- M (1931) dir. Fritz Lang -- German film based on a true story of a child murderer, the monumental performance of Peter Lorre deservedly catapulted him to world stardom. Lang's surehanded direction is masterful in ratcheting up the suspense while making the homicidal maniac partially sympathetic as well as reprehensible. Grieg's music of "In The Hall of the Mountain King" would never be heard the same way again. Lorre is simply stunning!
- Frankenstein (1931) dir. James Whale -- While many critics prefer the sequel (you will however notice BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN does not appear anywhere in my top 100 films) this is the one that captures my imagination. Here Whale plays it straight (you should pardon the pun) and creates a gothic Universal horror for the ages. Obviously this is the movie that made Boris Karloff a star; aided by the masterful makeup by Jack Pierce. From the opening shots of Colin Clive shoveling dirt in the face of a statue of Death himself to the final conflagration at the windmill, this film is an almost perfect poem of morbidity and death which towers above almost all others.
So, that's the first 10 of my top 100. In the next installment, we're going to be flying high in the clouds as well as experiencing some magical fantasy, some mysterious and classic films noir and a couple candidates for the greatest film ever made. All that and more in Part Two of My 100 Favourite Films!
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