Movie Canon

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

In the list so far there is one that so far shines for its absence, and that is currently part of most film schools for various reasons, including studio politics:

Terry Guilliam's Brazil

You could include some Caro/Jeunet too like Delicatessen or La cité des enfants perdus.

[Swatopluk]

I tried to stay away from British or US movies until now for the most part to fill in the non-English section first.

Of course a selection of Monty Python cannot be left out. While we are at it, a Carry On should be included. I propose either Up the Khyber or Screaming

If nobody has mentioned it yet: the Manchurian Candidate (the original).

In the political section a Peter Watkins should be added (Either The War Game or Punishment Park)

Both The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind are of course mandatory (independent of individual taste those are iconic)

From a German perspective I would include 2 fims by Pabst: Kameradschaft* and Westfront 1918
the latter to be contrasted with All is Quiet on the Western Front (original uncut) and maybe Oh! Whhat a Lovely War

The selection of the Western genre could be difficult. Stagecoach, Winchester 73, 40 Guns?

And which Woody Allen?
And what about Hitchcock? How many and wich ones? The Man who knew to much (b/w), Psycho, the Birds?

To be or not to be (Lubitsch)
Some like it hot
Alien(s) (+ Dark Star for the advanced course)
The Terminator
Strange Days
Zulu (contrasted with selections from the TV series Chaka Zulu)

We already have Potemkin but one of the cooperations of Eisenstein and Prokofiev (Alexandr Nevsky and Ivan Grozny) should be added. Additionally for the advanced course: Chapayev.

For the younger audiences: a selection of Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli, selected silly symphonies, merry melodies and loony tunes.
A selection of Astrid Lindgren movies including one  Pippi Longstockings and one fantasy (Ronja, Mio or Lionheart Brothers)

We are still lacking a few contributions from Africa and South America

*not a war movie

[Griffin NoName]

Life of Brian and Bananas.

[Swatopluk]

Drat, something ate my post.

Thief of Baghdad (Fairbanks) combined with Der Müde Tod by Fritz Lang
A Robin Hood and a Zorro triad (both starting with Fairbanks)

One of the Quatermass movies (I include X the Unknown in that)

High Noon
The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari
Münchhausen (German original)
The Big Red One (reconstructed version)
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Duck Soup

The Year of the Sex Olympics (no prawn, a prescient Nigel Kneale/BBC production about "Reality TV". Alas, no colour print survived!)

A selection of arly cinema pioneers (Lumiere etc.)

For the advanced course: Fahrenheit 9/11 against George Bush - Faith in the White House
CSA (a what-if about the Confederates winning the US Civil War)

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

There is a number of Latin American movies worth of mention but most of them tend to fall into the adult/serious category making it a bit difficult for young minds. I would suggest La noche de los lápices (the night of pencils) but when the subject involves torture, rape and murder/missing during the Argentinian dictatorship of the 70s, only the students in their last highschool years may be barely able to stand (let alone digest) the movie.

Perhaps -although not Latin American but Spaniard- some movies from Buñuel can make the cut.

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

A good African movie is "Tsotsi", a movie about the crime in South African Republic. A guy steels a car, and discovers a baby in it, deciding to keep it...

Good South American movie could be for example "Cidade de Deus", a Brazilian movie about the gangs in Brasil...

[Swatopluk]

We are also still a bit short on French movies.

Mr.Hulot's holidays would cover comedy but what about more serious stuff? Some Truffaut?

Kiyo, some Eastern European (apart from Russia) proposals?

[Griffin NoName]

Chabrol needs to be in there. Le Boucher is my favorite, but others may better represent the genre.

more french: Jean de Floret/Manon des Source

[beagle]

We're a bit short on Italy too.

The Bicycle Thieves/La Dolce Vita/Cinema Paradiso anyone?

Not sure about the teenager attention span for some of those.

[Swatopluk]

For those are the Bavas

There is an Italian film that I would mention but I want to use it for the Guess the Movie first.

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

Kiyo, some Eastern European (apart from Russia) proposals?

Well, for starters, a few movies by Emir Kusturics ("Black Cat, White Cat" for example), followed by some movies about the war in Yugoslavia (I can recommend "Lepa Sela, Lepo Gore" - Pretty Village, Pretty Flame, for the beginning) and then maybe a few movies by Jan Svankmajer (like "Faust" for example)...

Also I can recommend "Cesky Sen" (Czech Dream), a documentary about a non-existing hypermarket, showing that in the world of consumption, people really are stupid, and another very interesting and very surreal movie: "Skritek".

Also, very interesting movies are "Fimfarum".

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Perhaps -although not Latin American but Spaniard- some movies from Buñuel can make the cut.

Yes... Un Chien Andalou is seriously freaky.  It seems a bit clunky to watch compared to today's movies, but it's from a time when our "cinema shorthand" was still being developed... actually, I think this movie and others like it were a key step in developing that shorthand of film, and figuring out how to use cinema as something other than a way to record stage plays.


Edit: also, for another German contribution, Lola rennt/Run Lola Run.

[Swatopluk]

One may like Disney or not but a few Disney movies have to be in a canon of cinema.

Snow White (contrasted with Snow White - A Tale of Terror)
Bambi
Fantasia (the old one)
I would vote against Peter Pan though.

La Belle et la bete (the French b/w "real", not the Disney animated remake)

Again for the advanced course: War of the Worlds (old and new)

At least one Harryhausen

[beagle]

While we are at it, a Carry On should be included. I propose either Up the Khyber or Screaming

Tricky these artistic discussions. Should we include "Carry on Cleo" if only for the "Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me!" line of Caesar's?
Not sure if that has shaped the modern World as much as "Any time is tiffin time" from Khyber.

[Swatopluk]

Or the "Rank Incompetence" (after hitting the gong) from the same.