Remember that I listed ten must-see films, not necessarily my ten favourite films of all time.
But other films on such a list might be, say...
The Godfather II (but you have to see I to appreciate II; you might want to see III afterwards because it deserves to be seen in the context of the two others and has a brilliant, brilliant ending)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Jaws
Ben Hur
Snow White
Spirited Away
Wild Tales
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed
American Graffiti
And the list goes on. I should add The Third Man, too. And Psycho. And The Trouble with Harry.
The problem with making lists such as this one is that ten is just a number based on the number of fingers we have. It is a ridiculous idea to entertain that somehow, a particular list of ten films would somehow fill the needs of a lifetime.
I could add some Indian films. Devdas, for example, should be required watching for anyone who is interested in film, but a film buff should certainly see at least a dozen large-scale Bollywood productions. And BTW, so should most people because they make you happy. They are escapism at its best.
And there's the old Swedish bore, Ingmar Bergman, who, in spite of making some of the last century's most pretentious films also managed to produce both art and entertainment. There's Woody Allen, a director I can't stand without booze, but who certainly is talented and well worth studying (Annie Hall, maybe? Radio Days?). There is Mel Brooks. There's Francois Truffaut. There's Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon!).
And there are films that might not make the list but that you should see because of their storytelling techniques--Spielberg's Duel and Always both fall into this category. Duel is brilliant and should perhaps make the list. Always is a cheesy feel-good film with a brilliant cast, brilliant photography and brilliant editing.
Some might point out Lars von Trier, the mad Dane, but I don't really like him at all. His best work remains a TV series, in my not-so-humble opinion.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
