Roger Ebert's 50 Greatest Film Reviews
26. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) -
Director: Steven Spielberg
The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are among the hallmarks of American cinema. Both films were rich, well-cast, luxuriously photographed and revered. In his second review of The Godfather Part II Ebert zeroed in on one aspect of filmmaking that few critics spend much time on: the score. Ebert wrote that Nino Rotas music plays an even greater role in The Godfather Part II than it did in the original film. Nostalgic, mournful, evoking lost eras, it stirs emotions we shouldnt really feel for this story, and wouldnt, if the score were more conventional for a crime movie. Why should we regret the passing of a regime built on murder, extortion, bribery, theft and the ruthless will of frightened men? Observe how powerfully Nino Rotas music sways our feelings for the brutal events onscreen. More than ever, I am convinced it is instrumental to the power and emotional effect of the films. I cannot imagine them without their Nino Rota scores. Against all our objective reason, they instruct us how to feel about the films.
Like audiences, many critics were spellbound with the first collaboration between Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. ABCs Joel Siegel: Wow, what a great movie!
Ebert was similarly impressed: Spielberg is not trying here for human insights and emotional complexity; he finds those in other films, but in Raiders he wants to do two things: make a great entertainment, and stick it to the Nazis. Nazis were favorite villains of Saturday serials, prized more for their costumes and accents than for their evil beliefs. Spielberg here makes manifest their values, and then destroys them: Raiders of the Lost Ark has all the qualities of an exuberant serial, plus a religious and political agenda. That Spielberg places his message in the crevices of the action makes it all the more effective. "Raiders may have an impersonal superstructure, but its foundations are personal, and passionate.25. Star Wars (1977) -
Director: George Lucas
Ebert opened his review of Star Wars with this sentence: Every once in a while I have what I think of as an out-of-the-body experience at a movie. He was not alone. Millions were awed with the spectacle that was Star Wars. At the time there had been no other film like it, and its impact on the movie-going public in 1977 nearly defies description.
Ebert described Star Wars as entertainment so direct and simple that all of the complications of the modern movie seem to vaporize. Not only was he entertained, but he recognized the power of mythology and simple storytelling that propelled Star Wars to the forefront of public consciousness. The movie relies on the strength of pure narrative, in the most basic storytelling form known to man, the Journey. All of the best tales we remember from our childhoods had to do with heroes setting out to travel down roads filled with danger, and hoping to find treasure or heroism at the journey's end.24. The Godfather Part II (1974) -
(2008 review ) Director: Francis Ford Coppola The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are among the hallmarks of American cinema. Both films were rich, well-cast, luxuriously photographed and revered. In his second review of The Godfather Part II Ebert zeroed in on one aspect of filmmaking that few critics spend much time on: the score. Ebert wrote that Nino Rotas music plays an even greater role in The Godfather Part II than it did in the original film. Nostalgic, mournful, evoking lost eras, it stirs emotions we shouldnt really feel for this story, and wouldnt, if the score were more conventional for a crime movie. Why should we regret the passing of a regime built on murder, extortion, bribery, theft and the ruthless will of frightened men? Observe how powerfully Nino Rotas music sways our feelings for the brutal events onscreen. More than ever, I am convinced it is instrumental to the power and emotional effect of the films. I cannot imagine them without their Nino Rota scores. Against all our objective reason, they instruct us how to feel about the films. 23. The Usual Suspects (1995) - ½
Director: Bryan Singer