Here is where doing this list gets even trickier. I've mentioned before that this is a personal ranking, and that things such as influence and importance will typically be shoved aside when factored against my own enjoyment of each film. Admittedly, I did waffle on this with the last entry when I had to pick between The 400 Blows and The Lady Vanishes, but more than likely I'll end up watching The 400 Blows several more times in my life, whereas Lady isn't even a top five film for Hitchcock, despite its excellence. That said, having to pick between those two is nothing compared to my options for today's entry.
Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast is one of the most beautiful fantasy films ever made, and the perfect blending of surrealism with film. Much like how David Lynch uses dream logic in his films to create nightmares, Cocteau uses it to craft a fairy tale that feels ancient and new at the same time. This is a children's story with adult emotions and humor, with none of the rough edges sanded down to make it palatable for the tykes. The Beast's castle is both wonderful and horrifying, with living heads and arms taking the place of traditional decorations and furniture. Smoke rises from damn near everything there. Movements slow down, items reassemble after breaking. A lot of this is Cocteau reversing the film to create his tricks, but no one has ever done it as effectively as he does here, and it all works in service of the story. Nothing feels superfluous.
Beauty and the Beast is one of those films that hit me hard immediately after I saw it. Even after years of devouring films and feeling like I'd seen it all, I wasn't prepared for how gorgeous this was. Not only was it beautiful to look it, but it was also hilarious, with nearly everyone being a prick to each other. The sisters in particular are delightful in their bitchiness, complaining about everything and making Belle's life terrible. This is a film that I can never get tired of watching, because it's one of those rare movies that seems to hit nearly every thing that I like about movie making as an art.
Obviously Beauty and the Beast was going to be near the top of my list, but pitting it against Seven Samurai makes this choice almost impossible. As much as I love Beauty and the Beast, I'm aware that it isn't perfect, while Seven Samurai is one of the few perfect films in existence. The more I think about this, though, the more I lean in Beauty and the Beast's favor. I've seen this film more than Seven Samurai, and the combination of emotions that I'm left with after each viewing make this a more special viewing to me. Not to mention that when I finish Seven Samurai, I'm left with awe, but I'm also thinking, "I could never make something that great." When I finish Beauty and the Beast, I'm thinking, "my God, I want to create something!" That matters to me.
Current hesitant ranking:
1. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
2. Seven Samurai (1954)
3. Grand Illusion (1937)
4. The 400 Blows (1959)
5. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
6. Amarcord (1973)
Next time: I finally watch a movie I've never seen before when I catch the 1958 Titanic drama A Night to Remember. Will it be as great as the Leo/Kate Titanic? Let's hope so!
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