http://www.imdb.com/list/634GBozU2io/ Hard to narrow it down to 10, and 40 is too many. These were "triumphs" for the casting department. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:37:21 GMT Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:38:41 GMT Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:37:35 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001559/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001559/ TO HELL AND BACK. Well, this is obvious. How you cast better than to cast someone as himself. Not saying it is a great film, but I have to admit it is perfect casting. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:39:20 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005056/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005056/ TOMMY. The Pinball Wizard. I mean, how can you not cast Elton John? Daltry and Entwistle must have been in Paradise when they learned he would play the role. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:41:11 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000891/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000891/ TREASURE ISLAND. He's so natural as Long John Silver, one has to wonder if he sidelined as a pirate. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:43:37 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000026/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000026/ N BY NW. As Kaplan, I mean Thornhill, he rocked. Listen to the words of the script. He makes an absolute creep likable. I don't know of anyone else who could have made us like this guy. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:45:11 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908919/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908919/ THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY. The script sucks. The movie sucks. So why is it loved? Eli Wallach seals it with his portrayal of "Ugly". That's a compliment, Eli. Really. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:47:25 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/ CHARADE. She seals the deal in over a dozen roles, but I'm picking her portrayal of Reggie. She had a-one beauty, a-one class, a-one wit, and matched up perfectly next to the suave Cary. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:51:35 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915989/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915989/ LORD OF THE RINGS. From the first micro-second we see the big battle scene, we know he is Elrond. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:57:42 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000007/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000007/ TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. Bogie was the very best at portraying villains with insecurities. You could pick a dozen films in which he was a master of this. As Dobbs, he was incredible. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:00:38 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001084/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001084/ TRESSPASS. We forget that it begins with Ice T looking for the "snitch". Someday, we'll ask Ice Cube if it was indeed the vicious "Savon" (and I'm sure it was) Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:05:20 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0350324/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0350324/ THEM! James Whitmore was a champion scene thief, but when Gwenn was cast as the scientist, there was no worry about someone running away with the show. Gwenn gave the lead quartet the very balance it needed. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:09:18 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000155/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000155/ GHOST. A classic style film, but the role of the fake psychic was the part that would've been a silly looking cliche, if not perfectly cast. Whoopi alone could keep the role from being too formula Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:11:45 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001536/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001536/ SEVEN SAMURAI. Lots of people expect him to be the leader, but his lovable rogue gets top billing today. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:14:06 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000022/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000022/ GONE WITH THE WIND. It's true we think of him as Rhett because we see him play Rhett, but think about anyone else in the role. It wouldn't work. He had all the right qualities. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:18:07 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0405035/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0405035/ MY FAIR LADY-Col Pickering had to be older than Higgins, properly British, yet still charismatic. In other words, he had to be Wilfrid Hyde-White. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:20:35 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0466327/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0466327/ BLAZING SADDLES. This was a superb cast all the way. But try to imagine anyone else in the role of Heddy, I mean Hedley. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:22:44 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001627/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001627/ TO SIR WITH LOVE. "Lillies of the Field" is still his greatest film, but this was the casting decision that made "To Sir With Love" work. The right amount of "macho plus dignity plus intellect". Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:25:53 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0172903/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0172903/ A TALE OF TWO CITIES. He is perfect as the man who "sneaks" into the story, completely unembellished, completely overlooked, only to be a catalyst later. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:29:03 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001414/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001414/ THE INSPECTOR GENERAL. Not sure if there was ever anyone in films with this much all around talent, and still perfect for the underdog role. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:30:37 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000196/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000196/ AUSTIN POWERS series. The closest thing we have to Danny Kaye today as far as raw comic talent. There have been many spoofs of Bond, but we were waiting for the great one. And that meant waiting for the right performer. Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:36:31 GMT http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0945500/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0945500/ BATTLE ROYALE was an inteesting, though sick, story, that relied heavily on a "Toshiro Mifune" style character to pull it through. In fact, there's no doubt that Mifune was the role model for the character of Kawada. Taro is perfect in the role.