Whilst watching the top 250 films as recommended by IMDB, I soon came to realise the fan base that some
actors/directors seem to generate.
Alfred Hitchcock dominates the directorial front with 8 of his films ranking in the top 200. I have watched all of these now and although very
formulaic they are entertaining films, has Hitchcock fandom skewed the
results and pushed these higher in the rankings than justly deserved?
Chaplin
is my biggest gripe. After trawling
through 6 terrible films of the late actor/director I can only deduce that the
people voting are the fans of Chaplin who will not give a
score less than 9 out of 10. This has a
direct impact on the top 250 ranks as they are only receiving positive votes as
no-one else can be bothered watching them but the hard core fans. Some people may say that Chaplin moved the
slapstick comedy era of films forward and into the limelight. However Chaplin’s “The Kid", his first major film, was released in 1921, eight years later he
released "City Lights" which is one of the highest ranked Chaplin
films in the IMDB 250 list. Earlier that year “Horse Feathers” was released by
the Marx Brothers. So one could also argue that the success of the
slapstick that the Marx Brothers brought to the Silver Screen further launched
the career of Charlie who refused to enter the talkie era for another 20 years!
With other examples of fan based voting within the top 250 list
such as Billy Wilder, Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki and Sergio Leone I
wondered whether it is actually possible to have an opinion on a film to review
it objectively without a “Fan Boy” bias
I think that my brother had a massive influence on me as a
youngster as he always liked to watch films and discuss and I was always keen
to follow in his ways. Fond memories
like the first time we watched Predator and I had nightmares for months, but
would not tell my mum why as this may stop Film Club. Watching Aliens outside the front room window
of my Uncle’s house, with Gill, trying to workout what was happening without
dialog, or even going to the cinema with George during the school holidays to
watch Disney classics. Years later, I
remember sharing my love for films with my cousin James, making him watch
Predator one afternoon at Nanna’s.
Unfortunately, he did not respect the film club code and his nightmares
caused his mum to have serious words with me about my film choices.
It was with my brother and cousin Gill that I first experienced
“Star Wars”, a tale of good vs evil, the oppressed rallying against the evil
empire. Star Wars captured my
imagination and the merchandise released with this fueled this passion
further. (Even if I did sell all our figures at a car boot sale years later).
This passion has remained with me from the first viewing and every subsequent view, but my love for films has also increased. Great new directors and actors have paved the
way for new genres and fantastic worlds.
I watch films because I enjoy watching films. I have watched some terrible films but enjoyed watching them nevertheless.
So, going back to my original question, does fan bias voting have an impact on your perception?
Does the original Star Wars Trilogy belong in the IMDB top 250 films?
Yes, based on the impact they have had within cinematic history.
Yes, based on the impact they have had within cinematic history.
Are A New Hope, Empire and Jedi a collection of films that can
fuel minds with excitement and passion creating a massive fan base?
Yes.
Yes.
Are they greatest films ever?
No.
No.
My scores on IMDB for the three films are 7/10, 8/10 and 6/10
respectively. I reviewed these based on
what I consider a 10/10 film and how they relate to this. I did not just simply put them as 10 out of
10 because I am a “Fan Boy”, like, I believe, most of the reviewers on IMDB have
done.
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