Man Certified

Most of these are legendary, big, brawny champions of the silver screen. Heroic and human, these bold cinematic masterpieces are must-see:

1. Spartacus – Epic story of the Thracian Spartacus who, according to novelist Howard Fast, “lived not for one time of man, but for all times of man.” The full-length Spartacus delivers some of the most awesome battles ever filmed and a performance by Douglas that’s sensitive and fantastically heroic.

Stars: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Peter Ustinov, Charles Laughton, Herbert Lom, Woody Strode, John Gavin, Nina Foch, Charles McGraw, John Ireland; Director: Stanley Kubrick; Screenplay: Dalton Trumbo

2. The Quiet Man – Oscar winning tough guy romantic comedy that is a tribute to director, John Ford’s ancestral homeland of Ireland.

Stars: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Victor McLaglen, Barry Fitzgerald, Arthur Shields, Ward Bond, Mildred Natwick; Director: John Ford; Screenplay: Frank Nugent

3. Apocolypse Now – Oscar winner that presented the Vietnam war in a brilliant, important film directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Stars: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, Scott Glenn, Albert Hall, Lawrence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, G.D. Spradlin, Dennis Hopper, Colleen Camp, Tom Mason; Director: Francis Ford Coppola; Screenplay: Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius

4. The Godfather Part 1 – Oscar winner considered to be an American masterpiece that tells the story of an organized crime dynasty that transitions from father to reluctant son. Brilliant performances. Unforgettable dialogue.

Stars: Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Richard Castellano, John Cazale, Sterling Hayden, Al Lettieri, Abe Vigoda, Richard Conte, Alex Rocco; Director, Francis Ford Coppola; Screenplay: Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola

5. The Godfather Part 2 – Regarded as possibly more brilliant than Part 1, Oscar winner prequel to the original story that tells the story of Vito Corleone in 1920.

Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg, G.D. Spradlin, Bruno Kirby, Joe Spinell, Harry Dean Stanton, Roger Corman, Danny Aiello, Director: Francis Ford Coppola; Screenplay: Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola.

6. Braveheart – Oscar winning brutal, heartbreaking saga of 13th-century Scottish patriot William Wallace and his struggle against the English.

Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohand, Catherine McCormack, Brendon Gleeson, James Cosmo, David O’Hara, Angus McFadyen; Director: Mel Gibson; Screenplay: Randall Wallace

7. Ben Hur – The third and greatest adaptation of General Wallacee’s immensely popular 1880 biblical novel. Oscar winner starring Charlton Heston whose 15-minute chariot race sequence is its signature.

Stars: Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Sam Jaffe, Cathy O’Donnell, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott; Director: William Wyler; Screenplay: Karl Tunberg

8. The Bridge on the River Kwai – One of the best war dramas ever made that traverses the fine line between madness and genius. It will have you whistling the Colonel Bogey March as you head off to work.
 
Stars: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Geoffrey Horne, Andre Morell, Ann Sears; Director: David Lean; Screenplay: Michael Wilson, Carl Foreman

9. The Outlaw Josey Wales – Brutal Civil War saga of betrayal, revenge and renewal that remains one of the greatest westerns ever filmed.

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Matt Clark, John Vernon; Director: Clint Eastwood, Philip Kaufman; Screenplay: Philip Kaufman

10. Raging Bull – Oscar winning story of a tormented boxer brilliantly portrayed by Robert DeNiro, whose violence and temper makes him a champion in the ring as it destroys his life.

Stars: Robert DeNiro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana, Mario Gallo; Director: Martin Scorsese; Screenplay: Mardick Martin, Paul Schrader