# What are good movies with narrators? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2010, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603 "2010-02-19T07:13:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/1 "2010-02-19T07:13:29Z")
Narration is out of fashion at the moment. Audiences think it reeks of someone talking down to them, explaining the plot instead of letting it play out in front of them and trusting them to get it. (This is why _Idiocracy_ and kid’s movies are narrated.) It also comes as the result of horrible editing jobs, explaining plots that have been hacked and mutilated beyond all recognition. (_Plan 9 From Outer Space_ might qualify for this, but I don’t know if that thing’s plot ever made much sense.) In art, however, it’s the exception that remains exceptional: The better sequel, the rewrite that improves, and the good movie with narration. What are the exceptions to this rule of thumb? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/2 "2010-02-19T07:14:31Z")
Seems like most of Clint Eastwood’s recent films have narrators. And they are generally Morgan Freeman. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/3 "2010-02-19T07:16:47Z")
not an Eastwood flick but Freeman on narration Shawshank Redemption. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/4 "2010-02-19T07:19:15Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > not an Eastwood flick but Freeman on narration Shawshank Redemption. Right. I forgot that one. It was at least OK. **Tim R. Mortiss** : I don’t think I’ve seen any of those. OK, the film is likely to be at least good if Morgan Freeman’s narrating it. That makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/5 "2010-02-19T07:20:24Z")
Do you consider _Fight Club_ and _American Beauty_ good movies? Those were the first that came to my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/6 "2010-02-19T07:20:35Z")
I suppose the most obvious example of all would be _La Jetée_, which I would certainly rank among the greatest films of all time. It’s entirely narrated. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/7 "2010-02-19T07:20:49Z")
I kind of liked the narration in the original version of _Blade Runner_. Yeah, it wasn’t necessary to understand the plot, but I liked the way that it enhanced the \*film noir \*feel of the film. In general, if you use narration as a crutch, that’s a bad thing. But if you use it as an extra layer of context or of feeling, it is a positive. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/8 "2010-02-19T07:25:03Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > **Tim R. Mortiss** : I don’t think I’ve seen any of those. Unless my memory deceives me, both “Million Dollar Baby” and “Flags of Our Fathers” have heavy doses of narration. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2010, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/9 "2010-02-19T07:25:23Z")
_Goodfellas_ ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/10 "2010-02-19T07:26:34Z")
Since **Fight Club** and **Goodfellas** have already been mentioned, I’ll throw out **A Christmas Story** and **Never Cry Wolf**. > [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I kind of liked the narration in the original version of _Blade Runner_. Yeah, it wasn’t necessary to understand the plot, but I liked the way that it enhanced the \*film noir \*feel of the film. **Blade Runner** is my 2nd favorite film after **Brazil** , and I agree with you. I like the narration in the original version. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/11 "2010-02-19T07:28:40Z")
A bit off topic: When I watch \*Blade Runner \*now, I think, “Well, they got that wrong! They thought people would be allowed to SMOKE in the future!” ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/12 "2010-02-19T07:30:39Z")
I’ll throw out Stalag 17, which had a heavy narration. The character that did the talking (Cookie) was a toady for William Holden’s character (Sefton). ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/13 "2010-02-19T07:47:02Z")
_Kind Hearts and Coronets Sunset Blvd Jules and Jim A Clockwork Orange Apocalypse Now Platoon_ ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/14 "2010-02-19T07:54:29Z")
Some of Woody Allen’s movies were narrated, and I think they were pretty good…I’m thinking of _Take the Money and Run_ and _Radio Days_, particularly. Also, _Casino_, which was narrated. _Sunset Boulevard_. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/15 "2010-02-19T07:56:39Z")
A Clockwork Orange All the King’s Men The Man Who Wasn’t There Jane Eyre (1944) Sunset Boulevard The Lord of the Rings (all three parts) Million Dollar Baby Bang the Drum Slowly The Incredible Shrinking Man Double Indemnity Ace in the Hole Days of Heaven The Time Machine (1960) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Barefoot Contessa The Boy with Green Hair Badlands All About Eve Forrest Gump A Letter to Three Wives The Diving Bell and the Butterfly How Green Was My Valley The War of the Worlds (1953) Russian Ark It Came from Outer Space The Great Gatsby (1974) The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean The Magnificent Ambersons Last Year at Marienbad Mildred Pierce Bonjour Tristesse The Wild Child The Spirit of St. Louis The Story of Adele H. Moby Dick (1956) Portrait of Jennie Diary of Country Priest The Story of G.I. Joe Our Town (1940) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/16 "2010-02-19T08:14:49Z")
Little Big Man Madame Bovary (1949) The Glass Menagerie (1950) The Phenix City Story The Day of the Jackal Juno To Kill a Mockingbird The Three Faces of Eve The Power and the Glory Lolita (1962) ---
**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:** [February 19, 2010, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/17 "2010-02-19T08:26:56Z")
Your search skipped _ **Gilda** _, Walloon. One of the great narrations. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/18 "2010-02-19T08:46:23Z")
I’ve never seen _Gilda_. ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/19 "2010-02-19T09:22:07Z")
_The Magnificent Ambersons_ and \*Kind Hearts and Coronets \*have already been mentioned and I think they’re my favourites. However, I would add Michael Hordern’s wonderful narration for \*Barry Lyndon \* as being perfect for that movie, lending just that perfect note of ironic distance, yet his voice has that gorgeous inherent kindness which stops the narration just short of being unbearably cold. Plus, as with Welles, the sheer beauty of just hearing the human voice deployed to its full expressiveness by a top quality actor shows just how much a really good narrator can add. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/20 "2010-02-19T10:07:37Z")
How about _The Royal Tenenbaums_? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603.md?page=2)