What famous films have you never seen?

[ChristineCB]

There was another thread's comments about the increased needs of film education. That made me think about the famous films I've never seen. This list can be hundreds or thousands (in my case) but here are some notables, off the top of my head.



GONE WITH THE WIND (I don't care for the subject matter - I've seen bits and pieces over the years, but I've never sat down intentionally to watch it. I have more often intentionally avoided watching it.)



None of the Kurosawa/samurai films. (Very limited interest in my perceived notion of these films' contents.)



None of the Bergmans except for SEVENTH SEAL. (Idly curious but I find myself spending time doing other things.)



None of the Felinis except for 8 1/2. (8 1/2 is probably why I've never watched the others!)



And many more, I'm sure.



I could be embarrassed if I was a film student about the vast holes in my education, so I try my best to retain my Fan (amateur) status instead of being a 'student' although I enjoy the study of films a bit too much.



GOAL OF THIS THREAD? Maybe someone will write an interesting response that will perk my interest to the point of watching some of these never-seen films.

[ChristineCB]

As I started thinking more about this, a lot of my avoided-films are because of the stars involved, or a genre.



Elizabeth Taylor leaves me cold. I don't think I've ever seen any of her films for more than a scene or two. And if Richard Burton's in it (HOT TIN ROOF, CLEO, etc), I won't even stay that long.



Charlie Chaplin. Not a fan. I love Keaton, but don't care for Chaplin, although I've seen most of GOLD RUSH, CITY LIGHTS and MODERN TIMES. That was the extent of my patience. But Laurel & Hardy? Sure. Harold Lloyd? Oh yes. Buster Keaton? Any day of the week. I think my anti-Chaplin stance comes from some perception of "meanness", although L&H, Lloyd and Keaton also had similar unpleasantries written for them.



I avoided most musicals (even the 'modern' GREASE), although SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and MY FAIR LADY have somehow slipped into my Favorites list.

[ChristineCB]

Streetcar Named Desire



Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and probably a lot of war films



Jazz Singer



Animal House (not a huge fan of Belushi)



The "Road To" films by Bing and Bob Hope - bits and pieces only. I enjoyed what I saw, but maybe it's Bing that doesn't do it for me... I find them easy to avoid.



And a lot of Westerns.

[smiffy]

TITANIC.I was turned off by the hype,but my daughter loves it ,can't comment never seen it

[JamesM]

Films I have not seen mainly due to not 'getting round to it' but aim to see



Seven Samurai

A Streetcar Named Desire (though I have just purchased this)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (a treat awaits)

Nil By Mouth

Exterminating Angel

Brief Encounter

Vertigo

Tokyo Story

East of Eden

The Crying Game

I'm Alright Jack

Brute Force

[Steve Crook]

name='ChristineCB']None of the Kurosawa/samurai films. (Very limited interest in my perceived notion of these films' contents.)

Don't you like Shakespeare?

That would let you in to Ran (1985) which is a version of King Lear and Kumonosu jô (1957) [aka Throne of Blood] which is his version of Macbeth.



Steve

[Steve Crook]

name='ChristineCB']I avoided most musicals (even the 'modern' GREASE), although SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and MY FAIR LADY have somehow slipped into my Favorites list.

If you've seen those two then you've covered the best of the musicals



Steve

[Steve Crook]

name='JamesM']Films I have not seen mainly due to not 'getting round to it' but aim to see



Seven Samurai

A Streetcar Named Desire (though I have just purchased this)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (a treat awaits)

Nil By Mouth

Exterminating Angel

Brief Encounter

Vertigo

Tokyo Story

East of Eden

The Crying Game

I'm Alright Jack

Brute Force

Put Kind Hearts high up on your "must see" list.

Nil By Mouth isn't exactly pleasant viewing but I think it's a very good film.



Steve

[Moor Larkin]

Some of my favourite films are the ones I'd never heard of before. Not being a cinema Filmgoer (although I used to watch Barry Norman's shows all the time and so kept up with cinema on a 'once-removed' basis) I generally catch up with movies two or three years after their release, when they come on TV.



As such I am always conscious that I may misjudge excellent cinematic movies like "Lord of the Rings"........



On the other hand I caught "Dark City" totally unprepared some years ago, late at night. Some time before that I was utterly stunned when a movie with a weird name turned out to be breathtaking and perhaps one that I genuinely regret not seeing on the big screen: Koyaanisqatsi.



Big movies I always generally avoided were modern romances - Chick Flicks? - My ageing daughter has broadened my taste however and I'm quite a fan of Kirsten Dunst these days. On the other hand I was forced to watch "Love Actually" the other evening and remembered why I disliked modern romantic movies.



I have to confess to never having sat and watched the whole of of "Gone With The Wind" either but I have watched "Casablanca" several times. I don't think I've ever watched a David Lean movie all the way through, perhaps I've got a poor attention span.

[zapsat1942]

Two Come to my mind



Sound of music

Titanic

[faceoff]

I sometimes decide not to see films at all. Titanic, the Harry Potter series, although I caught the end of one of the latter on TV once - but it didn't leave me wanting more of the boy wizard. What decides me is the hype that accompanies movies sometimes. So I stand back and say - no.

[penfold]

name='ChristineCB']Charlie Chaplin. Not a fan. I love Keaton, but don't care for Chaplin, although I've seen most of GOLD RUSH, CITY LIGHTS and MODERN TIMES. That was the extent of my patience. But Laurel & Hardy? Sure. Harold Lloyd? Oh yes. Buster Keaton? Any day of the week. I think my anti-Chaplin stance comes from some perception of "meanness", although L&H, Lloyd and Keaton also had similar unpleasantries written for them.

Try Chaplin's short films from 1916-1918....little miniature gems, The Cure, Easy Street, The Pawn Shop, The Adventurer, The Immigrant.......these were the films that made his reputation, not the 20's-30's features. Little gems of brilliance, balletic slapstick, amazing comic timing, and bits of social satire and comment in the mix....

[DB7]

name='JamesM']Films I have not seen mainly due to not 'getting round to it' but aim to see

Kind Hearts and Coronets (a treat awaits)

Vertigo

I'm Alright Jack

Crikey, you'd have to have lived in a cave to have avoided some of them.



I've never see The Maltese Falcon.

[Ascoyne D'Ascoyne]

The Godfather series, 4 Weddings and a funeral, Notting Hill, Goodfellas, Lord of the Rings (100s more of like ilk I'm sure)

After seeing the first Harry Potter I've no desire to see any of the others.

I wish I hadn't bothered with The Full Monty.

[Ascoyne D'Ascoyne]

name='penfold']Try Chaplin's short films from 1916-1918....little miniature gems, The Cure, Easy Street, The Pawn Shop, The Adventurer, The Immigrant.......these were the films that made his reputation, not the 20's-30's features. Little gems of brilliance, balletic slapstick, amazing comic timing, and bits of social satire and comment in the mix....

I recall Eric Sykes commenting in an interview that he, and many comedians of his acquaintance didn't rate Chaplin very highly; he said he felt that a lot of the comedy relied upon the camera being "cranked up."

I have to say I think Modern Times is absolutely brilliant.

[Jim]

THE MALTESE FALCON - Make a point DB7 - Humph and Peter Lorrie PLUS Sydney Greenstreet - great! :d

[ChristineCB]

(Thanks for writing so much, folks.)



TITANIC - a great 5-minute special effects of the ship lifting up, people plummeting to their death, etc. But my substantial complaint with the film is, "So, 1500 people are going to die here, but that's not ENOUGH of a drama for you? You have to crank up some love-triangle nonsense, too?!!" Jiminy. This gets one of my Most Hated Films Of All Time votes, although I can see why people love it. I just hate the premise of glossing over everyone's death in lieu of some capricious set-up love triangle. And when I meet lovers of the film, I always argue that point and watch them go, "oh well, yes, I guess so", but they are still cooing over Cutesy Boy and the real tragedy is lost on them.



Which takes me back to arguing for public hangings in town centres! (Where IS that rolling pin when I need it?!!)



VERTIGO is a film I can heartily recommend. It's one of those BODY HEAT, BLACK WIDOW kind of films where beautiful women get their way. Sort of.



THE CRYING GAME. Been there, done that. Never seen it again, and barely remember it except for the 'trick twist'. And that's enough.



Steve, as for Shakespeare, no, I never liked any of Shakespeare so when I've heard the Kurosawa pix described in those terms, it was another stake in their hearts. One of those films is hyped as the origin for STAR WARS, but even though I am favorable for the STAR WARS film, I remember that I like about 8 or 10 minutes of each, but everything else is boring to me! Strange...



Oooh, that's right... I haven't seen any of the HARRY POTTER films, only glimpses on TV - some giant being fought in the loo, whoopee. That was enough.



Pen, thanks for the tips about the Chaplin shorts. I have suspected my intolerance is mainly Feature Lengths. I don't really care for Keaton's THE GENERAL because of its length, although there are some fabulous stunts in it. I suspect my intolerance to Silent Features is an indictment of my lack of patience and intolerance for the stagey silent-era acting style.



MALTESE FALCON would get my highest Must-See recommendation, and I could recommend it starting with just the last scene, where Mary Astor is being led away into an elevator, with its doors closing and its bars shadowing across her face, the music building into a triumphant march of Good vs Evil. One of the great Last Lines in all of cinema - "The stuff dreams are made of". If Bogey wasn't a certified star before that line, he was after. But the whole film has some great scenes in it.



I can only recommend LORD OF RINGS in theatres, on the big-screen. Seeing them on teeny TV sets isn't the same. Sort of like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA - to me, those are Big Screen Only films.



FaceOff uttered a line that I am akin to as well - "the hype that accompanies them" can also be my determining factor. Yet, I succumb to it sometimes, and am totally turned off by it on others. I haven't quite figured out why I accept some OverHype and avoid it others. I suspect I avoid those films for other reasons - an actor or two that I don't like? I don't know.

[Rob Compton]

Christine



I'll join you, if I may, in never having seen "Gone with the Wind." Life's too short.....



Plus most of the Star Wars series



On the other hand, I've sat through all the Lord Of The Rings films



rgds

Rob

[Ascoyne D'Ascoyne]

name='ChristineCB'](Thanks for writing so much, folks.)







Oooh, that's right... I haven't seen any of the HARRY POTTER films, only glimpses on TV - some giant being fought in the loo, whoopee. That was enough.

If Miss Rowling's writings are as plagiaristic, shallow and pointless as the films based on her books suggest, they deserve to be torn into six-inch strips and hung on a hook in the loo. Miss Rowling, however, probably uses £50 notes.

[faceoff]

name='DB7']Crikey, you'd have to have lived in a cave to have avoided some of them.



I've never seen The Maltese Falcon.

Possible spoiler



The Fat Man and Peter Lorre have never seen the Maltese Falcon either.

Elisha Cooke Jnr wouldn't be seen dead watching it either.