Tuesday, September 23, 2025

What are your five desert island movies? -Five movies you would take with you for eternity on an island.


Any over five get discarded. 

Three Days of the Condor

Remains of the Day

Rear Window

It Happened One Night 

The Apartment 

I am seeing an issue with my list, These are male-centric movies. The women in them are in secondary roles. They are not the POV. Also where are the black actors? 

A friend said my movies would depress him and chose: HIGH SOCIETY, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, GIGI and MEET ME IN S. LOUIS 

What would you choose?  

14 comments:

Jerry House said...

I have mentioned before that my two favorite movies were PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK and BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, but I would not take either of those or any others onto a desert island. I'd be too busy trying to build a raft.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Two For The Road
When Harry Met Sally... (these are the two we watch every New Year's Eve)
Casablanca
The Godfather Saga (the first two movies in chronological order)
Groundhog Day (or Animal House)

pattinase (abbott) said...

Great choices, Jeff. I loved PICNIC too but BIG TROUBLE eluded me. We saw it after driving all day and that may have affected it.

TracyK said...

Tracy's list of five favorite desert island movies:

Casablanca
Grosse Pointe Blank
Big Trouble in Little China
North by Northwest
Footlight Parade

If I could have another pick it would be The Manchurian Candidate with Laurence Harvey, Frank Sinatra, and Angela Lansbury.

TracyK said...

Glen's list is:

North by Northwest
The Pirates of Penzance
The Sting
Bullitt
The Maltese Falcon

Jeff Meyerson said...

Yeah, Tracy, NORTH BY NORTHWEST probably should have been on my list, but I didn't think of it. I'd replace the last one with it.

James Henry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
James Henry said...

Les Enfants du Paradis
Stalker
Marketa Lazarova
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Welles's The Trial (originally written as The Trual, but I resisted the temptation to leave it and have everybody looking for it!)

pattinase (abbott) said...

Some I have never seen. I have only seen Kind Hearts from James' list. NBNW is certainly the most exciting Hitchcock. Love The Maltese Falcon, and the book. Have never seen Footlight Parade. Casablanca is probably the all-around best film Hollywood ever made.
'

Todd Mason said...

But you were stranded with a solar-powered video device in a box with those two and what other three films? Raft building while those played, as background or during breaks...

Jeff Meyerson said...

Jackie's picks:

The Godfather
A Star Is Born (Judy Garland)
Gone With the Wind
When Harry Met Sally...
It's a Wonderful Life

Todd Mason said...

I've seen all but ENFANTS, MARKETA, FOOTLIGHT PARADE and PENZANCE as film, and think these are good lists.

For me, my favorite film lists often run to horror selections, since so much of the good stuff is obscured in that field by the likes of ASTRO-ZOMBIES and I EAT YOUR SKIN, to say nothing of some of our overpraised if more professional recent items. Also, a good horror film might help remind one that things Can be worse.

So, here's the Horror Handful:
THREE CASES OF MURDER
ONIBABA
THE HAUNTING (1963)
CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1963)
BLACK SABBATH (I tre volti della paura in the original Italian release, THE THREE FACES OF FEAR) 1963

pattinase (abbott) said...

I have seen none of these other than THE HAUNTING. I am not a horror film guy. Megan is though.
I can't watch GWTW anymore but the other four are terrific.

Todd Mason said...

I've not seen all of that version of A STAR IS BORN, either, but it was good.

Horror-exclusive:
THE CANDIDATE (I like THE THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, but the hostage is less "tame" in the TV series CONDOR. Still haven't read the novel)
I MARRIED A WITCH
HIS GIRL FRIDAY
WOMAN IN THE DUNES (1964)
and while already cited, and at least as downbeat as THE CANDIDATE and WOMAN IN THE DUNES (both with redemption possible, but it'll Take Work),
BULLITT

or is this whole list a cheat?