Living in Oblivion
Tom DiCillo, 1995
Recommended by: Chris7572 and henryhunter
Tom DiCillo’s “brilliant and hysterical peek behind the scenes of a low-budget film set” was a firm favourite for henryhunter and many more. The best part? “The scene when Catherine Keener nails the first scene (with no camera running, of course) still takes my breath away,” says Chris7572.
La nuit américaine (Day for Night)
François Truffaut, 1973
Recommended by: blessoa, Douglas Fraser and Drjonty
Truffaut’s tribute to Hollywood was a big omission from our original list for many readers. Douglas Fraser calls it “one of the most affectionate looks at movie making”. Drjonty gets a lump in his throat at the George Delerue-scored montage, “a two-minute love letter to making films”.
The Bad and the Beautiful
Vincente Minnelli, 1952
Recommended by: 100Objects
Minnelli’s take on Hollywood appeared in several of the readers’ top picks. After being declared bankrupt, ruthless producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) needs the help of three former colleagues to bring him success. Flashbacks of betrayal and deceit reveal the grim truth behind the glitz of Tinseltown. “The first film that showed what a producer did,” believes 100Objects, “great dialogue!”
Sullivan’s Travels
Preston Sturges, 1941
Recommended by: HARPhilby
This much-adored classic was perhaps the principal precursor to Hollywood’s slew of self-referential films. Fed up with producing profitable but vacuous movies, director Sullivan takes to the road disguised as a tramp to research for his forthcoming social drama Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? HARPhilby urges cinephiles to watch Preston Sturges’s “masterpiece comedy/drama”, signing off with: “If you rent and don’t love it, I will reimburse you.”
Swimming with Sharks
George Huang, 1994
Recommended by:Matt08, Tom08 and Tombo
Soon after graduating from film-school, Guy (Frank Whaley) naively thinks he’s hit the jackpot when he lands the role of assistant to self-serving studio executive Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey). Many of you gave George Huang’s dark comedy the thumbs-up. Tombo recalls one of the best lines: “The bathmat means more to me than you do!”
The Stunt Man
Richard Rush, 1980
Recommended by: Zeefra and Spenser2
On the run from the police, Vietnam veteran Cameron (Steve Railsback) stumbles across the movie set run by, in Spenser2’s words, the “possibly insane and homicidal” director Eli Cross (Peter O’Toole). After Cameron accidentally causes the death of a stunt man, Cross guarantees his safety in exchange for him replacing the deceased. Spenser2 calls this black comedy a “grand love-in of film and its illusions”, and praises the standout performance of O’Toole.
Cinema Paradiso
Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988
Recommended by: gbrading and Suhad Al-Jibouri
Unashamedly saccharine yet irresistible, Cinema Paradiso sits deep in the hearts of our readers. Celebrated director Salvatore returns to his childhood home for the funeral of movie projectionist, and old friend, Alfredo. Salvatore reminisces about how he came to love cinema, spending much of his youth at one Cinema Paradiso.
Swimming to Cambodia
Jonathan Demme, 1987
Recommended by: natjim
Jonathan Demme deftly directs Spalding Gray’s monologue about his time on the set of The Killing Fields and the troubles he faced in Cambodia. It’s a personal favourite of natjim’s, who praised it as a “fantastic” film about the process of movie-making.
The Artist
Michel Hazanavicius, 2011
Recommended by: Hannah Whiteing and SonnyDay
Once the toast of Hollywood, silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) falls out of favour for extra-turned-talkie superstar Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). The black-and-white silent picture is one of Hannah Whiteing’s all-time favourite films, and SonnyDay praises the film’s technical accomplishments.
Sunset Boulevard
Billy Wilder, 1950
Recommended by: DougTarnopol and Jon Chappell
Sunset Boulevard came out on top of our readers’ choices. Former silent movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) is driven mad by her career’s demise. She meets and falls for a young screenwriter (William Holden) who promises her a comeback. DougTarnopol was surprised we missed this one, while Jon Chappell described it as “a top 10 film, never mind top 10 in films about films”.
