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Uncle Orson's All-time Film List

My son loves to read Orson Scott Card. I'm a fan, but not in the same league as my son. He also likes to peruse Card's website, and I thought I'd trot over there and look, what I found, Uncle Orson's All-time Film List:

To make this list, a film had to move me deeply or entertain me greatly on first viewing, and continue to move me and entertain me upon repeat viewings in later years. The first twenty or so are roughly in order of importance to me; after that, the order of the rest could be shuffled a bit without harm. I mean, can I really say that Hudsucker Proxy is "better" than The Man Who Would Be King? Of course not. But I can say that Man for All Seasons is more important to me than any other movie in my life, though the next few aren't far behind.

Regretfully, I confess that I haven't seen all of the films on his list, just most (90+%). What I find amazing is how much I agree with his assessments of the films, and what made them simply Great. For instance, he lists The Man Who Would Be King and says, :This film is so sad that I can't bear to watch the end." And that's so true. I saw it on cable TV years and years ago and was left speechless at the end. When it came out on DVD I had to buy it. I've watched it once. I love the film and can't bear to watch it all the way through.

The film at the top of Card's list is A Man For All Seasons, and while it wouldn't be #1 on my list, it would be near the top. The film should be mandatory viewing for law students, to understand that distinction between being righteous and being self-righteous, so they would hear Paul Scofield deliver that marvelous retort to Corin Redgrave, about how the law must apply to all, even the Devil himself. (Modern film would add, "Especially to the Devil!" but that's just politically correct crap.)

It's a marvelous list with marvelous reasons for why each film is there. And halleluiah, he likes Silverado!

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