CINEMANIA:

All That Jazz (USA, 1979, Bob Fosse)

"It's showtime!"

Bob Fosse's not-so-thinly veiled autobiographical film is a viciously honest portrayal of the central character, Joe Gideon, a brilliant but deeply troubled and self-absorbed director/choreographer who has ongoing problems with drugs, alcohol, and fidelity. Fosse borrows liberally from the style and intent of Frederico Fellini (8 1/2's navel gazing in particular) but makes the film distinctly his own as well. Indeed, All That Jazz is a speed freak of a movie, flying by at breakneck pace, then screeching to a halt so the protagonist can indulge in some serious ruminations on death.

The Great Dictator (USA, 1940, Charlie Chaplin)

After a five-year absence from movies, Charles Chaplin took on a dual role in his first full-length talking feature, famous for its comic attack on Nazi Germany (and Adolf Hitler, or "Hynkel" as he is known in the film, in particular).

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (USA, 1948, John Huston)

Loosely based on the Biblical parable of the thieves and the "Pardoner's Tale" in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, John Huston's morality tale is one of the great cinematic proofs of the Biblical adage radix malorum est cupitidas, or, the root of evil is the love of money. Fred C.

Breaking Away (USA, 1979, Peter Yates)

A Midwest American college town in the 1970s is the setting for Peter Yates' coming-of-age tale about four working-class teens who are trying to escape their parents' working class fates. As high school ends, these four young men must determine what do do with their lives, and the lad's options and decisions control the film's narrative.

To Kill a Mockingbird (USA, 1961, Robert Mulligan)

Harper Lee's autobiographical novel marked a striking debut by a promising writer. Lee won the Pulizer Prize, and saw her novel translated to the silver screen by producer Alan Pakula and director Robert Mulligan only a few short years after that. Lee has yet to follow-up on her debut effort, yet the novel and cinematic treatment have both rightfully taken their place of pride in American culture.

Dracula (USA, 1931, Tod Browning)

Tod Browning's Dracula (1931) has made the most lasting impression of all versions of the Bram Stoker classic, although it was neither the first version (there were numerous silent-movie vampire tales) nor, for many viewers, the best version (many aficionados cite F.W. Murnau's 1922 Nosferatu). There are, however, at least three reasons for the film's lasting importance.