Anyone have any examples of these, aside from the obvious ones that keep getting mentioned? Two that come to mind, vastly different in tone, are "Topper" and "The Shootist."
TOPPER: First off, Cary Grant and Constance Bennett appear to be the stars as the ghostly dead couple. But Roland Young delivers a great job as the title character, Billie Burke is funny as his wife, Alan Mowbray steals every scene as the butler, Hoagy Carmichael has a cameo, Arthur Lake is laugh-out-loud funny as a confused bellboy, and Eugene Pallette steals the show as the hotel detective. The whole thing is amazing how the cast moves.
THE SHOOTIST: John Wayne and Lauren Bacall--okay, star power on the top, right? But the movie's charm is in the performances of the people that Wayne interacts with (it's sort of like a farewell tribute being paid): Wayne is told he's dying by Jimmy Stewart, he sells his horse to Scatman Crothers, he buys a tombstone from John Carradine, he has a tearful reunion with Sheree North, he engages in a duel with two TV cowboys--Richard Boone and Hugh O'Brian, he threatens to kill Harry Morgan. This isn't some all-star film that parades its cast for pointless cameoes, this is a true ensemble film.
"Good Ensemble Films." Is that a good film with a good ensemble or just a good ensemble? Whatever? Here are some of my favorites listed by decade. '30's "Slave Ship" A "B" movie with an "A" cast. Warner Baxter, Wallace Beery, Jane Darwell, Mickey Rooney, George Sanders in one of his first villainous roles, Joseph Schildkraut and in unbilled appearances, Matthew "Stymie" Beard and Lon Chaney, Jr., who is crushed it the first five minutes -- '40's "House of Frankenstein" w/ Boris Karloff as the doctor, John Carradine as Dracula, J. Carroll Naish as the hunchback, Glenn Strange as the Monster, and Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolfman, and Lionel Atwill, Sig Ruman, and George Zucco -- '50's Two films from '54. "Vera Cruz" w/ Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster and "Casanova's Big Night" w/ Bob Hope and Joan Fontaine. The stars are okay, but it's the villains who make these films. The former has Ernest Borgnine, Henry Brandon, Charles Bronson, Jack Elam, Jack Lambert,
George MacReady, and Cesar Romero. The latter has Henry Brandon again, Raymond Burr, John Carradine,
Vincent Price in an unbilled cameo, Basil Rathbone, and Lon Chaney, Jr., almost unrecognizable behind the beard -- '60's "The Great Race" w/ Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, Arthur O'Connell, Vivian Vance, Dorothy Provine, Denver Pyle, Larry Storch, George MacReady, and Ross Martin. The '60's was probably the best decade for ensemble films -- '70's "The 3 Musketeers" or its sequel "The 4 Musketeers" w/ Michael York, Raquel Welch, Simon Ward, Oliver Reed, Spike Milligan, Christopher Lee, Roy Kinnear, Frank Finlay, Faye Dunaway, Geraldine Chaplin, and Richard Chamberlain. We're likely never to see their like again, as ensemble films have become too expensive to do. Enjoy
My favorite ensemble film was The Big Chill. Superb acting, great dialogue. A wonderful film. Maybe it's one of the obvious ones, but I still love it.
Red Dragon. Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Mary-Louise Parker, et al.
Cheers to that, my dear. (slurping sound)
Who can forget when Godzilla and all his giant pals starred in one film? Destroy All Monsters! Now there's quality for ya!
Points.
The following is said without the lips matching the words.
Look! Godzilla!
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is also a great ensemble film. Any film that has John Carradine trot in for 5 minutes of pointless overacting is okay in my book.
Le Divorce.
The Thin Red Line