PART ONE: MY TOP 5  

Heya! Here are my five ‘greatest’ films of all time. Not entirely ranked because I am painfully indecisive.

PART TWO: WEEK 1&2 REFLECTION

The first two weeks of Canon Fodder have been undoubtedly interesting. In complete honesty, I was slightly intimidated by this class as I’m not that familiar with the usual canon films (I’ve never seen Citizen Kane in full…), and therefore I genuinely thought I would be laughed at. I’m glad to say that this isn’t the case, and that the first few lessons have already been incredibly insightful.

I have always found it interesting that certain films have a claim to exponential ‘greatness’, as to me, the criterion for ‘greatness’ is always changing (or at the very least, is so hard to define). As Gleiberman notes, movie canons seem to highlight the “sheer clutter of opinion” (2012, para. 1) that exists today – but I guess that’s what’s appealing about the canon, the opportunity to be argued over for that number one spot.

It’s been great hearing everyone’s opinion on the canon and seeing that others share my view that movies from the 21^st century should have a seat at that table. For a long time, I definitely maintained a perception that films could only be canonised if they were made before 2000 and directed by one of the ‘Hollywood greats’ (I’m looking at you, Hitchcock). Partially, I think that’s why I was so turned off by the idea of film canons – I viewed them as somewhat pretentious. However, over the years and especially after starting this studio, I’ve realised that the very idea of the film canon is super complex. There’s often valid reasoning behind canonised films, but there are also many longstanding issues with the canon. After all, what use are these lists in 2020 if they lack any semblance of diversity? (Sorry, old white male film critics)

Given this, I’ve really enjoyed diving into the films considered as the greats. While I’m fairly acquainted with Hitchcock’s work, viewing Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958) was a really interesting experience. While I did enjoy the film, I found it more interesting to contextualise its claims of greatness through the readings and class discussions. What’s more, it was great to ponder how the cult status of directors like Hitchcock potentially impacts the canon (or vice versa).

Moreover, I’ve appreciated viewing films like L’Avventura (Antonioni, 1960) to see how the criterion for greatness can be in terms of a film’s long-lasting influence. I found L’Avventura to be a beautiful film, but again, I thought its reputation as having somewhat pioneered the “open film” (Koehler, 2019, para. 7) even more interesting to discuss. Our most recent screenings have also been as equally interesting, if not more so for me. I really enjoyed looking into cinema history through ‘Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché’ (Green, 2018), and recognising the bias of not only the film canon, but film in general. I’m very passionate about platforms for women and other minorities in screen media, and I’m really excited to further discuss this in regard to the film canon. Additionally, viewing ‘Forgotten Silver’ (Botes and Jackson, 1995) was extremely fun, and also insightful in questioning the genre bias of the canon as well. Why aren’t mockumentaries or musicals taken as seriously? Why is the false dichotomy between high and low-concept cinema still so prevalent?

Overall, the first two weeks have been a blast and an exciting look into just how much more I have to learn (and interrogate) about the film canon! 

References:

Gleiberman O, 2012, ‘Vertigo’ over ‘Citizen Kane’? Why the new Sight and Sound critics’ poll is full of itself, Entertainment Weekly, viewed 2^nd August 2020,

<https://ew.com/article/2012/08/07/the-sight-and-sound-poll-is-full-of-it/>

Koehler R, 2011, What makes Antonioni’s L’Avventura great, Sight & Sound, viewed 2^nd August 2020, < https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/greatest-films-all-time/great-wide-open-l-avventura>