The Top Ten Films That Are on My Top 100 List, But Probably Aren't on a Lot of Other Top 100 Lists

Recently, Cahiers du cinéma published a list of the top 100 films of all time – or, more accurately, the "100 films for an ideal Cinematheque." Not surprisingly, the list was controversial. As a professor of film studies, I subscribe to a film-themed listserv, and there was general agreement that the list had too many Hollywood films, too many French films, and not enough Asian films. Perhaps the strangest choice: The Barefoot Contessa, a 1954 film by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. I have not seen the film, but Mankiewicz is rarely considered a major auteur, and The Barefoot Contessa is rarely considered his best film.

On the positive side, I just went to Netflix and put The Barefoot Contessa in the queue. That's the good thing about these Top 100 lists – they can get you to see films you might not see otherwise. In fact, I would say that a good Top 100 list is a list that has a few totally bizarre choices on it. Any film person can put the obvious choices on their list: Citizen Kane, Battleship Potemkin, Rules of the Game. It's the unexpected choices that keep the "Top 100" list worth reading.

I don't have a list of Top 100 films, but I do know that my list would have some weird choices on it, since I've seen some odd films and liked them a lot.

So, I give you another list: The Top Ten Films That Are on My Top 100 List, But Probably Aren't on a Lot of Other Top 100 Lists. Most of these films are generally considered great films, but I rate them even more highly than most people do. The list is in alphabetical order:

• Allonsanfan (Taviani Brothers, 1974) – the best film by two underrated filmmakers
• The Burmese Harp (Kon Ichikawa, 1956) – incredibly sad WWII film, with a surprising amount of singing
• Gabbeh (Mahmalbaf, 1996) – when I saw it the first time, I couldn't wait to see it again
• Heat (Mann, 1994) – like Antonioni, but thrilling
• In a Lonely Place (Ray, 1950) – another really sad one, with great performances
• Love Film (Szabo, 1970) – not to be confused with Love Story, made the same year
• My Best Girl (Taylor, 1927) – funny, with a great visual style – why isn't this film considered one of the silent greats?
• Only Angels Have Wings (Hawks, 1939) – Hawks's best film
• Signs (Shyamalan, 2002) – I show it every year in Intro to Film, and I still like it
• Toy Story 2 (Lasseter, 1999) – the first one's good, too, but the second one hits every emotion. Plus, Buzz and Woody go together like some of the all-time great silver screen duos, almost as good as milk and cookies.
  

I'm sure there are others that I am overlooking, but I will stand by every one of these films. Even if I recommended some of them to Lisa (my wife), and she hated them. She still hasn't forgiven me for Gabbeh.

-- Patrick