My Top 25 "Desert Island Discs"

Fans of all sorts have a love / hate affair with lists. Film buffs are no different. Some find them limiting or a waste of time; others find them diverting fun, a way to relate to the movies they love. I fall into the latter camp, and enjoy making various lists from time to time. Which brings me to the present post. Regular readers of this blog have likely gleaned an idea of my general taste in movies over the past two years plus that I've been publishing content here...but I thought it was about time to make some sort of claim on those titles that have fought their way into my personal Top Twenty-Five list. Some of these I've covered here already in greater depth, some not. But these 25 films have proven time and again to be the ones I go back to rewatch and enjoy more than any others. The list could easily extend to another twenty (or forty, or fifty...you get the idea), I'm already stretching the concept far enough as it is.

Desert Island Discs is a long running (since 1942) BBC Four radio program, in which the host interviews a famous or distinguished guest and asks them to choose 8 songs or pieces of music, one book (they are automatically given the complete works of Shakespeare, as well as the Bible or other similar religious or philosophical work) and one luxury item they would take with them if they were a castaway on the proverbial desert island. The guests then discuss their life, career and reasons for each of their choices.

So, with a slight tweaking of the original program's rules (25 instead of 8 titles), here is my own personal Desert Island Discs style list (the discs here being, of course, DVDs or Blu-Rays). I'll still keep the "one book"  and "luxury item" rules. In this case, the one book would likely be The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein, though if I could cheat the list a bit to include a book series, I'd probably swap the Rings out for the complete 21-novel Aubrey-Maturin naval saga by Patrick O'Brien (I'd certainly find more useful "island survival" info in the O'Brien books.) And the luxury item? Harder to decide. Probably a toss-up between a fat stash of Hershey's chocolate bars, or a comfy chair in which to lounge whilst watching these wonderful movies.

Please note, I make no claim for this list as "Best or Greatest movies of all time," like the infamous Sight and Sound Magazine poll that comes out periodically. These are strictly movies I adore, that feed and nurture my soul, and that would provide strength, joy and succor during my lonely exile on this imaginary island. Understandably, there are dozens of titles that sorely grieve me to leave off this list, and that, on a given day, might conceivably trade places with one of the movies below. But, by and large, these are the cream of the crop as far as I'm concerned. Titles are listed in no particular ranking order - though if anyone asks, I usually answer Casablanca as my favorite film. I mean, really - does it get any better than that?
 
Please feel free to play along if so inclined, and include your own list in the comments below.

It's a Wonderful Life               
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rear Window       
The  Quiet Man
Casablanca           
To  Have and Have Not
On Her Majesty's Secret Service           
The Big Country
The Magnificent Seven       
 The Great Escape
The Best Year's of Our Lives       
 Rio Bravo
Jaws       
 The Three Musketeers (1973 version)
The Professionals       
The Thin Man
Aliens   
 Rocky
Hatari!   
 The Yakuza
Only Angels Have Wings   
 The Adventures of Robin Hood
For a Few Dollars More
 Planet of the Apes
Shane

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Just a few of my all-time favorite movies.