The 3 movies that David Gilmour listed as favorite ones

The guitarist and singer David Gilmour first achieved fame as a member of Pink Floyd, one of the best-selling bands of all time. They have sold an estimated amount of more than 250 million records worldwide.

Although his love for music is well known, Gilmour also loves movies. At the frequently asked questions section of his official website, it was once revealed the 3 films that he often mentions as some of his favorite of all time. Rock and Roll Garage selected their history and interesting facts about those pictures.

The 3 movies that David Gilmour listed as favorite ones

“Beyond the Valley of The Dolls” (1970)

“He did say (that is one of his favorite movies of all time), perhaps tongue in cheek, that it was his favourite film once upon a time,” the question was answered on the musician’s official website FAQ section.

Released in 1970, “Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls” was directed by Russ Meyer. It is a satirical musicial melodrama that shows the path of three girls who go to Hollywood seeking success. However, they find only sex and drugs. It was originally intended to be a sequel to the 1967 movie “Valley Of The Dolls”.

The film was a box-office success costing around 2 million dollars and making more than 9 million dollars. The cast had names like Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Phyllis Davis, John LaZar and Michael Blodgett.

By the time the movie was released, Gilmour already was a Pink Floyd member. He had recorded three albums with the group: “A Saucerful of Secrets” (1968), “More” (1969) and
“Ummagumma” (1969).

“It’s A Wonderful Life” (1946)

More well-known than “Beyond the Valley of The Dolls”, the classic 1946 movie directed by Frank Capra “It’s A Wonderful Life” is also one of Gilmour’s favorites. Over the decades, the movie continued to be aired during Christmas time. So it became a tradition to many families especially in the United States, to be together and watch it again during the holidays.

In an interview with The Times back in 2002, Gilmour criticized the European movie industry of the time and praised “It’s A Wonderful Life”. “The European film industry seems to possess so much more integrity than Hollywood. Take the original version of ‘Vanilla Sky’, ‘Open Your Eyes’, which also starred Penélope Cruz. Another great movie that was debased by Hollywood. I suppose I do prefer older Hollywood films such as ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’,” David Gilmour said.

The movie tells the story of an angel that is sent from heaven to help a businessman that is in a middle of a difficult situation. But to give him the motivation he needs, the angel shows him how his life would have been if he had never existed. It had a famous cast, featuring names like James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Thomas Mitchell.

At the time, the film was nominated for five Academy Awards. Since then it has been listed often by specialized magazines as one of the best ones ever made. Although it became a very important movie and part of the pop culture, at the time it didn’t made much more than it costed at the box-office.

“Life is Beautiful” (1997)

In the same interview with The Times in 2002, Gilmour revealed that the Italian movie “Life Is Beautiful” released in 1997, was also another one that he loved. “I suppose I do prefer older Hollywood films such as ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. But I also like ‘Life is Beautiful’ by Roberto Benigni,” David Gilmour said.

Directed, starred and co-written by Robert Benigni, “Life Is Beautiful” told the story of a father that during the World War II has to protect his son while they are in a concentration camp. Mixing comedy and drama, the movie was a success. It costed around 20 million and made more than 230 million dollars at the box-office. Those numbers made the picture one of the highest-grossing Italian films of all time.

It also became the second highest-grossing non-English language movie in the United States. The first position is occupied by “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, directed by Ang Lee and released in 2000.

“Life Is Beautiful” won several prizes after it’s release, including three Academy Awards. The categories were: “Best Foreign Language Film”, “Best Actor” and “Best Original Dramatic Score”. Curiously, Benigni was the first man who won the Academy Awards for a male non-English performance.