100 Films to Watch If You're Going to Study Film (Pt. 4)

Here we are at Part Four and I want to say thank you to whoever is reading these because, honestly, they're quite long. I've tried to keep an open mind about what I'm going to write in this series and I am accepting suggestions if you have any and can justify why it should be on the list for studying film.

I want to say that I am overjoyed to be able to share my education with you. As you know, I have a firm belief that no information is esoteric. Nothing can "only be learnt by people who have this, that and the other degree." There is no reason I can't share with you the films I watched to prepare, study and analyse on my BA and my MA and even as we speak on my (preparing) PhD. There isn't a reason in the world why this information must be presented as formal, stuck-up essays and not as entertainment that can be read to be enjoyed.

Again I say, this series is dedicated to a special friend of mine who wants to study film in the future too. Hopefully, we can all be super supportive and well, she's already very clever so I don't see why not.

Now, I have some more of these planned already and I want to share with you numbers 301 to 400 of our list. As you already know, the (*) marks my favourite films out and I will give intermittent commentary where I think it's appropriate. Let's begin:

(Disclaimer: we're going to start super controversial. If you are hyper-sensitive to movies considered to perpetuate racism, please skip the first section, as I will be talking about a certain D.W. Griffith movie).

I have no idea why I gave you that disclaimer, if you're offended by this film, well, you ain't alone. Let's just get on with this...

301-310

301. The Birth of a Nation

In no way ever is this one of my favourite films so it doesn't get the (*) next to it. But the artistry of this film is divine. It is very hard to get the prominent and obvious racial overtones in the film, but if you try your hardest to forget it, then this is a cinematic masterpiece. It's just a real shame what it's about.

302. The Triumph of Will

303. The Maltese Falcon*

304. Seven Samurai

305. La Dolce Vita

306. Doctor Zhivago*

This film has some of the most beautiful silences in all of cinema history. The way this film takes atmosphere to another level is truly beautiful. It uses dialogues and silences quite a bit and to explore screenwriting, it is a masterpiece.

307. The Graduate

308. Easy Rider*

309. Rashomon

310. Steamboat Willie*

This film is an absolute must for anyone who is in the animation field. There is something about this film which is timeless in animation and well, if any of you are studying the use of score in the animation field then this is definitely for you. The blend of score, sound, and atmosphere in this animated classic is what makes it what it is really.

311-320

311. Night of the Living Dead*

312. 8 1/2

313. Pink Floyd: The Wall*

A brilliant achievement of music cinema, this film's use of music, writing and directing makes for an amazing viewing experience. It is now considered one of the film's that all music-docudrama students of film should watch because of its high-intensity and brilliance of editing and score. Not to mention, it's based on one of the greatest bands ever to live.

314. Do the Right Thing

315. Star Wars IV: A New Hope*

316. Philadelphia

317. American Beauty

318. City of God

319. A Fistful of Dollars

320. Un Chien Andalou*

321-330

321. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid*

322. The War of the Worlds (1953)

323. The Deer Hunter*

324. Gandhi*

If you want to watch an incredible achievement of biopic and docudrama cinema then you must watch this film. If you're studying how to make your next epic, then you need to watch this film. If you want to see the pure excellence of what good editing can do, then you need to watch this film. The cuts are so smooth and everything runs like it's going to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. This was back when movies really were epic achievements.

325. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

326. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly*

327. Alien*

328. Pan's Labyrinth*

Del Toro's masterpiece of the weird. This film is insane. If you want to learn how to make a film that stands out because of its strangeness in plot and style, then you probably want to watch this film once or twice. The way in which this film is shot is so incredibly brilliant that you want to copy it shot for shot. It's a film that's so perfect that I'd be surprised if you could top it. I would love to see it actually; go and work on your next project!

329. Hotel Rwanda

330. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

331-340

331. The Last Temptation of Christ*

This is a must-watch for anyone looking to create a controversial film. It's probably up there on the offence scale with Pulp Fiction using the N-word. It's a brilliant film with some excellent cinematography. I mean just look at the shot I used for the picture above, we can really see some great character coming out there. Just imagine what the rest of the film is like—here's a hint: It's freaking awesome.

332. Tokyo Story

333. The Dark Knight*

334. All Quiet on the Western Front*

The first time I saw this film I was awe-struck at how brilliant the shots were. Some of them are right down to the floor and craned slightly upward so you can see everything that's happening at a safe distance. The war scenes are absolutely awesome and anyone wanting to create a war-epic may want to give this one a watch.

335. Titanic

336. It's a Wonderful Life

337. The Seventh Seal

338. Mean Streets

339. The Social Network*

340. Oklahoma (1955)

341-350

341. Stagecoach

342. Breathless

343. Enter the Dragon

344. Reservoir Dogs*

345. Sunset Boulevard*

I have to say, though it isn't my favourite film of all time, if you really want to study how dialogue is written then you definitely need to check out this movie. I remember watching it and thinking how brilliant some of the lines were, especially those of Norma—who is played by Gloria Swanson.

346. Insomnia

347. The Matrix*

348. Picnic at Hanging Rock

349. M (1931)

350. Don't Look Now

351-360

351. Andrei Rublev*

352. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

353. The Italian Job

354. Casino Royale

355. The Searchers

356. Heat (1995)

357. Edward Scissorhands*

358. Stand By Me*

359. The Treasure of Sierra Madre

360. Manhattan

361-370

361. The Usual Suspects*

362. Back to the Future*

363. The 400 Blows

364. Raiders of the Lost Ark

365. Kind Hearts and Coronets

366. Oldboy*

367. The Night of the Hunter

368. Batman Begins*

This film is an achievement of the following things: cinematography, dialogue, symbolism and mise-en-scene and the editing in this film, I believe is pretty great for a superhero film. I love the scene especially when Batman loses to the Scarecrow, even though the scene is dark as hell—you can see exactly what is happening.

Fun Fact: The guy who plays Dr. Crane in Batman Begins was my childhood hero when I was a little girl. He kind of still is my hero, I met him a couple of years ago—and, well, it was awesome. He's awesome and thank you mate for a great childhood, it was the best!

369. Raising Arizona

370. Before Sunset

371-380

371. The Princess Bride*

372. Annie Hall

373. A Man for All Seasons

374. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid*

"We are going to be here all day." —Stuart Townsend as Dorian Gray, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

I'll try to cut it down. This film is an achievement of soundtrack to the extreme. It has the best soundtrack out of any film ever and has one great actor: Bob Dylan. Yes, Bob Dylan did the soundtrack and he acts in the film as Alias. I know, not really a name is it? But he's still a character in the film and he's actually really damn good. I watched the whole film through once or twice and now I just skip to his scenes. See my profile for details. But seriously, it has "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" on its soundtrack, so you know it's a serious film.

375. Harvey

376. Donnie Darko*

377. Cool Hand Luke*

Okay, this is in my personal top 50. I love the scene where he's singing the song "Plastic Jesus," it is a great addition to the scene and makes the whole film's atmosphere really come to life. I know it's a petty thing but it's my favourite scene from the whole film.

378. Sophie's Choice

379. Ferris Bueller's Day Off*

380. The French Connection

381-390

381. Memento*

Anyone who wants to study any sort of chronological shift and how this is presented in film should definitely watch this film. I was really meant to put this in part one, but I filled it up too quick. I personally love this film and the editing really makes the movie, so look out for some really good cuts and splices in this masterpiece!

382. Tootsie

383. Big*

384. Goldfinger

385. Fargo

386. Eraserhead*

387. Point Break

388. To Kill a Mockingbird*

389. As Good as It Gets

390. Magnolia

391-400

391. LA Confidential*

392. The Great Escape

393. Evil Dead II*

394. When Harry Met Sally

395. Dances with Wolves*

396. Gladiator*

This film has some of the most brilliant dialogue you will ever see in an early 21st Century film. It has incredible and epic scenes which will make you never question its Best Picture Academy Award Win in 2000. Seriously, this film needs to be watched more than once, just to appreciate those panning shots, those cranes and Joaquin Phoenix sticking his tongue out. Seriously, that scared me as a child.

397. Rain Man*

398. Dirty Harry

399. The Sting

400. The Big Lebowski*

Conclusions

I hope you enjoyed this list which is the next instalment in this series. There are some brilliant films out there with reason to enjoy them all and yes, before you ask, I already have the next one planned. There is a certain amount of patience you have to study a film with. I mean, for my article on the JFK film, the first part took me three watches of the first half. I've seen the film a grand total of nine times now thanks to that. You can only imagine how long that film is and what I'm going to have to do for the second part of the article. It requires patience, so please give it some time. You won't get everything straight away but getting one thing from a film is better than getting nothing at all. Even if it's a feeling, that's what it's meant to do—it's meant to make you feel.