1001 Movies: You Must See Before You Die - Steven Jay Schneider

This is a really interesting book devoting a page to each film, it is date based so the book begins with the earliest films taking in Chaplin, Eisenstein, DW Griffiths and many of the founding fathers of cinema, it is not comprehensive but provides a fantastic list of films and guidance on each one. I really enjoy reading it and coming back to it when I want to watch new films, it is a really well designed book and deserves plaudits.

I’m not generally a fan of these kinds of books. They’re usually either too elitist or too trivial. I’m also reluctant to buy into their concept – they treat cultural experience as a kind of game, a big checklist that, when complete, will make your life meaningful. ‘Damn it, I still haven’t seen Last Year at Marienbad! No wonder I’m not happy!’ But leafing through this in a bookshop a few weeks ago I was impressed by the scope of the films it covers. And I’ve made worse purchasing decisions in my time. The book is exactly what you’d imagine. You get descriptions of 1001 movies that you supposedly *have* to see before you die. Some films get a whole page, ...  Read the complete review