Stephen Graham names his favourite movies of all time
Stephen Graham has established himself as one of the finest British actors of his generation. Fully exhibiting his skills. Graham has played characters from several different parts of the globe, including Ireland, Wales, Newcastle, Liverpool and even many of the United States regions.
Graham’s acting style is ultra-realistic, a talent that allows his audience to more than believe the characters’ plights and sometimes even forget that they are indeed fictional fabrications. Offering a peek behind the curtain, Graham once weighed in on some of his favourite-ever films, which gives us a clue as to his inspirations.
He is unsurprisingly a fan of one of the greatest films of all time, Francis Ford Copolla’s The Godfather. Graham said of the classic mob flick: “It’s just a fantastic film: the acting; the music; the directing. It’s such a rich, beautiful film of its time. It really captured the imagination. Great ones came before it, but it’s like the template for all great character films. The Godfather redefined the genre.”
If you grew up in the 1970s, you would likely have spent at least one rainy Sunday afternoon watching Ken Loach’s adaptation of Barry Hines’ novel A Kestrel for a Knave. Graham certainly watched 1969’s Kes, and discussing the movie, he said: “I remember watching it as a young lad after we read the book at school, and I was amazed by it. I was so inspired by the boy; it made me think that I could become an actor. I enjoy it as much now, as an adult, as I did as a kid, and I try to watch it at least every five years or something.”
Continuing the theme of movies appropriate for childhood viewing, Graham also notes his first cinematic experience being The Jungle Book. Graham remembers “going with my mum and a couple of mates to our local cinema in Kirby when I was very young,” he said, adding: “I loved cartoons, but I’d never seen anything so magical and on the big screen, too. My children love it as well; that gives me an excuse to watch it again.”
Graham is clearly fond of a bit of feel-good fantasy, as he also holds great admiration for Frank Capra’s 1946 Christmas film. It’s a Wonderful Life: “The whole theory and ethos behind the film is fantastic. It’s a beautiful film, and the acting is impeccable. It makes you put yourself in that situation and ask, ‘what if?’. It really cheers me up”.
Stephen Graham’s favourite films:
- The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
- Kes (Ken Loach, 1969)
- The Jungle Book (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967)
- It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
- The Deer Hunter (Michael Cirmino, 1978)
However, Graham has also been known to play dark and distressing roles from time to time, so it only makes sense that he would also be a fan of films that examine the more serious consequences of living with a vulnerable human mind. Of The Deer Hunter, Graham said: “The performances from Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep and John Cazale are fantastic. The cinematography is amazing, the colours are so rich, it’s got a brilliant soundtrack, and there are just so many great moments in it.”
