Slavoj Žižek Names His Favorite Films from The Criterion Collection





Žižek’s top ten

Trouble in Paradise (1932) – dir. Ernst Lubitsch

“It’s the best critique of capitalism.”





Sweet Smell of Success (1957) – dir. Alexander Mackendrick

“It’s a nice depiction of the corruption of the American press.”





Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) – dir. Peter Weir

“I simply like early Peter Weir movies. … It’s like his version of Stalker.”





Murmur of the Heart (1971) – dir. Louis Malle

“It’s one of those nice gentle French movies where you have incest. Portrayed as a nice secret between mother and son. I like this.”





The Joke (1969) – dir. Jaromil Jireš

“The Joke is the first novel by Milan Kundera and I think it’s his only good novel. After that it all goes down.”





The Ice Storm (1997) – dir. Ang Lee

“I have a personal attachment to this film. When James Schamus was writing the scenario, he told me he was reading a book of mine and that my theoretical book was inspiration [sic]. So it’s personal reason but I also loved the movie.”





Great Expectations (1946) dir. David Lean

“I am simply a great fan of Dickens.”





Rossellini’s History Films (Box Set) – The Age of the Medici (1973), Cartesius (1974), Blaise Pascal (1972)

“Rossellini’s history films, I prefer them. These late, long, boring TV movies. I think that the so-called great Rossellinis, for example German Year Zero and so on, they no longer really work. I think this is the Rossellini to be rehabilitated.”





City Lights (1931) – dir. Charlie Chaplin

“What is there to say? This is one of the greatest movies of all time.”





Carl Theodor Dreyer Box Set – Day of Wrath (1943), Ordet (1955), Gertrud (1964)

“It’s more out of my love for Denmark. It’s nice to know that in the ‘20s and ‘30s, Denmark was already a cinematic superpower.





Y Tu Mamá También (2002) – dir. Alfonso Cuáron

“This is for obvious personal reasons. I do the comment. [He recorded the DVD Commentary for the movie] Although, I must say that my favorite Cuáron is Children of Men.”





Antichrist (2009) – dir. Lars Von Trier

“I will probably not like it, but I like Von Trier. It is simply a part of a duty.”



