Unsociable Cinema’s 100 Greatest Films of All Time #40 – 31

Lawrence leads his men into battle

40. Lawrence of Arabia (1962, David Lean, UK/US)

The epic to end all epics, the Oscar grabbing classic is the ultimate example of making enthralling, entertaining movies which are 3 hours plus without feeling it. Breeching on 4 hours, Lean’s masterful direction and composition of shots make it all the more easy and accessible. Then there are the terrific performances, especially from that of Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence.

39. Touch of Evil (1958, Orson Welles, US)

On release it was butchered by Universal in the cutting and was swept aside by critics despite being from Welles the critics darling. And rightly so, according to reports the original cut was a mess but a recent DVD release showed us the forgotten classic that was locked away in the cutting room. It is a dark and nihilistic noir which in version originale was the perfect end to that era of the classic genre.

'I'm as mad as hell, and I just can't take this anymore'

38. Network (1976, Sidney Lumet, US)

From a sharp screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky and containing a myriad great performances from America’s finest actors of the time, Lumet’s satire on the media corporation was a huge wake up call to the post-Watergate US. Revelling in film about scandals, cover ups and getting rid of the right to free speech in order to protect an image. A great film from arguably the most consistent director of all time.

37. Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock, UK/US)

This dark, twisted and sublime film hits 50 this year, and still remains to have stood the test of time. This is edgy, exciting stuff, containing the usual, beautiful Hitchcock framing and brilliant build up of tension. But unlike a lot of Hitchcock’s work, it contains a depth not previously found in works like Strangers on a Train, as with Powell’s Peeping Tom as he turns the audience into the voyeur and we participate in the violence on screen. Telling us more about the morals of the audience than any other film in the past 50 years.

BABY WANTS TO FUUUUUCCCCK!

36. Blue Velvet (1986, David Lynch, US)

Between the slats of white picket fence, beneath the sheen of perfectly mowed lawns and behind the veneer of beautiful houses lies a disturbed darkness. It is a cliche which has been done to death but ever since Lynch’s camera took us into the dirt to find swarms of cockroaches everything else has been a footnote. A truly bizarre and very unsettling tale of America gone bad filled with startling images and a ferocious performance from Dennis Hopper who would have won an Oscar if the Academy had a backbone.

35. A Clockwork Orange (1971, Stanley Kubrick, UK)

Still attracting controversy even today, Kubrick’s arguably career defining piece may not stand the test of time but it  still can’t be ignored. Featuring a fantastic central performance by Malcolm McDowell who dominates the screen with his oozing menace and attractive confidence. Kubrick also manages to find soemthing extraordinary in what could arguably be his coldest film he showcases brilliantly a talent for emotionally engaging the audience and playing you like a piano. Extraordinary.

'It's the pictures that got old...'

34. Sunset Boulevard (1950, Billy Wilder, US)

A scaborous and offensive satire on the Hollywood system and was the perfect companion piece to the brilliant All About Eve, which also came out that year. I think it’s a better film than that, Gloria Swanson is glorious as the dying, Hollywood star who still thinks she is the important actress she once was. William Holden is perfect for the laconic screenwriter who is locked away with the beast to write her script and bring her back to the screen.

33. Alien (1979, Ridley Scott, UK/US)

The great sci-fi horror hybrid of all time which changed so much of the genre for the better. It was the first truly feminist horror film where at the centre it directly empowers the women, incidentally that came out of an accident, all characters were written as male. But is also a film which placed males at the centre of chastisement in the audience, the whole crux of the film is the male fear of birth, brilliantly portrayed by Scott and the infamous scene of John Hurt as he calls it ‘giving birth’ just makes men squeal in ways women wouldn’t.

'Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime'

32. The King of Comedy (1982, Martin Scorsese, US)

Considered one of the most underrated films of all time and ‘they’ are not wrong. In fact in Rupert Pupkin, Scorsese draws out De Niro’s finest performance. But beneath that there is something genuinely dark going on. Essentially a film about the cult of celebrity and the elitist nature of the mass media, many choose to read it as a companion piece to Taxi Driver and Pupkin is only a few marbles above Bickle. None the less it is the blackest of black comedy.

31. The Apartment (1960, Billy Wilder, US)

“Shut up and deal.” Often said as one of the classic final lines of all time. Billy Wilder’s wonderful romantic comedy is not only a joy to behold just because of the fantastic performances, it was Jack Lemmon’s finest hour or because of the fact that it actually does the genre service. But it is because of the subversive nature, a comedic kidnapping story where Lemmon holds Shirley MacLaine hostage for romantic purposes. It’s a great film on so many levels.

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