list: movies that I love going back to

A list for every month, said us list maniac's Kanchan at Elan and Lakshmi at Celebrations of Life, and so here is a new list for a new month!

The list this month is on movies, those that I love to see again and again, movies that resulted in a lifelong interest, and movies that inspired me. The list is quite varied and includes movies that I have seen ages ago, but still remember scenes so perfectly. I love all kinds of movies, so found it really hard to make a short list of favorite movies, so have kept it to those that have stood out and become more than movies to me.

* Anne of a Thousand Days, about Anne Boleyn, the infamous and scandalous second wife of King Henry VIII of England, who ruled for only 1000 days. I saw this movie in boarding school, where we were shown suitably historic and classical movies every other Sunday, probably when I was 10-12 years old. It is the reason for my continued interest in Tudor England and historical books and movies till date. When I visited London several years back, going to The Tower of London was my most important agenda, so see The Tower Green, Traitor's Gate and the rest of it all. The movie stars Richard Burton as Henry VIII, which is reason enough to see it again even now!

* Young Catherine, about the early life of Catherine the Great of Russia. I saw this movie on TV on the recommendation of my sister who loves history even more than me and has a great memory of dates, names and places. This movie stars Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Plummer, Julia Ormond and a host of other great actors. The movie is about a young German princess who is selected to marry the Russian King, who is a bit demented and is controlled by his mother. A great movie for history buffs.

* Gandhi, the movie that we see every year. I love this movie not only because it has so much history for all of us, a movie about a man who changed the country and a movie that always makes me emotional. I find this movie to be very inspiring, a movie and a man that one should not forget and relegate to calenders. One of my favorite quotes of all time "...be the change you want to see in the world" is by MK Gandhi.

Another reason that I love it so much is because it has my hubby, and in-laws are in it! My father-in-law and hubby (he was 12 years old then) appear in the beginning of the movie as part of the crowd walking by on Birla House lawns, my father-in-law in the traditional topi easily stands out! My ma-in-law was in the scene at the end of the movie when Gandhi is shot, and still has the sari she wore that day with the fake blood on it. She also played the role of Nehru's secretary in a couple of scenes, but they didn't make it to the final edit and so I'm always on the lookout for a DVD of Gandhi with the deleted scenes :-)

* Sholay, one of the best Hindi movies ever made I feel. A predictable choice, since millions of people love it, but I love it's cowboy western feel, since I was a big fan of Louis L'Amour books growing up. It was great to see where it was shot on our recent Kerala trip....we drove past the area with the huge boulders!

* Musicals, all kinds of musicals, everything from Grease to Dirty Dancing to Flashdance to Footloose. I loved all of them and love seeing them again.

* Thrillers, who-dun-its, crime-capers, I find them all hard to resist. Everything from The Day of the Jackal, Sidney Sheldon's adaptation of If Tomorrow Comes (which was a mini-series and not a movie), The Eagle has Landed, The Bourne series and many more!

* Some English movies that I love include Seabiscuit, Mr Holland's Opus, Chocolat, Remember the Titans, Good Will Hunting, The Emperor's Club, Music of the Heart, Shakespeare in Love, Stick It, Immortal Beloved and Amadeus.

* I love the newer type of contemporary Hindi movies such as Lakshya (listening to it's music as I write this!), Dil Chahta Hai, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Saathiya, Guru, Monsoon Wedding, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par (oh god, how I cry each time I see him being left at the boarding school, brings back so many memories and butterflies in my tummy), Jodha Akbar, Swades, Chak De, Munnabhai and so many that I can't seem to remember right now!

Hope you enjoyed my list!