Well, they've gone and done it again. The good folks over at They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? have once again updated their 1000 Greatest Films list. As far as background goes, the site has a comprehensive list of just about every film list out there, from the famed Sight & Sound Poll to the rather lackluster AFI lists to every critic worth his or her salt - and everything inbetween. They take these lists and compile one great big master list of the so-called 1000 Greatest Films (of course any such list is open to inevitable debate) and that is where our story begins. As I am sure many of my regular readers already know, I have taken it upon myself to see all 1000 movies on this same said list. When I began this quest back in 2007, I had already seen 425 of the films. Through slow times and fast times (speed-of-watching-wise) I have recently reached number 580 on the list. This is when the bough broke, so to speak.
You see, every year or so, these fine list compilers must update the aforementioned great big master list of movies. New lists to be inputted, and all that jazz. I have lived through three previous updates. With each update (of course) films drop off the list and are (of course again) replaced with different films. This of course inevitably jostles around the number of films on the list that I have seen. Sometimes it drops me back (the first of these plummeted me from 500 to 477) and other times it shoots me ahead (updates two and three bumped me ahead 14 and 18 slots respectively). This most recent update unfortunately has slipped me down, but only by four spots. Just as I reached #580 on my quest, I find my self retroactively placed back at #576 again.
Anyway, here we are at #576 on my quest to watch the 1000 greatest films. Next up is the Powell/Pressburger classic A Matter of Life and Death (the highest ranked film by The Archers on the list, one standing above my personal favourite, The Red Shoes). You can of course follow my quest both over at The Cinematheque, and here as I post critiques of the remaining 424 films (as I have of the last dozen or so already). I will leave you with an image from what is of course the number one movie on the list - which stays in that top spot through every update (probably) ad infinitum.
5 comments:
Hi Kevyn!
Is it just me or there is so much buzz around lists like Schneider's 1001 or IMdB Top 250 but nothing really about They Shoot Pictures' 1000 Greatest films around?
In my opinion this is the greatest list of them all! This is the Citizen Kane of all lists and I've been on this same quest as you've been since three years or so. Buying and renting those awesome films and so obscure ones too but all worth the look!
What I like the most about this list is that it doesn't get into trends and all hyped. It's about Cinema. That's it that's all!
I couldn't agree more Michael.
Kevyn, you can solve this problem by simply watching *all* of the films.
Um, I plan on that Jason. I am watching a Guru Dutt double feature later tonight.
I mean *all* the movies, whether they're on the list or not. You'll either succeed or die trying!
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