Vertigo

Often I think that a lot of people get the terms "best of all time" and "my favorite of all time" mixed up. The two terms are not one and the same. Yet, it is difficult to surmise a "best film of all time" without a bit of subjectivity. It is like trying to come up with the "best album of all time." One could make many points in favor of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band by The Beatles, due to its songwriting, production, cover art, and musical influence, but musical taste is an extremely personal thing, but there will always be people who just can't stand the Beatles and would scoff at the idea. I know many people who would say that they agree that Sgt. Pepper's is the best Beatles album, but not their favorite one. I would say that Vertigo is probably not at the top of most people's lists of favorite movies. It is extremely hard to compare it to a film of today, the world is so different in so many ways. What is still apparent to the modern day viewer is the high level of craft in the making of this film; it has the most artfully amazing yet subtle cinematography. The film was also responsible for Hitchcock being thought of as an artist rather than an entertainer. So, to tie this back to the question, I wouldn't put this on my list of favorite films, but I wouldn't hesitate to put it on the list of best films. I can't comment on whether it is deserving of the top spot though, as I haven't seen most of the movies in this list.

Detour

In the film Detour, the main character Al could be considered both a hero and an anti-hero. From the very beginning it is obvious that he is the protagonist- he gets spotlights to the face and we can hear his internal monologue. The viewer wants him to do well in life, to be successful, to get the girl, partly just because he looks so sad all the time. But we know that none of these things will come to be. Al will get caught up with circumstances beyond his control and will be doomed to escape what people will perceive him as, although this in itself makes him a criminal. In order to be the hero, he has to play the anti-hero a little bit. Sadly for him, this alter-ego begins to consume him the deeper he gets involved in the plot and with Vera. By the end of the film when he accidentally murders Vera, the viewer begins to feel less sorry for him, as we have seen him degrade and become more and more anti-heroish. Still though, we are reminded of the life he had before and in the final scene when he is arrested, we feel sad that it had to go down this way. It couldn't have been avoided, the world was going to get him no matter what.

Freaks

It is extremely difficult to say that Freaks  is either a defense of equality or a demonization of difference. One could make a strongly supported argument for both sides. I believe however that the film is more in favor of equality (excluding the final horror scene). Throughout the film, it is the "freaks" who are relatable and sympathetic and it is the "normal" people who are the most monstrous. While at the time, people may have viewed those with disabilities as cursed or unwanted, we now know that they do not have the option of choosing their disability and in fact many of them have very strong skills from having to adapt to a world that wasn't made for them. The evil ones in this film are those who choose to exploit the ones that don't have a chance, the ones who make fun of those who can't choose. Perhaps this also means that the American public is just as evil as the characters in the film. They were horrified at seeing these people on the screen, although the traveling freak show was still around. They had no problem seeing it in person, but seeing it on screen made people very very uncomfortable. Even viewing the "freaks" with sympathy is harmful in a way, as it perpetuates the stigma that they are less than human, that they are not as good as normal people. One thing that many people at the time did not consider is how the actual performers feel about this portrayal. Obviously they consented to it, although with some it is questionable as to whether they truly had the judgment to consent to it at all. Regardless, this movie is unique and there will never be another like it, for better or for worse.

Sherlock Jr.

When I was watching this movie, the first thing that struck me is how well it has withstood the test of time. I have seen movies from the past 15 years that have aged worse than this one. I have never really watched an entire silent film before, but I found it much more tasteful than a lot of contemporary Hollywood comedy blockbusters. Modern comedies seem sometimes like you're just watching beautiful people sit and talk to each other, there's not much action and the bulk of the laughs come from the dialogue. By contrast, this film was much more eloquent. Since they didn't have the technology to record and playback sound at this time, the actors naturally had to be much more emotionally expressive and direct with their actions, in order to convey the plot to the audience in a purely visual way. Due to this, much of the humor of Sherlock Jr. comes from sight gags. There's some very clever editing in this film, such as the scene where it looks as if Keaton is running on top of a train, the scene where he jumps straight through a vaudeville performer, and the scene where he is abandoned atop a set of handlebars. There aren't many directors these days that rely on these practical, non computer generated visual effects. Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson are two that I can think of, they both use practical effects to cultivate their aesthetic and make their shots seem more authentic. I would agree that the effect is definitely worth the extra time, money, and effort that is required to execute filmmaking in this way.