Inspired by this CNN.comarticle, it has responses from people that have never seen:
Star Wars
Gone with the Wind
Pulp Fiction
Titanic
Jaws
Sound of Music
Braveheart
It’s a Wonderful Life
Ghostbusters
Schindler’s List
Harry Potter Series
The Graduate
The Shawshank Redemption
The Godfather
The Lion King
The Silence of the Lambs
First, I would like to start with this list. Which on that list have you never seen and why? My list: Gone with the Wind - I have seen about 75% of this several times. Somewhere during the second half of the movie I either fall asleep or wander away from boredom.
Sound of Music - I am not a fan of musicals. Seems to be a lot of singing and dancing.
It’s a Wonderful Life - Just never got around to it, I don’t watch a lot of TV.
Harry Potter Series - As someone in their earlier thirties, I was a few years ahead of the generation that really consumed these, so I always looked down on them as kid books. If you are in high school, you wouldn’t dare read something that is popular with middle schoolers. In my mind, the movies were painted with the same brush.
The Graduate - Just never got around to it. This is probably somewhat generational.
General Comment - Now I realize that if I actually sat down and took the time to watch these movies, I would probably enjoy all of them. But in the craziness of life (I have a 3 year old and a baby), movie nights are very few and far between. Considering the list of other things I want to see, some of these may never make it to the top of the docket.
Second, are there other big ones that should be on the list that you have never seen? What are the top 3 or so that you haven’t seen.
Braveheart - someone spoiled the end for me, plus, whatever genre it’s in didn’t appeal to me.
Schindler’s List - someone spoiled the end for me, plus I was starting to steer away from really depressing movies when it came out.
The Godfather - MAD Magazine spoiled the whole movie for me. But I’ve seen bits of it.
Iconic movies I’ve missed (didn’t we have a thread on this recently?):
Ferris Bueller - I’d just started a new job and somehow missed it.
Saving Private Ryan - cf Schindler’s List
Lawrence of Arabia - no idea, actually, I should watch this.
I’ve never seen Braveheart because I never liked Mel Gibson even before he went over the edge, and his being in this would make me automatically root for the English.
I’ve seen the earlier Harry Potter movies at least once, but still haven’t seen the last two. I stopped caring how it all turned out.
I’ve only seen bits and pieces of the Godfather movies, but none of them all the way through.
The Sound of Music
Casablanca
Jaws
It’s a Wonderful Life
Schindler’s List
Harry Potter Series (think I saw the first one. Meh.)
The Graduate
The Shawshank Redemption
Tried and failed to watch a Harry Potter movie. Several times, in fact.
Lion King: I’m not really a fan of animation, although I’ve seen Finding Nemo and Ratatouille as an adult.
Seen all the rest.
2001 probably ought to be on the list. The special effects were pretty cool for its time.
Also American Graffiti.
On that list I’ve seen all of them, though I remember almost nothing about The Lion King. At the top of the article it has a famous line “Say hello to my little friend” from Scarface which I have not seen. I’ve wanted to, just never picked it out when other options are around. I need to push that to my #1 spot on Netflix.
Of all the ones in the list, the only one I haven’t seen is Shawshank Redemption. It just never appealed to me, and now, in a petty retro-reaction, I don’t want to see it because everyone gushes over it.
Now, I don’t necessarily think every movie on that list needs repeated watching. I’ve only seen Sound of Music, Silence of the Lambs, Braveheart and *Harry Potter *once.
My wife has never seen* Star Wars* or Casablanca, and has resisted my entreaties that she give them a try. I think she should, but whattaya gonna do? (She’s seen Empire Strikes Back, but not SW). I wonder if her reason is the same as mine for Shawshank.
As for other possibles for the list, I have never seen The Artist or Avatar, and have no desire whatsoever to remedy that.
There are a lot of acclaimed, successful, award-winning films I’ve never seen. Among them… Lawrence of Arabia Singin’ in the Rain Raging Bull Dr. Strangelove Mrs. Miniver The Wild Bunch Sunset Boulevard Bonnie and Clyde The Lost Weekend Modern Times City Lights
Easy Rider The English Patient Bringing Up Baby
And I still haven’t seen most of the recent Best Picture winners
Most of these, I’ve seen small bits and pieces. Absolutely nothing of Harry Potter, though. Of The Graduate, all I’ve seen are small snippets presented by folks trying to force me to share their opinion that it’s the most incredible and praiseworthy film ever. Which makes me glad that I haven’t seen it.
I was on a prison break movie binge and watched Papillon, Cool Hand Luke, Escape from Alcatraz and then tried to watch Shawshank Redemption. I think I must have been burned out by then cause I remember being bored with it and never finishing it.
I’ve seen most of the classics, but i wanted to relate a story-I was discussing movies with a guy who was about 40-he had never seen (or even heard of) “King Kong”. I was surprised.
I’ve seen all the films on the OP’s list, although it was a LONG time before I finally got to see It’s a Wonderful Life. Strange as it may sound, I don’t recall it being on TV at Christmas at any of the places I’ve lived. When I went to a film archive (this was in pre-VCR days) to watch it, the archivist actually refused to show it to me. He was convinced that Frank Capra was a manipulative hack director, and didn’t want to create another convert. It wasn’t until VCRs came out that I finally saw it.
There are, nonetheless, plenty of iconic films I haven’t seen – mostly Westerns.
Off the OP list:
Braveheart - Dunno, just never got around to it
Sound of Music - No interest
Godfather - I have no idea. I should probably watch this
and the Harry Potter films. The YA novel-turned-film thing never appealed to me
Add to the list the Lord of Rings films. I feel as though if I’m gonna watch one, I should watch them all and, Jesus Christ, I don’t have 12 hours or whatever it is to spend watching hobbits and elves.
I can split the list between ones I’ve never seen through lack of time and ones I never intend to see. For the latter, Titanic (the ship sinks. Whoopee) and It’s a Wonderful Life (goyisher nachus) and Sound of Music (unless I went to a showing with people dressed as nuns.).
Shawshank, maybe someday. Schindler’s List is on my list. Braveheart - meh. I’m not Scottish but I am Jewish. The rest I’ve seen.
They should add Princess Bride. That is one I watched because of the many references to it on the Dope, and I’m glad I did.
Well, he was right about Capra. Still, I find that pretty unprofessional behavior for an archivist. As a fellow information professional, I look down my nose at him disapprovingly.
I have never watched It’s a Wonderful Life all the way through in one sitting. I think I’ve seen the whole thing in bits and pieces, back in the days when you couldn’t get away from it if you were anywhere near a TV set during December. Assemble all those bits and pieces in order, and I guess I’ve seen it.
I’ve never seen The Graduate. It was a long time before I saw The Godfather, but I finally did. Gangster films do nothing for me.
