Emma Stone names her four favourite movies
The rise of Emma Stone has been nothing short of remarkable. After persuading her parents to move to Hollywood through a PowerPoint presentation, Stone began her career in the early 2000s with several minor roles on television.
Luckily for Stone, the 2007 comedy Superbad gave her the breakthrough she was looking for, allowing her to receive greater recognition in the film industry. From there, she starred in a series of moderately successful comedies for the latter part of the decade, such as Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and The House Bunny, before earning more acclaim with prominent roles in movies from Easy A to La La Land and Poor Things.
Stone’s filmography is diverse, and, according to a recent Letterboxd interview, so is her taste in movies. When asked to pick out her four favourites, the actor began with her most beloved choice, City Lights, directed by Charlie Chaplin. The movie is one of the slapstick silent star’s most iconic productions, made at a time when talkies – sound films – were going out of style.
Still, the giant of the silent medium decided to continue in his signature style in spite of new cinematic developments, and the result was more than impressive. The film stars Chaplin as his recognisable Tramp character, falling in love with a blind flower girl. Featuring his usual slapstick routines alongside poignant explorations of what it means to be human, City Lights has been regarded as one of the greatest feats of filmmaking.
Her next selection was Network by Sidney Lumet. Penned by Paddy Chayefsky, the 1976 movie contains many breathtaking performances, such as Beatrice Straight’s role as Louise Schumacher, with the actor winning ‘Best Supporting Actress’ despite only appearing in the film for five minutes and two seconds. The movie was a huge success, with Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Chayefsky also winning Oscars. While Lumet has made countless hit movies, such as 12 Angry Men and Dog Day Afternoon, Network stands as one of his greatest works, acting as a potent satire on the pressures surrounding the television industry.
Another favourite of Stone’s is Mickey and Nicky, directed by Elaine May, which she claims to have seen “for the first time a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “Absolutely in love,” Stone added before explaining, “I love almost every [John] Cassavetes movie” and calling May a “genius”. The film sees Cassavetes’ Nicky team up with his childhood best friend, Peter Falk’s Mikey, after he finds out a hit has been put on him. The movie is a fascinating study of masculinity and male friendship that perhaps only a woman would present so successfully.
Stone’s love of Cassavetes also extends to his directorial efforts, for which he is perhaps better known. However, overwhelmed by which Cassavetes film to choose, she instead selected The Fireman’s Ball by Miloš Forman as her final favourite. A seminal entry of the Czechoslovak New Wave, the Oscar-nominated movie, released in 1967, was critically praised and remains one of Forman’s most beloved works. It helped set him up for success before making movies in Hollywood, such as Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Man on the Moon. Within the film, a series of darkly humorous disasters in a fire department make for a highly entertaining yet carefully crafted critique of governmental clumsiness and failure.
Emma Stone’s favourite movies:
- City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
- Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
- Mickey and Nicky (Elaine May, 1976)
- The Fireman’s Ball (Miloš Forman, 1967)
