Rajesh Khanna made significant contribution in bollywood films in the 70s and most of his films are still remembered for strong storybase and good music. He impressed the viewers with his performance in the film Aradhana, opposite Sharmila Tagore, in 1969, which was directed by Shakti Samanta. The songs composed by SD Burman and sung by Kishore including “roop tera mastana”, and Rafi “gunguna rahi hai bhwar” became everlasting hits.
Rajesh Khanna acted in films having realistic stories like Khamoshi, which was the hindi adaptation of Suchitra Sen’s legendary film Deep Jele Jai, where he was insane and had been cured by Wahida Rehman by pretending to be his better half. His film Anand, directed Hrishikesh Mukherjee, also had a unique story, where the cancer patient is being treated by Big B, and the person knowing that he is not going to survive for a long period, makes everyone laugh and entertains the patients and doctors in the medical centre. Salil Chowdhury had provide immortal tunes like “kahi door jab din dhal jaye” and “maine tere liye hi saat rang ke sapne chune” sung by Mukesh, and “zindagi kaisi hai paheli” sung by Manna Dey, and the songs contributed to the immense success of the film.
His film Bawarchi, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee was the hindi adaptation of Tapan Sinha’s film “golpo holeo satti”, where he acted as the cook in the house who taught the members of the house to be hardworking and help each other for the successful running of the joint family. His film Safar, was the hindi adaptation of Arundhuti Debi’s film Chalachal, where he is the painter who has an affair with Sharmila Tagore. The songs in the film composed by Kalyanji Anandji including “zindagi ka safar”, sung by Kishore Kumarhad touched the hearts of filmlovers.
His film Amarprem, was the hindi adaptation of Uttamkumar’s film Nishipadda, where he was sympathetic towards a tawaif played bySharmila Tagore, who had to accept the trade due to social circumstances. The songs composed by RD Burman and sung byKishore Kumar including “chingari koi bharke”, “kuch to log kahenge”, have not lost their appeal, and are sung by contestants in the musical competition titled “K for Kishore” in TV channels these days. In fact RD Burman, Laxmikant Pyarellal and Kishore Kumar had a major contribution in the success of Rajesh Khanna’s films. His films like Roti, Aap ki kasam, Aan milo sajna, Kati Patang, Hathi Mere Saathi, have become everlasting hits and are seen even today, by the present generation when shown in different TV channels.
Abhishek Bacchan, the son of Big B, had shown a lot of promise in the films he had acted till date. His first film Refugee, oppositeKareena Kapoor, was well appreciated by the filmlovers for its innovative storyline. He showed all the skills required for being a fine actor, in his first appearance in the film Refugee.
He played the role of a refugee who had helped the citizens of both the countries India and Pakistan to cross the border and travel to the other country whenever they wanted to meet their relatives in the respective countries. The film had a very unique message, that the landscape, way of living, language and culture of both parts are the same, yet the line of control had created a barrier of though and hostile relationship between the citizens of both the countries. Abhishek gave adequate lips in the songs composed by Anu Malik and sung by Sonu Nigam, including “panchi nadiya pawan ke jhoke”, “mere humsafar”, etc.
He made a lasting impression in the minds of the viewers with his performance in the film Bunty aur Babli, opposite Rani Mukherjee. He had cheated different persons in the film along with his wife, and the police also could not track his misdeeds. At the end of the film Big B, arrested him as he could think in the same way. The songs in the film were big hits like “dharak dharak”, “kajra re”, etc.Aiswariya Rai, also performed in an item number and created a significant impact.
His other notable films include Yuva, where he balanced the strong performance of Rani Mukherjee, with his own acting. The film was shot in Kolkata, and he adapted to the storyline. He was also sublime in the film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, along with Shahrukh Khan, Big B, Rani Mukherjee and Preety Zinta. He had the big task of proving before the audience that he never imitated his father and mother (Jaya Bacchan) and displayed his own style of acting.
His performance in the film Guru, Umrao Jaan, opposite Aiswariya Rai, showed his own style of dialogue throwing. With notable performances in the films Dhoom 2, Sarkar, Abhishek had shown that he is a promising actor, and if he gets good script, he has the capability of providing realistic performances. The viewers expect strong performance from him in the years to come.
Baraka (1992)
Devils On the Doorstep (2000), China, bw
The Hurt Locker (2009)
Junebug (2005)
The Kite Runner (2007)
The Namesake (2006)
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)
The Promise (2005) China
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002), Australia
Red Cliff (2008) China
Rendition (2007)
The Triplets of Belleville (2003) France-Belgium-Can.-UK
Together (2002) China
Under the Sun (1998), Sweden
United 93 (2006)
Up (2009)
Up In the Air (2009)
We of the Never Never (1982) Australia
Where In the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (2008)
Among those we chose not to review, The Hangover was the most disappointing; hardly a laugh, it's baffling to think that films like that can make so much money and thus perpetuate the trend.
The best of these: Baraka, Devils on the Doorstep, Hurt Locker, The Namesake, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Together, Triplets of Belleville, Under the Sun, United 93
[Republished for Jewish Heritage Month, for my Jewish friends; personally, I lean more toward Taoism and Buddhism myself.. non-judgment, non-killing, no invisible man in the sky]
These are all the holocaust films I found in my research, both ranked and unranked. I'm sure I've missed some, and some are borderline,see the note below the list. Many of these will not be for children, and some are definitely not for the squeamish, as this is about as horrifying as mankind can become.
RANKED1. Schindler's List [Spielberg, 1993] #27 [photo top]
2. Shoah [Lanzmann, 1985] #119
3. Salo [Pasolini, 1975] #240
4. Army of Shadows [Melville, 1969] #296
5. Triumph of the Will [Riefenstahl, 1935] #455
6. Night and Fog [Resnais, 1955] #457
7. Life is Beautiful [Begnini, 1997] #495
8. Come and See [Klimov, 1985] #559
9. Hitler: A Film from Germany [Syberberg, 1977] #857
10. Au Revoir Les Enfants [Malle, 1987] #1083
Ironically, Oskar Schindler was a failed capitalist who saw an opportunity to succeed with cheap Jewish labor in WW2, and only later developed a conscience. Shoah is absolutely gut-wrenching, interviews with survivors from both sides, and not for the squamish; it has some horrifying descriptions, but is a 9 1/2 hr masterpiece of devotion to a cause. Triumph of the Will doesn't deal with the holocaust directly, but one can see the roots develop in this brilliant piece of propaganda filmmaking. Army of Shadows is an engrossing film of the French underground, based on a true story. Come and See is a harrowing Russian film of the Nazi invasion of Belorus, a defenseless agrarian region of small villages.
UNRANKED1. A Generation Apart [1984]
2. A Secret [2007]
3. Adam Resurrected [2008]
4. All My Loved Ones [2000]
5. America and the Holocaust [1994]
6. Angry Harvest [1985]
7. Anne Frank Remembered [1995]
8. Anne Frank: The Life of a Young Girl []
9. Anne Frank: The Whole Story [2001]
10. Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State [2005]
11. Autumn Hearts: A New Beginning [2007]
12. Billy Graham: The Hiding Place [1975]
13. Bonhoeffer [2003]
14. Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace [2000]
15. Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The [2008]
16. Boys From Brazil, The [1978]
17. Century of Simon Wiesenthal, The [1994]
18. Charlotte Gray [2001]
19. Children of Chabannes, The [1999]
20. Civilization and the Jews [1984]
21. Conspiracy [2001]
22. Counterfeiters, The [2007]
23. Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, The [2009]
24. Dear Mr. Waldman [2006]
25. Defamation [2008]
26. Defiance [2008]
27. Devil's Arithmatic, The [1999]
28. Diary of Anne Frank, The [1959]
29. Diplomats for the Damned [2008]
30. Drancy Avenir [1997]
31. Edges of the Lord [2001]
32. Ever Again [2006]
33. Everything Is Illuminated [2005]
34. Fate Did Not Let Me Go [2003]
35. Fateless [2005]
36. Forgiving Dr. Mengele [2006]
37. Frontline: Shtetl [1996]
38. Fugitive Pieces [2007]
39. Garden of the Finzi-Continis, The [1970]
40. God On Trial [2008]
41. Good Evening Mr. Wallenberg [1990]
42. Goodnight, Mister Tom [1998]
43. Hidden Child, The [2007]
44. Hidden Heroes [1999]
45. Hiding Place, The [1975]
46. Holocaust: Dachau and Sachsenhausen [2005]
47. Holocaust: Ravensbruck and Buchenwald [2006]
48. Holocaust: The Liberation of Auschwitz [2005]
49. Holocaust: The Liberation of Majdanek [2006]
50. Holocaust: Theresienstadt [2005]
51. I Have Never Forgotten You [2006]
52. I'm Still Here [2008]
53. Imaginary Witness [2004]
54. Incident at Vichy [2002]
55. Inheritance [2006]
56. Into the Arms of Strangers [2000]
57. Jacob the Liar [1975]
58. Jakob the Liar [1999]
59. Last Days, The [1998]
60. Left Luggage [1998]
61. Lies and Whispers [1998]
62. Long Way Home, The [1997]
63. Making Choices [1005]
64. Man in the Glass Booth, The [1975]
65. Massacre in Rome [1973]
66. Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz [1995]
67. Memory Thief, The [2007]
68. Miracle at Midnight [1998]
69. Miriam [2006]
70. My Heart is Mine Alone [1997]
71. Nazi Officer's Wife, The [2003]
72. Ninth Day, The [2004]
73. November Moon [1984]
74. Pawnbroker, The [1965]
75. Rape of Europa, The [2007]
76. Reader, The [2008]
77. Rose Garden, The [1989]
78. Rotation [1949]
79. Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Rescuers[2003]
80. Secrets of the Dead: Escape from Auschwitz [2008]
81. Shadows in Paradise: Hitler's Exiles [2008]
82. Shop on Main Street, The [1965]
83. Sophie Scholl: The Final Days [2005]
84. Sophie's Choice [1982]
85. Steal a Pencil for Me [2007]
86. Triumph of the Spirit [1989]
87. Verdict on Auschwitz [1993]
88. Voyages [1999]
89. Watermarks [2005]
90. Who Betrayed Anne Frank? [1998]
Of this list, I would definitely rank the films Garden of the Finzi-Continisand The Shop on Main St., also the Oscar-winning The Counterfeiters.
Note: Other films may belong here, some of these may not. I thought about Seven Beauties but since it was about POW's and not the holocaust directly, I didn't include it. The Night Porter was about the long-lasting effects of the war on a former prisoner and her torturer, brilliantly played by Charlotte Rampling and Dirk Bogarde, directed by Liliana Cavani, also not included above. I would also rankNowhere in Africa (Oscar for foreign language film), about a Jewish mother who takes her daughter to Kenya to escape the war.
Make no mistake, 2008 was one of the best years ever in total number of quality films released. These are the 31 films from that year that we’ve reviewed thus far [06.06.10], each links to our review at 1000 Dvds to See. These are all worth seeing, and theOscars® should have been expanded to 10 best films in 2008 (2009 was too late), because those left off the ballot for picture (In Bruges, The Visitor, Wall-E, The Dark Knight, Gran Torino, A Wednesday, Star Trek, Revolutionary Road) were as good as those nominated (Benjamin Button, Frost-Nixon, Milk, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire). If you include John Adams for tv, there were also some great documentaries: The Memory Loss Tapes (for HBO), Where In the World Is Osama Bin Laden?, and Man on Wire, and docudramas: Che, Milk, Frost-Nixon, Valkyrie. This was a great year for non-fiction.
