The big entertainment news of the month was the opening of Disney’s remake of “Snow White.”
A classic children’s tale produced by Disney should be a real blockbuster, right? No, not in this case. Bestselling author Peter Lloyd reported that reviews of the film included:
“Lazy, visually repellant” – The Independent
“Exhaustingly awful” – The Guardian
“Disney has trashed its reputation” – The Times
“A strange, hot mess” – Huff Post
“Listless” – ScreenDaily
“Good enough. . . for TV” – Vanity Fair
“Film has a major identity crisis” – BBC
If “Snow White” will go down as one of the worst English language films in history, what are the best — from cinema’s earliest beginnings to the present day?
Here are the best, rated both by audience approval and film critics. And it turned out most have something in common.
Critics’ Best:
Every 10 years Sight and Sound, a British film magazine, asks the top critics to name the best film ever made, without limit as to film genre or country of origin. Here are the top English-speaking films:
“Citizen Kane“ (1941)
Sight and Sound voted “Citizen Kane” number-1 in five consecutive surveys of critics and directors, from 1962 to 2002.
In this landmark Orson Welles classic, a reporter is assigned to decipher a newspaper tycoon’s final dying word (“rosebud”). His investigation reveals the story of a man who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most powerful, but enigmatic personalities in America.
“Vertigo“(1958)
Another film classic, “Vertigo,” knocked “Citizen Kane” off its perch in 2012 as the best of the best.
This Alfred Hitchcock classic depicts a detective (Jimmy Stewart) who’s forced into retirement after his fear of heights results in the death of a fellow officer and the woman he was assigned to follow. But it’s when he later runs across the woman’s double that things really get interesting.
“2001: A Space Odyssey“ (1968)
This science-fiction classic came out on top in “Sight and Sound’s” latest survey of critics in 2022.
In this adaptation of a short story written by famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, a team of astronauts, including Dr. Dave Bowman, are sent to investigate a mysterious black structure hovering in outer space. It eventually results in a battle of wits between Bowman and HAL, the ship’s computer system.
Best Films Rated by Audience Approval:
The real test of a movie is the reaction from those for whom the film was produced: the general public.
“Gone With the Wind“ (1939)
Two separate Harris polls of U.S. audiences — one conducted in 2008 and a second in 2014 — declared this classic movie version of the Margaret Mitchell Civil War era novel to be the best.
This tale of the American South centers on Scarlett O’Hara, who has nearly everything she could desire before the start of the Civil War. As the war devastates the South, Scarlett finds the inner strength to keep her beloved plantation functioning as she teeters between two love interests — Rhett Butler and Ashley Wilkes.
“Roman Holiday“ (1953)
This Audrey Hepburn-Gregory Peck romantic comedy was rated in a 1990 poll of one million viewers of a Japanese public broadcaster as the best foreign film ever made.
In it, newspaper reporter Peck discovers Hepburn, a European princess, groggy from a sedative on a public bench. The two form a friendship, and when Peck realizes who she is, he attempts to get an exclusive interview with her for his paper. But romance gets in the way as the couple tour Rome on their Vespa motor scooter.
“The Godfather“ (1972)
Entertainment Weekly readers voted this film version of the Mario Puzo novel the best film of all time in a 1999 survey.
It’s centered on a powerful New York crime family headed by Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). Although his youngest son Michael wants no part of the family “business,” circumstances keep drawing him further into it, to the point where he becomes the new “Don,” the new “Godfather.”
“The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
A quarter million readers of Empire magazine voted this the best of the best in 2015.
In this “Star Wars” sequel. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia face attack by the Imperial forces and its massive All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) walkers on an ice planet. Han and Leia escape in Han’s Millennium Falcon, while Luke searches for Yoda, the Jedi master. Yoda eventually helps Luke survive when the lure of the dark side of the Force draws him into a duel with Darth Vader
“The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
A March 2006 poll taken by readers of Empire magazine voted “Shawshank” their best of the best.
Andy Dufresne is sentenced to two consecutive life terms at a brutal prison for the murder of his wife and her lover — crimes that he didn’t commit. During the next 19 years he befriends Red, a fellow inmate and prison philosopher, and helps the warden.
“Titanic“ (1997)
Eleven years after its release, readers of China Daily voted “Titanic” the best film of all time.
In this James Cameron film a wealthy society girl abandons her uppity and equally privileged fiancée for a charming but penniless artist on the ship’s ill-fated maiden (and only) voyage.
“Lord of the Rings Trilogy“ (2001-2003)
In 2005, Australian filmgoers voted the “Lord of the Rings Trilogy” My Favorite Film.
J. R. R. Tolkien, who wrote this modern fantasy, was reportedly hesitant about seeing his Middle-earth tale adapted to the silver screen. As far as that goes, even the filmmakers had their doubts that “Lord of the Rings” could ever be faithfully created onscreen.
It took New Zealand director Peter Jackson to do it, and he did a magnificent job.
So that’s it, the best of the best, according to critics and movie-goers. Although we’re about a quarter of the way into the 21st century, all but one of the best were produced in the 20th century.
Disney’s new “Snow White” may be an indication why.
Fortunately, we have DVDs, streaming services, and classic movie cable channels so we can continue enjoying the best of the best.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He’s also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz’s Reports — More Here.
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