Absolutely priceless film guide

I received a copy of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die for my birthday, and it was truly an inspired gift. I love foreign films, and recently went on a film noir bender. I have a list of favourite directors, and I make a point of trying to seek out films I’ve heard of–even if they’re not available as rentals. I buy an annual video film guide faithfully every year, but I still have this sneaking suspicion that there are many great films out there that I’m missing. The book, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die proved my suspicions to be correct–I have missed many great titles.

This book is a marvelous resource for film lovers. The editor states that it’s “a book that seeks not just to inform and to prescribe, but to motivate.” The contributors began selecting films by taking “a close look at a number of existing ‘greatest,’ ‘top,’ ‘favorite,’ and ‘best’ film lists and prioritizing titles based on the frequency with which they occurred.” At the front of the book, films are indexed by genre. In the ‘meat’ of the book, the films are in chronological order (beginning with 1902 and ending in 2002). Film information includes: country of origin, language, director, producer, screenplay, director of photography, main stars, Hollywood awards, and international awards. Each film entry includes a plot synopsis, and gorgeous photographs complement the text. Contributors include professors of Film Studies, journalists, writers, filmmakers, and doctoral students. There’s a wide range of expertise here, and it truly shows. And for those who want to search by title, there’s a complete title index at end.

I am really impressed by the range of the selections here–including–classics, foreign, documentaries, comedies, horrors, and musicals. While I was happy to see I’d watched many of the titles here, I was shocked at the number of films I’ve never heard of. Believe me, I’m going to remedy that. I heartily recommend this book to all film lovers who–like me–are sick and tired of going to the video rental place and renting the same old rotten mush. Film lovers–this book is for you.