IU Cinema's Jon Vickers

The 50 greatest films of all time looks different for everyone.

Just ask James Naremore, professor emeritus in IU’s Department of Communication and Culture, who voted in the Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time — otherwise known as the Sight & Sound poll — released by the British Film Institute every 10 years.

Naremore, who wrote the BFI-published book “On Kubrick” in 2007, said he was “deliberately contrary in some of (his) choices” when he listed his top 10 movies.

“I figured that Welles’ ‘Citizen Kane’ and Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ were going to fight it out for first place, so to go slightly against the tide I chose ‘Touch of Evil’ and ‘Rear Window,’” Naremore said
in an email.

“On purpose, I also picked a few films that aren’t the usual suspects — I think they deserve more attention.”

Two of Naremore’s choices — the 1929 silent documentary “Man with a Movie Camera” and F.W. Murnau’s “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” — made the top 10 in the Sight & Sound poll.  

In the past, IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers has presented “Sunrise” as part of the City Lights Film series, which continues this year with “Bride of Frankenstein,” “Petulia” and other classic films.

Of the 50 movies listed, Vickers said he has presented about 35 since he’s been in the movie business.

Although only two movies from the 21st century — David Lynch’s “Mulholland Dr.” and “In the Mood for Love,” directed by Wong Kar-wai — made the cut, Vickers said the movies on the Sight & Sound poll could serve as a reference for students who want a good taste of cinema.

“They should embrace and find out where the new stories are being informed from,” he said. “Because mostly filmmakers have some kind of film history, whether it’s from viewing or schooling or whatever it might be. And films on this list are making up, hopefully, some of that film history.”

Deciding which films to feature for IU Cinema’s fall 2012 program is a complex process, Vickers said, and is based on the mission to present quality film.
Digitally restored classics such as “Casablanca” and Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” are scheduled later this fall, but recent favorites such as “Mean Girls” and films by young directors are also thrown into the mix.

“We have to try to find a balance between things that we know are good films as well as things that are fresh and relevant and important to another generation,” Vickers said.

The pool of documentaries scheduled for this semester appeals to the younger generation. The filmakers speaking on these documentaries will add context and insight for viewers.

Werner Herzog, director of “Grizzly Man” and the 1979 film “Nosferatu the Vampyre,” will lecture on Sept. 11 and 13 at the Whittenberger Auditorium. A public interview will follow at 3 p.m. Sept. 14 at IU Cinema.

In addition, French director Claire Denis will take part in an IU Cinema event Nov. 10 in conjunction with the screening of seven of her films.

Other visiting directors include Walter Salles, director of the upcoming film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s novel “On the Road,” Todd Solondz, Alison Klayman and Brian Crano.

“With the emphasis on these other art house filmmakers and directors that we’re bringing, I think that was something we focused on in the past, but we kind of put a little additional effort into it this semester,” Vickers said.