Throughout the past four years as a Film and Media Studies major, I’ve seen a lot of movies. Most of my classes included screening nights, when my classmates and I would get cozy in the auditoriums of Tisch Library and the Olin Center and enjoy our weekly watches. On any given occasion, we’d be enjoying reels of silent short films or gasping in suspense at a classic Alfred Hitchcock work. Ah, there’s simply nothing like the communal experience of watching film. Anyways, sorry to get all sappy! Here’s a roundup of the top 10 films I’ve watched throughout my time as a Film and Media Studies major. Pretentiousness included!
10. Singing in the Rain (1952)
The musical comedy classic was one of my favorite screenings for my Art of the Moving Image class. Not only does Singing in the Rain’s dancing and singing leave you in awe—especially the “Good Morning” number—but the film’s portrayal of Hollywood’s transition from silent films to “talkies” is helpful for thinking about the history of the movie industry in the United States.
9. Un Chien Andalou (1929)
Un Chien Andalou, a silent short film created by director Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí, proves to be a fascinating introduction to surrealism. There’s no real plot here (it’s moreso scenes mainly featuring a woman and a man, that are connected by thoughts, images, and time. Much of the short is shocking, like it’s shocking opening scene.
8. Speed (1994)
Picture this: young Keanu Reeves, desperate to stop a bomb from detonating; Sandra Bullock, funny as ever, driving a bus with the cutest hairstyle (it’s a bob!); Dennis Hopper playing a fantastic villain. What more could you need!? Speed delivers on all fronts, and I can safely say it’s one of the best viewing experiences I’ve ever had with an audience. My classmates and I were practically throwing food at the screen.
7. Rouge (1988)
Stanley Kwan’s romantic ghost story is beautiful and tragic. I watched Rouge for my New Chinese Cinema class during my freshman spring—needless to say, it’s remained a favorite of mine. Anita Mui’s Fleur is simultaneously dazzling and haunting, and the film’s plot twist pulls at the heartstrings.
6. The Blot (1921)
Lois Weber, one of the silent era’s most defining and impactful directors and screenwriters, developed The Blot as a film following a daughter of a poorer family and a wealthy student at a nearby university. Weber expertly tackles economic and social issues throughout the feature, focusing specifically on the struggling family’s patriarch, who’s a college professor.
5. Rebecca (1940)
My favorite Hitchcock film came early in my Hitchcock: Cinema, Gender, and Ideology course. Rebecca’s a perfectly melodramatic and shocking movie, with Joan Fontaine playing the naïve second wife of Mr. de Winter. Watching Fontaine’s character slowly break down thanks to the pressures of her marriage—and the torturous behavior of Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper of Mr. de Winter’s estate—is simply delicious.
4. Vagabond (1985)
Agnès Varda’s well known as a central force behind the French New Wave, and her incredible touch as a director and writer is palpable in all of her work. Vagabond stands as a personal favorite for how it attempts to capture the wandering soul of its main character. Its full of a gorgeous countryside, composed storytelling, and a soft expression of independence and desire for something different.
3. Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2 (2003 and 2004)
Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill duology is not only a perfectly satisfying revenge story, but it’s also a colorful smorgasbord of film genres. The movies follow the Bride (Uma Therman), who’s hellbent on destroying the team of assassins who betrayed her (and almost killed her) on her wedding day. It’s Tarantino at his finest and bloodiest.
2. Song of the Exile (1990)
Song of the Exile follows Cheung Hueyin’s tumultuous relationship with her mother, Aiko, after Hueyin returns home from college abroad. Both feel lost in Hong Kong and their families—Aiko is Japanese—but their journey together throughout Song of the Exile is incredibly touching. It was a tearful screening, and the film remains burned into my mind as an excellent exploration of parenthood, identity, and loneliness.
1. The 400 Blows (1959)
François Truffaut’s coming-of-age film of youthful rebelliousness is one of the most impactful from the French New Wave. Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) is a most relatable protagonist—as he wanders the streets of Paris with a knack for trouble, it’s impossible not to feel connected to him. Of course, The 400 Blows’ final shot might just be its most famous. It’s certainly a defining moment for its protagonist.