Classic Film : Your all-time favorite film

Just that simple: what is your very favorite film of all? Everybody's got one. It can be anything famous or obscure, a classic or a routine release, good or so-bad-it's-good. No criteria, no right or wrong, no disputes or arguments, everyone's opinion is valid, just please no trying to impress others by making a "heavy" choice that you really don't watch all that much. We're past that, now.

You can explain why it's your fave or just leave the title. Your choice. It seems an obvious question to ask veterans of the CFB. But only one title to a customer!

My favorite movie of all is:

The Guns of Navarone (1961).

A cast of favorite actors (Peck, Niven, Quinn), terrific story, tense direction, beautiful locations, superb music (Dimitri Tiomkin), and, hey, it's World War II!

There's some tough competition but Guns still ranks at the top of my list after all these years. Not the best but the one I like best.

Yours?

Lawrence of Arabia has been a clear number 1 since I first saw it in probably 1963. I love everything about it. I've seen it approx 80 times, but most of those were the "short" cut [190 minutes].



"He was a poet, a scholar and a mighty warrior."

Vertigo

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Liberty E Pluribus Unum In God We Trust

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Duck Soup




Mice work in mysterious ways.
No, dear. That's God.

Go! and never darken my towels again!

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Liberty E Pluribus Unum In God We Trust

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I'm still trying to come up with an all-time favourite.

~~~~~
Proud to be Canadian!

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Not the best but the one I like best.

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Using that criteria, I would pick The Last Detail (1973), with Jack Nicholson, Otis Young and Randy Quaid.

I always like the combination funny/sad vibe it gives off, plus the raw, realistic feel of the filming locations (during wintertime along the U.S. East Coast). Having served in the Navy myself, I always find something to relate to in this one, and never tire of watching it.

I should add that the ending of TLD has a certain poignancy that reminds me of the IMDb Boards shutting down. It's like our own "detail" is now over, and much like "Buddusky" and "Mulhall" do at the end of the movie, we, too, must ponder our fate and decide what we do next


Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu and several other Japanese words.

My favorite film is one that came out in 1941. It was the directorial debut of its now famed helmer and among its unique qualities is that it showed ceilings.

And no, it's not Citizen Kane, it's The Maltese Falcon.

It ain't easy being green, or anything else, other than to be me

DARLING


An incandescent Julie Christie, a dazzling Frederic Raphael script*, witty Schlesinger direction, Laurence Harvey's finest hour, a splendid example of the "unreliable narrator" in film and an unforgettable portrait of a London just about to "swing"



BTW- The song is "Someone to talk to" by The Breakaways and bonus points for anyone who can point me to a cd of it

*
She "I've stuck it out about as long as I can"
He "Yeah - and about as often as you can"


Tell mama, Tell mama all.

Gilda (1946)

Put the blame on Mame!

Biruma no tategoto (1956) The Burmese Harp - easily the most spiritual film that I've watched

jj

Hi hob,

You are asking the impossible! So difficult to name just one, as I have so many that I consider favourites. This was tough, but here goes.

Classic

The Passionate Friends (1949)

Modern

Priceless (2006)


The Guns of Navarone is great fun, a solid war/adventure flick. Love David Niven in that.




Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

Oh, Maddy, you sneaked in twoyou little devil!

I couldn't help it! To be fair though I did only pick one for each era.



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

Coin toss between The Caine Mutiny and High Noon.

If what you say to someone cannot be said to everyone, be careful what you say to anyone.

My name says it all!



"Barney SloaneThat's my new nameMy old one's a little more Italian."

It certainly does! And is among my favourite films, by the way.

Mine: The Bridge on the River Kwai. 1957-2017: 60 years, the Chinese cycle, two revolutions of Saturn and five revolution of Jupiter. The two great cronocrators. But in my opinion, it's always fresh, it doesn't get old.

On Monday 2 October (60th anniversary of its premiere in London) I might even organise a party

Are you the one who made me a DVD of London Belongs to me when I was wailing about missing it on TCM.

It was the kindest thing Ive ever heard of but I'm so awful with names.

It was a toss-up whether I go in for diamonds or sing in the choir. The choir lost.

Marsha,I wish I could take credit for it, because it is a wonderful film, but I don't own a copy myself, so you have some kind soul to thank.

"Barney SloaneThat's my new nameMy old one's a little more Italian."

Beyond the Forest (1949)

What can be better than having Queen Bette Davis in nearly all the scenes doing what she did best: being larger than life. She was sassy, mean, selfish, over the top and looked so sexy in it. Besides, except for the sad ending, it's great fun.

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Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop

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Splendor in the Grass (1961) without question.

It literally changed my life when I was a only 13 by starting me on the path of becoming a film director at that young age. I will love it first and foremost for as long as I live.

The time of the singing of the birds has come.

Non-American: Sansho the Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi) - Nothing can touch it, as far as I'm concerned, in terms of artistry, and as another poster said of another Japanese film of this period, it's a spiritual experience unmatched in the cinema.

American: I go back and forth between 2 Vincente Minnelli films, The Clock and Meet Me in St. Louis, both of which take me to a world, a worldview, and a circle of characters I never want to leave.

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN!



I do hope he won't upset Henry

I have no one all-time favorite.


"Treasure Of The Sierra Madre" with Bogie, the Hustons, Tim Holt and Alfonso Bedoya.

All brought their A game to this film. A perfect film. Also, one of the great endings in film history.

"It's A wonderful Life" Great performance by Jimm Stewart, it's a bridge between the warm and friendly young Stewart and the older, darker, more violent Stewart. It's also a great ensemble of some of the best character actors of all time at their best.

"Out Of The Past" The best noir of all time, but also one of the most beautifully photographed noirs of all time. The criminally underutilized Jane Greer plays the most innocent looking yet most lethal femme fatale of all noirs. Do you realize that nearly all who die in this movie die by her hand?

"Shane" My all time favorite western. The first and only western ever made by George Stevens and his most carefully controlled movie. I marvel at the way the deer in the opening scene quickly raises his head and frames Shane in his antlers. How did Steven get the deer to do that? Stevens pulled a nuanced performance out of Alan Ladd that Ladd never equalled before or after this movie. Victor Young, who composed a lot of fine music in his career, created lovely, evocative and somewhat sad melodies for the Shane and Marian characters. Did this movie inspire "The Seven Samurai"? Who can say. It is a popular movie in Japan. The melody, known as "The Call Of The Faraway Hills" with Japanese lyrics became a standard in Japan, but not the USA!

"The Red Shoes" How do you take ballet, make it the centerpiece of a movie and make it seem a career worthy of an obsession that overpowers everything! Incredible that inexperienced actors like Moira Shearer, Leonide Massine and Robert Helpmann outshine everyone else except Anton Walbrook. Yes, the plot is over the top, but the movie is a work of art, one of the best uses of color in movies. And just what is Lermontov's motivation? Is he in love with Vicky and wants to possess her for himself, or does he see her as his creative masterpiece? Or is he only interested in finding talent in others and forcing them to give up everything in their lives in order to be the best in whatever that talent is?

The Band Wagon.

It has humour, great dancing and a sassy score, no dead spots and a smashing send up of film noir. If it must be one film, it's tge one I pick


But I love all the other films mentioned

Always forget how good guns of navarone is.

It was a toss-up whether I go in for diamonds or sing in the choir. The choir lost.

My favorite is one you might have been thinking of when you mention a "heavy." Yet I DO watch it. It is a life-changer, but also a very entertaining film with humor, drama, satire, and, in the midst of life and death, hope.

Ikiru (1952),directed by Akira Kurosawa.

mf

I know that, in spite of the poets, youth is not the happiest season"

Ikiru is of course superb, Mike. The admonition in my OP was just to try to keep people from self-consciously choosing something to try to impress others instead of giving an honest opinion. More power to you for choosing such a magnificent film. Just watched it again about a month ago.

Bergman's The Seventh Seal.

What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.

"On the waterfront"

wilder50

Hello, hobnob!

I'm a sensitive guy, hobnob, and the films that I cherish most of all in my heart tend to be romances of the heartbreaking kind.

This is so, so truly difficult to narrow it down to just one but if I did have to pick just one, that one might well be Krzysztof Zanussi's 'Rok spokojnego slonca' / 'A Year of the Quiet Sun'. The film touched me profoundly and is the only film I have ever watched that made me break down uncontrollably in tears for several days following my watching it. Even now, three years on, tears are trickling down my cheeks. The gentle beauty and exquisite humanity in Maja Komorowska and Scott Wilson's portrayal of happenstance, connection, and loss will always live on in my heart and be a shining example of why I love film so dearly.

I wrote a little review shortly after watching it: www.imdb.com/board/10088009/reviews-7.




That's all, folks!

Your recommendations have always been good so I just ordered a copy of this film.

jj

Oh, that's truly lovely to hear. I hope the film proves one to remember for you.

Hope you are doing well, jj.




That's all, folks!

Hi Roger,

I don't know that film at all (I've heard the title but know nothing more) but will look into it. You have good taste and judgment, rare commoditieseven on IMDb!

Thanks!

Appreciate the kind words. Haha, not sure my brothers necessarily agree that my taste is all that good.




That's all, folks!

Other favourites include:

LOOKING FORWARD (1933)
JOURNEY'S END (1930)
DAVID COPPERFIELD (1935)
DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936)
THEY WON'T FORGET (1937)
MARKED WOMAN (1937)
HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT (1937)
A STAR IS BORN (1937)
LOST HORIZON (1937)
PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937)
FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938)
THE RAINS CAME (1938)
ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)
DARK VICTORY (1939)
THE LETTER (1940)
THE GREAT LIE (1941)
NOW VOYAGER (1942)
RANDOM HARVEST (1942)
CASABLANCA (1943)
DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
STORY OF GI JOE (1945)
LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945)
TO EACH HIS OWN (1946)
OUT OF THE PAST (1947)
ACT OF VIOLENCE (1948)
ADAM'S RIB (1949)
MYSTERY STREET (1950)
FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950)

Forgive the long list, but all these are all "GO TO" FILMS that are all cherished personal favouritesnearly all of which I shelled out HARD CASH for.

JS















I do hope he won't upset Henry

Aguirre: The Wrath of God

It's a Wonderful Life.

Bonnie And Clyde (1967) - turned me from a regular filmgoer to a rabid film fan.

Chinatown (1974)

"The answers to all of life's riddles can be found in the movies."

My heart will always belong to.


SCARLETT O'HARA
and the red earth of Tara!


I've spent more hours with her by far than with any other movie character, and I'm always delighted to see her again.

Wish I had her courage.

Long live Gone with the Wind.

Singing in the Rain.

The Thing from Another World

from my blog, 2015: the My Favorite Classic Movie blogathon

The Hawks movie world as presented in The Thing from Another World is one that appeals to me. In my imagination I would like to display such skill; to be so calm when disaster strikes and casual with my affection. And I've come pretty close a time or two. Inspiration and entertainment are the hallmarks of The Thing from Another World that make it my most watched favourite classic movie.





"What seems to be trouble, Captain?"

Heck hob, I can't even get it down to picking favorites in all the different genres, or by directors or with certain actors or within date ranges and you want THE one.

Ain't gonna happen.

Great thread read btw.

The Birds (1963) maybe?



That's right! You're about to be killed by a zamboni!

and would yours perhaps be Fargo ?

Shop around the corner

Others:

Comedy
Pillow talk
Importance of Being Earnest
I'm All Right Jack
Palm Beach Story
Some Like it Hot

Drama
12 Angry men
Seventh Seal
Ikiru
GWTW
Hamlet (1848)

Action
Adventures of Robin Hood
Ben Hur
Wages of Fear
Sands of Iwo Jima
Caine Mutiny

Crime
Asphalt Jungle
DOA
Angels with Dirty faces
The Godfather
Key Largo

Western
My Darling Clemintine
Rio Grande
Seven Men from Now
The Professionals
Shane

The Fisher King (1991)

Buddy pic, two sets of star-crossed lovers, a classic quest, social commentary without preaching, humor, superb use of locations, fantastic ensemble acting this Terry Gilliam gem has everything. Jeff Bridges and Robin Willams are extraordinary, together and separately. Watch for Bridges' 'Pinocchio' monologue about fifteen minutes in - it is unforgettable. 10/10

As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another

I thought for sure that yours would be The Sand Pebbles.


Remember the annual poll where your list evolved from being 20 Sand Pebbles to the final #1 one plus 19 others ?

Yep, but that was for 1966 only, this is all-time. The Sand Pebbles is probably about #4 or #5 on the all-time list.

As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another

Secret of the Roan Inish. John Sayles was firing on all cylinders when he wrote this one.

I'm a sucker for movies with a storyteller and this has multiple storytellers, selkies, and children doing real work to please/surprise their family. I find it all very relaxing like a nightly cup of hot tea.

When it opened it played at one Minneapolis theater for a year.



. . . The Bones tell me nothing.