AFI Part III of IV (48-26)

A Network of Classics

      Keep on, Keepin' on!~ And just as a brief reminder, I'm planning to update these posts intermittently as I expand my blog. Please do not be alarmed by the lack of written content for the majority of my selections. My only real intention at this point is to display without illustration or demonstration which films in the two-AFI 100 editions comprise my own. Eventually, and perhaps sporadically, I'll elucidate on why I chose this film and why said film is ranked where it is. Remember, twenty-three films missed the cut and I've undergone quite extensive revisionism to produce my list.

48). From Here to Eternity

      From Here to Eternity is the quintessential period drama and it just so happens to unfold in the epicenter of 20th Century American History. It is the film that Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor desperately sought to recreate, woefully falling short. Not only does Fred Zinnemann capture that iconic moment in history, the day Japan "awakened a sleeping giant," but he also evokes, through the most elegant lens, fierce humanism. It is not a postcard of a time and place ruptured by the travails of war, but a painting which conflates the harsh realities of life with the quiet yet surging moralities of battered men and women. 
      The cast is stunning. Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, Ernest Borgnine, and Jack Warden are all put to incredible use, and their performances, enhanced by Zinnemann's textured atmosphere, project off the screen a poignant romanticism. Zinnemann and company, without being superficial or sentimental, delve unflinchingly into the burdens of manhood. And while the proceedings are colored by tragedy and the events exploited, FHTE still bursts with resolute purpose. It is the rare film that simultaneously strains optimistic souls, tunneling through caves of despair, while warming the coldest of hearts.

47). Blade Runner

      Ridley Scott's Prometheus is so close I can taste it. And my anticipation, hovering at ungodly heights, can be justified by two films whose impact, necessitated by a primal journey to a "galaxy far, far away," (Thank you, Lucas) fostered an unshakable lust for science fiction. My cinematic love affair, now indestructible, was cultivated by filmmakers who were bound by an limitless imagination and an arsenal of visual craft both grandiose and intimate. My cerebral cortex, at the height of adolescence, was nourished by their dynamic flourishes into the cosmos. Men like Ridley Scott, Phillip K. Dick, David Peoples, and Hampton Fancher, chaperoned these forays into fascinating but uncertain worlds. 
      Despite Scott's blemished track record, he is still chiefly responsible for two landmark science fiction films. Blade Runner is perhaps the clearest example of his visionary talent. Alien is probably his most celebrated work. Both films are testaments to Scott's flair for prodigious composition, and specifically, his meticulous harvest of a concentrated mood and atmosphere. Prometheus, marking a certain return to science fiction for the master, is once again so close I can taste it. 

46). 12 Angry Men

      Sidney Lumet's feature-film debut stands as one of the most accomplished. With an uncompromisingly simplistic set-up—the majority of the film occurs in one tiny Jury Room—Lumet excavates colossal artifacts of humanity, of what it means to be human, from one of the most impressively acted films in cinema history. Lumet's tactful approach gleams insights into the dynamics of lenses, the principles of composition, and the importance of camera angles. Lessons are to be learned not only of the character variety, but the art of filmmaking itself. 
      Lumet is a treasure of cinema, but his idea of a bounty consisted not of material gain, but an understanding of hardship. He was often provoked by angst, controversy, inner-turmoil. And in 12 Angry Men, he ascends the mountains of humanity by rigorously examining man's identity. The film mirrors the fabric of New York City unapologetically without false sentiment. An ethnic minefield of personalities color his careful lenses, breathing life into a courtroom drama whose very premise is deliberately claustrophobic. This is a film that demands attention from every conscious moviegoer in every corner of the world. The egalitarianism Lumet's message breathlessly ruminates deserves warmth from every blanket of civilization. 

45). Unforgiven
       I've already sufficiently extolled the virtues of Clint Eastwood's masterwork. My effusive thoughts can be found here. 

44). The Silence of the Lambs

      One celebrated work, decorated by the Academy with the "Big Five" Awards (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay) has already garnered my sincere praise. There are however three films which enjoy this unprecedented achievement. Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs is lucky number three. 
      My first and most immediate recollection of Demme's exhilarating union of horror and crime is Anthony Hopkins, who impregnates Hannibal Lecter with such forceful antipathy that he becomes, in my most flamboyant, alliterative display yet,  a maddening maestro of malevolence. Invigorated by such grim charisma and aided by Sir Hopkins' unrelenting, magnetizing performance, Lecter functions as a kind of unmatched wily mutant of evil. Despite the horror he wreaks upon humanity, it is impossible to look away. And Jodie Foster, the rare feminine protagonist who evinces a steely, unbroken resolve, is exceptional. Their scenes together are less chilling and frightening (Buffalo Bill's lurid depravity always scared me more as a kid particularly in the final act) than they are simply riveting. It's psychological warfare at its best, and Demme, like any great commander of men and women, knows precisely which buttons to push. For the versatile Hopkins, Demme simply pushes the "Revile" button. Foster, as the foil, imbues Clarice Starling with hardened determination and intelligence. Demme; therefore, need only push the "Ellen Ripley" button.

43). Vertigo

42). Bonnie and Clyde

41). Patton

40). A Clockwork Orange

39). The Philadelphia Story

38). Duck Soup

37). Ben-Hur

36). Network

35). Rear Window

34). City Lights

33). Platoon

32). The Best Years of Our Lives

31). One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

30). Jaws

29). Raiders of the Lost Ark

28). Cabaret

27). The Manchurian Candidate

26). Singing in the Rain

*****STAY TUNED FOR PART IV: 25-1*****