Eight days of favorite films V: Drama

It's day five of my eight day look at lists of my favorite films by genre and today we have drama.

So, drama...what is that exactly?

"Drama" may be a useful term when dividing films from comedies, but otherwise the category of "drama" usually means "everything that doesn't fit into another more obvious genre."

So, who am I to argue with the majority?

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. Ikiru (1952)
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. 12 Angry Men (1957)
5. On the Waterfront (1954)
6. Deliverance (1972)
7. Pi (1998)
8. Fight Club (1999)
9. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
10. The Chosen (1981)

I've been very good to Orson Welles these last two days, haven't I?

In previous entries I've commented on the easily-observable patterns amongst my favorites by genre, be it by the era in which they were produced, the featured character, the star, the director, etc. Well, aside from the presence of two Welles pictures (Citizen Kane, Magnificent Ambersons), I somehow avoided such pitfalls here. Perhaps it's appropriate that this genre, which has no particular cohesive pattern, has a healthy sampling of films from across 5 decades and with wildly different tones.

Here's everything from the sad yet life-affirming (Ikiru) to cynical anarchy (Fight Club), to morality overcoming prejudice (12 Angry Men), to the collapse of genius (Pi), to the horrors of nature (Deliverance).

Once again, I leave you with a favorite moment from the film in my top spot; once again, it includes actors Joseph Cotten & Orson Welles; from Citizen Kane:

Tomorrow: the Horror genre