The Guardian recently came out with the top 1000 films you should see. I know, I know, I know…we’ve all seen these lists, the stuff you should but never will do before you die.
Well I like this one, not only will you be able to find out more info on each of the 1000 titles but it’ll also highlight a lot of films you’ve never seen, or heard of. I’ve seen about 400 and haven’t heard of most of the rest.
One guy who stands out in the list though is Vincente Minnelli. Obviously a milestone in post-war Hollywood cinema with classics including Meet me in St Louis (1944), An American in Paris (1951) and of course 9 Oscar winning masterpiece Gigi (1958), I was quite embarrassed to admit I hadn’t seen any of them. Until now.
Last night I watched his 1946 musical Ziegfeld Follies. It tries to encapsulate a cinematic version of the Ziegfeld Follies Broadway shows which ran from 1907 to 1931. According to IMDB the film was directed by 6 different guys, each taking one or two of the specific numbers. This is pretty apparent and there doesn’t really seem to be any form of running narrative. Nevertheless it’s not often you get the chance to see most of the MGM talents in one film, highlights include Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Lucille Bremer, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly, James Melton, Victor Moore, William Powell, Red Skelton, and Esther Williams.
It’s pretty good if you like Hollywood musicals but I’m going to hold out for the classic three though.
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