The 1000 best films ever made.
I have noticed a lot of best of lists are only 250 pictures. That low of a number leaves out all sorts of great and important films.
Don't let anyone tell you their opinion on art/entertainment is not subjective (it would be a much duller world if there WAS a calculable equation for the worth of a film). That said, it is helpful to be well viewed/educated when forming ones opinions on any media. One will then know what is truly innovative, and understand hommage to other films, et cetera.
I've watched a good deal of the most acclaimed films of all time, and seen pictures from most all of the celebrated directors. For me, these are the very best films.
At the end of a (hopefully helpful) brief note, is my rating with a decimal point to be more accurate. It helped me try to rank the films in order of importance to me.
I hope readers will enjoy browsing this list, and even find some films to add to their Watchlist.
Don't let anyone tell you their opinion on art/entertainment is not subjective (it would be a much duller world if there WAS a calculable equation for the worth of a film). That said, it is helpful to be well viewed/educated when forming ones opinions on any media. One will then know what is truly innovative, and understand hommage to other films, et cetera.
I've watched a good deal of the most acclaimed films of all time, and seen pictures from most all of the celebrated directors. For me, these are the very best films.
At the end of a (hopefully helpful) brief note, is my rating with a decimal point to be more accurate. It helped me try to rank the films in order of importance to me.
I hope readers will enjoy browsing this list, and even find some films to add to their Watchlist.
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- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyEduard AbalovStarsNikolay BurlyaevValentin ZubkovEvgeniy ZharikovDuring WWII, Soviet orphan Ivan Bondarev strikes up a friendship with three sympathetic Soviet officers while working as a scout behind the German lines.You wait years to see a film this great. Wonderful tension, creativity, performances. The black and white photography is often very strikingly beautiful.
This film proves that Andrei Tarkovsky was a film genius right out of the gate. Even Ingmar Bergman took eight or nine films to really get cracking.
This is a great Tarkovsky film to start with, as it's not as minimal/demanding as his other films are.
Leone d'Oro, Venice film festival.
10.0 - DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsMax von SydowGunnar BjörnstrandBengt EkerotA knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.I don't think you can say you're well versed in the art-house classics until you've seen this film. Hell, while we're talking Bergman must sees, "Wild Strawberries" and "Persona" also are in that club.
Dealing with the time of the black death one would expect a very difficult, heavy watch, but that's not all there is to The Seventh Seal. It's not an all serious 'pain and gnashing of teeth' type film like "Cries and Whispers" is. There are some very droll characters that bring a certain balance to the heavy moments and themes. Stunningly photographed by Gunnar Fischer, it is beginning to end chock-a-block with symbolism and iconic images (and hence has been much parodied over the years).
Jury Special Prize, Cannes
10.0 - DirectorRobert BressonStarsFrançois LeterrierCharles Le ClaincheMaurice BeerblockA captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.Wow, what a great film. An art house prison escape film that is a minimal masterwork!
I seem to be very split on Robert Bresson's films, but this one knocks it out of the park for me. Bresson's penchant for dour, unemotional dialogue delivery suits the circumstances of this scenario to a T. For me, that approach does not work in many of his other films.
Best Director, Cannes
10.0 - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMartin SheenMarlon BrandoRobert DuvallA U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.One of those films that's a real experience to behold. From the moment I saw it in the cinema, it's always been a favorite of mine. After seeing the documentary "Hearts of Darkness", and learning about what a tough time Coppola had making this film, it's a miracle that it came out so fantastic.
Having seen this film changed me in how broad my view of human behavior and the chaos of war was. The editing by Walter Murch is just incredible.
Palme D'Or, Cannes.
10.0 - DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsBibi AnderssonLiv UllmannMargaretha KrookA nurse is put in charge of a mute actress and finds that their personae are melding together.Avant garde, and a mind-f**k, this is prime 60's Bergman. Just what is real, a dream, or a thought in this picture is definitely up for debate.
There is a feel to this film that will be familiar to David Lynch fans, but of course this predates Lynch's work. The cinematography by Sven Nyqvist is unbelievably beautiful/artistic.
10.0 - DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsVictor SjöströmBibi AnderssonIngrid ThulinAfter living a life marked by coldness, an aging professor is forced to confront the emptiness of his existence.A smart, special film about reflecting on life while nearing it's end. I just love the dream sequences. Beautifully shot by Gunnar Fischer, it is an art house must.
Goldener Bär, Berlin film festival.
10.0 - DirectorJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneStarsOlivier GourmetMorgan MarinneIsabella SoupartA joinery instructor at a rehab center refuses to take a new teen as his apprentice, but then begins to follow the boy through the hallways and streets.The Dardenne's make a fantastic, stripped down cinéma vérité style film. They have a way of filming that makes one feel like an invisible camera is capturing a real situation as it unfolds. The edits are so natural, one does not even notice them.
You may feel you don't know quite what the story is at first, and that is by design, you are in the hands of master film makers, and in due time all will be clear.
This is of the most genuinely, realistic suspense films I've ever seen. To me, it is a perfect film.
Best Actor (Olivier Gourmet), Cannes film festival.
10.0 - DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsJean-Paul BelmondoAnna KarinaGraziella GalvaniPierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.This rather loose, playful film is a really good example of Godard's fun, his literary and philosophical references, and his extraordinary originality. It is a film noir, that very much paints outside the lines. For me, this is the very best Godard film.
To add a qualifier, there are plenty of highly acclaimed J-L Godard films that I do not care for. For me, he probably has about 5 great films.
10.0 - DirectorMichael HanekeStarsChristian FriedelErnst JacobiLeonie BeneschStrange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. Who is responsible?The White Ribbon is like reading great literature.
Set just before WWI, one could say there is mirroring of Germany's 20th century tendencies in the harsh culture of this small, rural, religious German village portrayed in the film. There is a lot of sub-text to this film.
For me, this is a flawless film, but the subject matter is heavy, with no easy answers offered in the end. There are some thoroughly unappealing characters in this film, but they are somehow...fascinating.
Palme D'Or, Cannes.
10.0 - DirectorÉric RohmerStarsJean-Louis TrintignantFrançoise FabianMarie-Christine BarraultA devout Catholic man's rigid principles are challenged during a one-night stay with Maud, a divorced woman with an outsize personality.The best cerebral, verbal relationship picture ever. It's a great Rohmer to watch first, to see if he's up your alley. There probably is no better film at revealing the gaps between what we think, what we say, and what we do.
Prix Méliès, French Syndicate of Cinema Critics
10.0 - DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneYûzô KayamaTsutomu YamazakiIn 19th-century Japan, a rough-tempered yet charitable town doctor trains a young intern.Akira Kurosawa's best drama by a country mile. It is a very moral and moving film but Kurosawa doesn't over extend the moralizing like he did in so many of his other dramas (Ikiru, Ran, Kagemusha, Madadayo, etc.). This is a perfect film.
10.0 - DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.An incredible, moral film. An essential for sure. Every human should see this film.
There were so many films from the 50's that IMO, moralized with too heavy a hand (Sweet Smell of Success, A Face in the Crowd etc.), but not this one. It's a perfect, compact, morality play.
Goldener Bär, Berlin film festival.
10.0 - DirectorLuchino ViscontiStarsBurt LancasterAlain DelonClaudia CardinaleThe Prince of Salina, a noble aristocrat of impeccable integrity, tries to preserve his family and class amid the tumultuous social upheavals of 1860s Sicily.The one Visconti film that really floats my boat. It's a great epic film that could be easily recommended for the beauty and magnificence of the ballroom scene alone. It is easily one of the best sequences in all of filmdom.
Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon are just about the most beautiful couple ever seen on film. It is a very long film, so one may want to watch it over two sittings.
Palme D'Or winner.
10.0 - DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsLino VenturaPaul MeurisseRaymond PellegrinA gangster escapes jail and quickly makes plans to continue his criminal ways elsewhere, but a determined inspector is closing in.Not at all a second rate J.P. Melville film, but possibly his best. This is (neo-)noir heaven.
10.0 - DirectorRidley ScottStarsHarrison FordRutger HauerSean YoungA blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.Just what is it to be human?
The best tech-noir. The set-decoration, design, and special effects are notable, as is the gorgeous Vangelis score. Harrison Ford and Sean Young have an interesting chemistry, and Rutger Hauer is excellent as the nemesis.
I just saw Villneuve's sequel. It is a very worthy followup, and is featured later in this list.
10.0 - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.It's more an experience than just a film. When watching this for the first time, you just don't now where Q.T. will take you next. I just watched this again, probably for the 8th time, and it knocked me out yet again.
It has enough content for two great films. The dialogue is marvelous, and so is the music selection. The non-chronological structure also works beautifully for this film.
This is one of two truly great Tarantino films (Reservoir Dogs being the other). For me, almost all of his subsequent films have not measured up to his first two pictures. The Hateful Eight does figure late on this list, but isn't near as perfect as the first two films IMO.
Palme D'Or, Cannes.
New York Film Critics Circle Award, Best Director
10.0 - DirectorPreston SturgesStarsBarbara StanwyckHenry FondaCharles CoburnA trio of classy card sharks targets a socially awkward brewery heir, until one of them falls in love with him.One of Preston Sturges' best films, if not the best. What a charming romantic comedy! The writing, characters, and comedy are sharp as a razor. Stanwyck's character is extremely modern for the 40's. Love it!
10.0 - DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsFernando ReyDelphine SeyrigPaul FrankeurA surreal, virtually plotless series of dreams centered around six middle-class people and their consistently interrupted attempts to have a meal together.It's a surreal, absurdist look at the sins of six upper class people who can't seem to get all the way through a meal.
Prix Méliès, French Syndicate of Cinema Critics
10.0 - DirectorNuri Bilge CeylanStarsHaluk BilginerMelisa SözenDemet AkbagA hotel owner and landlord in a remote Turkish village deals with conflicts within his family and a tenant behind on his rent.A dialogue heavy three hours and 15 minutes film will not be for everyone. I thought it was another excellent film from Ceylan, in fact his best yet. For me, this is a film for the ages, comparable to any masterwork I've ever seen. The medium just does not get any better.
The location is stunning. The interiors look like old masters works. I'd compare the film to Bergman's "Autumn Sonata" for having in depth dialogues about contentious issues in long standing relationships.
It's such a deep film, I could go on and on. See it twice if you can. There is so much to drink in, and a lot of subtext.
Palme D'Or, Cannes
10.0 - DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsLino VenturaPaul MeurisseJean-Pierre CasselAn account of underground resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France.One of, if not the best J.P. Melville films. Such a great, unsentimental look at La Resistance and their myriad challenges. It is certainly one of the best films of the 60's (the best decade film has ever had).
New York Film Critics Circle Award, Best Foreign Language Film
10.0 - DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsCatherine DeneuveJean SorelMichel PiccoliA frigid young housewife decides to spend her midweek afternoons as a prostitute.Another wonderful Bunuel film. There's simply something special about this film that transcends the material. Maybe it's Bunuel's surreal tendencies, or simply that he was a master filmmaker at the peak of his powers.
It deals with a masochist, who doesn't allow herself to ask her husband for what she really wants, so she tries to achieve it through a more curcuitous route.
Prix Méliès, French Syndicate of Cinema Critics
10.0 - DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAlisa FreyndlikhAleksandr KaydanovskiyAnatoliy SolonitsynA guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.Only for those with patience, who want films to be deep and sublime.
There are some very striking images, the best transition ever from B&W to colour, and a conclusion that is as great as any in filmdom. The one slightly weak moment for me is the Stalker's wife's (not long) monologue near the beginning of the film. The rest is absolutely top notch.
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes
10.0 - DirectorMike NicholsStarsElizabeth TaylorRichard BurtonGeorge SegalA bitter, aging couple, with the help of alcohol, use their young houseguests to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other over the course of a distressing night.Mike Nichols' first film contains some of the best verbal jousting on film.
An older couple host a young couple in their home after a party, and proceed to drag the young couple through the detritus strewn swamp of their long damaged relationship.
This is simply a must see film.
10.0 - DirectorFrantisek VlácilStarsJosef KemrMagda VásáryováNada HejnaA grim portrayal of the shift from Paganism to Christianity in medieval central Europe - as a young virgin promised to God is kidnapped and raped by a marauder who her religious father seeks to kill in return.This is widely considered to be the best Czechoslovakian film ever made. I'd up that to one of the best films ever made. Incredibly well shot, it's simply a magnificent film in every way. What a shame so few people in North America know Vlacil's work.
It is a long film, so one could watch it in two sittings, since it is divided into two parts. That being said, I think you'll want to chow down on all of this big meal (2hr, 45 min.) once you're in it's grip.
Having just watched this film for the second time, it made me think of this having the grandness and drama of an opera, but for cinefiles (who don't like opera).
10.0 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenCharlotte RamplingJessica HarperWhile attending a retrospective of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.An under-seen Allen gem that flopped when it came out. I was in heaven watching it when I discovered it. A must for Woody fans (that many may not have seen).
It does have a Fellini influence, and Sullivan's Travels came to mind as well, but it is also pure Woody.
10.0