GREAT CINEMATOGRAPHERS By: kenji

Selected films of:

Miyagawa Kazuo

Rashomon
Miss Oyu
A Geisha
Ugetsu
Sansho the Bailiff
Chikamatsu Monogatari
Tales of the Taira Clan
Enjo
Floating Weeds
Yojimbo
Tokyo Olympiad
Irezumi
Silence
Kagemusha

Vittorio Storaro
Bird of the Crystal Plumage
The Conformist
The Spider’s Stratagem
Last Tango in Paris
1900
Apocalypse Now
Reds
The Last Emperor
The Sheltering Sky
Dick Tracy
Bulworth

Robby Muller
Alice in the Cities
Wrong Movement
Kings of the Road
The American Friend
Paris Texas
Repo Man
Down by Law
Dead Man
Breaking the Waves
Ghost Dog
Dancer in the Dark

Sven Nykvist
Sawdust and Tinsel
Through a Glass Darkly
Winter Light
The Silence
Persona
Hour of the Wolf
Shame
Cries and Whispers
The Tenant
Fanny and Alexander
The Sacrifice
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Crimes and Misdemeanours

Gregg Toland
Mad Love
History is Made at Night
Wuthering Heights
The Long Voyage Home
The Grapes of Wrath
Citizen Kane
The Little Foxes
Ball of Fire
The Best Years of our Lives

Nestor Almendros
La Collectioneuse
My Night with Maud
Claire’s Knee
The Wild Child
Two English Girls
La Gueule Ouverte
Mes Petites Amoureuses
The Story of Adele H
Days of Heaven
Sophie’s Choice
Confidentially Yours

Raoul Coutard

Breathless
Chronicle of a Summer
Lola
Vivre sa Vie
Jules et Jim
Contempt
Alphaville
Pierrot le Fou
2 or 3 Things I Know about her
Weekend
Z
Passion
The Birth of Love

Sacha Vierny
Night and Fog
Letter from Siberia
Diary of a Pregnant Woman
Hiroshima mon Amour
Last Year at Marienbad
The War is Over
Belle de Jour
Hypothesis of a Stolen Painting
Three Crowns of the Sailor
A Zed and Two Noughts
The Cook, the Thief his Wife and her Lover
Prospero’s Books

Gianni di Venanzo
Il Grido
Big Deal on Madonna Street
La Notte
Salvatore Giuliano
Eva
Eclipse
8 1/2
Juliet of the Spirits

Gordon Willis
Klute
The Godfather
The Godfather 2
The Parallax View
All the President’s Men
Annie Hall
Manhattan
Zelig
Broadway Danny Rose
The Purple Rose of Cairo

Christopher Doyle
That Day, on the Beach
Days of Being Wild
Chungking Express
Ashes of Time
Fallen Angels
Happy Together
In the Mood for Love
The Quiet American
Rabbit Proof Fence
Hero
Last Life in the Universe
2046

Roger Deakins

1984
Sid and Nancy
Barton Fink
Passion Fish
The Shawshank Redemption
Dead Man Walking
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
The Man who Wasn’t There
A Beautiful Mind
No Country for Old Men
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Revolutionary Road
The Reader

Eduard Tisse
Strike
Battleship Potemkin
October
Alexander Nevsky
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan the Terrible 2

Giorgos Arvanitis
Reconstruction
The Travelling Players
Alexander the Great
Voyage to Cythera
Landscape in the Mist
Suspended Step of the Stork
Ulysses’ Gaze
Mother of the Dunes
Eternity and a Day
The Last Letter

Conrad Hall
In Cold Blood
Cool Hand Luke
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Fat City
Marathon Man
American Beauty
Road to Perdition

Lee Garmes
Morocco
Dishonoured
Shanghai Express
Scarface
Duel in the Sun
Nightmare Alley
Caught
Detective Story
The Lusty Men
The Desperate Hours

Subrata Mitra
Pather Panchali
Aparajito
The World of Apu
Devi
Mahanagar

Robert Burks
Strangers on a Train
Rear Window
Vertigo
North by Northwest
The Birds
Marnie

Stanley Cortez
The Magnificent Ambersons
Since you Went Away
Secret Beyond the Door
Night of the Hunter
The Three Faces of Eve
Shock Corridor
The Naked Kiss

Chris Menges
Kes
Made in Britain
Local Hero
The Killing Fields
The Mission
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Reader

Michael Ballhaus
Fox and his Friends
Chinese Roulette
The Marriage of Maria Braun
Goodfellas
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The Age of Innocence
Quiz Show
The Departed

Boris Kaufman
A Propos de Nice
Zéro de Conduite
L’Atalante
On the Waterfront
Baby Doll
12 Angry Men
Splendour in the Grass
Long Day’s Journey into Night
The Pawnbroker

Jack Cardiff
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
A Matter of Life and Death
Black Narcissus
The Red Shoes
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
The African Queen
The Barefoot Contessa

Agnes Godard

Jacquot de Nantes
Dream Life of Angels
Beau Travail
Trouble Every Day
Friday Night
The Intruder
Golden Door
35 Shots of Rum

William Lubtchansky
Le Pont du Nord
Class Relations
Shoah
La Belle Noiseuse
Jeanne la Pucelle: The Battles
Jeanne la Pucelle: The Prisons
Secret Défense
Farewell, Home Sweet Home
Monday Morning
The Story of Marie and Julien
A Visit to the Louvre
Regular Lovers
Gardens in Autumn
The Duchess of Langeais

Gabriel Figueroa
Maria Candelaria
The Pearl
Salon Mexico
Los Olvidados
El
Nazarin
The Young One
Exterminating Angel

James Wong Howe
Shanghai Express
The Prisoner of Zenda
Fantasia
Kings Row
Body and Soul
Picnic
Sweet Smell of Success
Hud
Seconds

Georgi Rerberg
Asya’s Happiness
Uncle Vanya
Mirror
Stalker
Waati

hard to know when to stop! And not forgetting G.W.“Billy” Bitzer, Sergei Urusevsky, John Alton, Darius Khondji, Robert Krasker, Janusz Kominski, Slavomir Idziak, Thomas Mauch, Henri Alekan, Freddie Francis, Gunnar Fischer, Henning Bendtsen, Luís Cuadrado, Emmanuel Lubezki..

01RASHÔMON Akira Kurosawa
02MISS OYU Kenji Mizoguchi
03A GEISHA Kenji Mizoguchi
04UGETSU Kenji Mizoguchi
05SANSHO THE BAILIFF Kenji Mizoguchi
06THE CRUCIFIED LOVERS Kenji Mizoguchi
07TAIRA CLAN SAGA Kenji Mizoguchi
08ENJO Kon Ichikawa
09FLOATING WEEDS Yasujiro Ozu
10YOJIMBO Akira Kurosawa
11TOKYO OLYMPIAD Kon Ichikawa
12IREZUMI Yasuzo Masumura
13SILENCE Masahiro Shinoda
14KAGEMUSHA Akira Kurosawa
15THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE Dario Argento
16THE CONFORMIST Bernardo Bertolucci
17THE SPIDER'S STRATAGEM Bernardo Bertolucci
18LAST TANGO IN PARIS Bernardo Bertolucci
191900 Bernardo Bertolucci
20APOCALYPSE NOW Francis Ford Coppola
21REDS Warren Beatty
22THE LAST EMPEROR Bernardo Bertolucci
23THE SHELTERING SKY Bernardo Bertolucci
24DICK TRACY Warren Beatty
25BULWORTH Warren Beatty
26ALICE IN THE CITIES Wim Wenders
27THE WRONG MOVEMENT Wim Wenders
28KINGS OF THE ROAD Wim Wenders
29THE AMERICAN FRIEND Wim Wenders
30PARIS, TEXAS Wim Wenders
31REPO MAN Alex Cox
32DOWN BY LAW Jim Jarmusch
33DEAD MAN Jim Jarmusch
34BREAKING THE WAVES Lars von Trier
35GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI Jim Jarmusch
36DANCER IN THE DARK Lars von Trier
37SAWDUST AND TINSEL Ingmar Bergman
38THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY Ingmar Bergman
39WINTER LIGHT Ingmar Bergman
40THE SILENCE Ingmar Bergman
41PERSONA Ingmar Bergman
42HOUR OF THE WOLF Ingmar Bergman
43SHAME Ingmar Bergman
44CRIES AND WHISPERS Ingmar Bergman
45THE TENANT Roman Polanski
46FANNY AND ALEXANDER — THE TELEVISION VERSION Ingmar Bergman
47THE SACRIFICE Andrei Tarkovsky
48THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING Philip Kaufman
49CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS Woody Allen
50MAD LOVE Karl Freund
51HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT Frank Borzage
52WUTHERING HEIGHTS William Wyler
53THE LONG VOYAGE HOME John Ford
54THE GRAPES OF WRATH John Ford
55CITIZEN KANE Orson Welles
56THE LITTLE FOXES William Wyler
57BALL OF FIRE Howard Hawks
58THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES William Wyler
59LA COLLECTIONNEUSE Éric Rohmer
60MY NIGHT AT MAUD’S Éric Rohmer
61CLAIRE’S KNEE Éric Rohmer
62THE WILD CHILD François Truffaut
63TWO ENGLISH GIRLS François Truffaut
64THE MOUTH AGAPE Maurice Pialat
65MES PETITES AMOUREUSES Jean Eustache
66THE STORY OF ADELE H. François Truffaut
67DAYS OF HEAVEN Terrence Malick
68SOPHIE'S CHOICE Alan J. Pakula
69CONFIDENTIALLY YOURS François Truffaut
70BREATHLESS Jean-Luc Godard
71CHRONICLE OF A SUMMER Edgar Morin
72SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER François Truffaut
73LOLA Jacques Demy
74VIVRE SA VIE Jean-Luc Godard
75JULES AND JIM François Truffaut
76CONTEMPT Jean-Luc Godard
77ALPHAVILLE Jean-Luc Godard
78PIERROT LE FOU Jean-Luc Godard
792 OR 3 THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER Jean-Luc Godard
80WEEKEND Jean-Luc Godard
81Z Costa-Gavras
82GODARD'S PASSION Jean-Luc Godard
83THE BIRTH OF LOVE Philippe Garrel
84NIGHT AND FOG Alain Resnais
85LETTER FROM SIBERIA Chris Marker
86DIARY OF A PREGNANT WOMAN Agnès Varda
87HIROSHIMA, MON AMOUR Alain Resnais
88LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD Alain Resnais
89THE WAR IS OVER Alain Resnais
90BELLE DE JOUR Luis Buñuel
91THE HYPOTHESIS OF THE STOLEN PAINTING Raúl Ruiz
92THREE CROWNS OF THE SAILOR Raúl Ruiz
93A ZED AND TWO NOUGHTS Peter Greenaway
94THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER Peter Greenaway
95PROSPERO'S BOOKS Peter Greenaway
96IL GRIDO Michelangelo Antonioni
97BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET Mario Monicelli
98LA NOTTE Michelangelo Antonioni
99SALVATORE GIULIANO Francesco Rosi
100EVA Joseph Losey
101L'ECLISSE Michelangelo Antonioni
1028½ Federico Fellini
103JULIET OF THE SPIRITS Federico Fellini
104KLUTE Alan J. Pakula
105THE GODFATHER Francis Ford Coppola
106THE GODFATHER: PART II Francis Ford Coppola
107THE PARALLAX VIEW Alan J. Pakula
108ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN Alan J. Pakula
109ANNIE HALL Woody Allen
110MANHATTAN Woody Allen
111ZELIG Woody Allen
112BROADWAY DANNY ROSE Woody Allen
113THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO Woody Allen
114THAT DAY, ON THE BEACH Edward Yang
115DAYS OF BEING WILD Wong Kar-wai
116CHUNGKING EXPRESS Wong Kar-wai
117ASHES OF TIME Wong Kar-wai
118FALLEN ANGELS Wong Kar-wai
119HAPPY TOGETHER Wong Kar-wai
120IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE Wong Kar-wai
121THE QUIET AMERICAN Phillip Noyce
122RABBIT-PROOF FENCE Phillip Noyce
123HERO Zhang Yimou
124LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE Pen-ek Ratanaruang
1252046 Wong Kar-wai
1261984 Michael Radford
127SID & NANCY Alex Cox
128BARTON FINK Joel Coen
129PASSION FISH John Sayles
130THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Frank Darabont
131DEAD MAN WALKING Tim Robbins
132FARGO Joel Coen
133THE BIG LEBOWSKI Joel Coen
134THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE Joel Coen
135A BEAUTIFUL MIND Ron Howard
136NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Ethan Coen
137THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD Andrew Dominik
138REVOLUTIONARY ROAD Sam Mendes
139THE READER Stephen Daldry
140STRIKE Sergei Eisenstein
141BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN Sergei Eisenstein
142TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD Grigori Aleksandrov
143ALEXANDER NEVSKY Sergei Eisenstein
144IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART I Sergei Eisenstein
145IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART II Sergei Eisenstein
146RECONSTRUCTION Theodoros Angelopoulos
147THE TRAVELLING PLAYERS Theodoros Angelopoulos
148ALEXANDER THE GREAT Theodoros Angelopoulos
149VOYAGE TO CYTHERA Theodoros Angelopoulos
150LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST Theodoros Angelopoulos
151THE SUSPENDED STEP OF THE STORK Theodoros Angelopoulos
152ULYSSES' GAZE Theodoros Angelopoulos
153MOTHER OF THE DUNES Abdoulaye Ascofaré
154ETERNITY AND A DAY Theodoros Angelopoulos
155THE LAST LETTER Frederick Wiseman
156IN COLD BLOOD Richard Brooks
157COOL HAND LUKE Stuart Rosenberg
158BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID George Roy Hill
159FAT CITY John Huston
160MARATHON MAN John Schlesinger
161AMERICAN BEAUTY Sam Mendes
162ROAD TO PERDITION Sam Mendes
163MOROCCO Josef von Sternberg
164DISHONORED Josef von Sternberg
165SHANGHAI EXPRESS Josef von Sternberg
166SCARFACE Howard Hawks
167DUEL IN THE SUN King Vidor
168NIGHTMARE ALLEY Edmund Goulding
169CAUGHT Max Ophüls
170DETECTIVE STORY William Wyler
171THE LUSTY MEN Nicholas Ray
172THE DESPERATE HOURS William Wyler
173SONG OF THE LITTLE ROAD Satyajit Ray
174THE UNVANQUISHED Satyajit Ray
175THE WORLD OF APU Satyajit Ray
176GODDESS Satyajit Ray
177THE BIG CITY Satyajit Ray
178STRANGERS ON A TRAIN Alfred Hitchcock
179REAR WINDOW Alfred Hitchcock
180VERTIGO Alfred Hitchcock
181NORTH BY NORTHWEST Alfred Hitchcock
182THE BIRDS Alfred Hitchcock
183MARNIE Alfred Hitchcock
184THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS Orson Welles
185THE SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR Fritz Lang
186THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER Charles Laughton
187SHOCK CORRIDOR Samuel Fuller
188THE NAKED KISS Samuel Fuller
189KES Ken Loach
190MADE IN BRITAIN Alan Clarke
191LOCAL HERO Bill Forsyth
192THE KILLING FIELDS Roland Joffé
193THE MISSION Roland Joffé
194THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA Tommy Lee Jones
195FOX AND HIS FRIENDS Rainer Werner Fassbinder
196CHINESE ROULETTE Rainer Werner Fassbinder
197THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN Rainer Werner Fassbinder
198GOODFELLAS Martin Scorsese
199BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA Francis Ford Coppola
200THE AGE OF INNOCENCE Martin Scorsese
201QUIZ SHOW Robert Redford
202THE DEPARTED Martin Scorsese
203NIZZA Jean Vigo
204ZERO FOR CONDUCT Jean Vigo
205L'ATALANTE Jean Vigo
206ON THE WATERFRONT Elia Kazan
207BABY DOLL Elia Kazan
20812 ANGRY MEN Sidney Lumet
209SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS Elia Kazan
210LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT Sidney Lumet
211THE PAWNBROKER Sidney Lumet
212THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP Michael Powell
213A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH Michael Powell
214BLACK NARCISSUS Michael Powell
215THE RED SHOES Michael Powell
216PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN Albert Lewin
217THE AFRICAN QUEEN John Huston
218THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA Joseph L. Mankiewicz
219JACQUOT DE NANTES Agnès Varda
220THE DREAMLIFE OF ANGELS Erick Zonca
221BEAU TRAVAIL Claire Denis
222TROUBLE EVERY DAY Claire Denis
223FRIDAY NIGHT Claire Denis
224THE INTRUDER Claire Denis
225GOLDEN DOOR Emanuele Crialese
22635 SHOTS OF RUM Claire Denis
227LE PONT DU NORD Jacques Rivette
228CLASS RELATIONS Danièle Huillet
229SHOAH Claude Lanzmann
230LA BELLE NOISEUSE Jacques Rivette
231JEANNE LA PUCELLE I: THE BATTLES Jacques Rivette
232JEANNE LA PUCELLE II: THE PRISONS Jacques Rivette
233SECRET DEFENSE Jacques Rivette
234FAREWELL, HOME SWEET HOME! Otar Iosseliani
235MONDAY MORNING Otar Iosseliani
236THE STORY OF MARIE AND JULIEN Jacques Rivette
237A VISIT TO THE LOUVRE Danièle Huillet
238REGULAR LOVERS Philippe Garrel
239GARDENS IN AUTUMN Otar Iosseliani
240THE DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS Jacques Rivette
241MARÍA CANDELARIA Emilio Fernández
242THE PEARL Emilio Fernández
243SALÓN MÉXICO Emilio Fernández
244LOS OLVIDADOS Luis Buñuel
245EL Luis Buñuel
246NAZARIN Luis Buñuel
247THE YOUNG ONE Luis Buñuel
248THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL Luis Buñuel
249THE PRISONER OF ZENDA John Cromwell
250FANTASIA Samuel Armstrong
251KINGS ROW Sam Wood
252BODY AND SOUL Robert Rossen
253PICNIC Joshua Logan
254SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS Alexander Mackendrick
255HUD Martin Ritt
256SECONDS John Frankenheimer
257THE STORY OF ASYA KLYACHINA Andrei Konchalovsky
258UNCLE VANYA Andrei Konchalovsky
259THE MIRROR Andrei Tarkovsky
260STALKER Andrei Tarkovsky
261WAATI Souleymane Cissé

101 DIRECTORS' ESSENTIAL FILMS By: kenji

Chikamatsu Monogatari/The Crucified Lovers

Done without preparation, so don’t read too much into the order

Partly personal, partly “objective” taking into account importance and general opinion (so there are a small number of films i’m not keen on). But sorry fans of Jackson, Tarantino, Coens, Cameron, Nolan, Fincher, Eastwood, P.T.Anderson…well they don’t need promoting. I don’t think the Oscars are a good guide to quality, so directors are not always represented by Oscar winning films

so many bubbling under: Von Trier, Chahine (needs more films here), Tati, Vertov, Dovzhenko, Barnet, Kalatozov, Pasolini, Hong Sang-Soo, Kitano, Masumura, Yoshida, Ichikawa, Yamanaka, Suzuki, Sun Yu, Chen Kaige, Menzel, Vlacil, Tran Anh-Hung, Chabrol, Kazan, Campion, Sen, Dutt, M. Makhmalbaf, Svankmajer, Cronenberg, Cassavetes (not for me, sorry), Maddin, Brakhage, Cocteau, Wajda, Deren, Franju, Kaurismaki, Costa, Argento, Guney, Norstein, Stroheim, Losey, Im Kwon-taek, P.Sturges, Melies, Guy-Blaché, Jarmusch, Quay bros, Diaz, Pialat, Garrel, Pintilie, Jarman, Bartas, Nikolaidis, Martel, Monteiro… of course the Directors’ Cup has showcased a lot now, and i may do a reappraisal here, based on popularity on the site not just personal taste

should be more from Latin America, and well quite a few countries are hard done by. And should be more women. Needs another sort of film-based canon list to cover more angles

who have i forgotten?

01OSAKA ELEGY Kenji Mizoguchi
02THE STRAITS OF LOVE AND HATE Kenji Mizoguchi
03THE STORY OF THE LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS Kenji Mizoguchi
04THE LIFE OF OHARU Kenji Mizoguchi
05UGETSU Kenji Mizoguchi
06SANSHO THE BAILIFF Kenji Mizoguchi
07THE CRUCIFIED LOVERS Kenji Mizoguchi
08TAIRA CLAN SAGA Kenji Mizoguchi
09IVAN’S CHILDHOOD Andrei Tarkovsky
10ANDREI RUBLEV Andrei Tarkovsky
11SOLARIS Andrei Tarkovsky
12THE MIRROR Andrei Tarkovsky
13STALKER Andrei Tarkovsky
14NOSTALGHIA Andrei Tarkovsky
15THE SACRIFICE Andrei Tarkovsky
16BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING Jean Renoir
17TONI Jean Renoir
18A DAY IN THE COUNTRY Jean Renoir
19GRAND ILLUSION Jean Renoir
20LA BÊTE HUMAINE Jean Renoir
21THE RULES OF THE GAME Jean Renoir
22THE RIVER Jean Renoir
23THE GOLDEN COACH Jean Renoir
24THE 39 STEPS Alfred Hitchcock
25THE LADY VANISHES Alfred Hitchcock
26REBECCA Alfred Hitchcock
27NOTORIOUS Alfred Hitchcock
28REAR WINDOW Alfred Hitchcock
29VERTIGO Alfred Hitchcock
30NORTH BY NORTHWEST Alfred Hitchcock
31PSYCHO Alfred Hitchcock
32MARNIE Alfred Hitchcock
33I WAS BORN, BUT... Yasujiro Ozu
34LATE SPRING Yasujiro Ozu
35EARLY SUMMER Yasujiro Ozu
36TOKYO STORY Yasujiro Ozu
37TOKYO TWILIGHT Yasujiro Ozu
38THE END OF SUMMER Yasujiro Ozu
39AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON Yasujiro Ozu
40SONG OF THE LITTLE ROAD Satyajit Ray
41THE UNVANQUISHED Satyajit Ray
42THE MUSIC ROOM Satyajit Ray
43THE WORLD OF APU Satyajit Ray
44CHARULATA Satyajit Ray
45DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST Satyajit Ray
46CITIZEN KANE Orson Welles
47THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS Orson Welles
48THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI Orson Welles
49OTHELLO Orson Welles
50TOUCH OF EVIL Orson Welles
51CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT Orson Welles
52MY NIGHT AT MAUD’S Éric Rohmer
53CLAIRE’S KNEE Éric Rohmer
54THE GREEN RAY Éric Rohmer
55MY GIRLFRIEND'S BOYFRIEND Éric Rohmer
56LIEBELEI Max Ophüls
57LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN Max Ophüls
58LA RONDE Max Ophüls
59LE PLAISIR Max Ophüls
60THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE... Max Ophüls
61LOLA MONTÈS Max Ophüls
62STRIKE Sergei Eisenstein
63BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN Sergei Eisenstein
64TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD Grigori Aleksandrov
65ALEXANDER NEVSKY Sergei Eisenstein
66IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART I Sergei Eisenstein
67IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART II Sergei Eisenstein
68THE TRAVELLING PLAYERS Theodoros Angelopoulos
69LANDSCAPE IN THE MIST Theodoros Angelopoulos
70ULYSSES' GAZE Theodoros Angelopoulos
71ETERNITY AND A DAY Theodoros Angelopoulos
72L'AMOUR FOU Jacques Rivette
73OUT 1 Jacques Rivette
74CÉLINE AND JULIE GO BOATING Jacques Rivette
75LA BELLE NOISEUSE Jacques Rivette
76JEANNE LA PUCELLE I: THE BATTLES Jacques Rivette
77JEANNE LA PUCELLE II: THE PRISONS Jacques Rivette
78SECRET DEFENSE Jacques Rivette
79THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC Carl Theodor Dreyer
80VAMPYR Carl Theodor Dreyer
81DAY OF WRATH Carl Theodor Dreyer
82ORDET Carl Theodor Dreyer
83GERTRUD Carl Theodor Dreyer
84ANIKI BÓBÓ Manoel de Oliveira
85DOOMED LOVE Manoel de Oliveira
86NO, OR THE VAIN GLORY OF COMMAND Manoel de Oliveira
87ABRAHAM'S VALLEY Manoel de Oliveira
88PATHS OF GLORY Stanley Kubrick
89DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB Stanley Kubrick
902001: A SPACE ODYSSEY Stanley Kubrick
91A CLOCKWORK ORANGE Stanley Kubrick
92BARRY LYNDON Stanley Kubrick
93THE SHINING Stanley Kubrick
94THE BLUE ANGEL Josef von Sternberg
95MOROCCO Josef von Sternberg
96SHANGHAI EXPRESS Josef von Sternberg
97THE SCARLET EMPRESS Josef von Sternberg
98THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN Josef von Sternberg
99UN CHIEN ANDALOU Luis Buñuel
100L'ÂGE D'OR Luis Buñuel
101LOS OLVIDADOS Luis Buñuel
102VIRIDIANA Luis Buñuel
103THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL Luis Buñuel
104BELLE DE JOUR Luis Buñuel
105THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE Luis Buñuel
106RASHÔMON Akira Kurosawa
107THE IDIOT Akira Kurosawa
108IKIRU Akira Kurosawa
109SEVEN SAMURAI Akira Kurosawa
110THRONE OF BLOOD Akira Kurosawa
111YOJIMBO Akira Kurosawa
112HIGH AND LOW Akira Kurosawa
113RAN Akira Kurosawa
114STAGECOACH John Ford
115THE GRAPES OF WRATH John Ford
116MY DARLING CLEMENTINE John Ford
117THE QUIET MAN John Ford
118THE SEARCHERS John Ford
119THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE John Ford
120L'AVVENTURA Michelangelo Antonioni
121LA NOTTE Michelangelo Antonioni
122L'ECLISSE Michelangelo Antonioni
123BLOW-UP Michelangelo Antonioni
124THE PASSENGER Michelangelo Antonioni
125SIEGFRIED Fritz Lang
126METROPOLIS Fritz Lang
127SPIES Fritz Lang
128M Fritz Lang
129THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE Fritz Lang
130THE BIG HEAT Fritz Lang
131THE THIEF OF BAGDAD Ludwig Berger
132THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP Michael Powell
133A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH Michael Powell
134BLACK NARCISSUS Michael Powell
135THE RED SHOES Michael Powell
136PEEPING TOM Michael Powell
137BREATHLESS Jean-Luc Godard
138VIVRE SA VIE Jean-Luc Godard
139CONTEMPT Jean-Luc Godard
140PIERROT LE FOU Jean-Luc Godard
1412 OR 3 THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER Jean-Luc Godard
142WEEKEND Jean-Luc Godard
143IN PRAISE OF LOVE Jean-Luc Godard
144THE SEVENTH SEAL Ingmar Bergman
145WILD STRAWBERRIES Ingmar Bergman
146PERSONA Ingmar Bergman
147HOUR OF THE WOLF Ingmar Bergman
148CRIES AND WHISPERS Ingmar Bergman
149FANNY AND ALEXANDER — THE TELEVISION VERSION Ingmar Bergman
150NOSFERATU F.W. Murnau
151THE LAST LAUGH F.W. Murnau
152FAUST F.W. Murnau
153SUNRISE F.W. Murnau
154TABU: A STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS F.W. Murnau
155MEAN STREETS Martin Scorsese
156TAXI DRIVER Martin Scorsese
157RAGING BULL Martin Scorsese
158GOODFELLAS Martin Scorsese
159THE AGE OF INNOCENCE Martin Scorsese
160DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST Robert Bresson
161A MAN ESCAPED Robert Bresson
162PICKPOCKET Robert Bresson
163AU HASARD BALTHAZAR Robert Bresson
164MOUCHETTE Robert Bresson
165L'ARGENT Robert Bresson
166A SUMMER AT GRANDPA'S Hou Hsiao-hsien
167A TIME TO LIVE AND A TIME TO DIE Hou Hsiao-hsien
168A CITY OF SADNESS Hou Hsiao-hsien
169FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI Hou Hsiao-hsien
170SCARFACE Howard Hawks
171BRINGING UP BABY Howard Hawks
172HIS GIRL FRIDAY Howard Hawks
173THE BIG SLEEP Howard Hawks
174RED RIVER Howard Hawks
175RIO BRAVO Howard Hawks
176MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO Hayao Miyazaki
177PRINCESS MONONOKE Hayao Miyazaki
178SPIRITED AWAY Hayao Miyazaki
179HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE Hayao Miyazaki
180REPAST Mikio Naruse
181THE THUNDER OF THE MOUNTAIN Mikio Naruse
182FLOATING CLOUDS Mikio Naruse
183WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS Mikio Naruse
184THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE Víctor Erice
185EL SUR Víctor Erice
186THE QUINCE TREE SUN Víctor Erice
187LA STRADA Federico Fellini
188NIGHTS OF CABIRIA Federico Fellini
189LA DOLCE VITA Federico Fellini
1908½ Federico Fellini
191AMARCORD Federico Fellini
192BADLANDS Terrence Malick
193DAYS OF HEAVEN Terrence Malick
194THE THIN RED LINE Terrence Malick
195THE NEW WORLD Terrence Malick
196JAPANESE GIRLS AT THE HARBOR Hiroshi Shimizu
197CHILDREN IN THE WIND Hiroshi Shimizu
198MR. THANK YOU Hiroshi Shimizu
199THE MASSEURS AND A WOMAN Hiroshi Shimizu
200ORNAMENTAL HAIRPIN Hiroshi Shimizu
201JEANNE DIELMAN, 23, QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES Chantal Akerman
202LES RENDEZ-VOUS D’ANNA Chantal Akerman
203ALL NIGHT LONG Chantal Akerman
204FROM THE EAST Chantal Akerman
205LA POINTE COURTE Agnès Varda
206CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7 Agnès Varda
207LE BONHEUR Agnès Varda
208VAGABOND Agnès Varda
209THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS Agnès Varda
210OSSESSIONE Luchino Visconti
211LA TERRA TREMA Luchino Visconti
212SENSO Luchino Visconti
213ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS Luchino Visconti
214THE LEOPARD Luchino Visconti
215DEATH IN VENICE Luchino Visconti
216BRIEF ENCOUNTER David Lean
217GREAT EXPECTATIONS David Lean
218OLIVER TWIST David Lean
219THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI David Lean
220LAWRENCE OF ARABIA David Lean
221DOCTOR ZHIVAGO David Lean
222FALLING LEAVES Otar Iosseliani
223ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A SINGING BLACKBIRD Otar Iosseliani
224FAREWELL, HOME SWEET HOME! Otar Iosseliani
225MONDAY MORNING Otar Iosseliani
226THE DECALOGUE Krzysztof Kieślowski
227THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VÉRONIQUE Krzysztof Kieślowski
228BLUE Krzysztof Kieślowski
229RED Krzysztof Kieślowski
230WHERE IS THE FRIEND'S HOME? Abbas Kiarostami
231CLOSE-UP Abbas Kiarostami
232LIFE, AND NOTHING MORE... Abbas Kiarostami
233THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES Abbas Kiarostami
234TASTE OF CHERRY Abbas Kiarostami
235THE WIND WILL CARRY US Abbas Kiarostami
236FATA MORGANA Werner Herzog
237AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD Werner Herzog
238THE ENIGMA OF KASPAR HAUSER Werner Herzog
239FITZCARRALDO Werner Herzog
240ROSETTA Jean-Pierre Dardenne
241THE CHILD Jean-Pierre Dardenne
242LORNA'S SILENCE Jean-Pierre Dardenne
243CHUNGKING EXPRESS Wong Kar-wai
244FALLEN ANGELS Wong Kar-wai
245IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE Wong Kar-wai
2462046 Wong Kar-wai
247ERASERHEAD David Lynch
248THE ELEPHANT MAN David Lynch
249BLUE VELVET David Lynch
250MULHOLLAND DRIVE David Lynch
251INLAND EMPIRE David Lynch
252THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT Rainer Werner Fassbinder
253ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL Rainer Werner Fassbinder
254THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN Rainer Werner Fassbinder
255BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ Rainer Werner Fassbinder
256VERONIKA VOSS Rainer Werner Fassbinder
257ROME OPEN CITY Roberto Rossellini
258PAISAN Roberto Rossellini
259THE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS Roberto Rossellini
260VOYAGE TO ITALY Roberto Rossellini
261THE TAKING OF POWER BY LOUIS XIV Roberto Rossellini
262DOUBLE INDEMNITY Billy Wilder
263SUNSET BLVD. Billy Wilder
264ACE IN THE HOLE Billy Wilder
265SOME LIKE IT HOT Billy Wilder
266THE APARTMENT Billy Wilder
267THE KID Charlie Chaplin
268THE GOLD RUSH Charlie Chaplin
269CITY LIGHTS Charlie Chaplin
270MODERN TIMES Charlie Chaplin
271MONSIEUR VERDOUX Charlie Chaplin
272WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN Pedro Almodóvar
273THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET Pedro Almodóvar
274ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER Pedro Almodóvar
275TALK TO HER Pedro Almodóvar
276M*A*S*H Robert Altman
277MCCABE & MRS. MILLER Robert Altman
278NASHVILLE Robert Altman
2793 WOMEN Robert Altman
280THE PLAYER Robert Altman
281SHORT CUTS Robert Altman
282SLEEPER Woody Allen
283ANNIE HALL Woody Allen
284MANHATTAN Woody Allen
285BROADWAY DANNY ROSE Woody Allen
286HANNAH AND HER SISTERS Woody Allen
287CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS Woody Allen
288SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS Sergei Parajanov
289COLOR OF POMEGRANATES Sergei Parajanov
290ASHIK KERIB Sergei Parajanov
291THE 400 BLOWS François Truffaut
292SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER François Truffaut
293JULES AND JIM François Truffaut
294TWO ENGLISH GIRLS François Truffaut
295DAY FOR NIGHT François Truffaut
296NIGHT AND FOG Alain Resnais
297HIROSHIMA, MON AMOUR Alain Resnais
298LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD Alain Resnais
299PROVIDENCE Alain Resnais
300THE OYSTER PRINCESS Ernst Lubitsch
301THE LOVE PARADE Ernst Lubitsch
302TROUBLE IN PARADISE Ernst Lubitsch
303TO BE OR NOT TO BE Ernst Lubitsch
304SHERLOCK JR. Buster Keaton
305THE NAVIGATOR Buster Keaton
306THE GENERAL Buster Keaton
307STEAMBOAT BILL JR. Buster Keaton
308THE MALTESE FALCON John Huston
309THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE John Huston
310THE AFRICAN QUEEN John Huston
311THE DEAD John Huston
312BLISSFULLY YOURS Apichatpong Weerasethakul
313TROPICAL MALADY Apichatpong Weerasethakul
314WORLDLY DESIRES Apichatpong Weerasethakul
315SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY Apichatpong Weerasethakul
316UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES Apichatpong Weerasethakul
317BLACK GIRL Ousmane Sembène
318XALA Ousmane Sembène
319CEDDO Ousmane Sembène
320MOOLAADÉ Ousmane Sembène
321AJANTRIK Ritwik Ghatak
322THE CLOUD-CAPPED STAR Ritwik Ghatak
323THE GOLDEN THREAD Ritwik Ghatak
324JAWS Steven Spielberg
325CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND Steven Spielberg
326RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK Steven Spielberg
327E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL Steven Spielberg
328SCHINDLER'S LIST Steven Spielberg
329THE GODFATHER Francis Ford Coppola
330THE GODFATHER: PART II Francis Ford Coppola
331THE CONVERSATION Francis Ford Coppola
332APOCALYPSE NOW Francis Ford Coppola
333RED SORGHUM Zhang Yimou
334RAISE THE RED LANTERN Zhang Yimou
335TO LIVE Zhang Yimou
336THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY Sergio Leone
337ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST Sergio Leone
338ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA Sergio Leone
339KNIFE IN THE WATER Roman Polanski
340REPULSION Roman Polanski
341ROSEMARY'S BABY Roman Polanski
342CHINATOWN Roman Polanski
343THE PIANIST Roman Polanski
344THE CONFORMIST Bernardo Bertolucci
345THE SPIDER'S STRATAGEM Bernardo Bertolucci
3461900 Bernardo Bertolucci
347THE LAST EMPEROR Bernardo Bertolucci
348THE SHELTERING SKY Bernardo Bertolucci
349CHOCOLAT Claire Denis
350BEAU TRAVAIL Claire Denis
351THE INTRUDER Claire Denis
35235 SHOTS OF RUM Claire Denis
353WUTHERING HEIGHTS William Wyler
354THE LETTER William Wyler
355THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES William Wyler
356THE HEIRESS William Wyler
357ROMAN HOLIDAY William Wyler
358BEN-HUR William Wyler
359THE PIANO TEACHER Michael Haneke
360CACHÉ Michael Haneke
361THE WHITE RIBBON Michael Haneke
362THEY LIVE BY NIGHT Nicholas Ray
363IN A LONELY PLACE Nicholas Ray
364JOHNNY GUITAR Nicholas Ray
365REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE Nicholas Ray
366BIGGER THAN LIFE Nicholas Ray
367ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS Douglas Sirk
368WRITTEN ON THE WIND Douglas Sirk
369THE TARNISHED ANGELS Douglas Sirk
370IMITATION OF LIFE Douglas Sirk
371MABOROSI Hirokazu Kore-eda
372AFTER LIFE Hirokazu Kore-eda
373NOBODY KNOWS Hirokazu Kore-eda
374STILL WALKING Hirokazu Kore-eda
375IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT Frank Capra
376MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON Frank Capra
377IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE Frank Capra
378THE INSECT WOMAN Shohei Imamura
379INTENTIONS OF MURDER Shohei Imamura
380VENGEANCE IS MINE Shohei Imamura
381BLACK RAIN Shohei Imamura
382SHOESHINE Vittorio De Sica
383BICYCLE THIEVES Vittorio De Sica
384MIRACLE IN MILAN Vittorio De Sica
385UMBERTO D. Vittorio De Sica
386THE BIRTH OF A NATION D.W. Griffith
387INTOLERANCE: LOVE'S STRUGGLE THROUGHOUT THE AGES D.W. Griffith
388BROKEN BLOSSOMS D.W. Griffith
389THE DAYS OF ECLIPSE Aleksandr Sokurov
390MOTHER AND SON Aleksandr Sokurov
391RUSSIAN ARK Aleksandr Sokurov
392DINNER AT EIGHT George Cukor
393HOLIDAY George Cukor
394THE PHILADELPHIA STORY George Cukor
395BORN YESTERDAY George Cukor
396THE HUMAN CONDITION Masaki Kobayashi
397HARAKIRI Masaki Kobayashi
398KWAIDAN Masaki Kobayashi
399DISTANT Nuri Bilge Ceylan
400CLIMATES Nuri Bilge Ceylan
401THREE MONKEYS Nuri Bilge Ceylan
402WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? Tsai Ming-liang
403THE WAYWARD CLOUD Tsai Ming-liang
404I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE Tsai Ming-liang
405ALICE IN THE CITIES Wim Wenders
406KINGS OF THE ROAD Wim Wenders
407THE AMERICAN FRIEND Wim Wenders
408PARIS, TEXAS Wim Wenders
409WINGS OF DESIRE Wim Wenders
410TAIPEI STORY Edward Yang
411A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY Edward Yang
412YI YI Edward Yang
413BOB LE FLAMBEUR Jean-Pierre Melville
414LE DEUXIÈME SOUFFLE Jean-Pierre Melville
415LE SAMOURAÏ Jean-Pierre Melville
416ARMY OF SHADOWS Jean-Pierre Melville
417PORT OF SHADOWS Marcel Carné
418LE JOUR SE LÈVE Marcel Carné
419CHILDREN OF PARADISE Marcel Carné
420DEATH BY HANGING Nagisa Oshima
421THE CEREMONY Nagisa Oshima
422IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES Nagisa Oshima
423STATUES ALSO DIE Chris Marker
424LA JETÉE Chris Marker
425THE KOUMIKO MYSTERY Chris Marker
426SANS SOLEIL Chris Marker
427THE WIND Souleymane Cissé
428BRIGHTNESS Souleymane Cissé
429FANTÔMAS Louis Feuillade
430LES VAMPIRES Louis Feuillade
431TIH MINH Louis Feuillade
432MY WAY HOME Miklós Jancsó
433THE ROUND-UP Miklós Jancsó
434THE RED AND THE WHITE Miklós Jancsó
435RED PSALM Miklós Jancsó
436ALIEN Ridley Scott
437BLADE RUNNER Ridley Scott
438THELMA & LOUISE Ridley Scott
439GLADIATOR Ridley Scott
440BLACK GOD, WHITE DEVIL Glauber Rocha
441ENTRANCED EARTH Glauber Rocha
442ANTONIO DAS MORTES Glauber Rocha
443PLATFORM Jia Zhangke
444THE WORLD Jia Zhangke
445STILL LIFE Jia Zhangke
446ZERO FOR CONDUCT Jean Vigo
447L'ATALANTE Jean Vigo
448BRIEF ENCOUNTERS Kira Muratova
449THE LONG FAREWELL Kira Muratova
450THE ASTHENIC SYNDROME Kira Muratova
451SÁTÁNTANGÓ Béla Tarr
452WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES Béla Tarr
453THE BRIDGE Joris Ivens
454...A VALPARAÍSO Joris Ivens
455THE MISTRAL Joris Ivens
456A TALE OF THE WIND Joris Ivens
457THREE SAD TIGERS Raúl Ruiz
458THE SUSPENDED VOCATION Raúl Ruiz
459THE HYPOTHESIS OF THE STOLEN PAINTING Raúl Ruiz
460THREE CROWNS OF THE SAILOR Raúl Ruiz
461MANUEL ON THE ISLAND OF WONDERS Raúl Ruiz
462MARCEL PROUST'S TIME REGAINED Raúl Ruiz
463MYSTERIES OF LISBON Raúl Ruiz
464INGEBORG HOLM Victor Sjöström
465THE OUTLAW AND HIS WIFE Victor Sjöström
466THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE Victor Sjöström
467HE WHO GETS SLAPPED Victor Sjöström
468THE SCARLET LETTER Victor Sjöström
469THE WIND Victor Sjöström

BEST FILMS BY CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD DIRECTORS

greg x
Since I haven’t seen all the films by most of these directors, I won’t stake a claim to these being their “best” films, but they are the best of those I have seen. For each director I listed the best film first and, obviously enough, the second best second. I would have liked to add a third film to most of these, but, hey, rules is rules. I added a few Hollywood directors that I like, that weren’t listed previously. Also, for fun, I also ranked the directors as I would view them if they all had only made their two films and didn’t have any other history to judge them on. I was curious about how much difference a body of work makes in appreciating their talents. Needless to say, both the rankings and the films chosen could easily differ if I were to do this again.

Orson Welles The Magnificent Ambersons, Citizen Kane
Ernst Lubitsch The Shop Around the Corner, Heaven Can Wait
Alfred Hitchcock The Birds, Strangers on a Train
Buster Keaton The General, Steamboat Bill Jr.
Gregory LaCava Stage Door, My Man Godfrey
Frank Capra It’s a Wonderful Life, Meet John Doe
Michael Curtiz The Adventures of Robin Hood, Casablanca
Lewis Milestone Hallelujah I’m a Bum, All Quiet on the Western Front
Victor Sjostrom He Who Gets Slapped, The Wind
John Ford The Quiet Man, My Darling Clementine
Vincente Minnelli The Pirate, Meet Me in St. Louis
Raoul Walsh Gentleman Jim, The Strawberry Blonde
Josef von Sternberg Blonde Venus, The Scarlet Empress
Jacques Tourneur I Walked With a Zombie, The Leopard Man
Robert Aldrich Kiss Me Deadly, Flight of the Phoenix
Stanley Donen Singing in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Charlie Chaplin Limelight, The Great Dictator
Edmund Goulding Nightmare Alley, Dawn Patrol
Rouben Mamoulian Queen Christina, We Live Again
John Brahm Hangover Square, The Lodger
Norman Z. McLeod It’s a Gift, Monkey Business
John Stahl Leave Her to Heaven, Magnificent Obsession
William Wyler Jezebel, The Good Fairy
Mervyn LeRoy Johnny Eager, I Am a Fugitive From A Chain Gang
Preston Sturges The Lady Eve, The Palm Beach Story
Anthony Mann The Fall of the Roman Empire, Winchester ’73
F.W. Murnau Sunrise, Tabu
Victor Fleming The Wizard of Oz, Red Dust
Howard Hawks Scarface, Man’s Favorite Sport
Fritz Lang The Big Heat, Ministry of Fear
James Whale Waterloo Bridge, The Old Dark House
Douglas Sirk A Scandal in Paris, Written on the Wind
Clarence Brown The Flesh and the Devil, Wife vs. Secretary
Robert Flaherty Louisiana Story, Nanook of the North
Charles Vidor Gilda, Cover Girl
William Wellman Nothing Sacred, The Light That Failed
Edgar Ulmer The Black Cat, The Strange Woman
Cecil B. DeMille Four Frightened Friends, The Crusades
Arthur Penn Night Moves, The Left Handed Gun
John Huston Moby Dick, Wise Blood
Henry Hathaway Peter Ibbetson, Niagra
Billy Wilder The Major and the Minor, One, Two, Three
Leo McCarey Love Affair, The Awful Truth
Nicholas Ray They Live by Night, Johnny Guitar
Roger Corman X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, The Tomb of Ligeia
Sam Fuller The Naked Kiss, The Baron of Arizona
Robert Stevenson Darby O’Gill and the Little People, Jane Eyre
George Stevens Swing Time, Vivacious Lady
Richard Wallace Young in Heart, Tycoon
William Castle I Saw What You Did, The Tingler
George Marshall Destry Rides Again, The Blue Dahlia
Edward Dmytryk Murder My Sweet, Walk on the Wild Side
Sam Peckinpah Ride the High Country, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Mitchell Leisen Hands Across the Table, Easy Living
John Farrow His Kind of Woman, The Big Clock
Frank Taschlin Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, Artists and Models
Robert Rossen All the King’s Men, The Hustler
D.W. Griffith Orphans of the Storm, Sally of the Sawdust
Alexander Mackendrick A High Wind in Jamaica, Sweet Smell of Success
Elia Kazan Baby Doll, East of Eden
Henry King The Black Swan, In Old Chicago
Fred Zinnemann From Here to Eternity, Day of the Jackal
John Sturges Bad Day at Black Rock, The Great Escape
Mark Sandrich Shall We Dance, Top Hat
George Cukor Gaslight, Les Girls
Jack Arnold The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon
Jean Negulesco The Mask of Dimitrios, Humoresque
Irving Cummings The Dolly Sisters, Girl’s Dormitory
Anatole Litvak All This and Heaven Too, This Above All
Otto Preminger In Harm’s Way, Angel Face
Joseph Mankiewicz The Quiet American, Suddenly, Last Summer
Henry Koster The Rage of Paris, The Inspector General
Alfred E Green Baby Face, Dangerous
William Seiter Sons of the Desert, You Were Never Lovelier
Delmer Daves Jubal, Rome Adventure
King Vidor Bird of Paradise, Duel in the Sun
Mark Robson Isle of the Dead, The Ghost Ship
Budd Boetticher Decision at Sundown, Ride Lonesome
J. Lee Thompson Tiger Bay, Cape Fear
Robert Wise Curse of the Cat People, The Haunting
Lloyd Bacon The Sullivans, Footlight Parade
W.S.Van Dyke The Thin Man, Tarzan the Ape Man
William Dieterle A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Don Siegel Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Beguiled
Jerry Lewis The Nutty Professor, The Bellboy
Busby Berkeley Babes in Arms, For Me and My Gal
Ida Lupino The Trouble with Angels, The Gilligan’s Island episode The Producer
Richard Brooks Lord Jim, In Cold Blood
Rene Clair I Married a Witch, The Ghost Goes West
Frank Borzage The Mortal Storm, Strange Cargo
Archie Mayo Charlie’s Aunt, The Petrified Forest
Sidney Lumet Serpico, Running on Empty
Richard Fleischer Barrabas, The Vikings
Charles Walters Barkleys of Broadway, Good News
Allan Dwan Suez, The Three Musketeers
Robert Siodmak Dark Mirror, The Crimson Pirate
William Keighley The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Bride Came C.O.D.

What? Justin Vicari starting an interesting list thread? Has the world gone topsy-turvy? I can’t help but feel partly responsible. Of course, this probably means there’s a whopping piece of elitist, pretentious B.S. lurking around that I’ve yet to see. Anyway…

John Ford — How Green Was My Valley; Young Mr. Lincoln
Budd Boetticher — The Tall T; Decision at Sundown
Max Ophuls — Lola Montes; Le plaisir
Josef von Sternberg — The Scarlet Empress; Morocco
Erich von Stroheim — Queen Kelly; The Wedding March
F.W. Murnau — Sunrise; The Last Laugh (you never specified that the film had to be from his Hollywood period)
Jules Dassin — The Naked City; Rififi
Jacques Tourneur — I Walked With a Zombie; Out of the Past
John Huston — The Maltese Falcon; The Man Who Would Be King
William Wyler — The Little Foxes; The Best Years of Our Lives
Howard Hawks — His Girl Friday; Ball of Fire
Billy Wilder — Double Indemnity; The Apartment
Fritz Lang — Scarlet Street; M
Otto Preminger — River of No Return; Where the Sidewalk Ends
Douglas Sirk — Written on the Wind; Imitation of Life
Anthony Mann — Raw Deal; Winchester ’73
Sam Fuller — Pickup on South Street; Forty Guns
Nicholas Ray — They Live by Night; On Dangerous Ground
Joseph Mankiewicz — A Letter to Three Wives; All About Eve
VIncent Minelli — The Bad and the Beautiful; Meet Me in St. Louis
Elia Kazan — On the Waterfront; Gentleman’s Agreement
Robert Rossen — All the King’s Men; The Hustler
Cecil B. DeMille — Union Pacific; The Sign of the Cross
Robert Aldrich — Kiss Me Deadly; Vera Cruz
Richard Brooks — The Catered Affair; In Cold Blood
Alfred Hitchcock — Shadow of a Doubt; Strangers on a Train
George Cukor — Holiday; The Philadelphia Story
D. W. Griffith — Intolerlance; A Corner in Wheat
Raoul Walsh — The Roaring Twenties; They Drive by Night
Robert Flaherty — Louisiana Story; Man of Aran
Charles Chaplin — The Immigrant; A Day’s Pleasure
Buster Keaton — Steamboat Bill, Jr.; The General
Sam Peckinpah — Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia; The Wild Bunch
Blake Edwards — The Days of Wine and Roses; The Pink Panther
Ernst Lubitsch — Trouble in Paradise; One Hour With You
Stanley Kramer — Not really a fan.
Ida Lupino — Outrage; The Hitch-Hiker
Busby Berkeley — Footlight Parade (seguences); Dames (sequences)
Stanley Donen — Singin’ in the Rain; Indiscreet
Chuck Walters — The Barkleys of Broadyway; High Society
Frank Tashlin — Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?; Bachelor Flat
Martin Ritt — The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; The Front
Oscar Micheaux — Haven’t seen any of his films
J. Lee Thompson — Cape Fear (a lucky try)
King Vidor — The Crowd; The Big Parade
Charles Vidor — Gilda is about as close as he came to making a good film.
Orson Welles — Citizen Kane; The Stranger
Sydney Lumet — Serpico; The Hill

YOU FORGOT:

Michael Curtiz—Casablanca; The Sea Hawk
George Stevens – Gunga Din; Swing Time
Robert Wise – The Body Snatcher; The Set-up
Henry Hathaway – The Lives of a Bengal Lancer; The House on 92nd Street

William A. Wellman — The Public Enemy; The Ox-Bow Incident
Mervyn Leroy — I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang; Gold Diggers of 1933
William Keighley — The Street with No Name; Each Dawn I Die
Mark Sandrich — Top Hat; Holiday Inn
Frank Borzage — Seventh Heaven; Lucky Star
Allan Dwan — Robin Hood (1922); The Iron Mask
Anatole Litvak — All This, and Heaven Too; Blues in the Night
Frank Capra — It Happened One Night; Arsenic and Old Lace
W.S. Van Dyke — The Thin Man; Manhattan Melodrama
James Whale — The Invisible Man; Frankenstein
Robert Siodmak — Phantom Lady; Criss-Cross
André De Toth — House of Wax; Crime Wave
Lloyd Bacon — 42nd Street; Brother Orchid
Archie Mayo — The Mayor of Hell; Black Legion
Fred Zinnemann — From Here to Eternity; Act of Violence
Arthur Penn — Night Moves; Bonnie and Clyde
William Dieterle — The Hunchback of Notre Dame; The Devil and Daniel Webster
Tod Browning — Freaks; Dracula
Preston Sturges — The Lady Eve; Sullivan’s Travels
John Sturges — Bad Day at Black Rock; The Great Escape (just started watching his stuff, very good)
Edward Dmytryk — Crossfire; Murder, My Sweet
Morris Engel — Weddings and Babies; The Little Fugitive
Leo McCarey — The Awful Truth; Going My Way
Gregory La Cava — My Man Godfrey; Stage Door
Mitchell Leisen — Easy Living; Midnight
Rene Clair — The Flame of New Orleans; I Married a Witch
Clarence Brown — Flesh and the Devil; Anna Christie
Rouben Mamoulian — Love Me Tonight; Queen Christina
Fred Niblo — Ben Hur (1925); The Three Musketeers (1921)
William A. Seiter — Sons of the Desert; Hot Saturday
Lewis Milestone — All Quiet on the Western Front; A Walk in the Sun
Alfred E. Green — Baby Face; Smart Money
Alexander Mackendrick — The Sweet Smell of Success; The Ladykillers
Delmer Daves — Dark Passage; 3:10 to Yuma
John Farrow — The Big Clock; His Kind of Woman
Alexander Hall — Here Comes Mr. Jordan; Goin’ to Town

Jules Dassin The Canterville Ghost, Tokapi
Fred Niblo The Mark of Zorro, The Three Musketeers
Stanley Kramer The Defiant Ones, On the Beach
Blake Edwards High Time, Operation Petticoat

Max Ophuls – I’ve only seen Letter From an Unknown Woman from his Hollywood period, add Madame de… and he would rank around 5th on the list.
Morris Engel – I watched as much of Little Fugitive as I could bear. Great technique, far too cloying.
Erich von Stroheim – So far I’ve only seen parts of Greed and Foolish Wives, not enough to judge.
Oscar Micheaux — Zilch

文采，風流

說到色情影院，當然少不得那些令人笑翻了腰的片名。儘管吳偉明坦言這些名字大多與影片內容無關，頗不負責任，但我認為最少要比那些「ＸＸ風雲」、「ＹＹ戀曲」、「ＺＺ雄心」來得有新意。現把經典色情影片名稱摘錄如下，供創作人好好參考：

‧借叔一簫

‧豐乳同露

‧簫塞豐乳中

‧含乳淫龍拳

‧快感係鞭度

‧愈浪漫愈快硬

‧大濫交嘢公園

‧鄰家女孩好雙乳

‧Ｇ觸者，頻亦樂

‧吹簫一刻直不甩

‧弊傢伙，地鐵有色魔

‧大吉大利大波大（此為賀歲片）

Metropolis unbound

Monday | April 5, 2010 open printable version

Fritz Lang has created a lot of pretty pictures and has discovered the astonishing talent of Brigitte Helm. I cannot blame him for not being able to cut the quantity of ideas in individual scenes mercilessly enough (the water catastrophe, the duel), but instead repeatedly trying out new lighting and angles. This time the film’s qualities lie precisely in these efforts: and if the viewer knows how to make the best of something, he will derive pleasure from these images.

Rudolf Arnheim, review of Metropolis, 1927.

Along with La Roue and The Battleship Potemkin, Metropolis (1927) is one of the great sacred monsters of the cinema. Many versions circulate, and restorations never seem to stop. A beautifully restored, though incomplete, version was premiered in Berlin in 2001. This is the basis of the most authoritative DVD releases. By now, however, everybody has heard about the 2008 discovery of a significantly longer version in Argentina, a 16mm preservation copy drawn from a scratch-infested 35 nitrate original.

Since 2008 a team at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung has been at work adding material from the Argentine version to the earlier one. Kristin and I have written earlier entries (here and here) tracing the progress of the restoration, and the team have produced a detailed website explaining their work. The result made its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, and an exhaustive exhibition about the film has been running at the Deutsche Kinematek in Berlin.

Now I’ve seen it, at a screening during the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Frank Strobel, a member of the restoration team, conducted the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and another collaborator, Martin Koerber, curator at the Deutsche Kinematek, was present to discuss the restoration process. A handsome booklet, cosponsored by the Goethe-Institut of Hong Kong, provided a lot of background. The film was projected digitally, but at very high resolution and looking quite crisp. I had a front-row center seat. I had a swell time.

Metropolis has never been my favorite Lang of the period, but this version makes the strongest possible case for the film. It’s hard to dislike its shameless, preposterous ambitions, its stew of biblical and modern ingredients, its bold architectural vistas, and its trancelike characterizations. Also, people running crazily about in gargantuan spaces can usually hold your interest.

I just met a girl named Maria

All [the American editors] were trying to do was to bring out the real thought that was manifestly back of the production and which the Germans had simply “muffed.” I am willing to wager that “Metropolis” as it is seen at the Rialto now is nearer Fritz Lang’s idea than the version he himself released in Germany. . . . There was originally a very beautiful statue of a woman’s head, and on the base was her name–and that name was “Hel.” Now the German word for “hell” is “hoelle” so they were quite innocent of the fact that this name would create a guffaw in an English speaking audience. So it was necessary to cut this beautiful bit out of the picture . . . .

Randolph Bartlett, The New York Times, 13 March 1927

The new version gives the film a better narrative balance. Somewhat surprisingly, the plot hinges on one of the oldest and simplest narrative devices: mistaken identities. The overlord Fredersen engages the crazed scientist Rotwang to create a mechanical Maria who will lead the workers astray. Rotwang takes the occasion to avenge himself on Fredersen by having his robot urge the workers to destroy the machines. Two Marias, then–actually more, if you count the robot Maria’s incarnation as the Whore of Babylon in the Yoshiwara Club.

Thanks to the Argentine footage, we now know that another major character doubling involves Freder. At the start of the version we all know, Freder is visited by Maria and a flock of children. Upon seeing her radiant charity, he becomes suddenly convinced that he must join the oppressed workers, his “brothers and sisters.” Helping them has become his destiny. He gains an ally in Josaphat, an employee whom his father has brusquely fired. Descending to the cavernous machine halls, Freder switches identities with Georgy, a worker who returns aboveground to live Freder’s life. Freder wants him to go to Josaphat’s apartment, where they will meet. But the Thin Man, a long, leering hireling of Freder’s father, is charged with trailing Freder.

Stretches of the Thin Man subplot are missing from the previous version, but now we can see that Georgy/ Freder is a sort of early counterweight to the Maria/ Maria parallels. As in the latter case, the switch leads to misunderstanding, with the Thin Man following Georgy to the club and eventually to Josaphat. The Georgy substitution also allows Harbou and Lang to introduce the Yoshiwara Club early, but teasingly, in a rapidly dissolving montage. Only later will we get a good look at the delicious degeneracy inside.

As Martin Koerber indicated in several remarks, the older, most common version of Metropolis turns it into a science-fiction film, since it puts the robot Maria at the center of the plot. Just as important, though, is Freder’s plan for overturning class oppression, something fleshed out in the Georgy/ Josaphat material. Other new footage puts the relationship between Fredersen and Rotwang in a new light. We now see that Rotwang was in love with Fredersen’s wife Hel, and he has constructed not only a huge bust of her but also a “mechanical man,” outfitted with a distinctly female anatomy, as a sort of Hel substitute.

Fredersen diverts Rotwang’s plan to the purpose of mimicking Maria. So we get another doubling: Freder’s mother Hel becomes the firmware for the robot Maria through the machinations of two father figures. (Freder will kill one and redeem the other.) In all, the new footage yields a play of eerie Freudian substitutions.

The 2010 restoration also establishes the film as consisting of three large-scale movements. The first section, “Prelude” (Auftakt), runs a bit more than an hour. It shows Freder joining the workers and his father planning to have the Thin Man follow him. This part also introduces Rotwang, establishes Fredersen’s order to make a robot Maria, and ends with Rotwang’s capture of Maria. A second part, called “Intermezzo” and lasting about thirty minutes, is devoted to intertwining the Freder/ Josaphat plot with the creation of the robot Maria. The section more or less climaxes with a demo of the new Maria, dancing sexily at the Yoshiwara.

In “Furioso,” everything builds to a climax across a remarkable fifty minutes. The cloned Maria leads the workers to destroy the machines, fulfilling Rotwang’s plan to avenge himself on Fredersen, while the real Maria escapes from Rotwang’s compound during a fight between Rotwang and Fredersen. (We’re still lacking some of this footage.) At the same time, Freder and Josaphat converge on the underground city. The workers’ smashing of the machines triggers a flood from which the children must be saved. At the finale, during a hand-to-hand struggle with Freder, Rotwang falls to his death. There follows the famous epilogue in which Freder, “the Mediator,” must bring together hands (the foreman Grot) and head (the capitalist Fredersen).

Fluidity and freedom

This delirious fable is rendered with unrelenting zest. Lang has now perfected his breathless version of silent-film narration. He relies on simple, immediately graspable compositions, rapid crosscutting among different plotlines, and a dynamic approach to analytical editing.

In the late 1920s, many American films became more heavily dependent on intertitles; it’s as if directors were anticipating talkies. But of Metropolis’s over 1800 shots, I counted only 26 expository titles and 156 dialogue titles—in a film running nearly 2 ½ hours. Lang plunges us into each scene with no fuss, and once we’re there, a smooth continuity carries us from shot to shot. Confronting the seven deadly sins in the cathedral, Freder turns away, twisting Georgy’s cap in his hands as he exits the frame.

Cut to the main area of the cathedral, and Freder is still twisting the cap as he enters the frame. (Like other shots from the Argentine version, this is slightly reduced because of the 16mm source.)

He lifts the cap, and we get his point of view on Georgy’s name and number.

Cut to the Yoshiwara nightclub closing, as Georgy steps groggily into the street.

Here the new footage lets us see that Lang is exploiting the sort of verbal and imagistic hooks he had developed in earlier films: from Georgy’s cap to Georgy himself, with no need of an intertitle to take us to the new scene.

Lang’s freedom of camera position is typical of late silent cinema, but he deploys his angles with characteristic precision. As usual in Europe, Hollywood-style continuity isn’t completely adhered to—there are some crossings of the 180-degree line—but Lang is careful to keep us oriented to the action through eyelines. This allows great flexibility in camera placement.

Fredersen is dictating to his secretaries while Josaphat is monitoring prices. A vast establishing shot shows all of them.

Fredersen’s pacing around his office allows Lang to introduce a new area around the window and the desk.

Now pacing in the center of the office, Fredersen pauses in his dictation and Freder bursts in behind him.

But Fredersen, who’s already holding up one hand as he speaks, simply twists his wrist, and this silences his son.

The shot approximates Freder’s point of view, but Lang gets a bonus from it. The sharp change of angle makes the imperious hand (and not, say, Fredersen’s expression) the compositional focus of the shot. In fact, this sort of hovering hand will become part of the characterization of Fredersen, and Lang will stress it through, once more, energetic changes of angle.

And still later, the framing will spotlight Freder’s pointing finger by pushing it to one zone on the far right of the shot.

Lang’s concise handling of such small actions forms a delicate counterbalance to the mass movements elsewhere in the film. Perhaps for him, both gestures and crowd scenes are merely two ways of creating a geometry that can activate every area of the screen.

The carefully controlled freedom of spatial construction is facilitated by one of Lang’s favorite tactics: shooting from directly on the axis of character interaction. (No, Wes Anderson didn’t invent this.) Lang in effect sets the camera between the two characters so that they stare out at us, as if mesmerized. The technique is most memorable in the scene in which Freder is confronted by Maria and the children.

Again, though, the Argentine material brings more instances to our attention.

Putting the camera on the axis allows Lang leeway in changing his angles. From a shot on the center line, you can cut to pretty much any other area of space.

Lang’s crisp visual narration comes to a climax in the well-named Furioso section. As the action ramps up, the characters rush from spot to spot, hurling themselves into the frame and then abruptly halting to hold the composition.

The extreme case is the robot Maria, whose head and limbs jerk puppetlike from one position to another.

In all, Lang’s precise, almost diagrammatic visual style rushes us through the film’s wild plot and dazzling architecture. An emblem of precision in the service of slightly demented material might be that memorable close-up of the robot Maria: One eye staring out normally, the other half-closed, and the mouth half-twisted in a leer, as if the circuitry in the skull was failing.

A little encyclopedia

Martin Kroeber, Togichi Akira, Winnie Fu, Sam Ho, and Wong Ain-ling discuss preservation and restoration at the Hong Kong Film Archive.

In a Q & A after the screening, Martin Koerber and Frank Strobel shared information about the version. They and their colleague Anke Wilkening could publish a whole book about the restoration, but here are some highlights, drawn as well from Martin’s comments at a lengthy seminar at the Hong Kong Film Archive.

*Sources for information about the premiere version include a copy of the script (helpfully marked with reel ends and calculations about running time), censorship cards recording the credits and intertitles reel by reel, Gottfried Huppertz’s musical score, and thousands of production stills.

*Using these materials, earlier researchers were able to create a sort of mosaic of the version that premiered in Berlin in January 1927. The resulting study film embedded long swathes of blank footage as place-holders. The fact that the Argentine shots fitted in neatly proved the validity of that edition. This study film may be ordered on DVD at nominal cost by educational and research institutions.

*What’s still missing? Some shots in the Argentine version may have been censored; we’re missing a bit in which Georgy, at liberty in a cab, sees a woman baring her body. Also lacking is nearly all the fight between Rotwang and Fredersen, which enables Maria’s escape. In addition, the Argentine print lacks a scene showing a monk preaching in the cathedral, which yields some apocalyptic images.

*If the film plays fast for contemporary tastes, don’t blame the restorers. This version runs at 24 frames per second. Actually, for the 1927 premiere the film was run even faster. The score includes passages accompanying missing footage as well as over a thousand synch-points for specific onscreen action. On the basis of this evidence, it seems that the film was designed to run at abotu 28 frames per second. This reminds us that silent-film running speeds were far from standardized, and they sometimes exceeded the 24 fps that would be established for sound film. (For more on this matter, go here and scroll down a bit.) In addition, Frank mentioned that in theatres with orchestras, the conductor could regulate the speed of the film with a dial set into the podium.

*Why insert the cropped 16mm footage in such obvious fashion? Couldn’t the framelines be adjusted to match the surrounding 35mm material? Yes, but this slight blowup of the footage would falsify the shot scale of the original footage and not match comparable shots in the 35mm footage. Moreover, Martin pointed out that because not all the scratches and fuzziness of the 16mm material could be purged, it’s better to let these stand stand out somewhat as evidence of the vagaries of film history–like leaving some damage visible in historic buildings.

*Why is the restoration in black and white, since most silent film restorations are in color? Lang was opposed to tinting and toning, so METROPOLIS premiered in black and white. This caused a debate among critics, some of whom considered it a promising departure from contemporary practices of coloring scenes. The tinted versions that one can occasionally see are likely export versions colored at the request of distributors in particular markets.

*Although future screenings of the 2010 version are to be accompanied by other ensembles devising their own music, there’s a powerful case for retaining Huppertz’s original score. It reflects the filmmakers’ intentions, and its Wagnerian romanticism and modern rhythms are enjoyable simply as music. Just as important, Huppertz designed his score around leitmotifs that, as in opera, can call to mind characters who aren’t onscreen at the moment.

*Metropolis, Martin argued, is too often considered simply a late Expressionist film or an early science-fiction effort. Now we can see that it’s much more: “a compendium of everything in the air in 1927 Germany.” It brings together political ideas, debates about class society and urban life, current trends in the fine arts, acting styles, and cinematic experiments. It owes a great deal to the “monumental” films of the late 1910s, such as Joe May’s Herrin der Welt (1919), but it’s also a synthesis of what filmmaking had become since then. “It’s a little encyclopedia of 1927 cinema. . . . There’s something in it for everybody.”

To see the restoration with the stirring score, vigorously conducted by Frank, was a high point of my Hong Kong trip and indeed of my filmgoing year.

This version of Metropolis was simulcast, if that’s the right word, on 12 February by Arte during the premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. My frames are taken from that broadcast version; hence the bug. The restoration will be screened on Turner Classic Movies in the fall, and then released on DVD in the US by Kino International.

The epigraph quotation from Arnheim comes from Film Essays and Criticism, trans. Brenda Benthien (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1997), 119. The article about the US cut of the film, which became widely seen around the world, is Randolph Bartlett, “German Film Revision Upheld as Needed Here,” New York Times (13 March 1927), X3.

Thanks to Martin Koerber for an abundance of information. For further reading, he recommends Erich Kettelhut’s memoirs on designing and filming the project, Der Schatten des Architekten (Munich: Belleville, 2009), ed. Werner Sudendorf, with many documents from sketches and photos; and the Deutschen Kinemathek exhibition catalogue, Fritz Langs Metropolis, ed. Franziska Latell and Werner Sudendorf (Munich: Belleville, 2010). You can get a sense of the tangled history of the versions of the film from Martin’s article in the latter volume, which includes a detailed account of the digital restoration. An earlier version of his piece, keyed to the 2001 version, is available as “Notes on the Proliferation of Metropolis,” in Preserve Then Show (Copenhagen: Danish Film Institute, 2002), 128-137. The Metropolis exhibition runs through 25 April.

A special thanks to Lee Tsiantis, Langian extraordinaire.

Very special features Why the Criterion Collection DVD label is heaven for film buffs

Last Updated: Monday, March 22, 2010 | 11:45 AM ET Comments20Recommend69

By Jason Anderson, CBC News

Nastassja Kinski appears in a scene from Wim Wenders's 1984 film Paris, Texas, one of the pictures included in the Criterion Collection DVD series. (Criterion Collection)

Late last year, German director Wim Wenders came to the New York office of the Criterion Collection to make sure the colours were right for the DVD label’s new edition of his 1984 film Paris, Texas. As the company’s technical director, Lee Kline, describes it, the scene inside was a slice of movie-geek heaven.

No other video-distribution company commands the same veneration as the Criterion Collection, which produces lavishly packaged editions of many of the best movies ever made.

“Everywhere [Wenders] looked,” says Kline, “there were posters and restoration work going on and people writing about movies and talking about movies and designing art around movies. I asked him, ‘Are you enjoying this?’ He said, ‘Yeah … it’s like a film director’s sleep-away camp.’”

While the Criterion Collection headquarters may not have the same mystique as Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood or the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris, it’s become a hallowed space for cinephiles — even if few ever get to see the inside of it. Then again, these cinephiles are spending less time inside actual theatres, too.

The repertory and art-house film circuit, which once introduced viewers to non-mainstream fare, has struggled for years as non-Avatar-sized movies become increasingly marginalized in the marketplace. If viewers see the great works of world cinema at all, it’s because adventurous video labels are putting them out on DVD (and now Blu-Ray). And no other company commands the same veneration among film buffs as the Criterion Collection, which produces high-quality, lavishly packaged, bonus-stuffed editions of many of the best movies ever made, from the masterpieces of Jean Renoir and Luis Buñuel to well-loved contemporary titles such as Dazed & Confused and Rushmore.

(Criterion Collection)

It’s not uncommon for video stores to keep Criterion releases in a separate section, as if they constituted a genre unto themselves. Jonathan Lethem’s latest novel, Chronic City, opens with a scene in the Criterion office — the narrator notes with some disappointment that the “glamour of Criterion’s brand” doesn’t jibe with the cluttered appearance of the place where the magic happens. Matthew Dessem, a Los Angeles-based blogger with a site called the Criterion Contraption, is up to No. 96 in his quest to watch and write about every title in the Collection, which will reach 517 in May.

Criterion started out releasing deluxe laserdisc sets in 1984 and began producing DVD releases in 1998 — it pretty much invented the now-standard practice of adding commentary tracks and other supplemental material to film re-releases. The Criterion Collection won’t divulge sales figures, but Paul Roth, manager of Toronto’s Bay Street Video, says his store alone has sold over 30,000 copies of the 500-odd titles available. Even decade-old titles continue to move units, an amazing feat given that big Hollywood titles are “deadwood” after a month or so in release. (Bay Street Video's all-time Criterion top five is 8 ½, Rushmore, The Seven Samurai, The 400 Blows and Rashomon.)

Susan Arosteguy, a producer who has overseen re-releases of titles such as Slacker and Down by Law in her 15 years with the company, believes the loyalty of Criterion collectors comes down to the label’s willingness to go “the extra mile.”

“I think people appreciate our loyalty to the films themselves,” she says.

At a time when movie distribution methods are radically changing and smaller titles struggle to find an audience, Criterion stands to weather the shift, having developed a faithful clientele who crave the whole package. Watching a Criterion Blu-Ray disc offers far superior picture quality to a downloaded film on your computer screen. And, as Kline says, “If you’re collecting, you want a shelf of movies, not a hard drive full of movies.”

Though very much a boutique operation, Criterion invests considerable resources in archival and restoration work on vintage titles. Creating supplemental materials may require months of work and research. Due to the modest size of the operation, Criterion can only do five or six releases a month. Their products may cost two or three times as much as discs of current Hollywood hits, a fact that intimidates some consumers.

(Criterion Collection)

“We have a lot of overhead and getting these things right is not cheap,” says Arosteguy. “We’re happy that the customers are that loyal and will stick with us even in today’s market, when there are so many $5 DVD bins in Walmart.”

Recent additions to the Criterion Collection illustrate the diverse nature of the company’s ongoing project. Along with Wenders’ still-gorgeous Paris, Texas, there is Leo McCarey’s bittersweet dramedy Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), the recent Austrian foreign-film Oscar nominee Revanche and a double-disc edition of Steven Soderbergh’s Che.

“We are all involved in which movies get chosen and how they are scheduled and things like that,” Kline says. “And the way things get scheduled has a lot to do with how much work they need as far as the film transfer and restoration work goes. A film from Japan from the 1930s is going to be a lot more difficult than a film from the ‘80s or ‘90s.”

As for the supplements, Arosteguy says that the first question they ask is whether the filmmaker is alive to oversee the creation of a new edition. “That goes a long way into how you’re shaping the release,” she says. “If it’s somebody who’s no longer with us, then you’re going down a more scholarly bent. It depends on the title. If there’s anybody left from the production, you obviously want to talk to them, or see if there’s any existing interviews with them or the director.”

Filmmakers also tend to go the extra mile when readying their movies for the Collection — possibly because it’s an opportunity to shape how their movies will be preserved for posterity. For his new edition of his 1979 drama Days of Heaven, director Terrence Malick made the controversial decision to mute the film’s vivid colour palette, bringing the look closer to what he’d originally intended.

The supplements are often generated (and even filmed) by Criterion producers like Arosteguy, who hopes the result has some educational value. “I learn so much on every release I work on,” she says. “I don’t want it to be totally dry, stuffy or boring so you think you’re in school. I want it to be interesting and fun and really open people’s eyes.”

She especially enjoys going “off topic” when it comes to outfitting releases with extras. The recent disc for Hunger, Steve McQueen’s much-acclaimed movie about Bobby Sands, includes a TV documentary that aired when the IRA hunger strikes were still breaking news. Criterion discs typically feature booklets with photos, essays and interviews; the 2006 edition of Orson Welles’s Mr. Arkadin (1955) even included a novel by Welles.

Director Terrence Malick chose to mute the colours for the Criterion DVD version of his 1979 film Days of Heaven. (Criterion Collection)

The wealth of detail evident in most Criterion releases demonstrates the loyalty the company feels to the movies they select. Yet they’re also dealing with a sometimes persnickety clientele who may have their own ideas about how these films should be packaged — and which ones even belong in the Collection. These things are hotly debated in the forums of the Criterion Collection’s website and The Auteurs, a sister site where many of the films are available for streaming.

“You have to tailor to your tastes and what you think the market will like. Somebody’s always going to complain about something for sure. There’s a whole list on the Criterion forum about the cover art for the packages, and I swear to God that 90 per cent of the time, people hate what we did.”

Paul Roth at Bay Street Video believes Criterion has mostly made the right moves. “Consumers know that if they buy a title today, the company’s not going to turn around in three months and release a special-er special edition,” he says, referring to the aggressive practices of other labels and studios. “I think the brand loyalty for the educated consumer has to do with that also – they know they’re not going to get screwed around, because Criterion hasn’t done that historically.”

In the face of radical change for the movie business, Kline is not alone in his hope that the Criterion Collection will continue to foster some kind of film culture, even if the heated discussions that used to take place outside of theatres are more likely to happen on message boards.

“That was what the movie experience was originally: a communal experience. I hope these people are telling their friends about films and watching these movies together. It’s kind of fun watching a movie alone, but it’s really fun watching it with other people.”

Jason Anderson is a writer based in Toronto.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2010/03/19/f-criterion-collection.html#socialcomments#ixzz0kEDRJmMI

盲人影院闲话阿凡达

第二遍看《阿凡达》终于腾出空来，偷眼回头从前排往后看，只见黑压压一片人群，表情肃穆带着黑眼镜，气氛极为诡异。让我想起了周云蓬一首歌名：“盲人影院”。

我开始胡思乱想。我们的眼睛如饥似渴地探索着全新的世界，电影的每一次技术进步，都会走向“更真实”。人们走出电影院，会说“享受”一词。坦白一点 说，感官刺激。我是技术盲，我有限的想象是，终有一天，人们走进电影院坐下来，会由一组复杂的导线连接在全身的神经系统上，于是我们成为阿凡达。我们不是 看见阿凡达，而是成为阿凡达。亲身“体验”阿凡达的奔跑、飞行、射箭、搏斗和性爱（电影最终将和电玩合二为一）。到那一天，观众不再是观众，因为也许根本 不需要睁开眼睛。电影真得像做梦一样。或者说，那还算不算电影呢？

詹姆斯•卡麦隆在和彼得•杰克逊对话时，依然在谈论关于电影的古老梦境。他说“我认为电影体验的核心是群体体验。你和一大群人坐在黑屋子里，感觉你 的反应跟屋子里别的人别无二致，这是证明你的情感属于正常人的一种方式，这也是一种仪式。”结果比他年轻的杰克逊并不同意这一点，“我们将会看到以不同的 方式发行和传送的影片，这些方式都很有意思。Xbox Live和其所有的的订户都将是我们的观众，这一天的到来不会太久”。如果巨幕越来越大，只是为了涵盖我们的视线的话，将来肯定有一种眼镜式播放设备戴上 就行。画面和声音的空间感模拟问题相信并不难解决。那么，电影真的不需要纳威人那样的集体仪式了么？！

我们在《阿凡达》面前如此兴奋，是因为它非常直接。这种直接让故事变得不值细想，无数的影迷在自己的观影心得上，写下一些等式。等式的一端是《与狼 共舞》这些电影，甚至包括了《神雕侠侣》，若干项相加之后，获得的和是《阿凡达》。我自己的等式一边几乎都是宫崎骏大叔的两维动画（除了“印第安人”的原 型）：《风之谷》、《空中之城》、《幽灵公主》，当然它们的结尾都没简单到“以暴易暴”（也没简单到谁的鸟大谁就是老大）。无所谓了，总之这说明《阿凡 达》讲得是一个万能的故事，一个最通俗的故事。姑且称之为一个“基本故事”。《泰坦尼克号》里的“穷小子和富家女”的爱情也是如此。卡麦隆厉害的地方是把 一个“基本故事”讲得到位。极其到位，可以想见这个剧组的各个部门都是最高的职业水准。甚至，他们还真的编写了纳威语，这是好莱坞令人叹为观止的地方。用 细节创造真实感。把一个“基本故事”准确地嵌入最为尖端技术当中，并非人人可以做到。在卡麦隆离开的15年，更多庸才为了表现所谓震撼性场面，就把故事的 时间段不断挤压。

从前有人说过一个笑话，给我两亿美元，我也能拍一部《泰坦尼克号》出来；现在没有人敢说，给我五亿美元，我就……但有时你分不清是卡麦隆推动了技术 革命，还是技术革命创造了卡麦隆。他总是在技术即将成熟时出现，奋力一搏获得胜利。立体电影早在1953年就已出现，且掀起风潮，连希区柯克都拍过一部， 就是《电话谋杀案》（1954年）。整整55年。最近十年，越来越多的3D放映系统和IMax影院的出现，才为《阿凡达》的出现创造了可能。类似虚拟摄像 技术、表情抓取，和联合数字立体摄影机（fusion camera system）这些新技术人类永远不缺，只要有可能赚钱，就有人会拍给你看。这叫做商业电影。纯粹的商业电影就是，15年后，你不再有兴趣再看一遍《阿凡 达》。因为用技术支撑（感官刺激）的电影，是极其容易被复制和替代的。

很多人反感把电影分为商业的和艺术的，因为他们都依赖于同一个工业体系。看到《阿凡达》之后，我开始乱想，起码在未来相当一段时间内，这个区别将越 来越大。商业电影在技术武装下将越来越旁大，投资越来越大、场面越来越大、银幕越来越大。相反艺术电影也获得了它的新武器，DV。成本越来越小、剧组越来 越小、而且越来越个人化。我认识的一个纪录片导演（他刚在著名的山形电影节上获得大奖），他作品我知道2、3部，我很好奇的问他一共拍过几部，他说一共九 部，别的谁也没有看过。像这样的导演，越来越接近过去的音乐家和画家。他们的作品不能再和Imax里的巨幕电影相提并论了。

当然话说回来，当一种电影技术成熟之后，就会出现另一种天才，他们也许创造的不是新的奇观，而是新的语言。就像彩色电影，从双色系统、三色系统、甚 至逐格上色等手段慢慢发展，才在1935年出现“第一部彩色电影”（1964年，安东尼奥尼拍《红色沙漠》，评论家称为“真正的彩色电影”，那是电影艺术 界内部的事）。我并不知道《阿凡达》在3D电影发展史上会有什么样的位置。但显然卡麦隆使用的仍然是2D电影的语言。一方面这部电影仍然需要在普通影院放 映，另一方面3D电影还没有形成自己的语言体系。我看这部电影的里少量的“正反打”和特写镜头（包括脚部和脸部）总觉得有一些碍眼。也许是我个人的原因， 不过我想，3D电影刚刚开始，如何用新的镜头语言给观众以不一样的时空幻觉尤为重要，也许它需要不同的机位、剪辑和打光方式，谁知道呢——但肯定不仅仅加 强纵深感。就像这部电影的“戏眼”——纳威人说的“我看见你”，那个“看见”不是简单的“看见”，而是一种全新的感动。

卡麦隆用他的方式走出了这一步。也许真的有一天，我们再看新的二维电影时，就像我们现在看到一部新的黑白电影一样，觉得那是一部“风格化的作品”。

制作《阿凡达》特效的超级计算机

作者: Fenng | 可以转载, 但必须以超链接形式标明文章原始出处和作者信息及版权声明

网址: http://www.dbanotes.net/review/avatar_supercomputer.html

大导演詹姆斯·卡梅隆的旷世巨作《阿凡达》(AVATAR) 好评如潮，观众无不被片中呈现的美轮美奂的画面所震撼。电影惊人的动画效果由 Weta Digital 公司制作，我们可以从这篇 Processing AVATAR 了解到一点关于制作该片特效的超级计算机的情况。

Weta Digital 的计算集群在 2008 重新进行了设计，采用了 HP Cluster Platform 3000BL 集群平台作为其解决方案， 操作系统是 Linux ，在 TOP 500 超级计算机中排名也从最初的 400 多上升到了 190 多名(refer)。这套环境在 2008 年的时候是 4096 个 Core，到 2009 年增加到 5936 个(refer)，而不是所说的 40000 个 (refer，我猜测是笔误)，在 TOP 500 超级计算机中一度排名第一的 IBM 的走鹃（Roadrunner），也不过才 12 万个核而已。

总内存有 104 TB，内联采用的是万兆以太网，没有使用 Infiniband 。BL2x220c 是惠普面向高性能计算推出的刀片服务器，其独到之处是一个刀片内放两台服务器，每服务器有两个 4 核 CPU，用的是 Intel Xeon 处理器(支持 EM64T 技术)。

整部电影大约 3 PB 的数据存放在 BlueArc 和 NetApp 的存储上，数据传输走光纤通道。电影完成时一帧的数据是 12 MB，一秒钟 24 帧，每分钟的数据就有 17.28 GB，而整部 AVATAR 长达 160 多分钟。我想不会有哪个人在自己的 PC 上有这么样的一部电影吧，恐怕也是没办法播放的。

Weta Digital 大有来头，这是彼得·杰克逊（Peter Jackson）创建的公司，因为给《指环王》制作特效而受到业界瞩目，其实还有不少电影，比如《金刚》《机械公敌》以及前不久的 《2012》，也都是由 Weta Digital 制作的特效。不知道我们国内的导演有没有创建过类似的公司，当然，我相信他们对动画特效的运用与理解恐怕还差得很远。

计算机集群能力的提升从一定程度上推动电影艺术的发展，对电影来说，电影越来越好看，票价也是越来越贵。而因为摩尔定律依然有效，计算机集群的运算能力是逐年提升的，成本反而下降，只要能取得更震撼的视觉效果，剧情不太白痴，投入产出似乎倒也是一笔明白账。

林沛理 先進的原始 文明的野蠻

2010年1月4日

有望成為香港史上最賣座電影的《阿凡達》雖然用上了最先進的3D拍攝技術，但它真正追求的其實是一種電影的原始狀態。在這種原始狀態之中，電影被還原為奇觀。

電影由發明的一刻開始，就與奇觀產生了親密的血緣和臍帶關係。法國發明家盧米埃爾兄弟拍於1895五年的《火車到站》，標誌電影的正式誕生；而它亦 製造了影史上第一個奇觀──火車頭衝向觀眾。自此電影作為一種創作和大眾娛樂模式，它承載、展覽和製造奇觀的功能不斷被強調，也愈來愈精進。當然，將電影 化現實為奇觀的改造能力發揮到極致的是史匹堡、魯卡斯和占士金馬倫這些荷里活導演。到《阿凡達》，電影與奇觀終於被劃上等號。

就其所提供的觀影經驗而言，與其說《阿凡達》是電影，倒不如說它是製作不惜工本、視覺元素豐富和視覺效果逼真的電子遊戲。在這部據報耗資二十三億元 拍成的電影裏，奇觀變成了量度一切的標準，人不過是奇觀的一個渺小、微不足道的構成部分。主角阿凡達深入敵方、屢屢犯險，為的是要完成一個艱巨的任務。隨 著劇情的發展，這場「殺敵除奸、完成任務」的「遊戲」的難度（level）會不斷提升─主角的敵人會變得更厲害、更恐怖和更難以應付。

這種電子遊戲式的規則完全駕馭劇情的發展─主角以抗敵的方式清除障礙，進而挑戰「遊戲」的難度，成為推展情節的「原動力」。如此一來，電影的故事與 人物，不過是可有可無的微末枝節，而非觀影經驗的重要構成部分。一切有關人與神、美與醜、環境與發展的衝突的探討，都只是要提供一個冠冕堂皇的藉口，好讓 那些精心設計的電腦特技和立體高清拍攝技術可以大派用場。我們甚至可以說，《阿凡達》代表的，是電腦技術對電影藝術的一次「判敗擊 倒」（knockout）。

荷里活電影這個「去電影化」的發展趨勢已經無法逆轉或者挽回，這一點從這類電影的全球賣座可見一斑。問題是電影從來不只是一種大眾娛樂模式，同時也 是任重道遠的社教化媒介（agent of socialization）。倘若電影提供的經驗愈來愈接近電子遊戲，它會導致什麼非預期性的社會後果，是個值得關心和探討的課題。

社會科學的基本課題，是「社會何以可能」（How society is possible）。社會由眾多理性和互異（heterogeneous）的個體組成，社會的成員必須接受「社教化」。社教化指親社會行為（pro- social behavior）和情感（pro-social emotion）培養，使個體在群體內採取建設性的交往方式。本來，電影跟家庭、學校、朋輩、媒體和宗教一樣，都是主要的教化媒介。觀眾尤其是年輕人透過 看電影的集體經驗，培養出羞恥、犯罪感、同情心、對社會制裁的敏感，以及對背叛者施以懲罰的期待等種種親社會的情感。

可是發展到今日，電影作為一種社交活動已經變得有名無實。從本質而言，看電影跟一個人玩電子遊戲機或者紙牌遊戲來排遣寂寞其實沒有太大分別。在內涵 上，今日的荷里活大製作普遍缺乏最起碼的社會內容，而只一味將主角的敵人「他者化」（《阿凡達》裏面的人類），以及為觀眾提供即時的滿足。看這類先進而原 始、既文明又野蠻的電影長大的一代，自然不善於表達自我和與別人溝通。他們註定了是低EQ的反社會一代，這一點幾乎可以斷言。

好莱坞电影的崭新时代

艾小柯 发布于：2009-12-22 15:10

　　用“开启好莱坞电影的崭新时代”来总结《阿凡达》，我想并不为过。
　　
　　这部卡梅隆耗时4年半制作，总斥资接近5亿美元打造的《阿凡达》不仅开辟了电影3D技术的新天地，其带给人的视听感受也是划时代的。它将一度被家庭投影和蓝光高清DVD狠狠冲击的电影院们终于拉回到了影迷视线的焦点，一个电影史上的新纪元就此开启。
　　
　　
愧而为人，傲而为人
　　
　 　《阿凡达》的故事围绕一位战斗中负伤而下身瘫痪的前海军战士Jake Sully展开，他决定替死去的同胞哥哥来到潘多拉星操纵人类基因与当地Na'vi部族基因结合创造出的 “阿凡达”混血生物。Jake的目的是打入身高九尺、身后长尾，蓝皮肤黄眼睛的Na'vi部落，说服他们自愿离开世代居住的家园，从而使人类能在 SecFor公司的带领下砍伐殆尽该地区的原始森林，开采地下昂贵的“不可得（unobtainium）”矿石。
　　
　　这共 162分钟的故事里有探险、挑战、爱情，有大爆炸大冒险大动作，也有熟悉的好莱坞个人英雄主义，有欲擒故纵的传奇剧式套路，并非完美。尽管如此，《阿凡 达》情节本身的动人之处也足够余音绕梁。这份动人，来自于剧中尽管有些脸谱化，却又真实得可怕的正反面人物对比。头号反面人物上校 Miles Quaritch是鹰派军事打击力量的代表，身先士卒骁勇善战，那真是男人中的男人，精英中的精英；但与此同时，他对一切外来文化物种都傲慢拮据、食古不 化——这与美国历史上著名的战争狂人柯蒂斯·李梅将军和“越战推手”的马克斯维尔·泰勒将军何其相似！而只追求商业利润最大化的SecFor公司经理 Parker Selfridge尽管思维单调定势，在目睹Na'vi人家园之树焚毁时依然表现出了一丝难得的憾意。主人公Jake是在剧中发生人生观世界观转变的“开 眼”之人，其天真流露与心灵成长的经历之动人自不必说，但比较天人合一的Na'vi公主Neytiri，还是后者的生命力更流光溢彩，就跟她生活的潘多拉 星一样，生机盎然，比野草还要顽强。

　　
　　当剧中上校Miles Quaritch称Na'vi们为“野人”，Parker Selfridge叫他们“蓝猴子”时，我脑子里挥之不去的则是《出类拔萃》一书中美国政府精英口中的东亚“黄色小人儿”；是中东的“恐怖分子”，是拒绝 拆迁破坏社会和谐国家建设的“刁民”“贱民”。随着人类“天下万物皆为我有”的贪婪触角一点点伸入那么美丽的Na'vi家园，就好象我们自己的足迹在这个 星球上不顾后果的肆意扩张一样，“愧而为人”是我能发出的仅有慨叹。但当我随着Jake的眼睛去观察体验那妙不可言的潘多拉瑰奇世界之时，跟着他体会重 生、爱情、尊严和救赎，又不得不为身而为人的这份执著深感骄傲。我们复杂、矛盾，罪孽深重；但同时也单纯、脆弱，希望永存。
　　
　　这样的感觉与看完《泰坦尼克》之后很相似：明知是好莱坞的俗套，但为其情真意切之极，依然感动得无怨无悔。
　　
　　
技术革命
　　
　　今年早先体验过《死神来了4》的3D效果，不甚满意。画面纵深分层，与三维立体画效果类似，但并无身临其境的现场感。
　　
　 　《阿凡达》开场仅几分钟，真正身临其境的效果便立时出现。Jake Sully从飞船的休眠仓中醒来，置身失重状态的宇宙飞船，为了表现Jake的悬浮，此时镜头同位滚动，而观影效果则是荧幕焦点静止，座位上的人——我自 己——在飘！Jake成为“阿凡达”混血生物进入潘多拉星原始森林之后，那些丰富多样的草本植物似乎就在人鼻子底下，触手可及；Jake第一次看到一片倒 置伞状的巨型多层红色花朵时，那些阳光般伸展的针叶花瓣几乎就覆盖着前面观众的脑袋，伸伸脖子说不定你也能碰到。更不用提那些漫天飞舞的“灵魂树”种子， 它们像雪花，又像海洋中透明的水母，环绕着电影中的人物，也包围了屏幕前的每一个人，让你屏气凝神，让你目不暇接，让你彻底迷失在潘多拉星的奇幻迤逦世界 中无法自拔。
　　
　　这种因景致美极而造成的深切撼动，我只在第一次见到蓝水晶般清澈见底的加勒比海水时体会过，只在亲历海底珊瑚 礁森林五彩缤纷触手可及的热带鱼群时感叹过，只在观看库布里克的《2001：太空之旅》穿越黑洞的神作时赞美过。在《阿凡达》中，卡梅隆把他亲手打造的潘 多拉奇幻世界以体验的方式呈现在了观众眼前，这在电影史上绝无仅有。
　　
　　为了能百分百的表现潘多拉这个奇绝的梦幻世界，卡梅隆使用了三项突破性技术：虚拟摄像技术、表情抓取，和联合数字立体摄影机（fusion camera system）。
　　
　 　虚拟摄像机技术目前为止还主要用于3D虚拟世界游戏，比如《塞尔达传说》系列游戏，游戏者控制虚拟世界中自己的人工智能体，将人物行为信息实时双向反 馈，人物所处的三维立体环境随着其动作位置变化实时发生变化。在《阿凡达》中，演员佩戴无数感应器进行“行动抓取”，电脑对抓取的数据直接进行处理，将其 所代表的虚拟人物按预制比例直接显示在监控器上，从而使导演能实时观测虚拟人物与虚拟电子潘多拉世界的交互效果。
　　
　　表情抓取 指抓取演员表情的电脑图形技术。卡梅隆在洛杉矶的Playa Vista建立了一个比一般表演抓取工作室大5倍的专门舞台（the volume），安装了120个固定摄像头，全角度抓取演员表演的全部信息；扮演Na'vi人的演员同时佩戴一个特制的帽子，由一部微型摄像机详细记录其 在表演中面部表情的一切变化。卡梅隆希望借此传输95%的演员表演和面部表情信息到他或她的数码虚拟人物身上。结果便是无比逼真的成像效果，观众完全无法 区别真人与虚拟人物的交互。

　　
　　联合数字立体摄影机则是导演卡梅隆和数字摄像技术创新者，摄像 师Vince Page共同开创的3D立体摄像系统。此系统使用两台索尼HDC-F950高清摄像镜头，如同人的左右眼一样距离大约70毫米同时拍摄，随着人物距离镜头 远近的变化自动调整左右两个镜头之间的距离，并将数据传回相应的EVS XT[2]成像处理系统进行合成，制造出最类似人眼的立体景深感受。联合数字立体摄影机如今已被广泛用于了不少3D电影的拍摄，包括卡梅隆自己使用同一技 术拍摄的3D纪录片《深海异形》。

　　没有这三项技术创新就没有那种身临其境的潘多拉星体验，观众就不能切身体会那种神秘、迤逦、瑰奇，不能感受身骑龙鸟翱翔的速度、不能领会漫游夜森林的色彩，不能感知生命之树的呼吸与呢喃。而这一切的感受都是属于影院的，是确保故事逼真情感真切的关键。
　　
　　
新时代到来
　　
　　导演卡梅隆在《泰坦尼克》之后沉寂多年，从2005年起着手筹拍《阿凡达》，四年半的时间里自己研发3D摄像机，搞技术创新。这位早年曾是卡车司机，受到库布里克《2001：太空之旅》启迪才走入电影界导演的蛰伏能力实在非同小可。
　　
　 　《阿凡达》的故事整体其实有点像《泰若星球》（Battle for Terra），有点像《天空之城》，又有点像《与狼共舞》（Dances with Wolves）和《风中奇缘》（Pocahontas），再或者《第九区》（District 9），同时还透着“圈地运动”、 “殖民扩张”、“越战”、“拆迁”、“森林砍伐”等很多历史血案和人类社会现实问题的残酷影子。这份左派的社会责任感，是让我在卡梅隆无以伦比的电影技术 革命之外最佩服他的一点。电影中特意提到了人类“以恐怖主义对付恐怖主义（fight terror with terror）”和“预先军事打击”的野蛮残忍，这其实针对哪个政府什么现象，相信所有的观众都心知肚明。
　　
　　毕竟，一部只有 技术进步的电影只能停在电影学院的教科书上，却无法停留在影迷心里。像Michael Bay的《变形金刚2》那样的好莱坞电影，再多的技术投入，再炫的视觉效果，再复杂的打斗场面，也只是一场缺乏真情实感的噱头，徒增头痛。而卡梅隆的《阿 凡达》之所以伟大，不仅因为它空前的3D技术，不仅因为它无以匹敌的视觉效果，不仅因为它耗时4年半花费5亿的精心锻造，最重要的是它有良心，它讲了真 话，它站在资本和权力的对立面，它让我们审视人类自己。而所有这一切，都必须在电影永远的“生命之树”——电影院内进行。