Citizen Kane vs Casablanca - Movies & TV - Forums : Best Ever Albums

Facetious

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Location: Somewhere you've never been

badseed wrote:

For the record, here's how I'd rank them in the 1940s:

1. The Third Man
2. Bicycle Thieves
3. Citizen Kane
4. Black Narcissus
5. Sullivan's Travels
6. Brief Encounter
7. Children of Paradise
8. The Red Shoes
9. Beauty and the Beast
10. Casablanca

Nice to see Beauty and the Beast get recognition, haven't seen the others though (besides CK and Casablanca of course). My favourite film of the 1940s is It's A Wonderful Life by far, and two other faves not mentioned here are Rope and The Lady from Shanghai.

badseed

Gender: Male

Age: 36

Location: FL

Facetious wrote:

badseed wrote:

For the record, here's how I'd rank them in the 1940s:

1. The Third Man
2. Bicycle Thieves
3. Citizen Kane
4. Black Narcissus
5. Sullivan's Travels
6. Brief Encounter
7. Children of Paradise
8. The Red Shoes
9. Beauty and the Beast
10. Casablanca

Nice to see Beauty and the Beast get recognition, haven't seen the others though (besides CK and Casablanca of course). My favourite film of the 1940s is It's A Wonderful Life by far, and two other faves not mentioned here are Rope and The Lady from Shanghai.

I'm surprised you've seen BATB and none of the others. You know I'm talking of the French drama directed by Jean Cocteau, not the Disney movie from '91, right? Aside from Kane and Casablanca these are all available as part of the Criterion Collection; a good portion of them can be watched on Hulu Plus for those who have it...

It's a Wonderful Life is probably the next closest thing to possibly be considered the "big three" from the decade along with the two topic films. Very good; I love Capra and Stewart; it's still the best Christmas movie of all time for my money. But my recently acquired taste for high quality art films and music has seen it fall far from my favorites.

If you like thrillers like the other films you mentioned, then my #1 should be a favorite of yours. The Third Man is the greatest film noir of all time; Carol Reed directs it with such finesse you'd think Orson Welles directed it, there's a wicked zither score, and while Welles steals every scene he's in, Joseph Cotten is as fantastic as he ever was in the starring role. LOVE this movie.

Facetious

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Location: Somewhere you've never been

badseed wrote:

Facetious wrote:

badseed wrote:

For the record, here's how I'd rank them in the 1940s:

1. The Third Man
2. Bicycle Thieves
3. Citizen Kane
4. Black Narcissus
5. Sullivan's Travels
6. Brief Encounter
7. Children of Paradise
8. The Red Shoes
9. Beauty and the Beast
10. Casablanca

Nice to see Beauty and the Beast get recognition, haven't seen the others though (besides CK and Casablanca of course). My favourite film of the 1940s is It's A Wonderful Life by far, and two other faves not mentioned here are Rope and The Lady from Shanghai.

I'm surprised you've seen BATB and none of the others. You know I'm talking of the French drama directed by Jean Cocteau, not the Disney movie from '91, right? Aside from Kane and Casablanca these are all available as part of the Criterion Collection; a good portion of them can be watched on Hulu Plus for those who have it...

It's a Wonderful Life is probably the next closest thing to possibly be considered the "big three" from the decade along with the two topic films. Very good; I love Capra and Stewart; it's still the best Christmas movie of all time for my money. But my recently acquired taste for high quality art films and music has seen it fall far from my favorites.

If you like thrillers like the other films you mentioned, then my #1 should be a favorite of yours. The Third Man is the greatest film noir of all time; Carol Reed directs it with such finesse you'd think Orson Welles directed it, there's a wicked zither score, and while Welles steals every scene he's in, Joseph Cotten is as fantastic as he ever was in the starring role. LOVE this movie.

Yes, I was talking about the Jean Cocteau film. Hulu Plus isn't available in my country, so I mostly rely on torrents. All the films you mentioned were on my to-watch list already, I just haven't gotten around to watching them yet.

Surprised to hear that your acquired taste in "high quality art" films has affected your opinion of It's a Wonderful Life, I'd have thought you'd be better able to appreciate the nuances in Jame Stewart's performance. Then again, maybe it's just a matter of differing criteria.

Speaking of thrillers, Touch of Evil (not from the 1940s) is my favourite Welles film, and probably in my top 5 films: a marvellous demonstration of Welles' talent in heightening the tension through a killer visual sense. I'd be pretty impressed if Carol Reed's direction is anywhere that good.

badseed

Gender: Male

Age: 36

Location: FL

Oh, Stewart's golden. I've always loved his style, particularly in the Capra and Anthony Mann films and most particularly in Hitchcock's Vertigo. Definitely in my Mount Rushmore of pre-Brando actors, probably with Henry Fonda, Spencer Tracy and Charlie Chaplin. <edit> Thinking about it I'd have to fit Kirk Douglas on there, James Cagney too... Damn there were a lot of fine actors back then and a lot of people are completely blind to it due to the contrast to modern acting.

I've seen Touch of Evil once, and it's been at least 6 or 8 years. I need to give it another watch soon.

Facetious

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Location: Somewhere you've never been

badseed wrote:

Oh, Stewart's golden. I've always loved his style, particularly in the Capra and Anthony Mann films and most particularly in Hitchcock's Vertigo. Definitely in my Mount Rushmore of pre-Brando actors, probably with Henry Fonda, Spencer Tracy and Charlie Chaplin. <edit> Thinking about it I'd have to fit Kirk Douglas on there, James Cagney too... Damn there were a lot of fine actors back then and a lot of people are completely blind to it due to the contrast to modern acting.

I've seen Touch of Evil once, and it's been at least 6 or 8 years. I need to give it another watch soon.

Vertigo is a masterpiece! The ending is amazing. Chaplin in City Lights is another fave.

Definitely watch it again.

nutso42

It's been three months since I first read this thread, and ever since then I've been battling in my own mind a to which one I'd vote for. Casablanca is ranked higher on my IMDb list, but that's mostly due to laziness on my part (not adjusting my ranking for Citizen Kane after watching it enough to truly appreciate it).

Finally though Casablanca has won out. As truly incredible as Citizen Kane is, Casablanca is just a better story in my opinion. Though very, VERY slightly.

(Also, +1 to badseed's pre-Brando Mount Rushmore. Stewart, Fonda, Chaplin, and Tracy. Couldn't agree more)

HazeyTwilight

boyfriend in your wet dreams

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Location: Elmo Knows Where You Live

After having seen both films this week, my verdict is that I prefer Citizen Kane. Casablanca honestly does nothing for me. It's not a bad film, but I don't think it's a great one either. Maybe I'm just a cold and cynical bastard for thinking that, but Casablanca is overrated in my eyes. Citizen Kane, on the other hand, is just an exquisite film. Really deserves all the praise and attention it gets. And it's an absolute marvel to look at, so if I am ever interested enough in going to film school I'd be prepared.
_________________