Tom Ford picks his six favourite movies of all time
While most people associate the name Tom Ford with the luxury brand known for producing clothing, accessories, perfume and makeup, the man behind the business empire is also a filmmaker.
Just a few years after establishing his highly coveted brand, Ford made his feature debut with A Single Man, starring Colin Firth and Matthew Goode. The movie gave Firth his first Oscar nomination, with critics raving over Ford’s tragic, romantic tale. He followed it with the neo-noir Nocturnal Animals, featuring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, which also received immense praise.
Clearly, despite his love for style, he knows not to allow his movies to be overly dominated by aesthetic choices in favour of substance. Ford’s movies are both stylish and incredibly gripping, and he remains an underrated name in modern cinema.
The director once selected the six films he frequently returns to, finding both inspiration and enjoyment. Talking to A.Frame, he first picked out Sabotage, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. As one of Hitchcock’s earlier works, Ford called the movie “often overlooked,” adding, “Sabotage is a tight 76-minute film with a stunning performance by Sylvia Sidney that is a true masterclass in suspense.”
Based on The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad, the movie is not typically uttered in the same breaths as Psycho or Vertigo, but Sabotage is a genuinely fantastic gem that allows the tense plotline of the 1907 novel to come to life. With Sabotage, Hitchcock, also known as the ‘Master of Suspense’, lives up to his name, and Ford undoubtedly looked to the auteur for inspiration while making his own tension-filled thrillers.
Ford also loves 2001: A Space Odyssey, a stone-cold classic that helped boost the popularity of science-fiction filmmaking. Stanley Kubrick’s gorgeously shot journey into outer space and the human condition significantly inspired Ford as “a film director and even as a fashion designer”.
He added, “2001 is powerful for me primarily for its art direction that still looks modern today. The stunning visuals were ahead of their time.”
The visuals of Kubrick’s masterpiece are mind-blowing, with many viewers even believing that the set was used to stage the moon landing just one year later. The movie leaves a sizeable impact on practically everyone who watches it, so it is no surprise that images from 2001 are “burned into [Ford’s] mind.”
Another favourite of Ford’s is In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai. Widely considered to be one of the greatest movies of the 21st century, In the Mood for Love is a tender, meditative exploration of love painted in rich reds, dim green lighting and candlelight, evoking loneliness, longing and the cruel nature of time.
Ford said, “This is a mesmerizing love story that literally transports the viewer,” adding that he could “watch this film over and over.” The movie was tragically robbed of winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, although its brilliance is now universally undisputed.
Elsewhere, the filmmaker highlighted a more recent project he urges everyone to see – 13th by Ava DuVernay. The documentary, which Ford called “beautifully made,” explores the injustices faced by Black Americans within the prison and justice systems. Taking a look at the history of slavery and its effects on Black people today, DuVernay’s work is a powerful dissection of racism that is essential to watch.
Ford asserted, “If you have not seen it, this is an important and incredibly timely film. If you have, it is time to watch it again.”
Discover Tom Ford’s complete list of favourite movies below.
Tom Ford’s favourite movies:
- Sabotage (Alfred Hitchcock, 1936)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
- In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)
- 13th (Ava DuVernay, 2016)
- The Last Picture Show (Peter Bogdanovich, 1971)
- The Women (George Cukor, 1939)
