French Magazine Cahiers Du Cinemas have just published their list of the 100 greatest films ever (read the full list here). Most of the initial talk has been about the lack of British films on the list or Citizen Kane topping the poll, but something else stood out for me as soon as I saw the results.
Given that the list is French, I expected certain French ideals to shine through. Their fascination with Alfred Hitchcock is also well documented, as is their love of Film Noir and I also expected European film-makers such as Godard, Renoir or Fellini to feature heavily.
Given that the list is French, I expected certain French ideals to shine through. Their fascination with Alfred Hitchcock is also well documented, as is their love of Film Noir and I also expected European film-makers such as Godard, Renoir or Fellini to feature heavily.
All of the film-makers mentioned in the previous paragraph were featured in the list with 3 movies, and the only man to garner more nominations is Charlie Chaplin. Five of his masterpieces (City Lights, The Great Dictator, Monsieur Verdoux, Modern Times and The Gold Rush) were crammed into the list, which is all the more remarkable when you consider that three of these films were from the silent movie era.
There are a number of anomalies in the list which can probably be put down to the French and their foibles. Take the lack of British films in the list (famous quote from Francois Truffaut: "A film is a born loser just because it is English") or the way that certain directors have been underexposed. Some Hitchcock classics, like Rear Window, Rebecca or Psycho, for example are not included and other directors like Bergman (only Fanny and Alexander and not The Seventh Seal or Persona) are likewise criminally underplayed.
In fact, other than Chaplin only the following directors are featured more than twice: Renoir, Ophuls, Murnau, Hitchcock, Godard and Fellini. Why have the French magazine managed to squeeze all of Chaplin's classic films into the list and not some of these directors? Is this a reflection of the French love of his particular brand of film or is Chaplin being recognised as the most important film maker ever?
While it is true that Chaplin is credited solely with the emergence of cinema as an artistic medium, he was left behind a little when talking pictures came to the fore at the beginning of the 1930s. It is perhaps incorrect to suggest that the two talkies on the list (Monsieur Verdoux and The Great Dictator) are better than some of the missing films but as a celebration of the vision of one man, I can think of no better candidate than Charles Chaplin.
Even if you take out the sheer virtuosity of his work (he wrote, directed, starred and composed music for all of his movies), it is humanity of his film-making and not just his humour that stands out when you watch his films in the 21st century. I honestly believe that City Lights is perhaps the perfect example of this; not only is it incredibly funny throughout but it also draws on moral themes of poverty, alcoholism and love. What's more, the ending to City Lights remains perhaps the pinnacle of artistic film-making, even more than 75 years on. Perhaps even more so than any of the 16 films above it, City Lights is the pinnacle of cinematic creation.
This highlights what Chaplin was best at: fusing the popular with the artistic. His films were undoubtedly art-house in their style but people all over the world would queue around the block to see his films at their local theatres because he would make them laugh hysterically at the same time.
To watch all of his films in a modern environment - as I have over the past 12 months - provokes the same kind of reaction even now. Even the most ardent Hollywoodised young film consumer (you know the kind - won't watch films with subtitles etc) would be captivated by Chaplin by the end of one his films. There is even an argument that the films are even better now - helped largely by the fact that with the advent of sound, Chaplin composed musical scores to go over all of his films in the 1940s and 50s.
Lists such as the Cahiers Du Cinemas are not designed to be a definitive idea of what is best. They are to encourage debate and to get people revisiting and redefining classic films. Chaplin's Tramp remains one of the most striking and recognisable figures of the 20th century and it is critical that he remains as such for future generations.
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