A 30th Anniversary Retrospective: LOOKING AT THE BEST FILMS OF 1993

30 years.

In some ways, I could argue that 1993 is the first year that I have the most amount of vivid memories from...so it is hard to believe that it was 30 years ago. Of course, at the time, a lot of the movies on this list (save for one) weren't anywhere near my five year old radar. 

Welcome back to my Anniversary Retrospective series where I am doing a spotlight on years of film that are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year. It is a series I do hope to continue next year, so needless to say, I should be able to keep this going for a little while.

Nothing has changed in terms of how I have felt about this journey. By that, I mean that I love being able to single out films that I may not normally talk about on my blog.

The problem with doing "Best of the Decade" lists is that it usually only allows you to name 1 or maybe 2 films from a given year...meanwhile, there are a few films that you may love that deserve to have a mention. This could even tie into more sentimental favorites that might not always be mentioned by others.

I would say that my list for 1993 is not too unusual. In fact, in a rather rare occurrence, FOUR of the five Best Picture nominees are on my list...but I also feel like it wasn't as vast a year in terms of the output.

I do have one film on my list (my #10 film) that might make some of you raise your eyebrows, but it falls into that "sentimental" category. Otherwise, we have some strong indies/foreign films (my go-to bread and butter) mixed in with the rather solid quartet of Best Picture nominees (including, spoiler alert, that year's winner).

So having said all of that, here are my 10 favorite films from 1993 that just so happen to be celebrating their 30th anniversary this year.

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#10 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES

(Barry Sonnenfeld)

When we talk about amazing film sequels from history, a lot of the time we look towards The Godfather Part II, The Empire Strikes Back, Toy Story 3, The Return of the King, among some others...but there is one sequel that I find to be absolutely remarkable and perhaps it is a film that would get scoffed by some for being placed on such a list.

In fact, the idea of me putting Addams Family Values on such a list might shock some of you...especially considering my lists often veer towards more indie and foreign films.

Maybe nostalgia is playing a factor here, but I do find that this was an absolutely glorious dark comedy that still holds up remarkably well. 

I would've been around 5-6 years old when this first came out on VHS, and I had already seen and enjoyed the 1991 film (had yet to see the 60s TV series). 

The campier elements of the film are what make it stand out so much, and these particular come from the new supporting players: The Grangers played by Christine Baranski and Peter MacNichol and particularly Joan Cusack as Debbie Jelinsky. 

Cusack has two Oscar nominations to her name, and both are for comedic roles: Working Girl and In & Out. I will gladly proclaim that Cusack should've been nominated for this role too...and honestly, I would've been okay with her winning if it had happened.

This is such a perfect villainous but comedic performance that is perfectly pitched in terms of the campy presentation. 

As The Grangers, the two yuppie camp counselors who have probably spent too much time in Suffolk County, Baranski and MacNichol are simply hilarious and their absolutely random Thanksgiving pageant in the middle of the summer which ends in complete disarray is such a classic that I share the clips of it every Thanksgiving on most of my social media platforms.

All of the elements from the original are still there and wonderful in their own right. The late great Raul Julia is still the Gomez of my heart while Anjelica Huston will forever be Morticia Addams even if I know full well her catalog of work proves she is far more. Christopher Lloyd is such a delight as Uncle Fester and then you get the great character actress Dana Ivey sweeping in as the new wife of the hair full that is Cousin Itt. 

I really did enjoy the 1991 film but there was just something magical about the tonal shifts and the plot of this one that worked so well...and I think the dynamics of putting Wednesday and Pugsley in a yuppie summer camp and pairing Fester with a murderous spouse just made for a sequel that simply felt more alive and invigorating.

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#9 - NAKED 

(Mike Leigh)

Mike Leigh is one of those filmmakers who often has a sort of whimsy about him, but he will occasionally delve into bleaker territory.

You have a movie like Vera Drake, which deals with an illegal abortionist in Britain who faces charges and then you have a movie like Naked, which takes a man filled with rage and loathing and sets him out on an odyssey around London at night.

One could argue that the film is a bit brash and that it can get tiring to deal with Johnny as a "protagonist"...but the intensity and true conviction of David Thewlis in this role completely wins you over.

While he did receive major attention from critics groups, Thewlis would join the list of the most egregious Oscar snubs in history. This is a performance that was completely unrelenting in its approach and I think under less deft hands (and under a director not as skilled as Leigh), this would've been a disaster of a performance and a disaster of a film.

This is an odyssey through post-Thatcher London...right in the midst of the John Major premiership...and that anger and frustration over their hideous reign permeates this film. Sort of how you see the same aftershocks in a movie like The Full Monty four years later even though that film has a lot of heart.

In the Mike Leigh canon, this one is perhaps a literal cannonball...or a shard of glass. Sometimes those are the most fascinating films to watch and revisit despite how uncomfortable they might be.

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#8 - IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER

(Jim Sheridan)

Irish filmmaker Jim Sheridan has not really had a moment in the spotlight for years. In fact, the last film of his to get a lot of attention was In America, which made my top 10 list for 2003 when I did my first Anniversary Retrospective...and that might've been my favorite film of his.

In the case of In the Name of the Father, which is the first of the four 1993 Best Picture nominees to make this list, I feel like this is another one of his best, but it seems to not be as well remembered nowadays.

1993 actually gave us two Daniel Day-Lewis performances: The Age of Innocence and In the Name of the Father, with him receiving an Oscar nomination for the latter.

I think this was the right choice as I consider this to be one of his five best performances.

Day-Lewis plays Gerry Conlon, a thief who lives in Belfast and ends up getting wrongly accused for the bombing of a London pub... when in reality, it was the IRA. 

As is often the case, the police more or less coerce Conlon and his friends to confess to a crime they didn't commit. Conlon is then sentenced to 15 years in prison and his father Guiseppe (Pete Postlethwaite) is determined to prove his son's innocence...even when he himself is also implicated for the bombing.

This is a movie that I didn't quite grasp when I first saw it, but as I got older and began seeing so many injustices at the hands of the police and the justice system, I thought more about how enraging this film actually was...and how it deserves to be seen by more people.

The courtroom scene in this film, in which we get some stellar work from Emma Thompson, is one of my favorites of its kind ever put on film. It can truly make your blood boil to see how heinous the system is...and you realize that it isn't just in the US where justice is often never served and innocent people suffer.

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#7 - THE REMAINS OF THE DAY

(James Ivory)

We now get our second of the four Best Picture nominees on this list with The Remains of the Day, a very sterling Merchant/Ivory adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel.

Very few actors are able to make repressed emotions as compelling as Anthony Hopkins...but not only is Hopkins truly compelling, this might be his finest performance.

And that is saying something. 

While his iconic work in The Silence of the Lambs is iconic for a reason, I honestly feel like what he accomplished here (and later on with his Oscar winning work in The Father) represents a masterclass in how to navigate such a delicate sterling performance and still somehow make it far more emotional than may be seen at first glance.

The Remains of the Day is VERY British. I actually once described the movie in a conversation as "The Most British Thing to Have Ever Britished"...and I suppose maybe that isn't everyone's cup of tea...another British pastime...ha..ha...

For some reason, I have always been drawn to stuffy British dramas. Not all of them work, but when they do, I can find them oddly exhilarating. 

 

When it comes to unrequited love, look no further than the turmoil brought on by Hopkins and Emma Thompson. There was a review on Letterboxd that referred to this film as the most "painful" they had ever seen and likely would see.

There is some truth to that...and a lot of what makes that work is the chemistry between Hopkins and Thompson, the deft hand of James Ivory, and the script which had been adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from Ishiguro's text (although it has been said that legendary playwright Harold Pinter did some uncredited rewrites).

It is such a universal story in terms of lost loves and missed opportunities...and I know that I have deeply related to those emotions as well. I certainly didn't connect to the film in that manner when I first saw it, but it has resonated with me over the years.

I often desire to return to watch it, but often decide to wait for the right mood as I might be sent into a blistering sadness. Sometimes, it is better to just turn on an episode of The Golden Girls and laugh; other times, maybe you are willing to have Hopkins and Thompson flirt to take some tears out of you.

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#6 - THE PIANO

(Jane Campion)

I didn't exactly mean for three of the four 1993 Best Picture nominees to be right back-to-back-to-back against each other, but the more I thought about the films, I shifted them around and ended up with this result.

I have had certain films over the years where I would watch them and not fully "get it".

I have been under the impression that The Piano is like that for a lot of people. At the time that I truly started getting into films, I was of the opinion that The Piano was the kind of boring schlock that appealed to stuffy Oscar voters.

As the years went by, I noticed that there was a shift in the level of appreciation and attention that the film was receiving on various online film forums, and I ended up revisiting it when I was in college.

The Piano is one of the ultimate examples of a film that I truly admit I was wrong when I first saw it and now, I would say it is a truly well-done film that was exquisite in many ways.

The crazy thing to think about is that Jane Campion became only the second woman to be nominated for Best Director (and honestly would've likely won had it not been for the juggernaut that was Schindler's List), but I think it is abundantly clear that no one could ignore her work here. In terms of what she gets out of the material (her own Oscar-winning script), the setting, and her performers is nothing short of masterful.

Holly Hunter leads the show here with an Oscar winning performance, which is great on its own, even if I do think Angela Bassett or Stockard Channing were more deserving.

The performance that really steals the show is young Anna Paquin as her daughter Flora, who managed to win the Oscar in an upset over expected winner Winona Ryder for The Age of Innocence.

Paquin is a marvel in this. While she certainly was too young to understand a lot of context/content, Campion is able to get a performance out of her that is surprisingly rich and deep...AND she is able to blend into the background when she needs to. 

She feels very real, but also rehearsed/fake when she needs to as she is, in some ways, kind of villainous to the film's trajectory.

As for the ending, I know Campion regrets how it went down (and I do think her original ending would've made more sense), but how it is staged and edited (involving the rope...IYKYK) is expertly done. Truthfully, I think Campion would have been a very viable contender to win for Director that year. 

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#5 - MOVING

(Shinji Somai)

Moving was a film that I discovered a lot later than some of the other films on this list. I first discovered it when I was in college during an airing on TV late at night and it managed to stay with me.

I have always had something of a strong fascination with films made by Asian filmmakers (in fact, coming up, you will see the film that sort of began that journey for me), and I went into Moving with little knowledge of its director Shinji Somai.

Part of this was due to Somai's untimely death in 2001, but I was intrigued as I considered myself at the time to often be drawn to Japanese films the most thanks to directors like Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi, Teshigahara, and Koreada.

It also didn't hurt that Moving dealt with a child growing up in a difficult environment and how she managed to persevere...which is a subject of film I have often be a fan of even though some films tend to falter on making them feel fresh and unique.

I think what really hooked me into the film once I saw it was how it reminded me so much of the works of Ozu, who is most remembered these days for making 1953's Tokyo Story.

A young girl named Renko (Tomoko Tabata) is at odds between her two parents who are in the midst of a divorce...and it rightly joins the group of the greatest movies about divorce ever made: Scenes from a Marriage (well that was technically a Swedish miniseries, but whatever) and A Separation. 

But Tomoko Tabata is truly a wonder in this; easily one of the best performances by a child ever put onto film. She is so natural but also so intense and emotionally sound. She has that youthful vigor, but she also seems so wise beyond her years at times...and perhaps some of the credit should go to Somai.

A very lively and emotional film that deserves far more attention than it has received. I was so pleased to notice that it has a rather healthy 4.0/5 rating on Letterboxd.

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#4 - GROUNDHOG DAY

(Harold Ramis)

Comedy might arguably be the most objective of genres. It also seems to be a genre heavily defined by the kind of comedic content you grow up around.

I was someone who ended up finding a lot of joy in dry, cynical comedy as I often had relatives who would watch British sitcoms on PBS...and I think the energy of Bill Murray really tied into this.

When I first saw Groundhog Day, it felt like I was witnessing lightening in a bottle. It is hard to claim that anything, let alone a film, is perfect.

But as far as comedies go, I think Groundhog Day is about as close to perfection as the genre can get.

Bill Murray is Phil Connors, a Pittsburgh-based weatherman who is being sent up to Punxsutawney to cover an event he dreads every year: Groundhog Day. 

In tow are his new producer Rita (Andie MacDowell) and cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott). Larry is one of those guys who just doesn't care and does his job, while Rita is sort of taken by the charm of the small town and how happy its citizens are.

Phil, on the other hand: "They're hicks, Rita..."

I don't think I even have to say what the "twist" of the film is, but yes, Phil ends up reliving Groundhog Day over and over again.

No matter what he does...including a dark sequence where he tries committing suicide multiple times...he just keeps waking up in his bed on February 2nd with Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" playing on the radio.

The sort of charming Frank Capra-esque ending it has doesn't feel like a cop-out, but it feels strangely earned after dealing with the cyncial comedy throughout the film.

The role of Phil feels so engrained into the style of Bill Murray that its hard to believe that any other actor was considered...and I do want to give a shout-out to the great character actor Stephen Tobolowsky, whose brief performance as Ned Ryerson is a prime example of how someone can take a small role and truly make it memorable based on great character work/direction.

While the category would've had too many viable contenders to win, I seriously would've nominated Tobolowsky for Supporting Actor...just like Murray was worthy of an Actor nom.  

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#3 - FAREWELL, MY CONCUBINE 

(Chen Kaige)

What a beautiful movie. 

And, for the love of God, WHAT A BLEAK MOVIE!

Farewell, My Concubine would've been the first film of Asian origin that I watched when I began my journey as a film fanatic over 20 years ago...or at least it was the first time I distinctly remember doing so.

It was due to this film that I became very interested in seeking out films not just from China, but other Asian countries. So, for those of you who got sick to death of me becoming the posterchild of praising Parasite back in 2019-2020, you can blame this film.

The film's star, Leslie Cheung, committed suicide 20 years ago this year...only a couple of years after I had seen this film. For the longest time, I couldn't revisit the film because I felt so strongly affected by Cheung's work in this that I couldn't bear to watch it after his suicide.

Cheung is an absolutely devastating revelation in this film. He's delicate and genteel but also quietly unhinged...in many ways...to use a somewhat brash example...a literal China Doll.

Cheung plays Douzi, a young child who had been abandoned by his prostitute mother in 1920 and quickly raised by a theatre troupe. 

Douzi has very feminine features and ends up taking on an androgenous persona. While in the troupe, he meets Shitou (Zhang Feng Yi) and they form an act called "Farewell My Concubine".

The fame that the act brings them is soon challenged when Shitou meets and marries Juxian (the legendary Gong Li), which sends Douzi down a mental spiral.

It isn't necessarily an easy watch, but it is so rare to find a movie that is so beautiful in its bleakness.

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#2 - SCHINDLER'S LIST

(Steven Spielberg)

Considering how I have been critical of Spielberg as a filmmaker rather recently (see my discussion and review of his 2022 semi-autobiographical effort The Fabelmans), I do want to be sure I give him credit where credit is due.

I have never doubted Spielberg as a filmmaker. He has made great films and he is certainly a very competent director. I think my problem with him is that he doesn't always take bold chances, but when he does, you wish he would do it more often.

I think Schindler's List is the easy answer to the question of what his best-made film is. 

You could even argue that the film could've easily fallen into "white savior" tendencies, but it manages to avoid that. While I can't deny that film does still have a something syrupy gloss that Spielberg films  tend to have (something that I am not sure a Holocaust film should have), it still manages to be a very blunt and unforgiving film...as it should be.

(Although - if you want to see a truly bleak and uncomfortable film about the Holocaust, check out Elem Klimov's 1985 effort Come & See). 

Now it is time to contradict myself a little bit.

I think what I do love about Schindler's List aside from its strong emotional core is how handsomely made it is. This is a film made with such style and dignity, even if it does try a little hard to be cloying at times. 

The real masterstroke of the film is the casting of Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth. 

It is honestly remarkable to think that this was his breakout role, because the performance is so sinister and yet, he didn't get stuck into getting typecast (and no, I don't count Voldemort). I think the fact he lost the Oscar for this is one of the worst judgment calls, especially considering how the film swept that night. 

In the end, Schindler's List is a film that deserves its hype and acclaim...but there are just certain little tiny bits about it that make me not fully embrace it to quite the same level.

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#1 - THREE COLOURS: BLUE

(Krzysztof Kieslowski)

When it comes to grief in film, I recently felt that Ryusuke Hamaguchi managed to strike gold with his take on the topic in 2021's Drive My Car.

Although, one film that I found to be incredibly compelling in how it addresses grief and how it observes someone who is trying so hard not to acknowledge that grief is the first installment of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours trilogy: that very chilly color known as BLUE.

The Three Colours Trilogy was Kieslowski's magnum opus of sorts...and it was the final project he completed before he passed away in 1996. The other two installments both came out in 1994, which were White (a very good film) and Red (which is fantastic), but I think on an emotional level, Blue was undeniably the most potent.

You can't talk about the film without focusing on Juliette Binoche, who gives one of the best performances I have ever seen in a film.

When you think of "award winning" performances, the standard prototype that often comes up is an image of someone screaming or crying and emoting for the back row. 

Binoche doesn't do that here. This is a performance all about restraint and how she is trying so hard to not express any of the turmoil she is feeling inside for the death of her husband and young son from a car accident. 

Even at the end when Binoche sort of accepts the grief and is able to move on with her life so to speak, she doesn't overplay. It is a nice release of emotion that slowly bleeds into a smile. It is such a perfectly pitched performance that I feel should analyzed and studied for decades to come.

I sort of feel like I am going to end this on a bit of a copout, but this is one of those films where I just feel like I can't fully talk about it. I think it is a film that needs to be seen and experienced, and while I could try to go through the film and talk about more of the details, I don't really want to reveal more than I already have.

Blue is a film of great emotional elegance and is one of the best character studies ever captured in cinema history. It was able to move me in such a profound way that I often think about it even on a daily basis.

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

I had a made a comment that 1993 wasn't a "vast" year for film in the beginning of this post.

Maybe not as many films fought for a slot on this list, but this still remains a very might list in my book. 

When comparing it to other years from the 1990s, this actually might be one of the top 3 years of that decade...and to be honest, I wouldn't have ever guessed that at first glance.

We hear a lot about 1994 or 1999, but I think that 1993 is an unsung hero for strong cinema. 

It even took me a long time to write about this year because I was having trouble drumming up the passion for it at first...and I am proud to say I was wrong to sleep on this year. 

Not only were the films fantastic but the performances featured in these films are unreal.

Juliette Binoche in Blue

Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List

Leslie Cheung in Farewell, My Concubine

Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson in The Remains of the Day

Tomoko Tabata in Moving

David Thewlis in Naked

But also - 1993 also gave us some truly stellar performances that weren't even from films on this list that I felt compelled to mention:

Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

Angela Bassett & Laurence Fishburne in What's Love Got to Do with It?

Stockard Channing in Six Degrees of Separation

It was a small but mighty year...and while the list of films was fairly on the dramatic/bleak side (minus Groundhog Day and Addams Family Values), I highly recommend checking out these films if you haven't already. I suspect many of you have seen Schindler's List but there are some true gems here that I didn't truly realize how strongly I felt about them until I wrote about them.

Coming up, I hope to tackle 1968, 1983, and 1998.

After that, I will probably give this series a rest until next year when I can start the process anew...and that'll be a doozy as that will include 1989 and 1999, two years of film in my lifetime that I consider to be among the best ever.