Last week’s query regarding David Fincher’s filmography turned out to slightly favor “Fight Club” over the rest of his work. I’ve been spending the last week or two diving back into Peter Weir’s offerings, especially topical given the recent announcement of “The Way Back” as an official contender in this year’s Oscar race. So it seemed a good time to offer up a new poll on the matter. What’s your favorite film from Weir? Let us know in the left sidebar and feel free to offer up your defense in the comments section below.
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43 responses to “POLL: What is your favorite Peter Weir film?”
I’m a huge fan of Peter Weir. As mesmerizing as his early work in Australia is (Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave, etc..), and as engaging as his collaborations with Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, and Russell Crowe are, my all time favorite Peter Weir film is Fearless. The concept is perfectly realized, and Jeff Bridges gives one of his best performances.
‘The Truman Show’, most definitely. I consider it a nearly perfect film, with exceptional performances, great direction, and an amazing screenplay. I LOVE that film.
It really makes me wonder if all those voting for The Truman Show have seen all the films in Peter Weir’s filmography. The support for that film is stunning to me. I just don’t get the love. Maybe it’s because I’m just not much of a Jim Carrey guy.
I voted ‘Master and Commander’, but ‘Truman Show’ and ‘Dead Poet’s Society’ follow closely.
Then again…I didn’t think Fight Club was even close to being Fincher’s best film either. Se7en, Zodiac, and Benjamin Button are all far superior in my mind. I haven’t seen The Social Network yet, but I’m anticipating something special.
The Truman Show is spectacular.
Kris…I know you don’t want to influence the poll…but will you end up telling us your favorite Peter Weir film?
I’m a huge Weir fan but I voted the atypical selection of Gallipoli. I think it’s an absolutely fantastic war movie, with a somewhat unique approach and great performances from Gibson and Lee. Loved when I was kid and saw it a number of the years and I still find it highly effective.
1. Gallipoli
2. The Mosquito Coast
3. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
4. The Truman Show
5. Witness
6. The Year of Living Dangerously
7. Dead Poets’ Society
8. Fearless
9. The Last Wave/Black Rain
Bernard…glad to see some love for The Mosquito Coast…it’s also my second favorite Peter Weir film.
pilfering monk: Despite the oft-cited Witness, I think Mosquito Coast is Harrison’s Ford’s real career best performance. If he’s ever going to win an Academy Award, the man needs to work with Peter Weir again!
Sorry to disagree with you on Fearless . It’s to say I don’t like and appreciate the movie, just that I think Weir’s body of work is incredibly strong and it didn’t work as well for me as many of his other films.
Man I can’t type today. Sorry for the brutal typos – I mean to say I DO like Fearless, I just don’t love it.
I agree that The Mosquito Coast is probably Ford’s best career performance, though his iconic performance in Raiders of the Lost Ark, is arguably his most likeable.
I guess if I was ranking Weir’s films over in the sidebar, my list would look something like this:
1. Fearless
2. The Mosquito Coast
3. Picnic at Hanging Rock
4. Gallipoli
5. The Year of Living Dangerously
6. The Last Wave
7. Master and Commander
8. Witness
9. The Truman Show
10. Dead Poets Society
11. Green Card
12. The Cars That Ate Paris
Gallipolli for sure
Call me biased, but I’m going with Master and Commander. It’s just such a thrilling and pretty historically accurate depiction of seafaring life in the 19th Century. It looked great, sounded great, the performances were top notch (especially Paul Bettany, WHEN is that man going to get an Oscar nomination?!?), it’s just awesome.
I just wish it did a better job at the box office.
This was very difficult. I deeply love Year of Living Dangerously, Witness and Fearless. Even Green Card has its charms…
Still, Gallipoli is not only a Weir masterwork, but is one of the greatest war films ever made. It’s right up there with Paths of Glory. I still remember walking out of the Berkeley theater nearly 30(!) years ago, tears flowing down my face, angry as hell, thinking: Ronald Reagan has to see this movie! With each repeated viewing, the ending only grows more maddeningly heartbreaking.
Looking over this list, I’m struck how so many Weir films only seem richer over time. All those awards and kudos can to Cameron and Spielberg. Neither filmmaker has ever touched my heart, yet Peter Weir repeatedly does so with film after film…
I’m bias for “The Truman Show” because it opened the door for me to check out his other films…
But my favorite is “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”
“Dead Poets Society” rounds up my top3….
Master and Commander.
I really liked it when it came out, but since then it’s become one of those rare movies of the past decade that just grows on me with each repeat viewing. The craftsmanship may be the finest of the whole decade (a shame it faced the LOTR juggernaut), and it’s just such a good film in every regard.
I need to check out more of his more earlier 70s works and early 80s films, before say 85, but my favorite from what I’ve seen from him is Fearless. Terrific filmmaker though.
It really is a tragedy that Master and Commander did so… meh at the box office because Weir would have been involved in the sequels. One of the most fantastic and fastidious historical depictions of an era ever put to film.
M&C is one of my favorite movies period. Although, looking down the list, I’m ashamed at how many movies I haven’t seen. I think I need to correct that ASAP.
C’mon, fellow “Picnic at Hanging Rock” fans — let’s at least get it to beat “Dead Poets Society” (the only film on this list I actively dislike, which is quite impressive).
Master & Commander ist an epic, fascinating, accurate and also entertaining movie. Oscar-wise a winner (especially art direction etc.), if it weren’t for LOTR.
Gallipolli is a fascinating and impressive war movie.
Witness is very clever.
Picnic is hypnotic.
Truman Show is unbelievable. Very smart, clever, fantastic acting, wonderful music, perfectly balanced between humour and serious topics – and way ahead of its time.
But Dead Poets Society (despite its problems) remains his best, because few other films have touched and moved me like this film. And it still does.
Amazing, amazing director.
WAY overdue!!!!!
Gallipoli, without a doubt. Had a huge impact on me as a kid.
Even though it only has 11 votes, it looks like everyone who voted for Gallipoli is speaking up about it, which says a lot about the film. It’s really a powerful look at what war is really like.
This was a tough one…so many great movies on that list.
I eventually went with “Master and Commander” simply because, of all Weir’s movies, this is the one I can see myself watching the most over the course of my life…very well done epic adventure.
I’m kind of surprised to see so little love for Picnic at Hanging Rock here. Granted, Weir’s filmography is (almost) uniformly top-notch, but I think Picnic stands above the rest. Gallipoli and Master and Commander come close, though.
Witness, for me. It’s one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen.
I really love the Peter Weir filmography. Master and Commander is an old-fashioned stunner, Dead Poets is emotionally gifted, you can feel the sweat drip off of “The Year of Living Dangerously,” and Truman Show is ahead of its time.
My favorite of his films though are his two collaborations with Harrison Ford.
The Mosquito Coast is an odd, and slightly hysterical little tale of obsession with Ford giving his best performance ever.
But my favorite is Witness. Elegantly shot, beautifully realized, and with a top notch performance by Harrison Ford, and stunning love story to boot. I love it.
The only film I’ve seen of Weir’s (almost all of them) that I didn’t care for was ‘Mosquito Coast’. I think it’s just too bizarre for words; Ford performance notwithstanding. But yeah, otherwise, Master & Commander, Dead Poets, Truman Show, Witness, Gallipoli, Picnic @ Hanging Rock … so freaking good.
The Picnic At Hanging Rock is glorious and Weir’s L’Avventura. It gets my vote.
I also really like The Year Of Living Dangerously and The Truman Show. I kinda loved Dead Poets Society even though it was sentimental. It was magnificently made and holds up.
Of his most acclaimed films, I found Witness to be the most superficial, just a normal cop mystery/thriller enlivened by an exotic setting.
“Picnic at Hanging Rock”, most definitely. Terrifying.
Close runner-ups being “The Truman Show
, “Gallipoli” and “Witness”, then after that “Master & Commander”, “The Last Wave” and “The Cars That Ate Paris”. Still haven’t seen the rest, not even “Dead Poet’s Society”. Greatly looking forward to “The Way Back” though.
you should the same poll for the coens for true grit’s release.
:)
you should the same poll for the coens for true grit’s release.
Gallipoli. The final scene always brings me to tears.
Fearless — the Bridges performance haunts me to this day and that final sequence on the plane moves me to tears every time I see it — got to love The Mosquito Coast as well, something radically different for both actor and director and it worked —
Gotta go w/ M&C. Just an epic, meticulously crafted, well acted, adventure film; a david lean film for our time. Truman Show is a very close second though
Gallipoli is close, but I have to go with Master & Commander. One of the top 10 of the aughts for me.
Master and Commander definitely. Damn shame there won’t be a sequel.
I voted for Gallipoli, too. I cried so much my friends made me move to another part of the theatre.
I also love The Truman Show, Picnic At Hanging Rock, Master and Commander, and The Last Wave. I haven’t seen Fearless yet. I didn’t realize it was one of his. What a range Weir has!
Picnit at hanging rock is such a fascinating movie. Gripping, touching, mysterious, edgy, dark , beautifully shot and told. Among my all time favorite movies. A subtle mix between dream and reality. Great score, and great use of Gheorghe Zamfir’s favorite instrument, the panpipe, which is quite hard to get right.
Favorite Peter Weir film? Green Card, easily (here I admit that I haven’t seen half of the man’s filmography).
I respect the Truman Show but I don’t love it as much as some people seem to. Master and Commander was a solid film too but it was Green Card that contained the most depth for me.
Figured I’d point out to those of you that subscribe to Netflix that Gallipoli, Fearless and Picnic at Hanging Rock are all on the on-demand service. Personally, I’m planning on fixing my Picnic at Hanging Rock Weirography deficiency this planning.
I realize this thread is a bit old at this point, but I wanted to re-watch everything and I think I’ve settled on Fearless as my favorite. Just pure, raw, powerful emotion translated wonderfully.