11 of the Nicest Looking Films of All Time

Goodfellas

While far from being Martin Scorsese's first foray into the theme of violence as an extension of masculinity, Goodfellas represents a shift away from the harsh, often brutal aesthetics of the likes of Raging Bull or Taxi Driver (though both have a stark, harsh beauty of their own). A warm, bright colour palette and an arrangement of prowling camera work add a slickness to the film, ensuring that, even in its most violent moments, Goodfellas retains an essence of kinetic fluidity.

The director exhibits his distinct use of pure cinema, creating visual and audible moments that, while adding to the overall narrative, serve as stand-alone moments of beauty. Be they the famous Copacabana tracking shot, the camera pushing in on Jimmy (Robert De Niro) as he decides to murder perennial ball-breaker Morrie to the soundtrack of Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love or dozens of other iconic moments, Scorsese does away with exposition within the scenes themselves. Instead, we either have Henry’s (Ray Liotta) sumptuous voiceover for exposition or none at all, allowing each scene to live and breathe on its own merits, and the effects are sublime. Ashley Carter (Editor)

Lost in Translation

Anyone who knows me will probably roll their eyes at this one. Talking about Lost in Translation again? Really?? Yes, person who knows me, I am – because it is, without a doubt, one of the most mesmerising films of all time. Sofia Coppola’s choice to shoot on 35mm, much to her father’s chagrin, is a stroke of genius; the grainy, slightly unfocused cinematography helps to emphasise the dreamy, transcendent nature of both Charlotte’s and Bob’s experiences in Tokyo. 

The city’s flashy fluorescent lights and huge, towering buildings truly do make you feel lost, but even with the overwhelming scale of the city, Coppola manages to focus on the more intimate details. There are countless iconic shots throughout Lost in Translation, and I want all of them hung up on my wall. Right, time to get back on Etsy… George White (Assistant Editor)

Almost Famous

There are a lot of nice looking films. Interesting cinematography, profound stories told through costume – but nothing beats the pure good vibes of Almost Famous, and the seventies-inspired wardrobe it boasts. Telling the story of fifteen-year-old William Miller as he accompanies the fictional band Stillwater on their tour, the film is chockablock with long-haired, moustachioed rock stars and extravagantly dressed groupies – self named ‘band aids’. The star of the show, though, is Penny Lane’s suede coat, fur lined with a rug that costume designer Betsy Heimann purchased at Urban Outfitters. Solidifying Kate Hudson's Penny Lane as the ultimate seventies cool girl, and sparking a wave of lookalike jackets in real life, it’s a costume that remains iconic in film history. Lizzy O’Riordan (Editorial Assistant)

Chungking Express

If there’s one filmmaker who never fails to deliver in the visual department, it’s Wong Kar-wai – a director whose works are so consistently stunning that we had no choice but to include him on this list twice. Each one of Wong’s collaborations with master cinematographer Christopher Doyle are renowned for their visionary use of motion and colour, and his 1994 masterpiece Chungking Express is no exception. The luminous neon colour palette, captivating slow-mo shots and effortlessly stylish characters add up to make this one of the most gorgeous films ever made – and somehow, six years later, Wong would prove that this wasn’t even the limit of his talents. Jamie Morris (Screen Editor)

In the Mood for Love

If you can point to a movie more beautifully wrought than In the Mood for Love, I’ll point to a liar. Every aspect of Wong Kar-wai’s romance oozes grace, beauty, and sexuality in a way that to this day remains unchallenged in cinematic history. From Yumeji’s Theme that scores the unrequited romance, to the framing of shots that could quite frankly be hung in the Louvre, the movie oozes sexuality without ever being overtly sexual. A handhold here, a glance there, In the Mood for Love makes you feel alive just by watching the act of smoking a cigarette or fetching noodles. It’s breathtaking, even by our modern sensibilities on what makes a film beautiful. Jack Francis

Death in Venice

Death in Venice has to be one of the nicest looking films to have been produced – an adaptation of Thomas Mann’s novel exploring the concepts of beauty, innocence and repression in Edwardian society, themes which readily lend themselves to cinematic indulgence.

The film’s narrative focuses on a Polish family taking their holiday on the Venetian lido. Visconti presents his audience with a picture of absolute, maybe unrealistic, perfection. The weather is gorgeous, sunshine and heat burning onto the screen. Visconti takes full advantage of his location to visually enhance the film. There are familiar shots of Venice and the lagoon shot in sunlight, reminding us of the city’s beauty. The hotel is presented as being stylish and indulgent, as are its clients – and shots of the lido focus on a host of beautiful people. Of course, none of this visual presentation would have been as poignant without the music of Mahler’s Adagio playing hauntingly throughout the film. Exquisite cinematography. A relevant narrative. Achingly sad. Hilary Whiteside

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

When they were introduced, both Darth Vader and Boba Fett had a limited amount of screen-time across the original Star Wars films. However, they both became instant fan favourite characters, largely due to their impeccable design and costumes.

Vader is one of the most memorable villains ever, and a large part of that is down to his look. When he first turns up in A New Hope, his costume strikes a contrasting black within the white of the rebel starship, making it instantly memorable. The Empire Strikes Back only builds on this further, creatively using silhouettes to drive the mystery of the character. The breakout from Empire, though, is Boba Fett. The T-Visor, the jetpack, and the cape became so well-loved that it sparked a craze for an entirely new culture in Star Wars – that of the Mandalorians. Kieran Burt

Kwaidan

Misaki Kobayashi was already infamous for his monochrome middle-fingers to authoritarianism, like The Human Condition Trilogy and Harakiri, when he directed a collection of eerie Japanese folk-tales in Kwaidan. Although Kwaidan (a word that translates into ‘Ghost Stories’) is Kobayashi’s first colour film, he brings a confidence that would suggest he’s been working this way his entire career. 

The period setting is meticulously crafted, the palette is beautifully vibrant, but Kobayashi and cinematographer Yoshi Miyajima’s collaboration yields relentlessly chilling results; subtle changes in camera angles and lighting to transport us to other planes of existence in the blink of an eye. The star of the show, however, is the use of these hand-painted sets, giving each story its own unique impression of elemental surrealism. Jusho Todo’s art design makes each vignette an uncanny collision of fantasy and reality. Aaron Roe

Drive

2011’s Drive holds a special place in the hearts of many a teenager across the world, for whom this LA-based crime caper is the height of cool and slick filmmaking. This is a dark, depressing noir movie, with a plot that, under normal circumstances, would do little to etch itself into the public consciousness in the way it has over the last decade. None of that matters. It’s LA, it’s cool, it’s shiny, it’s violent, it’s Ryan Gosling and it’s that jacket. Upon its release, Drive became an instant classic, mainly down to the way it looked. The bright neon lights and the contrasting colours, often going to visual extremes, help give Drive its existential, almost dreamlike feel. If you are into arthouse, stylized films, with added Ryan Gosling and cool jackets, this is certainly the film for you. Michael Vince

The Grand Budapest Hotel

If I think of the nicest-looking film, The Grand Budapest Hotel immediately comes to mind. I was blown away by the production design. Every Wes Anderson film is carefully thought out, but this one is really special. The props that characters carry, the clothes they wear, the backdrops filling the screen - they’re intricately chosen, created, displayed; making the story feel more real, the personalities idiosyncratic. This world that we are watching is fully realised, whether it’s the exquisitely designed cake boxes that Agatha carefully fills, or the watchful gaze of Boy With Apple. The characters playing out their stories aren’t just two-dimensional, they are unique, quirky, interesting. And their differences make them more fascinating. Sometimes we watch a film for the actors in it, but I watch this film because it is just the nicest, most charming thing I’ve ever seen. Miriam Blakemore-Hoy

Days of Heaven

Terrence Malick's final film before a twenty-year hiatus is the extremely beautiful Days of Heaven, starring Richard Gere, Linda Manz and Brooke Adams. Shot predominantly by cinematographer Néstor Almendros, a frequent collaborator with French New Wave directors François Truffaut and Erich Rohmer, Malick abandons nearly all narrative and replaces it with a ninety-minute montage of dazzling, impressionistic paintings. Being set in 1916 on a farm in the Texas panhandle, this makes way for genuinely breathtaking shots of the landscapes and the people farming the crops. Production design is absolutely on point, with the costumes and sets looking completely real and adding to the striking visuals of the film. Much of Days of Heaven was shot in the "golden hour" where the sun has set but night has not yet enveloped the sky; this caused a lengthy production but gave some amazing results. Oliver Parker