Best film ever made....

My Top 12

Shane
In the Heat of the Night
Shawshank Redemption
To Kill a Mockingbird
Alien
Der Untergang
Schindler's List
Jaws
12 Angry Men
Hotel Rwanda
Zulu
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
 
Yes De Palma's Scarface, although I own a copy of the 1932 version and have to admit I still enjoy watching it from time to time! Although I do prefer the Pacino version.

As for older movies, I'll be honest in saying that I don't rate them as highly apart from Citizen Kane really. I just don't enjoy the acting or direction from the old black and white days, it's all too similar imo. As well as the original Scarface and Citizen Kane, the original Psycho is the only other "older" movie I enjoy watching.
 
The thing is, I really admire The Shawshank Redemption, it's a great film. If I was asked my opinion of the film by somebody who hadn't seen it and was considering doing so, I would be very quick to highly recommend the film to them... however, I would never put it in my top ten for one simple reason, it's not hugely rewatchable. It's the kind of film where the first time you see it the film really draws you in, the second time however I feel the film just doesn't retain that same hold over the viewer anymore. It just doesn't have that same wonder about it, and after a few multiple viewings of it (over say a few months) the film just becomes tiresome. It is a drama after all.

I base my top 10 favourites on many factors, but one of the main things being how rewatchable it is. All of the films in my top ten are the kind of films that to me A) I watch alot and B) Never get sick of watching no matter how many times I do.
 
Well you could say Godfather was about family rather than the mafia.... Just how you look at it really.

Your right it is all about opinion but what pickles me is all the film critics who write their reviews and say Once Upon A Time In America is "the best gangster film since The Godfather" or "Deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as The Godfather" are then going and voting it AHEAD of The Godfather in the top films.... Little bit of a contradiction in my eyes.
 
^^

Fair enough. I happen to find Shawshank does have re-watch value personally, but I do take your point that drama's, moreso than other genres do lack re-watch value.
 
You can't go and just blurt a statement out like that. A lot of people say 'Goodfellas' or 'Godfather'. I don't think there is a 'Best Film Ever Made'. My personal Favourite is 'Star Wars' but I don't think it is the best film ever made. It is personal preference. You may as well ask what is the best song ever made? or who is the hottest woman on the planet? :)
 
Bloomin heck, I just opened this thread and was about to cast my vote in this thread for 'Once Upon a Time in America', so am surprised about it actually getting the top spot in the link you gave.
I would have though that it would be 'Citizen Kane' which for years everybody said was the greatest film ever by default.

I missed the More 4 programme, does anybody know if it is repeated??

But yes I agree with the top choice in the link.
'Once Upon a Time in America' is what I've believed for many years to be the greatest film I've seen.
Mind you a lot comes down to taste really as well isn't it?
I'm sure that many films could be seen to be worthy to get the top spot though and subjective tastes play a factor in the equation.
'Once Upon a Time in America' would be my choice as well though.
 
That's exactly how I see it as well.

The film isn't really a 'gangster' film in the way that 'The Godfather' is. That's almost a genre in itself which shows all the hierarchy and family drama of a gangster family.

'Once Upon a Time...' is just about Noodles and his jewish mates who grow up and happen to be a gang. It's those bonRAB that are explored. The Mafia is in the background and sometimes overlaps into the story, but it's never about The Mafia itself.

Sergio Leone had planned this film for years, it was always intended to be part of a trilogy.
'Once Upon a Time in the West' (another great film)
'A Fistful of Dynamite'
and 'Once Upon a Time in America' to round off the trilogy.
They all feature the development of organised crime.
'My Name is Nobody' also touches on the birth of organised crime in America too.

I won't say that this is definitively better than 'The Godfather' films because as I say taste is an important factor and different people can find different things rewarding to themselves.
But 'Once Upon a Time...' I find more rewarding because I feel it offers more richness and depth and an altogether richer experience that has layers that have layers to them.
And the music just creates such a dramatic impact on the experience.
It's not just a film, it's also an audio-visual experience for me and affects more of my senses and affects them deeper.
Just incredible crafting.

I love 'The Godfather' too, but it's a very different film to me. Many of the reasons I enjoy it are for entirely different reasons to them ones for me liking 'Once Upon a Time....'
 
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