films

[bricro]

What is the world's favourite film?

[hotchoc]

my top 3 would be shawshank redemption, coyote ugly, love actually (in that order)

[jno]

the usual all-time polls adjusted for inflation show that Gone with the Wind has made the most money and been seen by the most people (made in 1939).

[cliffsdoll]

empire of the sun

[carboqueenie]

Gone With the Wind, the Godfather and Casa Blanca seem to be at thw top of all lists.

[Dreddnaught]

I remember a few years ago Britains favourite movie was Titanic.

Thats what made me ignore any kind of list that states it has THE definitive greatest movie of all time.

But if you're asking for individual tastes, mine would have to be Fight Club.

[maltster]

the godfather is number one rated film in the imdb poll

[donegal]

shawshank redemption

[foxy.fagin]

jno, I think when you talk of "Gone With The Wind" you are referring to the merchandising/commercial side of things.
But 'favourite' film - I remember a survey by le Monde at the turn of the century (when celebrating the centenary of the Cinema) and there was

1. Charlie Chaplin: "Modern Times"
2. Orson Welles: "Citizen Kane"
3. Stanley Kubrick: "2001, Space Odyssey".

[jno]

a very French list foxy! (Must admit 2001 is one of my own faves, though... But I seriously doubt anyone outside France would list Kane as a favourite film.) And GWTW is of course a very American film. But I think, over more than 60 years, box office takings are a pretty reasonable way of calculating a film's long-term popularity.

More recent contenders, I guess, are Star Wars and Titanic; the fomer certainly has worldwide appeal and longer-term staying power.

[foxy.fagin]

But, jno, you say nothing about "Modern Times", mind you compared to GWTW!
Seriously though I still think you're talking commercial'. It's not just tickets sold - I mean how many of these ticket holders have gone because they heard it was good, popular, a classic and maybe walked out half way through because they've been so bored, found it bad, have fallen asleep maybe? What about copies of films bought on VHS, DVD, laser disc, home-taped, downloaded (heaven forbid!) from the Internet. AND they watch it at least once a week BECAUSE it is their favourite film. Dear me I prefer a survey to ticket office takings. Sorry!!!!!!

[Octavius]

Difficult one, but according to imdb & it's users it is The Godfather.  Not sure I would agree with that.

On Friday, 09 August 2002 LONDON (Reuters) - The greatest film ever made is "Citizen Kane," according to an international poll of film critics and directors.

The Orson Welles classic was chosen by 144 film critics and directors polled separately by the British Film Institute.

The critics put Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" in second place, followed by Jean Renoir's "La Regle du Jeu."

The directors' second choice was "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II," followed by Federico Fellini's "8-1/2."

Citizen Kane was knocked off it's top spot in June 2005 by Tokyo Story in Halliwell's 1000.  Again, I can't agree that 144 film buffs are fully representative of the people of the world.

So we are just left with me deciding, and I'm torn between Karate Kid, Life of Brian or Debbie Does Dallas....

[foxy.fagin]

Thank you for that little gem of a tidbit re "Citizen Kane", Octavius. Very interesting, n'est-ce pas, jno?

[aqeel]

hmm...far too many to mention, I like the James Bond franchise and i think Alfred Hitchcocks' North By NorthWest is a master piece.

[dothawkes2]

I like Cannon For Cordoba an awful lot.

[foxy.fagin]

I agree Dot but seriously, would you put it that high up? George Peppard was great but it's not a film you see viewed very often. I must have a look see if it is out on DVD.

[jno]

as a film buff myself I enjoy Kane and Tokyo Story (hate Vertigo, though) but anyone's very favourite film will probably go beyond mere enjoyment and respect. Films that really get to me include 2001, Enfants du Paradis, Spinal Tap...

[foxy.fagin]

I still think you're being a little subjective throwing out "Citizen Kane" for "Les Enfabts du Paradis". Such lists as this are generally concocted by the critics. Personally, for me the top 3 are:

1.  "Providence" (Resnais);
2. "The Damned' (Visconti);
3. "The Year of the 13 Moons"(GB title?) (Fassbinder).

BTW, jno, is it true what acw said in her thread about you being drunk? I'm surprised.

[jno]

subjective? You bet! I think that's implied in the term favourite film (er, bricro, you asked the question, how exactly did you mean it?) I suspect that's what a lot of people over the decades have felt about GWTW, though - I can't believe people have spent 66 years (so far) walking out bored halfway through, I think its box office takings reflect genuine, enduring popularity. Though it's not my own favourite by a long way.

Gather you're just back in the UK? You'll find no Fassbinder film has been screened here for 20 years (though there's a dance version of Petra von Kant on now), and only one (Querelle) is available on DVD; so can't check my memories of 13 Moons.

uh, drunk? No... she may have taken over-seriously my reference to meths. So hard to see tongues in cheeks on the internet, you know.

[foxy.fagin]

"favourite", subjective? Of course BUT "world's favourite film"? I would have thought the result would be "proven" democratically (No Comment!), but OK I'll bow to GWTW. As for Fassbinder - I did say that he was MY choice, so purely subjective. Of course RWF is available in UK - maybe not easily but can be found even if only DVD Zone 1 (if you want to see 13 Moons again jno, you can order it thru Amazon (I highly recommend it, Dom Tuk if you are reading this).  UK TV shows works of his quite regularly, my parents ring to see if I want them (it) taped or if I have them (it) already.
A film doesn't have to be screened to be a favourite, luckily for the Brits as there are not that many Art Houses, are there which means choice is limited...

[jno]

hi fagin: well bricro has reposted the question in a different form and thinking about it again I decided Robin and Marian was my fave film... Sean Connery at his absolute best, Audrey Hepburn ditto (who'd have thought she was older than him?); comedy, adventure romance... and yet pretty much a forgotten film; certainly nobody else has picked it.

Incidentally, box-office wise, it may be that Birth of a Nation has taken even more money than GWTW - and people still buy it on DVD - but nobody kept very good accounts in those days.

Surprised to hear Fassbinder is to be seen on telly, but as I work nights I usually miss such screenings.