The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The ritual of list making in our entertainment media has yielded few definitive surveys, but The A List is the genuine article. Written with conviction, authority, and a refreshing diversity of styles by 41 members of the esteemed National Society of Film Critics, this compilation of 100 mini-essays endeavors to explain why these 107 films (accounting for a few appropriate couplings and trilogies) are required viewing for anyone to be "film literate." Debate is inevitable (Enter the Dragon and Jailhouse Rock created Bruce Lee and Elvis as icons--does that make them "essential" films?), but the inclusions are eloquently justified through personal anecdote, engaging analysis, and astute reassessment. International scope (the rise of Iranian cinema) and historical breadth (from Birth of a Nation to L.A. Confidential) prevent esoteric favoritism, but this enlightening collection remains idiosyncratic and, yes, essential. Reading these essays before and after seeing each film is encouraged; having them around for future reference is nothing less than a privilege. --Jeff Shannon

From Publishers Weekly

Perhaps it's the relative youth of the medium, but there's something about film that inspires the endless creation of lists. In the latest attempt at canon making, the National Society of Film Critics has compiled 100 of the most essential not necessarily best films of all time. Each choice is defended in a brief essay by a prominent critic like Peter Travers, Morris Dickstein or J. Hoberman. The films range from predictable giants Metropolis, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Bonnie and Clyde, Star Wars, The Godfather to more idiosyncratic selections like The Exorcist and Schindler's List. The critics convincingly argue that there is something artistically important about each of these pictures. The essays are often personal (with a refreshing absence of grandiloquent commentary), making the choices hard to dispute, even though heated debates are precisely what the book means to inspire. Dave Kehr's piece on Birth of a Nation and Eleanor Ringel's on Gone with the Wind show why these films, as racist as they are, deserve inclusion. Among the personal anecdotes is Roger Ebert's recollection of seeing The Battleship Potemkin, the classic Soviet revolutionary film, outdoors on a summer night in Michigan. While not every film lover will devour it cover to cover, these individual takes on old favorites make this good reading and a handy resource.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (January 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306810964
• ISBN-13: 978-0306810961
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #227,415 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discover Great Films, September 14, 2003

By	Sugunan (SINGAPORE, 11, NOVENA RISE SINGAPORE) - See all my reviews

There can never be a definitive list of the 100 greatest movies ever made that satisfies everyone, but this particular list has a lot going for it. Each film is alloted about three pages of commentary that deals with the origins of the film, why critics love it, why it has endeared itself to the general public, what is so significant about it in the context of film history. All the essays are great fun to read before and after watching a particular film. I have made it an ambition to watch as many of these films as are available on VHS and DVD. (I have so far seen about 60+ movies on the list). The list is commendably broad-based, with a fair number of Asian and European films. Yes, the usual suspects are there (Citizen Kane, Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia), but, if for nothing else, I must thank this book for having introduced me, someone who is not a student of film, to films and film-makers I hadn't even heard of before, but who have since established a place in my heart. It was here that I discovered Carl Dreyers' powerful film The Passion of Joan of Arc, and Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, which is the most sublimely beautiful movie I have ever seen. Surprisingly, the critics have steered clear of being too arcane in their choices; there are nods here to B-movies, Hollywood musicals, Hong Kong martial arts flicks, summer blockbusters, westerns, science fiction. Rather than being a list of the GREATEST (Enter the Dragon! Jailhouse Rock!), this is really a list of the most INFLUENTIAL films across a range of genres. So you will find one or two representatives of German expressionism, Italian neo-realism, French New Wave, Russian montage, film-noir, etc., but you can easily think of many films that, aesthetically, are greater than some of the movies on this list but have not been included because they are not considered as influential. How else can you explain the inclusion of ,say, Close Encounters of the Third Kind but not Apocalypse Now? Perhaps the latter was left out because Coppola already has Godfather on the list. (But Federico Fellini has three of his films included, Spielberg and Kurosawa two each.) I would have liked to see a Jacques Tati film represented, and also one from Indian Bollywood. Overall, if you treat this as a guide that leads you to discover more films that are not on the list, then you will open up before you a wonderful world of films not restricted to just Hollywood.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, March 26, 2003

By	Alison (Champaign, IL) - See all my reviews

I love this book. I got it a couple years ago, and it never stays on my shelf. Every few weeks I pull it down to read the essay on a movie I've just seen or to get ideas for another movie to rent. I admire the National Society of Film critics for picking some unusual choices. Some so unusual that it's hard to find the films.
I recommend this book to any film buff, or to anyone that wants to become a film buff. It's a great place to start.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many hours of mind challenging fun, October 29, 2004

By	Jeffrey A. Brick (somerville ma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a self professed film fan, I bought this book browsing though a store's shelves. I am so lucky to have picked it because this book (along with a subscription to Netflix) has brought me hours of mind challenging enjoyment. I can't think of a better way to explore the history of film outisde of a classroom setting.