MovieChat Forums > Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972) Discussion > IMDb Top 250 Movies

IMDb Top 250 Movies

posted 20 years ago by clockwork_orange2001
15 replies | jump to latest

Why is it that this movie is not on that list? It currently has an average rating of 7.9, yet there are movies with a lesser rating (7.8) making up the list. I know that a movie must have at least 1,250 votes and this film meets that requirement. I don't think it has to do with it being foreign, since there are other foreigns films, in the top #250, like Seven Samurai, Bicycle Thief, La Strada, etc. Another classic film (with a high rating) is De Sica's Umberto D., which has a rating of 8.1 with 1362 votes, yet not on the list.

If anyone can shed some light, I'd very much appreciate it! I'm just tired of seeing BS movies on that list, just because they're new blockbuster releases... Star Wars ep. III, Batman Begins, etc.

I think that silent films got a lot more things right than talkies. --Stanley Kubrick

[–] jazzfunkandsoul 20 years ago

I agree. I think that there's something fishy about the way that votes and lists are collected and compiled - there's alot of decent films that don't get the recognition they deserve on here! The IMDb staff need to address this matter instantly.

[–] dbdumonteil 20 years ago

How right you are Achilles!It does deserve to be included.But you know, a lot of the movies of this so-called 250 best are not worthy at all.For one "Vertigo" ,how many "whatisname redemtion" or "stars wars"?
Actually Bunuel would deserve at least 5 movies in the list.
Regards
Didier

[–] clockwork_orange2001 20 years ago

It would be ideal to include at least five Bunuel films in the top 250. But the truth is that ALL his films from Viridiana to That Obscure Object of Desire deserve to be on the list.

Since the majority of the IMDb visitors are in the U.S., then you will see many American films with high ratings/votes. Personally, I have nothing against Vertigo, Star Wars, or Shawshank Redemption. They are fine films, perhaps overated, but I'd just like to see noncommercial films get some recognition too.

I think that silent films got a lot more things right than talkies. --Stanley Kubrick

[–] dbdumonteil 20 years ago

I put "Vertigo" one the same level as the Bunuel ;the two others are entertaining stuff but no more.

As for Bunuel ,I would include
discreet charm
Viridiana
Nazarin
Hurdes
los olvidados

[–] clockwork_orange2001 20 years ago

Good selections!

Have you seen The Exterminating Angel? That's one of my fav Bunuel films. You can see some simalirities in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Diary of a Chambermaid is vastly underated and The Phantom of Liberty has got some fabulous scenes! And we can't forget about Belle de Jour.

Maybe Bunuel should have at least 10 films in the top 250? :-)

I think that silent films got a lot more things right than talkies. --Stanley Kubrick

[–] dbdumonteil 20 years ago

Of course I have.I've seen all the movies you mention.
And have you seen "la mort en ce jardin" (death in the Garden)vastly underrated too.

Everything Bunuel did is crying to be watched.
If you were brought up religiously (Catholic) ,you might be more receptive to his art.

[–] 20 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mastercard 19 years ago

I do not want to see Buñuel's films on the Top 250 films because, to me, Buñuel is a hidden treasure of cinema.
Think about it: who besides actual film enthusiasts know of Buñuel?
I can't talk to anybody about the wonders of "Los Olvidados" or "Belle de Jour" and when people see "Discreet Charm" in my DVD collection, they've never heard of it.
To film essayists and aficianados, Buñuel is a master. A true original. I'd like to see him stay at this perfect level of obscurity for as long as possible.

[–] Oliver-50 19 years ago

But that's why bad movies keep getting made! Because people with bad taste keep watching them. Why not show them a great movie like 'Discreet Charm' or 'Obscure Object' and let them see what they're missing. Maybe then they'll stray from crap movies. I say let everyone know about Luis Bunuel and all the other great 'hidden' directors and films.

[–] mastercard 19 years ago

But usually when you show someone one of his films, they either
"don't get it" or actually just detest it. The simple fact is that most people
don't respect film as an art and that's why they refuse films with sub-titles
or anything shot in black-and-white. I'm not saying this is the case with
all casual movie fans, I'm just saying that I've encountered this many times.
I say, let them watch a Vin Diesel movie and leave them alone. They probably
don't care.

[–] SixtusXLIV 19 years ago

May I will be so bold as to ask you not to use a trade mark as an Identity.
What about using the title of the only Bunuel's movies not yet available in DVD.

Completely agree with you, and I'm afraid that the times of "Film as Art" are already Gone without the Wind.

If you draw a paralell with the music, the current productions (new works) in classical (or even good Pop, or Jazz) are no longer Art, as we know it from the Sarcophages of the Egyptian Pharaoes to Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring".
Get into Astrology (the Mondial kind) , and you will soon know why? Read St. John's Apocalypse...And, like Bunuel. "Yo soy un Ateo, Gracias a Dios"...

[–] Oliver-50 19 years ago

I know there are a lot of people who would scratch their heads watching something like 'Obscure Object of Desire' - but maybe that's what they need once in a while. A movie that makes them think "what the hell did I just watch?" is good for them. Three years ago I would have been content watching the standard issue garbage that the studios keep mass-producing - but I was forced to watch Aguirre the Wrath of God, which at the time I was not impressed by. Now it's one of my all time favorites after repeated viewings. I'm not trying to preach and I agree with you both some - people are morons when it comes to movies. I love the people who argue that a movie should be fun and you shouldn't have to think about a movie - but then have no idea how to back up their opinion. Those are the best.

[–] mastercard 19 years ago

A movie should be fun and entertaining, but it should also mean something. Think
of the best examples of fun filmmaking: Francois Truffaut, early Godard, Woody Allen.
These filmmakers all love film as a medium, and so their films are enjoyable and
entertaining to the common moviegoer, but they also have something interesting to say.
I'm all for a film being fun, as long as it's not mindless.

[–] westing000 19 years ago

well, ok. bunuel is wonderful, blah blah blah. i agree. but the point of this post is not which films deserve to be on the list based on artisitc merit, historical importance and all hat. it's a question of why Discreet Charm isn't
on the list when it has the votes and meets the requirements. this question needs to be posed directly to IMDB.

[–] DrMerkwurdigliebe 19 years ago

You shouldn't forget that the rating you see in the top 250 is a Bayesian estimate (the formula is given beneath the top 250). Currently, Brokeback Mountain is #250, with a bayesian estimate of 7,8, while you can see that the movie gets an 8,0 when you click on the movie. Although I can't explain the theory behind this formula, a pattern can be noticed: The Bayesian estimate is always a little lower (never higher!) than the ranking itself. The number of votes is also important. I've actually calculated the Bayesian estimate for this movie and it's 7,68. That's why it's not on the list.