Life-changing films

[Scarlett]

I am a member of Amazon DVD rentals! Thing is, I am not sure what to rent out. Can you recommend any really amazing films- the sort that you remember all your life and you want your kids to see??! Can be from any era, any subject. I love comedy but will watch anything that will educate me in the ways of brilliant films!

[devilwoman]

the champ

empire of the sun

stand by me

the holacaust

the cross and the switch blade, and of course the amazing classic-- love story

[kate1976]

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Whistle down the Wind

Truly Madly Deeply

Some Kind of Wonderful

The Breakfast Club

[seal!]

The Breakfast club, now that is a classic. good one!

[ade33uk]

not really for the kids but secrets and lies by mike leigh is one of my favs

[Hellion]

Scarlett How old are the kids?

Duma

Fly Away Home

if the kids are quite young.

Kinky Boots

Keeping Mum

both fab very British humour I think either 12a or 15 can't remember.

Mrs Henderson Presents was pretty good for all the family too

[*Zeus*]

Armageddon
Heat
Pirates of the Carabean
Lord of the Rings Trilogy

[robertson]

Cinema Paradiso

Life Is Sweet

The Horse Whisperer

Hope & Glory

The Chorus

[heff113]

i have studied film at university after many hours watching film after film and have to say if you were looking to list 12 films that could truly stay with you for ever i would have to say,

its a wonderful life with james stewart

life is beautiful

the magnificent 7

die hard

blues brothers

midnight run

dead poets society

yojimbo

zulu

gungadin

a bridge to far/ the longest day- both similarly classic

the great escape

rocky 1

big

philidelphia

beau jeste- not the one with telly savalas as its not as good as the first remake

ok so maybe its more than adozen but these films are tip top. let me know what you think...

[Scarlett]

Heff113- Great stuff. I also studied Film at university but it was 15 years ago now, and I have not been good at keeping up with films! I watched real Avante Garde stuff at uni, which was great, but I know there are MANY films that are amazing, which aren't your typical Hollywood blockbuster, which I should see to educate myself.

hellion- no kids, just a figure of speech!!

[Metz]

Bugsy Malone :o) Just for the "splurge guns"

[XxAnniexX]

Who will love my children

Schindlers List

Flowers in the Attic

The Green Mile

The Cross and the Switchblade

ooww there are so many!

[airbolt]

If you fancy trying subtitles , I can recommend " jean de Florette " and " Manon des Sources " . A cracking story of love and revenge told over two films , it is also sumptiously filmed in the French countryside. An absolutely absorbing experience and not at all "arty".

Children might find it a little slow depending on their ages.

The Children may enjoy the films of Miyazaki - a Japanese Director who has made some wonderfully whimsical animated films . All are available in English versions: Try

Howl's Moving Castle

My Neighbour Totoro

Laputa - The Flying Island

[XxAnniexX]

Sybil .... now that is a brilliant film!

[n00dles]

Breaking Away (1979)

[ELVIS68]

Cast Away

[Lorcan]

If you had had kids I'd have said The Incredinle Journey (not the remake) teaches respect for animals. Even for adults, it's splendidly emotional. Bowfinger I feel is a hugely overlooked comedy - one of thee best. An old classic Gaslight is good too.

[NACL]

seems like old times

princess bride

whats up doc

jumpin jack flash

better off dead

[NACL]

i thought of one more - adventures in babysitting! :D

[willa]

For different reasons, these films all contain something that lingers with me:
Duck Soup (Marx Brothers)
Un Coeur en Hiver
Carmen (Carlos Saura, dir.)
Princess Bride
Kind Hearts & Coronets
Shawshank Redemption
The Red Shoes
Monsoon Wedding
La belle et la bete (1946; Jean Cocteau, dir.)

[reinganum]

Scarlett, if you studied film at uni you must have seen most of the greats but the films that have stayed with me all my life include:

The Third Man - nothing beats this for atmosphere

Most of the Powell/Pressburger output but particularly A Canterbury Tale, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death;

Ivan the Terrible (I preferred Part 1, though) - this is how historical epics should be done; brilliant photography and Prokofiev wrote the score...

The Big Combo (Joseph H Lewis, 1955) a little-known but brilliantly nasty gangster thriller

Dodsworth (William Wyler, 1936) the ultimate mid-life crisis film (from the Sinclair Lewis novel)

For fun, I could recommend Hellzapoppin, just about anything by the Marx Brothers, and of course The Producers!

For musicals, try to get hold of some of Eddie Cantor's 1930s musicals; not so well-known now but the songs are really good and where does that guy get his energy from?

I could go on, if you've got about a week....