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Top Picks - DVDs
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I've seen a lot of DVDs over the last few months. Some were flat-out wonderful, some were memorable, and of course there were a handful that I'd rather forget. Here's a list of the best of the best -- my personal, idiosyncratic list of DVD favorites. The list includes a variety of films, including classics and masterworks of world cinema reissued on DVD, along with contemporary films recently released on DVD.
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1) "Citizen Kane" - Special Edition DVD (1941)
"Citizen Kane" is an enduring masterpiece that is considered by many -- myself included -- to be the greatest movie ever made. Welles’ portrayal of the title character is unexcelled. I think that the visual style of "Citizen Kane" looks stunningly fresh and inventive even today, and the unconventional narrative structure of the Oscar-winning screenplay still seems daring. Film critic Roger Ebert’s audio commentary is probably the best I’ve heard on any DVD so far.
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2) "The Third Man" - 50th Anniversary Edition - DVD (1949)
I've lost track of how many times I've seen "The Third Man" over the years, but I doubt that I’ll ever tire of this unusual film noir. Orson Welles is stunning as Harry Lime, one of the most deliciously memorable villains in all of film history. I've never enjoyed it more than while watching it on the Criterion Collection DVD, which features a restored print that brings Robert Krasker's moody, expressionistic black and white cinematography to vibrant new life.
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3) "Grand Illusion" - Criterion Collection DVD (1937)
Although superficially a World War I POW escape story, the 1937 masterpiece of world cinema "Grand Illusion" is Jean Renoir's meditation on nationality, social class, language, and ethnicity. Pauline Kael declared "Grand Illusion" to be "the greatest achievement in narrative film." I understand her enthusiasm for this film. I loved this subtle movie the first time I saw it, and each time I watch this moving masterpiece again on DVD, my appreciation of it deepens.
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4) "The Seventh Seal" - Criterion Collection DVD (1957)
"The Seventh Seal" established Swedish writer-director Ingmar Bergman as one of the world’s most important filmmakers. Using stunning visual imagery and theatrical dialogue, the movie explores philosophical issues such as the silence of God and man’s search for the meaning of life. Although much of the film deals with death’s inevitability, the movie leaves me feeling hopeful rather than despairing. Also, the Criterion Collection DVD’s extra features are terrific.
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5) "Seven Samurai" - Criterion Collection DVD (1954)
Set in feudal Japan, Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" shows what happens when peasant farmers hire professional warriors to defend them. Although I loved the visual style of this movie right away, I found the film to be baffling the first time I saw it. But after dropping my preconceived ideas of what a movie ought to be and carefully watching "Seven Samurai" repeatedly on DVD, I began to understand why this is one of the greatest films ever made.
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6) "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" DVD (2000)
"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is a comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen that’s based loosely on Homer’s epic poem "The Odyssey." Set in 1937 Mississippi, "O Brother" tells the tale of how Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) escapes from a chain gang and makes a difficult journey to a town named Ithaca to reunite with his ex-wife Penny. I was particularly impressed with the way the movie combines elements of myth with a folktale’s sense of magic and wide-eyed wonder.
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7) "Memento" DVD (2000)
"Memento" is a film where everything is quicksand; people and perceptions can’t necessarily be trusted. This is the essence of film noir. "Memento" baffled theater audiences, partly because the story is told backwards as seen through protagonist Leonard Shelby’s shattered mind. To my way of thinking, the key to the mystery is to reflect on the nature of self-deception. Now you can watch this movie repeatedly at home, and you'll be able to figure out what really happens in it. Or will you?
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8) "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" DVD (2000)
"The things we can touch have no permanence. My master would say there is nothing we can hold onto in this world. Only by letting go can we truly possess what is real." So says the wisest of the main characters in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The movie’s title is an expression of the notion of concealed strength. I loved the entertaining mix of action, romance, and exotic setting. The complex, enigmatic story and unforgettable images left me with a lot to think about.
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9) "Gandhi" DVD (1982)
Winner of eight Academy Awards, "Gandhi" is an inspirational tale about one of the most unusual men in world history. As U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall said, "Mahatma Gandhi has become the spokesman for the conscience of all mankind. He was a man who made humility and simple truth more powerful than Empires." I believe that this film, due in no small part to Ben Kingsley’s great performance in the title role, succeeds brilliantly in capturing Marshall’s notion.
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10) "Thirteen Days" - Infinifilm Edition DVD (2000)
In October of 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union became embroiled in a confrontation that could have escalated into nuclear war. Many of the details of that confrontation, which is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, are brilliantly dramatized by the gripping docudrama "Thirteen Days." I was fascinated by how the film showed a group of highly intelligent men grapple with a complex and monumentally important problem. I also loved this DVD’s extra features.
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