From Wizard to Woody: Brian Viner’s top 100 films (part 9)
HERE are the penultimate ten in the list of my 100 favourite Englishlanguage films — let me know at filmclassics@ if you agree or, better still, disagree.
20 The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
ENDURINGLy enchanting, and for my money the greatest screen fantasy ever made. It is also the most-seen movie of all time, yet missed out on Best Picture at the 1940 Academy Awards, pipped by director Victor Fleming’s other contender, Gone With The Wind.
19 West Side Story (1961)
STEVEN SPIELBERG is giving us his remake later this year. If it is even half as good as this exuberant, pitchperfect adaptation of the Broadway musical, itself of course inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet, it will be worth seeing. And this one did win Best Picture.
18 Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949)
THE best- ever Ealing comedy, the best-ever Alec Guinness film, and the perfect treat for a lockdown afternoon, as chippy charmer Dennis Price knocks off eight distant relatives (all played by Guinness) in dastardly pursuit of an inheritance.
17 There Will Be Blood (2007)
HERE’S a clue to what’s not in my top ten — this, for me, is the finest film of our century so far. Daniel DayLewis is extraordinary as ruthless oil man Daniel Plainview, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s thrillingly singular period masterpiece.
16 The Sound Of Music (1965)
oK, So it’s not everyone’s cup of tea (a drink with jam and bread). But I’m not ashamed to admit that I adore every cheesy minute, or that I queued for over an hour at last year’s Venice Film Festival to hear Julie Andrews reminiscing about it.
15 Casablanca (1942)
I JUST re-watched it for the first time in a decade, anxious in case it hadn’t dated well. Good news! Despite being black and white, it’s utterly evergreen. Bogart, Bergman, romance, suspense, even comedy — for me it vies with The Adventures of Robin Hood as the quintessence of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
14 Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
I FEEL proud that one of my sons, travelling through South America, dragged his friends 200 miles out of their way to see Butch and Sundance’s alleged graves outside a remote Bolivian town. That’s because he’d practically been weaned on this unsurpassably entertaining western.
13 Toy Story (1995)
THE animation that launched Pixar, so a film of cultural significance as well as wit, charm and enormous fun. What a joy it was to meet Woody, Buzz Lightyear and co 25 years ago. No Pixar film will ever displace this in my heart, not even Toy Story 2.
12 Annie Hall (1977)
AT 84, and with his mighty reputation undermined by horrible ( and unproven) allegations, Woody Allen is still churning out movies. There’s a new one coming next month. But he’s never topped this wonderfully funny and idiosyncratic romcom.
11 Bonnie And Clyde (1967)
yES, it romanticised two killers, unforgettably played by Faye Dunaway and the film’s producer, Warren Beatty (who originally wanted Bob Dylan to play Clyde). But Arthur Penn’s picture changed the cinematic landscape. Ineffably stylish, incorrigibly violent, and one of the greatest movies of all time.