Anne Hathaway’s four favourite movies, and the best one she’s seen this decade
Cinephiles are often very particular about which films are included in their list of all-time favourites, a private decision that is rarely shared and considered as one of the most sacred thought selection processes.
Naturally, it’s a decision that we are now forced to plaster all over the internet and through our Letterboxd profiles, an inescapable task that now confronts any user of the app.
For actors and frequent red carpet visitors, interactions with the press are now littered with questions that vary from completely pointless to borderline insulting, with Oscar-winning actors being asked about their thoughts on topics that couldn’t be less relevant to their craft. But one thing they can now look forward to is the fabled task of ranking their favourite films, being put on the spot with an excruciatingly final list.
But while some might shudder at the thought, Anne Hathaway embraced this opportunity, giving a thoughtful analysis of her favourite films and why she loves them.
First on Hathaway’s list was Moonstruck, the classic 1987 love story directed by Norman Jewison that became something of a marmite watch at the time of its release. It’s the opposite of a typical rom-com, with the central relationship between Cher and Nicolas Cage blooming in the most unexpected and convoluted of ways. While its quirky charm washed over some people, it became an instant classic to others, with Hathaway being one of many to sing its praises.
When describing the film, she said, “Moonstruck. I love Annie’s loving Moonstruck. I mean I could cry, it’s perfect. Cher is everything in it. Nicolas Cage is just making such bold and astonishing choices. And one of the things that I really appreciate about storytelling and acting and actors that really go for it, is the line between being bad and being brilliant can be so, I mean frankly transparent. And so for an actor to make a really bold choice and land it, it’s so exciting. And those two, their chemistry, Norman Jewison, rest his soul, directed it perfectly. And the fact that he was able to capture an operatic feeling in cinema, it was just to me like it’s just really heaven”.
Many have warm and fuzzy feelings towards the romantic oddity, the kind of feelings that don’t extend towards Hathaway’s next pick, Dancer in the Dark. From the infamous master of darkness, Lars von Trier, you couldn’t move in a more opposite direction with the desolation and despair that crops up in his story of a Czech immigrant who aspires to be a singer.
But the tone shifted with Hathaway’s next couple of choices, describing her love for All That Jazz and the seminal rom-com, It Happened One Night. While Bob Fosse’s semi-biographical drama contains many strands of darkness, particularly during the ending as he dramatises his own death, it is also infectiously upbeat and life-affirming, capturing the pulls of show business and just how intoxicating a life in the spotlight can be.
But It Happened One Night is a properly joyous ride, and one of the first ever rom-coms that laid the groundwork for the future of the genre. Its simplicity and electric chemistry set it apart from the rest, with a timelessness that means it is still enjoyed and loved over all the others today.
