10 Good Lesser Known Films Worth Finding

[Scott]

These are film that I have enjoyed over the years that I hear very little about when it comes to movie conversation. Made imdb.com links to them all so you can get an idea for yourselves. Just a list of films that that you might also enjoy.

Ten Little Indians (1965)
Mountains Of The Moon (1990)
Charge Of The Light Brigade (1968)
Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
Moon Over Parador (1988)
Walker (1987)
Dr. Detroit (1983)
Burn ! (1969)
The Story Of "O" (1975)
Temptation Of A Monk (1993)

[BoyScoutKevin]

I've seen "Ten Little Indians," "Mountains of the Moon," "Burn," and "Brother Sun, Sister Moon," and I've always wanted to see "Charge of the Light Brigade." As an added note,
 "Ten Little Indians" and "Charge of the Light Brigade" are remakes of earlier films

[Scott]

They are remakes and I've seen the original one with Erol Flynn and the original murder mystery AND THEN THERE WHERE NONE. Here's a case where both the originals and the remakes where good. 

[Yaddo 42]

Burn! and Mountains of the Moon are personal favorites of mine. MOTM was my real introduction to Richard Francis Burton, although the source book and film take liberties with the real events. Truly interesting man who I've since read two biographies of, and intend to read more. The film is better than the book IMO, it's an overwritten piece of bad historical fiction that I couldn't finish. Have you seen The Mission or Black Robe, all three films remind me of each other.

Moon over Parador and Dr. Detroit are 80s comedies that I have never cared for very much. Although I give MOP for trying to be more clever than a lot of comedies from the time.

Walker I've seen part of but not enough to make a judgement on, but the story of the the making of it is interesting, and I want to read more about the real William Walker as well.

I've seen part of Ten Little Indians but it was a long time ago and not enough to make the call on either. One of those "I'll catch next time" films that I never ran across again.

[peter johnson]

"Burn", for some reason, used to play a lot on local TV in Virginia -- maybe someone there had an "in" with the picture.  So I saw this a lot many years ago.  I think I own "Moon Over Parador" -- I was always a huge Sonia Braga fan, and my wife was in love with Raul Julia at one point, so we have all their movies behind a box somewhere --
Now, for the life of me, by what stretch do you call "Dr. Detroit" "good"?
I was a huge fan of all things SNL, so when this came out, I ran to the theatre to see it on the big screen, thinking to find some of the SNL wit and risk-taking.  What I saw was a lot of padding and scenes that went nowhere.   Plus a lot of gratuituous, pointless set-up for jokes that never paid off.  For me, this film was just an interminable wait for something to happen . . . and nothing did.  Aykroyd was physically funny as the Detroit character, but he really wasn't given anything to do.  Lines like "I'm going to rip your head off and (poo) down your neck" could have been funny if there were any sort of context for them.  Not for one minute did I accept that Nancy whats-her-name actress as a "Crime Boss".
Oh, well -- at least Aykroyd met his future wife on the production, so at least he got something out of it.  Me, I want my money back.
peter johnson/denny crane

[Scott]

Don't know why exactly Peter Johnson, but perhaps it was all the diverse group Dan Akroyd was helping.  Just thought someone here might enjoy it as I did in the 80's. It seems to be forgotten and better in my opinion for different reasons, but perhaps not as a comedy so much. Another one I liked was Dan Akroyd in NIEGHBORS with Jim Belushi. NIEGHBORS isn't as good as DR. DETROIT, but I liked it.

[Gerry]

Here are a few of my own recommendations that are definitely worth tracking down:

SIX HOURS TO LIVE
IT HAPPENED TOMORROW
A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS
THE ASH TREE
WHISTLE AND I'LL COME TO YOU
THE SIGNALMAN
A NOUS LA LIBERTE (LIBERTY FOR US)
CALL OF CTHULHU

[Scott]

Gerry, you have a good eye for film. Some interesting films there. Looked them up on imdb.com. Will keep a look out for them. Thanks.

Time travel, ghost stories, Lovecraft.

[Gerry]

All well worth the effort.  CALL OF CTHULHU is available here.  You can view the trailer here.

[Him]

Try A Soldiers Story. Great movie.

[RCMerchant]

I would like to recommend a few unheraled classicks,in my own humble opinion.
MANSON(197?) This is a documentary, and NO, I am not a Manson freak,but if you watch it,you too will understand why it was nominated for an Acadamy Award.A  time capsule  into a f*cked up page of American history.Unbelievebly, by the same guy who gave us the BLACK ANGELS(197?) and WHATEVER HAPPENED to COUNT DRACULA?(1970),which had an r and x rated version. Incidently,he was also the voice of the SHADOW radio program in the 1940's. He was eventually murdered by a student of one of his acting classes,in Chicago.

[pinkandbluefilms]

1. The Swimmer. Dir. Frank Perry. Starring Burt Lancaster.
2. The Magic Christian. Dir. Joseph McGrath. Starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr.
3. Mahler. Dir. Ken Russell, starring Robert Powell (the vastly underrated Russell's most personal film).
4. Comanche Station. Dir. Budd Boetticher, starring Randolph Scott. The most sublime of Boetticher's chamber westerns.
5. West of Zanzibar. Dir. Todd Browning. Starring Lon Chaney. Right up there with 'The Unknown'. The fact that it's never  been released in any format borders on criminal negligence.
6. Oedipus Rex. Dir. Julie Taymor. Stravinsky's avant garde opera made even more stylish and bizarre. If people saw more contemporary, highly original, cutting edge productions like this, then the idea of opera being solely for overweight, pretentious conservatives  who only like 300 year old music would become extinct (as opposed to the art form becoming extinct, which it surely is).
7. The Charlie Bowers collection. Andre Breton and Bunuel loved this highly original, sadly forgotten surrealist. Unfortunately, Bowers did not have the personality of Chaplin or Keaton but was more innovative than all of the silent clowns. He mixed animation and live action. He usually played an inventor  and his inventions range from an unbreakable egg (which eventually hatches Model T Fords) to the no slip banana skin (and don't forget the metal eating bird).
8. Maya Deren: Experimental Films.  "Meshes of the afternoon" and "At Land" are two of the most intoxicating, almost impossible to describe films I've ever seen. The short lived Deren once bragged that she made films for what Hollywood spent on a box of tissues.
9.The films of Daina Krumins. Only available from Canyon Cinema, Krumins has only made three films. Both "The Divine Miracle" and 'Babobilicons' have rightly become legendary in surrealist appreciation circles.
10. Georges Melies; First Wizard of Cinema.  Cinema before the rules were  set of what does and what does not constitute 'film'.

[Sister Grace]

These are film that I have enjoyed over the years that I hear very little about when it comes to movie conversation. Made imdb.com links to them all so you can get an idea for yourselves. Just a list of films that that you might also enjoy.

The Story Of "O" (1975)

The Story of O was a great movie indeed, however it really didn't do the book justice, I still enjoyed it greatly though. As for hidden gems, ones I have came across lately have been:

Spiral
Out of Mind (hp lovecraft)
Henry Poole is Here
Tales of the Zatoichi (this one is probably well-discussed with alot of people, but I had never heard much about them)
They Came Back (french movie)
The Wishing Stairs

[Rev. Powell]

1. The Swimmer. Dir. Frank Perry. Starring Burt Lancaster.
2. The Magic Christian. Dir. Joseph McGrath. Starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr.
3. Mahler. Dir. Ken Russell, starring Robert Powell (the vastly underrated Russell's most personal film).
4. Comanche Station. Dir. Budd Boetticher, starring Randolph Scott. The most sublime of Boetticher's chamber westerns.
5. West of Zanzibar. Dir. Todd Browning. Starring Lon Chaney. Right up there with 'The Unknown'. The fact that it's never  been released in any format borders on criminal negligence.
6. Oedipus Rex. Dir. Julie Taymor. Stravinsky's avant garde opera made even more stylish and bizarre. If people saw more contemporary, highly original, cutting edge productions like this, then the idea of opera being solely for overweight, pretentious conservatives  who only like 300 year old music would become extinct (as opposed to the art form becoming extinct, which it surely is).
7. The Charlie Bowers collection. Andre Breton and Bunuel loved this highly original, sadly forgotten surrealist. Unfortunately, Bowers did not have the personality of Chaplin or Keaton but was more innovative than all of the silent clowns. He mixed animation and live action. He usually played an inventor  and his inventions range from an unbreakable egg (which eventually hatches Model T Fords) to the no slip banana skin (and don't forget the metal eating bird).
8. Maya Deren: Experimental Films.  "Meshes of the afternoon" and "At Land" are two of the most intoxicating, almost impossible to describe films I've ever seen. The short lived Deren once bragged that she made films for what Hollywood spent on a box of tissues.
9.The films of Daina Krumins. Only available from Canyon Cinema, Krumins has only made three films. Both "The Divine Miracle" and 'Babobilicons' have rightly become legendary in surrealist appreciation circles.
10. Georges Melies; First Wizard of Cinema.  Cinema before the rules were  set of what does and what does not constitute 'film'.

Your tastes match with mine, Mr. Surrealism.  Several of those are on my list to track down.  The only one I've seen is THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN, which I found disappointing but worthwhile.  (I prefer the novel).  And the Melies films, though I've never seen that particular collection.

[The Burgomaster]

* STREAMERS - Adapted from David Rabe's stage play.  It takes place in a military barracks and has some really great, tense dialogue.  It was directed by Robert Altman, so you may find it to be too slow moving.  But I've seen it about 3 times and I enjoyed it each time.  Starring Matthew Modine and George Dzundza.

* SOLDIER OF ORANGE - Directed by Paul Verhoeven (before Robocop) and starring Rutger Hauer (before he became a B-movie hero).

* THE TIN DRUM - A surreal, disturbing film about a boy who "refuses" to grow up during the rise of the Nazi party in Germany.

* FUNNY GAMES - The original 1997 German-language version.  Has a few very disturbing moments.

* THE WAGES OF FEAR - Intense story about a group of down-and-out guys in South America who accept a job transporting trucks full of nitroglycerin across dangerous terrain to blow out an oil well fire.  Starts off a bit slow, but the riveting suspense and great ending make this is a true classic.  William Friedkin remade it as SORCERER.