The Making of Films

dilettante

dilettante

Well-known Member
Location
Michigan
Many movies stand out as special, often due to the technology and the different ways the technology is applied. They may have a great story, good editing, excellent casting and amazing performances as well - but often a big part of the success is how it's made.

Why The Sound of Music Still Looks Like a Billion Bucks


Does anyone have other examples they'd like to bring up?
 

Well, one can't beat Citizen Kane (1941). Stunning cinematography by Gregg Toland, and an unusual score by the great Bernard Herrmann. Orson Welles gets all the credit, but there was impressive innovation all around.
[Couldn't get a poster to copy]
 

Feelslikefar said:
So many good cinematograpy movies that I like to really list, but here are my stand-outs.

Lawrence of Arabia - 1962
Das Boot - 1981
2001: A Space Odyssey - 1968

Each one reminds me of what movies can be, with the right vision of the subject matter.
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Oh God yes. Lawrence of Arabia is one of the greatest films of all time. I've probably seen it 6 or 7 times since the first in 1962. Super Panavision was still pretty new then, so viewing the superb cinematography in glorious 70 mm was absolutely stunning. Everyone involved was superb!

The '60s became the era of the epic. Several films, like Doctor Zhivago, and El Cid all ran over 3 hours, and included intermissions. There were others, I think, but can't recall them right now. Great era.

2001 was also a landmark film. Much innovation, and wonderful photography by Geoffrey Unsworth. We were stunned upon first viewing in '68. It still holds up.
 
I was blown away when I first watched The Godfather. In my opinion everything from the cinematography down to the small details such as the wardrobe all blended in perfectly. The opening scene of the movie still blows me away.

Another film that seems timeless to me is The Third Man. I was in my early teens when I first watched it on the local PBS station and I felt as though I was actually in the movie witnessing everything. I later saw a restored version of the movie in a theater and appreciated all the small details of the movie.
 
Another film I will toss in is Pulp Fiction. In my opinion most of the movies released from the late 70's through the 80's had become formulaic and stale. Don't get me wrong, there are many great movies from that time period but nothing that seemed to revolutionized the industry. Tarantino changed everything with that movie. Great scenes mixed in with a great soundtrack and acting. Reservoir Dogs is still my favorite movie of his but he really pulled it all together with Pulp Fiction.

I know that many aren't fans of Tarantino but he made movies "fun" for me again.
 
Here is an example of trying to squeeze the last drops out of actors from a well-known franchise. It's a "short film" aimed squarely at fans. I don't know when or where it becomes available.

Some extreme de-aging efforts and even "resurrecting" some actors who have passed away.

Captain Kirk Returns In New Star Trek Short Film & More!

Ok, later on in this guy says it is available online somewhere.

Got it. Just 10:44 so very short:

 
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A movie that I still have a hard time figuring out is 'Barry Lyndon'-1975, by Stanley Kubrick.
Interior shots were flimed only with candlelight and natural light.
It is a feast for the eye.

Unfortunately, it is very slow.
It has taken me a few views to really appreciate it.

 
MarkinPhx said:
I was blown away when I first watched The Godfather. In my opinion everything from the cinematography down to the small details such as the wardrobe all blended in perfectly. The opening scene of the movie still blows me away.

Another film that seems timeless to me is The Third Man. I was in my early teens when I first watched it on the local PBS station and I felt as though I was actually in the movie witnessing everything. I later saw a restored version of the movie in a theater and appreciated all the small details of the movie.
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Wow! You picked a couple of great ones, Martin. I stood in line during a cold snap in NYC for over an hour to see the uptown premiere of The Godfather in 1972.. I'd been anticipating the film for over a year after reading Puzo's novel. I was so tired that I fell asleep for a bit. But I was to see it again half a dozen times.

The Third Man is #11 on my all time top 25 noir films list. But it could just as easily be in the top 10. Very, very few films have made the impression on me that this one did. Carol Reed's brilliant direction with Robert Kasker's wonderful chiaroscuro photography, and the haunting zither score by Anton Karas; not to mention the superb acting by Welles, Cotten and Valli. A perfect film. I've got a long review, but I shouldn't post it here.
 
MarkinPhx said:
I was blown away when I first watched The Godfather. In my opinion everything from the cinematography down to the small details such as the wardrobe all blended in perfectly. The opening scene of the movie still blows me away.

Another film that seems timeless to me is The Third Man. I was in my early teens when I first watched it on the local PBS station and I felt as though I was actually in the movie witnessing everything. I later saw a restored version of the movie in a theater and appreciated all the small details of the movie.
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I recently re-watched The Godfather and, wow, that opening scene, that wedding is pretty magnificent.
 
A movie that has had a lasting impact on me, since I began watching it with my parents as a kid..."To Kill a Mockingbird." Gregory Peck's performance was one of the incredible in history, and the entire cast was great as well. Look closely at the woman, Mayella Ewell, in the courtroom when she is asked to put her hand on the bible and swear to tell the truth.....she lightly touches it, then raises her hand slightly over it...never touching it again! Why? Because she knew she was going to lie.
 
Muskrat said:
Sorry @ChiroDoc …the movie is simply “witness”. I
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Oh, okay. I agree. Witness (1985) was very enjoyable. Great role for Harrison Ford as an undercover Amish. And I was totally charmed by Kelly McGillis.

The story puts me a bit in mind of Friendly Persuasion (1956) where Gary Cooper plays a Quaker during the American "Civil War".
 
Should be nostalgic to many here:

THE SOUND OF SUPERMARIONATION: The Art of Sound Effects for Thunderbirds and More (Documentary)

 
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