What films are essential?

[Swordmaster]

Brazil
Psycho
Citizen Kane
City of God
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

 

[gwynplaine]

Bridge on the river Kwai
Raiders of the lost ark
King Kong (1933)
7 Samurai
7 Magnificent
Sunset BLVD
Das Boot
Dangerous Liaisons
Seven
Annie Hall
Take the money and run
The Apartment
Glenngarry Glen Ross
The good, the bad and the ugly
Cocteau's beauty and the beast
The French Connection
In the name of the father
Robocop
Elia Kazan's Panic in the streets
In the heat of the night
The man who shot liberty valance
The great dictator

Etc...

 

[redhawk23]

Star Trek ('09).

really?

 

[Sawyer]

Yeah, i loved the movie, but its realllllly too soon to add that to a list of essential films.

 

[Sarge 2.0]

To add:

The Searchers
Repulsion/The Apartment
Carrie
Eraserhead
The General
Nashville
Jules and Jim
Tokyo Story
Three Colors: Red, White, Blue
The Decalogue
Manhattan (even if it's not exactly my favorite Woody Allen movie)
Schindler's List
Rio Bravo
Rosemary's Baby
Wings of Desire
Night of the Hunter
The Third Man
Modern Times
Sunrise
Lawrence of Arabia
On The Waterfront
and of course Bonnie and Clyde. Probably the most important American movie of the last half century.

I'll think of more...

 

[gwynplaine]

A lot of European movies that were but more often were not released in the U.S. and whose titles I won't attempt to translatet:.

 

[Max J Power]

I don't want to think too long and hard about this, but here are some I've seen that first come to mind:

Alien
All the President's Men
Annie Hall
Chinatown
Fargo
Goodfellas
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Godfather
M
Pulp Fiction
Rashomon
Rear Window
Raging Bull
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
Star Wars
Taxi Driver

And a "maybe" list:

Aliens
The Empire Strikes Back
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Platoon
No Country For Old Men
Reservoir Dogs
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Strangers on a Train
There Will Be Blood
Toy Story
The Wild Bunch

 

[Sawyer]

I don't want to think too long and hard about this, but here are some I've seen that first come to mind:

Alien
All the President's Men
Annie Hall
Chinatown
Fargo
Goodfellas
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Godfather
M
Pulp Fiction
Rashomon
Rear Window
Raging Bull
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
Star Wars
Taxi Driver

And a "maybe" list:

Aliens
The Empire Strikes Back
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Platoon
No Country For Old Men
Reservoir Dogs
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Strangers on a Train
There Will Be Blood
Toy Story
The Wild Bunch

"Maybe"?! More like "definitely"....

 

[Octoberist]

I feel like films that are essential are MOVIES THAT YOU HAVE TO SEE IN YOUR LIFETIME.

This is my list:

American Graffiti
Animal House
An American Werewolf in London
Back to the Future
Blazing Saddles
Caddyshack
City of God
A Clockwork Orange
Die Hard
Dog Day Afternoon
The Empire Strikes Back
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Fight Club
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
The Godfather
Jaws
Le Samurai
My Life to Live
The Princess Bride
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Requiem for a Dream
Rashomon
Rushmore
Seven Samurai
Star Wars
Taxi Driver
Yojimbo
yu tu mama tambien
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Almost Made it to my list:

Bonnie & Clyde
The Breakfast Club
Evil Dead 2
Full Metal Jacket
The Graduate
The Matrix
The Road Warrior

 

[Sarge 2.0]

Le Samurai...can't believe I forgot that!

Also:

Sansho the Bailiff
Tarnation
My Own Private Idaho
Drugstore Cowboy
No Country for Old Men
Notorious
Only Angels Have Wings
Steamboat Bill Jr.

 

[-Arya-]

Some more from me:
- The Truman Show
- Gojira
- Stroszek
- The Shining

 

[Lighthouse]

All Quiet on The Western Front. I really do think it's a movie everyone should see.

 

[VenomVsSpidey]

Star Wars : THE COMPLETE SERIES
Hook
Home Alone 1/2
Jurassic Park Trilogy
Spider-Man Trilogy
Batman 89-94
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
X-Men : The Complete Series
Jumanji
Iron Man
TIH
Harry Potter(s)
A Simple Plan
The Big Lebowski
Idiocracy
Beavis & Butthead
Any Jim Carrey Movie

 

[bullets]

Ghostbusters
Goonies
Frankenstein (1930)
E.T.
Psycho
The Shining
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory

 

[TLH]

Pretty self explanatory. There are already a bunch of great lists on the subject, but it's my hope that this thread includes as little "geek movies" as possible: "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", "X2", "Die Hard", "Terminator 2", "Spider-Man 2", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Back to the Future", "LOTR", etc. are all good movies but they're not essential viewing. So, I'll show you my list if you'll show me yours. Have at it!

While I agree with what you're going for, you're absolutely nuts if you think "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is not essential viewing. It's a classic film, full of classic imagery, a classic score, a classic hero, classic film quotes, timeless action, and fantastic direction and performances. It is a cinematic juggernaut; it appears on numerous all-time lists; it won 4 Oscars and got 8 nominations overall, including Best Picture. Not a chance this film doesn't end up on a list of essential films (unless that list is extremely, and I mean extremely, small).

All other films you listed I agree have no place in this thread, although "Back to the Future" is debatable, I think.

And in what way is Raiders of the Lost Ark a "geek movie"?

[/rantover]

 

[TLH]

Also, just to add an essential film to this thread I don't think has appeared yet:
Halloween (1978) -- masterpiece, transcendent film, shaped an entire genre, inspired a plethora of imitators.

If the point of this thread is to list movies that help viewers understand "film" and what makes film work--in genre, technique, etc...Halloween is an absolute must-see.

 

[8wid]

Gone With the Wind
The Wizard of Oz
The Great Train Robbery
Citizen Kane
War of the Worlds (1953)
Casablanca
A Night to Remember
Star Wars
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Dr. Strangelove

 

[CBGB]

King Kong
The Shining
Godfather 1-2
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2001: A Space Odyssey
Jaws
Citizen Kane
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Patton
A Clockwork Orange
Saving Private Ryan
Dr. Strangelove
Pulp Fiction
Fight Club
Shawshank Redemption
Schindlers List
Wizard of Oz
Star Wars
Indiana Jones
Casablanca
LOTR Trilogy
Goodfellas
It's a Wonderful Life
Apocalypse Now
Toy Story
Paths of Glory
Vertigo
Casablanca
T2
Gone With the Wind
The Gold Rush
Gojira

 

[Bunker]

Star Wars : THE COMPLETE SERIES
Hook
Home Alone 1/2
Jurassic Park Trilogy
Spider-Man Trilogy
Batman 89-94
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
X-Men : The Complete Series
Jumanji
Iron Man
TIH
Harry Potter(s)
A Simple Plan
The Big Lebowski
Idiocracy
Beavis & Butthead
Any Jim Carrey Movie

Wow...

 

[Aesop Rocks]

really?

Yes, really. Star Trek ('09) IMO, is one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.

It's an almost perfect movie, actually, I can't even find a flaw in it.

 

[nite-owl]

The script for a start.

The Seventh Seal
Persona
The Last House On The Left (Original)
Aguirre, The Wrath Of God

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Aguirre, The Wrath Of God

Thank you! Aguirre is not exactly a movie for everyone, but it is a stunningly original piece of art that shows that you don't need millions of dollars to make a masterpiece, as long as you have passion and a vision. For those reasons I would also include Woyzeck, Stroszek, Herz aus Glas and ofcourse Fitzcarraldo, which is not a perfect film but another example of true, passionate filmmaking. Herzog is one of the true geniuses in the history of film.

 

[VenomVsSpidey]

Wow...

it is my list after all...

 

[Bim]

A few come to mind:
- The Godfather (I and II)
- Gone with the Wind
- Star Wars saga
- The Wizard of Oz
- It's a Wonderful Life
- Saving Private Ryan
- Lawrence of Arabia
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Jaws
- The Exorcist
- The Bridge on the River Kwai
- Schindler's List
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- The Sound of Music
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- The Silence of the Lambs
- Apocalypse Now
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Rebel Without a Cause
- The Silence of the Lambs

 

[Sarge 2.0]

The script for a start.

The Seventh Seal
Persona
The Last House On The Left (Original)
Aguirre, The Wrath Of God

Yeah the script is a pretty major flaw. Not to mention all the superfluous lens flairs and baffling cinematography.

The acting is really good, though.