Emma Thompson names her 10 favourite movies
Getting her start as a member of the Cambridge Footlights, Emma Thompson rose to prominence in the late 1980s, earning praise and significant accolades, such as a Bafta Award, for her television work.
It wasn’t until the ‘90s that Thompson flourished as a film actor, finding success in period dramas like Howard’s End, The Remains of the Day and Sense and Sensibility. Not only did she star in the latter, but she wrote it, too, proving herself to be an incredibly skilled screenwriter as well as a performer.
Thompson ended the decade as a two-time Oscar winner, becoming a highly sought-after star. Since then, she has continued to write and act, penning movies such as Nanny McPhee and Bridget Jones’ Baby.
Offering a peek behind her creative curtain, the actor once shared a list of her favourite movies with Daily Beast, and her cinematic interests are certainly reflected in some of her own writing and acting choices, with picks ranging from family-friendly favourites to dark fantasies.
Thompson is a big fan of Chris Noonan’s 1995 film Babe – the movie about a talking pig. The feature is a beloved classic that scooped up seven Academy Award nominations. The actor loves the tender animal comedy, explaining, “From the moment that pig opened its mouth I was transfixed. Funny, touching, and immortally wise. This is my favourite fantasy movie of all time.”
When it comes to fantasy, Thompson also likes those that dig a little deeper. She loves It’s A Wonderful Life by Frank Capra, an iconic Old Hollywood staple that is practically unavoidable at Christmas. Thompson explained her love for it by writing, “Where the fantasy is dark and dangerous and the heroism of an ordinary life well lived made sparklingly and thrillingly clear. Absolutely the film version of Oscar Wilde’s dictum that it is every little action of every little day that makes or unmakes character.”
Unsurprisingly, due to her background in comedy – rising to prominence alongside the comedic duo Fry and Laurie – Thompson has several humorous classics in her list of favourites. She loves Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks, calling it her “favorite version of Shelley’s fantasy.” The horror movie satire was a huge box office success and remains incredibly beloved.
Thompson added, “A combination of sinister silliness and great storytelling with the charismatic insanity of the glorious Gene Wilder at its heart, I fell in love with it and him at 16 and never fell out again.”
Another comedic favourite of Thompson’s is Monty Python’s Life of Brian, directed by Terry Jones. A landmark comedy, it is hard to find someone who doesn’t love Monty Python’s classic film, and Thompson is no exception. Writing about her love for it, she said, “Blissfully atheistic and the essence of reason, a real slap in the face to the fog of superstition and has jokes in actual Latin.”
Discover Thompson’s complete list of favourites below.
Emma Thompson’s 10 favourite movies:
- Babe (Chris Noonan, 1995)
- It’s A Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
- Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974)
- Monty Python’s Life of Brain (Terry Jones, 1979)
- Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982)
- Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999)
- The Singing Ringing Tree (Francesco Stefani, 1959)
- Mary Poppins (Robert Stevenson, 1964)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
- The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, 1987)
