Top 100: 50-41

     This week marks the beginning of the second half of my countdown, or in other words, the start of my Top 50 countdown (to see the first half of the countdown, click the following links: 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51). Depending on my mood and how critical I want to be, the movies from about 80 up to 50 would either get a 9 or a 10 in my rating system, but from here on out, no matter my mood, these movies are absolute tens. These are the films that come as close to the arbitrary, imaginary ideal of perfection as anything I have seen on the silver screen. For this week's ten, there is no one genre that dominates, although many of the films fit what I would describe as "light-hearted drama", films with comedic moments that are still focused on an individual's struggles. This is yet another week with a lot of big Oscar contenders, including three Best Picture winners and three other Best Picture nominees. For directors, this week includes the introduction of the man who is probably considered France's greatest auteur, two films from the most nominated director in Oscar history, and two more films from the most commercially successful filmmaker ever, Steven Spielberg. Finally, this week's retro theme is all about the seventies, with four films from the decade appearing on the list (as well as a film from the 1990's that is a continuation of sorts of a genre that began in the 1970's). Now on to the countdown!

50. "Jules and Jim" (1962)

     Say you want to make a film about the friendship between two men. Well, you would probably start off showing each character living their separate lives so we get an idea of their different backgrounds. Then of course is the obligatory "meeting scene", where the two characters are introduced to one another. Maybe it could be done with some comic mishap, say one character accidentally mistakes the other character's luggage for his own and takes it, where the two argue for a short time and then spontaneously break out in laughter when they realize the misunderstanding. Next would be the scenes of the two fellows bonding doing this or that activity, and by then, you're probably halfway through the film, right? Not if your Francois Truffaut. In one of my all-time favorite openings of any film, Truffaut takes this formula and turns it upside its head, as in a matter of minutes the introductions are concluded as these type of scenes are covered with the help of narration and quick-pace cutting. The film's start is the cinematic equivalent to being shot out of cannon, but its brilliance is that the audience starts out from the point of the lead characters' friendship, which allows a lot more to be said about who the two people actually are.

     The film is based on the semi-autobiographical book of the same name by Henri-Pierre Roche. The book was just an one-in-a-million unsuccessful piece of literature until Truffaut found it in some second-hand book store in the 1950's and decided he wanted to turn it into a film. Truffaut began a friendship of his own with Roche, although Roche died before "Jules and Jim" was released and never got to see the success that the book became after the film. The story of "Jules and Jim" is about a love triangle between two best friends, Jules (Oskar Werner) who is Austrian and Jim (Henri Serre) who is French, and the women they both love, Catherine (Jeanne Moreau). The three meet in pre-WWI Paris and form a close relationship, but as the war breaks out and the two men are forced to fight on opposing sides, the narcissistic and grandiose Catherine (she dreams that Napoleon raped her and states, "poor Napoleon") decides to marry Jules for his naiveness and fragility. The two men still remain best of friends though, and after the war Jim goes to their cottage in Austria to visit them and their daughter. Jim finds a distraught Jules, who despairs over Catherine's numerous love affairs. Jim and Catherine begin to fall in love during the visit, and with Jules blessing, who is desperate to do whatever he can to keep Catherine in his life, the two become a couple. Catherine soon begins to bore of Jim as well though, as both mens' relationship with Catherine deteriorate, but their own bond remains as strong as ever. The performances by the three leads is outstanding, each creating their own unique characters with unique motivations. As I stated somewhat before, Truffaut's work on the film is truly awe-inspiring, from some great shots that I have yet to see in any other film, to many of the French New Wave stylistic choices, this is one film that embraces the medium of cinema. As much I enjoyed the film's quick start, the abrupt ending of the film leaves a little to be desired, but this small criticism pales in comparison to the many great things there are to love about "Jules and Jim".

49. "Mrs. Miniver" (1942)

     The Academy Award's choice for Best Picture of 1942 was the first film that record-nominee holder William Wyler (he was nominated twelve times for Best Director) actually won an Oscar for. Wyler, a German born director, admittedly made the film that details the tribulations of a middle-class British family during the early turbulent year of the Second World War when the Germans were bombing London for propaganda reasons. He was very anti-Nazi and was trying to break through the American people's isolationist tendencies so that they would support involvement in the war. It is hard to know how much effect a single film can have on the mindset of a nation, or if it can help change the course of history, but Winston Churchill once said about "Mrs. Miniver" that it had done more for the war effort than a flotilla of destroyers. The film's final rousing speech was also translated into many different languages and was air-dropped into German-occupied territories (the speech has since become known as "The Wilcoxon Speech", named after the actor Henry Wilcoxon, who gave the speech in the film).

     "Mrs. Miniver" is loosely based on a collection of essays by Jan Struther. The film's tale is about Clem Miniver (Walter Pigeon), a successful architect, his wife Kay (Greer Garson), and their children. The family lives a very comfortable middle-class lifestyle, and their eldest son Vin (Richard Ney) falls in love with Carol Beldon (Teresa Wright). The lives get much harder though in September 1939 when Britain declares war on Germany. The family has to take shelter from German bomb raids, Vin quickly marries Carol before he goes off to war, and even Clem does his part helping to rescue British soldiers with his small boat during the evacuation of Dunkirk. The performances from the film's three leading actors, Garson (who won an Oscar for her performance), the underrated Pigeon, and Wright are all terrific. Any time the film gets caught in what could be an overly sentimental moment (which is typical for propaganda films), the capable actors play just the right notes to produce sympathy without cynicism. The other thing that makes this film such a treat, is it covers a perspective of World War II that is rarely covered. Between films and video games, at this point almost every aspect of every battle of WWII has been covered by someone, but other than "Mrs. Miniver", the only other major work of art I can think of at the moment that looks at the experience of World War II from the eyes of a civilian is Pink Floyd's song, "Goodbye Blue Sky", on their famous album "The Wall". There are some that deride "Mrs. Miniver" for being a simple propaganda film, but to do so misses a critical point. This is a film that was born out of desperation in dark times, and propaganda or not, that is what the film honestly portrays, and does so in a memorable way.

48. "Jaws" (1975)

     This is the film that started the movie studio's obsession with the "summer blockbuster" and it made the young Steven Spielberg a household name. The film is based on Peter Benchley's popular novel "Jaws", which in turn was loosely based on a string of shark attacks in New Jersey around 1916. If you don't know the story (which would be pretty miraculous), "Jaws" follows a string of shark attacks at a New England beach resort in the island community of Amity and the exploits of the local town sheriff, Brody (Roy Scheider), a marine biologist, Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and an eccentric old fisherman, Quint (Robert Shaw), as they try to catch and kill the man-eating beast. It is a classic suspense/horror genre film, and the very young Spielberg proves his wunderkind status and shows some of the great techniques that cinema audiences would enjoy for years to come. As much as Hitchcock is regarded as the master of suspense, with this one film, Spielberg blows his older and fatter peer out of the water (forgive the pun), and doesn't mind having some fun while he's at end, unlike Hitchcock's more seriously  toned features. There are some fine performances by the three stars in the film as well, who realize they are essentially starring in a B-movie, but avoid hamming it up to the point where it becomes distracting.

     The film was a massive success (being the first film to gross over $100 million), but during the notoriously troubled production, the crew nicknamed the film "Flaws". The film was scheduled for a 52 shoot, but mostly due to the problems with the mechanical shark "Bruce" (named after Spielberg's lawyer), it ended up stretching to 155 days.  On the plus side though, the problems with the shark led Spielberg to come up with the idea to do first-person shots from the sharks point of view, a staple of the movie that help make it so famous. There were many other problems as well though, including an always changing script (that Peter Benchley was not happy with), and ever-ballooning budget, and an antagonistic drunk Robert Shaw, who had to be flown to Canada on his off days for tax reasons. Any problems the film may have though are masked by the brilliant score by John Williams. Much like with "Star Wars", Williams score (which may the most recognizable score in the world) turns a great movie into a cinema classic, by basically plays the role of the shark. When Spielberg first heard the score, he laughed and said, "That's funny, John, really. But what did you really have in mind for the theme of Jaws?". Despite this initial reaction though, you have to give him credit for changing his mind, as he would later say that the film would have been only half as successful without the score. An assessment that might not be that far off.
  

47. "Breaking Away" (1979)

     When it comes to "inspirational" films that are warm and fuzzy, supposedly making the audience feel uplifted and better about their lives, you can usually count me out. Then when you add in the "sports" genre mix into the equation, with all the terrible cliches and predictability that comes along with it, my eyes start to glaze over like some stoned out pot-head. The one thing I have learned from watching so many movies through the years though, is no matter what preconceptions you may have about this or that genre, there is always some great filmmaker with unique talent and vision that proves the exception to the rule. In this case, the exception to my general dislike of the inspirational sports movie genre is Peter Yates' brilliant "Breaking Away". The movie is so sincere in its heart, so loving of its characters and their lives, that only the most cold-hearted "friends of the devil" can not be touched by its infectious enthusiasm. The film easily takes my "favorite sports movie title", and there are few films that make me smile as much when I think about them. "Breaking Away" is what all other light-hearted feel-good films aspire to be.

     As with many other films on my list, "Breaking Away" has a very distinct setting that is almost another character in the film. The movie takes place in Bloomington, Indiana, home of the University of Indiana. Even though the University is the center of the town's focus, its presence creates an interesting dynamic, as the local working class "cutters" (named so because many adults in the town had worked cutting stone to build the university) and the preppy well-to-do University of Indiana students frequently clash. The concentration of the film is on four local high-school age students: Dave (Dennis Christopher), Mike (Dennis Quaid), Cyril (Daniel Stern), and Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley), who all at a turning point as they try to decide what they want to do with their lives. Most of them are somewhat resigned to living the working class life, but Dave is not content to accept the working life, as he develops an obsession with Italian cycling (as well as all things Italian), and even impersonates an Italian foreign exchange student in order to woe a female student at the University. After racing his Italian idols in a local bicycle race where they are far less they he had hoped, Dave's joy for life almost evaporates, but with encouragement from his parents (even if it is reluctantly so by his father), he gets ready for the big local bike race. The film has a terrific cast that all give great performances, but the performance by Dennis Christopher is especially outstanding. Peter Yates also does a wonderful job creating the right tone and pace, and the films final race scene is beautifully shot. As I stated before, this isn't exactly my favorite category of film, but "Breaking Away" is a truly amazing film, and few films will leave you feeling more upbeat than this one.            

46. "Catch Me If You Can" (2002)

     "Catch Me If You Can" is the most underrated film in the complete filmography of Steven Spielberg. The film did well enough at the box office in 2002 and received decent reviews, but other than a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Christopher Walken's wonderful performance and a nomination for the fun and light-hearted score by long-time Spielberg collaborator John Williams, the film was ignored by the Academy as well as most other awards. At the end of the decade, there was barely a peep about it being one of the top films of the 2000's, even though it would definitely make my personal top 10 of the last decade. I am not sure why it didn't receive the sort of accolades it deserved, but if I had to make a guess, I think the film is just too fun for most people. For critics in particular, I'm sure the film lacked some sort of gravitas requirement, but for me, this is what makes the film so brilliant. While telling a spectacular but personal story, Spielberg is not afraid to have some fun, and appropriately mirrors the protagonist's appetite for imagination and grandeur by infusing the film with the self-acknowledging sense of cinematic genre and larger-than-life characters.

     "Catch Me If You Can" is based on the true story of the life of Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), who was perhaps the greatest con-artist in American history. After his parents split-up due to his father's, Frank Abagnale Sr. (Christopher Walken), financial troubles, the younger Frank (about 17 I think) runs away and is determined to earn enough money to try to get his family back together. To do this, Frank Jr. is able to fake his way into becoming an airline pilot, a doctor, a lawyer (including actually passing the bar exam), as well as making counterfeit money. All this fraud attracts the attention of the FBI and one gruff agent by the name Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who spends his life tracking down the young Frank (and also delivers my favorite "knock, knock" joke of all-time). It is an amazing story that is made even better by a terrific cast. As I mentioned before, Christopher Walken does a great job in his Oscar nominated performance (including a great speech about "two mice"), but the films two stars, DiCaprio and Hanks, give two of the best performances of their respective careers, and both roles may be the most underrated performances for the two actors. There is also an interesting personal aspect for director Steven Spielberg that probably helped make the movie what it is. As a child, Spielberg was very torn up when his parents divorced, which obviously helps him relate to this film's protagonist, who ends up becoming one of the greatest con-artists ever as a response to his parents split. "Catch Me If You Can" is a really great movie, with a fascinating story, which is made are the more so by the fact that it is all true.

45. "Paper Moon" (1973)

     As I have stated a few times in this countdown before, I have a week spot for films that transport the audience to some historical place and time, and few films do that better than "Paper Moon". Set in the Midwest during the Great Depression, "Paper Moon" tells the story of an estranged father-daughter grifter team (subject matter that has seemed to pop up a few times on this countdown), who look through local papers to find recently widowed woman and approach them about a bible that their deceased partner had "ordered" for them right before they died. For a small fee, he offers a chance for the widows to purchase this last treasured token from their departed loved ones, and with this scam as well as a few others, Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neil) and daughter Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neil) make a living through the 1930's. The movie is based on the book "Addie Pray" by Joe David Brown, and it is a well written and clever tale. More than the story though, what makes this film so impressive (among other things), is its ability to immerse you in 1930's culture. Shot in a beautiful black and white, director Peter Bogdanovich does a fantastic job in recreating the 1930's depression feel, from great sets, to the dirt roads, to the use of 1930's tunes such as "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee", this is as close to a trip on a time machine as you are going to get.

     The film was originally intended to be a feature for Paul Newman and his daughter Nell Potts, with John Huston set to direct, but when Huston bowed out and was replaced by Bogdanovich, in came Ryan O'Neil and his daughter Tatum. It all worked out for the best, because the performances by Ryan and Tatum are pitch-perfect, as is the chemistry in the relationship between them. Tatum O'Neil's performance in particular is something to behold for such a young girl, and the Academy agreed, making her the youngest person ever to receive a competitive Oscar (age 10, and she was awarded Best Supporting Actress, even though she is the star of the film). The film's fate totally rest on Tatum's performance, and she proves to be more than capable, giving the greatest performance by a child actor (and one of the better performances by any adult actors as well). The film is a touching father-daughter relationship story, and despite (or maybe because) the real-life contentious relationship between Ryan and Tatum O'Neil, it is one of the most powerful films to explore this relationship.

44. "All About Eve" (1950)

     There are some films that revel in the fun they have with the audience, and while most of these movies were released on newer half of the history of cinema, "All About Eve" is one of the first movies to take this tone. Based on a short story called "The Wisdom of Eve" that parodied real events that occurred in the life of the theater, "All About Eve' is a classic story of fame, obsession, manipulation and betrayal. The film tells the story of a legendary aging starlet of the theater, Margo Channing (Bette Davis), who one day meets a women claiming to be an avid fan, Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). At first she enjoys the admiration and hires Eve as an assistant. Soon Eve reveals herself not to be the naive adoring fan that she seemed, and instead proves herself to be an ambitious manipulative individual carefully moving herself up the theater ladder. The two women slowly begin to butt heads, as everyone adores Eve and her "sweet" persona, and the relationship totally devolves when Margo misses a rehearsal one day and Eve just happens to fill in for her and wows everyone. Eventually though, Eve's lust for fame becomes more and more apparent, as she spurns all her friends to get where she wants to go.

     The film is one of the first films I am aware of to parody its own industry. While technically about the theater, a lot of the same jabs and criticisms of the industry ring just as true for the film industry. Despite or maybe because of the film's mocking of the industry, "All About Eve" received a record 14 Oscar nominations (which was later tied by "Titanic"), including five acting nominations. The film has a superb cast, from Bette Davis in her best performance, to Anne Baxter who creates one of the most memorable female roles in film history, to more minor players such Celeste Holm, who plays the playwright's wife, to George Sanders, who is fantastic as the snide theater critic. As great as the cast is though, the film's real star is the wonderful script by writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The overall story is great, but there are so many great lines in the film, that they're hard to keep up with. The film's most famous line is Bette Davis' utterance, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride", but that is just one example of the numerous great lines. The screenplay creates a perfect tone of comedy and drama that makes the film what it is, and helped win it the Oscar for Best Picture of 1950.

43. "Roman Holiday" (1953)

     My second William Wyler film on the list this week, "Roman Holiday" is in a much different mode than the dramatic World War II propaganda flick "Mrs. Miniver". Released in 1953, a good few years after the threat of a Nazi dominated world had subsided, "Roman Holiday" is about as good-spirited and joyous as films get. The film is about the young Princess Anne (Audrey Hepburn), who is on a publicity tour throughout Europe. By the time she gets to Rome, she finds herself very tired of her regulated and restricted lifestyle, yearning to the city the Italian capital on her own terms, she escapes her caretakers/captives but falls asleep on a park bench once the sedative she took kicks in. American news reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) brings her to his apartment, and when he discovers who she is, can't help but take her for a tour of the city with cameraman Irving Radovich (Eddie Albert) in what he sees as the news exclusive of the decade. Although his initial motives are selfish, throughout their adventures in Rome, Joe unexpectedly begins to fall in love with Anne.

     What I love about the film so much is its incredible sense of irreverence and joy towards life. The only other film that achieves this take on life is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", which is basically just a 1980's "Roman Holiday" set in Chicago instead of Rome. In both of these films, the feeling that anything is possible and fun exists around every corner if you look for it, envelopes the audience. The direction by William Wyler and the script from the black-listed Donald Trumbo help set the atmoshpere, but the actors do their part as well.  Gregory Peck, in one of his rare comedic performances, sets aside his usual moralist pronouncements for a bit of everyday humanism, and does surprisingly well at it. The biggest heap of praise though deserves to go to Audrey Hepburn, in her first major role. In order to film on location in Rome, William Wyler had to agree to hire some unknown actress on the cheap. What he found was a diamond in the rough, the perfect actress to play a young princess, and a star was born as they say. Hepbrun won the Oscar for her work, and started on her iconic career, all thanks to the brilliant piece of fun that is "Roman Holiday".

42. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1973)

     "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was a novel by Ken Kesey that caught the attention of actor Kirk Douglas. Kirk Douglas bought the film rights to the book, and even though he did produce a play based on the book, he could never convince any studios to produce the film with himself as the star, despite years of trying. As he started to age, he finally gave up on starring in a film version and sold the movie rights of the film to his son Michael. In the end, it all worked out for the best, as Michael was finally able to get the movie made, along with Jack Nicholson as its star, which (with no offense toward Kirk Douglas) is the way it needed to be made. The Academy was pleased with the results as well, as the film became the first film since 1934's "It Happened One Night" to win Best Picture, Best Director (Milos Forman), Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Louise Fletcher), and Best Screenplay.

     The film follows the character McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), who avoids being sent to prison for a statutory rape charge by pretending to be crazy. He instead ends up being sent to a mental institution, where he meets an interesting cast of characters, all of whom are patients in the institution. McMurphy's care-free attitude becomes infectious to the other patients, much to the dismay of the ice queen Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), who prefers the patients to be in a beaten down state so that they are more easily controlled. The battle between the two continues, and McMurphy even goes so far as to break-out the patients for a fishing expedition, but in the end only won of the two views can win out. Nicholson (who is probably my favorite actor), gives one of the best performances of his career, in a part he was born to play. Interestingly enough, the set of the film was pretty contentious over arguments Nicholson and director Forman had about how the film should play out. Forman wanted the patients to be riled up when McMurphy arrives at the mental institution, while Nicholson felt the the whole point of his character was to cause a change in the patients behavior. Nicholson went so far as to cause a coup among the actors, who refused to run rehearsals with Forman until he conceded to Nicholson's wishes. The two didn't talk to each for the rest of the production, using the cinematographer as a go-between to relay messages to one another, but despite the argument it all worked out, creating one of the greatest films in cinema history.

41. "Jackie Brown" (1997)

     Marking the second film by Quentin Tarantino to make the my list, "Jackie Brown" marks the only time Tarantino has made a movie based on another's work. The story of the film comes from the Elmore Leonard novel, but the style of the film is a homage to the 1970's "Blackexplotation" films. The film is probably the tamest of all of Tarantino's films, and for this reason I think it has the tendency to be underrated. After the first go through, you definitely enjoy the movie, but it is really after repeated viewings that the uniqueness of the characters, as well as the clean tidiness of the story and its execution really come through. With all of Tarantino's work, small bits of dialogue and insignificant scenes really pass the test of time and stick with you as the major plot points fade away. There is nothing flashy about the movie that jumps out at you, but there may be no other directors in the business that can deliver this sort of style, with this type of story.

     The film follows the exploits of of airline stewardess Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), who gets caught by the ATF smuggling gun trafficking money back to her boss Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson). The situation puts Jackie in a tough bind, as she is being pressured by the trigger happy Ordell and his partner Louis (Robert De Niro) to keep quiet, but at the same time ATF agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) is also threatening her with jail time and the loss of her job unless she cooperates in apprehending Ordell. The streetwise Jackie turns to a bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) for help, and the two of them cook up a plan to confuse both Ordell and Nicolette while making a lot of money in the process. As with all of Tarantino's films, the performances by the cast are outstanding. Pam Grier in the lead does a great job creating a gritty, but still sympathetic heroine. Samuel L. Jackson gives what I consider to be the best performance of his career (yes, even a little bit better than his performance in "Pulp Fiction"), Robert De Niro in a smaller role than he is accustomed to does his best work in the whole latter part of his career, and little known veteran (and the only Oscar nominated performance of the cast) Robert Forster gives a great understated performance as Max Cherry. Even actors with smaller roles, such as Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda, and a cameo role by Chris Tucker, all knock it out of the ball park. With all these great performances, along with Tarantino's trademark great use of music, make "Jackie Brown" a must-see.

     That's it for this week, so until next week, merry Christmas to everyone celebrating the holiday, and let me know what you think in the comments section.