Week 1

The Best of Week One

A Separation

Best Director: A Separation.

Best Director: Asgar Farhadi (A Separation)

Best Script: Asgar Farhadi (A Separation)

Best Actor or Actress: Lamberto Maggiorani (Bicycle Thieves). Especially impressive considering that this was Maggiorani’s first acting role. (Honorable mention to the city of Rome.)

Best Scene: The sexy stewardess scene in Chunking Express? Or the entire long heist in Rififi? Or the deeply sad conclusion of Bicycle Thieves? Or the fight at the door in A Separation. Very tough decision. I’ll go with Rififi: It’s the heart of the film and everything about it is excellent.

Best Use of Sound: Chungking Express. The use of music is outstanding throughout, and the layering of sound in the stewardess scene qualifies it as an all-time favorite for me.

Best Use of Visuals: The Front Line. A weak film in many respects, but it’s beautifully shot. Honorable mention to Nosferatu for achieving such amazing effects with very early film technology.