Winged Migrations
A subjective and very biased list of films that have endured the passage of time, the transition to Netflix, and the ripeness of aging. Give me these films (in no particular order), a cup of tea, and the company of dear friends who are also cinema lovers, and I’ll be the happiest person on the planet, for two hours. (Let’s make that three hours because the last film on the list is three hours long, and I saw it twice, in one afternoon, one session after the other. Six hours of Angelopolous is a lot of film to see, but what a beauty that film!)
Some of these flicks are great; others are but not Citizen-Kane-great; others still don’t belong in a serious list (and you know which ones!), and some have only a touch of greatness, but all good enough many times over!
Rouge (Red), R. Kieslowski
A Separation, A. Farhadi
Un Coeur en Hiver (A Heart in Winter), C. Sautet
Ménk (We), & Tchors Yéghanagnér (Four Seasons), A. Peleshian
Les 400 Coups (400 Blows)/L’Enfant Sauvage (Savage Child), F. Truffaut.
Dr. No, T. Young
Être et avoir (To Be and to Have), N. Philibert
Damage, L. Malle
Vertigo, A. Hitchcock
La battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers), G. Pontecorvo
The Servant, J. Losey
Le Peuple Migrateur (Winged Migrations), J. Perrin and J. Cluzaud
The Band’s Visit, E. Korilin. (Remember, A., how much we laughed!)
The Visitor, T. McCarthy
al-Iskandariyah, leh? (Alexandria, Why), Y. Chahine
Any film and every film of Charley Chaplin. (I cheated again!)
Happy Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
The Pianist, R. Polanski
L’clisse (Eclipse), M. Antonioni
Something’s Gotta Give, N. Myers
Witness for the Prosecution, B. Wilder
L’adri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief), V. de Sica
Some Like it Hot, B. Wilder
Kedma, A. Gitai
Talk to Her, P. Almodovar
La Dolce Vita, F. Fellini
Vanya on 42nd Street, L. Malle & A. Gregory
&
Ulysses’ Gaze, T. Angelopoulos
(Woe me, woe me, I left out the Russians and the Nordics and the Iranians and… and !)
Yallah, let’s go to the cinema!
Passages Home Blog 
Hi Taline, what a wonderful blog – beautiful, creative, interesting – just like you! Can we add our favorite films? Mine are probably not as esoteric as yours, but I think it’s an interesting list. Let me know how to do it. XXOO Batchigs, Adrianne
Yes, Adrainne, send them and I’ll put them up. That would be fun!
Thanks for your good words about the blog, and for your participation.
Next time I am in your town, I’ll come see you.
Love,
T.
OK, here are my all-time favorites (I’m sure there are more, but I’m having a brain synapse):
1. Casablanca
2. The Godfather, Part I and II
3. Once Upon a Time in America
4. To Kill a Mockingbird
5. Baghdad Cafe
6. Some Like it Hot
7. Slingblade
8. Life is Beautiful
Thanks, Adrianne! It’s a great list, topped by one of my favorites, which I should have included: Casablanca.
I knew I forgot one and I had to look at ImDB to find out the name – Pan’s Labyrinth, which was nominated for Best Foreign Film in 2006 but didn’t win – much to my disappointment. Very unusual film – sort of a dark Alice in Wonderland, but the reality of the situation is horrifying.