The Most Memorable Films of the World
H N Narahari Rao
Sabina Services, 2007,
pp 244, Rs 300.
The Guardian recently carried an interesting feature, titled “One Thousand Films to See Before You Die”. It listed, in alphabetical order— 1,000 films from all over the world, that according to it, any film lover should aspire to watch.
The Indian films or films with an Indian connection that found a place in this list were: Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen and Elizabeth, Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali and The Chess Players (Shatranj Ke Khiladi), Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan, K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay!, Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay and Manoj N Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense.
Well, you may protest that some other very deserving Indian films should have found a place in the list, considering that some of the Hollywood entries have only one quality worth their name— commercial success. But then, that is how such listings have always worked— on the basis of the knowledge, understanding and individual liking of the critic making the selection, something which is purely subjective for any art form.
If you argue why a particular film has been included in the list and why another has not been, the compiler can always offer strong counter-arguments in favour of his or her selection.
Film critics worldwide have made this practice of writing more than a fad— some of them coming up with brilliant analyses of the films that provide enough fodder for thought for the thinking cinegoer.
In India too, there have been books like this, some good, some bad and some ugly. But somehow, veteran Bangalore-based film society activist H N Narahari Rao’s compilation is a unique venture, as he has chosen to chronicle oddly-numbered 131 films in it, the selection criteria primarily being, subjects reflecting basic human qualities and stories told with a purpose that go beyond mere entertainment. But that does not mean that the films showcased in the book do not entertain— the only difference is that they are not mindlessly entertaining.
Authentic list
The book is not merely a listing of the author’s favourite films. Instead, it is the result of a painstaking effort by Rao, who went beyond personal choices and consulted a wide array of people in the film society movement to select the films listed in the book. And he has been able to achieve what he set out to do— to help people watch films from the perspective of their content and not only star value.
Rao, who has earlier authored books like Film Society Handbook, A glimpse of Kannada Cinema and My Days with the Film Society Movement, is quite clear about the idea behind the book when he says that cinema intimately deals with all aspects of human lives and that it is a medium whose effect is immediate and pervasive. In his introduction to the book, Rao explains how he chose the 131 films, including 39 Indian films, for the book.
Divided into five sections, encompassing everything from silent films to cinema by emerging talents, the book gives brief but detailed introduction to each of the films including a note that gives the author’s perspective about the theme and the treatment of each film.
The research done by the author, which included the study of a number of ‘100 best films’ lists prepared by eminent film critics, magazines, film society activists and film personalities from across the world, has resulted in a very authentic selection. 
And what are the films that are recommended by the book? To know, one has to go through it, and for anyone interested in cinema as an art form that spells meaningful entertainment, it will be a worthwhile exercise.

(