Ron Howard’s five favourite movies: “It has everything for me”
The American filmmaker Ron Howard is one of the few directors who started off as an actor and excelled far more behind the camera than in front of it. Helming such films as 1988’s Willow, 1995’s Apollo 13 and 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, Howard might just be one of the most underrated filmmakers of modern cinema, winning two Oscars in 2002 for ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’.
Rising to fame in the directorial field in the 1980s while acting long before this time, Howard’s cinematic education spans several decades. Howard isn’t flashy or provocative. But what he is is reliable—someone who can tackle almost any genre and produce a film that appeals to a wide range of viewers without compromising quality. Howard’s work is based on emotional accuracy and narrative clarity, from the pop spectacle of The Beatles: Eight Days a Week to the surreal chaos of A Beautiful Mind and the gritty realism of Apollo 13.
Offering a peak behind the curtain of his creativity, Howard’s list of five of his most influential movies gives a fascinating insight into the filmmaker’s career. In conversation with the Oscars, Howard picked films from the likes of Miloš Forman, William Friedkin, and David Lean while making his choices.
First on his list is the classic war movie Bridge on the River Kwai, directed by David Lean and starring Alec Guinness and William Holden. “Bridge on the River Kwai is a movie that I literally studied and saw over and over again,” Howard stated, adding: “The first couple of times, I didn’t realize it was based on actual events. And then, I learned that it was, and that impressed me. I loved history, but I didn’t think about history as a jumping-off point for great drama and great performances”.
Next on his list of favourites is the lesser-known 1971 movie The Emigrants by the Swedish writer Jan Troell. Set in Småland, Sweden, in the mid-19th century, the story follows a farming family struggling with their land who decide to embark on a journey to America. “That one surprised the hell out of me,” Howard exclaimed before adding: “It demonstrated to me that a movie didn’t have to be in English for me to be engrossed, that I could lose myself in a movie despite the subtitles”.
William Friedkin’s classic horror movie The Exorcist is his third choice, with the terrifying movie changing the way the genre was appreciated in the 1970s. “It scared the crap out of me and my then-girlfriend, now wife, Cheryl,” Howard stated, adding: “It went from sort of cheap thrills to, by about the third time I saw it, I realized that it was just great contemporary cinema. And it was all the more terrifying because the horror just felt so every day, so regular, so part of our contemporary society”.
His oldest choice is the 1939 movie Mr Smith Goes to Washington, a classic Frank Capra comedy starring James Stewart, which is often seen as a classic of early Hollywood. Speaking about the movie, Howard stated: “It was this blend of values that I really appreciated and understood. It was funny. It was heartwarming. But underneath it, it really packed a punch. It was cautionary and critical of politics in its own theatrical way”.
The final film on his list is the iconic 1975 ‘Best Picture’ winner One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which Howard calls “just a great fucking movie!”.
Continuing in his praise for the Jack Nicholson-led favourite, the director adds: “It was a great book, it was a great play, and Miloš Forman made it into a fantastic movie. It has everything for me. It’s not only an unbelievable ensemble performance, but this bravura central performance from [Jack] Nicholson, this rebellion made so accessible, and so winning, and so intense through him”.
Take a look at the full list of Ron Howard’s favourite movies below.
Ron Howard’s five favourite movies:
- The Bridge on the River Kwai (David Lean, 1957)
- The Emigrants (Jan Troell, 1971)
- The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, 1939)
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
