I have spoken elsewhere on the political and philosophical importance of
lists, but we should not overlook the pleasure aspect: quite simply,
lists make happy; they are fun to write and fun to read.
So, here's a list of my favourite films - assembled not in order of preference nor following a critical assessment of cinematic value, but alphabetically by title. For compiling lists should not be simply another excuse to exercise judgement and construct hierarchies. I love all of these films, not equally, but in any order that one might care to view them and the only logic that links them is the fact that they have continually given amorous pleasure.
Two final points to note: Firstly, I've selected only a single film by any one director. Obviously I could list several by those directors of whom I am especially fond, but I didn't want to do that. Secondly, I have only selected English language films made in the US or UK, even though there are obviously foreign language movies that I love; perhaps I'll make a separate list of these at another time.
Annie Hall, (dir. Woody Allen, 1977)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, (dir. George Roy Hill, 1969)
Carry on Screaming (dir. Gerald Thomas, 1966)
Fight Club (dir. David Fincher, 1999)
Goodfellas (dir. Martin Scorsese, 1990)
Housesitter (dir. Frank Oz, 1992)
My Cousin Vinnie (dir. Jonathan Lynn, 1992)
Paper Moon (dir. Peter Bogdanovich, 1973)
Please Sir! (dir. Mark Stuart, 1971)
Pulp Fiction (dir. Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
Sons of the Desert (dir. William A. Seiter, 1933)
The Apartment (dir. Billy Wilder, 1960)
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (dir. Sergio Leone, 1966)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brody (dir. Ronald Neame, 1969)
The Thirty-Nine Steps, (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1935)
Twins (dir. Ivan Reitman, 1988)
