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The Spanish idea of the film canon
I've been reading César Vidal's El Camino Hacia la Cultura, which might translate roughly as "The Path Toward Culture." Imagine a Spanish Harold Bloom, yet trying to be more representative than idiosyncratic in his canonical picks. Overall his choices are what you would expect, albeit with a strong emphasis on modernism and in fiction he stresses the Continental novel of ideas. The very useful poetry list is full of Spaniards. Here is his list of the best movies (worldwide) since the 1990s:
Jacob's Ladder (TC: I love this movie), Dances with Wolves, Dreams (Kurosawa), JFK, Glengarry Glen Ross, Malcolm X, Groundhog Day, Schindler's List, Forrest Gump (ugh), The Shawshank Redemption, Braveheart, Fargo, The English Patient, Titanic, The Apostle, Saving Private Ryan, Matrix, Magnolia, The Sixth Sense, Nueva Reinas, El hijo de la novia, Gladiator, Return of the King, De-Lovely, Apocalypto (TC: !...another winner).
The absence of traditional indie cinema and most European cinema is striking. Sadly Asian movies are missing altogether, except for Kurosawa. Overall I am struck by a) the gutsiness of this list, and b) the author doesn't seem to see it as gutsy at all.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on March 3, 2008 at 12:59 PM in Film | Permalink
Comments
Tyler, what is your opinion on the imdb's top 250 list? I'm sure you've seen it, but the link is at http://imdb.com/chart/top. I'm fairly curious, given your background. Thanks.
Posted by: Andy McKenzie at Mar 3, 2008 1:54:56 PM
I think more accurate to say that Mr Cesar Vidal is the Spanish equivalent of Newt Gingrich...
Posted by: David at Mar 3, 2008 2:43:30 PM
Gutsy? Or just someone with bad taste? Some of the films on that list make you wonder if the author has any taste at all.
Posted by: Dirk at Mar 3, 2008 2:58:11 PM
Tyler, his wikipedia entry was interesting but did you read what he said about the Basque language? If Basque has no concept of the universal, it's a wonder that they have a word for beech at all. Without universals you'd think they would have to name each instance individually (the one in front of Patxi's house, the tall one in the park, etc.).
Posted by: John S. at Mar 3, 2008 3:01:02 PM
DANCES WITH WOLVES?????????????
Posted by: Anderson at Mar 3, 2008 3:02:29 PM
I don't really see the gutsiness here. I see a grabag of questionable Oscar winners, high grossers that might pass the laugh test, and a definite predeliction for Leftish conspiracy movies (and the distance b/t J's L/JFK/Malcomlm X/Matrix & Dances/Braveheart/Titanic/Gladiator is not that great). That a European would clearly be attracted by Leftish themes is not a surprise; that he would be drawn to the most blatant Hollywood kitsch versions as opposed to say the Danish Dogme films seems odd. But didn't they cheer Farenheit 9/11 at Cannes? Clearly subtlety is less popular than propaganda even among the cultural critics on the continent. It also says something that so many of his choices seem based on their themes rather than their narrative or visual storytelling.
Posted by: Von Trier at Mar 3, 2008 3:02:47 PM
"Gutsy"? (Thanks for theaching me a new word; thankfully, ti was in my dictionary.)
I would say the list is simply crap. Of the 25 films on the list, I've seen 14. Of these, only one (Magnolia) should unambiguously make such a list, and at least two are disgraceful. (Dances with Wolves; Gladiator). The Man should not be allowed to write about this topic.
(hits desk with fist very hard)
Posted by: LemmusLemmus at Mar 3, 2008 4:44:40 PM
Put differently, I could easily produce a much gutsier list, which would include 2Fast2Furious, Twister, and other gems.
Posted by: LemmusLemmus at Mar 3, 2008 4:48:09 PM
Also, I should add you can take a given movie from his list and argue is something other/more than a Leftish conspiracy movie (& I know there are clear exceptions to this category, like Magnolia). One can read Apolcalypto as commentary on Christianity & Islam or as a peaceful naturalist oppressed by fascist overlords; you can enjoy The Matrix as funpark rebellion or phenomenology. However, the way he has brought many of these movies together in forming his list seems to indicate he is picking out the Leftish themes & not the formal elements of the filmmaking.
Posted by: Von Trier at Mar 3, 2008 4:49:18 PM
Harold Bloom? Has Harold Bloom ever gone to a movie?
Posted by: MattF at Mar 3, 2008 5:14:34 PM
And if you're gonna go with Kurosawa (as you should) then 'Dreams' is most definitely not the one to pick.
Posted by: notsneaky at Mar 3, 2008 5:27:53 PM
You know what it takes to make a good movie list? It takes brass balls to make a good movie list.
Put down the coffee, Cesar.
Posted by: dzot at Mar 3, 2008 6:03:10 PM
What's wrong with Dreams? Kurosawa only made 3 films that quality for the post-1990 cutoff being used. You really thought Mada da yo or Hachigatsu no kyoushikyoku were better?
Posted by: Justus at Mar 3, 2008 6:30:41 PM
Given his love of leftish conspiracies how could he have left off "Joe versus the volcano"? A masterpiece of anti-business film making.
Posted by: Stuart at Mar 4, 2008 5:11:07 AM
César Vidal, no more, no less. TC: since you provided the wikipedia link then I guess you sort of knew who you were talking about. Then no wonder about the gutsiness.
Posted by: Olivia at Mar 4, 2008 5:14:45 AM
Agree entirely with your comments regarding a lack of non-Spanish, European cinema. Contemporary German cinema has prodduced many gems - and French cinema too continues to provide thought-provoking, insightful and simply different films. (e.g. Marion Cotillard appears in a great film called "Jeux des Enfants" - translated into "Love me, Love me Not" which is moving, and downright funny too.) Equally, surely any list of films that are "gutsy" might reference "Man Bites Dog" a very black Belgian film of the 90s.
Strikes me that the list is overly-narrow in many regards but I suppose your title flags this up.
Posted by: Graham Watson at Mar 4, 2008 7:57:56 AM
I can't believe you are taking César Vidal seriously.
Posted by: at Mar 4, 2008 9:48:59 AM
That list is a bunch of b.s. Why even bother with such a subjective, utterly and inherently idiosyncratic list? It's like trying to identify the 20 most important paintings or sculptures of the last 10 years
Posted by: enrique at Mar 5, 2008 4:56:14 PM
Posted by: 燈光音響 at May 23, 2008 11:34:54 PM
