The Definitives

Critical essays, histories, and appreciations of great films

Dear Readers,

The Definitives is a continuing series of essays about some of my favorite films. They consist of appreciations, histories, and critical analyses—and often all of the above. I post them at a rate of about one per month. 

Writing these essays requires that I access books, university libraries, physical media, and scholarly databases online, each of which has an associated cost. Given the time, research, and resources that go into writing each entry, The Definitives debut on my Patreon page and are accessible exclusively to community members for the first six months. After that, they will be transferred to Deep Focus Review for everyone to read. 

If you enjoy The Definitives, please consider joining Patreon to support my work as an essayist, film historian, and critic. Not only will you get access to new entries in The Definitives when they debut, you will also get access to exclusive reviews, polls, and blogs.

My hope is that these essays enhance the films you already love and introduce you to some new favorites. 

Brian Eggert
January 5, 2024

  1. Farewell My Concubine title image

    Farewell My Concubine (1993)

    Essay by Brian Eggert

  2. It Happened One Night title image

    It Happened One Night (1934)

    Essay by Brian Eggert

  3. The Godfather title image

    The Godfather (1972)

    Essay by Brian Eggert

  4. The Night of the Hunter

    The Night of the Hunter (1955)

    Essay by Brian Eggert

  5. Eyes Without a Face title image

    Eyes Without a Face (1960)

    Essay by Brian Eggert

  6. Volver title image

    Volver (2006)

    Essay by Brian Eggert

  7. Laura title image

    Laura (1944)

    Essay by Brian Eggert

  8. Kwaidan title image

    Kwaidan (1965)

    Essay by Brian Eggert

  9. The Celebration title image

    The Celebration (1998)

    Essay by Brian Eggert

The Definitives

  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
  2. 28 Days Later (2002)
  3. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
  4. The 400 Blows (1959)
  5. 8 1/2 (1963)
  6. The Abyss (1989)
  7. Ace in the Hole (1951)
  8. Adaptation. (2002)
  9. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
  10. After Hours (1985)
  11. The Age of Innocence (1993)
  12. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
  13. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
  14. Alien (1979)
  15. Aliens (1986)
  16. Amadeus (1984)
  17. Amour (2012)
  18. Annie Hall (1977)
  19. Army of Shadows (1969)
  20. Bamboozled (2000)
  21. Barry Lyndon (1975)
  22. Barton Fink (1991)
  23. Batman Begins (2005)
  24. Being There (1979)
  25. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
  26. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
  27. The Big City (1963)
  28. The Big Country (1958)
  29. The Big Heat (1953)
  30. Black Legion (1937)
  31. Black Narcissus (1947)
  32. Blade Runner (1982)
  33. Blow Out (1981)
  34. The Blue Angel (1930)
  35. Blue Velvet (1986)
  36. Bob le flambeur (1956)
  37. Brazil (1985)
  38. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
  39. Brute Force (1947)
  40. Caché (2005)
  41. Captain Blood (1935)
  42. Carrie (1976)
  43. Casablanca (1942)
  44. Cat People (1942)
  45. The Celebration (1998)
  46. Chinatown (1974)
  47. Citizen Kane (1941)
  48. City Lights (1931)
  49. Clueless (1995)
  50. Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
  51. Contagion (2011)
  52. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
  53. The Crying Game (1992)
  54. Cure (1997)
  55. The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
  56. The Dark Knight (2008)
  57. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
  58. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
  59. Defending Your Life (1991)
  60. The Devils (1971)
  61. Diabolique (1955)
  62. Die Hard (1988)
  63. Do the Right Thing (1989)
  64. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
  65. Don’t Look Now (1973)
  66. Double Indemnity (1944)
  67. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
  68. Drunken Angel (1948)
  69. Duck Soup (1933)
  70. El laberinto del fauno (2006)
  71. The English Patient (1996)
  72. Escape from New York (1981)
  73. Eve’s Bayou (1997)
  74. The Exorcist (1973)
  75. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
  76. Eyes Without a Face (1960)
  77. The Fallen Idol (1948)
  78. Fanny and Alexander (1982)
  79. Farewell My Concubine (1993)
  80. Finding Nemo (2003)
  81. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
  82. Five Easy Pieces (1970)
  83. The Fly (1986)
  84. Foreign Correspondent (1940)
  85. Frances Ha (2013)
  86. Freaks (1932)
  87. Ganja & Hess (1973)
  88. The Gleaners and I (2000)
  89. The Godfather (1972)
  90. Gone with the Wind (1939)
  91. Goodfellas (1990)
  92. Gosford Park (2001)
  93. Grand Illusion (1937)
  94. The Great Dictator (1940)
  95. Grizzly Man (2005)
  96. Halloween (1978)
  97. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
  98. Harakiri (1963)
  99. Harold and Maude (1971)
  100. Heat (1995)
  101. High and Low (1963)
  102. His Girl Friday (1940)
  103. A History of Violence (2005)
  104. The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
  105. House of Games (1987)
  106. The Ice Storm (1997)
  107. Ikiru (1952)
  108. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
  109. In the Mood for Love (2000)
  110. The Incredibles (2004)
  111. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
  112. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
  113. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
  114. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
  115. It Happened One Night (1934)
  116. Jaws (1975)
  117. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
  118. JFK (1991)
  119. Jurassic Park (1993)
  120. King Kong (1933)
  121. Knife in the Water (1962)
  122. Kwaidan (1965)
  123. La noire de… (1966)
  124. La strada (1954)
  125. The Lady Eve (1941)
  126. Laura (1944)
  127. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
  128. Les enfants du paradis (1945)
  129. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
  130. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
  131. Lost in America (1985)
  132. M. Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
  133. A Man Escaped (1956)
  134. Man of the West (1958)
  135. The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
  136. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
  137. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
  138. Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
  139. Meet John Doe (1941)
  140. Melancholia (2011)
  141. Metropolis (1927)
  142. Millennium Mambo (2001)
  143. Minority Report (2002)
  144. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
  145. The Mist (2007)
  146. Modern Times (1936)
  147. Mon oncle (1958)
  148. Moolaadé (2004)
  149. Mulholland Dr. (2001)
  150. The Music Room (1958)
  151. My Darling Clementine (1946)
  152. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
  153. The Naked Spur (1953)
  154. Nashville (1975)
  155. Network (1976)
  156. Night and the City (1950)
  157. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
  158. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
  159. Ninotchka (1939)
  160. North by Northwest (1959)
  161. Notorious (1946)
  162. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
  163. Odd Man Out (1947)
  164. Oldboy (2003)
  165. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
  166. Onibaba (1964)
  167. Our Man in Havana (1959)
  168. Paris, Texas (1984)
  169. Pather Panchali (1955)
  170. Paths of Glory (1957)
  171. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
  172. Pickup on South Street (1953)
  173. The Player (1992)
  174. PlayTime (1967)
  175. Portrait of Jennie (1948)
  176. The Princess Bride (1987)
  177. Princess Mononoke (1997)
  178. Pulp Fiction (1994)
  179. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
  180. Raging Bull (1980)
  181. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  182. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
  183. Raising Arizona (1987)
  184. Rashomon (1950)
  185. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
  186. Red River (1948)
  187. The Red Shoes (1948)
  188. Rembrandt (1936)
  189. Rio Bravo (1959)
  190. The Road Warrior (1981)
  191. RoboCop (1987)
  192. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
  193. The Rules of the Game (1939)
  194. Sanjuro (1962)
  195. Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
  196. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
  197. Scream (1996)
  198. The Searchers (1956)
  199. Seconds (1966)
  200. A Serious Man (2009)
  201. Seven Samurai (1954)
  202. The Seventh Seal (1957)
  203. Sexy Beast (2000)
  204. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
  205. The Shining (1980)
  206. Shoah (1985)
  207. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
  208. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
  209. The Skin I Live In (2011)
  210. Solaris (1972)
  211. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
  212. State and Main (2000)
  213. Strange Days (1995)
  214. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
  215. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
  216. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
  217. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
  218. Taxi Driver (1976)
  219. The Terminator (1984)
  220. Terrorizers (1986)
  221. There Will Be Blood (2007)
  222. They Live (1988)
  223. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
  224. The Thin Man (1934)
  225. The Thin Red Line (1998)
  226. The Thing (1982)
  227. The Third Man (1949)
  228. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
  229. Topsy-Turvy (1999)
  230. Touch of Evil (1958)
  231. A Touch of Zen (1971)
  232. Toy Story (1995)
  233. Trainspotting (1996)
  234. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
  235. Trouble in Paradise (1932)
  236. Ugetsu (1953)
  237. Umberto D. (1952)
  238. Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
  239. Unforgiven (1992)
  240. The Untouchables (1987)
  241. Vertigo (1958)
  242. Videodrome (1983)
  243. The Virgin Spring (1960)
  244. Volver (2006)
  245. The Wages of Fear (1953)
  246. WALL·E (2008)
  247. White Heat (1949)
  248. White Material (2009)
  249. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
  250. The Wild Bunch (1969)
  251. The Wolf Man (1941)
  252. Woman in the Dunes (1964)
  253. Written on the Wind (1956)
  254. Yojimbo (1961)
  255. Zama (2018)
  256. Zodiac (2007)