Andrew Garfield names five favourite movies of all time
Throughout his celebrated career, Andrew Garfield has always tried to take on new challenges by venturing into different genres. Ranging from sci-fi works like Never Let Me Go to fascinating hybrid gems such as Under the Silver Lake, Garfield’s filmography is stacked with interesting projects that prove he has the versatility required to be at the top of the industry. While his outing as Spider-Man is obviously the one that is the most well-known, his other roles are better representative of his talent.
Last year, Garfield received widespread acclaim once again for his intense performance in the true crime series Under the Banner of Heaven. His approach to acting is inevitably influenced by the films and actors that he grew up watching, especially the ones that left a lasting impact on his perceptions of his craft. During an interview with Aframe, Garfield opened up about the five cinematic masterpieces that changed his life.
The actor began with Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter: “The fact that that film exists is so inspiring and shocking to me. Because the first hour is all set-up. The first hour is this kind of languorous look at this friend group and the culture that they come from, and it feels like a documentary. It feels like we are watching lives unfold and people existing together. And I think in terms of the acting, it’s some of the best modern film acting that exists, with [Robert] De Niro and Chris Walken and John Cazale and Meryl Streep.”
Garfield also cited Elia Kazan as a source of inspiration: “I’m just so inspired by all of [Kazan’s] films, but On the Waterfront happens to have this damaged, towering Brando performance. The classic kind of Brando performance. The spontaneity, the aliveness, the effortlessness, the pathos, the brutishness, the sensitivity, you just want to keep studying what Brando is doing in that film, and what all the actors are doing, but particularly Brando.”
While discussing his performance in The Social Network, Garfield pointed to Sidney Lumet’s Network: “Thirty years after it had been made, for me, it was like, ‘Oh my god, how did he know this is where we were going? With how we commodify the soullessness of our culture?’ And with this incredible ensemble cast of actors and with that Ned Beatty speech in the middle. It’s a classic film and obviously a big influence on Aaron Sorkin when he wrote The Social Network. This is one that I revisit every year.”
Check out the list below.
Andrew Garfield’s five favourite films:
- The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978)
- Big (Penny Marshall, 1988)
- On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)
- Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
- It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
Garfield concluded his interesting selection with the timeless classic that is Frank Capra’s 1946 work. It’s a Wonderful Life. Starring Jimmy Stewart as a man who almost takes his own life on Christmas Eve, the film shows us that the beauty of the world around us is much greater than the demons that haunt us in our heads.
“It’s about everything,” Garfield elaborated. “It’s the most life-affirming film that I’m aware of. For me, watching it every year at Christmas is the treat of that day. It does just remind you of the preciousness of what’s in front of you, and it reminds you of your own preciousness. It reminds us of all of our preciousness and the sacredness of all life. It’s heavy, and it’s dark, and it’s devastating and, ultimately, the most uplifting film that I can imagine watching.”
