Central to understanding film as a medium ? Nice question.
Casablanca definitely. I'm vacillating on Citizen Kane, because although an inordinate number of things were invented in it, their significance would to my mind be diminished by an avowed intent not to go out and watch the couple of hundred things that lean on it. Part of me wants to send you back to all the sources, Metropolis and the original Nosferatu and a whole bunch of cool German Expressionist stuff, but again, finitude gets in the way.
Something by Kubrick, definitely; if only one, 2001 but only if you can get it on a big screen, it is very much not worth seeing on TV. Dr. Strangelove doesn't have so much of this problem.
Modern Times.
Some Like It Hot.
Something by Woody Allen, I think, most likely Bullets over Broadway.
The Usual Suspects.
And, for a couple of recent recommendations, Amelie, Fight Club modulo whether you're OK with some fairly harsh bare-knuckle boxing, and Being John Malkovich. I could go on and on about various excellent films that do great things at lots of other levels, but these three, to me, are really pushing at the limits of the medium and redefining what can be done with film qua film, rather than telling stories that would work just as well in other media.
no subject
Casablanca definitely. I'm vacillating on Citizen Kane, because although an inordinate number of things were invented in it, their significance would to my mind be diminished by an avowed intent not to go out and watch the couple of hundred things that lean on it. Part of me wants to send you back to all the sources, Metropolis and the original Nosferatu and a whole bunch of cool German Expressionist stuff, but again, finitude gets in the way.
Something by Kubrick, definitely; if only one, 2001 but only if you can get it on a big screen, it is very much not worth seeing on TV. Dr. Strangelove doesn't have so much of this problem.
Modern Times.
Some Like It Hot.
Something by Woody Allen, I think, most likely Bullets over Broadway.
The Usual Suspects.
And, for a couple of recent recommendations, Amelie, Fight Club modulo whether you're OK with some fairly harsh bare-knuckle boxing, and Being John Malkovich. I could go on and on about various excellent films that do great things at lots of other levels, but these three, to me, are really pushing at the limits of the medium and redefining what can be done with film qua film, rather than telling stories that would work just as well in other media.