One of the Academy's Best Choices for Best Motion Picture

This film is a rollicking tribute to the picaresque novel--a genre in which a scoundrel makes his way up the socio-economic ladder with nothing but his wits (sharpened by hunger) and a lust for life. The score is in a category by itself, as is much of the acting. And the hunting scene is no amateurish effort, but a delightful recreation of a day in the countryside centuries ago. I don't see how people can fault a movie of such originality and spunk, one that really transports you into the past as it breathes life into a literary classic, but then again, I am not a fan of "worst" lists to begin with . . . what a waste of time to write about works of art that you don't like or wish to deflate because you feel they are overrated.