Sunday, February 1, 2009

100 Best Films of All Time - A response

Please go to the link: Film History. For this class, this website by film historian Tim Dirks, will provide you with a lot of excellent information. We will be using the link throughout our course as a reliable source of information.

Today, I'd like you to spend some time reviewing the top 100 movies of all time. Please read Dirk's information, take a look through the list and note the following:

1. Which films on this list have you personally seen?
2. Which films on this list have you heard about, but never had the chance to see?
3. If a movie looks interesting to you, please jot down its title in your journal.

After reading through the list, make some personal observations. How "literate" are you when it comes to "best" or top films of all time? Does there seem to be a pattern or genre bias in this list? How does our own culture, socio-economic status, gender, or age affect the way we approach films? Were you surprised to see these films on this list? If you were to write this list, what movies would you put on it that were not included (feel free to indicate your top ten favorites of all time)?

What genre of film do you prefer? Examine why. Go ahead and look through the various lists of top films--you may finally find some you know.

Write a short personal essay trying to answer all these questions (due at the end of class).

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