To choose a favourite film to take with you if you happened to be stranded alone on a desert island, is a ridiculous premise for a couple of reasons.

Firstly you would need a generator or solar power, a DVD player and a screen and secondly how on earth can you choose just one film?

I’m no movie academic but I was having this discussion with my partner Lynda and started to write down a list in the following categories.

Obsession – Viewed 20+ times

Revered  – 10+ times

Adored – 5+times

 

OBSESSION

  • Taxi Driver (1976)
  • This is Spinal Tap (1984)
  • Withnail & I (1987)

REVERED

  • Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
  • Goodfellas (1990)
  • Life of Brian (1979)
  • Secrets and Lies (1996)
  • Don’s Party (1976)
  • Deer Hunter (1978)
  • Cool Hand Luke (1967)
  • The Shining (1980)
  • The Boys (1998)
  • One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
  • When We Were Kings Doco (1997)

ADORED

  • Fargo (1996)
  • Bull Durham (1988)
  • Man With Two Brains (1983)
  • Death in Brunswick (1990)
  • Full Metal Jacket (1987)
  • Pulp Fiction (1994)
  • Man on Wire Doco (2008)
  • American, The Bill Hicks Story Doco (2010)
  • Best in Show (2000)
  • Gallipoli (1981)
  • Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
  • Sunday Too Far Away (1975)
  • The Other Guys (2010)
  • Slapshot (1977)
  • Wake in Fright (1971)
  • Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
  • No Country For Old Men (2007)
  • The Story of Anvil doco (2008)
  • Sexy Beast (2000)
  • Reservoir Dogs (1992)
  • Raising Arizona (1987)

This is a personal choice and by no means a panacea for when you’re next stuck on a desert island, but it was an interesting look back on the films that I’ve watched many times over and never seemed to get tired of.

Separating the hundreds of excellent films you’ve seen from the cherished ones is extremely difficult. As to the ‘why’ of these choices, I could bore you to death with the reasons so I won’t.

The fact is, that there are brilliant films that only need to be seen once but there are others that make you feel great regardless of your intimate knowledge of it.

I hope this provokes a discussion as colourful as the one we had in our household!