Remembering James Dean

James Dean died on this very day in 1955.

He lived a short life. But even though he died at the age of 24, after a fatal car-crash, this American actor has become a cultural icon, a cinematic legend, with no parallels.

I was introduced to the works of this genius at an impressionable age, as I was just getting hooked to the magic of classic Hollywood films, thanks to the American Center Library, Kolkata. I can never forget the day, I rushed from college to catch a screening of the James Dean starrer "Rebel Without a Cause". Needless to say, I was mesmerized by Dean's portrayal of teenage angst on screen. I couldn't sleep all night. I kept thinking about the film, and about the protagonist played by Dean. The other two films of his, "East of Eden" and "Giant", I saw thereafter, it wasn't too easy to watch English language films from the Fifties in the late-Nineties, here in Kolkata, as the age of DVDs was yet to arrive..... but I had to see Jimmy Dean on screen, he conveyed exuberant passion like none else! He was the classic bad-boy of Hollywood. He achieved a cult star-status even for the brief 3-4 years that he acted.... he lived life large.... he lived his dream, he instigated us to dream too.

"Dream as if you'll live forever,

live as if you'll die today."

- James Dean

Hollywood, Hundred

Hollywood has completed one hundred years.....

recently, there was an exhibition of photographs held in Kolkata, commemorating the centenary through an array of rare black and white compositions, with a special emphasis on the stars, and their respective styles, of the golden era of Hollywood.

That reminded me that it was high time to doff my hat to the aura of Hollywood, and I do the same by posting a list of the hundred films from Hollywood, some typically produced by the studios, from a bygone era, and many from the recent past as well, recalling the power and the lure of Hollywood, the magic and romance of the same, some gorgeous ventures backed by the studios, whereas some distributed with the atypical elan that one has come to associate with Hollywood over the years.....

I have to admit the personal bias, and the limitation of personal access, that has gone into the compilation which - for lack of a better term - I'd like to call My Essential Hollywood, recommended viewing for all fellow cine-buffs.....

Starting from Chaplin's 'The Gold Rush' to James Cameron's 'Avatar' (pics on the top, respectively)......

1) The Gold Rush (1925)
2) City Lights (1931)
3) Morning Glory (1933)
4) The 39 Steps (1935)
5) The Informer (1935)
6) Modern Times (1936)
7) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
8) Bringing Up Baby (1938)
9) The Wizard of Oz (1939)
10) Stagecoach (1939)
11) Gone With the Wind (1939)
12) Rebecca (1940)
13) The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
14) The Great Dictator (1940)
15) How Green Was My Valley (1941)
16) Casablanca (1942)
17) My Darling Clementine (1946)
18) The Fallen Idol (1948)
19) All About Eve (1950)
20) High Noon (1952)
21) Singin' in the Rain (1952)
22) The Quiet Man (1952)
23) From Here to Eternity (1953)
24) Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
25) The Seven Year Itch (1955)
26) Paths of Glory (1957)
27) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
28) Vertigo (1958)
29) Ben-Hur (1959)
30) North By Northwest (1959)
31) Psycho (1960)
32) West Side Story (1961)
33) To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
34) My Fair Lady (1964)
35) The Sound of Music (1965)
36) Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
37) Bonny & Clyde (1967)
38) The Graduate (1967)
39) MASH (1970)
40) The Godfather (1972)
41) Jaws (1975)
42) Taxi Driver (1976)
43) Star Wars (1977)
44) Apocalypse Now (1979)
45) Raging Bull (1980)
46) Blade Runner (1982)
47) E. T. - The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
48) Scarface (1983)
49) Back to the Future (1985)
50) The Color Purple (1985)
51) Platoon (1986)
52) The Color of Money (1986)
53) Hannah and her Sisters (1986)
54) The Untouchables (1987)
55) Wall Street (1987)
56) Die Hard (1988)
57) Frantic (1988)
58) Rain Man (1988)
59) The Accused (1988)
60) Sex Lies and Videotape (1989)
61) Casualties of War (1989)
62) When Harry Met Sally (1989)
63) Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
64) Pretty Woman (1990)
65) Goodfellas (1990)
66) Home Alone (1990)
67) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
68) Thelma and Louise (1991)
69) My Own Private Idaho (1991)
70) Schindler's List (1993)
71) Philadelphia (1993)
72) What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
73) Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
74) Ed Wood (1994)
75) Pulp Fiction (1994)
76) Speed (1994)
77) Forrest Gump (1994)
78) The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
79) 12 Monkeys (1995)
80) Dead Man Walking (1995)
81) Jerry Maguire (1996)
82) Titanic (1997)
83) As Good As It Gets (1997)
84) Donnie Brasco (1997)
85) Boys Don't Cry (1999)
86) Fight Club (1999)
87) Girl, Interrupted (1999)
88) Magnolia (1999)
89) Any Given Sunday (1999)
90) Gladiator (2000)
91) Monsters, Inc. (2001)
92) Adaptation (2002)
93) Mystic River (2003)
94) Cold Mountain (2003)
95) Finding Neverland (2004)
96) Million Dollar Baby (2004)
97) Syriana (2005)
98) Ratatouille (2007)
99) Into the Wild (2007)
100) Avatar (2009)

3 Wonderful Animation Films from Hollywood

This year I am delighted as an animation film lover that 3 really beautiful Hollywood animation features were released at the Kolkata multiplexes. 'Wall - E' surely tops the list with being the most 'out of the box' kind of Hollywood film. Though I am a great fan of the previous Pixar hits, 'Ratatouille' and 'Finding Nemo', this is surely a film that is a must-see for all film-buffs. Director Andrew Stanton has created a sublime, captivating animation adventure that is surely going to feature in the textbooks of cinema.


'Horton Hears a Who!' is the other film that charmed me early this year. The simple delight of Dr Seuss fantasy is unmistakably imprinted in this adaptation. It is touching and utterly entertaining for all ages. Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Isla Fisher, Seth Rogen, Jesse McCartney, Carol Burnett are among the voice-cast members.


'Kung Fu Panda' is the third noteworthy animation offering from Hollywood. It has the Dreamworks magic working in its favour. The film is noteworthy, especially for its exquisite animation and the splendid ensemle voice-cast, which includes the likes of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Michael Clarke Duncan and Lucy Liu.