I have been a movie buff since time immemorial. In the mid-1940s, for thirty cents, I could see a double feature, and that included round-trip Greyhound bus fare to and from the village where the Strand Theater awaited me and my thin dime. Two movies for only a dime? Unheard of by today’s standards.
Now I’ll get down to business. Coming in at number 10 on my list of faves is the delightful dramedy, Amelie, a French flick starring the effervescent Audrey Tautou. Always seeking ways to help others, she never looked after herself, a sad state of affairs until the end, when she finds her true love.
Ninth on my list is a melodrama/mystery that starred two popular stars from the mid-1940s: Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. They played their roles perfectly in the ever popular The Talk of the Town, a whodunit that had me on the edge of my recliner from start to finish. The dashing Ronald Colman and Edgar Buchanan completed a stellar cast.
John Wayne made over 150 movies during his distinguished career, most of them were westerns. At number eight, I selected The Searchers, and Wayne’s acting was at his best. The story involved racial prejudice and perseverance, quite a rare combination for the western genre. Ward Bond, Jeffrey Hunter, and Natalie Wood rounded out the excellent cast.
At number seven it’s Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, starring the incomparable James Stewart and the oh-so-lovely Grace Kelly. Raymond Burr was cast as the heavy, and he nailed it. If there ever was a nail-biter, this film is it. Wendell Corey and Thelma Ritter rounded out a superb cast.
James Dean is one of my favorite actors of all time. His performance in Rebel Without a Cause was Oscar-worthy. Rebel made sixth on my list. Rebellion was the major theme of this film, and Dean and supporting actor Sal Mineo certainly made the theme believable. Natalie Wood was superb as Dean’s love interest. A tragic side note here: Dean, Mineo, and Wood all died of violent deaths in real life.
I struggled with number five, Lawrence of Arabia, and my struggle was whether or not to move it higher up on my list. Peter O’Toole was certainly the right choice for this role, and it disappointed me when the Oscar people didn’t give him the best actor nod.
Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor delightfully sang and danced around the silver screen in my number four choice, Singin’ in the Rain, and who could forget Jean Hagen’s squeaky voice of Lina Lamont. Many critics agree that Singin’ is the greatest movie musical of all time. One of my favorite song and dance routines was performed by Kelly and O’Connor. They were wearing green-and-white-checkered suits and carrying violins. Their coordinated dancing, singing, and playing their violins were the cleverest I’ve ever seen.
12 Angry Men, a movie that brilliantly exemplifies group dynamics, captures my number three slot. Henry Fonda delivered a career performance, and Lee J. Cobb was dynamic and relentless as the last juror to hold out for a not-guilty verdict. As the film progressed, it was gratifying to see the jurors change their votes to “not guilty,” one by one. The final scene, with Fonda helping Cobb put on his jacket, was as poignant as it gets.
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” said Dorothy to Toto, and how right she was, for they were truly in another world. The Wizard of Oz captures my second slot. This is a film for any age group for any time in the history of show business. Every actor in this classic is perfectly cast. Who else but Judy Garland could play Dorothy Gale? And Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr, with that unmistakable voice, played their roles to perfection. In a story of good vs. evil, we are happy with the outcome, and that delightful Yellow Brick Road will be etched on our minds and in our hearts forever.
Have you guessed my favorite of favorites? The greatest of classics? A story of love and rejection? If you guessed Gone With the Wind, you were right. This epic motion picture has it all: superb acting, breathtaking scenery, marvelous storytelling, and impeccable cinematography. Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara; Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh. The casting doesn’t get any better than this, and the blending of the American Civil War with love and heartbreak is captured flawlessly. Do I have a favorite scene? Yes, at the end when Rhett tells Scarlett that he doesn’t give a you-know-what.
