What makes a movie great?

I think what makes a movie great is the ability to get people to talk about it. When you leave the theater and actually want to talk about what you just saw, then it will endure. Not "did you like it"..."yeah I liked it". And that's it. Now what makes a movie one you want to talk about? Perhaps great cinematography, story or acting. Some of the great movies like A Street Car Named Desire, Gone with Wind and Casablanca (for starters) all have memorable line. From "Stella! Stella", "Frankly Scarlet, I don't give a" to "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship". They also have memorable characters. Of couse there is always more, but that's a good start.

The clarification of what makes a great story is important but in movies there are many factors to consider. The fact that Dirty Dancing and the Princess Bride are such staples of my generation atone to the fact that not every great movie is deep. Harry Potter and LOTR just to name a few have had such a literal inpact on our culture, both as books and as movies but they can be reduced to formulaic creations. It is the difference between knowing Titanic is a blockbuster and DaVinci (sp?)Code was "right time, right place." The difference between a good movie and a great story is what moves a culture to include it as history.

I think the first criteria for a great movie is the story. There are those stories that are so moving or so entertaining they are unforgettable. "Gone with the Wind" falls in that category for me. Of course, the fact that Clark Gable was in it didn't hurt! That brings me to the second factor; good acting. Every great movie had good acting and usually a cast that included popular, good actors. Take "Breakfast at Tiffany's" for instance. Almost every movie Audrey Hepburn did could be a classic. "Charades" is another favorite of mine. Who could beat a team like Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant" Speaking of Hepburns, Katherine Hepburn had some classics of her own, including "Philadelphia Story" and "The African Queen" with another great--Humphrey Bogart. I think the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy will join "Star Wars" partly because of the great cinematography and special effects. Finally there are some movies that become classic due to the sparks between the stars. Two of my personal favorites are "Pretty Woman" (Richard Gere and Julia Roberts) and "Dirty Dancing". (Oh those scenes between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray) Neither of these movies had a spell binding story or Oscar level acting, but just worked. Overall, I think it is a combination of all of the above, plus the timing. Sometimes a movie makes an unforgettable statement about the current society. "Rebel Without a Cause" was one of those, as were many of the lavish musicals during the 40's and 50's. "The Wizard of OZ" took us out of a fearsome world into a magic land. So did many others. To me a classic movie is one I can watch over and over without tiring of it. For me that doesn't happen too often.