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Best Films Of The Decade 1960-1969

Now the list gets harder.  For one, the sixties, in my opinion was the weakest for films.  Sure there are classics, but the level wasn't what it was in the 50's and 70's.  The other reason these lists get harder is that I've seen less films of this era.  I've seen most of the supposed classic, but not all.  For instance, I've never seen 8 1/2 or La Dolce Vita, two movies that are considered great.  So there is work to be done and an updated list is sure to come.

I only had five 5-star movies from this decade, but tons twenty two 4-star movies.  Four movies which may surprise you, didn't make the top 32.  They were Dr. Strangelove, Psycho, The Graduate and True Grit.   So I had to pick five movies out of twenty seven to narrow down my top ten. Some notables that didn't make this cut were A Raisin in the Sun, A Man and a Woman, Bonnie & Clyde, Lawrence of Arabia (real film aficionados will crucify me for this one, and two of the three Clint Eastwood "Man with No Name" trilogy.  I had dwindled the list down to the top fifteen when I truly got stuck.  How do I omit any of these classics.  I decided, if the film was based on another movie, it might have to fall by the wayside.  A Fistful of Dollars fell earlier due to it being a loosely based remake of Kurasawa's classic Yojimbo (which was still in my top 15).  I went through the list and decided to drop Repulsion, the character study of a beautiful woman working in a salon who starts to lose her mind.  How do I dump Catherine Deneuve?  I also squashed The Magnificent Seven, because in reality it's nothing more than a poor man's Seven Samurai.  Three Ingmar Bergman films stood, all rated the same, I figured at least one had to go.  So I got rid of The Silence, the lesser of Bergman's Faith trilogy.  I still had two to go.  I re-examined the list and thought long and hard.  I got rid of Once Upon A Time In The West.  A classic western, but one I find difficult to re-watch. Finally, with every initial thought that it would be there, I dumped The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.  Sure it's a great film, but it's poor acting and very silly, good silly, but silly nonetheless.  So now I had my ten.

10. Winter Light - Ingmar Bergman's look at a priest going through a spiritual crisis in the midst of others seeking his help.  Gunner Bjornstrand, Max Von Sydow Ingrid Thulin and Gunnel Lindblom are magnificent in this dark story of one man's moral and personal challenges.  What's amazing is that Von Sydow only has about ten lines in the movie, but he remains so memorable.  It's not a movie for everyone, because of it's dark feel.  Filmed much like the newer Winter's Bone, the weather even plays a major role in the film.

9. Yojimbo - Kurosawa's muse, Toshiro Mifune is the lead in this film that finds a drifter caught in the middle of a feud (see Clint Eastwood). Mifune plays both sides against each other when he gets both factions to hire him for protection.  Seen in some ways as a dark comedy, it's basically one man playing  on other's weakness for personal gain and in so, shows how silly the feud is.

8. Through The Glass Darkly - the best of Bergman's trilogy of faith, Harriet Anderson plays Karin the hallucinating daughter who has just returned from the hospital and views god as a spider.  Her family, in her time of need, basically abandons her when all she needs is their love.  Harrowing at times, it's the slow breakdown in a short movie that is so powerful.  Aside from the outdoor scenes, this film always feels like a wonderful play.  Gunnar Bornstrand co-stars.

7. Romeo & Juliet - Zefirelli's adaption is beautiful.  As is the actress who plays Juliet.  Olivia Hussey is amazing and striking as one of the most famous lovers in the history of literature.  The scenery, costumes and music are all perfect in the best telling of this Shakespeare classic.

6.  The Sound of Music.  This movie honestly just misses five stars due to overplaying.  It's the type of movie you don't mind coming across once every year or two, but has become so over saturated that it's lost a little appeal.  Julie Andrews is brilliant as the kids caregiver and the music, despite what some might say is ingrained in all of our brains, but that being said, it's wonderful.  The kids are cute, the back story is intense and the budding love between Andrews character and Christopher Plummers always seems sincere.  One of my favorite movies to watch with my mother.

5. Knife in the Water - This Polish masterpiece by controversial Roman Polanski takes place almost entirely on a sailboat.  Long before duds like Dead Calm this movie stirred audiences. During the course of the film, two men become more and more hostile towards each other.  One a wealthy man who owns the boat and the other the hitchhiker he and his much younger wife pick up.  The movie, while great in it's own right also has a bit of a political message attached to it, which escalates the struggle between the two men.  Another film that is not for those who suffer from Celluloid ADD.

4. The Virgin Spring - Long before revenge flicks like Last House on the Left, Ingma Bergman directed this movie about a girl in medieval times delivering candles to a church. On the way, the girl is raped and murdered.  The killers then seek refuge in the girl's home. Despite the film being made in 1960, the rape and murder scene is incredibly brutal.  Max Von Sydow once again is the main character, the father of the young girl.  Birgitta Peterson plays the daughter.  The gorgeous Gunnel Linblom plays the sister.  This movie might be difficult for some to watch, but well worth the effort.

3.  Becket - Richard Burton (Thomas A Becket), Peter O'Toole (Henry II) and John Geilgud (Louis VII) are incredible in this tale of English history where Henry II names his friend Archbishop of Canterbury, never expecting the man would take the role seriously.  When Becket honors the church more than his lord, the fireworks begin.  The film's dialogue is so crisp, it's truly a marvel.  Burton is what acting is all about.  Almost every period piece he does is so perfectly acted, it's a jot to watch.  He dominates the screen like few have, before or after him.  O'Toole and Geilgud are also brilliant, as always.

2.  The Lion In Winter - a year ago, this would have been the #1 movie of the '60's.  That was until I watched the following film recently, for the first time as an adult.   The Lion In Winter is a star-studded masterpiece with O'Toole once agian playing Henry II.  This time it's a holiday reunion for Christmas and Henry must decide who t pass his crown to.  He wishes to give his crown to his youngest son John, but his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katherine Hepburn) favors the eldest son, Richard the Lion-Hearted (A young Anthony Hopkins).  Nigel Terry plays a perfect Prince John and look for a very young Timothy Daly as Philip of France.  The movie is arguably one of the best of all-time, with Hepburn's performance being my second favorite of all time (to Joan Allen's in The Contender).  A must see on so many levels.

1.  To Kill A Mockingbrid - I remember reading Harper Lee's novel and despising it. Slow, boring tale about a kid and her lawyer father.  Then I saw the movie and liked it.  Watched it recently as an adult and realized just how brilliant it is.   Gregory Peck, as Atticus Finch delivers one of the best performances ever on film.  AFI voted his character the best hero ever.  As Finch prepares to defend a black man on rape charges, his daughter Scout (Mary Badham) is trying to spot the elusive Boo Radley Robert Duvall's first role).  All the characters in one way or another come together during the film, but the ending is absolutely incredible.  The film ends in such a solid fashion and with one of the greatest lines in movie history..."Jean Louise.  Jean Louise, stand up, your father's passing."  May sound like nothing, but at the end, it triggers every emotion imaginable.  Reading is wonderful, but every child, especially in multiracial areas should see this film.  It may have been made 50 years ago, but it's as poignant now as it was then.

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