A selection of Paul Thomas Anderson’s favourite classic movies
Whether you’re a cinephile or a casual movie-goer, there’s a chance you’ve seen a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. The filmmaker’s work strikes the perfect balance between commercial success and critical acclaim, which has helped him to become one of the most well-respected directors in modern cinema.
He made his first movie, Hard Eight, in 1996 before finding widespread praise with Boogie Nights. From Punch Drunk Love to There Will Be Blood and Phantom Thread, Anderson has since moved between genres seamlessly, always employing a sense of humour that helps to keep everything afloat. The filmmaker also tends to work with actors that are simply unforgettable, like Daniel Day-Lewis, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix, even giving Adam Sandler one of his first truly acclaimed roles.
His love of ensemble casts clearly takes influence from Robert Altman, but that’s just one of many iconic filmmakers that Anderson looks up to. His influences are as wide-ranging as ‘50s film noirs to ‘80s comedy dramas, and in 2023, the director picked out some of his favourites for a season airing on TCM.
The earliest film he picked was 1951’s His Kind of Woman, directed by John Farrow. The movie stars various Hollywood icons, like Robert Mitchum, Vincent Price and Jane Russell. While critics didn’t give the movie the most dazzling review upon its release, His Kind of Woman still allows all of the actors to shine – their strong performances buoying the romantic crime comedy caper.
From 1957, he selected Night Ambush, or, as it is known in the United Kingdom, Ill Met by Moonlight. Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the film isn’t one of their most well-known, but it is still a fantastic display of their talents. It features Dirk Bogarde in the lead role and takes place during World War Two, specifically on the island of Crete, which was occupied by the Nazis.
Another pick from 1957 was Sweet Smell of Success by Alexander MacKendrick. The noir film, which starred Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, has gained more acclaim in the decades since it was released, even inspiring a musical. The film follows Lancaster’s writer, J.J Hunsecker, who tries to do everything he can, including hiring Curtis’ Sidney Falco, to split up his sister and her boyfriend, whom he does not approve of.
In Barry Levinson’s 1982 film Diner, a scene pays tribute to Sweet Smell of Success. Thus, it’s unsurprising that Anderson also selected the movie as one of his next picks. It was Levinson’s first movie, before he directed Rain Man, Bugsy, and Good Morning, Vietnam. Even though it was released in the ‘80s, Diner takes audiences back to the ‘50s, when a group of friends reunited and shared stories about their lives.
Anderson’s final pick was another movie starring Bogarde, 1961’s Victim. The movie was a turning point for cinema, as it was the first British film to actually reference homosexuality and explore it with nuance and care. The film was subjected to various bans and shocked people with its approach to homosexuality, but it now holds an incredibly important legacy in cinema history.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s favourite classic movies:
- His Kind of Woman (John Farrow, 1951)
- Night Ambush (Powell and Pressburger, 1957)
- Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander MacKendrick, 1957)
- Diner (Sam Levinson, 1982)
- Victim (Basil Dearden, 1961)
