Bryony Dixon
Curator of silent film
UK
Voted for
| Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| A Matter of Life and Death | 1946 | Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger |
| Lone Star | 1995 | John Sayles |
| Seven Samurai | 1954 | Akira Kurosawa |
| Modern Times | 1936 | Charles Chaplin |
| UMARETE WA MITA KEREDO | 1932 | Yasujirō Ozu |
| Apocalypse Now | 1979 | Francis Ford Coppola |
| Blackmail | 1929 | Alfred Hitchcock |
| The Seventh Seal | 1957 | Ingmar Bergman |
| Man with a Movie Camera | 1929 | Dziga Vertov |
| The Passion of Joan of Arc | 1927 | Carl Th. Dreyer |
Comments
A Matter of Life and Death
1946 United Kingdom
For its perfect symmetry of plot and otherworldliness
Lone Star
1995 USA
A modern western tackling race relations and family skeletons with contemporary issues, delivered with subtle realism. Chris Cooper is exceptional as a modern day Jimmy Stewart.
Seven Samurai
1954 Japan
Just edges Magnificent Seven.
Modern Times
1936 USA
Chaplin’s important commentary on man’s place in the modern city.
UMARETE WA MITA KEREDO
1932 Japan
Sublime film about hierarchy from the playground to corporate industry in Japan and how Mum’s rice balls will overcome any tantrum.
Apocalypse Now
1979 USA
For seeking out the darkest reaches of man’s soul, with the Vietnam War reading as a Norse epic
Blackmail
1929 United Kingdom
For its suspense
The Seventh Seal
1957 Sweden
For a serious attempt to convey the feeling of another era.
Man with a Movie Camera
1929 Ukrainian SSR, USSR
For its perspicacity
The Passion of Joan of Arc
1927 France
For its sublime interiority