The Top Ten

For an apathetic blogger like me writing is like a seductive mistress. It calls for a lot of attention and craves for massive indulgence but is somehow forced to take a backseat because of the mundane realities of this space time continuum. After a long and rather tedious exercise of (supposed) thinking I figured that the most pragmatic course of action for me to take in order to kick start my near dead blog again would be to write about something that allows me to be opinionated, judgmental, didactic and obviously linguistically generous. Thus I decided to do something that I have been putting off for a long time… to finally put up my list of top 10 movies. Now this list has been made considering all movies I have ever seen irrespective of their language. No Hindi movie makes it to the top 10 although there is a Bengali movie here. Now the basic thought (for me) that goes behind ‘rating’ a movie is that I have always believed that cinema in essence s literature in motion. A good movie is like a good book and just like a book one should not feel cheated/violated/insulted/mangled after watching a movie. So without further ado here is my list of top 10 movies. Please be kind enough to post your thoughts about them.

Number Ten: Dr Zhivago

The most effective way of describing this movie would be to simply state that watching Dr. Zhivago is like cuddling up inside a quilt on a cold winter morning and reading the works of a Russian master. This particular film with all its subtle drama somehow has a very soothing effect and makes one truly believe in the power of human expression. A hopeless romantic who is an unabashed poet and an aspiring medical practitioner and his struggles during the Russian revolution is what forms the backbone of this movie. Much like the book this movie has several political overtones but that does not in any way shroud the sheer magnificence of the romantic vision. The ice palace seen will forever be etched in the minds of the people who have seen this movie. But the most defining aspect of this movie is the character of Lara… a girl so torn apart from within and yet such power! This movie is a treat both for the senses and the sensibilities.

Number Nine: All the President's Men

This particular movie without doubt is one of the most politically compelling movies of all times and yet has been treated as a massive understatement in its making (I hope that makes sense). Based on a book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, this movie is about the adventures of two young journalists during one of the most significant periods of American political history. The theatrical poster of the movie proclaimed it to be “The most devastating detective story of this century.” Smart screenplay, taut dialogues, controlled performances and supremely smart direction makes this movie one of the most gripping movies of all times. The scenes where deep throat has his clandestine meetings with Woodward are exquisitely shot. At the end of the movies one wonders why the producers ever cared about paying Hoffman and Redford for this movie. Both of them were so damned naturally adaptive to their roles that they barely needed to act.

Number Eight:

For the eight spot there is tie between two movies. One of them is a suave and sophisticated thriller starring Humphrey Bogart and the other one is heart wrenching tale of the trials and tribulations of a young woman.

The Maltese Falcon

This is a quintessential spy movie where distraught albeit enigmatic blonde walks into the office of the ever so charismatic detective and pleads for help. What follows next is an absolute roller coaster ride of murder, deception, heady romances and immense thrills. The story concerns the entanglement of a San Francisco private investigator with three greedy, unscrupulous and murderous adventurers who compete with each other to obtain a fabulous jewel-encrusted statuette of a falcon worth millions. Smart and crisp dialogues coupled by the sheer charm of a certain Humphrey Bogart this movie will keep you riveted till the very end.

Meghe Dhaka Tara

This is the tale of Neeta, a beautiful young woman who lives with her family, refugees from East Pakistan in the suburbs of Calcutta. Nita is a self-sacrificing person who is constantly exploited by everyone around her, even her own family, who take her goodness for granted. The director of the movie is a certain Ritwik Ghatak who is one of the greatest exponents of cinema this country has ever seen. Meghe Dhaka Tara is strongly melodramatic in tone, especially as concerns the sufferings heaped on the protagonist. As in many of his other films, Ghatak also uses surrealistic sound effects, such as sounds of a lashing as the heroine suffers yet another tragic twist of fate. The line “Dada aami baachte chai” (Brother, I want to live) at the end of the movie is possibly the most potent lines in Bengali cinema.

Number Seven: Godfather I and II

It is really hard to differentiate between these two movies because both the movies are as good as the other one. Godfather I is characterised by the power of Marlon Brando and the silent confidence of Al Pacino as Michael Corleone. The second movie on the other hand is driven by the power of narrative coupled what can arguably be described as Al Pacino’s finest hour on the silver screen. There is nothing much that can be said about these movies that hasn’t already been said. All I can say is that after watching these movies I felt dwarfed by the sheer genius of the writer and the vision of the director.

Number Six: Twelve Angry Men

This is a movie which represents two very contradicting characteristics. On one hand this is possibly one of the greatest directorial ventures of the last century and on the other hand it is also possibly the most underrated movie of all times. (It was the movie’s misfortune to release in the same year as another classic A Bridge on the River Kwai) The plot is very simple. Twelve jury men deciding the fate of a murder suspect does not qualify as much of a story but the immense work put behind shaping the character of each of the men is awe inspiring. Within that room the director (I believe) attempts to represent a dissection the erstwhile societal thinking patterns through the characters who display their insecurities, beliefs, biases and their whims. This is a movie that thrills you, keeps you gripped and makes you think. Kudos to a true classic!

The rest of the movies will follow very soon. Stay Tuned!!