From: Jay Holben
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 00:38:32 EDT
Subject: Top Ten
My top ten:
Talk about long... Better pack a lunch...
My list may be a little different from everyone else's in that I find it really difficult to determine what is my "favorite." I tend to be a very obsessive person, yet fairly fickle... I'll find an ice cream that I like -- it's my "favorite" and suddenly I'm buying 55 gallon drums and eating myself sick and, well, then It ain't my favorite no more... :) ... So in the world of films, the world that dominates my life, how can I pick a favorite? It's along the lines of having to pick a favorite extremity, and by doing so causing the remaining lopped off with a rusty kitchen cleaver... So, although it may be seen as a cop-out, I've chosen to attack this concept from a different angle (hell, finding angles IS part of my job isn't it? :] ) and speak not of favorites, but rather of the ten films that really first come to mind that have most influenced me, my passion for films and my professional advancement... With that caveat having been stated, I'll begin at the beginning.
The order that follows is as much chronological to my personal experience as anything else, with a few muddled exceptions.
1.) Star Wars (1977)
We've all seen the film. I don't think I need to go into the story or technical details... My note on this first slot is purely anecdotal... I have very few memories of my childhood -- at least very few that haven't been colored over the years by my siblings recollections or photographs in the family album. But one is clear. Crystal clear. 65 mm photographed with Primos in the archives of my mind... A HOT day in Arizona, July 1977. I was five. My parents took me to a theater called the Cine Capri (those Phoenicians among us will understand...). There were these people in weird costumes, a tall man in black armor with a black cape... My dad went to get McDonands and we ate in line (a very LONG line...). We go in... We sit down (ah air-conditioning!), the lights go down and BOOM! I'm sucked in. Now, this is not the first film I ever saw -- nor is it the first film I ever remember seeing... The natives dancing in King Kong scared the bejesus out of me... But I was hooked. If one is capable of having a life-changing experience at five-years-old (actually aren't all experiences life-changing at five?), this was it for me. I walked out of that theater that afternoon and told my mother I wanted to direct movies. It wasn't until about 18 years later (still pursuing that same passion) that I realized most likely the deciding factor for my wanting to direct was Lucas' stance against the industry norm at the time... If he had played the studio game, I may be pursuing a UPM position... But he broke the rules and the first credit after the film is George's. Now twenty-two years later I'm still going after that same goal I set at age 5. As a result, if I ever do have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Lucas, it's a tough call whether I will bow at his feet or strangle the little bastard...2.) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
I first heard of this film on a lazy afternoon hanging around my living room (I believe I was literally hanging upside-down half on, half off the couch) when I saw the trailer on TV. Huh... That looks cool. It's got that Han Solo guy in it. I should see that. Whoa... talk about a mind-blowing experience... From those first shots -- the bullwhip and reveal of Harrison, I began to experience my first look at the masterful Spielberg. It was the first time that I was vaguely aware that someone was pulling the strings (even though, yes, you can do the math, I decided that I was going to be the one pulling the strings a full four years prior... Let's take a second to pause and add (no need to use toes here)... I was merely nine at this point). Some masterful hand was taking me on an amazing ride. I was exhilarated when I left the theater. A rebirth of passion for filmmaking. Two years prior I had discovered my mother's Kodak Brownie 8 mm and had been dabbling with a Star Wars film of my own, but now I embarked on making Raiders! In fact, with the publication of the screenplay and storyboards, I was planning to remake the film, shot for shot. I picked actors, locations and examined the script day in and day out. We never shot a single frame, but it was an amazing exercise in preproduction for me. A very detailed process that still exists today. Raiders is as nearly a perfect film as I can find -- Pure entertainment. Pure adventure. Pure Jones... :)3.) Jaws (1979)
It's hard to recall exactly when I first saw this film, but it was on TV or video, not projected. If there's one film that I can "throw in" on such a repetitive basis, it's this one. From it's amazing characters to it's incredible depiction of the ultimate real-life villain, this is one of Spielberg's most masterful webs (with a few recent exceptions listed below). My mother often talks about how Psycho caused her not to ever take a shower again (in fact she has always, to my recollection, taken baths...), Jaws is a film that will forever be in my mind when I am near the ocean. I cannot swim where my feet do not touch sand without adrenaline flowing and the constant question - What's below me? - plaguing my every thought and stealing my every breath... I love every frame of this film, and believe wholeheartedly that you could base an entire film school on the study of this single movie.4.) Rattle and Hum (1988)
This one always raises a few eyebrows whenever I give it the credit I do, but there is, of course, a reason. I had no real idea what to expect when I sat down in the theater to see this film. I have no idea who I went with, but noting the date, I could probably narrow down the field... I had no real idea who U2 were, per se (I've never been very musically literate) but I was awestruck by this film. A whole new world was opened to me in the form of lighting. For the first time I was aware of the cinematographer's trade. I learned that One didn't just walk into a room and photograph something, but that LIGHT itself could play a vital role in producing a dramatic effect. The sequences by the late Jordan Cronenweth are astoundingly beautiful - and were extremely emotional to me. Although it would be four more years before I would pick up a camera myself as a cinematographer (wow, what a horrible job that was...), Rattle and Hum left a long, lasting impression on me and served to awaken me to the idea of lighting. (As a side note, more than any one individual, I owe a great deal to Ed Brown, a theatrical lighting designer, for teaching me the joy and passion of light).5.) Empire of the Sun (1987)
You may note the trend here. Steven Spielberg has been a prominent figure in my cinematic life, both as professional and personal inspiration. His films, more than any other filmmaker, most closely resemble the types of films that I wish to make. Ever since Star Wars, my singular goal in this profession has been to share what's inside my head with an audience. I LOVE to share an emotion, a moment, with an audience. As an actor, on stage -- that was the exhilaration, that was the drug. As a writer -- it was having someone be sad, or happy or scared of something I wrote (indeed, my readers have often been scared, albeit not exactly the emotion I was striving for -- it works...) Spielberg is a much a master of taking the audience on an emotional journey as was Hitchcock before him, and I daresay, even better. This film is such a hauntingly moving epic that I can be moved by merely the sight of the key-art... Alan Daviau's photography is impeccable, as is William's heartfelt score. This film stands as the top of Spielberg's films in my book, and -- if I were to make a top of all time list -- it would definitely be in the top three. I can step into any single moment of this film and instantly be swept into it and caught till the end. I cannot turn it off. "I learned a new word, today, Basie..." Masterpiece.6.) Heat (1995)
Breathless. I walked out of the theater literally breathless. Never before had a film PHYSICALLY effected me to such a degree. I was literally shaking with adrenaline and could hardly speak as we emerged from the darkness of the Village. This three-hour epic goes by like a Disney animation for me... Performances, Script, Direction, Photography, Score... Flawless. If ever I had considered a cops & robbers film (indeed I was working on a novel about a thief on and off prior) -- no more. This is the definitive cops & robbers film. A script would have to be nearly written by God himself (Sean would be a close second... :] ) for me to consider helming a cops & robbers film in the shadow of this one. And MAN do I love 2.35:1... Can you say - Beautiful? Wonderfully executed by Mann and Spinotti.7.) The Mosquito Coast (1982)
This film spoke to me, and not just because of Harrison Ford's appearance in the film, but I related to Allie Fox's ideals -- his obsessions. For those of you who have spent any time with me in the workplace, you may note that quotes from this film make their way into my normal professional demeanor -- "That's why I'm here, that's why I came..." is a favorite... But more importantly over the years, this film introduced me to the ideal of the Director/Cinematographer team. Peter Weir and John Seale, ASC went on to collaborate twice more (Witness, Dead Poet's Society) to extraordinary results. The two seem to inspire the best from one another. In today's time we rarely see director's sticking with the same crews. Even Spielberg has gone through his share -- and indeed, Weir and Seale are no longer a team -- but their collaborations are an ideal to shoot for. Eastwood and Green have made quite a track record together, but they both seem a bit tired and careless in their waning days... ANYWAY -- it's a film that is often overlooked as overdramatic, depressing and without merit -- but I'll stand strongly in the minority on that one. (No quips about Hanover Street, please...)8.) Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
I rented this film on a fluke on laserdisc because I had heard peripherally about it. Something about some famous chess dude. I never returned the laserdisc. I still have the same one that I rented. I fell in love. The subtlety of direction and performance is outstanding and Conrad Hall's (ASC) cinematography is nothing short of magical. There is a visual quality to this film as fresh and unadulterated as a 9 year old child... For a movie about, pretty much, the most uneventful and potentially unexciting game ever invented as a spectator sport (of course it's NOT a spectator sport, but in the arena this film focuses on, it rises to that level), this is a pure cinematic experience. Zallian is a master - worthy of great praise and worship. Ben Kingsley's Pandolfini, quite efficiently, takes a back-seat to the young Pomeranc's Josh in this beautiful portrayal of adult life through a child's eyes. This and Empire of the Sun are two reasons drama's are made.9 & 10.) Schindler's List (1993), & Saving Private Ryan (1998)
I've combined the last two because, as far as they fit into his compilation, they are two birds of the same flock. Five years separate these two films that could be book ends of a career, as opposed to highlights in the middle of one. Both are still very much controlled by the masterful hand of Steven Spielberg. Both are still very much FILMS as much as they are historical presentations (Yes, I AM quite aware that Pvt Ryan has no direct historical reference to actual specific events, and even stands to go against some). Both of these films affected me in a very emotional way. Schindler's List hurt. It was a painful film to watch. Frightening and horrifying are mutually exclusive emotions during a viewing of this film and they play musical feelings with your mind throughout; balancing you on the brink of exhaustion. I have only seen the film once. I own the laserdisc, but have never even put it in. It's not a film I can slip in on a lazy Sunday and watch while making lunch or chatting on the phone. It is a draining psychological experience -- but an important one. It also shows the depths that we, as filmmakers, can achieve to get a message to the people. As much as we all scream and shout that violence in the movies does not provoke violence in the streets, we MUST consent that films are extremely potent persuasive tools. They teach. They inspire. They insight. The degradation of morals and family values in this country are more to blame for viscous violent attacks, but that's a discussion for another day. Films carry great weight to teach and influence people and this film should stand at the top as a lesson to us all on the horrifying abilities of humans to be INhuman to other humans. Perhaps it can be a tool to serve to avoid history repeating itself. Saving Private Ryan was the most extraordinary film I have ever seen in my life. Never have I been so affected, so horrified, so terrified and engrossed by a motion picture in my life. When the German soldier plunges his bayonet into Goldberg at the climax of the film, I screamed "FUCK!" and literally covered my eyes in horror. It was completely involuntary, and I actually don't think anyone around me really noticed my outburst. I kept my eyes covered for a full three minutes before I had recovered, convincing myself that it was just a movie and I could continue watching. But it isn't just a movie. It transcends movies, as does Schindler's, to become as close as any non-veteran will ever come to experiencing the second World War and it's horrors and atrocities. Janusz Kaminski is as much to applaud for both of these films as is Spielberg. His brilliant work (especially on Ryan, much without Spielberg even being aware...) makes the audience a member of the story rather than just a viewer. We are a participant at Auschwiz and Normandy. We are forever scarred by these experiences and God bless both these men for having done so.If you've made it this far -- bravo, there is no further. Since I've already violated the concept of these lists -- somewhat -- I'll not include any honorable mentions, and merely conclude with a thanks for trodding through my prose. I'll now remove my heart from the cuff of my shirt and go watch Gross Point Blank. I feel I need something frivolous (albeit damn good) to go to sleep by... Any thoughts on my comments here are welcomed with open arms.
Fade to black.
Jay