The problem lay somewhere in the mix of the three. It did take way too long for me to watch all ten. I should have written individual blog posts along the way instead of saving for one. But even then I don't believe I could justify analyzing either of these classics on one viewing alone.
In the past few days I've been watching The Story of Film: An Odyssey on Netflix. This is a terrific series with an incredibly eye opening view on the history of cinema. It's also helped make me well aware that I have a long way to go in learning about this business I'm trying to immerse myself in. I know quite a bit more now than I did when I started watching it only a few days ago, but I still have a long way to go in learning about an industry that's been around since the turn of the nineteenth century.
Having said that, with my new found respect for decades of film history, of which I have barely scratched the surface of myself, I won't be giving a full review or in depth analysis of any of the films on my Ebert's Top 10 list.
I do apologize to anyone who has been following this blog and waiting to hear me discuss these but I just don't feel I could do them the service they deserve in one, or even two, blog posts. The enjoyment and meaning of these films comes from watching them, and a couple of paragraphs of my thoughts on each one would hardly suffice given what these films have to offer.
What I can tell you is that they are all worth your time and money if you are a person who enjoys the art of film as more than just mindless entertainment. Regardless of the age, look or language, if you look at films as visual art, masterful storytelling, or metaphors of the world we live in, then look no further for an incredibly rewarding and thought provoking list of films.
I instantly fell in love with each and every one of these. They all display film making and story telling at the top of it's game. There's little wonder why Roger Ebert chose these as his choices for the greatest films ever made. And this is coming from a man who watched more movies than you or I could ever dream of.
The age range here is all encompassing. Ranging from The General, which was made in 1927, all the way up to The Tree of Life which was only released in 2011. A common thread here being the timelessness of the films. The settings may vary throughout the century but the conflicts faced are all universal. Love, greed, jealousy, and the slow descent into madness are all just as much at home in the early 1900's as they are today.
Don't let the age or country of origin deter any of you from watching any of the films on this list. The General surprised me by being one of the funniest movies I've watched recently regardless of being the oldest on the list. And even though Tokyo Story is a black and white Japanese film from the 1950's, it is a perfect example of how to tell a story, and now sits high on my own personal list of favorite movies.
I'll leave my thoughts on the matter at that. What I leave for you guys are direct links to Roger Ebert's reviews of each of the films I watched. I originally started watching these movies as a small tribute to his legacy. Other than to strongly encourage you all to watch these films, I can see no better way for his legacy to be carried on than by reading his words, not mine, on why he believed these were some of the greatest movies ever made.
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