Morgan Freeman once named his single favourite movie of all time: “Fabulous”
Morgan Freeman is one of the towering figures of American cinema, and his impactful performances in iconic productions such as Se7en and Shawshank Redemption are still remembered and discussed by adoring fans. Even though the ageing actor has cemented his status in the history of cinema, Freeman has continued to push forward with new projects.
If there’s a voice in your head when you think about going to the movies, then there’s a good chance Freeman provides those dulcet tones. His speaking voice is so smooth and naturally lilted that he could have easily retired from simply providing the narration for countless movies, documentaries, and commercials. When combining this natural magnetism with a supremely dedicated work ethic and salad days spent treading the theatre boards, it would appear that Freeman’s position as a gifted Hollywood star was almost impossible to avoid.
Though he would take acclaimed roles in movies like Seven and Shawshank Redemption and gained his breakthrough role in 1987’s Street Smart, his first big break would come off the back of his time in the theatre, taking on the role of Hoke Colburn in Driving Miss Daisy. Throughout his career, Freeman has been asked about his opinions on some of his favourite films on multiple occasions. He even claimed that his favourite performance from his own extensive body of work actually came in the film Driving Miss Daisy which ended up winning the ‘Best Picture’ Award at the Oscars.
However, there is one particular film that Freeman hasn’t participated in that he enjoys more than the rest. When asked about his favourite cinematic experience that he didn’t work on, the legendary actor named a famous musical by Baz Luhrmann, which was a great critical and commercial success at the time of its release.
“My favourite movie that I didn’t work on? Moulin Rouge!. I just think that movie is fabulous,” Freeman said in an interview, explaining his love for each and every element of the film. “What Baz Luhrmann did is really amazing… the dancing, the wardrobe, the music. People tend to fall on either side of that movie.
“Some people really like it and some people just don’t,” Freeman also commented on the divisive nature of the film. “I think when you have divided opinions like that, that’s the sign of art. It’s a work of art. It’s impressionable, and I think people tend to fall one way or the other because of that. I like the way Moulin Rouge! is edited. It has frantic energy to it.”
Freeman also has a penchant for westerns. “I like all movies with Clint [Eastwood], but The Outlaw Josey Wales is one I can’t pass up,” he admitted to Rotten Tomatoes. “If I’m scrolling through and I come across it, I’ve got to watch it.” Eastwood’s self-directed 1976 effort is definitely a movie that deserves to reside among the upper tiers of his esteemed filmography, with Freeman just one of its many supporters.
In fact, the director and star named The Outlaw Josey Wales as the entry in his back catalogue that more people stop to talk to him about in the street than any other, but Freeman doesn’t continue his hero worship when naming his other favourite western, which arrived on the scene long before Eastwood had made his on-screen breakthrough. “My next favourite film is Gary Cooper’s High Noon,” he offered. “Here we’re talking about the one man against many, having to stand alone. And what sticks with me about that movie is that the woman that he loved, who was completely anti-violence, stood up with him, ultimately. And at the end, when all the townspeople had run away, he took that badge off and threw it in the dirt.”
But while shoot ’em ups have a high place on Freeman’s mantle, he will always have a soft spot for Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor’s musical.
