Wow Holly, that was very kind of you. I was almost a Valentine's Day baby, but I came into the world just before the 14th. I've been on these boards for over a year now, and I can't believe how fun and engrossing the conversations can be. Thanks again!

Wow! Congrats on your first 1,000 posts - and Happy Birthday!

Two movies in my mind deserve the ultimate rating of a "10". They are Casablanca and Gone With the Wind.

By the way, this is a pretty good day for me, because this post is #1000 on these boards, and it's also my birthday!

Well, since Frank was the first one to welcome you to the boards, ahhhh, may I be the second poster to welcome you?

You make some good points about what constitutes a favorite film over a great film.

And you are absolutely correct.

Many of the so-called Greatest Films ever made, the lists that are published annually or every five or ten years, I really do not pay much attention to.

I guess when I say Greatest Films maybe what I should be calling my lists should be:

Fxreyman's List of Greatest Films Ever Made

Or something to that nature. Because as you well pointed out many would call Citizen Kane the greatest film ever made. I recognize how influential Kane was and still remains to this day to up and coming film makers. But I really can not sit through the entire film without pausing it for a couple of hours or days or stopping it all together and starting again sometime later.

Don't get me wrong, if I were to place all of my films in numeric order, Kane would be near the top or at least in the top ten. I just would not consider it to be a favorite of mine like The Adventures of Robin Hood would be.

Again, welcome to the boards and enjoy posting and reading on!

Hi, jcbjcb -- Welecome to the board!

IMHO favorite is a film you like, you would sit through it again, it does not have to be a masterpiece. To me Citizen Kane is a masterpiece, the best film ever made. Would I watch it again? No way. I saw last night L' Oro di Napoli. Is it at the same level with Citizen Kane? I don't think so. Would I watch it again? You bet! It became a favorite and I added to my list.

That's exactly how I view it. I'm someone who is in the Citizen Kane camp when it comes to greatest film ever made. But from a personal enjoyment standpoint, my favorite is Scarlet Street. My favorite "comtemporary" film is Top Secret!, hardly a masterpiece in the world of filmmaking.

This is why I prefer the very subjective lists on a message board versus objective lists.

Howdy, Everybody Loves Reyman -- Anytime anyone creates a list titled Greatest, it is simply their opinion.

I completely agree. But as I was saying above, I can be very subjective or attempt to be more objective. I know Gone with the Wind is one of the greatest films ever made, but it's not going to make my top 100 nor my top 200. Therein lies the difference between the two kinds of lists, for me.

There is no definitive list out there.

Right, only personal preferences. We are our own list.

To make a strange analogy, my one grandma likes to say, "they're butchering the national anthem!" To her, there is only one way to sing the national anthem and it must coincide with her.

We're all the same way. When someone lists their favorite films noir, I always look to see where Scarlet Street ranks. For greatest films, it's Citizen Kane. I look to see if Star Wars is included in the "contemporary" list. So even though the lists are someone else's, I'm still looking with my own personal slant.

Although, if someone doesn't include Scarlet Street or Citizen Kane on their list, I won't say, "they're butchering film lists!"

Every list is subjective. Including the list I just posted.

Right. Because we all have our own personal tastes. I don't care for musicals, so you're not going to see those on my list. I don't care for war films. I'm big on German silents and film noir. You're a westerns fan, so that genre will be well represented.

Oh, and by the way I am working on three more 101 lists that will bring my total of what I consider to be the 505 greatest films of all time.

Terrific!

You know we share our love of lists. The only difference between the two of us is that I rank them in order of preference. I make the next step in commitment.

The reason why I love lists, especially on a message board, such as this one, is because they are the quickest of ways to learn more about a person. A list of ten can you tell quite a bit about a person. You can usually tell if they lean toward an era or genre and are colder with others. You can tell their depth of knowledge by the kind of films they like.

But lists are commitments. Commitments to thought and energy. I know most are uninterested in taking part in such an exercise. It's much easier and more fun to pick apart the lists of others.

And if you ever wanted to start the "Rey's List" thread, I'll definitely show. Oh, wait! So that's why you don't want to start it!

Only one thing else to consider and this is my own quibble:

All of these films I am listing are English-speaking films.

And that's one of your areas of weakness. Mine, as well.

Whenever I make a list, I give each movie a grade out of 10, like IMDB.

Example:

Casablanca...10
Singin' in the Rain...9.8
North By Northwest...9.6

Favorite vs Great Film
IMHO favorite is a film you like, you would sit through it again, it does not have to be a masterpiece.
To me Citizen Kane is a masterpiece, the best film ever made. Would I watch it again? No way.
I saw last night L' Oro di Napoli. Is it at the same level with Citizen Kane? I don't think so. Would I watch it again? You bet! It became a favorite and I added to my list.

Hey Frankie.....

Thanks for the kind words!!!

And check your message box. I sent some of you a message about these two lists.

Well, to answer your question about whether my lists are subjective or objective.....that is a hard one to answer.

Let me try this way.

When I compile lists like the one I did for today, (Abe's birthday) the list is a combination of both sub- and ob-jective. I understand how some lists are compiled based solely on reviewers and or like IMDB does with it's public rankings. I sort of look at a films like this:

#1. How do I like it?

#2. Is it a film that I will look at over and over again with repeated viewings?

For example there are quite a few films that I would and did include on these lists solely based on the number of times I actually have seen them. Also, it rates high on my list if it is a film that if on television I start watching even though I may have a copy of it on dvd or vhs.

One example of this is 1964's Seven days in May. Always watch it when it is on, even though I own the dvd. Same with Adventures of Robin Hood.

#3. Do I like the story and the cast? This sort of relates back to #1.

#4. And I also try and look into how popular the film may have been either looking at awards and or how other reviewers may judge the film. Although the part about how other reviewers like he film is less important to me than the awards the film may have received.

#5. When I compile these lists I also try to include as many of my fave actors and directors as well. For instance even though not many Sidney Poitier films are on my list, I do have A Raisin in the Sun and In the Heat of the Night, I will try and pick the film that either I like the actor in the best or which film is the better film for me to watch. I read A Raisin in the Sun in high school. Loved the book. After finishing the book our teacher showed us the film in class! Loved the film. One of the better book to film transfers ever.

I would have loved to include Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. But with Raisin and Heat of the Night already represented with Poitier, plus a few Tracy and Hepburn films already listed, something had to go. It is always a matter of personal choice. But something that as far as lists are concerned always maddening to accomplish.

I have not yet compiled a list of the number of actors appearances or directors with this list but I will shortly. That too will be interesting as well.

And you are so right. Lists like these are a snapshot of how I am feeling today (which is crappy). Next week I may look at these two lists and say to myself: What was I thinking?

So I hope this gives you something to chew on.

And as you and I have corresponded over the years, I do include many newer releases. 1970 and up.

See ya later.

message edited by: fxreyman