Part 1: The Greatest Films of All Time

Part 2: Reflection

For my first two weeks of the Canon Fodder studio, I was unwell at home and consequently I didn’t benefit from the insight of my classmates or group discussions. So, my reflection of the films, readings and the film canon are based on my own independent viewings and work. Admittedly prior to beginning this studio, I hadn’t seen many of the films that are considered the ‘greatest films of all time’ and saw this studio as an opportunity to explore the history of cinema and understand what makes a film go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.  

Based on these first two weeks it became apparent to me that it is not possible to watch these films that have been canonised on their own and understand why they have gone down in history, it is necessary to instead understand them contextually- the directors background, the impact on audiences and the techniques that they introduced to cinema which revolutionised the industry and inspired films today. 

For instance, the thriller, Vertigo (1958) by Alfred Hitchcock (ranked the greatest film of all time by the 2012 Sight and Sound Poll) inspired the likes of Martin Scorsese and other more contemporary film directors. The stylistic and cinematography choices (particularly the zoom in techniques that Hitchcock used to heighten the anxiety of vertigo in the film) were new for the time and are reflected in the film industry today. 

L’Avventura (1960) by Michelangelo Antonioni- another film that we viewed as part of the Canon Fodder studio marked a change in cinema where “cinema’s old props were being kicked away” (Koehler, 2012). Creating an impact on audiences at the time and enduring over the years creating a pathway and new direction for subsequent filmmakers.

Based on my viewing experience of the first two weeks of Canon Fodder, the most memorable was the documentary on Alice-Guy Blaché, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice-Guy Blaché. Labelled the “forgotten mother of cinema” by Toniann Fernandez (2018), Alice-Guy Blaché was one of the first filmmakers and created one of the first narrative films. However, her legacy was erased from history (with much of her early work credited to other directors) until uncovered by the documentary. This raises issues with the nature of film canons and its biases- how someone so influential can be overshadowed and overlooked.

My final takeaway from the first two weeks of this studio is that; film cannons have some value and can provide insight on films that have been significant in creating a pathway for filmmakers and establishing contemporary cinema. However, rankings of the greatest films of all time (like the 2012 sight and sound poll) should not be taken as a complete list- they are ultimately subjective and open to bias. And as Owen Gleiberman (2012) opens his article ‘Vertigo’ over ‘Citizen Kane’? Why the new Sight and Sound critics’ poll is full of itself, “these lists are meant to be fought with, argued over and competed with”.

 

Reference List:

Owen Gleiberman, “‘Vertigo’ over ‘Citizen Kane’? Why the new Sight and Sound critics’ poll is full of itself”, Entertainment Weekly, August 7, 2012.

Robert Koehler, “What makes Antonioni’s L’avventura great”, Sight & Sound, 27 July 2012.

Toniann Fernandez, “The Forgotten Mother of Cinema”, The Paris Review, December 7, 2018.