10 Movie Masterpieces You’ve

Probably Never Seen

Who knows exactly why some great films catch fire in popular
culture while others languor in obscurity? More puzzling still is
how some classics seem to just fall off the map over time, while
initially unheralded works slowly gain a life of their own and
linger in our memories. Public opinion is a fickle factor, and
finding the magic ingredient that unites all factions can be a hit
and miss game.
While movies with mass appeal usually have plenty of
endearing qualities, one occasionally senses that their art
underwent some degree of censorship or compromise to
smooth its edges and make it more palatable. Therefore,
discovering a brilliant film which is the object of more respect
than popularity can make its finder feel like a member of some
special club.
Many of the films in this list are the efforts of legendary
directors whose canons are always ripe for in-depth review;
even their works of less familiarity deserve our attention and
reconsideration. These works of art promise to reward those
who make the effort to engage with them.

1. A Face in the Crowd

Let’s begin with the words of the great François Truffaut, who
in his review called this film “a great and beautiful work whose
importance transcends the dimensions of a cinema review”.
Nevertheless, here are a few brief comments.
Anyone who questioned or took for granted the acting chops of
Andy Griffith after years of his iconic role as small-town sheriff
Andy Taylor owes it to themselves to watch this movie…we’re
not in Mayberry anymore. He plays Lonesome Rhodes, a
shiftless but charismatic drifter whose gift of gab is discovered
by a radio producer who finds him hungover in a drunk tank. As
Rhodes becomes aware of his power to manipulate people via
radio and television, his ambition skyrockets and takes him to
dizzying heights of popularity which he is ill-equipped to
handle.
Around 2016, an astute observer might have noticed this 1957
film being cited as an eerie prophecy of current American
political events. A little more detective work would have also
found that its message has been applied to several other public
figures in the time since its release. 
A Face in the Crowd carries a timeless message about both the
poison of unbridled ambition and the self-destructive
tendencies latent within hypocrisy and greed. Directed by the
great Elia Kazan and also starring Patricia Neal, Lee Remick,
and Walter Matthau, this film is essential viewing and feels
especially prescient today.

2. The Idiot

One of the great tragedies in cinematic history is that we do not

have the complete version of Akira Kurosawa’s epic film, The
Idiot. The victim of a heartless 100-minute studio cut which
enraged its creator, what remains of the Idiot is still a
masterpiece we should be thankful to have.
A quote from Kurosawa seems the most effective way to
describe the background of the movie: “Of all my films, people
wrote to me most about this one… …I had wanted to make The
Idiot long before Rashomon. Since I was little I’ve liked Russian
literature, but I find that I like Dostoevsky the best and had
long thought that this book would make a wonderful film. He is
still my favorite author, and he is the one — I still think — who
writes most honestly about human existence.”
“The idiot” referenced in the film’s title is not lacking in any
mental capacity, but is rather a straightforward, genuinely good
man whose selfless nature often blinds him to the scheming
machinations of people around him. 
Some knowledge of Dostoevsky’s novel of the same name is
important to understanding and enjoying The Idiot – because
so many scenes were cut from the complete film, first-time
viewers may otherwise doubt the continuity of its plot.
Nevertheless, this is a magnificent movie, with Toshiro Mifune
and Masayuki Mori breathing life into the iconic characters.
Fans of Dostoevsky’s book and students of Kurosawa alike can’t
miss this adaption.

3. Jude

Another brilliant adaption of a tragic novel, Michael

Winterbottom’s Jude brings Thomas Hardy’s novel “Jude the
Obscure” to the big screen. A rather bleak indictment of societal
prejudice and chronicle of failed ambitions, this story follows a
young man named Jude as he strives to break out of his social
class and follow his academic dreams. Despite his tireless work
and capable mind, Jude is constantly confronted by the
prejudices of Victorian England which restrict his upward
mobility and drive him to near despair.
But there is much to celebrate in this little gem of a film from
1996. Its gorgeous soundtrack, like the film itself, manages to
feel both modern and of its nineteenth century setting. Kate
Winslet shines in one of her earliest roles as Jude’s free-spirited
and rebellious cousin. 
Jude himself is portrayed by Christopher Eccleston in a deeply
moving way; he embodies the character’s intelligence, hope,
and disappointment. Of his work here, Eccleston commented in
2011: “Of all the films I’ve done, Jude is the one that I’d stand
by, the one I’d like people to come back to.”
Jude conveys the content and spirit of its source novel in a way
that is faithful but never heavy-handed. With top-notch
performances and a rich story, it’s criminally underrated and
more than worthy of your time.
(Doctor Who fans may care to note that two incarnations of the
Doctor appear in the same scene during this film – Christopher
Eccleston and David Tennant.)

4. After Hours

A masterwork of dark comedy that feels bafflingly ignored by

mainstream audiences, Martin Scorsese’s After Hours deserves
to be newly rediscovered. Griffin Dunne plays a lonely, bored
word processor whose chance encounter with a girl at a café
launches him into a Kafkaesque New York City nightmare.
The film, like the writing of Franz Kafka, is full of bizarre,
bewildering events that occur apropos of nothing, and are often
treated as completely normal and left totally unexplained. The
key to a truly effective Kafkaesque story is the comedic
“straight man” who knows perfectly well that what’s happening
isn’t normal but can’t use rationality to make it stop. Dunne
plays this role perfectly, continuing to strive for politeness and
decency as chaos and terror erupt around him.
Featuring unforgettable cameos by Rosanna Arquette, Linda
Fiorentino, Catherine O’Hara, and even Cheech and Chong,
After Hours is a highly intelligent, thrilling black comedy that
never grows old.
5. Kwaidan

This masterpiece by the great Masaki Kobayashi is arguably the

greatest of all horror anthologies. Its title, “Kwaidan,” means
“ghost story” and the four diverse tales it tells all contain this
defining characteristic. 
Few directors made movies more elegant and visually stunning
than Kobayashi, and Kwaidan might be his most perfect-looking
film. Each colorful frame is flawless, and every motion of the
actors is controlled and intentional. It’s a deliberate, slowly-
paced movie, but this turns out to be an added virtue – once
you start watching, you’re thankful for every extra minute to
soak in the beauty of the scenes.
The four segments are titled “The Black Hair”, “The Woman of
the Snow”, “Hoichi the Earless”, and “In a Cup of Tea.” While all
are ghost stories, each is wonderfully different. 
The artistic style shifts from story to story, as does the season
of the year, resulting in each chapter feeling breathtakingly
unique. Kwaidan is the very definition of sophisticated, stylish
horror film which does not rely on cheap thrills or easy scares.
It is intellectually engaging in its plot, artistically experimental
in its set pieces, and required viewing for film lovers.

6. The Trial

After completing his film The Trial, Orson Welles stated: “Say
what you like, but ‘The Trial’ is the best film I have ever made.”
This is praise from Caesar indeed, as the director of what many
consider to be the greatest movie in history – Citizen Kane.
This statement alone is enough to recommend it to first-time
viewers, but let’s consider a few more of the factors that make
it a masterpiece.
A brilliant adaption of Franz Kafka’s book The Trial, Welles gives
us a truly faithful presentation of an often difficult piece of
literature, making no attempts to dumb it down for a Hollywood
audience. In fact, this is one of the few times he was allowed
complete creative control over one his films, and it shows. 
The screenplay and cinematography both convey the waking
nightmare of Kafka’s world, making no excuses for its absurdity
or lack of logical coherence. It feels at times like Alice in
Wonderland for grownups, with characters, settings, and even
door sizes morphing from scene to scene.
Anthony Perkins hesitatingly stumbles his way through his lines
and lead performance as only he can. Jeanne Moreau, Romy
Schneider, and Orson Welles himself provide an all-star
supporting cast at the service of the director’s vision.
A haunting, mournful classical soundtrack accompanies this
enigma of a film that feels half horror and half black comedy.
Familiarity with Kafka’s novel is a recommended aid to viewing
this surreal film, but the artistry of Orson Welles will be an
unforgettable experience for anyone.

7. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

A story this strange was tailor-made for the artistic sensibilities
of Werner Herzog, and perhaps only he could have directed this
true tale so effectively. The film is based on the documented
case of Kaspar Hauser, a young man who was kept isolated and
imprisoned for most of his early life, and then one day
deposited on the streets of Nuremberg with a mysterious letter
in his hand. Unable to read or write, and barely able to
communicate, Kaspar is taken in by a professor who makes
every effort to reform and educate him.
The original German title of this movie translates to “Every Man
for Himself and God Against All.” This sheds an intriguing new
light on the intent and message of this film, in which many
facets of human nature are examined. Again, this is based on a
true story, and as one might expect, the treatment of an
apparently imbecilic character like Kaspar Hauser ranged from
kind to unbelievably cruel.
Especially intriguing in this film is the casting by Herzog of
Bruno S. in the title role. Herzog discovered Bruno S. by chance
– a man with no acting experience who suffered frequent
beatings as a child and spent his youth living in mental
institutions. As an actor, he perfectly embodies the bewildered
look that his character calls for – blank and mystified, yet
intelligent and eager to learn. It’s a movie unlike any other, an
aptly titled enigmatic story and experience.
8. Woman in the Dunes

Woman in the Dunes opens in a rather routine way, with a man

hunting for rare insects in the sand dunes while on vacation.
But when he misses the last bus home, he agrees to take
shelter for the night with a local woman who for some reason
lives in a sand pit. When he wakes up the next morning, the
rope ladder has been taken up, and he’s informed that his life
will now consist of shoveling sand out of the pit with his host.
Little effort is made by the film to explain why the woman in
this house is forced to dig sand every day – it’s given as an
existing fact which the audience must reckon with, just as the
unsuspecting visitor must. Most of the movie takes place in this
surreal setting, with the man by turns growing accustomed to
his sentence, then gathering fresh resolve to try to escape. But
what’s important about a film like Woman in the Dunes is not
where the plot goes, but what the plot reveals about its
characters.
What Woman in the Dunes displays is a story endlessly rich in
metaphors for the power dynamics between men and women,
and equally astute in its observations about the futility of
human existence. But viewers less interested in exercising
psychoanalysis and straining for analogies will also find an
entertaining film with the courage to stand on its own as a
character study and masterclass of filmmaking. 
The black and white cinematography of the ever evolving,
wind-blown sand dunes is hypnotically beautiful, and adds a
sense of infinite variety to an otherwise limited setting.
Watching the protagonist weigh the idea of freedom against the
reality of structure and perceived purpose is fascinating to
watch, and Woman in the Dunes is a classic deserving of your
time.
9. Ryan’s Daughter

David Lean – perhaps the king of the epic film genre – had a
legendary run during the 1950s and 1960s. Ryan’s Daughter
was released in 1970, on the heels of Lean’s The Bridge on the
River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago… so it
certainly had large shoes to fill. Whether or not this film
effectively filled those shoes has always been the subject of
some debate, but this is the work of a master which deserves
to be evaluated and respected on its own merits.
Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles respectively portray a
fastidious, middle-aged schoolteacher and a young woman with
dangerously romantic notions about life and love. When the two
decide to marry, the boredom of real life soon set in, and the
small town where they live reacts mercilessly to the new wife’s
selfish indiscretions. Though the story has many similarities to
Gustave Flaubert’s novel Madame Bovary, this film is designed
as an intimate epic in a slightly different setting.
Beautiful cinematography is one of David Lean’s hallmarks, and
it is showcased wonderfully along the rocky Irish shores in
Ryan’s Daughter. Watching Robert Mitchum act against type is
a special treat, and the musical score is just as distinctive as in
Lean’s other films. Any epic film by this legendary director
deserves our attention, and Ryan’s Daughter is no exception.

10. Hour of the Wolf

Usually referred to as the only horror film by the legendary
Ingmar Bergman, Hour of the Wolf deserves our attention first
of all because of its unique position in the catalogue of this
master director. Several of Bergman’s movies contain moments
of horror, but those vignettes are brief detours in the service of
some other vision. Hour of the Wolf is immersed in horror –
both psychological and physical – from start to finish.
Max von Sydow plays an artist whose increasing fears and
delusions lead him to suspect that some sort of witchcraft is
being conducted on him by a mysterious cult on the other side
of the island. His efforts to discover the source of his torment
while maintaining his sanity and his marriage lead him to
sinister discoveries about himself and the other residents of the
island. 
Hour of the Wolf is full of wonderfully bizarre images and
genuinely terrifying moments that effectively linger in one’s
memory. Occupying the 44th spot on the British Film Institute’s
2012 director’s poll, Hour of the Wolf is a lesser seen classic
that merits a high place on your must-see list as well.

Author Bio: Martin Wilson is as enamored of great films as

he is of tennis and classic literature. As often as possible, he
slips the surly bonds of North Carolina to go galavanting around
Europe with his lovely wife, who correctly reminds him that
addressing his audience as “gentle reader” is not as clever as
he thinks it is.