"...a film version of Harold Bloom's The Western Canon"

I'm usually not a fan of lists, especially the ones that are so prevalent at this time of year that attempt to rank a year's worth of films or albums. It seems odd, then, that this blog has been so preoccupied with lists. However, a well-conceived list will accomplish two things: create discussion and educate the reader. The following article by Paul Schrader, which began as "...a film version of Harold Bloom's The Western Canon," accomplishes both. It also explains the history of canons, questions the artistic relevancy of film, posits that films will not be the dominant art form of the 21st century, and generally dismisses the common popularity-driven rankings of art forms. At the end of the article, Schrader lists 60 films in three categories - gold, silver, and bronze - that he considers film masterworks from the past century. Below the citation is a list of the gold-medal winners, with call numbers next to titles that Mabee Library owns.

Canon Fodder
by Paul Schrader
Film Comment
Sep/Oct 2006
Read responses to Schrader's article HERE.

Schrader's Gold List

1. The Rules of the Game / Jean Renoir / 1939

2. Tokyo Story / Yasujiro Ozu / 1953

3. City Lights / Charles Chaplin / 1931 [PN1997 .C56 1992]

4. Pickpocket / Robert Bresson / 1959

5. Metropolis / Fritz Lang / 1927

6. Citizen Kane / Orson Welles / 1941 [PN1997 .C5117 1996]

7. Orphée / Jean Cocteau / 1950

8. Masculin-Feminin / Jean-Luc Godard / 1966

9. Persona / Ingmar Bergman / 1966

10. Vertigo / Alfred Hitchcock / 1958 [PN1997 .V48 1997]

11. Sunrise / F.W.Murnau / 1927 [PN1997 .S855 1996]

12. The Searchers / John Ford / 1956 [PN1997 .S32 1997]

13. The Lady Eve / Preston Sturges / 1941 [PN1997 .L32 1995]

14. The Conformist / Bernardo Bertolucci / 1970

15. 8 1/2 / Federico Fellini / 1963

16. The Godfather / Francis Coppola / 1972 [PN1997 .G5689 1997]

17. In the Mood for Love / Wong Kar Wai / 2000

18. The Third Man / Carol Reed / 1949

19. Performance / Donald Cammell/Nicolas Roeg / 1970

20. La Notte / Michelangelo Antonioni / 1961

Some other articles featuring Paul Schrader:

These are very uncertain times: an interview with Paul Schrader
by Leonard Quart
Cineaste
Winter 1998

Affliction and Forgiveness: An Interview with Paul Schrader
by Michael Bliss
Film Quarterly
Fall 2000

Dialogue on Film; Paul Schrader
American Film
July/August 1989