# Your 5 Greatest Films **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469 "2013-10-28T18:25:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/21 "2013-10-28T22:25:12Z")
The Godfather Play Time Bicycle Thieves The Manchurian Candidate Brazil ---
**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:** [October 28, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/22 "2013-10-28T22:37:54Z")
Okay, I’ll play (and hope that I’m consistent with the choices I’ve listed for similar questions over the years here. On second thought, maybe I’ll throw in a surprise or two): 1. [Goodfellas](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099685/combined) - if energy could be filmed, this would be it. The movie has a rhythm - a pulse - that energizes and captivates you. It draws you in. And the scenes become _your_ memories. And, of course, the acting, the direction, the cinematography (oh, the cinematography!), the music, . . . the whole movie - perfect! 2. [Dr. Strangelove](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/combined) - better acting than in any other film (;)), hilarious, disturbing, and, like anything that’s truly great, it gets better with age! 3. [Once Upon a Time in America](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087843/combined) (only the “full” director’s version of course) - majestic, magnificently directed. _This_ is what an epic is. 4. [The Man Who Would Be King](http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-man-who-would-be-king-1975) - is there a more _entertaining_ movie? I doubt it. You’ll find no messages or profound thoughts here. Just a supremely well acted, exciting, funny, _huge_ movie. 5. [The Wizard of Oz](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/combined) - any movie that enchants four generations of movie-goers has gotta be great. A classic, an icon, part of the culture - simply a _great_ film. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/23 "2013-10-28T23:16:39Z")
**The Last Detail** , Jack Nicholson’s dead-on depiction of a Navy petty officer **Treasure of the Sierra Madre** (where a man broke bad long before Walter White was ever dreamed of) or **Casablanca** (where a man broke good, just for a change of pace) **Raiders of the Lost Ark** , which gave us the updated version of H. Ryder Haggard’s immortal Alan Quatermain **Young Frankenstein** , a brilliant send-up of not only the genre, but of the way films used to be made. Madeleine Kahn should have gotten an Oscar just for impersonating Marlene Dietrich in song. **The Godfather** 1&2. To me, they’re inseparable. And I’ll add a sixth with the **Lord of The Rings** trilogy, which showed everybody how a classic work of fiction should be translated to the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/24 "2013-10-28T23:18:31Z")
_My_ 5 greatest? 1. Musical Anoscope (available for viewing on youtube) 2. Lake Michigan Tries to Eat My House (limited CD release) 3. St. Somewhere (documentary about my residency program, featuring me as Dr. T) 4. The Adventures of Fatbutt and Squid for Brains (my daughters exchanging insults) 5. Mrs. Mercotan Suddenly Likes the Spotlight (you think you know someone after decades together, but they can sure still pleasantly surprise you) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/25 "2013-10-28T23:22:03Z")
I don’t watch that many old movies, but a lot of the ones I’ve watched, I’ve watched a lot: Casablanca The Maltese Falcon (love me some Bogart!) Dr. Strangelove City of Lost Children (seen more than any other movie except Rocky Horror, and that doesn’t really count as “seen”) True Grit (Coen Brothers version) But I reserve the right to change my mind at the slightest whim. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/26 "2013-10-28T23:25:53Z")
In order: Pulp Fiction The Godfather Life of Brian Raiders of the Lost Ark Jaws ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/27 "2013-10-28T23:32:06Z")
These kinds of lists are hard because they are so subjective. I usually go by which films you have watched the most often: 1. The Matrix, 100+ times, the dojo scene probably over 500 times. 2. Bladerunner, 20+ times for a school paper. 3. Batman (Keaton), 10+ times. 4. Bloodsport, 10+ times. 5. Spiderman (Tobey MacGuire), 10+ times. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/28 "2013-10-28T23:40:43Z")
I’m gonna have to watch **The Man Who Would Be King**. Watched most often: No Country for Old Men The Third Man I Remember Mama The Little Foxes The Magnificent Ambersons ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/29 "2013-10-28T23:42:58Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > 1. Raging Bull > > The rest in no particular order: > > Bridge on the River Kwai > Mr. Roberts > To Kill a Mockingbird > Patton > > There would be a lot of ties after first place, and I haven’t included comedies. It’s more in the comedy category, but I should have mentioned Kung Fu Hustle. The cinematography is fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/30 "2013-10-28T23:49:12Z")
Whenever I see lists like this I feel inadequate, because all my films will be animation and action movies and some lame romantic comedy. In no particular order: [ul] [li]Finding Nemo[/li][li]Back to the Future[/li][li]Ever After[/li][li]Labyrinth[/li][li]Pirates of the Caribbean[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/31 "2013-10-29T00:00:24Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Whenever I see lists like this I feel inadequate, because all my films will be animation and action movies and some lame romantic comedy. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m never sure what ‘greatest’ is supposed to mean. I enjoy great cinematography and dramatic acting, but I’m most likely to watch comedies. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/32 "2013-10-29T00:16:51Z")
The Godfather Cool Hand Luke To Kill A Mockingbird Blade Runner Singin’ in the Rain ---
**Author:** ![catnoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@catnoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catnoe)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/33 "2013-10-29T00:31:55Z")
Too many choices… In no particular order…except maybe the first one Once Upon a Time in the West Epic. The Princess Bride Most of the time a great movie is one that draws me in so that when it’s over I am temporarily stunned and can remember nothing for a few moments and then it crashes back over me. The Princess Bride was the first movie to do that to me. Raising Arizona Everyone in it was perfect. ‘Son, you have a panty on you head’. Being at Home with Claude Watched it with subtitles but was so drawn in that I could have sworn I understood French or that they were speaking English. John Woo’s The Killer My introduction to gunplay as ballet. Subtitles again. Tried the dubbed version but it was distracting from the rest of the movie. And suddenly I can remember a thousand movies that I love… ---
**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:** [October 29, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/34 "2013-10-29T00:33:54Z")
Blazing Saddles Casablanca The Godfather 7 Faces of Dr Lao 12 Monkeys ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/35 "2013-10-29T00:43:44Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > _My_ 5 greatest? > > 1. Musical Anoscope (available for viewing on youtube) > 2. Lake Michigan Tries to Eat My House (limited CD release) > 3. St. Somewhere (documentary about my residency program, featuring me as Dr. T) > 4. The Adventures of Fatbutt and Squid for Brains (my daughters exchanging insults) > 5. Mrs. Mercotan Suddenly Likes the Spotlight (you think you know someone after decades together, but they can sure still pleasantly surprise you) Oh! You meant _other people’s_ films! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/36 "2013-10-29T00:47:15Z")
As of this evening, in no order: _Miller’s Crossing_ (obligatory Coens) _The Train_ (yay **lieu** ) _To Have and Have Not_ (obligatory Bogey) _Chinatown_ (If I were able to only watch one more movie the rest of my life, this would be it) _Stranger Than Paradise_ (making the most of the least) ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/37 "2013-10-29T01:01:08Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Young Frankenstein, a brilliant send-up of not only the genre, but of the way films used to be made. Madeleine Kahn should have gotten an Oscar just for impersonating Marlene Dietrich in song. I think you have your Mel Brooks movies mixed up. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/38 "2013-10-29T01:37:14Z")
Godfather 1 - best gangster Singing in the Rain - best musical Gone with the Wind - best romance Blazing Saddles - best comedy Terminator 1 - best sci-fi runners up: Cassablanca West Side Story Pulp Fiction Star Wars 1 Aliens 2 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/39 "2013-10-29T03:04:56Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Oh! You meant _other people’s_ films! :smack: If it helps, “Musical Anoscope” almost made it on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469/40 "2013-10-29T03:10:55Z")
1. Seventh Seal 2. Manchurian Candidate 3. Battleship Potemkin 4. Citizen Kane 5. Dr. Strangelove [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-5-greatest-films/672469.md?page=3)