William Fowler

Comments

Film culture and even notions of the greatest have, for me, been very tied up with the pleasure and stimulations of talking about films with friends. As with music, it can often be a firm glue to create close bonds and often my sense what is ‘good’ or interesting is strongly connected to the simple act of talking about a movie and the buzz of excitement that comes with a shared discovery. It goes back to the playground and discussing what weird thing it was that I saw on television the night before. It becomes about a group making sense of something. Like watching Robocop every Saturday, for four months, seven years before reaching the VHS age of certification, and then playing the tie-in computer game with a friend. With this in mind I decided to ask friends and loved ones - who I talk about films with, but who weren’t invited to take part in the Sight and Sound poll - to say what they think the greatest films ever made are. The top ten I’ve listed here is an aggregate of those nominations.