This 1973 book, from a time when interest in film and film history was at its height after some seven decades of scant interest, has achieved a place of honor, though the author was not one of many notable writers on film (such as Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris, Peter Cowie) who were at their height at this time. Instead William Bayer was and is known as a writer of mysteries and thrillers, yet his connection to film and film history is rather genetic, him being the son of award winning screen writer and indie icon Eleanor Perry (best known for her work with second husand director Frank Perry on such films as David and Lisa and Diary of a Mad Housewife, none of which get a mention in the text of this book). However, despite its luxurious, high gloss, coffee table look, this is a remarkably intelligent and somewhat prescient book on which films, in the author's opinion, are great and just why they are. It must be stated that this book, written by a more objective outsider to the film world, is blessedly free of jargon and agendas (no auteur theory discussed here, though the author plainly is aware of the works of great film makers).
The book tackles 60 films in 12 categories. Some of the categories are the usual genre fixtures such as westerns, mysteries, musicals, and horror (though his take on that one is very sophisticated and not what is expected). However, he also includes unexpected corners such as "the personal cinema" and "the concerned cinema". There are several of the usual suspects such as...well, Casablanca, M, Singin' in the Rain, Stagecoach and the author's film of all films, Citizen Kane (Orson Welles appears in this book more than anyone else, with three films as director and one additional as actor). However, some of these films, such as From Here to Eternity, Shane, Tom Jones, and Gone With the Wind have not weathered the years so well. Conversely, the author, somewhat understandably, includes flms of a more recent vintage to the time of the book's writing. Remarkably, his batting average on these isn't too bad at all. Easy Rider (a choice he admits having to defend to his publisher) and M*A*S*H (beloved for opening Robert Altman's directorial era but now looking sexist and lopsided in structure and eclipsed by an entity as promiment in its medium as this film ever was in its own) and Blow-Up look a bit odd being in the book today but Cabaret, A Hard Day's Night, and, espeically, The Wild Bunch look right at home (more so than they did at the time). However, where the author really shines (or, maybe, was influential) is in his choosing of films which were either locked away at the time, forgotten by the mainstream, or remmebered in a less than optimal way. The introduction (not written by the author)states that some of the films "are hard to see on a big screen anymore". The jawdropping selections in this category include Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep, Robert Bresson's Au Hazard Balthazar, Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers, Welles' Touch of Evil, which the author terms the greatest B movie ever made (all the more remarkable in that he had only the butchered, long circulated version to go by, not the refurbished efforts of later years), John Ford's The Searchers (then rather forgotten), and John Frankenheimer's then dismissed, long unseen The Manchurian Candidate! Now, all of this creates a chicken and egg question: was the author ahead of his time or did he help to create the current reputations for these films? It must be stated, whatever the case, if the films didn't have the basic quality, they wouldn't have taken hold. Sadlly, the author has only written one other book concerning that film world (an accute work on the hard work of getting a film made, respected for being both accurate and so depressing). That he hasn't continued writing about film is the cinematic world's loss. ( )

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