Master of literary horror Stephen King has written more than 60 novels and around 200 short stories, and many of his works have been brought to the screen, so he has also been responsible for the existence of a whole lot of movies. If you’ve ever wondered what King’s favorite movies are, well, he has now shared the list of his top 10 – with the caveat that Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and Stand by Me would have been included on the list, if not for the fact that they were based on some of his own works.
Noting that the movies were not listed in any particular order, King named his 10 favorite movies (that he wasn’t associated with) as Sorcerer, The Godfather Part II, The Getaway, Groundhog Day, Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Jaws, Mean Streets, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Double Indemnity.
Released in 1977, Sorcerer was directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by Walon Green that was based on the novel Le Salaire de la peur by Georges Arnaud (which had previously served as the basis for the 1953 film The Wages of Fear). The film stars Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Amidou, Ramon Bieri, and Karl John, and has the following synopsis: In the small South American town of Porvenir, four men on the run from the law are offered $10,000 and legal citizenship if they will transport a shipment of dangerously unstable nitroglycerin to an oil well 200 miles away. Led by Jackie Scanlon (Roy Scheider), the men set off on a hazardous journey, during which they must contend with dangerously rocky roads, unstable bridges, and attacks from local guerillas. The four fight for their lives as they struggle to complete their dangerous quest.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who wrote the script with Mario Puzo (based on Puzo’s novel The Godfather), The Godfather Part II won multiple Oscars when it was released in 1974, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro). It’s widely considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, so it’s never a surprise to see it show up on someone’s list of favorites. De Niro was joined in the cast by Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Morgana King, John Cazale, Mariana Hill, and Lee Strasberg. The synopsis: This brilliant companion piece to the original The Godfather continues the saga of two generations of successive power within the Corleone family. Coppola tells two stories in Part II: the roots and rise of a young Don Vito, played with uncanny ability by Robert De Niro, and the ascension of Michael (Al Pacino) as the new Don. Reassembling many of the talents who helped make The Godfather, Coppola has produced a movie of staggering magnitude and vision, and undeniably the best sequel ever made.
Based on the novel by Jim Thompson, The Getaway is a 1972 film directed by Sam Peckinpah from a screenplay by Walter Hill. When convict Doc McCoy is refused parole, he enlists his wife, Carol, to strike a deal with crooked Texan Jack Benyon, who agrees to pull strings for Doc in return for his help on one last bank heist. The job is a success, but Benyon’s men betray Doc, and he and Carol must take off across Texas with the money, running from both the law and other criminals, aiming to get to Mexico before they’re caught, or worse, killed. Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw star alongside Ben Johnson, Al Lettieri, Sally Struthers, and Slim Pickens.
The first film on the list not to be released in the ’70s is the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day, directed by Harold Ramis from a script he wrote with Danny Rubin. A cynical TV weatherman finds himself reliving the same day over and over again when he goes on location to the small town of Punxsutawney to film a report about their annual Groundhog Day. His predicament drives him to distraction, until he sees a way of turning the situation to his advantage. Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Brian Doyle-Murray star.
King bounces back to 1942 with Casablanca, another that’s widely considered to be one of the greatest films of all time. Directed by Michael Curtiz from a screenplay by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch, based on the play Everybody Comes to Rick’s by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. This Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay winner has the following synopsis: Rick Blaine, who owns a nightclub in Casablanca, discovers his old flame Ilsa is in town with her husband, Victor Laszlo. Laszlo is a famed rebel, and with Germans on his tail, Ilsa knows Rick can help them get out of the country. Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre star.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is another Humphrey Bogart movie from the ’40s (1948, to be exact). This one was based on a novel by B. Traven and was written and directed by John Huston, who won Oscars for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Two rough-and-tumble wanderers, Dobbs and Curtin, meet up with a veteran prospector, Howard, in Mexico and head into the Sierra Madre mountains to find gold. Although they discover treasure, they also find plenty of trouble, not only from ruthless bandits lurking in the dangerous Mexican wilderness but from their own insecurities and greed, which threaten to bring conflict at any moment. Bogart was joined in the cast by the director’s father Walter Huston (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), Tim Holt, and Bruce Bennett.
We’re back to the ’70s for the 1975 classic (and another popular “greatest film of all time”) Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Peter Benchley (who wrote the novel the film is based on) and Carl Gottlieb. A Best Picture nominee, Jaws won Oscars for editing, score, and sound. When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper and grizzled ship captain Quint offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engage in an epic battle of man vs. nature. Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, and Murray Hamilton star.
From early Spielberg we go to early Martin Scorsese with 1973’s Mean Streets, directed by Scorsese from a script he wrote with Mardik Martin. The story follows Charlie, a devout Catholic small-time gangster in New York’s Little Italy, as he tries to navigate his life of petty crime while dealing with his dangerously impulsive friend Johnny Boy and a secret relationship with his cousin Teresa. Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, David Proval, Amy Robinson, Richard Romanus, and Cesare Danova star.
1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind brings us back to Spielberg, who directed (and earned his first Best Director nomination) from his own script. Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, and François Truffaut star in the film, a science fiction adventure about a group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. Roy Neary witnesses an unidentified flying object, and even has a “sunburn” from its bright lights to prove it. Roy refuses to accept an explanation for what he saw and is prepared to give up his life to pursue the truth about UFOs.
King wrapped up his list with another film from the ’40s, 1944’s multi-Oscar-nominated Double Indemnity, directed by Billy Wilder from a script he wrote with Raymond Chandler, based on a novel by James M. Cain. In this classic film noir, insurance salesman Walter Neff gets roped into a murderous scheme when he falls for the sensual Phyllis Dietrichson, who is intent on killing her husband and living off the fraudulent accidental death claim. Prompted by the late Mr. Dietrichson’s daughter, Lola, insurance investigator Barton Keyes looks into the case, and gradually begins to uncover the sinister truth. Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Jean Heather, and Tom Powers star.
What do you think of Stephen King’s list of his 10 favorite movies? Share your thoughts on his picks by leaving a comment below.
The post Stephen King lists his 10 favorite movies (excluding adaptations of his own work) appeared first on JoBlo.
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