These aren’t movies that are going to make you cry, or make you say “man, that was amazing!” to your friends. No — here are five movies that will literally change your life, because they will change the way you look at art, at people, at power — at everything.

Check out this list of 5 that I’ve compiled here, and see why these ones are compulsively viewable but still insanely powerful at the same time.

#5: Triumph of the Will.

All film is spectacle, it has been said, and there was no larger and more grotesque spectacle than Hitler and his Nazi party. This film celebrates them with movie techniques that were pioneering in its day, and since it is such a celebration of his party, it is so ultimately disturbing that it alters how you see ‘tribute’ films forever.

#4: Bicycle Thieves.

If you ever need to be reminded of the power contained in simple, straightforward stories, this is your film. It’s entirely of its place — set in post-war Rome when Italy was rife with poverty and hardship — but it’s also eternal. Proof that beautiful narratives can be made from anything and anywhere, if you’re good enough.

#3: Polanski’s Deconstruction of Hollywood in Chinatown.

Polanski, despite the mess he created for himself before leaving America, made what is undoubtedly one of the best American films of all time. This might just be one of those movies that says more about Hollywood than any other, which is important if you ever think about what the movies ‘mean’ to us.

#2: Vertigo is the Summation of Everything Hitchcock Did.

A wonderful thriller that also happens to be all about falling in love, idealizing women (or men), wanting other people to conform to our expectations, and an examination of the director’s role in shaping how a movie is made. No other film is so good both on its surface and in its multiple layers of meaning at the same time.

#1: America is Summed Up in The Godfather.

It doesn’t matter that this film is about the mafia — it’s actually about family, power, children, America, crime, and politics. It’s also told so unbelievably well that sometimes you literally cannot believe it doesn’t have a bad moment. Which it doesn’t. The ultimate example of film’s completely unique cultural position.

Christmas is coming, but you haven’t had time to go shopping? Why not pick a set from our dvd collection? Buy them online and enjoy your favorite tv series on dvd with your friend and family!

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