“A fantastic view of Americana”: William Shatner on his favourite movies
The mysterious outer world of the cosmos wouldn’t seem so alluring if it weren’t for the world of cinema and TV expanding our understanding of what could be out there beyond the stars. Stanley Kubrick had us believing that a giant floating baby could be awaiting our arrival, while George Lucas suggested that evil empires could rule the galaxy, but it was actor William Shatner who romanced the stars with his poetic stoicism.
With hundreds of TV and movie credits to his name, the American actor is known for one thing and largely one thing only: playing James T. Kirk in the Star Trek series. The captain of the starship USS Enterprise, Shatner’s Kirk leads a team of eccentric space-dwellers across the cosmos to explore new planets and battle foes in the process, with the actor first appearing as the character back in 1966.
Ever since, Shatner has become something of a gatekeeper of space, as if, just because he appeared in Star Trek, he holds more knowledge about the galaxy than the rest of us mere mortals. Granted, some of this image is a little ironic, with his space-related album where he covers such classics as David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ and Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ with droll vocals, speaking to this notion.
Regardless, this has only added to the actor’s cultural value, with fans across the world and indeed the galaxy adoring his humour and good nature. As a result of his inextricable connection to the cosmos, when he shared his favourite movies of all time in an interview with Letterboxd, people were surprised to find that no sci-fi flicks had made the cut.
The closest thing to a science fiction film that we get is Steven Spielberg’s seminal horror movie Jaws from 1975, which tells the story of a massive shark which terrorises a humble American seaside town. Praising the creativity and imagination of the movie, in which the director sparingly shows the titular shark in question, Shatner went on to call the film’s score by John Williams “extraordinary”.
Elsewhere, Shatner sings the praises of David Lean’s cinematic epic Lawrence of Arabia, which won ‘Best Picture’ back in 1962. Calling the director a “genius”, Shatner was quick to explain his adoration for the beauty and scope of the movie, which tells the story of T. E. Lawrence, a British Army lieutenant who helped lead the Arab tribes in WWI to fight against the Turks.
From one epic to another, the third film Shatner mentions is the Akira Kurosawa classic Rashomon from 1950. Telling three versions of the same tale of rape and murder, the Japanese film remains one of the most novel uses of the cinematic form, with the Star Trek actor stating: “Rashomon was an extraordinary film which dealt with one’s view of events. It was a beautifully shot, beautifully acted, incredibly directed film”.
The final movie that graces his list is Martin Scorsese’s “furious and exciting” crime classic Goodfellas from 1990. Starring such iconic Hollywood names as Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, Goodfellas remains one of modern America’s greatest movies, with Shatner calling it a “fantastic view of Americana”.
Take a trip through Shatner’s mind and take a look at the full list of his favourite movies of all time below.
William Shatner’s favourite movies:
- Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
- Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
- Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1966)
- Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)