Ten Top Ten?

I'm no movie critic, but I'm going to have to call shenanigans on this one.

(Except... I think that I would be a terrible critic, because I don't think that I've ever flat-out hated a film. But that's another post altogether...)

The other day, I watched The American Film Institute's Ten Top Ten. This three hour program ranked the top ten films in ten different genres, and while it was incredibly interesting and entertaining at times, some of the choices were so far out of left field that I wondered if a circus monkey was just picking them out of a hat.

I do now acknowledge that these films were not chosen for the amount of money each generated at the box office, or because of their commercial appeal, or for historic value. They were all chosen for a multitude of reasons, some of which I think were sentimental or, dare I say... politically correct?

I saw that the "Ten Top Ten" was about to start on CBS and called my Dad to get him on board. We both decided to watch and agreed to discuss the lists the next day.

But these lists were immediately deemed crap, by me, after the first round. Sleeping Beauty? Was not included in the top ten animated films.

At the first commercial break, the top seven animated films had been announced and reminisced over, and were now up to the best three. And, they were... Pinocchio, Bambi, and Snow White? The hell? Have you seen those? They're good, but... As soon as my phone rang, I knew it was my dad.

Now, I can see why Snow White was number one - it was the first full-length animated film and its historical significance and its subsequent effect on the Disney brand should place it in the top ten. But Sleeping Beauty, in my opinion, is one of the most richly animated films ever made. The detail of the backgrounds, the overtly angled subjects, the small details like the bark on a tree... Add the Tchaikovsky score and you've got me hook, line, and sinker. There has not been an animated film since that looks or sounds anything like Sleeping Beauty. I can honestly say that it's my favorite film of all time, animated or not. I am a sucker for princesses in love, and this one is the simplest, purest, and loveliest. Roman Holiday and The Princess Bride fall directly in line behind, but don't claim that coveted spot.

But Bambi and Pinocchio have nothing on Aurora.

Looking at the top ten, I noticed that five were from the early, glory days of the Disney empire, and five were much more recent. Interesting...

Anyway, the other top ten lists were fairly predictable - with a few surprises - but mostly followed the same formula as the animated choices:

#1 Romantic Comedy - City Lights. Chaplin. I haven't seen it, so... But Roman Holiday was number four! That was a nice surprise.

#1 Western - The Searchers. John Wayne. I... really don't like westerns. So I haven't seen it. (My parents think that this is sad - that I don't like westerns, that is. They think that I should try and watch a few, and I know I should - they are one hundred-percent American cinematic creations, after all. So for their historic value alone, I'll get around to it. I promise.)

#1 Sports - Raging Bull. Hmm. I got nothing. It beat Rocky? And The Pride of the Yankees? Gritty choice, that is. ("I thought that I was gonna see a film about Yankee pride, and then, boom! The guy gets Lou Gehrig's disease." "Uh... the guy was Lou Gehrig. Didn't you kinda see it coming?")

#1 Mystery - Vertigo. And... well, it's on my Netflix queue. That's a start, right?

#1 Fantasy - The Wizard of Oz. Amazing, of course. But the list also included... Groundhog Day?

#1 Sci-Fi - 2001: A Space Odyssey - I know people who think that this is the dullest movie ever made. Those people make me sad. I also knew that if it wasn't named #1 in its category, my dad would be flipping the channel immediately. Star Wars IV: A New Hope was number two, by the way. Rightfully so.

#1 Gangster - The Godfather. Like they even paused to consider another. I was pleased to see Goodfellas in the second spot.

#1 Courtroom Drama - To Kill a Mockingbird. No arguments here. I love this film. LOVE. I also think that every single film on this particular list was worthy. In fact, if you haven't seen Anatomy of a Murder, do try to see it. Or read the book. Simply amazing.

#1 Epic - Lawrence of Arabia. Wow. There really was no other choice. Have you seen it? Wait, though. If you haven't, seek out a theater. You won't know how important it is to see this film on the big screen until you've done just that. (I know that the AFI Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland shows it each summer, because that's where I was lucky to see this masterpiece stretched across the canvas.) OH MY GOSH, AMAZING.

Anyway, I think that the main thing I can take from this list of lists is that we will forever be debating movies and their cultural impact on our country. This program cultivated immediate discussion between my dad and I, and I was up waaaay too late on the phone, talking about film.

What is it about movies that gets people so excited? Each and every person experiences a film differently, and because film has the power to evoke feelings and memories, there will always be room for discussion.