It was quite a film. I see now what all the fuss has been for these past 30 years.
Anyone else out there recently filled in embarrassing gaps in your “watchlist”?
Now read The Gandhi Nobody Knows (if you haven’t already done so).
I didn’t see The Godfather until 1997. I was 17, and really I think that was a good age to appreciate it. I caught it on the big screen at a retro theater with a fellow movie buff friend. It was quite an experience. We were the youngest in the house by a solid 20 years. We had time to chat with the guys seated around us, and we admitted we had never seen it before. They were ridiculously excited for us.
I recently purchased the DVD of the original The Thing, one of those horror/SF classics of yesteryear. Not watched it yet, but certainly plan to on a quiet evening someday soon.
I recorded Gandhi a few weeks ago during TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar thing and have yet still to watch it - 3 hours is a bit of a commitment. Tried to watch Gaslight last night and… well, couldn’t make it past 1/2 hour: too slow and English-dreary for my tastes, even though I had the incomparably lovely Ingrid Bergman to look at. (Did like Mrs. Miniver though, so go figure.)
I just watched The Maltese Falcon for the first time yesterday. Didn’t care for it. I thought the acting wasn’t very believable. One of my favorite films is Double Indemnity, which is a classic of film noire, and I think the Maltese Falcon pales in comparison.
I finally saw Citizen Kane about two years back.
I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s hard for modern audiences to appreciate this film, because so much of what was groundbreaking about it is old hat in contemporary cinema. Which is a load of bullshit. This movie is fantastic by any standard. Even if your standard is based on how many dinosaurs appear on screen.
Gandhi is the best film I’ve ever seen that I didn’t have an urge to ever see a second time.
I’ve never seen any film by Ingmar Bergman, and only a couple by Fellini and Bunuel. Nor have I seen Birth of a Nation all the way through.
For me it was another British classic, “Lawrence of Arabia”, of which I got the DVD shortly after purchasing my first LCD TV. Though of course this movie screams for the big screen, I was totally overwhelmed, especially by the visuals and the famous scene where Omar Sharif slowly enters through a mirage in particular. I thought that every single shot makes for a great picture, and the story and script are equally strong. One of the best movies ever made, hands down.
I saw The Third Man recently, now being in my 35th year. I thought it was a good film, but it didn’t completely grab me. I didn’t find the lead actor’s performance up to the standard of the other main characters.
(Missed edit window.)
I haven’t seen Gandhi for maybe 18 years, I really should watch it again sometime. My memories of it are favorable, but very vague.
You should watch it tonight, excellent film.
I’ve tried a few times to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey but always fall asleep.:o
Must try to watch it again so… but when am not exhausted or drunk! 
I concur. It’s a great film, with great performances, but I’m just not interested in committing that much of my time to watch it again. Also, even though Ben Kingsley was very, very good, I will never forgive him for stealing the Oscar from Paul Newman that year. Newman absolutely ruled in The Verdict, and I think he should have gotten the gold statue. But I digress …
The only reason I was tempted to watch it a second time was because the first time was when I was 8 and my parents dragged me to see it. I was SO BORED.
It was much less boring the second time around.
Schindler’s List holds this position in my mind for me. Great movie, but just too painfully horrifying to ever watch it again.
Agreed, though Burnt By The Sun is the movie I thought of when I read Krokodil’s post. There are others, I’m sure; Requiem for a Dream is the one I’ve heard of from most people who’ve mentioned the topic.
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I still haven’t seen Gandhi. Need to remedy that soon.
If, as I’m assuming, you mean The Thing, 1982, then be sure to check out the first version as well, The Thing From Another World, 1951. Then read the classic SF story that is the basis of the movies, Who Goes There? by John Campbell (the link is to the complete novella, which is Public Domain).
Much as I love the Bogey version I’ve always found the original pre-code movie more enjoyable, The Maltese Falcon, 1931. It has a wonderful cast, Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade, Bebe Daniels as the seductive yet deadly Ruth Wonderly, and Dudley Digges, Otto Matieson and Dwight Frye as the trio of crooks. It’s far truer to Hammett’s novel and as it was filmed before the Hayes code clamped down in 1934 it doesn’t have to tiptoe round things like the sexual relationship between Casper Gutman and his gunsel Wilmer Cook.
It’s also great fun to see Hollywood’s second bite at the novel, played strictly for laughs with the falcon being replaced by an ancient horn, Satan Met A Lady, 1936, starring the King of the Precodes, Warren William, and Bette Davis.
Also, I think that E.T. or Tootsie should have won the Best Picture award that year instead of Gandhi. Tootsie especially deserved it as it was a great comedy, and comedies are rarely recognized by the Academy. And Gandhi received votes because of the nobility of the subject.
I had the pleasure of watching this several years ago in 70mm at the Cinerama in Seattle. I’m not sure I would have even liked this film if I’d seen it on the small screen, but on the big screen, I was riveted. The desert itself becomes one of the primary characters of the film.
And once you’ve done all that, be sure to read Peter Watts’s excellent novella on the subject, The Things.