The Hollywood Reporter has these cool Roundtable interview videos on YouTube, one of which is the Full Director’s Roundtable. Stephen Galloway hosts and starts the conversation with questions about filmmaking and each director answers. For this blog series, I’ll be focusing on the question, “You’re on a life boat and you can bring only one movie. Which movie do you choose?” This Roundtable includes Angelina Jolie, Guillermo del Toro, Greta Gerwig, Patty Jenkins, Joe Wright, and Denis Villenueve.
Angelina Jolie’s choice, The Hill (1965).
Angelina Jolie: The Hill, 1965, directed by Sidney Lumet, and starring Sean Connery. Shot in black & white, the story is set in a North African military prison. Sean Connery is a major who gets sent to prison for beating up his superior after being commanded to go back into the war zone and refusing. The hill is a giant mound of sand and point of punishment for those who buck against authority. This film shows the grit and will to survive during these harsh conditions as well as lengths people will go for power and humanity. Also starring Ossie Davies, Alfred Lynch, Ian Bannen, Jack Watson, Roy Kinnear, Sir Michael Redgrave, Ian Hendry, and Harry Andrews. Chosen because she loves Sidney Lumet and The Hill “shows you how to survive against all odds.” She offered a second pic of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in case she needed to watch “something that’s a little more alive.” Watch the trailer for The Hill below:
Guillermo del Toro: The Road Warrier
Greta Gerwig: Singin’ in the Rain
Patty Jenkins: I Know Where I’m Going