My Favourite Films: Part 1

MY FAVOURITE FILMS: PART 1

FILM: PEEPING TOM (1960, Dir: Michael Powell)

A movie that was misunderstood back then, this is the film that in many ways destroyed the career of the legend Michael Powell. As this was the first film, which was shown from the killer's prespective. Now, movies which are darker, and deals with crime and serial killer's, I'm always intrigued by theme. This film, has aged at bit's, but it still remains as powerful as it was back then I guess.

The first time, I watched it, I found it to be very interesting, it deals with the character so well. It is really more about the character then the violence and kills for me. It is a rich and a deep character study of the character Mark Lewis. Which is portrayed perfectly by the great Karlheinz Bohm. He get's into the character, I could barely imagine someone else instead of him. The amount of tension that Powell builds, is perfect in every way. Now, I know Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, but for me it does not come close to this, tough Psycho certainly is my second favourite Hitchcock film. 

It is one of those few films, which showcase an object as a character of a film, and Peeping Tom does that, the best it could. The camera of Mark Lewis, it is so close to him, it showcases his relationship between his father and him. Slasher, Thriller genre has always been my thing, and this might be the best, at least my favourite in the genre. It is greeted as a horror film by many, because, yes it is disturbing at moments, but that is why I love it so much.

As, myself being an introvert, I could relate to the character of Mark Lewis so well. This deals with a dark topic, but besides all of that, it is really an emotional film, especially the ending, which I dare not spoil, It just creates a feeling for Mark Lewis so profoundly. Also, this film is one of the best films about the films as well. It is one of the greatest film made about a movie-watcher. So, If you see, there a lot of things that I share with Mark Lewis, not the killing aspect of course.

Peeping Tom, is a film which will remain close to my heart no matter what. Many find it slow-paced, and aged. It maybe, but certainly not for me. This deserves a lot more of your attention. I suggest this film very much, please do watch it, If you haven't seen it yet. It is in my top ten favourite films of all time, that itself says a lot. Michael Powell, hats of to you, creating so many masterpieces, and certainly a film that deals with the film that deals with the characters more then the thrill. 

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-Vastik Mishra

Director Retrospectives: Anurag Kashyap

DIRECTOR RETROSPECTIVES: ANURAG KASHYAP

If you know know me well, you know how much I adore Anurag Kashyap. Unarguably the greatest Indian director working today, The director who does everything all other Bollywood director’s don’t do. Inspiration can be clearly seen from legends like Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino etc. in his films. The best thing about him is he takes inspiration from other forms of cinema, but his movies always have the Indian touch, while almost all of the Bollywood is showcasing the city life of India in their films, he is one of those director’s who more focuses on urban life.

PAANCH (2001)

His first film never got released, till date it hasn’t had official release. Thanks to Indian Censor’s who thought the film was too violent. Well, this is a big problem in India, but that does not affect Kashyap. This film is a flawed film, as being his first, and made in extremely low-budget. Inspired at bit’s from Fight Club, but it is inspired from a real event. This is far from his very best. But still better then couple of his films.

Favourite Scene: The killing of the man in his own house.

RATING: B -

BLACK FRIDAY (2004)

Similar to PAANCH, Black Friday didn’t got it’s release until 3 years after it was planned to be released. Official release it got in 2007. This still arguably known as his best work. This film literally changed the modern Bollywood. It had such an impact on audiences and filmmakers. No film had shows the true event’s like this did in Bollywood. Using all the real names, right from notorious gangster’s like DAWOOD IBRAHIM. Danny Boyle himself stated that this was an inspiration for him to make SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. This is Kashyap’s most personal and honest work.

Favourite Scene: Badshah Khan’s struggle (the whole montage) with the epic song “Bhaaram Bham Ke”.

RATING: A+

NO SMOKING (2007)

A box-office disaster, but it was un justice, as this film was way ahead of it’s time. Tough, movie not earning movie has never affected Kashyap, but No Smoking really deserved more love back then. Inspired by David Lynch style of filmmaking, this might the most experimental film of Anurag Kashyap. It certainly is an extra-ordinary film,  which  is far ahead of Indian audiences taste.

Favourite Scene: The reveal.

RATING: B +

RETURN OF HANUMAN (2008)

I was 8 year old when this used to come on television, and I always watched it, for me this and Finding Nemo were the two animated films to watch whenever they come, I’m sure we all have that animated film in our childhood. Back then, I didn’t knew it was directed by him, this is one of the very best animated films, and certainly not a cinema Kashyap would again do. It is the most different film in his filmography.

Favourite Scene: The ending.

RATING: C +

DEV D (2009)

The movie by which Kashyap was stated as one of the best director’s in Bollywood. A unique love story, tough I’m not a big fan of love-stories and certainly not the Bollywood one’s but DEV D is at most the only one I love. It is based on the famous novel but set in contemporary India. That itself is a unique idea. Told in Pulp Fiction method, in three different stories of three different character’s. The use of music in the film is like no other Kashyap film. If you want to learn how to use music in the film, this might be one of the finest examples.

Favourite Scene: The montage with drugs and song.

RATING: A -

GULAAL (2009)

One month had past since DEV D was released and then came another Kashyap film, this time he choose the genre, at what he is best at, Crime-Drama. This is one of his most powerful films, by this film, it was clear that no one makes crime-drama’s like Kashyap does. It has followed the cult following more than any other Kashyap film. The lyrics of the film had such an deepfull and meaningfull lines, it shows the darker side of politics like no other film does.

Favourite Scene: The montage with the song “Koon ke barish”. Kashyap really knows how to make an excellent montage.

RATING: A -

THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS (2011)

The film that got 4/4 starts from Roger Ebert himself, tough it is surely one of his weakest film, with a thin plot line and some flaws. But the ending, and the scene in Kalki Kochein house with when men comes in her house and ask for money, that scene is really powerful and showcases the fabulous writing of Kashyap.

Favourite Scene: Men in Kalki Kochlin’s house asking for money.

RATING: B -

GANGS OF WASSEYPUR (2012)

There it comes. His magnum opus, this film is In my top 5 of all time, does it need more explanation. Tough picking one favourite Kashyap film atleast for me is very difficult, it is always between this and Black Friday to the least, but I always tend to give this one slight edge. The epic tale which goes right from 1940’s to 2000’s. It was Kashyap’s first film to premier at CANNES DIRECTOR’S FORTNIGHT section and certainly not the last. I think, I will just leave here, it breaks all the rule’s of a Bollywood film, it is 5 hour long, has no big names in it, it is violent, it is full of abusive language, but it has everything in it. Right from crime to revenge to friendship to romance, this film has been given 4/4 on Roger Ebert’s site, is in IMDB top 250, and has been showered with the love of Martin Scorsese.

Favourite Scene: It’s hard to pick one, I love the whole film, but it has to be the one when Sardar Khan kills the phelwan in the streets of wasseypur, the one long take.

RATING:  A*

UGLY (2013)

The film that Kashyap stated as his biggest accomplishment, along with Black Friday in an interview. It also went to Cannes Director’s Fortnight section, as Kashyap gave back to back two masterpieces in two years. Inspired by Fargo & Cache in terms of storytelling is really more about something else, then what you see. It is inspired by true event’s, and it such a dark and complex film. It is Kashyap’s most mature work, it shows the ugliness of the human society. Ugly is a film, which is as fresh as it is on the first watch, it is the film which may need couple of viewings, to fully appreciate it.  

Favourite Scene: The police station scene.

RATING: A+

BOMBAY VELVET (2015)

Known as his weakest film, and in many ways it is. But it is certainly better then a lot of other Bollywood films. That is what special is about Kashyap. I think this got a lot  of unwanted hate, it isn’t a great film, but not an awfully bad film, it has flaws and some thin writing at moments, while all other films strength has been his writing. This is his most ambitious work, and it certainly was, but it dosen’t come near to his best work, but is still quite enjoyable.

Favourite Scene: The last shootout in bar.

RATING: C +

RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0

His latest film, also went again too Cannes in the same section like the other two. This film is character driven, an engrossing thriller, which is excellent right from start to end. This is certainly one of my favourites of 2016, one of the finest serial killer films, I’ve seen in recent times. The performances are absolutely just brilliant, especially Nawazuddin Sidiqui. It failed to impress a small portion of critics and audience, but then again it’s Indian mentality, I think after the failure of Bombay Velvet, he showcased  all his anger in this film, and crafted one of his very best films. A dark, griddy, complex, thriller.

Favourite Scene: The chapter “The Sister”.

Rating: A -

Now, here is the ranking of all his films- 

      1.     Gangs Of Wasseypur (A*)

      2.     Black Friday (A +)

      3.     Ugly (A +)

      4.     Dev D (A-)

      5.     Raman Raghav 2.0 (A-)

      6.     Gulaal (A-)

      7.     No Smoking (B+)

      8.     Paanch (B-)

      9.     That Girl In Yellow Boots (B-)

      10.   Bombay Velvet (C+)

      11.   Return Of Hanuman (C+)

Hope you enjoyed, my first director’s retrospective. These would be coming more in the future. Please, check his work out, a director who I  have been praising for a long time, and probably will forever!

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-VASTIK MISHRA

My Favourite Films (Introduction)

MY FAVOURITE FILMS (INTRODUCTION)

What is your favourite film? A question which is asked by many people, and it is quite an essential question for a film buff. I can name a single film, but after naming it, there is a guilt, cause by just naming one, I put all other films I love a little down. 

So, I was deciding to do a favourite film post for a long-long time. But I think now is the right time, as my blog has some material on it. I have been working on the list from almost April this year to till now, I also posted a list once, but never got satisfied. There are frequent question that arise while making a list such as-

• Pick one per director?
• Am I missing out any other film?
• I love both film equally, how to  pick one?

There are quite a lot other questions too. This is not at all a easy task, especially If you have seen to many films, and love to many. Over the past 3-4 years, I have seen thousands and thousands films, is not that I hadn't seen any before that, but over the past few year's, I have seen more films then I ever saw in my whole life. And just not hollywood or bollywood, films from all over the world.

There are tons & tons of films that I love, but picking favourite's depends like, there are films which I enjoy but far being favourite's. There are films which I watch again and again. So, here is what I'm gonna do!

I'll be talking about 10 films, that I love, adore, and that have enhanced my love towards the films. The films which have had the most impact on me. I will be talking about my "favourites" not "greatest", which are two opposite things. Everyone's list can differ, because we all have our own opinions and taste. 

Instead of telling all of them together in one post and writing about them in one or two paragraph's, I'll do ten different posts, each talking about one film only, it will be in depth about, Why I love the film so much, What is so rich in it, etc. So hold on, this won't be done in just one week or in fact one month's time. The posts of this series would be starting from December.

And, after I would have done all the ten posts, there will be a post, just like this one, which will be the conclusion to the series. Which would include some movies that just missed out, and If I would have made my mind up, maybe ranking of all the 10 films. 

So, it has been a long long time, picking those films, I couldn't be more excited to share them with you. Hope you are looking forward to it.

NOTE: Please Read This, as it carries some important information, I changed in the series.

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-VASTIK MISHRA

DEAR ZINDAGI (2016) MOVIE REVIEW

DEAR ZINDAGI (2016) MOVIE REVIEW

Gauri Shinde's first film was an unique bollywood film, it was a women-centred film which is rearly seen in bollywood. It was announced that she was doing a film with SHAH RUKH KHAN & ALIA BHATT. I was looking forward to see this just because of the director's first film was good, it is having talented actor's. And the trailer/takes and all the clips, I saw of the film, I tought this to be another unique bollywood flick. And it really is a extra-ordinary bollywood film, but just being that dosen't make the film great, does it?

The story of the film is of a girl (Alia Bhatt) who is a cinematographer, and she is rude, arrogant at times. Her character isn't likeable at moments, then comes Shah Rukh Khan (an unconvential thinker), she finds him in GOA, and gains a new perspective on life. That is a pretty interesting plot.

Performances: Alia Bhatt, she has been doing some great films, she has given her best in UDTA PUNJAB/HIGHWAY. In this film, it is all about her, she is my personal favourite actress working today in bollywood as far as commercial cinema is concerned. But here come's a performance, with fan like thing, I mean as she is in with SRK in the film, so there is a little overacting at bit's. But overall, it is far from his best performance, it is just an average performance. Shah Rukh Khan, he is brilliant in the film. Every scene he is in, he steals the show. One thing he has made clear, weather the movie is good or bad, his performance would be superb in it, no matter what. Other actor's don't have a significant role, in the film, but all were decent.

This movie has flaws, ofcourse no film is perfect in all ways ;). What my problem with the movie is, it has a lot of talking, alot mean really A LOT! And sometime's it really get's boring, they should have gone with some other method for the talks, like a narration with a montage or something. With that comes, my next point, it's pacing, it is 150 minute long film, did it need to be that long? Nope! It deliver's the message of the film very well, but could have been cut down to length about 30 minutes. Acting I already, I have mentioned Alia Bhatt, could have left the fan-like thing behind, and focused more on her role. This seemed like a money-making movie to me, as Shinde's first film was more about the film then money, but here having two big actor's, well most of the bollywood films are made for money, don't they?

Now, I gotta give credits to some of gorgeous shot in the film, especially the scene's in GOA are shot beautifully. also some of moment's very deepfull and meaningfull. Overall, it is a film that you should watch, it's not an awfully bad film, nor it is a great film. It's just a average/decent flick, but with extra-ordinary storyline. There are some lesson's that the film gives, and it is showcased brilliantly. So, it's far from being what I expected from it, but still somewhere in the middle.

RATING: C +

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ARRIVAL (2016) MOVIE REVIEW!

ARRIVAL (2016) MOVIE REVIEW

Now, here comes one of the most awaited films of 2016, ARRIVAL! I catched up the early screening of it, last night, what I mean by early is Before Friday ;). Did It lived up to my hype? YES!

DENIS VILLENEUVE, Yes, by this film, he has proved that he does not make GOOD films, but GREAT films. He is one of my favourite X-generation director’s, and he still be there, maybe a little higher then the time I ranked it. He queers all the talent in this film, this is for sure the best directed movie I’ve seen in 2016, Villeneuve YES! You have done it again!

This is one of the most intelligent sc-fi movie made in the 21^st century. We have been having 1 big sc-fi film per year like-

2013- GRAVITY

2014- INTERSTELLAR

2015- THE MARTIAN

2016-  ARRIVAL (or some will say PASSENGER’s, but I’m not having big expectation for that one).

Arrival is a very well executed film, now only main issue I found with the movie was pacing, at bit’s it was slightly slow-paced, but I think it had to be that way. Also, Jeremy Renner’s character didn’t develop much, but I also think it didn’t need to much, and there is a moment where he get’s an information, that felt like super-herioc stuff, without spoiling ;).  But those were not a huge problem.

The plot, Aliens have landed on earth, in space-ship sort of thing, and they send AMY ADAMS (she is a language teacher, she knows ,many languages and can convert them), to go there and see, why are they here for, what they want, along with the team.

This is a gorgeously shot film, each frame is beautiful to watch, The shot  were we see the alien’s ship, is one of the most stunning images I’ve seen in 21^st century. It is one big take, that was lovely to watch. This for sure one of the very best cinematography of 2016.

Performances: Amy Adams is the back-bone of the film, we follow her almost the whole movie, for that the performance needed to be excellent and it truly was. Amy Adams is probably my favourite actress working today, and this could be her best performance till date. Jeremy Renner, he is great too, this might be his best performance since THE HURT LOCKER. Other character’s didn’t develop, as the movie limelight had to be AMY ADAMS, this is all about her, and the aliens/species that have arrived.

It had some breath-taking moment’s especially the first time they enter the spaceship. Now, I thing we all can be very happy about is that BLADE RUNNER 2049 is in the right hand’s. VILLENEUVE, after INCENDIES, ENEMY, PRISONERS, SICARIO & now ARRIVAL, then BLADE RUNNER 2049, he is surely raising his bar’s and could be a legend in the near future.

Now, I have seen many films this year, But this has to be my favourite film of the year (BY FAR) up till now. Tough, I’m still waiting for the musical LA LA LAND, Martin Scorsese’s epic SILENCE. But I’m impressed by ARRIVAL very much, 2016 I tought wasn’t having great films in first 6 months, but now I think it is having it’s moment with great films.

I cannot end the review without talking about the background score of the movie, one of the score was haunting, and the another had a light mode, it was a little emotionally rich. This is also one of favourite score’s of 21^st century till date. The ENDING, is one of the finest endings I’ve seen in 2016, it is very well showcased, and also this is something I notice much in films, THE END CREDITS are designed beautifully. The Visual Effect’s are in near ways perfect!

Overall, ARRIVAL is a complete film, You should surely go for it, this is a movie, I infact saw twice, and it was even better the second time. Then tension that VILLENEUVE reminded me of FINCHER films, and they way he directed this movie, revealing everything slowly, which makes this film a unique masterpiece. This is not his best, but still pretty close to it. Of all the films in 2016 I’ve reviewed uptill now, this will be the first film, I’ll give a perfect rating, so that itself explains a lot ;).

RATING: A+

SURELY CHECK THIS ONE OUT, LET ME KNOW THE FEEDBACK!

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-VASTIK MISHRA

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016) Movie Review

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016) Movie Review

**JUST A SHORT REVIEW, DUE TO SOME REASONS!**

Harry Potter series, I loved it as a child, but now been grown up, it has flaws, but being said that they are enjoyable, especially the last two parts. I was exciting for this when it was was announced but now, when it came near to it's release, my anticipation had gone down a bit.

This is nowhere near a perfect film, nor it is one of the best in the harry potter series (tough this is an entirely new series), but to some extent it is enjoyable. Performance in the film were good, The costume design was superb, as any Harry Potter film.

But I witnessed something different from any Harry Potter film, which was a positive point.

The Story line, was like okay! Could have been a little more intresting, but anyway, it lived up to the hype in certain ways. Overall it is not a great film, nor an awful one. Just okay, decent film, or slightly more then decent ;). If you are a harry potter fan, surely give this a viewing.

RATING: B-

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-VASTIK MISHRA

Rock On 2 (2016) Movie Review

Rock On 2 (2016) Movie Review

I was a big fan of the first Rock On (2008), that movie is one of my favourite bollywood films of all time. Now, lets get one thing clear bollywood is not "great" at making sequels, there are really few which were better then the first film, So ultimately, this was clear, If you are expecting to be this like a great bollywood film like the first film, Sorry, but forget it, this movie is not even near to becoming what the first film was.

I'll straightly get into the story first, "Aditya (Farhan Akhtar) seeks redemption. A freak incident disturbs him deeply. Unable to let go, he moves to Meghalaya for some soul-searching and immerses himself in humanitarian causes. Back in Mumbai, Joe (Arjun Rampal) now owns a posh club and judges a reality show. He is rich but numbed by succumbing to mediocrity. KD (Purab Kohli) still hopes to reunite with the two once again and make music someday."

The story of the film itself is not at all great, this seemed like a money earning trick to me, as most of the sequels, are but it is their right ofcourse, but they could have gone making a different story then we got, first one was superb in writing, it had an unique storyline,but this one feels dragged at moments. But, I can say this it is different from it's predecessor, but this is not a great film or a film that was on a whole new level like the first one, neither it is an awful, tough it is pretty close to becoming that.

Performances: Faran Akthar, this guy never disappoints, weather the film is bad or good, it is always joy to watch him. He is by far the best performance in the film. Arjun Rampal, was good too, tough his character was not given as much time, as the previous one, but in which ever scene he was, he did great. The new actress, who has a key role to play in the film, Shraddha Kapoor was decent, really. She overacted at times, infact alot of times, she has been playing herself in the films, she really needs to do something different now. Purab Kolhi, I became a big fan of him after ROCK ON!! (2008), he didn't disappoint this time as well. Prachi Desai has a small amount of role in it, she was um.. like the usual, but she did justice to her role any how.

Shujaat Saudagar, this is his first full length feature film, now as a first-timer I think he did a decent job, as working with some of the greatest bollywood actor's, he could have done better, with a pacing of the film at moments. Writing in the film, some times it felt like a heroic writing, what I mean that by is like dialogues just to make the actors look like the hero, un-sensible dialogues, is the best way to put it. The Music of the film, as being a film on music, it really should have worked on it, they must have, but the result is a huge disappointment. There is not like one song, which I "loved", on the other hand, the album of the first had some of the greatest bollywood songs of our age.

The film had potential, it had it all, the A grade actors, energy, new talents, great prequel, and could have used it and could have made another great film, but sadly that only remains a fantasy. I was waiting for this one, for a long long time, but overall it has it's moments, it is very enjoyable at times. The cinematography of the film, I have to give credits for it, such a great lighting especially during the performances. It is quite visually stunning some times. So, as no other big film releasing this weekend (In India), you might wanna watch this, again it's OKAY!

Sorry for comparing this film to it's prequel in the review, but I just had to!

RATING: C -

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-VASTIK MISHRA

Top 10 Movies Of 1950's

TOP 10 MOVIES OF 1950's

My third favourite decade in film history, just right after the 1970's and 1960's. 1950's was the decade where filmmakers like INGMAR BERGMAM, BILLY WILDER,  ALFRED HITCHCOCK, AKIRA KUROSOWA, ELI KAZAN.. were at their peak's and made many masterpieces, here I share the Top 10 movies of 1950's, LETS START- 

10. ACE IN THE HOLE

Billy Wilder is one of the greatest director of all time, he was at his peak in the 1950’s, he made so many great films, it was hard picking one, but in my opinion it had to be ACE IN THE HOLE. It was a commercial failure, back then when it was released. This is one of the best movies made on journalism. The film attacks the greed and corruption of the news media in ways that will not be seen again until Network (1976). It is one of WILDER’s most complex and unrelenting works.

9. ON THE WATERFRONT

Eli Kazan’s Oscar winning film, is a perfect film. It features arguably MARLON BRANDO’s best performance, tough I would rank THE GODFATHER above it. It has some of the greatest writing ever, I mean how can I forget that scene “I could have been a contender……” Kazan’s other works like “A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE” is fabulous, but ON THE WATERFRONT stays the best for me. It is very realistic and subtle. The acting by Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden etc. is more then enough to watch this movie itself.

8. I VITELLONI

A decade before (1960’s) when FEDERICO FELLINI made masterpieces in 60’s like 8 ½ and LA DOLCE VITA, He did an indie film, this  is his second best work for me, at moments it even becomes the first. I Vitelloni follows the lives of five young Vitelloni. Stanley Kubrick stated this as his favourite film of all time. This is one of the most influential film, for example GEORGE LUCAS himself said that this was a big inspiration for him to make AMERICAN GRAFFITI (which is his best, in my opinion). This semi-autobiographical film put FELLINI on the International map. It is one of the very best Italian films I’ve seen, a word in which I would define this movie is “MASTERPIECE”.

7. PATHS OF GLORY

Arguably known as KUBRICK’s best film, atleast for some people, For me, I would rank DR. STRANGELOVE & 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY above it. Paths Of Glory is probably the best movie about the WORLD WAR I. It’s a flawless piece of filmmaking, all hail goes to STANLEY KUBRICK. It has a gorgeous looking black & white cinematography which adds more subtle look to it. The long take sequence in the movie, is one of the finest camera work I’ve seen. It is easily the most realistic, emotional and draining war film. Tough we had another great war film from DAVID LEAN In the 1950’s “THE BRIDGE ON RIVER KWAI”. But for me it cannot top this film, whenever I hear PATHS OF GLORY, the first comes to my mind Is the word “Perfection”.

6. WILD STRAWBERRIES

Wild Strawberries is one of INGMAR BERGMAN’s ultimate best, this his like in his top 5 best films.  This is one of most artistic films I’ve ever seen. This is a story about Isak Borg, after living a life marked by a coldnesss, he is forced to confront the emptiness of his existence. The screenplay of this BERGMAN is one of the best he’s ever written, infact the best, tough FANNY & ALEXANDER could be a contender for the top spot. This has been stated by many great legends like STANLEY KUBRICK, ANDREI TARKOVSKY etc. as one of their favourite films (Top 10).

5. ASHES & DIAMONDS

Late Andrzej Wajda’s ASHES & DIAMONDS is for me till date is his best film. This is one of the most coolest film ever. It is honest, brutally powerful and shocking at moments, it has some of the best cinematography of the 50’s. This is not a WAR film, it is more of political war related film. The plot of the film is simple, and with just slight over 100 of minutes of runtime, this film has an unbelievable pacing. With a latest viewing of the film, It is one of the greatest film I’ve ever seen for sure.

4. 12 ANGRY MEN

WoW! Now that is what is called a fabulous debut. Sidney Lumet was such a brilliant director, and thanks to HENRY FONDA for giving him an opportunity for directing this. This movie is almost 60 years old, it hasn’t aged a bit. This is the best court-room drama, in my opinion. When we began with movie, we don’t know about any of these characters but seeing them talk for just even less then 1 ½ hours, we get to know about them so much.

3. REAR WINDOW

The best ALFRED HITCHCOCK movie for me “by far”, and easily, this has one of the most simple plot when it begins, but as we go further it gets more and more interesting. Now, without a doubt HITCHCOCK was the master of suspense, the tension built in this movie, is like you never notice, how much you are hooked into the film while watching it. This is so much more, then just the plot, each and every character is written and portrayed so brilliantly. REAR WINDOW is truly a flawless film.

2. SEVEN SAMURAI

Tough, I personally prefer IKIRU over this, but If I was making a list of the best movies of 1950’s, SEVEN SAMURAI is more suitable for it. As per my rule only one director can have two entries (for 50’s it’s BERGMAN so.). SEVEN SAMURAI is rightly stated as one of the best movies of all time. This is one of the most influential films of all time. A word EPIC is used for films like this. It’s 207 minute run time never feels dragged, it manages it’s pacing so well. This is known as AKIRA KUROSOWA’s ultimate best, and arguably it is. The action of the film, even after 60 + years of it’s release still feels fresh and original then most of the action films today. It hasn’t aged a bit.

1. THE SEVENTH SEAL

Now as per my rule, only one director can get multiple entries in the list, and for 50’s it had to be the great INGMAR BERGMAN. In 1957, I don’t know how BERGMAN created two masterpieces together (WILD STRAWBERRIES & THE SEVENTH SEAL). This is one of the most unique film I’ve ever seen. I mean who can think of a plot, which is about a chess game, between a man and the knight. This is probably in my humble opinion BERGMAN’s best film, atleast my favourite.

So that wraps up the list. Now here are some honourable mentions-

HONOURABLE MENTION

Ø THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI – It was so close, no.11, Lean’s second best work.

Ø THE WAGES OF FEAR – FRIEDKIN made a great remake, but this was truly a classic. It’s sequence’s haven’t aged.

Ø VERTIGO – Hitchcock’s second masterpiece of 1950’s.

Ø STRANGERS ON A TRAIN – Hitchcock’s third masterpiece of 1950’s.

Ø IKIRU – Wanted to pick this, as the best KUROSOWA film  of 50’s, but…

Ø THE KILLING – One of Kubrick’s very best, atleast for me ;).

Ø TOKYO STORY – The film that topped the directors poll of Sight & Sound, how I cannot mention this one.

Ø SUNSET BLVD. – Known as Billy Wilder’s best, tough I personally would rank two of his films above it.

Ø SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN –It is known as the best musical ever!

Ø EAST OF EADEN – Kazan’s underrated masterpiece.

Ø A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE – Performances in this film are on a whole new level.

Ø RIO BRAVO – Howard Hawk’s best!

Ø THE SEARCHERS – One of the best WESTERN ever made.

Ø PYAASA – An eternal classic, arguably known as the best INDIAN film ever made.

Ø LIMELIGHT – Chaplin’s later work, but still good.

Ø OTHELLO – The best WELLES film after CITIZEN KANE.

Ø THE BIG HEAT – One of Lang’s very best.

Ø THE 400 BLOWS – Visually stunning and emotionally resonant.

Ø RASHOMON – KUROSOWA’s ultimate MYSTERY film.

Ø RIFIFI – One of the best heist films ever.

Ø A MAN ESCAPED – One of the best films about prison.

Ø UGESTU – A great film, full of fantasy and drama.

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-VASTIK MISHRA