1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2003)

1001 elokuvaa jotka jokaisen on nähtävä edes kerran eläessään on oivallinen opas jokaiselle elokuvista kiinnostuneelle. Teoksen alussa on tarkistuslista, josta voi ruksia elokuvat jotka on jo nähnyt. Teos antaa vinkkejä, kun tuntuu "ettei ole mitään katsottavaa". 1001 elokuvaa kattaa elokuvia vuodesta 1902 vuoteen 2011. Painotus on selkeästi länsimaisissa elokuvissa. Muun muassa draaman, komedian ja jännityselokuvan lisäksi teos listaa myös dokumenttien ja esimerkiksi film noirin klassikoita, mistä erityistä kiitosta. Tarjolla olevien elokuvien skaala ulottuu kaupallisista suuren yleison suosikeista (Grease, Titanic) harvinaisempiin kulttisuosiota nauttiviin elokuviin (Withnail and I, Picnic at the Hanging Rock). Elokuvia koskevat artikkelit ovat kirjoittajasta riippuen joko pelkkiä tiivistelmiä tai vastaavasti vähän syvällisempiä luotauksia kyseisen elokuvan merkitykseen. ( )

This book tells you everything you need to know about the must-see movies, from the ones you shouldn't have missed first time around, to the ones you can see again and again. Expert critics in each genre of film, from romance to horror and sci-fi, will tell you exactly why these films deserve inclusion in this definitive illustrated list, about their conception and development, and even about the most famous pleces of memorabilia associated with them. Packed with vital statistics, and a few facts that may surprise you, this is a collector's must for the bookshelf as well as being an entertaining read for all those that love the wonderful world of film. ( )

This should keep you going for some time...

Another subjective 1001 blah, blah, blah to do before you die books. Somehow i had seen and heard of many more of these, working my way through the rest. ( )

I think the most common question I get when I mention this book is, "so what makes one guy the authority on which movies you HAVE to watch?" Mr. Schneider did not, in fact, pick out the 1001 films on his own. Rather, this is an expansive tome with 60 contributors with a backgrounds in film theory, criticism, film and literature and film history. The book takes care to span several countries but is heavily favored towards American cinema.

That being said, this is not all high-fallootin' intellectual fare. There are surprise entires in the form of classic horror (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes), 80's Teen Classics (Breakfast Club), classic comedy (Nutty Professor, Airplane!) sitting alongside much heavier fare. Each film is given an essay as to why the film was on the list.

My edition is the second edition, but I've compared it to the 1st. While the 1st edition and 2nd edition only added 2 years, it's obvious that 1980 - Present went through many changes on the "must see" list. Off the top of my head, the 1st edition lists "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" as a must-see while it seems by the 2nd edition Guy Ritchie has been officially stricken from the records. I think this says much about the difficulty of maintaining a "modern classic" in this day and age. ( )