'Singin' in the Rain' Colors Scorsese List

Zap2it.com - Movie news - 'Singin' in the Rain' Colors Scorsese List: "Gritty drama filmmaker Martin Scorsese is singing the praises of the frothy 1952 musical "Singin' in the Rain."
The film starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor made his Top 10 list of movies that demonstrate a masterful use of light and color, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

You may ask why the acclaimed filmmaker would release such a list, nay two such lists -- an English-language and an international one. Well, it seems that Scorsese is once again helping out his pal Philips Electronics by promoting its Ambilight FlatTV displays.



"Films use light and color to tell a story in a special narrative way, which delivers a strong emotional and intellectual impact on the viewer," Scorsese says. "That made a very strong impression on me and has affected how I try to use color in all of my films."

So, if you happen to purchase one of those nifty FlatTVs, here are his recommendations for an illuminating movie night.

Stanley Kubrick's 1975 adaptation of period drama "Barry Lyndon" wins the top honors, followed by: King Vidor's Western "Duel in the Sun" (1946) starring Jennifer Jones and Gregory Peck; William Cameron Menzies' sci-fi flick "Invaders from Mars" (1953); the 1946 film noir "Leave Her to Heaven" by John M. Stahl and John Huston's take on "Moby Dick."

The remainder of the list includes: the 1943 version of "Phantom of the Opera," "The Red Shoes" (1948), John Ford's "The Searchers" (1956), the aforementioned "Singin' in the Rain" and Alfred Hitchcock's obsession-themed "Vertigo."

The international list is similarly diverse, spanning decades. Jean-Luc Godard's "Contempt" (1963) tops the list, with Ingmar Bergman's "Cries and Whispers" (1972) and Teinosuke Kinugasa's "Gate of Hell" (1953) coming in at No. 2 and 3.

Wong Kar-Wai's quietly heartbreaking "In the Mood for Love" (2000) is the most recently-made film mentioned on either list and sits in fourth place. The remaining films include Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor," Michelangelo Antonioni's "Red Desert," Jean Renoir's "The River," Federico Fellini's "Satyricon," Luchino Visconti's "Senso" and Sergei Paradjanov's "Shadows of the Forgotten Ancestors."

Scorsese, 62, is a seven-time Oscar nominee, most recently receiving a nod for directing the Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, with whom he reunites for the upcoming crime drama "The Departed."