Here are 10 of the most sophisticated movies ever made, according to Reddit.
“I can’t think of a more high-brow movie than Antonioni’s Blow Up
(1966), it’s so intellectually curious and rigorous and I wish I had an advanced art history degree to really appreciate it.”–syiyers
“Lawrence of Arabia is an ultimate movie for many people. It’s Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan’s favorite movie and certainly many others. Gorgeously shot with great performances, it deals with a flawed individual. There’s no romance other than the desert itself. It deserves watching over and over.”–UserJH4202
“I just found a DVD of Anna Karenina that someone gave me a few years ago but never watched, not much being into ‘romance’ movies.
But I figured, ‘why not,’ and put it in. The first few minutes I realized how stylized the production design was; scene transitions were done very theatrically, with costumed characters moving scenic elements to indicate location changes (the movie literally opens on a theater stage, and returns to it often).
At first, I anticipated that it was going to be a stylistic mess, like Luhrmann’s recent unwatchable Great Gatsby, where the ‘look at how stylishly I can move the camera’ really distracted from the characters and story.
But I gave Anna a few more minutes, and I was enthralled. The transition techniques were so smooth and subtle. The acting was flawless. Lighting: perfect.
I loved this film immensely. The separate but intertwined storylines told about every kind of love: romantic; familial; friendly; and carnal.
It was spectacular.”–KeyserSwayze
“Barry Lyndon, the Stanley Kubrick film. It’s as if every second of that film, every line of dialogue, and every scene is crafted by a master of cinema.”–walkingthec0w
“Synecdoche, New York. Without a doubt. Really anything Kaufman. I’m Thinking Of Ending Things another great option of his.”–maverickcode
“Russian Ark. consists of an epic 87-minute-long single shot with hundreds of actors moving thru history.”–kilgore_troutman
“The Big Short is sophisticated, and really, really well made.”–OkTheory3378
I just recommended this elsewhere but I can’t really say it enough: 8 1/2 by Fellini is beautiful. It is also considerably more comical than most things suggested here. His work before that, like La Dolce Vita too. I love his later/color work as well but it gets really surreal from 8 1/2 onward and isn’t for everyone
Also pretty much anything by Tarkovsky should do the trick. Mirror is my favorite.”
“Others have mentioned Kurosawa films. I’ll toss Throne of Blood (1957) into the mix. It’s an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth styled to suit the norms of Edo Period Japan. It’s a beauty to look at and, frankly, is the gold standard for Shakespeare film adaptations. Ran is much in the same category, loosely adapting the story of King Lear.”
“Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters. Really good score and a lot of metaphors and stuff. very cool!!!!”–foopt
