Help! I'm about to do something crazy! In an effort to expand my film horizons and be a better cinephile in general, I've decided to watch every single film in Sight & Sound magazine's top 250 films from the 2012 poll. I'm assuming most of you film buffs worth your salt know about Sight & Sound, but in case you don't...
From Wikipedia (because I'm lazy):
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI).
Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today.
Every decade, Sight & Sound asks an international group of film professionals to vote for their greatest film of all time. Critics are asked to provide a top ten list. Since 1992 directors have been invited to participate in a separate poll. The individual results are eclectic; in the 2002 poll, 885 different films received at least one mention from one voter. Even the top-of-the-list consensus has its limits. In 2002, both the critics and the directors selected Stanley Kubrick films in their top ten; however, the critics chose 2001: A Space Odyssey, while the directors preferred Dr. Strangelove. The Sight & Sound accolade has come to be regarded as one of the most important of the "greatest ever film" polls. Roger Ebert described it as "by far the most respected of the countless polls of great movies--the only one most serious movie people take seriously."[1] The first poll, in 1952, was topped by Bicycle Thieves. The five subsequent polls (1962–2002) were won by Citizen Kane (which finished 13th in 1952), while Vertigo received the most votes in 2012.
Some rules for myself during this challenge:
1. I have to watch every single film (and rewatch ones I've already seen)
2. I have to blog about every single one.
3. I have to watch at least one a week, although I can do more than that if I want.
4. I give myself permission to watch films over the course of as many days as it takes to finish them.
5. I can watch the films in any order I want.
There are some I'm really excited about, and some I'm very much dreading (I don't want to watch Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom AT ALL, wahhh!) but that's why it's a challenge. I'm aware of the criticisms against Sight & Sound's polls, and that many amazing films are excluded from this possibly pretentious list, but oh well. I figured this was as good a place to start as any. As it stands I've already seen 104 of the 250, but as stated above I'll be revisiting the ones I've already seen. This will be very personal, with all of my honest and unsophisticated opinions. So let's get to it!
* * * * * * *
Film: Vertigo (1/250)
Critics Poll: 1st
Directors Poll: 7th
First Time/Rewatch: Rewatch
I've seen Vertigo a few times, and recently had the great opportunity to see it presented with the Pacific Symphony providing live score. While the audio track was a little distracting at times (loud sound effects were added), the actual score was beautiful, and I loved getting to hear those famous themes in such a beautiful venue. It had been a while since I'd watched this film, and while I remember feeling that it was a pretty good movie but not my favorite, I had a new appreciation for it on this viewing. Those colors, that score, the dream-like quality, they were all things I remember enjoying and it was amplified on the big screen. I will admit that it runs a little long for me, but that's nitpicking. It's a great film, and while I may not necessarily agree with it being the greatest film of all time (though I don't know how anyone could choose), it's definitely essential viewing.
I swear I'm not that guy, but I did want to just mention that for me personally, I prefer the book "The Living and the Dead." I agree with you the movie is overlong, but I go a step further and say I get pretty glazey at many points, but the book kept me interested throughout. I was able to get a beautiful edition from the LA Public Library. I highly recommend it. Good luck on your challenge!
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