Daily Archives: December 31, 2017

2017 in Review – Top Ten New-to-Me Films

Posted on December 31, 2017 | 4 comments

 

I slacked off somewhat on my movie watching for 2017 and have high hopes that I won’t be distracted by Real Life in 2018.  My viewing for the year began with 1960 and ended about half way into 1963.  I logged 381 films on Letterboxd.

I saw too many great films to count.  Since I’ve been seeking out classic movies for a long time, many of the best were re-watches.  Still there were many gems that were new to me. Films that I rated 9/10 that did not make this list are: Leon Morin, Priest (1961) The Steam Roller and the Violin (1961) and Vive le Tour (1962).

Here’s 10  favorite films I saw for the first time in 2016.   They are not ranked but in chronological order.

  1.  Wild River (1960) – directed by Elia Kazan

 2.  The Virgin Spring (1960) – directed by Ingmar Bergman

3.  Through a Glass Darkly (1961) – directed by Ingmar Bergman

4.  The Days of Wine and Roses (1962) – directed by Blake Edwards

5.  Advise and Consent (1962) – directed by Otto Preminger

6.  The Longest Day (1962) – directed by Ken Annakin, Ardrew Marton, and Bernhard Wicki

7.  America America (1963) – directed by Elia Kazan

8.  The Organizer (1963) – directed by Mario Monicelli

9. Judex (1963) – directed by Georges Franju

10.  Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie  – directed by Vilgot Sjöman

 

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 A Happy Healthy and Prosperous 2018 to one and all!

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Posted in Top Ten Lists

Lord of the Flies (1963)

Posted on December 31, 2017 | 2 comments

Lord of the Flies
Directed by Peter Brook
Written Peter Brook from a novel by William Golding
1963/UK
Two Arts Ltd.
First viewing/FilmStruck

[box] Jack: We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English! And the English are best at everything![/box]

Well, this is a hell of a note to end a year on.

The film begins with a group of still photographs that wordlessly tell of a coming war and the evacuation of children.  The story proper finds the boys located on a desert island which will be their new home following a plane crash.  These are evidently all upper class public school pupils but strangers to each other.  It takes no time at all before the youngsters form up tribes, select leaders, and descend into brutality.

The movie tells a very simple story in which a few rational but weak boys are no match for a few bullies and the groupies they attract.  It’s not clear whether the savagery depicted is fascist or anarchist but I suppose it doesn’t matter.  I really was not in the mood for something that held out so little hope for mankind.

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Posted in 1963