Many years ago I got into cinema. I started with Casablanca, then proceeded to watch every damn film on the American Film Institute’s top 100. It wasn’t until this entire project was done that I began to look towards foreign films. Part of my problem was that I didn’t really know where to start. People will look at you funny if you haven’t seen Star Wars or the Wizard of Oz. “Everyone” knows The Godfather, Singin’ in the Rain, and Psycho are great films but what about foreign films. There aren’t really any consensus greatest foreign films lurking in our cultural lexicon. Perhaps 50 years ago names like Fellini, Bergman, and Godard were hip to the general public, but well that was 50 years ago. For this reason I couldn’t include any foreign films in this top tier even if I wasn’t specifically excluding them for purposes of neophyte accessibility. There is no foreign equivalent to Casablanca, The Godfather, or Gone With the Wind.
Even the foreign films listed in the Sight and Sound poll are suspect. These are some seriously esoteric films. If I told someone to make sure Potemkin, Rules of the Game, and Tokyo Story were among the first 10 or so films you watched if you were just getting into cinema they’d probably run away screaming to the latest Adam Sandler film (ok we all know no one is going to actually see Jack and Jill, so let’s just say they watch Happy Gilmour for the 20th time). I’m not saying I’m ignoring these films, or even neglecting them, I just believe that the order shouldn’t necessarily be “greatest to least important” but one of accessibility. You don’t give someone Animal Farm to read and then tell them to finish War and Peace the next week.
So with that, welcome to the second tier. There are a few more films than the first tier, in fact as of typing this paragraph, 4 more. 5 of these 12 films are foreign films so alas we are saved. Now I debated for quite awhile which films to put in this category. After all I went much longer before watching foreign films, but I feel you’re ready for it. You’ve gotten over your fear of musicals, you’ve been able to watch a couple of films that meet or exceed the three hour mark, you’ve realized that Star Wars isn’t just some dumb movie for nerds, and even managed to sit through a film that may or may not have scared the crap out of you. Perhaps most important of all, and the reason why The Gold Rush was the last film, you got used to the idea of reading while watching a movie. The language of cinema is universal, and you didn’t really miss a beat watching Chaplin in all his glory did you? Who needs sound anyways? Well to me silent cinema and foreign films seem like cousins, not too far removed from one another and if you can handle one, then the other should be no problem.
So the other idea behind this list is that you can brace yourself for films that might not be rosy rays of sunshine. In other words some of the best, most important, and essential films are dramas and sometimes heartbreaking ones. So this list might seem like the “real” first tier to some of you, but well I held off here. Now because of this forewarning you may think “good heavens I’m going to be so depressed watching these films” and remove your fear because that won’t be the case. Not all of these films are depressing and some are downright uplifting at certain points. I’m also starting to assume that with that little bit of work you did with the first tier that certain wonders and marvels of cinematic form can start to be noticeable. In other words the noteworthy aspects of some of these films won’t be entirely lost upon you because now you have a frame of reference.
The second tier is not exactly in alphabetical order so there is a slight progression to this tier. So anyways, I ramble and often wonder who reads these extended preambles anyways, so onto the list already:
Second Tier
Citizen Kane (1941) - Dir. Orson Welles
Well, well, well Mr. Thinks-this-is-the-greatest-film-ever how could you have left this out of the first tier. Clearly there is no more essential film ever made than Kane? 9/10 critics will probably tell you if you could only watch one movie in your lifetime this would be it. Considered by countless sources to be the greatest film ever for decades now, yet you’re putting it in the second tier, what the hell for? Ok slow down, Kane is for all intents and purposes the greatest film ever made, the same way the Beatles were the greatest band of all time. Your personal favorite might be different but it’s hard to argue with the status. The reason I put this is in the second tier is one of context. I give you Sgt. Pepper’s and tell you this is the greatest album ever you might say “ok that was good, but what of it?” Now if you hear a few of the albums around it, such as the Beatles earlier records, and some albums from the Stones, Kinks, Who, Beach Boys, etc all of a sudden it might start to make sense just how much of a revelation the album was. The greatness of Kane could easily be lost upon someone who was starting off their film odyssey with it. The same reason that nearly anyone who was forced to watch this in an introduction to film class and write a 10 page paper on it probably hates the film and thinks it’s overrated. Being force fed greatness will come with a large dose of resistance even fool-heartedly. I didn’t think this was the greatest film ever the first time I saw it, but I knew it was a damn good one. So if you approach this film thinking it will be a damn good movie, you will be very pleased. However if you watch it expecting to hear the voice of God and experience a cosmic enlightenment you may find yourself a bit disappointed. So I held it off for the second tier hoping that after seeing some of the very best films, you may be able to appreciate the top of the list. If I held it off too much longer though the expectation would only mount again leading to eventual let down. So watch it, watch it again, watch a documentary or two about it, and then watch it again, and hell you might just agree with me an a lot of other film snobs.Raging Bull (1980) - Dir. Martin Scorsese
I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to call Scorsese America’s greatest filmmaker of the last forty years. Nearly anyone whose had a passing interest in cinema has seen one of his films, or god willing at least knows of his work. However a hundred years from now when film textbooks (assuming such things still exist) look to reference Scorsese, chances are the one film he will be best remembered for is Raging Bull. Considered by nearly everyone to be the best film of the 80s, and featuring one of the most remarkable acting performances ever caught on film it is one of those films you simply have to watch. You might find more accessible films from him, but few American films have ever touched so many raw nerves as this film, it is very powerful stuff.
On the Waterfront (1954) - Dir. Elia Kazan
Forget context for a bit. You may or may not know who Elia Kazan, you may or may not know what he did in the 50s or what this film was alluding to. In fact the less you know on an initial viewing the better. If you don’t know about the filmmaker, keep it that way until after you finish this. On the Waterfront is to the 50s what Raging Bull is to the 80s when it comes to high end Hollywood drama. Marlon Brando won his first Oscar for his role as Terry Malloy and his famous speech is even quoted by DeNiro in Raging Bull. For anyone interested in just what method acting was this film is as good as it gets. Kazan, controversial he may have been at times was still one of the all time greats and this was his best film. Might seem odd today, but this was also a rarity in its day for actually filming on location (which considering how many films are shot on green screens today it may seem unique today as well).
Schindler’s List (1993) - Dir. Steven Spielberg
There seems to be a trend here of black and white dramas. In the case of this and Raging Bull, color was certainly the norm which makes it stand out all the more. Schindler’s List is one of those films that nearly everyone knows about, and people are well honestly sometimes scared to watch. Not the same way people might be scared to watch Paranormal Activity, but well they know this is going to get them on a gut level, and it might be a bit depressing. However anyone whose seen it won’t deny that it was a pretty damn good film. Even more than Scorsese, Spielberg is one of those directors who can sell a film just with his name. After his earlier track record of box office dominance, it seems odd that he was still trying to prove himself, still trying to be taken seriously by the establishment. Schindler’s List ended all doubts about that. No matter how many more films dealing with the Holocaust come out, this film set the bar far too high for any of them to ever reach it.
The 400 Blows (1959) - Dir. Francois Truffaut
Are you ready for some foreign films finally? Well I know some of you might be a little disturbed that this is the first one appearing on the list, but along with the film listed directly below this, it is a damn fine place to start. Francois Truffaut was one of the founders of the French New Wave, the original and ultimate “new wave”. His first feature was The 400 Blows and for many audiences world wide this will forever be the figurative Ft. Sumter of the New Wave. The autobiographical nature of the story is one that Truffaut would carry on throughout his career, eventually bringing the Antoine Doinel character back four more times. The film is harsh but revitalizing in it’s sincerity. Truffaut’s personal attachment to the subject was what the New Wave was all about. To paraphrase him, he wanted to make movies that he would have wanted to see growing up. With a certain nod to Jean Vigo’s Zero for Conduct the French cinema really never had a character quite like Doinel. It can be argued that the New Wave might have reached it’s peak a few years later, I can’t think of a better place to start.
Breathless (1960) - Dir. Jean-Luc Godard
Ever since their days as critics for Cahiers du Cinema Truffaut and Godard have been linked together. It doesn’t matter how incredibly far apart they drifted in later years, Godard being a very vocal critic of some of Truffaut’s later work, they came up together and internationally speaking The 400 Blows and Breathless will always be the most iconic films of the New Wave. Whereas Truffaut was breathing life into cinema with a personal subject and a few occasional directorial flourishes Godard simply took the entire language of cinema and made it his bitch. He’d get progressively more experimental over the next several decades (often to the point of incomprehension) but in his first feature he playfully bends all notions of what the rules of cinema are. Characters in Godard films break the fourth wall, continuity rules are discarded, camera movements are anything but fluid. It might seem odd with all the hand held camera movies being made today, but it was something quite revolutionary when Godard did it in 1960. It may also be worth pointing out that it’s just a damn fun film to watch still today. His film was the worship of the low budget American gangster film, and while paying homage to those poverty row studios he created a seismic shift in cinema forever. Simply put there is cinema before Godard, and cinema after Godard those are the two eras.
Open City (1945) - Dir. Roberto Rossellini
Chances are if you’ve heard of the French New Wave, then Italian Neorealism is also a movement that should ring a few bells. Now many films follow the wake of a breakthrough that borrow some of the original film’s signatures, but there’s always that first that simply defines what it’s all about. Roberto Rossellini was one of Italy’s “Big Four” of directors that came to prominence in the post war years. Open City was the first real breakthrough Italian cinema had outside of Italy since the days before D. W. Griffith. The influence of Rossellini and other Italians at the time was huge. It can be said that there might not have been a French New Wave without the Italian movement. Many of the films from this period are shot on location, often dealing with poor and exploited people. Many of the actors are non-professionals and the films were shot as naturalistically as possible. Yet none of these films are as powerful, dramatic, exciting, and groundbreaking as Rossellini’s breakthrough. This is cinema at it’s most vibrant and there are plenty of scenes that may still blow you away today with their brutality. This was a call to arms from a shamed nation desperately looking to rebuild itself in the wake of fascism.
The Searchers (1956) - Dir. John Ford
Well at long last we have ourselves a Western. Not just any Western but the greatest of all, starring the greatest screen cowboy we’re ever likely to see, and directed by the most legendary of all Western filmmakers. John Ford and John Wayne made a number of collaborations over the course of their careers. From Stagecoach in 1939 to Donovan’s Reef in 1963 the pair hit some pretty high highs. Rarely however has perfection like this occurred on the screen. I stumble at times to think of fitting enough adjectives to describe how amazing this movie is. This isn’t your cowboys and Indians shoot-’em-up that your grandpa might have had on the TV in the afternoon, this is some powerful stuff. After Stagecoach there was a wave of more serious minded Westerns aimed more for adults than 8-10 year old boys. In the 50s this was amplified even more particularly with the string of Westerns starring Jimmy Stewart and directed by Anthony Mann as well as critically acclaimed films like High Noon and Shane. Like Singin’ in the Rain this film was largely ignored when it first came out. Considered a flop this wound up being a personal favorite of Ford and Wayne but a bit of a failure for their studio. It was only after a rediscovery in the late 60s that people started to realize that this might be Ford’s masterpiece, which is saying something for a man who won 4 best director Oscars.
Seven Samurai (1954) - Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Rashomon might have been the film to open the floodgates to Japanese cinema in the 50s but when all is said and done this is the Kurosawa film that will be considered his best. Like The Searchers this film was also somewhat maligned when it was first released. It nearly bankrupted it’s studio and when it came out in the US two years later over an hour of it was cut. The director’s cut was one of those cinematic tragedies people dreamed about one day seeing (like Welle’s Magnificent Ambersons, or Erich Von Stroheim’s Greed) and in the 90s that dream came true. A complete restoration took place and the full epic was once again available and seen for the first time in the West. The parallels between samurai films and Westerns are numerous and it makes sense that the film was remade as The Magnificent Seven in 1960. Perhaps watching this side by side with The Searchers can help illustrate the point a little better. The amount of care and patience Kurosawa crams into an action packed film is remarkable. Hard to imagine a film so simple be so involved. This is perhaps the best known Japanese film ever made, and well why not start with Kurosawa?
La Dolce Vita (1960) - Dir. Federico Fellini
Fellini was a one of a kind director. Describing his style to someone whose never seen one of his films is a frustrating endeavor. La Dolce Vita signaled a turn in Italian cinema much like Breathless did for the French. Gone were the non-professional actors, films shot in remote provinces about poor people and their struggles. Sure directors like Olmi, Rosi, and De Seta would continue this but with La Dolce Vita, as well as L’Avvenura released the same year the emphasis would shift. Fellini was interested in the rich and their unique brand of decadence. For better or worse Fellini would get more surrealistic in his subsequent films but there is just a slight hint of that here. Instead it’s just a compelling odyssey of life on the A-list. No one is entirely bad or entirely good anymore. Fellini became the first Italian director nominated for a best director Oscar with this film, which goes to show you that no time needed to pass before audiences recognized the greatness of this film. If foreign cinema had any equivalent to say Casablanca as a must see film, La Dolce Vita might be it.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) - Dir. Frank Capra
I’ll be honest this probably could have gone on the first tier. After all who isn’t familiar with this film? For many families this is a holiday tradition, the ultimate Christmas movie. Watching it today I don’t look at so much as a Christmas film. Frank Capra dominated the 30s, winning 3 best director Oscars in 5 years. When WWII started he did his part and went overseas, helping produce and direct the Why We Fight Series. Coming home after the war this was his first film, and also his first collaboration with James Stewart since Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Audiences were a little put off by how downbeat the film seemed to be at the time. Critics still loved it but this wasn’t quite the same foolishly optimistic Capra of the previous decade but the underlying message was still the same. George Bailey was after all a good man deep down inside and well good things eventually happen to good people, occasionally we might not even be aware of it. In many ways this is both the pinnacle of “Capra-corn” and it’s swan-song.
The Birth of a Nation/Intolerance (1915/1916) - Dir. D. W. Griffith
One can make the argument that no filmmaker was ever more important or influential than D. W. Griffith. Perhaps film itself would have faded away as a curious novelty much like the wild west show had it not been for Griffith. Now sometimes due to a tendency of oversimplifying history he is credited with more than he probably deserves, but there are some things you just can’t take away. The Birth of a Nation is, was, and always will be the most controversial film ever made. You may think that today some of it’s scenes are downright appalling, perhaps thinking when the film was made that things were different and audiences didn’t mind. However this film was just as volatile back in 1915, dividing many audiences. Like too many other films that are often impossible to separate from their historical context this film often gets overlooked for what it did for cinema. For the first time cinema was on par with all other art forms if not surpassing it. Even better however was Intolerance, a film made by Griffith to apologies/defend his actions with Birth. It’s multiple lines of action were lost on viewers at the time and like a few other films on this list it was a disaster when released. For Griffith it was the end of his most ambitious projects, but he’d continue to make some great and important films until his involuntary retirement following 1931’s The Struggle. Intolerance is to me the greatest silent film ever made and pretty damn close to the greatest of all films, but everyone living should see The Birth of a Nation at some point in their lifetime. Few people could stage a battle scene like Griffith, and for editing pace well there are generations of disciples that still owe a debt of gratitude to the master.So that’s it for now. The third tier will be coming soon so go through this list and do you homework.
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