The concise nature of the restrained story time forces events to happen quickly, for characters to forge relationships there and then. It feels intimate because the audience is there from beginning to end without any stops. There are no lost hours to passing days and periods of sleep, no need for flashbacks and back-story, and no time for extraneous exposition. The audience is along for the ride every step of the way.

The following films are perfect examples of stories that take place, predominantly, over one night. Let us know which ones are your favourites in the comments section below. Which films would you add to this list?

Richard Dreyfuss famously turned down the part of Matt Hooper in Jaws. He didn’t think the film would be a good career choice. But after seeing, and being disappointed, by his performance in the film The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, he immediately called Spielberg on the phone and begged for the part fearing no one in Hollywood would hire him ever again. The rest, as they say, is history. Dreyfuss would appear in one of the most iconic horror movies of the 1970s. Top 10 Films presents Top 10 Richard Dreyfuss? What film is your favourite?

MILOS FORMAN’S TOP 10 FILMS

1. Amarcord (Fellini, 1973)
2. American Graffiti (Lucas, 1973)
3. Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941)
4. City Lights (Chaplin, 1931)
5. The Deer Hunter (Cimino, 1978)
6. Les Enfants du Paradis (Carné, 1945)
7. Giant (Stevens, 1956)
8. The Godfather (Coppola, 1972)
9. Miracle in Milan (De Sica, 1951)
10. Raging Bull (Scorsese, 1980)