For
those who are trying to keep score at home … I mentioned in an
earlier post that Harrison Ford was in 8 movies on my list but that
Jimmy Stewart was still my favorite actor. For statistics' sake, I
should point out that Jimmy receives top billing on 7 movies on this
list, whereas Ford only gets top billing on five.
And
no, I didn't add in a weak Jimmy movie just to give him the lead.
Jimmy doesn't really make bad movies, unless you count “Cheyenne
Autumn”.
61. Aladdin (Disney)
Back before
everyone went 3D, “Aladdin” made us sway and lurch in our seats
by providing mind-blowing action in regular old 2D. Remember the
magic carpet ride? And Robin Williams' Genie is still one of the best
characters ever put on the screen.
My cat frequently
gives us a look that conveys the idea, “Who disturbs my slumber?”
quite well.
62. The Swiss Family Robinson
(Disney)
There have been
many retellings of this story (which, by the way, is NOT a
Robert Louis Stevenson story), some closer to the book than this one
(Richard Thomas did a quality mini-series based on the book), but
this one for me is still the benchmark—not just for the story but
for the whole “island-adventure-swashbuckling genre.
Though, how did
the boys not realize that
was a girl they were resucing!?!
63. The Rescuers
Back when animated
movies were still being drawn, painted and rendered by hands—when
computers were still garage-sized pieces of hardware—Disney was
still turning out some excellent ink and paint. Though the backgrounds
are sometimes static (compared to the studio's heyday of about a
decade or two before), the paintings this movie is set against are evocative
and beautiful.
As mentioned
before, Bob Newhart was such an inspired choice for Bernard the
heroic mouse.
64. A Boy Named Charlie Brown
One of the seminal
moments of my childhood was seeing this on the big screen (at the
imaginatively named “Cinema Theater” in Abilene, Texas). It was
funny, it had all my favorite characters … and it was so wildly
unfair! Charlie Brown makes it to the national finals and comes in
second. Shouldn't that count for something?!?!
And what sort of parent sends their small child to NYC and
doesn't go along with him?
I've
never understood the “common consensus” that says the (IMHO)
trite music score of “Snoopy Comes Home” is better than the hippy
folk stylings of Rod McKuen for this masterpiece.
65. Robin Hood – The Prince of
Thieves
OK, not everyone
likes this “California Robin”, but I still do. Robin Hood no
longer wore tights, Maid Marion was not just
a damsel in distress, and the sets and stunts were spectacular. The
attention to detail is forgotten now, but I would argue that it set
the table for great movies that followed like “Lord of the Rings”.
I
once tried to pull a Robin Hood and jump out to catch a rope (as
opposed to holding the rope then swinging out). My shoulders still
hurt at the memory.
66. The Apple Dumpling Gang
A fun movie that,
yes, is silly. The basic storyline is pretty simple: roguish gambler
gets stuck with three little kids. That part of the story is
serviceable and entertaining, but probably wouldn't be worth watching
by itself. What sets this movie apart is the duo of Don Knotts and
Tim Conway as two bumbling outlaws. The scene where they steal the
ladder from the firehouse is almost worth the price of admission by
itself.
The pairing worked
so well that Disney brought them back later but, as funny as Don and
Tim were, the movie around them isn't much (so it doesn't make this
list).
67. Charlie and the Angel
A movie even a lot
of Disney fans have forgotten (not sure why so many Disney movies
wound up clumped together in this 10), it's a great little fable
about appreciating life. Fred MacMurray is a man who is so caught up
in his store that he is letting life pass him by. But then, a
friendly angel disobeys orders and, instead of killing Fred, gives
him the chance to redeem his life. (I know it sounds like “It's a
Wonderful Life”, but it's not.) Throw in boot-leggers, a couple
good chase scenes, and what really amounts to an extended cameo by
Kurt Russel and you have a great movie.
Harry Morgan makes
a good angel and plays a mean tennis racket.
68. The Living Daylights
My favorite Bond
movie, the labyrinthine plot of this one took me more than one viewing
to figure out. As someone who actually read all of the Ian Flemming
books before ever seeing a Bond movie, Timothy Dalton was closest to
the character I pictured in my mind of all the actors who have played
Bond. And for all of Bond's gadgets, the tuxedo that transforms into
a shooting jacket may be my favorite. And the fight off the back of
the airplane is one of my favorite action sequences in any movie.
It's too bad
Dalton didn't get to make more than two Bond movies.
69. Return to Snowy River
Recapturing the
magic of the first movie, this sequel may not improve on the story,
but it does elaborate and tell us what has become of the characters
we had fallen in love with. (Though, no knock against Brian Dennehy,
but I wish Kirk Douglas would have reprised his role.) As previously
mentioned, though, the thing that makes this movie better
than the progenitor is the score. Bruce Rowland took his orginal
themes and expanded on them in beautiful fashion.
If
you watch this movie and don't get a little misty when Denny dies,
well, you have no feelings at all.
70. The Far Country
Have anyone else
star in this movie and it's just another OK western with good
scenery. Put Jimmy Stewart in the saddle (or out of the saddle—true
fans of this movie will know what I mean) and it becomes a classic.
Stewart plays the toughest cowboy around, who would really rather not
get involved in anyone else's troubles. But then, as they say in
Casablanca, fate takes a hand.
It's funny that
Jimmy Stewart is sometimes thought of as just playing nice guys—a
la “Harvey”--so it almost seems jarring to see the character he
plays here. But let's not forget he was a decorated war hero—in
WW2, Korea and Vietnam!To see movies 71-80, click here.
To see all of the list (so far) click here.
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