, makes this virtual two-location story into a captivating cinematic experience. The brutal emotional honesty and biting sarcasm is black hole dark. Many of the laughs are mixed with groans of understanding. Mental violence has never been captured more effectively. Taylor's Martha and Burton's George seem at first on the brink of divorce, but as the story unfolds we see inside their twisted relationship and begin to realize that they are perfect for each other. Learn more about this emotional rollercoaster in my original review.
The closing film of This Weekend's Film Festival is one of my all time favorite films, which I go into more detail in my original review. Arriving on the AFI 100 at #75, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT replaces GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER as the list's representative for screen legend Sidney Poitier. Infinitely better than DINNER, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT is a police thriller that transcends the genre by placing a highly educated black homicide detective in a small Southern town while its investigating a rare murder. Racial prejudices bubble up everywhere as all parties, even Poitier's Virgil Tibbs, look at the crime from their own slanted point of view. Unlike the preachy DINNER, this gripping murder mystery understands the complexity of racial tensions and isn't afraid to look at all sides of the issue. Tibbs is by no means perfect, allowing Poitier to create a complex portrait of a man with something to prove, which leads him to learn more about himself. How Poitier failed to receive an Oscar nomination for this film is unbelievable. However, he would have had a hard time beating his co-star Rod Steiger, who eventually did win the Oscar for best actor for his portrait of unforgettable Chief Gillespie, who is clearly Southern police officer, but unlike any Southern police officer you've ever seen on screen at the same time. Poitier and Steiger are one of the greatest screen duos ever. They electrify the screen together. Norman Jewison's masterpiece is truly a deserving addition to AFI's 100 Years… 100 Movies list.
Now you have the films, so it's time to update the rental queue, visit the video store or check Zap2It.com for your local listings. This is a great lineup and I encourage you to check out the entire 10th anniversary AFI 100 list.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
