A Dramatic and Very Animated Time

Did the viewers of 1928, unaware of the coming of sound, realize they were watching the last glorious flowering of the silent era? Did moviegoers of 1939 know they were living through what film historians consider the greatest year the studio system ever had? And now, six decades later, has anyone noticed that we have just experienced probably the most impressive year for feature animation in the history of motion pictures?

That point becomes obvious at 10-best time, when a first pass at the year’s films reveals at least four animated pictures that are strong enough to be on any list.

In alphabetical order they are:

1. “The Iron Giant.” Made with simplicity as well as sophistication, Brad Bird’s debut feature knows the wonder of childhood and how to convey that without resorting to songs or a soundtrack. One of the few films to feel like a classic from the moment it appears on screen.

“Princess Mononoke.” Japan’s celebrated Hayao Miyazaki married a remarkable sense of visual fantasy with an ecology-themed story and complex characters to produce a feature that’s more an adult fairy tale than anything for children.

“Tarzan.” Combining adroit vocal casting, an unexpectedly energetic Phil Collins soundtrack and some timely technological breakthroughs, this is the best of the Disney animation formula films in some time.

“Toy Story 2.” Lively, good-humored, with a great sense of fun, this bravura sequel is impeccably plotted and delves into areas like the existential despair of toys that only John Lasseter could turn into exceptional comedy.

Also animated, though not quite Top 10 material, was the raucous and rowdy “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.” And don’t forget (as if) “Pokemon,” undistinguished as a film but very much a phenomenon at the box office.

With that kind of literally unprecedented bounty to choose from, the choice is obvious: Animation as a genre has got to be on the top of any 10-best list that truly reflects what 1999 has been all about.

Which is a good thing, for it frees up the rest of the list to cope with what has been one of the strongest years in the decade. Yes, the duds will always be with us, but this year they had a lot of competition from the good guys.

2. “Boys Don’t Cry.” The exceptional--and exceptionally disturbing--based-on-fact story of Brandon Teena (magnificently played by Hilary Swank), a woman who attempted to live as a man. Made with complete conviction and rare skill by director Kimberly Peirce, this passionate story about the price of dreams goes to a world few of us know and comes out with a drama we all can find a place in.

3. “The Insider.” An equally superb drama based on fact, in which director Michael Mann’s trademark intensity and excellent acting (especially by Russell Crowe) make this tale of a tobacco company executive, conflicted about revealing on “60 Minutes” what he knows about the perils of smoking, a gripping marriage of real substance with the style of “Miami Vice.”

4. “American Beauty.” A quirky and disturbing take on modern American life energized by bravura performances by Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening. Finely directed by Sam Mendes from Alan Ball’s script, “Beauty” is a dark comedy with unexpected moments of fury and warmth.

5. “Three Kings.” Set in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq as the Gulf War is winding to a close, this is director David O. Russell’s nervy attempt to reinvent the war movie. Unexpected in its wicked humor, its empathy for the defeated, and its genuine political concerns.

6. “Election.” The best and brightest high school adventure since the groundbreaking “Heathers,” Alexander Payne’s film uses uproarious performances by Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick to posit a devastatingly funny world in which fumbling adults are powerless when confronted by determined young people.

7. “Liberty Heights.” The fourth in Barry Levinson’s Baltimore series, this meditation on class, ethnicity and what it meant to be Jewish in Maryland in 1954 is a mature and accomplished piece of work, both funny and deeply felt, personal cinema of the best kind.

8. “The Dreamlife of Angels” and “Rosetta.” As much a shame as leaving foreign-language films off the list would be having to choose between these two, from France and Belgium, respectively. They’re united by a passionate concern for dispossessed young women living on the fringe of society, trying to construct lives out of the most flimsy material.

9. “Being John Malkovich.” A clever and outrageous piece of whimsical fantasy (dreamed up by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze, who also starred in “Three Kings”) about a secret passage that leads directly inside actor John Malkovich’s head. Unique, unpredictable and truly, madly, deeply surreal.

10. “The Matrix” and “The Sixth Sense.” Every year has its blockbusters, but this year has two that were actually excellent films as well. The Wachowski brothers’ science-fiction extravaganza and M. Night Shyamalan’s supernatural teaser demonstrated once again that you can reach a mass audience without leaving your mind at the door.

If there were room for an eleventh film on this already overcrowded list, it would be Udayan Prasad’s sadly little-seen “My Son the Fanatic,” based on an effortlessly well-written, nuanced script by Hanif Kureishi about Pakistani immigrants trying to make a go of things in Britain. Intelligent, poignant and witty, it involves us in real issues without stinting on complexity or caring.

Though you wouldn’t know it from attendance figures, 1999 was an excellent year for foreign-language films in general. In fact, even without “My Son the Fanatic,” “Rosetta” and “The Dreamlife of Angels,” there were enough films for a foreign-language 10-best list all its own. While four were French (“Autumn Tale,” “The Dinner Game,” “Dry Cleaning” and “Late August, Early September”), the rest came from a wide spectrum of countries: “Show Me Love” from Denmark, “Run Lola Run” from Germany, “After Life” and “Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald” from Japan, “West Beirut” from Lebanon and “All About My Mother” from Spain. What unites them, except for “Lola” and “Mother,” is that few people made the effort to see them in person. Well, there’s always video.

Speaking of not being seen, aside from the wonderful “Buena Vista Social Club,” documentaries were also abandoned by audiences this year. Still, there were some memorable ones that should be mentioned: “Dancemaker,” “Genghis Blues,” “The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story,” “Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.,” “42 Up” and “Speaking in Strings.” Again, to rent these is to know the satisfaction of an evening well spent that is not, even in this strongest of movie years, necessarily guaranteed anywhere else.