# Recommend some visually stunning movies (in whatever way). **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 15, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237 "2003-02-15T06:38:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@lout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lout)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/41 "2003-02-15T23:39:52Z")
It is interesting to note that Terence Malick translated Martin Heidegger’s The Essence of Reasons (Vom Wesen des Grundes) for the University of Illinois Phenomenology series. Malick’s films – esp. Days of Heaven – make me think of certain passages from Heidegger, such as this, from What is Called Thinking: “The presence we described gathers itself in the continuance which causes a mountain, a sea, a house to endure and, by that duration, to lie before us among other things that are presents…The Greeks experience such duration as a luminous appearance in the sense of illumined, radiant self-manifestation.” ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/42 "2003-02-15T23:49:08Z")
Wim Wenders. **Wings of Desire. Paris, Texas.** **Fargo** might be cool, too. ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/43 "2003-02-16T00:25:41Z")
The man who wasn’t there - Cohen(sp?) brothers Down by Law - Jim Jarmusch (and tell me what Tom Waits is saying!) For that new sound system, and a trip to the 80’s, Top Flight ---
**Author:** ![kathij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@kathij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathij)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/44 "2003-02-16T02:24:49Z")
I agree with most of the suggestions. I would include Kenneth Brannagh’s (sp?) Henry V, which has got one of the most gorgeous battle scenes ever. I agree that The Third Man is a wonderful, beautifully shot classic. If you like black and white films, I would add Raging Bull–it’s one of the most amazing films ever. Love the look of Blade Runner, City of Lost Children, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. An amazing if quirky (and probably not available on DVD) Chinese movie is Green Snake. There are bunches more, of course, that I can’t think of right now. Depends on what you’re in the mood for. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/45 "2003-02-16T02:42:24Z")
Yeah gotta agree with **Fargo** … all that nothing was pretty impressive. **Apocalypse Now’s** helicopter scene is one of my favorites **Casino Royale** is a godawful movie with some of the coolest sets ever. There’s some beautiful scenes in **The Ice Storm**. and let’s see… one more **Koyaanisqatsi** is pretty much just cool visuals ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/46 "2003-02-16T04:35:51Z")
Days of Heaven (I once drove 2 hours to have the chance to see this on a theatre sized screen) LOTR:FOTR Those would be my top two choices. Excerpts from some really good Disney animation - like Pinochio - can be appreciated for the beautiful visuals. On the other hand, even tho parts of The Sound of Music and Doctor Zhivago are quite pretty, they are still hard to sit through… ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/47 "2003-02-16T05:29:09Z")
**The Mission** with Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro. It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen it, but some beautiful scenery shots and such, as well as being just a great movie. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/48 "2003-02-16T08:30:55Z")
D.W. Griffith’s **Intolerance**. Some parts are so-so, but others (The Sequence in Ancient Babylon in particular), are very visually impressive. ---
**Author:** ![pervertatoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@pervertatoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pervertatoid)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/49 "2003-02-16T13:00:30Z")
_Requiem for a Dream_. If you’re into weird movies, you may even like it. But to watch that on a nice, large setup… If you haven’t seen it, but have seen _Snatch_, then I can tell you to look for the “scene transitions” (for lack of a better term) that are similar to that which you see in _Snatch_ when Avi (Avy?) Flies from New York to England and back. The “pill pop, bottoms up, slam glass down” transition. There are a few (drug-related, watch for the pupils dilating) transitions similar to that in _Requiem for a Dream_ which I found to be beautiful, artisically. Especially loved the use of colors. I thought the movie was pretty cool, and _Lux Aeterna_, the movie’s theme music, is beautiful as well. ---
**Author:** ![pervertatoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@pervertatoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pervertatoid)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/50 "2003-02-16T13:02:21Z")
Oh yeah, and I definitely agree with _City of Lost Children_ and _Delicatessen_ (though I’ve only seen part of Delicatessen), and though I haven’t seen _Amélie_ at all, I’d be willing to bet it’d be worth it, too. ---
**Author:** ![Mothchunks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@Mothchunks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mothchunks)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/51 "2003-02-16T13:15:12Z")
Braveheart ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/52 "2003-02-16T15:56:10Z")
Manon of the Spring Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/53 "2003-02-16T16:12:35Z")
I’ll throw my vote behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon & The City of Lost Children. Any of the Pixar animations are great, as is Shrek and Chicken Run. The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover is visually stunning, as are most Peter Greenaway movies. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/54 "2003-02-16T22:00:10Z")
You can’t go wrong with the recommendations already forwarded, but I **Elvira Madigan** , set in the Swedish countryside during summer and fall. **Out of Africa** , **The Gods Must Be Crazy** , **Walkabout** , and **Picnic at Hanging Rock** for their African and Australian backdrops. **Ran** , Akira Kurosawa’s epic adaptation of King Lear set in feudal Japan, has stunning court and battle scenes. For sheer mayhem and distorted, stylized (or uglified, if you will) cinematography, there’s (for starters) **Altered States** , **Alien 3** , **Fight Club** and **Three Kings**. Stanley Kubrick was arguably the greatest visual stylist ever: **2001** , **Barry Lyndon** , **The Shining** and **Eyes Wide Shut** have distinctive looks. He also took over the direction of **Spartacus** , which has some great battle scenes. Others: **Interview With the Vampire** ; **The Ninth Gate** (dir.: Roman Polanski) and the Bonds **On Her Majesty’s Secret Service** (ooh, that first ski chase!) and **Goldeneye** in particular. Damn, I feel like watching a visually stunning movie right now! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Bee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Larry\_Bee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Bee)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/55 "2003-02-16T22:14:38Z")
[Baraka](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005M91K/qid=1045433628/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-9107643-4455946?v=glance&s=dvd) ---
**Author:** ![kathij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@kathij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathij)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/56 "2003-02-16T22:19:07Z")
Yeah, Ran. And Seven Samurai is pretty spectacular as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/57 "2003-02-16T22:31:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cookeze \* > \*\*Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams \*\* I was going to suggest this as well. It is due to be released on DVD in March. I can’t wait. ---
**Author:** ![Toffe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@Toffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toffe)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/58 "2003-02-17T00:23:15Z")
Kurosawa and visually stunning films and nobody’s mentioned **Dersu Uzala** yet? OK. **Dersu Uzala**. It’s about a Soviet officer mapping the Siberian wilderness and his developing friendship with a hunter there. The shots of Siberia’s forests are amazing. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/59 "2003-02-17T00:57:11Z")
Platoon Full metal jacket Mulholland drive Leon Taxi The Sound of Music The Wizard of Oz Akira…i like my manga big and loud. The Pianist will be wonderful (when it comes out on DVD) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237/60 "2003-02-17T01:15:15Z")
I mentioned **Zulu** in the other thread about the best war movies. To a very large extent, it is one of the best because of its visual impact. Red British uniforms, Zulu tribesmen, the landscape of South Africa, all in sweeping cinematography. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-visually-stunning-movies-in-whatever-way/155237.md?page=4)