# Help me build a kick ass film collection **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303 "2003-05-29T16:48:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/1 "2003-05-29T16:48:53Z")
I’m a librarian at a small liberal arts college. I’ve managed to convince a very sweet (and very rich) alumni to give us a one-time gift of $10,000 to build a really great collection of films. My general rules of thumb: 1- I don’t want to buy anything that can be found at BLOCKBUSTER (the exceptions being movies that are sooo popular [LOTR, Matrix] or soooo classic (GWTW, Casablanca) that not to include them would be too much of an omission). 2- whenever possible, the film should be on DVD 3- half of the films I’m buying will be documentaries, for which I already have a list. For the cinematic half, what I really want to concentrate on are really good or important works in the following: -foreign cinema -avante garde & or indie -theatrical productions -literary adaptations -gay/lesbian -african american Please recommend any titles that you think should belong in any really good film collection but which you’re not likely to find at a chain video rental store. Also, if there’s a documentary you can think of that’s not well known but you thought was well done, please let me know. Thanks- PS- Spending $5,000 on movies is probably the most fun challenge I’ve had in this job. The main problem is that I could easily spend several times that just on stuff in print. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/2 "2003-05-29T17:09:56Z")
OhmygodIwishIwereyou. (Though come to think of it, I don’t envy the job of sifting through the AVALANCHE of personal favorites you’re about to experience.) I’ve been chipping away at [this list](http://www.chireader.com/movies/100best.html) for a couple years now–seventeen to go–and I’ve given myself an AMAZING film education in the process. You should think about having a complete collection of the 100 films on this list. ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/3 "2003-05-29T17:12:37Z")
Here are a few suggestions from my own DVD collection to get you started Foreign / Avante Garde \*\* VisitorQ Ichi The Killer Tetsuo \*\* These are all Japanese and will most likely be quite unlike anything you have ever seen. Be warned however that both Ichi The Killer (especially the 128 minute version) and VisitorQ require a strong stomach to view. Both however are immensely challenging and interesting viewing. VisitorQ is a very, very dark comedy/satire based on reality TV and Ichi The Killer is, in part, a study of the violence involved in Sadism and Masochism. **The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover** Stunning arthouse movie from Peter Greenaway. Truly beautiful but also quite disturbing. \*\* Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The Magnificent Seven Network One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest Bonnie and Clyde Apocolypse Now E.T. \*\* All classics. All on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/4 "2003-05-29T17:16:57Z")
More specifically: Avant garde: [ul][li]Stan Brakhage[/li][li]Kenneth Anger (also good for your LGBT list)[_]Nina Menkes (one of my personal favorites)[_]Chantal AkermanGuy Maddin[/ul][/li] Oh man, too many. I’ll check in here more than once I’m sure . . . ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/5 "2003-05-29T17:25:45Z")
I’ll agree with **Casablanca**. I also think a bunch of Kurosawa films (including **Seven Samurai** and **Yojimbo** , at the very least) would help the foreign section. I hear that Ozu’s **Floating Weeds** is excellent, although I’ve never seen it. Don’t forget Bergman, either. Or Jaques Tati. And Luis Bunuel films are both avant-garde and foreign. ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/6 "2003-05-29T17:53:25Z")
You probably know about it already but here is a list of the DVD’s produced by Criterion which are the kind of films you seem to be looking for. Many of them come with excellent extra features. [http://www.criterionco.com/asp/browse.asp](http://www.criterionco.com/asp/browse.asp) Some personal recommendations: Classic Brit films of the 40’s and 50’s: **Kind Hearts and Coronets** , **Great Expectations** , **Oliver Twist** , **Third Man** The latter three are available from Criterion. Animated films by Japan’s Studio Ghibli: Especially **Grave of the Fireflies** which was released on a two-disc special edition recently and **Princess Mononoke** ---
**Author:** ![Husker\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Husker\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Husker_Dude)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/7 "2003-05-29T18:00:06Z")
Some suggestions: Foregin cinema - Delicatessen - Funny Games - Irreversible - La Haine AKA Hate - Insomnia - Sonatine - Hana-Bi Indie - Down By Law (Everything by Jim Jarmusch) - Eraserhead Gay/Lesbian \*Fucking Åmål AKA Show Me Love African American - Hoop Dreams (Documentary) Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![probationsmack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/46a35a/32.png) [@probationsmack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/probationsmack)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/8 "2003-05-29T18:03:56Z")
:eek: uhhh ninja turtles movie 😕 ninja kids kick back uhmm dude wheres my car? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/9 "2003-05-29T18:13:11Z")
Long as we’re talking British 50s films, [The Ladykillers](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0048281) , 1955, with Alec Guiness Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, and Katie Johnson. A gang of thieves rents a room in an old lady’s house as part of a big heist scheme. The job goes perfectly, but as they hole up in the house over the weekend while the heat dies down, some of the gang suspects that _she_ suspects what they’re up to. Pandemonium ensues as one by one, the gang disposes of itself. DD ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/10 "2003-05-29T18:14:51Z")
My favorite foreign film yet: “El Norte” (the north, in Spanish) ---
**Author:** ![cameraboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aca169/32.png) [@cameraboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cameraboy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/11 "2003-05-29T18:20:07Z")
The Thin Red Line ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/12 "2003-05-29T18:35:41Z")
Someone mentioned Ozu; his _Tokyo Story_ is a lifetime top tenner for me. Absolutely essential African American: everything by Charles Burnett, especially _Killer of Sheep._ Husker Dude–_Irre_fucking_versible_ ?!?!? Lord, I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/13 "2003-05-29T19:59:11Z")
Satyajit Ray’s “Apu” trilogy: **Pather Panchali** (India, 1955)\* **Aparajito** (India, 1957)\* **The World of Apu** (India, 1959)\* Black themed: **Within Our Gates** (US, 1920) **Emperor Jones** (US, 1933)\* **Stormy Weather** (US, 1943)\* **Carmen Jones** (US, 1954) **Shadows** (US, 1959) **Nothing But a Man** (US, 1964)\* **In the Heat of the Night** (US, 1967) **The Learning Tree** (US, 1969)\* **Shaft** (US, 1971) **Do the Right Thing** (US, 1989) **Boyz N the Hood** (US, 1991) The latter three titles and _In the Heat of the Night_ may be available at Blockbuster, though. Independent films: **Vampyr** (France-Germany, 1932) **Tevya** (US, 1939)\* **Salt of the Earth** (US, 1954) **Dog Star Man** (US, 1964) (on DVD anthology **By Brakhage** ) **David Holzman’s Diary** (US, 1967)\* **A Woman Under the Influence** (US, 1974) **Stranger Than Paradise** (US, 1983) The latter two titles may be available at Blockbuster. Silent films: **Méliés the Magician** (1997) **D.W. Griffith: Years of Discovery 1909-1913** (2002) **Winsor McCay: Animation Legend** (1999) **The Birth of a Nation** (US, 1915) **Les Vampires** (France, 1915) **Intolerance** (US, 1916) **The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari** (Germany, 1919) **The Last Laugh** (Germany, 1924) **Sherlock, Jr.** (US, 1924) **The Gold Rush** (US, 1925) **The Battleship Potemkin** (USSR, 1925) **The Black Pirate** (US, 1926) **Metropolis** (Germany, 1927) **Sunrise** (US, 1927) **The Fall of the House of Usher** (France-US, 1928) **The Passion of Joan of Arc** (France, 1928) **Un chien andalou** (France, 1929)\* **Man With the Movie Camera** (USSR, 1929) **Earth** (USSR, 1930) There are many other fine films I would add to this list, but they are not available in VHS or DVD. - Available only on VHS at this time. ---
**Author:** ![Extraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@Extraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Extraneous)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/14 "2003-05-29T22:00:50Z")
a few classics, fwiw: The Godfather Citizen Kane Casablanca Psycho Lawrence Of Arabia Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love the Bomb… Schindler’s List Singin’ In The Rain Chinatown Raging Bull The Wizard Of Oz Some Like It Hot The Maltese Falcon It’s A Wonderful Life All About Eve 2001: A Space Odyssey Bridge On The River Kwai, The North By Northwest On The Waterfront Sunset Boulevard Vertigo Taxi Driver Gone With The Wind The Seven Samurai Mr. Smith Goes To Washington One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Pulp Fiction The Graduate To Kill A Mockingbird Double Indemnity The Grapes Of Wrath The Third Man Apocalypse Now Annie Hall Jaws Raiders Of The Lost Ark The Silence Of The Lambs The Philadelphia Story The African Queen The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre The Manchurian Candidate Duck Soup The Bicycle Thief Aliens Gold Rush, The Searchers, The M Bringing Up Baby Touch Of Evil E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial The Best Years Of Our Lives It Happened One Night The Seventh Seal Snow White And The 7 Dwarfs The Wild Bunch Notorious A Streetcar Named Desire Bonnie & Clyde Once Upon A Time In The West King Kong Henry V The Night Of The Hunter 8 1/2 Battleship Potemkin Beauty And The Beast La Dolce Vita The Adventures Of Robin Hood Children Of Paradise Nosferatu, Symphony Of Terror West Side Story Rebel Without A Cause Intolerance Jules & Jim Sherlock Jr. Tootsie Blue Velvet Nashville Swing Time Sweet Smell Of Success This Is Spinal Tap From Here To Eternity Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Rules Of The Game Lady Eve, The Breathless Mean Streets Airplane! Bride Of Frankenstein The Conformist To Be Or Not To Be Great Expectations Funny Face American Graffiti White Heat It’s A Gift Do The Right Thing Diabolique, Les Blow-Up The Golden Age Producers, The Wings Of Desire Pickup On South Street Mildred Pierce Sunrise Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) Shop Around The Corner Tokyo Story Last Of The Mohicans The Piano Swept Away Celine & Jolie Go Boating Breakfast At Tiffany’s Bull Durham Five Easy Pieces Hard Day’s Night Last Picture Show Saturday Night Fever A Star Is Born Sullivan’s Travels The Verdict Woman Of The Year Written On The Wind ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/15 "2003-05-30T01:06:29Z")
Personally, I would get [all of these!](http://www.geocities.com/dfranzen70/inventory.htm) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/16 "2003-05-30T01:27:06Z")
Dont forget a few Anime titles like \*\* Ninja Scrolls Akira Princess Mononoke \*\* Any work by Akira Kurosawa is an emminent choice. A few have already been nominated here like \*\* Seven Samurai \*\*and \*\* Yojimbo \*\* but dont forget \*\* RAN **and** Kagemusha \*\* I know Blockbuster has this but I love \*\* Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. \*\* I am also a big fan of John Wayne and Director John Ford so \*\* Stagecoach Fort Apache Rio Grande She Wore a Yellow Ribbon The Searchers \*\*and \*\* The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance \*\* I love the old War movies like \*\* The Longest Day Tora Tora Tora Midway Patton MacArthur \*\* 🙂 Thanks for allowing us to suggest our favorites! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/17 "2003-05-30T01:57:32Z")
I hope the DVDs _American Cinema_ and _A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies_ are among your documentaries. If so get them first and do some fun research. I saw both on TV years ago. Scorsese in particular picks out fascinating reasons for the films he chooses to discuss. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/18 "2003-05-30T02:00:13Z")
**Foreign** Rome Open City The Bicycle Thief Moscow Does not Believe in Tears Siberiade Chapayev (this is a must) Come and See I am Cuba (my personal favorite movie ever) Commissar Chungking Express Bye Bye Brazil Daisies Battle of Algiers **Not foreign** Imitation of Life (Sirk’s version) something by Oscar Micheux Kiss me Deadly ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/19 "2003-05-30T04:25:04Z")
One DVD you should definitely have is _Landmarks of Early Film_. It’s a collection of very early silent shorts (going back to Edison and the Lumiere brothers). ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303/20 "2003-05-30T04:43:36Z")
Foreign: Eat Drink Man Woman Like Water for Chocolate Il Postino Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) Run, Lola, Run [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-kick-ass-film-collection/178303.md?page=2)