Why is the writer lamenting the exclusion of the 68 year-old Citizen Kane and 37 year-old Godfather from a list of films released in the 30 years?
Apoclaypse Now may be the most over-rated film of the last 30 years. Sure, elements of it are unforgettable, but, oh, that ending!
London Critics 30th Anniversary Poll
Apocalypse Now tops London critics' 30th anniversary poll (from the Guardian)
Apocalypse Now was today named as the best film of the past three decades by the London Film Critics' Circle (LFCC). Francis Ford Coppola's nightmarish vision of the Vietnam war beat out Steven Spielberg's 1994 holocaust drama Schindler's List to take top spot in the poll, held to celebrate the organisation's 30th anniversary.
Third place went to German film The Lives of Others, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's Oscar-winner for best foreign language film in 2007. The top five was rounded out by two very different movies with western themes: Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, from 1992, and Ang Lee's 2005 tale of gay cowboys, Brokeback Mountain.
Chair of the circle and Observer writer Jason Solomons said: "I'm delighted that such a powerful and brilliant film as Apocalypse Now has won the enduring admiration of the London critics.
"Coppola's towering film is a worthy winner and clearly its anti-war message, monumental performances and dazzling film-making technique have stood the test of time, making it as relevant to critics today as it was when it won best film at our first awards ceremony 30 years ago."
Apocalypse Now, which Coppola based loosely on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, is often named in critics' polls, though it rarely makes it to the No 1 spot. That place is usually reserved for Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941), with Coppola's Godfather films running close behind. Kane was placed at No 1 in the most recent Sight and Sound poll in 2002, considered by many to be the pre-eminent critics' poll and published once a decade, with The Godfather parts one (1972) and two (1974) in joint fourth spot.
None of those films made it into the LFCC's top 10, however, which was chosen from its winners in all categories, including British and foreign language films, since its awards launched in 1980.
Top films
1. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1980)
2. Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, 1994)
3. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2007)
4. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)
5. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005)
6. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1990)
7. LA Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997)
8. Fargo (Joel Coen, 1996)
9. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies, 1989)
10. The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983)
Apocalypse Now was today named as the best film of the past three decades by the London Film Critics' Circle (LFCC). Francis Ford Coppola's nightmarish vision of the Vietnam war beat out Steven Spielberg's 1994 holocaust drama Schindler's List to take top spot in the poll, held to celebrate the organisation's 30th anniversary.
Third place went to German film The Lives of Others, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's Oscar-winner for best foreign language film in 2007. The top five was rounded out by two very different movies with western themes: Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, from 1992, and Ang Lee's 2005 tale of gay cowboys, Brokeback Mountain.
Chair of the circle and Observer writer Jason Solomons said: "I'm delighted that such a powerful and brilliant film as Apocalypse Now has won the enduring admiration of the London critics.
"Coppola's towering film is a worthy winner and clearly its anti-war message, monumental performances and dazzling film-making technique have stood the test of time, making it as relevant to critics today as it was when it won best film at our first awards ceremony 30 years ago."
Apocalypse Now, which Coppola based loosely on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, is often named in critics' polls, though it rarely makes it to the No 1 spot. That place is usually reserved for Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941), with Coppola's Godfather films running close behind. Kane was placed at No 1 in the most recent Sight and Sound poll in 2002, considered by many to be the pre-eminent critics' poll and published once a decade, with The Godfather parts one (1972) and two (1974) in joint fourth spot.
None of those films made it into the LFCC's top 10, however, which was chosen from its winners in all categories, including British and foreign language films, since its awards launched in 1980.
Top films
1. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1980)
2. Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, 1994)
3. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2007)
4. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)
5. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005)
6. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1990)
7. LA Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997)
8. Fargo (Joel Coen, 1996)
9. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies, 1989)
10. The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983)