An image from ten movies that mean something to me, once a day for ten days, with explanation.
I was nominated by fellow filmmaker Charlie Brenner to post on my personal Facebook page an image from ten movies that mean something to me, without explanation, once a day for ten days. I did so from May 18—27, 2020.
However, exclusive to my blog, I shall offer explanations to my selections. This will hopefully give you insight to my personality and the reasons why these films are meaningful to me, both as a professional filmmaker, and as a human being.
Jaws (1977)
Director: Steven Spielberg
DP: Bill Butler
Anamorphic
Eastman 100T 5254
Day 1 of 10 — Jaws is my favorite movie. No other film has inspired me to be a filmmaker more than Jaws. There is not one thing about Jaws that I don’t love. It is literally film school 101 to me. It is as important to me as a filmmaker as Citizen Kane is to the art of film as a whole. But as amazing as it is, the seminal Orson Welles film doesn’t inspire me to make movies; Jaws does.
Blade Runner (1982)
Director: Steven Spielberg
DP: Jordan Cronenweth
Anamorphic
Eastman 100T 5247
Day 2 of 10 — Ridley Scott’s sci-fi film noir classic is not only a great detective story and dissection of the human experience, but it’s also a fine example of style serving substance. The gorgeous cinematography by Jordan Cronenweth is one of the main sources of my inspiration to become a cinematographer myself. The story isn’t terribly complex, but the visuals give the plot more meaning, and a base for the viewer to visually meditate on the metaphors presented while exploring the plot.
There are several versions of the film, most notably the 1982 original theatrical cut, the 1992 Director’s Cut, and Scott’s preferred 2007 Final Cut (also called the 25th-Anniversary Edition).
Die Hard (1988)
Director: John McTiernan
DP: Jan de Bont
Anamorphic
Eastman 400T 5295
Day 3 of 10 — Fantastic cinematography by future Speed and Twister director Jan de Bont elevates this adventurous John McTiernan film that made the entire world rethink the standard Hollywood action movie. This is the movie that made me fall in love with anamorphic lenses. I’m pretty sure Die Hard 3 is the superior film, but the original is still the one that left it’s mark on my. I wanted to tell complex, fun stories the way McTiernan and de Bont did with this compelling, awesome, badass film that almost entirely takes place in an office building.
The Hunt for Red October (also McTiernan and de Bont) was also considered for Day 3. As a side note: Die Hard is also my favorite Christmas movie; next to Gremlins, naturally.
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Director: Norman Jewison
DP: Oswald Morris
Anamorphic
Day 4 of 10 — This movie always gives me the teary-eyed feels. Director Norman Jewison’s sprawling adaptation of Sholem Aleichem’s Tevye and his Daughters, filmed on-location in Yugoslavia by veteran British cinematographer Oswald Morris, with Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s music adapted by the phenomenal John Williams, opens with the introductions of our delightful characters, then punches us in the gut with the harsh realities of the treatment of Russian Jews by the state around 1905.
Simultaneously a celebration of life, and a commentary on the human condition, Fiddler on the Roof is as important a story to me as a Christian and fellow citizen of this planet on the 100th viewing as it was on the first viewing. Ossie Morris’ inspired cinematography made me fall in love with soft, earthy lens filtration and has informed many of my filter decisions over the years, from Tiffen Black Magic Pro Mist to various strengths and colors of stretched pantyhose behind the lens as I did on the short film Oz.
The DVD of Fiddler contains the fantastic 1971 documentary Norman Jewison: Filmmaker — which should be required viewing for any student of film — serving as both an intimate look at the director on the set, but also as a terrific behind-the-scenes look at the making of Fiddler.
Robocop (1987)
Director: Paul Verhoeven
DP: Jost Vacano
Spherical
Day 5 of 10 — Once again, “sci-fi as a commentary on the human condition” informs my life as both a person and a filmmaker. Some people may view this brilliant film, directed by Paul Verhoeven and lensed by frequent collaborator Jost Vacano, as just a silly action movie, but it’s impact on me as a commentary on humanity is profound. The gut-wrenching music by Basil Poledouris appropriately heightens the drama.
Robocop is not as visually stimulating as Blade Runner, the simple visuals serve the not-so-simple story, and there are some striking visual moments in this deceptively simple tale of a man attempting to regain his humanity. Why distract the viewer from the complicated story by overly complicated visuals? It’s the opposite of Blade Runner: appropriately simple cinematography to not distract from the complicated lesson of the story.
In second place for Day 5 is the very similar Verhoeven/Vacano collaboration Starship Troopers.
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Director: Steven Spielberg
DP: Allen Daviau
Spherical
Eastman 125T 5247, 400T 5294, 250D 5297
Day 6 of 10 — Probably the most underrated of all of Steven Spielberg’s films, the sumptuously filmed coming-of-age drama starring a 12 year old Christian Bale was lensed by Allen Daviau who had previously collaborated with Spielberg on The Color Purple, and E.T., as well as Spielberg’s first short film, Amblin’. Empire of the Sun explores many adult situations from the point of view of a child, and had a profound affect on me as a child. Daviau’s cinematography on this film continues to make me feel the wonder the young protagonist experiences viewing the horrors and complexities of war.
In second place for day 6 was E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.
Seven (1995)
Director: David Fincher
DP: Darius Khondji
Anamorphic
Eastman EXR 50D 5245, EXR 200T 5287, EXR 200T 5293
Day 7 of 10 — I must really enjoy modern film noir. I definitely do love crime thrillers. This is Blade Runner without the flying cars, takes place in an anonymous city over the course of seven days, and has some nearly fantastical elements, but in the end the bad guy is “just a man.” Director David Fincher’s incredibly moody crime thriller features scrumptious cinematography by Darius Khondji and it’s still my most favorite work by either of them. As superior a film as Fincher’s Zodiac, Seven is still the film that kicks me in the gut the most.
Bonus: Seven being the seventh film chosen was not a coincidence.
Patton (1970)
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
DP: Fred J. Koenekamp
Dimension 150
Day 8 of 10 — I love Patton. I definitely respect and admire General George S. Patton of whom this film is a character study, and I love the Oscar-winning portrayal by George C. Scott, the direction of Franklin J. Schaffner, the script by Francis Ford Coppola and Major Edmund H. North, rousing music score by Jerry Goldsmith, and 65mm “Dimension 150” cinematography by Fred J. Koenekamp. I love the bigness of the movie, while keeping the focus squarely on telling the story of the personally flawed but brilliant World War II general.
Bonus: I chose this film and this image since Day 8 fell on Memorial Day.
Alien (1979)
Director: Ridley Scott
DP: Derek Vanlint
Anamorphic
Eastman 100T 5247
Day 9 of 10 — I wanted to avoid entries by duplicate directors. For example, there are so many films directed by Steven Spielberg that affected me as a person and informed my decision to be a filmmaker myself, but there are just too many for this project. I could easily post 10 films by Spielberg that mean something to me. So this is a duplicate because Alien is incredibly important to me as a filmmaker. Ridley Scott’s film just before Blade Runner, the 1979 (year of my birth) film applied the “ten little indians” (alternatively, “and then there were none”) style of mystery and horror combined with the middle of space where “no one can hear you scream.”
It’s unsettling in it’s BAFTA-nominated beauty by cinematographer Derek Vanlint, and creepy AF music by Jerry Goldsmith, the confident direction by Scott and realistic performances by the fantastic cast makes the sci-fi setting melt away, allowing the horror and mystery elements explode effectively to the front. This is the film where I learned it is more important to know when not to do something, like when not to use music, and to be confident as a director is making your decisions.
Bonus: I’ve learned so much about filmmaking listening to Ridley Scott’s audio commentaries on Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator.
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
DP: Vittorio Storaro
Anamorphic
Eastman 100T 5247
Day 10 of 10 — Francis Ford Coppola’s incomparable spiritual descent into madness based on the 1899 novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. This is the film Orson Welles couldn’t make, and decided to make the more produceable Citizen Kane instead. Insert head exploding emoji here.
Originally, George Lucas was intended to direct, but backed out because he didn’t want to get “lost to the jungle” like the villain Kurtz. The harrowing production of the film, co-written by Coppola and John Milius, nearly actually killed both Coppola and lead actor Martin Sheen, took 238 days to film, and nearly cost Coppola his family and fortune. Ever heard of Coppola Wine? That would have had a different owner had Apocalypse not worked out.
The documentary Hearts of Darkness — exploring the personal struggle of Coppola in writing, casting, directing, producing, paying for, this film — is absolutely required viewing by anyone desiring a career in filmmaking. In the end, Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest films ever made, and is probably the most important independent film. The celebrated cinematography by the great Vittorio Storaro, editing by Richard Marks, Walter Murch, Gerald B. Greenberg, and Lisa Fruchtman, and music by Carmine Coppola (Francis’ dad), create the creepy, existential tone prevalent throughout the entire film.
It’s easily one of the most entertainingly depressing films ever made, and is certainly one of the most effective anti-war films ever made, next to Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Paths of Glory. And if you really like the film, there’s an extended Redux version that presents an additional 49 minutes of material. However, Coppola’s preferred version is the 2019 release Apocalypse Now Final Cut.
What do you think of my choices and their explanations? Let me know in the comments.
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