griggs's - Favourite Films of the 20th Century List
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Battleship Potemkin/Drifters (1929)Bronenosets Potyomkin/Drifters
In the 1920s and 1930s, Soviet propaganda films profoundly influenced the emerging luminaries of British documentary film-making. Sergei Eisenstein's groundbreaking Battleship Potemkin was not seen in the UK until the momentous London Film Society screening in 1929, where it was double-billed with John Grierson's Drifters. This new restoration of Battleship Potemkin is presented with the 1926 Edmund Meisel score, while the digitally remastered transfer of Drifters employs the original tinting and toning and features a newly commissioned score by innovative British composer/performer Jason Singh. - Director:
- Sergei Eisenstein
- Cast:
- Grigori Alexandrov, Vladimir Barsky, Aleksandr Antonov
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Passport to Pimlico (1949)Pasoš za Pimliko
When an unexploded WWII bomb is unexpectedly detonated in Pimlico, it reveals a buried cellar full of treasures, including an ancient document proving that the area is in fact part of Burgundy, France and thus foreign territory. In an attempt to regain control, the British Government set up borders and cut off all services to the area, but the 'Burgundians' are determined to fight back! - Director:
- Henry Cornelius
- Cast:
- Stanley Holloway, E.V.H. Emmett, Betty Warren
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Amadeus (1984)Peter Shaffer's Amadeus
"Amadeus" triumphs as gripping human drama, sumptuous period epic, glorious celebration of the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It's 1781 and Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) is the competent court composer to Emperor Joseph II. When Mozart (Tom Hulce) arrives at court, Salieri is horrified to discover that the godlike musical gifts he desires for himself have been bestowed on a bawdy, impish jokester. Mad with envy, he plots to destroy Mozart by any means. Perhaps, even murder. - Director:
- Milos Forman
- Cast:
- F. Murray Abraham, Michele Esposito, Tom Hulce
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After he saves her from drowning in the bay, Scottie's (James Stewart) interest shifts from business to fascination with the icy, alluring blonde. When tragedy strikes and Madeleine (Kim Novak) dies, Scottie is devastated. But when he finds another woman remarkably like his lost love, the now obsessed detective must unravel the secrets of the past to find the key to his future. - Director:
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast:
- James Stewart, David McElhatton, Kim Novak
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Orson Welles makes his feature-length directorial debut with this classic drama which often tops critics' polls of the best films of all time. In 1940, newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane (Welles) dies after uttering the word 'Rosebud'. An anonymous reporter (William Alland) is assigned the task of uncovering the meaning of Kane's dying word, and in the course of his enquiries he receives varying accounts of his life from former colleagues Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten) and Bernstein (Everett Sloan), and ex-wife Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore). The film, which Welles also produced and co-wrote, was not-so-loosely based on the life of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. - Director:
- Orson Welles
- Cast:
- Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore
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The Dude, Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is unemployed and laid-back... until...victim of mistaken identity, two thugs break into his apartment in the errant belief that they are accosting Jeff Lebowski the Pasadena millionaire. In hope of getting a replacement for his soiled carpet Dude visits his wealthy namesake and, with buddy, ex 'Nam' veteran, Walter (John Goodman) he is swept into a comedy/thriller of extortion, embezzlement, sex and dope. It takes guys as simple as the Dude and Walter to make a story this complicated...and they'd really rather be bowling. - Director:
- Joel Coen
- Cast:
- Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore
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Directed by Jonathan Demme, Talking Heads concert film 'Stop Making Sense' film has been re-mixed and re-mastered allowing the brilliance of the music and visuals to take full advantage of state-of-the-art technology.
Tracklisting:
1. Psycho Killer
2. Heaven3. Thank You for Sending Me An Angel
4. Found a Job
5. Slippery People
6. Burning Down the House
7. Life During Wartime
8. Making Flippy Floppy
9. Swamp
10. What a Day That Was
11. Nave Melody (This Must Be the Place)
12. Once In a Lifetime
13. Genius of Love
14. Girlfriend is Better
15. Take Me To the River
16. Cross-Eyed and Painless
Bonus Tracks:
17. Cities
18. Big Business / I Zimbra- Director:
- Jonathan Demme
- Cast:
- David Byrne, Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir
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The Battle of Algiers (1966)La Battaglia di Algeri
Gillo Pontecorvo's multi-award winning picture 'The Battle of Algiers' has perhaps never been as pertinent as it is now. Set from 1954 to 1962, the movie uses documentary-style black and white photography to recreate real events. Algerian liberation fighters use terrorist techniques against the French colonial occupiers; the French retaliate with brutal military force. Brilliantly directed set-pieces and remarkable crowd scenes make the film a masterpiece; the ominous familiarity of its subject makes it a must-see" - The Times How to win battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas. Children shoot soldiers at point blank range. Women plant bombs in Cafes. Sounds familiar? The French have a plan. It succeeds tactically, but fails strategically. To understand why, come to a rare showing of this film.'' - Pentagon tlyer for their in-house screening of Battle Of Algiers All the armies of the world - including the Pentagon - will never, but never, be able to conquer a country which wants to control its own destiny" - Saadi Yacef - Director:
- Gillo Pontecorvo
- Cast:
- Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi
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Dr. Strangelove (1964)Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Stanley Kubrick's classic black comedy about a group of war-eager military men who plan a nuclear apocalypse is both funny and frightening - and seems as relevant today as ever. Through a series of military and political accidents, two psychotic generals - U.S. Air Force Commander Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) and Joint Chief of Staff "Buck" Turgidson (George C. Scott) - trigger an ingenious, irrevocable scheme to attack Russia's strategic targets with nuclear bombs. The brains behind the scheme belong to Dr Strangelove (Peter Sellers), a wheelchair-bound nuclear scientist who has bizarre ideas about man's future. The President (also Sellers) is helpless to stop the bombers, as is Captain Mandrake (Sellers once again). Dr. Sstrangelove is truly a classic film. - Director:
- Stanley Kubrick
- Cast:
- Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden
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Some Like It Hot (1959)Not Tonight, Josephine!
When Chicago musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) accidentally witness a gangland shooting they quickly board a southbound train to Florida, disguised as Josephine and Daphne, the two newest and homeliest members of an all-girl jazz band. Their cover is perfet... until a lovelorn singer (Marilyn Monroe) falls for "Josephine", an ancient play-boy (Joe Brown) falls for "Daphne", and a mob boss (George Raft) refuses to fall for their hoax! - Director:
- Billy Wilder
- Cast:
- Marilyn Monroe, Paul Frees, Tony Curtis
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When British P.O.W.'s build a vital railway bridge in enemy-occupied Burma, Allied commandos are assigned to destroy it in David Lean's epic World War II adventure 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'. Spectacularly produced, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' captured the imagination of the public and won seven 1957 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Alec Guinness), and Best Director. Even it's the theme song, an old WWI whistling tune, the 'Colonel Bogey March', became a massive worldwide hit. 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' continues today as one of the most memorable cinematic experiences of all time. - Director:
- David Lean
- Cast:
- William Holden, Tsai Chin, Alec Guinness
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Raging Bull (1980)The Life of Jake La Motta
"Raging Bull" is arguably the finest work from the Scorsese and De Niro partnership. De Niro gives and amazing portrayal of a man whose animal side lurks just beneath the surface, ever ready to erupt. Vivid and unremitting in its uncompromising brutality and honesty, the fight sequences are famed for their realism. Violent throughout, this film is a testament to Scorsese's and De Niro's skills, creating a thoroughly absorbing film about such an unlikable character. Renowned for throwing himself into the roles of his character, De Niro went on a diet to gain fifty pounds during production for the role of the faded star. - Director:
- Martin Scorsese
- Cast:
- Robert De Niro, Ted Husing, Cathy Moriarty
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Following the destruction of the Death Star, Imperial forces pursue the Rebel Alliance to the ice planet Hoth. After a devastating defeat, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with the Jedi Master Yoda. Meanwhile, in the Cloud City of Bespin, Darth Vader attempts to lure Luke into a trap by kidnapping Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). When Luke comes to their rescue, he must fight a fierce lightsaber duel with Darth Vader himself and come face to face with a stunning revelation that could change his destiny. - Director:
- Irvin Kershner
- Cast:
- Mark Hamill, Jason Wingreen, Michael Santiago
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Hollywood's hottest director Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs) assembles an all-star cast for a skillfully woven tale of small-time gangster life in a most ambitious and provocative film, 'Pulp Fiction'. Bruce Willis (Die Hard) and Oscar Nominees John Travolta (Best Actor) and Samuel L Jackson (Best Supporting Actor) deliver career performances as petty thugs in LA's criminal underworld - where gritty confrontations, fast talk and perverse humour are all part of the daily grind. Nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award 1995, this boldly inventive and expertly orchestrated crime sage is hailed by critics as a landmark achievement in modern filmmaking! - Director:
- Quentin Tarantino
- Cast:
- John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson
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The Jedi Knights have been exterminated and the Empire rules the galaxy with an iron fist. A small group of Rebels have dared to fight back by stealing the secret plans to the Empire's mightiest weapon, the Death Star battle station. The Emperor's most trusted servant, Darth Vader (David Prowse), must find the plans, and locate the hidden Rebel base. Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), a captive Rebel leader, sends out a distress signal that is intercepted by a simple farm boy, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Seizing his destiny, Luke takes up the challenge to rescue the princess and help the Rebellion overthrow the Empire, along with such unforgettable allies as the wise Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), the cocky Han Solo (Harrison Ford), the loyal Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and the droids R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). - Director:
- George Lucas
- Cast:
- Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, Harrison Ford
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