Stan Lee once named his five favourite films of all time
Stan Lee passed away a few years ago, but his legacy is practically indestructible. The creative visionary behind most of Marvel’s most popular projects, Lee’s conceptualisation of superheroes continues to dominate modern cinema’s contemporary landscape.
Born in New York City, Lee was drawn to writing from an early age and harboured ambitions of writing the Great American Novel someday. While that didn’t pan out, he emerged as one of the most important voices in popular culture by creating some of the most iconic characters still beloved by fans worldwide.
Before his demise, Lee engaged in a conversation with Rotten Tomatoes, where he was asked about his favourite films in cinema history. The iconic writer revealed that he stopped going to the theatre in later years but still had some favourites, ranging from 1930s monster flicks to Steven Spielberg’s popular blockbusters.
While responding to the question about his favourites, Lee explained: “See, my problem is, I don’t have favourites. I’ll tell you movies I like, and after I’ve told you and I read the list, I’ll say to myself, ‘Gee, you should’ve mentioned these five, or these five.’ There are so many that I like, but I’ll mention some.”
He added: “This is the last thing you expect me to say. This is gonna knock you out of your shoes. My Fair Lady. That’s probably my favourite movie of all time. I think it is a perfect story, perfectly produced, perfectly acted, perfectly filmed. The dialogue is impeccable, the acting is sensational, the music — you can’t forget it. The settings, the scenes… It was comedic, it told a great story. I mean, I could watch that thing over and over and over again.”
Check out the full list below.
Stan Lee’s favourite films:
- My Fair Lady (George Cukor, 1964)
- Captain Blood (Michael Curtiz, 1935)
- King Kong (Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933)
- The Producers (Mel Brooks, 1967)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
After professing his love for Michael Curtiz’s 1935 film Captain Blood, Lee claimed that the iconic actor Errol Flynn was his personal superhero who influenced his work to a great extent. “Errol Flynn was my god”, Lee gushed.
“I’d walk out of the theatre after an Errol Flynn movie; I’d have a crooked little smile on my face, the way I thought he smiled, and an imaginary sword at my side, and I’d be hoping that I could find some bully picking on a little girl so I could come to her rescue, you know?”
