BEST CONSERVATIVE FILMS : NATIONAL REVIEW'S LIST & OURS

The National Review List
1.   A Man for All Seasons
2. Chariots of Fire
3. Therese
4. King of Kings
5. The Ten Commandments
6. Johnny Belinda
7. Quo Vadis?
8. Carnal Knowledge
9. Ten
10. Tender Mercies
11. Three Godfathers
12.    The Bicycle Thief [Ladri di biciclette] (1948) (directed by Vittorio De Sica  1901-74)
13. My Left Foot
14. Stand and Deliver
15. Lean on Me
16. Meet Me in St. Louis
17. Little Women
18. Since You Went Away
19. Penny Serenade
20.   How Green Was My Valley
21. Fort Apache
22. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
23. Rio Grande
24. The Quiet Man
25. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
26. A Canterbury Tale
27.    I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) [Directed by Michael Powell (1905-90) and Emeric Pressburger Ý(1902-88)]
28. Dumbo
29. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
30. You Can't Take It with You
31. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
32. Meet John Doe
33. It's a Wonderful Life
34. My Darling Clementine
35. Sergeant York
36. Yankee Doodle Dandy
37.    Red Dawn (1984) (Directed by John Milius  1944-)
38. The Hanoi Hilton
39. Rambo: First Blood Part II
40. The Deer Hunter
41. Heartbreak Ridge
42. Wake Island
43. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
44. That Hamilton Woman
45. King's Row
46. Knute Rockne All American
47. The Inner Circle
48.    Ninotchka (1939) (Directed by Ernst Lubitsch  1892-1947)
49. Marie Antoinette
50. A Tale of Two Cities
51. Viva Villa
52. There Was a Crooked Man
53. The Next Voice You Hear
54. Going My Way
55.    The Song of Bernadette (1943) (directed by Henry King  1886-1982)
56. Lilies of the Field
57. High Noon
58. The Fountainhead
59. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
60. The Yearling
61. I Remember Mama
62. Father of the Bride
63. Father's Little Dividend
64. Sounder
65. Baby Boom
66. Judge Priest
67. State Fair
68. Shane
69. Drums Along the Mohawk
70.    Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) (Directed by Leo McCarey  1898-1969)
71. To Kill a Priest
72. Man of Marble
73. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
74. Animal Farm
75. Eleni
76. Dr. Zhivago
77. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
78. Ghostbusters
79. Too Hot to Handle
80. White Nights
81. Forbidden Planet

The Brothers Judd List of the Best Conservative Films

Loosely defined, conservative films would be those which vindicate traditional morality and values, espouse the cause of freedom, particularly from government, or a great movie based on a book by a conservative author.

Ace in the Hole (1951)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) [directed by Michael Curtiz  (1886-1962) and William Keighley (1889-1984)]
    -read Orrin's review

All the King's Men (1949)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

All the President's Men (1976)
    -read Orrin's review of One of Us (Tom Wicker)
    -read Orrin's review of The Agenda (Bob woodward)

Amadeus (1984)

Animal Farm (1955)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Andrei Rublev (1966) (Andrei Tarkovsky  1932-1986)
    -read Orrin's review

The Apostle (1997) (directed by Robert Duvall  1931-)
     -Read Orrin's review

Babette's Feast (1987)

Beau Geste (1939)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Becket (1964) (directed by Peter Glenville [Peter Patrick Brabason Browne]  1913-96)
    -read Orrin's review

Being There (1979)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Ben Hur (1959)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Bicycle Thief [Ladri di biciclette] (1948) (directed by Vittorio De Sica  1901-74)
    -read Orrin's review

The Big Kahuna (1999) (directed by John Swanbeck)
    -read Orrin's review

The Big Sleep (1946)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Black Robe (1991)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Bonhoeffer : Agent of Grace (2000) (directed by Eric Till  1929-)
    -read Orrin's review

Braveheart (1995)

Brazil (1985)

Breaker Morant (1979) (directed by Bruce Beresford  1940-)
     -read Orrin's review

Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Brigham City (2001) (directed by Richard Dutcher)
    -read Orrin's review

Casablanca (1942)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Chicken Run (2000)

The Chosen (1977)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

A Christmas Carol (1938)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Clueless (1995)
    -read Orrin's review of the book : Emma (1816) (Jane Austen  1775-1817)  (Grade: A+)

Cool Hand Luke (1967)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
    -read Orrin's review of the play

Dark Blue World [Tmavomodry svet] (2001) (Jan Sverák  1965-)

Dark City (1998)

Deliverance (1972)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Detective (aka : Father Brown) (1954) (Directed by Robert Hamer  1911-63)
    -read Orrin's review

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1936) (Stephen Vincent Benét  1898-1943) (Grade: A)

Europa, Europa (1990)

The Exorcist (1973)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Field of Dreams (1989)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Fitzcarraldo (1982)

For Love or Country : The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000) (directed by Joseph Sargeant 1925-)
    -Read Orrin's review of the film

Frankenstein (1931)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

From Here to Eternity (1953)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Gattaca (1997) (directed by Andrew Niccol  1964-)
    -read Orrin's review of the film

Gettysburg (1993)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Gladiator (2000)

Glory (1989)

Grand Illusion [La Grande Illusion ] (1937) (directed by Jean Renoir 1894-1979)
    -Read Orrin's review of the film

The Great Escape (1963)

Groundhog Day (1993) (directed by Harold Ramis  1944-)
    -read Orrin's review of the film

Gunga Din (1939)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Hang 'em High (1967) (directed by Ted Post  1918-)
    -Read Orrin's review of the film

Henry V (1990)

High Noon (1952)

How Green Was My Valley (1941)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Inner Circle (1992)

In the Heat of the Night (1967)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Iron Giant (1999)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Kiki's Delivery Service [Majo no takkyubin] (1989) (directed by Hayao Miyazaki  1941-)
    -read Orrin's review

The Killer (1989)

Lagaan : Once Upon a Time in India (2001) (directed by Ashutosh Gowariker)
    -read Orrin's review

The Lathe of Heaven (1980)
    read Orrin's review of the book

Lillies of the Field (1963)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Limey (1999) (directed by Steven Soderbergh  1963-)
    -read Orrin's review

Lonely Are the Brave (1962)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Malcolm X (1992)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Maltese Falcon (1941)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

A Man Escaped (or The Wind Bloweth Where it Listeth) [Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut] (1956) (Directed by Robert Bresson  1901-99)
    -read Orrin's review

A Man for all Seasons (1966)
    -read Orrin's review of the play

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Man Without a Country (1973)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Matrix (1999)
    -read Orrin's review of the movie

A Merry War [aka Keep the Aspidistra Flying] (1997) (directed by Robert Beirman)
    -read Orrin's review of the movie

Metropolitan (1990)
    -added at reader behest, read comment

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

The Mouse That Roared (1959) (directed by Jack Arnold  1916-92)
    -read Orrin's review

Network (1976) (directed by Sidney Lumet  1924-)
    -see Orrin's review

Night of the Hunter (1955) (directed by Charles Laughton  1899-1962)
    -see Orrin's review

North by Northwest (1959)

October Sky (1999)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Of Mice and Men (1981)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Old Man and the Sea (1958)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

On the Waterfont (1954)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Ordinary People (1980)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Our Man Flint (1965) (Directed by Daniel Mann  1912-91)
    -read Orrin's review of the film

The Pathfinder (1993)

Paths of Glory (1957)

The Patriot (2000)
    -read Orrin's review : The Patriot (2000) (directed by Roland Emmerich  1955-)

Patton (1970)

Pi (1998)
    -read Orrin's review : Pi (1988) (directed by Darren Aronofsky  1969-)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) (directed by John Hughes  1950-)
    -read Orrin's review

Pride of the Yankees (1942)

Primary Colors (1998)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Right Stuff (1983)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Rocky (1976)

Rollerball (1975) (directed by Norman Jewison  1926-)
    -read Orrin's review

Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) (Directed by Leo McCarey  1898-1969)
    -read Orrin's review

The Sand Pebbles (1966)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Searchers (1956)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) (Directed by John Sayles  1950-)
    -read Orrin's review of the film

Serpico (1973)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Seven Samurai (1954)
        -see also, The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Shaft (1971)

Shane (1953)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Shrek (2001) (directed by Andrew Adamson)
    -read Orrin's review

The Song of Bernadette (1943) (directed by Henry King  1886-1982)
    -read Orrin's review

Spartacus (1960)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Stand and Deliver (1987)

The Straight Story (1999) (directed by David Lynch  1946-)
    -read Orrin's review

Strictly Ballroom (1992) (directed by Baz [Bazmark] Luhrmann  1962-)
    -read Orrin's review

A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Ten Commandments (1956)

Tender Mercies (1983)

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

True Grit (1969)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Truman Show (1998)
    -read Orrin's review of the movie

Unbreakable (2000) (directed by M. Night [Manoj Nelliyattu] Shyamalan  1970-)
    -read Orrin's review

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Winning Team (1952)

Wise Blood (1979)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
    -read Orrin's review of the book

Zulu (1964)
 
 

You just have to include Whit Stillman's comedy METROPOLITAN (1990) in your
favorite conservative movies of all time.  It details the story of a college
kid from Manhattan's Upper West Side (Tom Towsend) who is befriended by a
group of college kids from the Upper East side during the Christmas break
debutante season.  Tom Townsend is a Socialist who disapproves of these rich
kids in principle, but they are so nice and fun that he can't help but fall
in with them.  The movie itself is less important for plot than the fact that
the socialist gradually learns the error of his thinking and the rich kids,
despite personal faults, are quite sympathetic.  All the usual cliches aren't
administered here.  The best part is that it gets funnier on each viewing, as
you notice more and more of the subtleties.  It was nominated for Best
Screenplay in 1990.

Some excellent input from the invaluable jimhart3000 website (http://www.jh3k.com/log.html) :

I'm not quite sure what is meant by "conservative," for I wouldn't put
anything noirish in a list of films extolling conservative virtue, but here
are some films that may run along the lines of those you have already
listed.

First, some amendments: Though Brazil is a wonderful film, for my money,
Gilliam's best is The Adventures of Baron Munchausen which pits reason
against fancy and explores the trampling of the mythical that occured as the
age of scientific discovery began to take hold. Hang 'Em High? Reeeally?
Perhaps "conservative" because justice is meted out, but this is really an
awful film. Well, at least when compared to other Eastwood westerns. Maybe
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is too noirish in its sensibilities but Once
Upon a Time in the West isn't ó and even Pale Rider and High Plains Drifter
(you know, the Shane remake) portray "divine" justice while playing through
a much better film than Hang 'Em High. Or maybe you just like Skipper Jonas
Grumby ó for which no one could fault you :-)

And now some possible additions: Double Indemnity - if you've got The Big
Sleep, you are obligated to include the Big Poppa of noir cinema (and hey,
it's a Chandler project too!) Edge of Darkness - Errol Flynn? Nazis? This is
really one of the best mid-war films I've seen to really convey both hope
and urgency simultaneously. 12 Angry Men - 'Nuff said. Stalag 17 - You can't
include Chicken Run without including the film that was its primary basis.
Snow Falling on Cedars - I know, I know. I sound like a broken record on
this one, but... wow.

And now a complaint: The Patriot? Uhm... uh... *siiiiiiiigh*

And kudos: Dark City - Yes!!!!

Posted by The Dane [e-mail] [www] at 09.19.2001 10:25 a.m.

Well, I wouldn't classify anything David Mamet does as necessarily
"Conservative" but, by the criteria you've got on the site, I'd definitely
include The Winslow Boy. You'll find no sex or violence whatsoever, and it's
good drama about honor and truth.

I wholeheartedly agree with the comments that got you to add Metropolitan,
and would like to point out Whit Stillman's other films, Barcelona and The
Last Days of Disco ó they're both a bit edgier than Metropolitan but he is a
conservative, and he's got some subtle religious themes in his films and
there's really no sex, just implied. They're worst offences, really, are in
language, and it's not that bad.

Love the inclusion of Brazil. Hmm... perhaps another Gilliam film?

Oh, and, wow... you have The Killer on there too!

I'm still thinking about others... I feel we need Seth's input here. Hope
he's reading the comments here...

Posted by Jim at 09.18.2001 11:20 p.m.