It is very interesting to see what are the favorite films of the great directors. If most will cite the essential geniuses of cinema (Hitchcock, Capra, Kubrick, Truffaut, Orson Wells…), some will also cite surprising films, which leave you thinking…
An example, Christopher Nolan.
Among his ten favorite films, we naturally find classics:
-2001, Blade Runner, Chinatown, Lawrence of Arabia…
But we also find:
-The Black Hole (a flop produced by Disney in 1979 to capitalize on the success of Star Wars)
-The Hitcher (1986 thriller with Rutger Hauer, well-crafted but quickly forgotten)
-On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969. The only James Bond with George Lazenby, and not the best…)
So, we almost want to watch these films again to find out what makes them deserve to be in a film specialist’s Top 10!
Or maybe it’s just a bit of snobbery on Nolan’s part, who enjoys putting small films in a Top 10 where, clearly, they have no place.