Costa-Gavras' terrific political thriller is one which doesn't get talked enough about; an Algerian-French collaboration focusing on an allegorical account of the assassination of Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis, it presents it in a fictional narrative that shows the veiled assassination of a pacifist leftist government official (Yves Montand) and the subsequent investigation by an examining magistrate (Jean Louis Trintignant).
1. As a film buff, be an Oscar completist
It was only the second film ever to get a Best Picture nomination, and won Best Foreign Language Film and Best Editing at the ceremony; especially at the time, this was a true rarity!
2. As a film connoisseur, its technical excellence
Few films are edited as well as Z. It moves along so well and unlike many other similar political procedurals never gets bogged down in the details. It tells its story so well and concisely with such flavour and even humour at certain points, and is honestly some of the quickest two hours you could spend with a film. It's a film with a message to tell and delivers it so efficiently yet never in a workmanlike fashion. Plus, the score by Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis is so unconventional yet so catchy as well.
3. As a citizen, its political themes and relevance
Z like any good political film has a message and the director Costa-Gavras is clearly getting a point across of his anger and distaste for the political system of Greece at the time. What's great about the film is that even though it is largely a thinly fictional narrative you feel the weight of his opinions without it being stifling. The message comes across well as you feel the outrage not of the director, but of his characters at how the system tries to cover up the assassination as an 'accident'. Culminating in a downbeat yet brilliant ending that beautifully sums up what the director has to say on the topic.
4. As a part of the present, a remembrance of the past
Sometimes films can feel dated. Not this one. It's timely as ever and its feelings and what it depicts transfers brilliantly well to the modern day.
'Disqualifying' O.J. Made in America and The Jinx which I will cover at some point. But I just consider them more miniseries/mutliple episode documentaries which is a very different format to an individual documentary.
So I've technically disqualified this in that it is technically partially 'scripted' (though rare is a documentary without a little bit of storytelling planning implemented) in the conflict it creates between Lou Ferringo and pre-Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger at the height of his powers as a professional bodybuilder. It's doesn't really disguise this fact and is very obvious about how it uses this for dramatic effect, but as an exploration into the unique world of bodybuilding and its many fascinating personalities it's rather compelling, with Arnie in particular showing that charisma and screen presence that would soon light up the silver screen.
One of the great technical achievements of the past decade of film, Peter Jackson's artful reconstruction of WWI footage through colourisation, sound effects work, snippets of anecdotes about trench warfare, into a rather detailed and varied account of what it was like to be in the war. The appropriateness of such screen treatment for the soldiers is of course another discussion altogether, but as a cinematic achievement it is astonishing, and for me it is a moving insight into the predicament of the valiant British men Jackson wants us to remember.
Now documentaries with agendas can be a mixed bag, but the reason Blackfish works so well is because it doesn't try to disguise that agenda, and is very clearly pushing its own message across rather than subtly trying to trick you into. The issues of keeping killer whales in captivity, focusing on Seaworld, is detailed incredibly well with powerful imagery, anecdotes from former employees, and though it doesn't offer insight into the 'other side of the coin', as sort of a documentary for the prosecution it is extremely effective and I would say is probably one of the best of its kind.
You don't really get to 'know' Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna through this documentary. The man's public image was that of a fascinating enigma and film maintains that certain distance and mystery to the man himself. What the film succeeds brilliantly at is showing the phenomenon that made him into the legend he was: how he enraptured thousands worldwide, had his fair share of rivalries and struggles, and the tragedies that would and ultimately befell him. It presents it all in a very engaging fashion through rapid-fire editing and an aptitude at telling his story just through footage of the man and his racing alone. I'm always a sucker for racing films anyway, and this is a fantastic entry into the 'genre' via real life, and even though it is heightened dramatically rather than an in-depth exploration it fits the larger than life figure its story is telling.
In line with Blackfish this is another documentary with a blatant bone to pick. What Michael Moore does here is ask some tough questions and attempt to not necessarily provide answers, but at the very least address them, in examining specifically the Columbine massacre and its social backdrop. It works best as an examination of all the possible reasons and Moore's methods of extracting anecdotes, opinions and conveying the general atmosphere around the guns' rights issues and school shootings is both fascinating and quite hard-hitting in its combination of montage, animation, talking heads and more. Some interviewees offer some moving statements (Marilyn Manson), others are more blatantly used by Moore as a means for him to convey his own message (Charlton Heston), but overall I'd say this is a very successful documentary as a microcosm of its particular time while also presenting a powerful message. 16. Paris is Burning
Brisk, short, but very effective immersion into the 80s New York drag scene - a scene I am not that familiar with, but which drew me in and fascinated me to no end in Jennie Livingston's incredibly well shot and energetic presentation of the African American and Latin Harlem drag-ball scene. It treats its subjects with compassion and honesty, never using them just as 'symbols' for the message of the marginalised within the marginalised, but has fun in examining the drama-filled, fiercely competitive escape from a troubled world the drag scene offers. It gets quite dark and upsetting at certain points in the scenes where we go with the interviewees into the 'real world', making it something of a mix of tones - and it could be a lot to take in within its short runtime. Nevertheless it is an often joyous, piercing and very intimate snapshot of a scene Livingston clearly had great deal of passion for filming. Available on Youtube.
Pretty fascinating look at the controversial mind of cartoonist Robert Crumb, artist of Fritz the Cat and other adult comic characters. The man is undoubtedly a divisive figure and myself I definitely lean more to the negative side with many of his comments, but the 'no filter' look into his mindset through interviews with him, his family (including a particularly troubled brother who was the stimulus for a lot of his work), his wife and ex-girlfriends, and while I never warmed up to the man himself it is incredibly effective in showing how and what his little exact niche is, and how he carved his way into it. It is an extraordinarily off-kilter documentary fitting for an off-kilter man and feels rather honest in its intentions to give us a piece of his mind, though whether one likes it or not is an entirely different matter altogether. Available on Youtube.
Have you seen Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn, about US Fighter pilot Dieter Dengler's horrifying struggle to survive in Laos during the Vietnam war after being shot down? Whether or not you have, this can be either a fascinating companion piece or a standalone feature, a documentary made by Herzog a decade before Rescue Dawn focusing on the man's coming-of-age story, how he came to be a pilot and how he's dealt with the fallout of tragedy. Herzog handles tricky subject matter very well in giving a portrait of Dengler in a fairly casual manner where we get to feel like we're getting to know him first, and then learning about the trauma that so heavily affects his life. We see this troubled state of mind lingering over the whole documentary which makes it all the more heartbreaking when we get to most striking scenes of Dengler 'reenacting' his treatment at the hands of his captors. Available on Youtube.
Well here's one truly fascinating real-life story made into a fascinating documentary without losing a beat. Three - well, yeah, identical strangers - discover they are twins separated at birth, but the initial elation at this soon descends into some dark, disturbing revelations about the circumstances surrounding their separation. It's a fascinating exploration into the ideas of nature vs nurture, the almost paradoxical blend of joy and fear created by such revelations, and the gradual unravelling of a conspiracy that concerned this separation. It deals with the hard-hitting consequences of such a situation very well, and even though it does feel that there's more to be told from this story, at this stage it provides a compelling insight into how all families concerned were affected.
So here's a documentary which isn't about thought or messages or anything. A concert film is a unique medium to excel in, and Jonathan Demme, of Silence of the Lambs fame, set out to make a sensory experience of all facets of a Talking Heads concert, and while it is indeed a stylistic experiment in many ways of audio and visuals, it is a spectacular example of it. As someone who likes but is not a huge fan/know much about Talking Heads, it's an invigorating experience nevertheless of almost putting you in the perspective of not just the audience, but also band itself. It's energetic, it's relentless, it's thrilling, and it's free on Youtube.
As is to be expected, a documentary on R&B singer Amy Winehouse was never going to be an easy watch, but Asif Kapadia does a great job of offering variation in approach. It is not just the depiction of a downwards spiral of the doomed singer, but also offers so much in the way of looking at her successes, her inspiring side to her life, her overcoming of hurdles, and her creative ballast, which makes her ultimate tragedy hit all the harder. The film eases you into yet never sugercoats the abuse and excesses that caused Winehouse to spiral out of control, and the film does a great job at not exploiting a damaged soul, but rather act as a piercing but respectful tribute to an individual gone far too soon. 10. Tower
In compiling the perspectives of several survivors from the 1966 University of Texas at Austin mass shooting through archival footage, in-depth interviews and rotoscopic animation, Keith Maitland achieved something quite remarkable here. The editing in particular is a highlight here in crafting a one-of-a-kind juxtaposition between events of the past, and the reminisces of the present, and avoids emotional manipulation by granting a very honesty approach to the material at hand. It's a great documentary which far beyond being just a technically immaculate and innovative recreation of tragedy, offers a very humane exploration of not just its tragic implications but also in offering a touching tribute to bravery and humanity in the midst of a horrible event.
This is an easy one to pitch to people. Do you like penguins? Yes? Do you like Morgan Freeman narration? Yes? Would you like both as we follow emperor penguins on a journey to breed, guard their eggs, make treacherous journeys, fend off predators, in heartwarming fashion that nevertheless also shows the very real dangers and losses incurred in such a journey? Well, I think you'll like this one quite a bit then.
A true crime procedural thriller that really sucks you into the whole investigation process while also exploring the corruption of the system through a police investigation into an officer's murder. As we are introduced to one man who was imprisoned for the crime under rather iffy circumstances, and another who it becomes increasingly obvious was guilty of it, the enormity of the situation begins to unravel and become quite chilling. It's an excruciating haunting method of telling a narrative director Errol Morris employs here, in revealing how all aspects of media, the court system, the police system and more combined into the terrible situation at hand.
Above all this is an extraordinary retelling of Philippe Petit's walk between the Twin Towers in 1974. It is a great underdog story to begin with, directed and infused with such energy both in terms of the use of footage, re-enactments and special effects to create such a wonderfully vibrant experience in following Petit to and fro as well as following his life story and what made him the man he is. It has such positivity of spirit to every sequence and the man whose story it tells is such a captivating figure, and even if it does end like a bit of an anticlimactic note it's still a resounding success both as a documentation of an unbelievable real-life event, but also a captivating tale of a dream realised.
The ultimate feel-good story of success in such an unconventional manner as two Cape Town music afficionados of American musician Sixto Rodriguez, an unknown in the US but a sensation in South Africa, go on a search for the mysterious man. The story of a man who couldn't find success for his passion in his home country yet whose songs gave inspiration in Apartheid times to a conflicted nation and encouraged change is a remarkable one, and even the iciest heart will be warmed to this incredible story that delivers both as an intriguing thrilling investigation into a legend who doesn't know he's a legend, and as a wonderfully moving tale of artistic devotion and passion.
Grizzly bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell is the focus of Werner Herzog's fantastic film, in my opinion his best work in any medium, which provides the tricky balance of providing a personal touch and insight into the matter while staying true to the spirit of the titular nicknamed man, who spent thirteen summers in the wilderness with beats in Alaska and sought to connect and converse with the bears, tragically ending in him and his girlfriend being killed by one. Herzog gives us a troubling look at a man sought to help out animals he saw as in need of help while having many issues of his own, feeling out of place within society and finding comfort in the company of the bears. It shows how such an endeavour was dangerous, foolish and ultimately caused great tragedy but also has such a sensitive touch to it. Herzog's narration, and compilation of interviews is remarkable in granting a full-bodied portrait of a man who paid the ultimate price for his passion and demons. Available on Youtube.
In the all-time great year of 2007, any film that makes my top 10 is a classic. This is a particular oddity, a documentary about competitive gaming. What transpires here is essentially an anime-esque showdown between the egotistical heel Billy Mitchell and the underdog everyman Steve Wiebe in their vying claims to the record for top score in the game Donkey Kong. It's ridiculous stuff with a huge cast of colourful characters, whether it's the kindly Walter Day, the deadpan Walter Mruzeck, or Billy Mitchell's sidekick Brian Kuh, as we get a buildup to a huge showdown worthy of WWE fanfare. The thing is though it's all very entertaining and hilarious, it's also very sincere and genuinely interested in exploring Wiebe's determination to get that high score. It makes something that could feel alienating or just plain weird strangely accessible and even moving, and beyond that is just a brilliantly edited and crafted film. Obviously editing and the way that stuff is presented can feel a bit staged, and most likely was at certain points, but you can’t deny the overall impact. Available on Youtube.
It really is amazing how this documentary about the infamous behind the scenes of Apocalypse Now came about, and after watching it you'll gain perhaps even more appreciation for the film as the masterpiece (I myself have finally come around to this). It's remarkable how much footage, a large portion of it compiled by Francis Ford Coppola's wife Eleanor, they got of the madness that transpired onset. Her journals, recordings, insights, everything - her side of the story is just as fascinating as her husband's, whose struggle to make the grandest passion project of all, a Vietnamese war epic based loosely on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and it's interesting to see not so much a portrait of a madman, as I thought it might be stylised as, as it is a portrait of well-intentioned ambition spiralling out of control. As Francis struggles from one obstacle to the next, the film moves along almost as a psychedelic mad trip down a road of no return as he deals with helicopters being called away for military service, abysmal weather conditions, writer's block, Martin Sheen's own mini-narrative of dealing with a heart attack, and the frustrations of dealing with both a completely out of his mind Dennis Hopper and Marlon Brando at egotistical worst.
This is one of those essential films I will say everyone should watch at some point, but I can understand how it might be hard to find incentive to do so. Joshua Oppenheimer, alongside Christine Cynn and another unnamed Indoneian director, document the Indonesian mass killings of 1965 - 1966 through looking at the 'heroes' of the death squads, led by gangsters such as Anwar Congo, the film's narrative focus. Far from being a straightforward documentary, Anwar and his friends are invited to re-enact his role in the genocides and his recollections of it through various genres of films: as a collective group of film buffs go about recreating the incidents of 1965 - 1966, a chilling, cold portrait is shown of such terrible events and the lengths people go to deal with them, whether by suppression, negligence or outright denial. The film shifts between broader displays of how such crimes have continued to have an influence on the modern day Indonesia, and how on a more personal level those involved have to deal directly with their role in the atrocities. A brilliant, but tough watch. Available on Youtube (NOTE: I still need to watch the director's companion piece, The Look of Silence).
As brilliant as The Act of Killing is, and though I've only watched this particular Steve James documentary fairly recently, I didn't really have any hesitation in putting this right at the top of my list. We are introduced to two African American kids in Chicago - Arthur Agee and William Gates - as they get recruited as basketball prospects, the documentary follows the ups, downs and everything in between. It's so much more than just a film about basketball, although the game sequences are terrifically edited and very entertaining. It's about these two lives as Arthur and William go from teenagers to young men, and the transformations they undergo through the system. There's some hardships and tough moments to watch as they struggle to assimilate, and face hurdles of different types - as William puts it, 'as soon as you don't tighten one screw, everything falls apart'. The additional focus on their families too is great as we watch the struggles of living in the inner city, but also the joys at successes. So often athletes are seen as little more than a series of numbers on a statistics sheet, but Steve James' work as a director here is terrific as we get such insight into these young men and their situations - marginalised, pressurised with such burdens on their shoulders and too young to cope with them all. This film puts a face to the social, racial and emotional barriers that face many a young man trying to get himself, his family, into improved situations by way of a hoop dream. These are two tales that do not try to deliberately be inspirational, or uninspiring. It carries with it life's truths and allows you to partake in it with Arthur and William: enjoy it, frustrated by it, thrilled by it, saddened by it, but always, always deeply connected to it.
As 13-year old Briony Tallis, Ronan just about steals the first act of Atonement away from the central leads, giving a quiet, enigmatic portrayal of a naive girl getting into a situation that renders her far out of her depths. She got the first of 4 Oscar nominations (so far) for her sterling work here, and though it was just a small early indication of her present talent it's terrific work from perhaps the best actress working today.
19. Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
It's fine that Steinfeld's more well known as a singer nowadays since she's very good at that, but she's an amazing actress too. In her debut she refuses to be overshadowed by Jeff Bridges giving one of his career highlights as Rooster Cogburn, bringing life into the character of the vengeful young Mattie Ross looking to avenge her father and handling the Western dialogue beautifully as one of the highlights of a great film. Also nominated for an Oscar for her work here. 18. Gabourey Sidibe, Precious (warning: very tough watch)
Another Oscar-nominated debut performance, and I do think it's a bit of a shame that sometimes people let praise for Mo'Nique's magnificent portrayal of an abusive mother overshadow her. Sidibe is great too as the titular character, not just portraying the heartbreaking victimhood of the character but also the complicated state of mind and her tough living situation has led her into. It's strong, honest leading lady work that is tough to watch but remarkable.
17. Jason Miller, The Exorcist
Well look here, Miller too got himself an Oscar nod for this debut performance, and we've got to give the Academy sometimes for doing a great job in recognising unknowns. Miller's work is essential to the horror masterpiece that is The Exorcist as he brings a human element to the priest Father Karras struggling to reconcile his faith with a grim world. His work is what helps the finale of the film not just as horrifying but as deeply affecting as it is.
16. Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins
So Emily Blunt did a lovely job for the role but really, Julie Andrews just IS Mary Poppins (and she should've been Eliza Dolittle as well, but I digress). In the role she was born to play, Andrews' wonderful voice and screen presence was introduced to the world via the titular magical nanny. Rarely have songs come as trippingly off the tongue as Andrews performs the Poppins numbers here, and there should be no surprise at how the film became such a smashing success and how Andrews won an Oscar for her work here (and she did Sound of Music just a year after! What a start to a career).
15. Edward Norton, Primal Fear
Norton's had quite the interesting career trajectory, starting with his very first onscreen acting role in playing one of the
SPOILER ALERT
most defining twists to any film. In that the film is mostly pretty standard outside of this twist, and Norton sells it to the max as shy stuttering choir boy Aaron Stampler who reveals an alternate personality, 'Roy'. It's daring, electrifying work that when you rewatch the film you appreciate all the more.
SPOILER ALERT ENDS
14. Natalie Portman, Leon the Professional
Portman's work here is unquestionably a star turn, and remains her best performance, all the more impressive considering that she shares so many with veteran actors such as Jean Reno and especially Gary Oldman. Portman avoids so many child actor pitfalls by giving such a powerful depiction of grief and anger at the tragic events that befall her Matilda, and I have to give all the credit in the world for her and Reno sidestepping Luc Besson's questionable intents, to create a more moving father-daughter-esque relationship between her character and Leon.
13. Harold Russell, The Best Years of Our Lives
WWII veteran Russell played Homer Parrish, an officer readjusting to civilian life postwar and who like Russell, lost both his hands in the war. Russell is the acting highlight of a terrific film, giving a particularly honest depiction of his character's challenges and problems and never once shows a hint of amateurism or mawkishness in a role that could've gone very wrong. It's terrific work that is another element of the film that's just brilliant, and (I feel like I'm repeating myself at this point) won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
12. Marlee Maltin, Children of a Lesser God
The first and only deaf performer to win an Oscar today, Maltin delivers strong work here as a former pupil at a school for the deaf who's continued on working as a custodian and meets a speech teacher (William Hurt) who takes an interest in her. The film is one which manages the challenge of sidestepping problems to create a thoughtful, if slight, romantic drama and Maltin's poignant work as a very complex character is great: you can see each and every change in her eyes and face and makes her character's emotional journey a very rewarding experience.
11. Timothy Hutton, Ordinary People
Though he was really more of a Lead than Supporting Actor, Hutton deservedly won an Oscar for this terrific directorial debut from Robert Redford. His devastating portrayal of Conrad, dealing with the PTSD fallout from his older brother's death and his own suicidal attempt, it is one of the great performances of its kind. It's an incredibly convincing portrayal of depression and recovery of this young man, and moreover Hutton's chemistry (or anti-chemistry) with his onscreen parents (the equally spectacular Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore) helps create some classic, unflinchingly realistic scenes of a family in utter emotional collapse.
10. Eva Marie Saint, On the Waterfront
I mean, On the Waterfront is magnificent showcase for Marlon Brando, but one should never sleep on that amazing supporting cast that amplifies the impact of his work. Saint's work as Edie, sister to one of the victims of corruption and burgeoning love interest to Brando's Terry Malloy, is a phenomenal turn that stands out as not just simple angel of conscience to Terry to do the right hing but a real, well-rounded character. Saint's performance adds greatness to an already great film and she won a Best Supporting Actress for her efforts here.
9. Sharlto Copley, District 9
Copley's performance here is interesting to examine as it really is not an indication of where he'd go as an actor. Nowadays he's known best for his flamboyant performances that make use of his colourful South African accent. But his debut performance was an incredibly underrated turn in this terrific sci-fi social commentary on xenophobia and segregation through the allegory of aliens 'settling' in Johannesburg slums. Copley's portrayal of an ignorant office bureaucrat who gets stuck into a terrifying situation is an underrated but essential element to the film, and singlehandedly elevates it from a solid sci-fi action thriller into a moving portrait of a man's desperation to survive and overcoming his own prejudices (the scene above is legitimately one of the best acting scenes of recent years).
8. Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
A performance that defines 'ageing like fine wine' for me. It's incredible how in a Tom Hanks acting showcase (he is undeniably great) the standout came in a complete unknown Somalian limo driver cast as the titular Phillips' main 'adversary', Abduwali Muse. Abdi is intimidating and menacing as the ringleader of the ship hijacking but what I love about the performance is that there's so much more to this character. He makes you understand and allows you to make your own judgements about the character's poor decisions, his impoverished life back home, and his longing for a dream which rapidly decreases away. It's a hard task to make a character like this have the capacity for sympathy but Abdi does an amazing job in doing so.
7. Tatum O'Neal, Paper Moon
How much one loves this performance is entirely dependant on how much one buys into the film. As I have stated many times before this is one of my favourite films of all-time, and fittingly this is a performance I adore. The film is one that embraces a communal affinity with nature, and Wallis' performance, who Roger Ebert described as one with 'miraculous' reserves of defiance, bravery and a 'force of nature', is beautifully attuned to every surreal yet realistic touch of the film. She is onscreen practically the entire narrative at the tender age of 7, and though the term is often used in exaggeration this is a performance that lives and breathes through the film, much in the same way the film's exemplary qualities all live and breathe through her performance.
5. Emily Watson, Breaking the Waves
A film I need to re-evaluate at some point, as after watching Dancer in the Dark and loving it I wonder whether I'd be more attuned to Lars von Trier's style. As for the performance itself though, the quality of it is undeniable that even Mark Kermode who despises the film had to acknowledge its brilliance. Her Bess is a heartbreaking portrayal of a young Scottish woman who defines herself almost entirely by love for her husband (Stellan Skarsgard), and is so steadfast in that, and captures the right balance between her mental downwards spiral as tragedy occurs. Though I had problems with the nature of the film's violence and its portrayal of misery, Watson's harrowing yet strangely inspirational work is phenomenal and with a rewatch could easily move up the list.
4. Alan Rickman, Die Hard
This is one which mindfucked me when I discovered it. Rickman had obviously acted extensively in theatre before this, but this was his cinematic debut. And what an explosive beginning to his career, acting in perhaps the greatest pure action film of all-time, opposite the greatest action hero of all-time John McClane, as the greatest action villain of all-time Hans Gruber. Rickman sinks his teeth into delicious role of Gruber with a performance that has everything. Menace? He delivers that in spades and is genuinely terrifying. Humour? His deadpan reactions to the antics going on around him caused by McClane are priceless. He switches on a dial from fun to serious on a dime - and even combines the two in scenes like him pretending to be a meek American hostage - and gives an outstanding performance in every regard.
3. Emmanuelle Riva, Hiroshima Mon Amour
An example of French New Wave cinema experimentation working to perfection, this non-linear, stream of consciousness narrative about two lovers in post-WWII Hiroshima is a great directorial achievement by Alain Resnais, a strong showcase for actor Eiji Okada (particularly as he's acting in a language he learned phonetically) as a married Japanes businessman, but above all features one of the all-time great performances by Emmanuelle Riva as his French actress lover. Her performance stands as both attuned and powerfully contrasted to the dreamy quality of the film's approach in realising her character's predicament. The passion and lust of the affair suggested so well by both actors but also reflecting the horrible nature of the times they live in that draw them apart. Whether she's narrating, or silently emoting, you feel the weight of the film's increasingly poignant tone rest upon her and her character's shoulders, and despite being nameless you really get to know her. It's simply one of the best performances in any medium.
2. Haing S. Ngor, The Killing Fields
1984 is one of those interesting years for film where there were so many masterpieces, yet of the sort that seem like they could've only happened then and there. This harrowing depiction of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge is a horrifying, troubling cinematic experience, to say the least, and brought to life by some excellent direction, writing, and Ngor who was himself a survivor of Cambodian prison camps playing refugee Dith Pran. Pran's life story, and Ngor's, were marked by tragedy after tragedy, and which undeniably lends a layer of authenticity to the performance as we follow Pran through the vicious totalitarian regime. Beyond that though, this is just a sensational performance as we get to know Pran before he is a victim - kindly, generous doctor determined to help American reporter Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterson) with his task in covering the regime, and in the second half a terrified yet resilient survivalist who guides us through the titular horrors.
1. Elizabeth Hartman, A Patch of Blue
Sadly, both of my top 2 led troubled lives which ended in tragedy. The underrated and incredibly talented Hartman gave my favourite debut performance of all-time is for a character that could be seen as deceptively simple. Hartman's Selina is a blind girl living in an impoverished environment with an abusive mother, but the brilliance of this performance and the film is this is all unfolded slowly and coaxed gently through the performance. It is perhaps the most sensitively drawn portrayal of suffering as we are presented with this luminous, kind, almost angelic being and through her being introduced to Sidney Poitier's Gordon Ralfe, get more and more insight into her unfortunate plight. Though Hartman rarely raises her voice she conveys so much through how expressive and unassumingly powerful her performance is as Selina. It's a performance that along with the excellent and unfortunately very underrated film makes an unfortunate plight so resonant and the figure who deals with it inspirational in her own way.
Comedy can be a very divisive thing; unlike most genres, where you might be able to adjust your views or temper your expectations towards aspects of it, the crux of whether or not a comedy works for you is whether you find it funny or not. That in itself is simple; judging why you find something funny, on the other hand, is incredibly hard to determine. Well in lieu of that, to quote My Little Pony 'laughs don't come in barrels' but as a 'body's response to delight'. Under this criteria I have to say that A Fish Called Wanda takes the cake. Well firstly because it literally killed someone with laughter in its initial run, but also because it's very rare to come across anyone who actively dislikes the film or doesn't at least find it amusing. For me it is one of the great comedies, and why? It can be hard to explain why. The plot is simple: two brash American crooks (Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline) team up with a London gangster (Tom Georgeson) and his mild-mannered, stuttering right-hand man (Michael Palin) to steal some jewels. Double-crosses ensue into which a prim and proper barrister (John Cleese) comes into play as a key figure.
Charles Crichton came out of more than two decades of retirement to direct this long-gestating screenplay written by Cleese and himself. Some might say it is a heist comedy, but in the end that element is really just a minor element of the film - fittingly to a film that stars Monty Python alumni Cleese and Palin, it is rather scattershot, which sometimes implies criticism, but much like their Monty Python films it only serves as another great aspect of the film. In that a lot of things are just so random, in terms of the types of jokes and comedy the film flings at you, and yet somehow it works in terms of being a cohesive film. And more importantly - it is hilarious.
At the centre of the film is perhaps the more conventional 'romance', of sorts, between Curtis' titular Wanda Gershwitz and Cleese's Archie Leach (named after Cary Grant's real name) - though with always a certain someone I'll get to in a bit lurking in the wings. It's the classic sort of 'trickster romances unsuspecting conventional gent' storyline that you used to get so much back in Grant's heyday, and it's well acted, well performed, and entertaining in the hands of the two actors, and in particular Curtis shines who since Trading Places had proved to have comic chops that would extend to this, True Lies and beyond. On their own they'd make a fine comic duo and a more than decent crime caper turned romcom, but the true stars of the film are the gentlemen in the wings who when combined with the two leads, make this the great film it is.
Kevin Kline's Otto West won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which is often a rarity not just for a comedic performance, but a comedic performance that's as outlandish, insane and over-the-top as this. Kline's Otto is proudly American, and 'cultivates' himself on a diet of pseudo Italian and philosophy. His aggressive Anglophobia aside he can be pleasant enough, but just don't call him stupid. Kline's performance is one of broad strokes, with ridiculous wide-eyed facial expressions, non-stop cussing, brash shouting, and it's easy for this kind of performance to become grating but Kline soars in the role.
It's a magnificent turn and amplified all the more by the dynamic he shares with the rest of the cast, where with Cleese and Curtis he plays off their more sensible indignation so well, and best of all with the underrated Maria Aitken as Archie's wife in one of the funniest scenes of many funny scenes in the film, which knows so well not to let characters try to one-up one another but instead let everyone get their change to shine in every individual scene
And of course there's Palin's Ken Pile. Ken is by far the most sympathetic character in the film, despite being a gangster himself too, and subsequently has the most awful things happen to him. Palin's creation of this stuttering, meek fellow is brilliant in that he's so endearing while also hilarious as he gets into one bad situation after another all through the fault of others, with the highlights being the sequence where the animal-loving Ken accidentally murders several dogs while trying to get to his intended target, and another where his beloved fish gets eaten by Otto - and yes, that's the scene which killed a man.
Otto and Ken are a comic duo (though not a harmonious one) for the ages - and you know it's a hilarious film when I don't think that scene is even in my top 5 funniest scenes of the film - it's just that good.
P.S. I would have included Chimes at Midnight, but wanted to spread the wealth a bit in terms of the style of Shakesperean plays covered and limited it to more 'direct' adaptations of specific plays. It's a great film though, check it out if you haven't.
A controversial pick perhaps, since the performances here are indeed a bit of a mixed bunch, with some of the actors struggling to varying degrees with the Shakespearean dialogue, and it is a bit of a shame to see a (very young) Olivia de Havilland stuck with such a bland role as Hermia. Altogether, however, this is a pretty grand Shakesperarean adaptation in terms of the dreamy, shimmering cinematography that sets the mood with how it is shot. Felix Mendelssohn's music is re-arranged to great effect, and the costume design is great, both the fantasy outfits but also the costumes the play-within-play of Pyramus and Thisbe players don. Speaking of which that flock of players-cum-labourers are a definite comedic highlight of the film, speaking of which...
Best in show: James Cagney himself. Now one might not immediately associate the most famous onscreen gangsters of the 30s with the Bard but Cagney delivers one of his best performances as Bottom the Weaver, the wacky wannabe thespian with quite a high opinion of his abilities. The Shakespearean dialogue flows beautifully off his tongue with his knack and energy for it, and even under an ass' head his charm and comic timing shine through, his rapport with Anita Louise's Titania really shining.
Best scene: It's got to be the initial gathering of the players to discuss the upcoming play, with everyone, Frank McHugh and Joe E. Brown (the randy old fella in Some Like It Hot) really delivering as Quince and Snug, and of course Cagney at the top of their game. Faithful adaptation?: Perhaps to a fault as the quartet of lovers can't quiet make Shakespeare's dialogue flow well enough, and there is a bit of an issue with the over focus on Mickey Rooney's very annoying Puck as almost the lead of the film. But it captures the essence of the play really well and though it's not definitive (waiting on Taika Waititi to unleash his own take on it),
Though the (as is to be expected) more limited capacity of a television budget may make certain set pieces seem a bit 'stagy', it doesn't really hurt this Hollow Crown adaptation in particular because of the very nature of the play which is largely quite 'stagy' and wordy over action-based anyway. Rupert Goold, to his credit does add a lot of dynamic energy behind each sequence of verbal sparring, and does a great job at making the fall of Richard and the ascension of Bollingbrooke well defined in what is plot-wise one of Shakespeare's most straightforward plays but also one of his most thematically rich through the dialogue. It's at its best when you really get the sense that the court of the characters is a literal stage of one-upmanship, and though you may need the text at hand to follow some of the more verbose meanderings it's a clear, confident adaptation that's probably the best of the Hollow Crowns I have seen.
Best in show: Well the whole cast is more than solid - Roy Kinnear, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet and all the other more minor players acquit themselves really well - but the highlight is definitely Ben Whishaw as Richard. It's in many ways the role he was born to play, not many actors can play up the flowery, childish nature of in some ways if I can say so, a 'drama queen' who sees his royal prerogative almost as a toy he does not want taken away from him, so well. He does this tricky balancing act immaculately and holds the screen from start to finish.
Best scene: Richard's struggle to resign his crown. To make this particular set of monologues feel so natural is an insurmountably difficult task and Whishaw's nails it perfectly as if it's all coming off the top of Richard's poor head.
Faithful adaptation?: Very much so. It retains the very particular prose/poetry divide that is at the essence of the play's core themes and values and lets the actors run with it.
As expected Joseph L. Mankiewicz's adaptation of the Roman tragedy play is an efficiently handled, well-casted and acted affair that, if perhaps a bit swift in parts and lacking the proper grand feel that one might expect from such a large-scale play, is one of the most consistent Shakespearean adaptations. It gives a real life to the city of Rome it presents, the political players and machinations are well sketched out by the film in the series of scenes, and that art direction (which won an Oscar) and score are both rather memorable. It's a really good example of a studio Shakespeare film in that it makes the material more accessible to a wider audience while retaining the essence of the play.
Best in show: Marlon Brando has the juiciest individual speech as Marc Antony, James Mason has the most powerful arc to work with as the tragic antihero of Brutus, but I'd say my favourite performance in the film would be John Gielgud's portrayal of Cassius. As the leader of the traitors to Caesar, Gielgud is insidious and hateful to the extreme under the guise of the wellbeing of Rome and quite marvellous in showing how it all crumbles in the third act as his lies begin to fall through.
Best scene: It's always the highlight of the play and it's no different here. Brando kills the 'Friends, Romans, Countrymen' speech in showing how Marc Antony through one monologue can work the crowd to his advantage.
Faithful adaptation?: Cuts out bits of final act to trim and make the climax a bit more succinct but otherwise largely quite faithful. It's pretty much as good an adaptation of the play as you can get without getting overly bogged down in the details.
I used to be more negative on the 1995 Richard Loncraine adaptation in my comparison of Ian McKellen and Laurence Olivier's portrayals of the King With a Hump. It's since grown on me a great deal more, and I still think McKellen is extraordinary, if not even more so now, in the role. I actually have a hard deciding which is my favourite of the two now, and though I think this is still the superior adaptation, it is not by such a wide margin anymore. Anyway, this is a Technicolor sight for sore eyes from the court to the battlefields that finds its way to make a not inherently cinematic play very cinematic. The idea to make Richard break the third wall, thereafter many films of the ilk, with his monologues was an inspired choice, and this might be Olivier's best work as a director that I've seen as he really gives it his all with his directorial choices, with only a few missteps here and there in some of the direction of the supporting players.
Best in show: Why, Olivier himself of course. Again, more detailed thoughts here and it's so fascinating to see how McKellen and him diverged and bear similarities.
Best scene: This is just a great example of how well Olivier understood how plays could translate to cinema. The way he delivers the 'winter of discontent' soliloquy, how the camera co-ordinates to match his performance, is just great. Although I will say, just for comparison's sake (because I love comparing these performances), look at the 1995 version and see a different but also very effective take on the same speech.
Faithful adaptation?: Olivier made a lot of cuts, here and there, splicing scenes up, cutting out Queen Margaret altogether (rather than combining her with the Duchess of York like the 1990s adaptation), and adding context from previous plays in order to make the events transpiring more clear and concise to audiences. Most of his changes work very well so no reason to complain about Olivier making things more palatable for audiences to digest without sacrificing craft.
Kenneth Branagh is clearly having the time of his life in all capacities as both director and star, and it's easy to see why this was as well received as it was as this is possibly the most pure, unadulterated fun one could possibly have with any Shakespearean adaptation comes in this package. It's got quite possibly the most attractive lineup of Shakespearean players to date, just to note that Kate Beckinsale is the coveted object of desire and Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves play half-brothers (obviously), speaking of which Washington is very good and Reeves somehow works quite well in the role despite massacring the Shakespearean language. The vibrant party atmosphere of the film perfectly suits the play and makes for a very, for lack of a better word, sunnily sexy affair.
Best in show: I'd have to say Emma Thompson's Beatrice is the star of the show here. Beatrice is a character right up her street in terms of her comic talents, dishing out her barbed witticisms with such fervour and clearly having a ball of a time. It's one of her best performances and I'm always a huge fan, though Michael Keaton is also a lot of fun as the foolish yet surprisingly capable Dogberry.
Best scene: The masked ball scene is a great bit of direction and acting by all the players, Keanu Reeves uttering evil plans while getting a massage is a classic, but I'd have to say Dogberry's interrogation of minor miscreants is my single favourite scene of the lot.
Faithful adaptation?: I have to say out of all the Shakespeare plays I'm covering here this is the one I'm least familiar with as I never did an essay or direct critique of it or used it as supplementary discussion material at either GCSEs, A-Levels or undergraduate level. Still, it's Branagh so I imagine he stuck to the text pretty closely with his own little variations.
While I like to really, really like all the five films I've mentioned thus far, the following five here are in my opinion, on a whole other level of Shakespearean excellence altogether. Now I love the play for starters, and any performance of it I will find at the very least bearable (yeah, even Baz Luhrmann although it's not a 'good' film at all, and yes even the Hot Fuzz rendition which is great for entirely different reasons). Franco Zeffirelli does period Shakespeare like few others can in just the presentation and staging of scenes, and doing a great job with the casting by avoiding stunt casting but instead casting very appropriate actors in each of the roles, and 60s Zac Efron Leonard Whitting and the wonderful Olivia Hussey are both excellent. What's not to like here, it's a wonderful old-fashioned beautiful telling of the most famous fictional lovers, and bolstered by that iconic Nino Rota love theme and its implementation within the film.
Best in show: John McEnery's Mecrutio and Michael York's Tybalt are particularly fresh renditions of respective characters, as the former does well to emphasise the playful nature of the character above all instead of focusing too much on the overt showboating, and York's portrayal is less of a malicious villain and more just a snobbish dick with no real malice in him.
Best scene: As much as I love their duel though, it has to be the scene where Romeo first sees Juliet. Compare it to other versions and you see how much better Zeffirelli did it.
Faithful adaptation?: Pretty much as humanly possible rather than the absolute massacre a lot of later adaptations have done with the text (and yes I know that the 1996 version is an 'alternative' take - but as we will soon see there are better ways of doing that).
Ah, cheeky bit of Kurosawa here - that's what I like, talking about my favourite director, and it should be no surprise that I loved his adaptation of Macbeth with Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada's Lord Taketoki Washizuand Lady Asaji Washizu, effectively Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. If I could use one word to describe the film I would say it's 'creepy' - in the best possible way. Creepier even than the overly stylised Justin Kurzel version or Roman Polanski's nihilistic take. The witches here are coalesced into a deeply disturbing spirit. Macbeth/Taketoki's descent into madness is strikingly vivid in that he's already pretty crazy to begin with and only gets worse and worse, and Lady Macbeth has rarely been as well utilised as she is through her snake-like deathly countenance and delivery. And I haven't even discussed how incredibly well shot and well implemented the Western cultural elements are into the feudal Japanese Noh style of the film. Best in show: Well it's got to be Mifune, who plays possibly his craziest character ever here as while with most Macbeths there are hints of clarity throughout, this particular Macbeth just goes off the rocker, complete with violent alcoholism, and it's a primal, animalistic and devoted performance that rings of strong realism particularly in...
Best scene: this part of the final sequence. Apparently Mifune had nightmares and was pretty peeved off after filming this, anyone would be shitting themselves filming this. Faithful adaptation?: I mean for obvious reasons, it changes up a lot of stuff, trades in direct translation of soliloquies and such into moody atmospheric foggy shots and the kin, and it pays off unlike say, Kurzel's approach.
3. Hamlet(1996)
I imagine there aren't many people prepping for GCSEs or A-Levels reading this now but seriously, if you want to ace your Hamlet exam, this is the way to go. This is literally the whole text of Hamlet, everything in Hamlet, even the plot digressions that don't really add up to the main or even the secondary story, everything is in here. French star Gerard Depardieu plays Reynaldo, who you will never get a question in the exam on, who knows what Reynaldo does? Anyway if this sounds like I'm criticising the film, I'm not. This is the only four hour long film I have ever gotten through in one sitting, and the reason is that it is a masterpiece. Taking the whole text meant that Kenneth Branagh was setting himself up for a box-office flop from the outset, and so what does he do? He adorns it with lavish costumes, set design of unique sorts both exteriors and interiors that you've never quite seen done this way, another glorious Patrick Doyle score. This is essentially any Shakespeare and film buff's dream come true and for me, it is one of those perfect cinematic experiences.
Best in show: The all-star cast which when the casting does click, is pretty amazing (Kate Winslet as Ophelia! Charlton Heston as the Player! Billy Crystal as a gravedigger! Richard Attenborough, John Mills, John Gielgud, and Judi Dench making seconds long cameos!) and even the miscast ones aren't John Wayne as a Roman Centurion bad. Derek Jacobi with his own very unique and strangely sympathetic take on Claudius is a close second but it's got to be Kenneth Branagh for me. Branagh can be a bit of a divisive quality as an actor as he certainly has an ego and the camera certainly loves him here. It works though as his portrayal of the Prince of Denmark as a man who is legitimately going a bit insane but is also putting on an act of being insane, a mess of a man which implodes in the final act.
Best scene: So many great ones. Heston's soliloquy. 'To Be or Not To Be'. Act IV Scene IV, killing Polonius, the final duel, gravediggers, Claudius' regret, but for me it has to be the ghost of Hamlet's father appearing to the son. The perfect combination of the medium of film with Shakespeare's words.
Another Kurosawa adaptation of Shakespeare, this time implementing King Lear into the Sengoku-setting which is even more highly stylised. The choice to change up Lear into such a different yet at the same time so thematically similar setting - Lear as a character shares many of the views that a Japanese warlord of the time would hold with regards to respect, division of power, prerogative - is ingenious but just a starting point for what might be Kurosawa's crowning achievement as a director in terms of sheer spectacle and technical achievement. You could say it's the most stunning film ever and I wouldn't argue with you - how could you? It takes everything that is great about Shakespeare's text and characters and turns it up several notches in terms of intensity. I'll talk more about specifics below, and really I should devote a whole article to this film at some point, but just...watch it.
Best in show: I would have to say Tatsuya Nakadai as the Hidetora, the King Lear equivalent warlord in the proceedings, though Mieko Harada's Lady Kaede is also a revelation. Again, I might need a full article to go into what makes Nakadai's performance work as well as it does but he really embraces the stylistic choices Kurosawa goes with, donning the full Noh makeup and embodying the ageing warlord (playing about 30 years his senior at the time) fully.
Best scene: Come on, was it ever going to be any other scene? Although I couldn’t find the whole scene as it plays out on the whole. Although I do also dearly love the film's ending which is another terrific touch by Kurosawa, and shows that...
Faithful adaptation?:...sometimes change that captures the essence of the material while paving the way for your own approach is all the better. Ran changes things up by switching up Goneril and Reagan into warlords who are allured and seduced by the Edmund equivalent of Kaede, a switch around of gender dynamics which is quite powerful. The fool is changed up into a very stylistic Noh androgynous entertainer which is another really interesting touch. But best of all is perhaps the changing up of the blinded up Lord Gloucester into one of the film's quietest and deeply moving subplots. I won't go into too much detail, just watch it if you haven't.
As much as I hate to leave Kurosawa off the top spot, and it was very close, I have to hand this over to Branagh as Henry V is a perfect Shakespeare adaptation, even more perfect than his Hamlet which was already pretty much perfection, my top 3 are really all on a level par. What makes this particular adaptation of the play so effective? Many things, above all a thorough understanding of the material that goes beyond the text itself. Branagh would score full marks on the AO4 for his reading of the text here in how he implements parts of Henry IV parts 1 and 2 into the screenplay. It helps to further the characterisation of the king by showing his development from careless young man into the King we see. The genius of this adaptation does not stop there as Branagh does a tremendous job at humanising not just the titular protagonist but each and every one of his footmen, and even his enemies. He takes what was established in Shakespeare's original play and dare I say it, takes it to even greater heights as he retains that glorious inspirational spirit of camaraderie and warfare, while building on and creating even more of a poignancy in the Chorus' final bittersweet remarks by showing the loss and tragedies in even greater light. While nowadays we have cinematic universes, this is a film which is truly a universe unto itself, a world I love dipping into again, and again.
Best in show: Branagh is superb, as is everyone else he casts (look out for Ian Holm, Brian Blessed, Robbie Coltrane, Judi Dench and a very young Christian Bale). Derek Jacobi as the Chorus though is the standout as he brings so much to his narrative observations in tying in the themes of this film and adaptation not being pro or anti-war but rather a blunt examination of the losses and gains of it.
Best scene: Well that St Crispin's Day speech is magnificent in its delivery by Branagh and just the whole direction around it...but it has to be the one-take 'Non Nobis Domine' scene in the calm after the wake of warfare that shows the fallout of the horrors of war without compromising the resounding victory.
Faithful adaptation?: It captures the history play beautifully as a film with such a sense of history on its own, and every little cut or addition it makes and changes to the material it does are all executed with such care and expertise.
