Nick Meyer’s Must See Movie List For Studio Executives



NICHOLAS MEYER’S MUST SEE MOVIE LIST FOR THE CINEMATICALLY LITERATE

This list is obviously incomplete, but it’s a start. There’s films that should be here but we forgot. The list was compiled in the early ‘90’s and is thus incomplete in that sense, as well.

The idea is not that all these films are “great” but that people wishing to discuss the literature of film intelligently should know these pictures if not like them.

Remember: seeing films on TV is like getting kissed over the telephone. DVD where possible and the bigger the screen, the better – a movie theatre, if possible. No interruptions, no talking and most important: do not watch a movie without popcorn… Enjoy!

CHAPLIN: SHORTS

CITY LIGHTS

MODERN TIMES

THE GOLD RUSH

THE KID

MONSTER VERDOUX

JOHN HUSTON:

TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE

THE AFRICAN QUEEN

FAT CITY

THE MALTESE FALCON

WISE BLOOD

ASPHALT JUNGLE

JOHN FORD:

THE GRAPES OF WRATH

YOUNG MR. LINCOLN

THE SEARCHERS

SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON

THE INFORMER

MY DARLING CLEMENTINE

STAGECOACH

MICHAEL CURTIZ:

CASABLANCA

ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD

DODGE CITY

WILLIAM WELLMAN:

NOTHING SACRED

WINGS

MARX BROTHERS:

DUCK SOUP

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

STANLEY KUBRICK:

PATHS OF GLORY

SPARTACUS

DR. STRANGELOVE

LOLITA

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

THE KILLING

HOWARD HAWKS:

BRINGING UP BABY

RED RIVER

RIO BRAVO

HIS GAL FRIDAY

20TH CENTURY

THE ROAD TO GLORY

JOHN CROMWELL:

THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (COLEMAN VERSION)

ALFRED HITCHCOCK:

THE LADY VANISHES

THE 39 STEPS

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

REBECCA

VERTIGO

REAR WINDOW

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (BOTH VERSIONS)

THE BIRDS

SHADOW OF A DOUBT

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

NOTORIOUS

ROPE

MUSICALS:

FRED ASTAIRE AND GINGER ROGERS

(TOP HAT; FOLLOW THE FLEET; GAY DIVORCE; ROYAL WEDDING)

THE BANDWAGON

THE RED SHOES

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

FUNNY FACE

GIGI

WEST SIDE STORY

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS

ELIA KAZAN:

ON THE WATERFRONT

EAST OF EDEN

PANIC IN THE STREETS

A FACE IN THE CROWD

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

BABY DOLL

WILLIAM WYLER:

THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES

DODSWORTH

ROMAN HOLIDAY

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

BEN-HUR

PRESTON STURGES:

THE LADY EVE

SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS

THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN’S CREEK

THE GREAT MAGINTY

PALM BEACH STORY

LAURENCE OLIVIER:

HENRY V

RICHARD III

HAMLET

FRITZ LANG:

“M” (IN GERMAN)

METROPOLIS

(WITHOUT GEORGIO MORODER SCORE)

ABEL GANCE:

NAPOLEON (CANNOT BE VIEWED ON TV OR DVD – MUST BE SEEN WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA)

CAROL REED:

ODD MAN OUT

THE THIRD MAN

THE FALLEN IDOL

OUR MAN IN HAVANA

BILLY WILDER:

SUNSET BOULEVARD

STALAG 17

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION

SOME LIKE IT HOT

THE APARTMENT

FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO

DOUBLE INDEMNITY

THE LOST WEEKEND

ACE IN THE HOLE

ERNEST LUBITSCH:

DESIRE

NINOTCHKA

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

SERGEI EISENSTEIN:

BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN

ALEXANDER NEVSKY

IVAN THE TERRIBLE (Parts I & II)

JOSEF VON STERNBERG:

THE BLUE ANGEL

SCARLET EMPRESS

FRED ZINNEMAN:

HIGH NOON

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

THE SUNDOWNERS

JACQUES TOURNEUR:

OUT OF THE PAST

I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE

CAT PEOPLE

DAVID LEAN:

OLIVER TWIST

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

BRIEF ENCOUNTER

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

JEAN RENOIR:

THE RULES OF THE GAME

THE GRAND ILLUSION

THE RIVER

MARCEL CARNE:

CHILDREN OF PARADISE

LE QUAI DES BRUMES

JEAN-PIERRE MELVILLE:

BOB LE FLAMBEUR

L’ARMEE DES OMBRES

JULES DASSIN:

RIFFIFI

TOPKAPI

NAKED CITY

BRUTE FORCE

THIEVES’ HIGHWAY

TRUFFAUT:

THE 400 BLOWS

JULES AND JIM

DAY FOR NIGHT

JEAN LUC GODDARD:

BREATHLESS

PIERROT LE FOU

WEEKEND

ROBERT BRESSON:

DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST

PICKPOCKET

A MAN ESCAPED

JEAN COCTEAU:

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

THE BLOOD OF THE POET

ORPHEUS

JACQUE BECKER:

LE TROU

TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI

GEORGES FRANJU:

LES YEUX SANS VISAGE (EYES WITHOUT A FACE)

FEDERICO FELLINI

LA DOLCE VITA

8 ½

NIGHTS OF CABIRIA

LA STRADA

AMARCORD

LUIZ BUNUEL

BELLE DE JOUR

THE DISCEET CHARM OF THE BOURGOISIE

VITTORIO DE SICA:

BYCYCLE THIEVES

SHOESHINE

THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS

ROBERTO ROSSELINI:

OPEN CITY

MARIO MONICELLI:

BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET (RUN WITH RIFFIFI)

THE ORGANIZER

PASOLINI:

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW

BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI:

THE SPIDER’S STRATAGEM

THE CONFORMIST

1900

INGMAR BERGMAN:

WILD STRAWBERRIES

SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT

THE SEVENTH SEAL

THE MAGICIAN

PERSONA

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY

ETTORE SCOLA:

LA NUIT DE VARENNES

LE BAL

A SPECIAL DAY

AKIRA KURASOWA:

HIGH AND LOW

THRONE OF BLOOD

SEVEN SAMAURAI

RAN

RASHOMON

REDBEARD

DRUNKEN ANGEL

IKURU

SATIAJIT RAY (INDIAN):

THE APU TRILOGY

SERGEI BONDARCHUCK (USSR):

WAR AND PEACE

KORDA- RELATED FILMS:

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD

FOUR FEATHERS

EALING STUDIO COMEDIES:

THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (C. CRICHTON)

LADY KILLERS (A. MACKENDRICK)

THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT

KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (ROBT. HAMMER)

GEORGE CUKOR:

PHILADELPHIA STORY

GASLIGHT

GEORGE STEVENS:

ADAM’S RIB

WOMAN OF THE YEAR

SHANE

GIANT

GUNGA DIN

FRANK CAPRA:

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

LOST HORIZON

MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN

MEET JOHN DOE

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT

OTTO PREMINGER:

LAURA

ANATOMY OF A MURDER

SIDNEY LUMET:

THE PAWNBROKER

12 ANGRY MEN

THE HILL

PRINCE OF THE CITY

DOG DAY AFTERNOON

CARLOS SAURA:

CARMEN

NICHOLAS RAY:

IN A LONELY PLACE

BIGGER THAN LIFE

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE

SAM FULLER

THE NAKED KISS

SHOCK CORRIDOR

SAM PECKINPAH

THE WILD BUNCH

STRAW DOGS

MICHAEL POWELL AND EMERIC PRESSBURGER

BLACK NARCISSUS

THE RED SHOES

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING

MIKHAIL KALATOZOV

THE CRANES ARE FLYING

THE LETTER NEVER SENT

I AM CUBA

ANDRZEJ TARKOVSKY

THE MIRROR

ANDREI RUBLIEV

ANDRJEZ WAJDA

DANTON

MAN OF IRON

KANAL

WITHOUT ANESTHESIA

KRSZTOF KIESLOWSKI

THE DECALOGUE

BLUE

ROBERT ALTMAN

NASHVILLE

McCABE & MRS. MILLER

ALAIN RESNAIS

PROVIDENCE

HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR

NIGHT AND FOG

YASUJIRO OZU

LATE SPRING

FLOATING WEEDS

TOKYO STORY

BOB FOSSE

CABARET

LENNY

ALL THAT JAZZ

STAR 80

MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI

BLOW-UP

THE PASSENGER

L’AVVENTURA

RED DESERT

GEORGE LUCAS

STAR WARS (THE ORIGINAL)

WERNER HERZOG

AGUIRRE, WRATH OF GOD

THE COEN BROTHERS

BLOOD SIMPLE

RAISING ARIZONA

BARTON FINK

RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER

THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN

MAX OPHULS

THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE…

DOUGLAS SIRK

WRITTEN ON THE WIND

ROBERT ROSSEN

THE HUSTLER

KING VIDOR

THE CROWD

STELLA DALLAS

CHARLES LAUGHTON

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER

JOSE VON STERNBERG

THE LAST COMMAND

MIKE NICHOLS:

THE GRADUATE

CARNAL KNOWLEDGE

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

ROMAN POLANSKY:

KNIFE IN THE WATER

REPULSION

ROSEMARY’S BABY

ROBERT TOWNE (WRITER):

CHINATOWN (dir. Roman Polansky)

SHAMPOO (dir. Warren Beatty)

THE LAST DETAIL (dir. Hal Ashby)

KAREL REISZ:

SATURDAY NIGHT, SUNDAY MORNING

MORGAN

THE GAMBLER

TONY RICHARDSON:

TOM JONES

THE ENTERTAINER

LONLINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER

JOHN SCHLESINGER:

DARLING

MIDNIGHT COWBOY

BILLY LIAR

DAY OF THE LOCUST

JOHN FRANKENHEIMER:

7 DAYS IN MAY

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE

SECONDS

LINDSAY ANDERSON:

THIS SPORTING LIFE

IF…

O LUCKY MAN

BUSTER KEATON:

THE GENERAL

OUR HOSPITALITY

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA:

THE GODFATHER I & II (only)

APOCALYPSE NOW

THE CONVERSATION

RUMBLEFISH

STEVEN SPIELBERG:

JAWS

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

E.T.

SCHINDLER’S LIST

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

WOODY ALLEN:

ANNIE HALL

CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS

SLEEPER

ZELIG

BANANAS

MANHATTAN

COSTA GAVRAS:

Z

THE CONFESSION

MISSING

ORSON WELLES

CITIZEN KANE

THE MAGNIFCENT AMBERSONS

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI

F FOR FAKE

CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT

TOUCH OF EVIL (Walter Murch reconstruction)

JOSEPH MANKIEWICZ

ALL ABOUT EVE

FIVE FINGERS

JULIUS CAESAR

GUYS & DOLLS

MARTIN SCORSESE

MEAN STREETS

RAGING BULL

WISE GUYS

TAXI DRIVER

GOODFELLAS

MISC:

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (ANDERSON)

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (FLEISCHER)

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (ROBERT STEVENSON)

SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (ALEXANDER MACKENDRICK)

THE CAINE MUTINY (EDWARD DYMTRICK)

CROSSFIRE (EDWARD DYMTRICK))

BOOMERANG

LITTLE CEASAR

WHITE HEAT (RAOUL WALSH)

PRETTY POISON (NOEL BLACK)

UNDER FIRE (ROGER SPOTTISWOODE)

THE ENEMY BELOW (DICK POWELL)

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