Christian VIVIANI

coordinateur
France

Voted for

FilmYearDirector
Rear Window1954Alfred Hitchcock
1963Federico Fellini
French Cancan1955Jean Renoir
The Searchers1956John Ford
Touch of Evil1958Orson Welles
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans1927F.W. Murnau
Trouble in Paradise1932Ernst Lubitsch
Ivan the Terrible1945Sergei M. Eisenstein
Madame de...1953Max Ophuls
A Star Is Born1954George Cukor

Comments

Rear Window

1954 USA

Hitchcock has always been my favorite director. Sometimes my favourite Hitchcock film is Vertigo, sometimes Psycho, sometimes Rear Window. This year it's Rear Window, because of its perfect screenplay, its outstanding cast and its visual beauty and excitement

1963 Italy, France

The blending of very intimate thoughts and feelings and a sense of audience reaction makes 8 1/2 a film both incredibly deep and entertaining

French Cancan

1955 France, Italy

To me it is the most underrated of Renoir's masterpieces. It radiates pure joy and bliss. It is one of the greatest hymns to art and showbusiness, both closely blended

The Searchers

1956 USA

After many viewings, it is still mesmerising and full of mystery. It looks so simple and it is actually so intricate. The art of John Ford is almost impossible to appreciate fully. This film tells so much about the US, of course, but also about history and about the contradictions which are the stuff human nature is made of.

Touch of Evil

1958 USA

How to blow a regular pulp novel up into Shakespearean proportions. Welles's handling of it is both tragic and incredibly fun and graceful. The camera seems to know no limits. Space, time or technique do not seem to limit the camera possibilities.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

1927 USA

The apex of silent movies! Every bit of set, of light, of movement is necessary and meaningful. It all seems effortless.

Trouble in Paradise

1932 USA

There has never been a sophisticated comedy like Trouble in Paradise. You can watch it over and over again and still be enchanted by the camera's graceful evolution, the perfect timing, the sparkling dialogue, the elegant performances. The clocks bit is pure delight.

Ivan the Terrible

1945 USSR

I include the two parts. Politically and historically, Ivan the Terrible is a perfect study, all media included. And visually it is breathtaking: it is both eye-catching and without mercy in its description of the perversity of power and the loneliness and craziness it causes.

Madame de...

1953 France, Italy

To me, love has never been been better depicted on the screen. It is like Mozart: light and tragic. The most overwhelming love words are when Louise (sublime Danielle Darrieux) expresses the deepness of her love by saying to the man repeatedly: "Je ne vous aime pas."

A Star Is Born

1954 USA

A perfect blending of musical, melodrama, comedy, color and still one of the most masterful use of wide screen. Cukor's greatness is certainly underrated. He is probably the best actors' director that ever was.

Further remarks

It is so difficult to limit oneself to 10 titles. This list should be precisely dated as far as I am concerned. On July 21st at 8.20, this is my list. At 8.21 the list would probably differ. But it is fun to play the game by the rules.