The lost titans of film April 19, 2010
Posted by style in : Style , trackbackBy Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer
There are some films that are widely considered to be the greatest classic dramas of all time.
Movies like Casablanca, The Godfather and Lawrence of Arabia are on most radars as some of the best. Yet there are many great dramas that mostly go unnoticed. Here are five forgotten classic dramas that everyone should know:
5. The Passion of Joan of Arc
It is hard to say what exactly is the greatest film performance ever, but it would be hard for that conversation to not include Maria Falconetti as Joan of
Arc.
This silent film is a portrayal of the trial of Joan of Arc and is one of the great landmarks of early cinema.
The focus on the expressions of Joan and the incredible use of close-ups to show her suffering makes the film beautiful, yet extremely difficult to watch.
4. Marty
Marty is the simple story of what some might call the lovable loser. Marty is a lonely, middle-aged butcher who lives with his mother. Every night he goes to try and find “the one” but always comes back empty-handed.
But right when he gets ready to give up, Marty meets a schoolteacher who is just as average as he is. The sweet connection that these two loners create is one of the greatest overlooked love stories of all time.
3. Children of Paradise
Filmed in France during the Nazi occupation, Children of Paradise was shot in dire circumstances.
Yet the breathtaking film about four men who fall in love with a courtesan has been called France’s Gone With the Wind.
Children of Paradise is a sweeping romantic story and, considering the hardships that occurred during its filming, it is incredible how fantastic the final product is.
2. The Rules of the Game
When a party is hosted at a large country home, a group of acquaintances get away, yet their secrets and affairs follow them.
The film is an epic masterpiece of pain and love that stands out in a year that also brought us such classics as Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. This entangling saga of misplaced lovers, awkward romances and broken hearts is also one of the most perfectly directed films of all time.
1. A Trip to the Moon
Made over 100 years ago, this 14-minute film is possibly one of the most influential films of all time.
A Trip to the Moon has been called the first science-fiction film and one of the first to use both animation and special effects. Based loosely on novels of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, director George Melies utilized many film techniques that are still used today.
The groundbreaking Melies died poor after his films were stolen, yet his legacy will live on in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Martin Scorsese’s next film, in which Melies will be heavily featured.
Melies’ beautiful creation is still as shocking as it was over a century ago and shows that the great classics still influence the films of today.
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