Preparation for A-Level Film Studies:

First and foremost a knowledge of film is needed for this course, often in lessons, teachers will

reference films other than the ones being studied. Ideally you should be watching films regularly,

not just the big mainstream films, but also a range of films both old and new.

We have put together a list of highly useful films to have watched. We recommend you begin

watching some these, as and where you can. There are also a great many online lists of ‘greatest

films of all time’, which are worth looking through.

Citizen Kane: Orson Welles 1941

Arguably the greatest film ever made and often features at the top of film critic and film

historian lists. Welles is also regarded as one the greatest filmmakers and in this film: he

directed, wrote and starred. It pioneered numerous film making techniques and is oft

parodied, it is one of the best.

It’s a Wonderful Life: Frank Capra, 1946

One of my personal favourite films and one I watch every Christmas. It’s a Wonderful Life is

another film which often appears high on lists of greatest films, it is a genuinely happy and

uplifting film without being too sweet. James Stewart is one of the best actors of his

generation and this is one of his strongest performances.

Casablanca: Michael Curtiz, 1942

This is a masterclass in storytelling, staring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. It

probably has some of the most memorable lines of dialogue for its time including, ‘here’s

looking at you’ and ‘of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine’.

A true classic of its time.

Rear Window: Alfred Hitchcock, 1954

Another James Stewart starrer, here he works alongside one of the most famous directors in

history, Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock was dubbed the master of suspense and this seemingly

calm film quickly takes a turn for the worse. Rear Window makes fantastic use of its space

and holds two excellent performances at its heart. It also has one of the finest Simpson’s

parodies of all time.

Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock, 1960

Another Hitchcock film, this is perhaps his most iconic. It spawned a number of sequels, a

terrible remake, influenced other films and has a TV series, this is a hugely influential film.

Psycho has one of the biggest twists in cinema and gave way to an entire subgenre of

‘slasher’ horror.

The Birds: Alfred Hitchcock, 1963

The Birds is either one of the scariest or the funniest horror films of all time. Another

Hitchcock film, this has not aged as well as Psycho has, but despite this it has some

extraordinary sequences: the school playground for example is a wonderful piece of cinema.

Prometheus: Ridley Scott, 2012

Prometheus is a fascinating film, deeply flawed and yet highly intriguing. The film offers a

variety of philosophical themes and beautiful film aesthetics at points, yet narratively there

are issues. This is a great film to discuss and debate, as it really is equally strong and

problematic.

Gladiator: Ridley Scott, 2000

Gladiator is another Ridley Scott film, highly received at its release and justifiably so. The

opening sequence alone is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking and all actual sets, no CGI.

The recreation of ancient Rome is another visual feat and essentially contributes further to

Scott’s position as an artist of the filmmaking world.

Blade Runner 2049: Denis Vileneuve, 2017

One of your set films at A-Level is Blade Runner (1982), this is its belated sequel and adds

some very interesting ideas to the world. The film again is a highly visual one, with very

impressive sets and effects throughout

Metropolis: Fritz Lang, 1927

Metropolis is a seminal work from early German cinema. One of the first feature length

science fiction films, this film shows a dystopian world with AI capabilities. The film is a

strong example of the German Expressionism movement, and a good introduction into the

style.

Hero: Zhang Yimou, 2002

An excellent example of a wuxia film. This was seen by Quentin Tarrantino and he loved it

so much he approached American distributors himself to try and get people outside of China

to see this film. The film shows a fictional version of the first emperor of China Qin Shi

Huang, and shows both a positive, national representation alongside numerous criticisms.

Also features amazing martial arts and impeccable use of colour aesthetics.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Ang Lee, 2001

The world’s first mainstream wuxia film. This was Oscar nominated both for Best Picture

and Best Director upon its release. It also features some extraordinary martial arts and

examines the role of teacher and student and the impact this can have on a person’s

ideology. There’s an argument to say that without this film, Chinese cinema would not have

the prestige it does.

The Great Wall: Zhang Yimou, 2017

A strange merger of Chinese and American production companies, this film shows a fantasy

action film in which the Great Wall of China was built to keep out monsters. A strange

premise, but an entertaining adventure, this film however, is perhaps best for its production

background and being the first of its kind, but I’m sure not the last.

The Devil’s Backbone: Guillermo Del Toro, 2001

Del Toro is now an Oscar winning director for his work on The Shape of Water, but this is

one of his earlier Spanish language films. It is at its heart it is a ghost story; however, being

set in the Spanish Civil War offers a much greater depth to this.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army: Guillermo Del Toro, 2008

This may not be the best film ever made, but the creature design, animatronic work and

performance work are highly impressive. Del Toro frequently works with Doug Jones, a

strong actor most often seen behind make up and creature effects. Jones plays Abe Sapien,

the chamberlain and the angel of death here.

Star Wars: A New Hope: George Lucas, 1977

Probably one of the most well-known franchises of all time and in 1977 this was a huge

success. Lucas took influence from all over the place, with Jedi supposedly based on

Japanese Samurai with Akira Kurusawa a big influence here. The other major influence is

Joseph Conrad’s ‘The Hero’s Journey’, a strong overview of narrative structure and content

which Lucas has stated frequently was a huge guide as he wrote the script.

Toy Story: John Lassater, 1995

The first ever feature length CGI animated film and a huge influence on future animation.

Now aside from in Japan, the vast majority of animated films are computer animated rather

than hand drawn, and if Toy Story were not a huge success this would never have happened.

As well as being ground breaking in style it is of course also a strong narrative and features

excellent characters.

2001: A Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, 1968

Kubrick is possibly one of the best filmmakers of all time; he was a notorious perfectionist

with films running over shoot time in almost every occasion. This is arguably his best and

most accomplished film. The opening sequence is one of the most discussed moments in

cinema and hugely influential.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark: Steven Spielberg, 1981

Indiana Jones is the creation of two of Hollywood’s most successful directors: George Lucas

on writing and Steven Spielberg on directing. The first film is arguably the strongest,

although this is subjective, with moments such as the swordsman vs. Jones, the opening

boulder chase and the final moments with the ark filed away forever all being some of the

most iconic in film history.

Jaws: Steven Spielberg, 1975

The first ever blockbuster, Jaws was a huge summer event movie which became the talk of

the 70s. Famously the Shark puppet kept on failing throughout the film, meaning they kept

being unable to use it in the scenes. This led to the puppet only really coming into play in

the last scenes, which is now seen as a huge strength, fear of the unknown rather showing

us the monster too soon.

Singing in the Rain: Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, 1952

One of the greatest musicals of all time and hugely influential. Songs such as ‘Good

morning’ and the titular ‘singing in the rain’; are well remembered and catchy. The film has

had a big impact on many filmmakers, Damien Chazelle for example has put about four

different references into La La Land alone.

Senna: Asif Kapadia, 2010

A documentary about the F1 racing driver Ayrton Senna looking at his career and the

tragedy of his death during a crash in the 1994 San Marino grand prix. This is an extremely

well-constructed documentary with no prior interest or knowledge of formula 1 racing

needed. Touching and powerful.

The General: Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman, 1926

Buster Keaton was a master of the silent comedy movement, and this is perhaps his best

known film. The work is named after a steam engine Keaton rides. All stunt work and

performances were actually filmed, no trickery, do not try this at home.

City Lights: Charlie Chaplin, 1931

Charlie Chaplin is the other major player in silent comedy. City Lights at times feels like a

series of sketches rather than a feature length film, and yet Chaplin’s performance often

means you don’t mind this. His character is endearing and engaging and the last sequence

with the flower seller is a beautiful piece of emotive cinema.

Double Indemnity: Billy Wilder, 1944

Double Indemnity is a classic Film Noir, the genre of mystery, fully of moral ambiguity. Here

the setup is classic: an insurance man pulled into a world of murder and lies by a beautiful

femme fatale. Wilder considers the film his best work, which when you look at his

filmography, is high praise indeed.

The Prestige: Christopher Nolan, 2006

Christopher Nolan’s most underrated film. This is a world of magicians and red herrings, two

rival magicians constantly seek ways of one upping one another and attempting to work out

‘the transported man’ trick both seem to have perfected in different ways. This is a

wonderful film for looking at misleading your audience.

Lord of the Rings: Trilogy: Peter Jackson, 2001-2003

As far as adaptations go, this is impressive. Tolkien’s original story is epic and masterful, yet

here Peter Jackson seems skilled in thinning and embellishing in all the right places. This is a

very strong trilogy of films and far better than the Hobbit.

Tasks:

It is great to watch these, but better if you can do something with them after watching. We suggest

the following:

1. Talk about it with someone, not just whether you liked it not, but what specifically you liked

about it, referencing film form, narrative etc.

2. Research into the film. Online offers a lot of opportunities to read up on what other people

had to say about the film and read up on the meanings, contexts etc.

3. Write on the film. Write some analysis on film form or ideologies etc. drawing attention to

key details and meanings.

4. Make a blog, podcast or vlog. Writing about the film and publishing that or if you prefer,

keeping it offline; this would give you the chance to test your practical abilities as well as

your analytical abilities.