The 39th Best Films
Listing these movies as I do, I can’t help but occasionally find themes or connections across the lists. In these 39th slot films, we see various treatments on good and evil. What does it mean to be good, or evil? How do broken characters make good choices in broken worlds? And, what makes a person heroic?
Pre-1973
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1967) Sergio Leone
A Fist Full of Dollars (1964) Sergio Leone
For a Few Dollars More (1966) Sergio Leone
The Western world presented by Sergio Leone is very broken. It is certainly not the heroic American myth people were used to up to that point. And, because of that, they explore some very interesting and important themes. Especially the best of the bunch, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” with its anti-war messages.
1973-1998
Fargo (1996) Coen Brothers
The Coen Brothers follow Leone’s filmmaking footsteps better than just about anybody else. They like to tell cautionary tales and morality plays in broken worlds of greed and selfishness. Fargo is one of their best, with one of the most positive and uplifting examples of “good” in their filmography in the person of Marge Gunderson.
Post-1998
Wreck-It Ralph (2012) Rich Moore
Disney rounds out this list with a literal broken world. Sugar Rush. I explored the interesting, and possibly good but also troubling themes in another post. (See Link above) But seen from another perspective, this story is also a metaphor for the nature of sin, corruption, and a fallen creation. There is Messianic imagery in the self-sacrifice Ralph makes at the climax as well.
Pre-1973
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1967) Sergio Leone
A Fist Full of Dollars (1964) Sergio Leone
For a Few Dollars More (1966) Sergio Leone
The Western world presented by Sergio Leone is very broken. It is certainly not the heroic American myth people were used to up to that point. And, because of that, they explore some very interesting and important themes. Especially the best of the bunch, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” with its anti-war messages.
1973-1998
Fargo (1996) Coen Brothers
The Coen Brothers follow Leone’s filmmaking footsteps better than just about anybody else. They like to tell cautionary tales and morality plays in broken worlds of greed and selfishness. Fargo is one of their best, with one of the most positive and uplifting examples of “good” in their filmography in the person of Marge Gunderson.
Post-1998
Wreck-It Ralph (2012) Rich Moore
Disney rounds out this list with a literal broken world. Sugar Rush. I explored the interesting, and possibly good but also troubling themes in another post. (See Link above) But seen from another perspective, this story is also a metaphor for the nature of sin, corruption, and a fallen creation. There is Messianic imagery in the self-sacrifice Ralph makes at the climax as well.
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