Which film do you consider to be a masterpiece?

I've seen thousands of films but there are only two that I might consider masterpieces, both directed by Hitchcock: "Vertigo" and "Rear Window". They aren't my only favourites by him, but they're two that at might consider come close to that description.

Which film do you consider to be a masterpiece?

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Frank52 · 70-79, M

I've tried this exercise many times and cannot settle on one film. I have considered some the very best of their era ([i]Citizen Kane, 2001: A Space Odyssey[/i]) but modern audiences don't get and then a I see a film which really touches something deep and although it might not win awards, for me it has done the job of reaching into me ([i]Collateral Beauty, Bridge of Spies[/i]). Then there are the ones I just watch over and over as a kind of 'safety blanket' when I'm feeling too tired to use my brain.

I would put [i]Rear Window[/i] in the great films of the 60s (and definitely in the top work ever in cinema history) and [i]Vertigo[/i] is wonderful, but when viewed from 2020 the way women are objectified and pushed around in the narrative makes uncomfortable watching.

[i]Interstellar [/i]has to be a modern sci-fi classic and the legacy of [i]2001[/i] can be seen in it.

Fortunately, as in the famous art galleries, there are many masterpieces.

PhilDeep · 51-55, M

@Frank52 Very interesting - thanks for your contribution. Yes, the male gaze aspect of film certainly seems to have changed to quite an extent. I wonder what you thought of Arrival also the new Blade Runner as modern examples of Sci-fi?

Frank52 · 70-79, M

@PhilDeep I enjoyed both. [i]Arrival[/i] was interesting and engaging and I think I'd like to watch it again since I didn't get everything the first time. The new [i]Blade Runner[/i] was good, but I don't think I was as involved as I had been with the first. The trouble with a sequel to a seminal work is that it has to work hard for more of the originality that the first audiences saw. With the exception of the second Terminator film, I haven't really seen one that made me go 'Wow!' like the first film did.

Both of these are amongst those many film which make me pleased I saw them but didn't make me rush out and tell others to see them.

Have you seen [i]The Age of Adaline[/i]? It's a gentle, quirky sci-fi romance which I thought the female members of my family would enjoy. They found it too quirky. ☹️

PhilDeep · 51-55, M

@Frank52 I haven't. I ran out of enthusiasm and funds somewhat simultaneously some years back, but I'll do some catching-up when able, so will put that on my list. I quite liked the US remake of Solaris, actually, though many might have preferred the original.

Frank52 · 70-79, M

@PhilDeep The remake was not bad, but again the original made a deep impression when it was released.