[Lady Spice]

There are movies that we enjoy, some movies that are outstanding, and there are a select few that some may consider to be works of art. They may not even be as entertaining as our favorite films, but just in their sheer beauty, they earn the title.

There are only a few that I consider to be in this category;

The Godfather I & II.
Schindler's List.
The Shawshank Redemption.

These are not even necessarily my top films of all time, though they do make my top something list.

What films do you honour with the accolade?

[RebelScum]

The Prestige
Pan's Labyrinth
Trainspotting
Blade Runner
Watchmen

[Lojen]

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
Alien
Blue Velvet

[CBFreak]

2001: A Space Odyssey
Star Trek The Motion Picture
The Company of Wolves
Wizards
Brazil
The Flight of Dragons
The Dark Crystal
Hero
The Seventh Seal

[abrightyz]

Goodfellas

The Piano

[hallowxmas448]

Schindlers List. Epic and full of education to this day and beyond.

[Edmond-Dantès]

Lawrence of Arabia

The very definition of an 'epic', a word sadly diluted in this day and age. And a great character study to boot, although the T.E Lawrence of the film was quite different to the T.E Lawrence of reality. Not to mention some of the finest cinematography in film history.

"El Aurens is best"

[jonner101]

Once upon a time in the west.

[theonlyweeman]

Toy Story Trilogy
Monsters Inc.

[Dombo]

american beauty
fight club
goodfellas

[Tremse]

Alien
Aliens
Predator
Prometheus
Cloverfield
Highlander
Robocop

[Johnbee]

All films are works of art. It's the same with all paintings, but not all of them appeal or are thought worthwhile by everybody.

When I was at school I argued that a particular song was a work of Art. I think it was Great Balls of Fire. Nobody agreed, even when I asked them why Mozart's Clarionet Concerto was art but GBOF wasn't.

[Scooterwolf]

Aliens
Predator
Terminator
Robocop
Schindlers List
Gladiator
The Prestige
The Thing
Halloween

[quirkyquirk]

Originally Posted by Johnbee

All films are works of art. It's the same with all paintings, but not all of them appeal or are thought worthwhile by everybody.

When I was at school I argued that a particular song was a work of Art. I think it was Great Balls of Fire. Nobody agreed, even when I asked them why Mozart's Clarionet Concerto was art but GBOF wasn't.

^^^
Completely agree with this.In my opinon Back To The Future is a great work or art but you wouldn't find many people who would put it with the likes of The Godfather and such.But I think in terms of performances,storytelling and music,it's a faultless family classic.

[felixrex]

Almost anything by Visconti.

The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover is up there.

[DLS1]

Anything directed by Stanley Kubrick. All his films are stunninglu beautiful, every single frame is an expertly lit still photograph.

[Lady Spice]

I agree about Stanley Kubrick's work. You can see the beauty in every frame. However, this is where the "style over substance" comes into play for me. There is not one single Kubrick film that I've enjoyed watching, despite the imagery. I even hated his "The Shining," even though the Stephen King novel is one of my favourite King books. I just don't like his particular style, though I can appreciate his talent.

The thing that triggered my initial question was after watching Anna Karenina. I found myself thinking that it was a visually stunning film, but the whole time I'm watching it, it's almost as though I could see the director trying to paint this beautiful portrait, but forgot to tell a decent story. All style and no substance, and I think you need both for a film.

I think Pulp Fiction was a bit of a work of art, but I don't think Tarantino has ever really reached the heights he did in that film. Django and Inglorious both tried really hard, but they didn't quite hit the mark the way Pulp Fiction did. I mention him because he's another director with a very unique signature style, who obviously aspires to be a legend, but for me, hasn't quite hit the mark yet.

[Mark A]

Baraka
Samsara
Life Of Pi
300

Regards

Mark

[Nolan Deckard]

Halloween.

Stunning use of lighting and camera work to create an atmosphere of continual suspense.

[Johnny Clay]

Originally Posted by Lady Spice

I agree about Stanley Kubrick's work. You can see the beauty in every frame. However, this is where the "style over substance" comes into play for me.

If there's one thing a Kubrick film is never short of, it's substance.

He was a master of form and theme. Complex, bit still accessible to all. Which is why he's still so highly regarded by public and academic alike.

[Blah123]

Memoirs of a Geisha

[Eddie Badger]

Anything by Kubrick
Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Blade Runner
Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West
Orson Welles' Citizen Kane
John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath and Stagecoach
Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch
Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai

[intruder2k]

Revenge of the Radioactive Reporter
Stuff Stephanie in the Incinerator
Surf Nazis Must Die
Class of Nuke 'Em High
Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man 2

[Littlegreen42]

Melancholia

- stunning.

[Toy_Hero]

Most films by Dario Argento. I know it sounds quite odd, but he makes horror look so beautiful! The cinematography in Suspiria is unreal!