best film: Blade Runner from Ridley Scott
Blade Runner is one of the greatest ten films of all-time and the second best film of the entire 1980s (Raging Bull). Ridley Scott’s masterpiece is one of cinema’s greatest showcases of production design and mise-en-scene. He uses elements of shadow and lighting like a noir (or like Bertolucci’s The Conformist) and has some of cinema’s greatest establishing shots. There is also a slow-motion glass breaking sequence that has photography that still blows my mind, a brilliant Vangelis score, and a performance by Rutger Hauer to bring everything together during the epic finale.
- Has many roots in noir and detective/crime films and fiction—the fire bursting from the city reminds me of Raoul Walsh’s White Heat with James Cagney in 1949
- Every scene is pouring with steam from the streets and cigarette smoke (noir)
- the perpetual rain and perpetual night just like noir

Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner has has some of cinema’s greatest establishing shots
- Harrison Ford has more screen time but it’s Rutger Hauer’s film
- Hauer is in roughly 32 minutes and it may be the greatest 32-minute performance of all-time.
- Ford’s performance isn’t transcendent, but it isn’t bad either- he’s doing Bogart here- meeting with seedy club owners and falling for the damsel in distress. He keeps it all internalized with a cool, outer sheen
- Features an absolutely brilliant synthesizer score and main motif by Vangelis
- Gorgeous advertising production design with the Coke, Atari and Pan Am logos

The reflected eye (you can see the city and fire) and reflected window/glass use it’s hard not to think of the helmet shield reflected shot in 2001: A Space Odyssey
- The architectural miniatures are truly part-2001 and part-Metropolis from Fritz Lang
- Ford’s driving narrative is largely a slow-burn detective film looking for clues but there’s existential questions, largely in subtext, throughout
- I think there’s an underlying racist element in this dystopian world. This is just an observation—but the world here is a melding of worlds and language- very Japanese heavy of course but we also hear German “danke” in the elevator, there’s the snake maker (this could be a nod to Casablanca as well), a Spanish language movie house, etc
- There’s a Christ allegory I hadn’t realized until now. Hauer’s Roy is the “prodigal son” and near the end of the film he puts a spike through his hand as he’s dying. It’s a bit of a stretch to say he spares Ford or that he’s somehow dying for him but the “Father/God” character of Tyrell is very real. Very “Why has thou forsaken me” in some of Hauer’s impressive ruminations.
- Two perfect endings in one- we have the tears in the rain death of Hauer and then the unicorn escape epilogue with Ford and Young with the open ending and the jump to the faster score- pitch perfect
- Douglas Trumball—special effects designer has both this and 2001 to his name not to mention a special consultant mention in The Tree of Life (2011)…. Yamma… what a resume

Lawrence G Paul is the production designer, he worked on Back to the Future– which is really well done as well-l but I don’t see anything else in his history here to suggest that Ridley Scott is NOT the genius behind the production design—Scott is the auteur

there’s elements of noir, Citizen Kane, and it is clearly influenced by Bertolucci’s The Conformist in lighting and set design

Countless still-frame hang-on-wall photography shots including Tyrell in bed doing stocks and has about fifty candles going in his room.
- Much tighter than Blade Runner 2049. It’s weird- it’s a very tight film but it’s also a slow-burn mood piece
- The scene where Hauer’s Roy kills Tyrell is so magnificently operatic. It reminded me here of the Joaquin Phoenix killing of Richard Harris in Gladiator (obviously also by Scott)– vengeful son killing father
- Literally people smoking and/or drinking whiskey in every scene (very noir/detective)
- The film is as influential as any film in post 1980’s cinema—there’s no A.I. from Spielberg without this film
- It’s a very short scene but the scene where Ford interrogates the snake-maker is shot entirely through glass with logos on it and it’s utterly stunning to look at
- The lighting of the umbrellas is so inspired—ditto with the lining of the interior of the bus
- The Joanna Cassidy broken glass slow-mo shooting/death sequence is another stunner—fake snow and reflected neon glass
- Countless beautiful, dank, dark shots of cluttered houses and apartments– and there’s always exterior light pouring in from every window—the darkness and busy disheveled mise-en scene reminds me of some of Tarkovsky’s work—JF Sebastian’s large house/set piece reminds me of it as well

the twin pairing of 1979’s Alien and 1982’s Blade Runner put Ridley Scott on a level few filmmakers or artists ever reach
most underrated: Barry Levinson’s Diner is a borderline masterpiece and cannot find a spot on the TSPDT consensus top 1000 list. That is a shame. The opening tracking shot is always overlooked whenever any film article puts together a list of the best tracking or “oner” shots. I think the film would fare better today on this all-time list if Levinson had capitalized on this film (his debut) to have a better overall career or if his ensemble cast here had gone on to be slightly more impactful career.

There was a time when it looked like Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Steve Guttenberg, Ellen Barkin, Daniel Stern and Paul Riser were all going to be household names for a long time to come.
most overrated: I enjoy Tootsie. I love the performances from Dustin Hoffman, Charles Durning, Jessica Lange and Bill Murray. I think all four actors are terrific. I also think some of the work from Pollack behind the camera is inspired (read the caption below on the telephoto lens shot). I just can’t get behind Tootsie being ranked at #511. There are far more than 511 films with greater artistic merit.

Director (and actor here in Tootsie, too) Sydney Pollack’s telephoto wideangle lens shot of Hoffman as Dorothy walking down the street is not only gorgeous and works for the film, but it serves as a great homage to perhaps the greatest wideangle walking/running shot in history which, incidentally, is also with Hoffman from The Graduate.
gems I want to spotlight: If you want one off the top 10 list check out George Roy Hill’s The World According to Garp. John Irving loyalists may have some reservations about the adaptation, but what ends up on screen works very well. I’ll also use this space to praise both Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his 1982 entry Veronka Voss– as well as lament his early passing. Fassbinder was one of the most important figures in cinema from roughly 1972 to his death at 37-years old in 1982. In that time, he made eleven (11) archiveable films and I’m still discovering and archiving more and more every year. He was incredibly prolific. I think his BDR trilogy from 1979-1982 is his best stretch of work and 1982’s Veronika Voss may be the crown jewel of the trilogy. Ending on that kind of a run makes his premature passing all the more tragic.

from Fassbinder’s Veronika Voss – Fassbinder was one of the most important figures in cinema from roughly 1972 to his death at 37-years old in 1982
trends and notables:
- 1982 is yet another major year for cinema. So, the 1970’s were wonderful—but it is a myth that cinema quality fell off in the 1980s. 1980, 1981 and 1982 are better than 1977 and 1978 for example.

1982 is an important year for both Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. They would always have Aguirre— but to add a film of FItzcarraldo’s quality to their resume changes how they’re both viewed historically.
- As mentioned previously in the gems section- Fassbinder’s passing stings the film art world in 1982. Between 1972 and 1982 there are a total of nine (9) films from Fassbinder that landed on the top 100 of the decade list- six (6) from the 1970’s, and three (3) from the 1980’s. If he had lived—it seems quite possible he would have been the greatest director of the 1980’s. 37-years old as it would turn out—is the same age Godard would be when he made Weekend and essentially ceased as an an important auteur—similar to Fassbinder.

it is tragic to think about what Fassbinder may have accomplished the rest of the 1980s- the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long or whatever the saying is certainly applies here
- With Fanny and Alexander– 1982 marks four consecutive decades where Ingmar Bergman makes one of the best films of the decade.

Bergman did not let the massive running time deter him from putting in cinematic paintings aplenty in his 1982 masterpiece

immaculate set design

and only Cries & Whispers (which puts it up there all-time) rivals Fanny and Alexander when it comes to Bergman’s extraordinary use of color
- Spielberg has staying power that goes well beyond the early 1980s- but with Raiders in 1981 and E.T. in 1982 this certainly feels like a peak

every cinephile remembers the Spielberg moon shot below from E.T.– but this dusk silhouette shot is nearly its equal

you can almost hear John Williams’ magical score just by looking at the image
- Speaking of peaks—we’re in that period here with John Carpenter from Halloween in 1978 to The Thing in 1982 where he is certainly one of the best working
- It’s worth noting that 1982 is the first Woody Allen/Mia Farrow collaboration (A Midnight Summer’s Sex Comedy). On screen, this would be one of the more fruitful auteur/muse or director/actor partnerships for the next ten years. It seems cinephiles always talk about Allen’s collaborations with Keaton, and rightly so, but the Farrow era, if you will, is just as strong.
- 1982 would give us the first archiveable film from Peter Greenaway. Greenaway was an important Hollywood/blockbuster counterpoint in the 1980s- an era best known for franchises and big movies. Barry Levinson’s debut Diner is worth noting as well. Levinson would have some big successes in the decade- The Natural (great film) and Rain Main– but he’d never really fulfill the promise of Diner.
- There are a ton of acting firsts in the archives in 1982. Robin Williams broke on the scene with the lead in The World According To Garp. Glenn Close would have a smaller role in the film but debut in my archives with that film as well. Williams and Close are two of the most important actors over the next decade. I already mentioned him above, but Bill Murray would make his archives debut in Tootsie. Though it would take about a decade to find a suitable follow-up role, Ben Kingsley would land into the archives with a big splash in his Oscar-winning performance in Gandhi. Fast Times at Ridgemont High had an incredible young ensemble (I think for years people thought Diner was the one…but no) with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nic Cage and Forest Whitaker all making their archiveable debuts. Michael Keaton had his first with Night Shift as well.
best performance male: Rutger Hauer is the best on a per-minute ratio basis, but Klaus Kinski is in virtually every frame of the 2 hour 38 minute Fitzcarraldo. Both would make fine choices for the best acting performance of the year though I’ll note that there’s nothing that beats the ending of Blade Runner with Hauer’s monologue. Jan Malmsjö plays one of cinema’s great villains as the evil zealot stepfather in Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander. Robert De Niro’s Rupert Pupkin is yet another in a long string of dangerous, complex and rich characters played by De Niro. Jerry Lewis gets a slot here as well playing against typecast (he’s understated here) and opposite De Niro. There’s a little Marathon Man-lite (the famous Olivier vs Dustin Hoffman style of acting) going on with old school Jerry Lewis against new school method De Niro—but both are superb. Kurt Russell is awesome in 1982 again in The Thing with Carpenter. Russell steers the ship—a courageous, anti-hero that exists in every decade of film history. The last spot goes to young Henry Thomas from Spielberg’s E.T.

Kinski- a mad genius…playing a mad genius

Jan Malmsjö in Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander– his Bishop Edvard Vergerus should always come up when discussing the all-time great screen villains
best performance female: It is a weak year here- I can only muster three nominees. For every rule, there is an exception, and Meryl Streep’s work in Alan Pakula’s Sophie’s Choice is one of those rare performance that has to be mentioned as one of the year’s best despite the film failing to be one of the year’s strongest films. One cannot talk about Streep’s finest work, or 1982’s finest acting, without talking about Sophie’s Choice. Rosel Zech is next here as the titular character in Fassbinder’s Veronika Voss. This category has been filled with Fassbinder’s actresses for some time now. The last slot goes to Sandra Bernhard in The King of Comedy. She is out of control–sublime- she steals every scene she’s in away from De Niro and Lewis.

Streep’s close-up confession. These are probably her finest moments on screen.

Pakula’s best work is behind him by 1982– but this is a very respectable mise-en-scene arrangement here from Sophie’s Choice

even in a year with De Niro and Kinski playing obsessed madmen, Sandra Bernhard’s Masha may take the cake in The King of Comedy as far as craziness goes. Masha stalks, she shouts, she swears, she sings– it is one of the great sub-10 minute on screen performances
top 10
- Blade Runner
- Fanny and Alexander
- Fitzcarraldo
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- Veronika Voss
- Diner
- The King of Comedy
- The Thing
- The Draughtman’s Contract
- The Verdict

from Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtman’s Contract – symmetry in the frame—which is a Greenaway trademark starts here. Even from the opening he’s obsessed with mirroring—he has two twins dressed the same down to the spot of the fake moles on their face and the mother and daughter Herbert are dressed and stylized the same . Certainly the film is crude in content and there is a very real preoccupation with sex and power games—runs throughout much of Greenaway’s work—bizarre sexuality.

Very early into the film Scorsese gets to that incredible freeze shot of Sandra’s hands on the windshield. It’s stunning- one of the best uses of the stylistic technique in cinema history. It holds throughout the entire opening credits with Ray Charles singing “I’m Going to Love You” lyrics as a horrifying satire. Obsession. The mob, flashbulb (Raging Bull, Aviator)—this is Scorsese’s view of the public.

The brilliant shot 34 minutes in. De Niro in front of a black and white audience façade

Thirty years after his best work (Park Row is 1952 and Pickup on South Street is 1953) Sam Fuller proves he is still very capable of making an elite film. White Dog ends up as the final archiveable film and last film in the US made by Fuller.
Archives, Directors, and Grades
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy – Allen | R |
An Officer and a Gentleman- Hackford | R |
Blade Runner – R. Scott | MP |
Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean – Altman | R |
Deathtrap- Lumet | R |
Diner- Levinson | MS/MP |
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Spielberg | MS/MP |
Fanny and Alexander- Bergman | MP |
Fast Times at Ridgemont High- Heckerling | R |
First Blood- Kotcheff | R |
Fitzcarraldo- Herzog | MP |
Gandhi- Attenbourogh | R |
Identification of a Woman – Antonioni | R/HR |
Missing- Costa-Gavras | R |
My Favorite Year- Benjamin | R |
National III – Berlanga | R |
Night Shift- Howard | R |
Passion – Godard | R |
Personal Best – Towne | R |
Poltergeist – Hooper | R |
Shoot the Moon- A. Parker | R |
Sophie’s Choice- Pakula | HR |
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – Meyer | R |
State of Things- Wenders | |
Tenebre- Argento | R |
The Draughtsman’s Contract– Greenaway | HR |
The King of Comedy – Scorsese | MS |
The Man From Snowy River- Miller | R |
The Thing – Carpenter | MS |
The Verdict- Lumet | HR |
The World According To Garp- Roy Hill | R |
The Year of Living Dangerously- Weir | |
Tootsie- Pollack, Hoffman | R/HR |
Veronika Voss- Fassbinder | MS/MP |
Victor/Victoria- Edwards, Andrews | R |
White Dog – Fuller | HR |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-See- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
Pink Floyd-The Wall is a masterpiece. It’s a unique film (as original as Annie Hall), visually impressive, as Alan Parker didn’t have to worry about telling a linear or ordinary story, just like Tarkovsky in The Mirror, the visual part really is impressive, unique and original, not to mention of course the soundtrack(which is just as important as Parker’s work on the film).
@Lucas Henriques – Pink Floyd is my all time favorite band, I love that album but have not yet caught the film. I look forward to checking it out.
I am curious what would you say is unique? the visuals? the story telling?
A little issue here. Veronica Voss is rated as a MS and is 5th for the year. While Diner is rated as MS/MP and is 6th for the year. And the other one is no mention for Paul Newman? That seems so harsh. The film lands in the top 10 lol.
@Malith- thank you- should be fixed now
Okay so you think ali is the best Fassbinder film. I saw veronika voss just a few days ago and what a film it is. It could be anyone’s best film without a single person’s dismay. I think (having seen only 4 of his films) that his BRD trilogy is a masterpiece in production design. It’s his forte, it seems. Maria braun seems pure him (similar to ali in PD) , lola was gorgeously Drenched in color (reminded me of, arguably my favorite film of all time umbrellas of Cherbourg) and veronika voss being b/w with that otherworldly production design. 4 films in, he’s already one of my personal favorite directors. No one does interior photography like Fassbinder and I’m a sucker for that. I’m not criticizing ali but I’ll always have entire BRD trilogy above it.
@M*A*S*H- This is great work. We’re mostly on the same page. I too, admire Fassbinder’s work, particularly in the BRD trilogy. It has been about two years since I made the Fassbinder page and I do think I would put Ali on the top if I were to update it today.
I thought Steve Carrell from The Office was the ultimate cringe humor…until I saw The King of Comedy, I think this film is big for De Niro and Scorsese just in terms of their versatility. It’s also effective as a scathing critique of Celebrity culture. Funny how De Niro would play the Jerry Lewis role in Todd Philip’s Joker 37 years later.
Just letting you know you can’t see the grades on the mobile/cell phone version of the site
@Jagman- you just have to rotate your phone and you’ll see the grades.
Thanks for the tip 🙂
After my 1st viewing of fanny & Alexander miniseries (I’ve seen the movie version before), I have few unpopular opinions to share. I literally got into a fight with one of my friends about one of these. Would love to get your opinions @Drake on these points.
1. An enormous masterpiece no doubt but I still need more time before I confidently call it a top 100.
2. I’m not a fan of Bertil Guve as Alexander in the movie.
3. This time I really appreciated Ewa fröling. I don’t think she’s Farrow in Rosemary but F&A won’t work without her fragility and increasing fear& desperation.
@M*A*S*H – Thank you for sharing this. It has been years so what do you think of the miniseries version vs. the movie version? Haha what was the fight about? These three points?
1. I do have it just outside of my top 100 the last time I updated my big list (http://thecinemaarchives.com/2019/04/10/the-best-500-films-of-all-time/) in 2019 but it is at #124 and it may go up next time- we’d be splitting hairs on top 100 vs. not here.
as for 2 and 3– I don’t remember thinking that poorly of Bertil Guve or that highly of Ewa fröling so I’m not sure I can help much. I like your point about Ewa fröling’s fragility– that’s good work- thanks for sharing that.
@Drake- It’s kinda interesting, out of 3 Bergman movies that are also miniseries (F&A, scenes from a marriage and face 2 face) I prefer miniseries versions of both F&A and scenes (the movie doesn’t do justice to the beauty of F&A and exploration of scenes frm a marriage) and I do prefer movie version of face to face.
Fight was about Bertil Guve. He thought Guve was extraordinary. I was like “he’s convincing not extraordinary”.
Kinda agree with fröling but I’ve always felt her character was straight forward &one dimensional but this time I was more appreciative.
Not as unpopular opinion as I thought… That Swedish film n theater legend Gunn Wållgren as grandma Helena in fanny &Alexander is exceptionally good.
Especially in that monologue with Isack, she kills it. In almost every review I read she was singled out and Ingmar bergman himself called her to be the best part of the movie (probable reason of her huge screen time in the movie).
The role was written 4 Ingrid bergman.
Considering that the film got nominated & won in almost every category it deserved to at the Oscars, I think both Malmsjö & Wållgren deserved supporting actor and actress nominations. Unfortunately for Malmsjö ,Hauer gives the best supporting performance of the year (probably of all time) but Wållgren takes it -hahaha.
What are your thoughts @Drake? And sorry 4 constantly troubling u with comments 🤦♂️🙇🙇
@M*A*S*H- You certainly aren’t troubling me- I love the chatter. Some of this I might have think on a little– I will say that Gunn Wållgren is so good she does not make me wish for Ingrid Bergman in the role, which is about as good a compliment as you can have I think.
A question if I may, what cut of Blade Runner is it that you consider the best? I have not watched any of them, but from your excellent post I know that want to watch Blade Runner so I am wondering which version I should watch.
@Windhover- Thanks for the comment and for visiting the site. Blade Runner Final Cut
Thank you!
Drake,
Have you seen or heard of Boat People from Ann Hui?
I saw it on this list of 100 greatest Hong Kong Films
https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/film/best-hong-kong-movies
@James Trapp-Boat People is getting released by the Criterion Collection on February 22, 2022.
@Malith – yeah, that is why I brought it up, I noticed it on the upcoming Criterion Collection releases and remembered seeing it on the list I posted above ranked really high. Of course this is just one list but it still jumped out at me.
@James Trapp- Nope, not on my radar
Curious if anyone is familiar with Chan is Missing, it’s a 1982 independent film being released by Criterion in May? It is labeled as a comedy drama with mystery elements, my kind of film😃
@James Trapp- Not on my radar- good stuff on rotten tomatoes though.
I mentioned this film above, but I finally got the chance to watch Ann Hui’s Boat People (1982) and was quite impressed. It follows a photojournalist in postwar Vietman in the 70s. It has elements of Italian neorealism mixed with a political drama. Most importantly however is the gorgeous photography and excellent camera movement, capturing the journalist’s surrondings. Apparently it was quite controversial upon its initial release for a variety of political reasons but none of that impacts the viewing experience. A young Andy Lau makes an apperance with a small role, according to IMDB the 2nd film credit of his career.
I would say HR/MS
@James Trapp- Thanks for sharing James. I love how you clip right along. What’s your pace? How many films are you able to get to in a week/month?
@Drake – thanks, I started tracking and grading films about 3 years ago, I took a look it seems that I’ve seen about 600-650 movies in the last 3 years but that does not count rewatches of films. I just update my grade with my most recent viewing. There’s also a few lighter (less serious) movies I don’t even put on the list although not that many.
For the past several months I have probably been averaging 30-35 movies per month so about 1 per day and that includes both new movies and rewatches. I do like the director study approach although I still am watching other films as well during the studies.
@James Trapp- Very cool- thanks for sharing this.
I mentioned this film on this page in an above post, just watched the Criterion Blu Ray
Chan is Missing (1982) Wayne Wong
Notes:
Black and white with boxy aspect ratio
Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown
Starts with cab driver driving through the streets, windshield is partially obstructed, driver is Jo (Wood Moy)
Jo, Jo’s nephew Steve (Marc Hayashi) and Amy (Laureen Chew) sitting around kitchen table talking about food and other subjects
Internal narration used throughout the film
A lot of discussion about Chinese culture vs Chinese American culture, especially regarding food and language
8 min, close ups on faces, intimate world
I like the choice of the boxier aspect ratio, the film takes place in a tight knit community
21 min interesting tunnel of car driving through tunnel
21:28 interesting shot of cab with half the windshield whited out
25:44 Club Paradise Hotel St. Paul sign
33 min lighting through window partially obscures image
47:10 great shot of Chinatown followed by a short montage
48 min Charlie Chan references
58 min back and forth arguments between Jo and Steve about Chan and cultural issues, loyalty to friends, etc.
1:01:30 Jo and Steve are drinking Budweiser’s at the same place they were near the beginning of the film
1:03:16 Chan’s daughter pays the money he owes to Jo and Steve
1:08:05 dissolve edit of water to Jo drinking at restaurant
1:11:20 similar shot to opening scene with the cab’s windshield partially obscured
Thoughts:
Some similarities to Jarmusch (2 years before Stranger than Paradise) with the low-key drama and emphasis on the mundane
The eponymous Chan indirectly drives the narrative forward without being present
Cultural Identity for Chinese Americans and cultural identity in general is the film’s true subject not whether or not they actually locate Chan
One weakness of this film is it violates the golden rule of Cinema “show don’t tell” a couple of times, there is an especially egregious example near the end of the film. This problem withstanding I thought this was terrific, it was fresh. I have not seen anything quite like it before.
A lean 75 min, will definitely do a rewatch soon
Verdict: HR (could go up)
@Drake- 2 questions
Is there a German version of Fitzcarraldo as well? If yes, then which one do you prefer?
I’ve seen the English version and in that the lips of the actors moved as of they were speaking English itself so this means that the movie is in English. But is there a German dubbed version?
I’ve also seen Nosferatu the Vampyre in English as it was available on YouTube. Which one do you prefer for that as well English or German (ik there’s a German version of Nosferatu , it was shot twice)?
@MASH – All of the Herzog and Kinski films have both English and German language versions. As an admirer of these films I recommended German for all of them except I use English for Nosferatu iirc
@Harry- but in Fitzcarraldo the lips of the actors moved as if they were speaking English- it was shot in English. So wasn’t that a bother to you in the German dub version.