The DVXUser 100 Films Discussion - April 2007

The DVXUser 100 Films Discussion - April 2007

  • The Godfather (1972)

    Votes: 7 35.0%

  • Sunset Boulevard (1950)

    Votes: 5 25.0%

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

    Votes: 3 15.0%

  • The Godfather Part II (1974)

    Votes: 2 10.0%

  • Rear Window (1954)

    Votes: 1 5.0%

  • From Here to Eternity (1953)

    Votes: 1 5.0%

  • Tootsie (1982)

    Votes: 1 5.0%

  • Ben-Hur (1959)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Giant (1956)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • A Place in the Sun (1951)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    20
  • Poll closed .
Erik Olson

Erik Olson

Unscripted Mod
Staff member
A FORMAL MONTHLY DISCUSSION OF BENCHMARK FILMS AT DVXUser!

Welcome to the third installment of the DVXUser 100 Films discussion. DVXUser has quickly garnered a reputation as a friendly and collaborative virtual film school on the Internet for digital cinema creators.


The DVXUser 100 Films study course will assign one picture each month from the​
AFI's renowned 100 Years, 100 Movies list. In ten months, we will cover at least ten films (more than one per month is possible when there is a tie) selected by our members from the field of 100.



How will the films be selected?

On the first of the month, I'll post another batch of ten films from the AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies list. Through midnight on the 5th of each month, DVXUsers can vote on which film we should watch and then discuss at the end of the month or once members have rented and viewed it.

You decide which film you want to nominate. It can be a personal favorite or simply a film you've always wanted to watch, but never got around to. After you vote, maybe post a short plug on why you chose one film over the other nine.

Whatever film ranks highest will be the one we all watch after voting closes on the 5th!


What will be discussed?

Within the confines of the DVXUser rules of engagement (no religion and politics and so forth) we will discuss the film in the context of the world when it was released, writing, performances and techniques.

Subject to regular moderation, it should be an open discussion of what goes into filmmaking now and within the historical context of the film we're examining.

Here's the list of nominees for April 2007...

THE GODFATHER (1972)
SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
REAR WINDOW (1954)
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
TOOTSIE (1982)
BEN-HUR (1959)
GIANT (1956)
A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)

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Geez. Hard list.

I couldn't vote for Read Window because we just did a Hitchcock and doing another one so soon would make my head explode.

I couldn't vote Godfather I or II because that's like someone asking which one of your children is your favorite.

I couldn't vote for 2001 because it's one of my top five favorite movies of all time and I'm trying to broaden my scope with these monthly discussions.

So I voted Sunset Blvd. because *gasp* I've never seen it. :)

Looking forward to this month's discussion.
 
This list was a bit confounding for me as well.

In the same month, you find films like Giant, that I'd wager few DVXUser members have seen, mixed with The Godfather pictures, which have been studied more than almost any other.

I agonized over Giant, Ben-Hur and A Place in the Sun.

I'm glad to see a vote for Sunset Boulevard, because it is simply an amazing picture. My bet is that a great many of the digital cinema generation has likely never watched Boulevard. It is relatable to our generation - featuring more than a few parallels to our own place in the rapidly changing motion picture industry.

It documents the decidedly unglamorous fall of the old guard, who have been outdated and outmoded by a new generation and technologies. Desmond and chauffer Max motor about in an obscene Isotta-Fraschini limo, marveling at how out of touch the world is with their own reality.

The more I think about it, the more I wish I'd voted for Boulevard.

Ah well, From Here to Eternity is a great picture too. We'll have to wait for a few days to see how it all washes out.

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I had to vote for Sunset Blvd as well. It has been in my Queue form over a year, and I still haven't had the chance to see it yet.
 
I like Wilder as much as the next guy, but Sunset Boulevard was pretty lame. I recently had the 'opportunity' to see it on the big screen for the (unfortunate) third time. This is one of those classics that you can't help but laugh at the whole time at inapropriate moments. I thought it was heavy handed, boring, contrived and some of the weakest acting ever. Sorry Billy, but I had to say it. Of course, this is just one simple man's opinion.

I voted for GF2 by the way, because it's always in the shadow of the orginal and I've always thought it was the superior film. I'd love to hear others thoughts on it if it wins.
 
Does no one have the heuvos to vote for a good ol' gladiator movie?!

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I had to vote for Sunset...as much as I need a reason to watch The Godfather again, it's almost too easy to talk about.

But I nearly voted for Rear Window...any reason I can get to talk about Grace Kelly...
 
I voted for The Godfather. It's a great movie that's one of my favorites. I talk too much about Rear Window with friends, so I figured I'd vote for The Godfather to talk about here
 
Then think of a different way to discuss it. How many times have we discussed the costuming or the score or the use of dissolves?
 
Despite Mr. Pilgrim's best efforts to include the lamentable Mr. Cage in our discussion, this month's discussion will focus on the original The Godfather.

Please secure a copy from a reputable source and enjoy it this month - then join the discussion.

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Netflix Blockbuster Amazon

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The films of Francis Ford Coppola encapsulate what I love the most about cinema: That a large group of people who come from different backgrounds and have different sensibilities can come together and create something coherent. I find this a marvel in the world. The fact that writers, producers, director, DPs, ADs, costuming, make up, lighting, etc. can and do turn out films that can have such a singular, pointed vision is nothing short of miraculous. Coppola, possibly more than any other director, really appreciates this process and lets it shine. He is interested in his films having the fingerprints of everyone who works on them. Studying the history of his films, reading interviews, listening to commentary tracks, will all bring you to a knowledge that Coppola is really interested in the opinion of everyone around him. I admire that greatly.

Coppola's films also encapsulate what I love about cinema because almost all of them have been made in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. This is perhaps most commonly associated with the production of Apocalypse Now, but the making of The Godfather was equaly as treacherous if in different ways.

It's hard to imaging, with the benefit of hindsight, that Coppola had trouble making The Godfather at all. With the film being such a staple of popular culture the fact that Coppola really fought to finish the film is an amazing thought. The studio wanted to make the film in modern times (then the 60's). They wanted it to be a cheap pulp film ($2 million budget). They said that Marlon Brando would never play Vito Corleone. They said that Al Pacino could never play Michael. They were threatening to fire Coppola at every turn. They threatened to send other directors in to make sure that Coppola was making the movie "the right way." Not only that, but initially Coppola himself didn't want to make the movie. He was offered the job because the studio wanted a young director that they could push around and he accepted the job because American Zoetrope was in financial trouble. All of these strikes against the film should have, by all logical accounts, ended in disaster and created a film that wasn't even watchable. But that didn't happen. Instead a classic was born and one that would continue living through two sequels, and through the rest of time.

To me The Godfather is more than a brilliant mafia movie, or a stirring drama. It's a testiment to believing in yourself. Coppola, though initially not enthused about the project caught a vision for the material and he stuck to it. He fought studio heads, budget restraints, crew disagreements, actors, everything and made his movie.

Now, that seems diametrically opposed, doesn't it? That Coppola embodies a great melting of talent and opinions, while fighting everything around him to make the movie that he wanted to make. What I find so fascinating when studing Coppola and his work is how he always strikes a balance in the work that he does. Listening to everyone and fighting for nothing results in a mess that has no driving force. I won't single out movies with this problem, but I think we've all seen them. Fighting everything and listening to nothing, in my opinion makes a film flat ... or at least not as rich as it could have been. Our individual lives are made rich by the input of others. Relationships, advice, education, all of these make us into the people that we are. Likewise the crew of a film bring their lifetime of experience to the project. Most of us here strive to be filmmakers with a lot of us having shorts under our belt and maybe a feature or two. I know that in my experience I strive to be more Coppola and less Hitchcock. If the actor has an idea, then that trumps the script for the duration of the time that the actor is presenting the idea. That is me incorporating what the actor brings to his or her role. If I stopped that and said "You know what, that's not in the script" then I am doing a disservice to everyone involved in the film from beginning to end. But as a director it's also your responsibility to navigate the suggestions. I would contend that if an actor has a suggestion you as the director have an obligation to listen to it. You do not have an obligation to accept it. It is your job to do what's best for the film. Sometimes you don't even know what's best for your film and getting that feedback from the actors and crews that you surround yourself with is crutial to making a final film worth something.

When I started this post I really intended to talk about some specific scenes of the movie, but I kind of just went into what could easily be a diatribe. Earlier I challenged those participating in this discussion to think about some way that The Godfather hadn't been approached. I guess this is my contribution to that challenge.
 
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