Simple Top Tens

Ryan Swen Lists

Decades: 2020s, 2010s, 2000s, 1990s, 1980s, 1970s, 1960s, 1950s, 1940s, 1930s, 1920s, Pre-1920s

A version of this without television episodes, YouTube material, music videos, and other non-film media objects.
A version of this with feature films only.
A version of this with mid-length films only.
A version of this with shorts only.

Ten Favorite Films

  1. MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
  2. YI YI (Edward Yang)
  3. SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker)
  4. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles)
  5. A TOUCH OF ZEN (King Hu)
  6. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai)
  7. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang)
  8. THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (Jacques Demy)
  9. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
  10. CÉLINE AND JULIE GO BOATING (Jacques Rivette)

—

2020s

Best of the Decade

  1. CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD: AN EMOTIONAL HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD (Adam Curtis)
  2. MEMORIA (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  3. DAYS (Tsai Ming-liang)
  4. THE WORKS AND DAYS (OF TAYOKO SHIOJIRI IN THE SHIOTANI BASIN) (C.W. Winter & Anders Edström)
  5. SHORT VACATION (Kwon Min-pyo & Seo Han-sol)
  6. BEGINNING (Déa Kulumbegashvili)
  7. THE HISTORY OF THE SEATTLE MARINERS (Jon Bois)
  8. THE WOMAN WHO RAN (Hong Sang-soo)
  9. WIFE OF A SPY (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  10. MALMKROG (Cristi Puiu)

—

2021

  1. CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD: AN EMOTIONAL HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD (Adam Curtis)
  2. MEMORIA (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  3. A RIVER RUNS, TURNS, ERASES, REPLACES (Zhu Shengze)
  4. THE HISTORY OF THE ATLANTA FALCONS (Jon Bois)
  5. IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. ANNETTE (Leos Carax)
  7. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (Todd Haynes)
  8. TOPOLOGY OF SIRENS (Jonathan Davies)
  9. INTRODUCTION (Hong Sang-soo)
  10. PEBBLES (PS Vinothraj)

2020

  1. DAYS (Tsai Ming-liang)
  2. THE WORKS AND DAYS (OF TAYOKO SHIOJIRI IN THE SHIOTANI BASIN) (C.W. Winter & Anders Edström)
  3. SHORT VACATION (Kwon Min-pyo & Seo Han-sol)
  4. BEGINNING (Déa Kulumbegashvili)
  5. THE HISTORY OF THE SEATTLE MARINERS (Jon Bois)
  6. THE WOMAN WHO RAN (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. WIFE OF A SPY (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  8. MALMKROG (Cristi Puiu)
  9. IF YOU COULD GO BACK, I WOULD SEE HER. (Joshua R. Troxler)
  10. LABOR OF LOVE (Sylvia Schedelbauer)

2010s

Best of the Decade

  1. LA FLOR (Mariano Llinás)
  2. STRAY DOGS (Tsai Ming-liang)
  3. TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (David Lynch)
  4. YOURSELF AND YOURS (Hong Sang-soo)
  5. MYSTERIES OF LISBON (Raúl Ruiz)
  6. LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE (Abbas Kiarostami)
  7. ASAKO I & II (Hamaguchi Ryūsuke)
  8. MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (Jia Zhangke)
  9. THE DAY HE ARRIVES (Hong Sang-soo)
  10. THE ASSASSIN (Hou Hsiao-hsien)

—

2019

  1. MARTIN EDEN (Pietro Marcello)
  2. I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES (Martin Scorsese)
  3. TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  4. THE BOB EMERGENCY (Jon Bois)
  5. FOURTEEN (Dan Sallitt)
  6. PRESENT.PERFECT. (Zhu Shengze)
  7. PARASITE (Bong Joon-ho)
  8. UNCUT GEMS (Josh & Benny Safdie)
  9. I WAS AT HOME, BUT… (Angela Schanelec)
  10. SHAKTI (Martín Rejtman)

2018

  1. LA FLOR (Mariano Llinás)
  2. ASAKO I & II (Hamaguchi Ryūsuke)
  3. TRANSIT (Christian Petzold)
  4. LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Bi Gan)
  5. ASH IS PUREST WHITE (Jia Zhangke)
  6. GRASS (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. HIGH LIFE (Claire Denis)
  8. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (Orson Welles)
  9. IN MY ROOM (Ulrich Köhler)
  10. AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL (Hu Bo)

2017

  1. TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (David Lynch)
  2. FIRST REFORMED (Paul Schrader)
  3. HANAGATAMI (Ōbayashi Nobuhiko)
  4. ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE (Hong Sang-soo)
  5. ARBORETUM CYCLE (Nathaniel Dorsky)
  6. THE DAY AFTER (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. STREETSCAPES [DIALOGUE] (Heinz Emigholz)
  8. PRINCESS CYD (Stephen Cone)
  9. CLAIRE’S CAMERA (Hong Sang-soo)
  10. FACES PLACES (Agnès Varda & JR)

2016

  1. YOURSELF AND YOURS (Hong Sang-soo)
  2. SILENCE (Martin Scorsese)
  3. CAMERAPERSON (Kirsten Johnson)
  4. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Kenneth Lonergan)
  5. TONI ERDMANN (Maren Ade)
  6. HYPERNORMALISATION (Adam Curtis)
  7. CERTAIN WOMEN (Kelly Reichardt)
  8. THE HUMAN SURGE (Eduardo Williams)
  9. SIERANEVADA (Cristi Puiu)
  10. THE HEDONISTS (Jia Zhangke)

2015

  1. MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (Jia Zhangke)
  2. THE ASSASSIN (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  3. CAROL (Todd Haynes)
  4. CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  5. BLACKHAT (Michael Mann)
  6. MISTRESS AMERICA (Noah Baumbach)
  7. HAPPY HOUR (Hamaguchi Ryūsuke)
  8. RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN (Hong Sang-soo)
  9. JOURNEY TO THE SHORE (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  10. AFTERNOON (Tsai Ming-liang)

2014

  1. PHOENIX (Christian Petzold)
  2. DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART 2 (Johnnie To)
  3. HORSE MONEY (Pedro Costa)
  4. INHERENT VICE (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  5. GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  6. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (Wes Anderson)
  7. JAUJA (Lisandro Alonso)
  8. GONE GIRL (David Fincher)
  9. THE PRINCESS OF FRANCE (Matías Piñeiro)
  10. HILL OF FREEDOM (Hong Sang-soo)

2013

  1. STRAY DOGS (Tsai Ming-liang)
  2. MANAKAMANA (Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez)
  3. THE GRANDMASTER (Wong Kar-wai)
  4. THE WIND RISES (Miyazaki Hayao)
  5. BEFORE MIDNIGHT (Richard Linklater)
  6. BASTARDS (Claire Denis)
  7. THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA (Takahata Isao)
  8. NOBODY’S DAUGHTER HAEWON (Hong Sang-soo)
  9. TIREZ LA LANGUE, MADEMOISELLE (Axelle Ropert)
  10. REDEMPTION (Miguel Gomes)

2012

  1. LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE (Abbas Kiarostami)
  2. PASSION (Brian De Palma)
  3. DRUG WAR (Johnnie To)
  4. ROMANCING IN THIN AIR (Johnnie To)
  5. FRANCES HA (Noah Baumbach)
  6. TABU (Miguel Gomes)
  7. MOONRISE KINGDOM (Wes Anderson)
  8. DIFFERENTLY, MOLUSSIA (Nicolas Rey)
  9. YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN’ YET (Alain Resnais)
  10. THE UNSPEAKABLE ACT (Dan Sallitt)

2011

  1. THE DAY HE ARRIVES (Hong Sang-soo)
  2. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terrence Malick)
  3. DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART (Johnnie To)
  4. MARGARET (Kenneth Lonergan)
  5. THIS IS NOT A FILM (Jafar Panâhi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb)
  6. LIST (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. THE COLOR WHEEL (Alex Ross Perry)
  8. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (David Fincher)
  9. THE LONELIEST PLANET (Julia Loktev)
  10. ALL WATCHED OVER BY MACHINES OF LOVING GRACE (Adam Curtis)

2010

  1. MYSTERIES OF LISBON (Raúl Ruiz)
  2. CERTIFIED COPY (Abbas Kiarostami)
  3. MEEK’S CUTOFF (Kelly Reichardt)
  4. UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  5. HAHAHA (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. FILM SOCIALISME (Jean-Luc Godard)
  7. LOVE IN A PUFF (Pang Ho-cheung)
  8. THE GHOST WRITER (Roman Polański)
  9. OKI’S MOVIE (Hong Sang-soo)
  10. THE STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA (Manoel de Oliveira)

2000s

Best of the Decade

  1. MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
  2. YI YI (Edward Yang)
  3. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai)
  4. GOODBYE, DRAGON INN (Tsai Ming-liang)
  5. PLATFORM (Jia Zhangke)
  6. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee)
  7. A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Steven Spielberg)
  8. SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  9. MIAMI VICE (Michael Mann)
  10. LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF (Thom Andersen)

—

2009

  1. OXHIDE II (Liu Jiayin)
  2. IT FELT LIKE A KISS (Adam Curtis)
  3. DISORDER (Huang Weikai)
  4. ACCIDENT (Soi Cheang)
  5. PUBLIC ENEMIES (Michael Mann)
  6. ORPHAN (Jaume Collet-Serra)
  7. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino)
  8. FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson)
  9. TREES OF SYNTAX, LEAVES OF AXIS (Saïto Daïchi)
  10. SWEETGRASS (Ilisa Barbash & Lucien Castaing-Taylor)

2008

  1. SPARROW (Johnnie To)
  2. NIGHT AND DAY (Hong Sang-soo)
  3. 35 SHOTS OF RUM (Claire Denis)
  4. THE HEADLESS WOMAN (Lucrecia Martel)
  5. TOKYO SONATA (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  6. SPEED RACER (Lana & Lilly Wachowski)
  7. HISTORIAS EXTRAORDINARIAS (Mariano Llinás)
  8. TWO LOVERS (James Gray)
  9. WENDY AND LUCY (Kelly Reichardt)
  10. 24 CITY (Jia Zhangke)

2007

  1. THE TRAP: WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR DREAM OF FREEDOM (Adam Curtis)
  2. ZODIAC (David Fincher)
  3. DEATH PROOF (Quentin Tarantino)
  4. LA FRANCE (Serge Bozon)
  5. scenes from THE WIND (Edward Yang)
  6. MICHAEL CLAYTON (Tony Gilroy)
  7. HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS (Joe Swanberg)
  8. MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS (Wong Kar-wai)
  9. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  10. PROFIT MOTIVE AND THE WHISPERING WIND (John Gianvito)

2006

  1. SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  2. MIAMI VICE (Michael Mann)
  3. INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)
  4. ELECTION 2 (Johnnie To)
  5. STILL LIFE (Jia Zhangke)
  6. WOMAN ON THE BEACH (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. I DON’T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE (Tsai Ming-liang)
  8. EXILED (Johnnie To)
  9. OLD JOY (Kelly Reichardt)
  10. DAY NIGHT DAY NIGHT (Julia Loktev)

2005

  1. THE NEW WORLD (Terrence Malick)
  2. OXHIDE (Liu Jiayin)
  3. TALE OF CINEMA (Hong Sang-soo)
  4. THROUGH THE FOREST (Jean-Paul Civeyrac)
  5. THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU (Cristi Puiu)
  6. CACHÉ (Michael Haneke)
  7. THE WAYWARD CLOUD (Tsai Ming-liang)
  8. ELECTION (Johnnie To)
  9. PERHAPS LOVE (Peter Chan)
  10. THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (Noah Baumbach)

2004

  1. 2046 (Wong Kar-wai)
  2. BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater)
  3. THROW DOWN (Johnnie To)
  4. TROPICAL MALADY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  5. THE HAND (Wong Kar-wai)
  6. THE POWER OF NIGHTMARES: THE RISE OF THE POLITICS OF FEAR (Adam Curtis)
  7. VERA DRAKE (Mike Leigh)
  8. THE WORLD (Jia Zhangke)
  9. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)
  10. COLLATERAL (Michael Mann)

2003

  1. GOODBYE, DRAGON INN (Tsai Ming-liang)
  2. LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF (Thom Andersen)
  3. PTU (Johnnie To)
  4. LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sofia Coppola)
  5. RUNNING ON KARMA (Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai)
  6. KILL BILL: VOLUME 1 (Quentin Tarantino)
  7. MEMORIES OF MURDER (Bong Joon-ho)
  8. ( ) (Morgan Fisher)
  9. OLDBOY (Park Chan-wook)
  10. TEXTISM (Hirabayashi Isamu)

2002

  1. FEMME FATALE (Brian De Palma)
  2. MY LEFT EYE SEES GHOSTS (Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai)
  3. CHINESE ODYSSEY 2002 (Jeffrey Lau)
  4. HERO (Zhang Yimou)
  5. THE CENTURY OF THE SELF (Adam Curtis)
  6. FRIDAY NIGHT (Claire Denis)
  7. ON THE OCCASION OF REMEMBERING THE TURNING GATE (Hong Sang-soo)
  8. BLISSFULLY YOURS (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  9. UNKNOWN PLEASURES (Jia Zhangke)
  10. THE SKYWALK IS GONE (Tsai Ming-liang)

2001

  1. MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
  2. A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Steven Spielberg)
  3. PULSE (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  4. MILLENNIUM MAMBO (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  5. WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? (Tsai Ming-liang)
  6. SPIRITED AWAY (Miyazaki Hayao)
  7. LA CIÉNAGA (Lucrecia Martel)
  8. ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU (Iwai Shunji)
  9. ALI (Michael Mann)
  10. TROUBLE EVERY DAY (Claire Denis)

2000

  1. YI YI (Edward Yang)
  2. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai)
  3. PLATFORM (Jia Zhangke)
  4. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee)
  5. THE HEART OF THE WORLD (Guy Maddin)
  6. THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE (Mark Dindal)
  7. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (Kenneth Lonergan)
  8. HAMLET (Michael Almereyda)
  9. ORIGINS OF THE 21ST CENTURY (Jean-Luc Godard)
  10. VIRGIN STRIPPED BARE BY HER BACHELORS (Hong Sang-soo)

1990s

Best of the Decade

  1. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang)
  2. CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar-wai)
  3. HEAT (Michael Mann)
  4. THE HOLE (Tsai Ming-liang)
  5. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: “TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.” (Anno Hideaki)
  6. TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (David Lynch)
  7. TRUST (Hal Hartley)
  8. MAHJONG (Edward Yang)
  9. COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY (Peter Chan)
  10. CLOSE-UP (Abbas Kiarostami)

—

1999

  1. EYES WIDE SHUT (Stanley Kubrick)
  2. OURTER SPACE (Peter Tscherkassky)
  3. BEAU TRAVAIL (Claire Denis)
  4. GOHATTO (Ōshima Nagisa)
  5. COWBOY BEBOP: “PIERROT LE FOU” (Watanabe Shinichirō)
  6. THE INSIDER (Michael Mann)
  7. COWBOY BEBOP: “SPEAK LIKE A CHILD” (Watanabe Shinichirō)
  8. THE MATRIX (Lana & Lilly Wachowski)
  9. POLA X (Leos Carax)
  10. THE MISSION (Johnnie To)

1998

  1. THE HOLE (Tsai Ming-liang)
  2. THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick)
  3. A HERO NEVER DIES (Johnnie To)
  4. RUSHMORE (Wes Anderson)
  5. THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. COWBOY BEBOP: “SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL” (Watanabe Shinichirō)
  7. FESTEN (Thomas Vinterberg)
  8. VASSOURINHA: THE VOICE AND THE VOID (Carlos Adriano)
  9. SNAKE EYES (Brian De Palma)
  10. COWBOY BEBOP: “GATEWAY SHUFFLE” (Watanabe Shinichirō)

1997

  1. THE END OF EVANGELION (Anno Hideaki)
  2. CURE (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  3. THE RIVER (Tsai Ming-liang)
  4. LOST HIGHWAY (David Lynch)
  5. HAPPY TOGETHER (Wong Kar-wai)
  6. TOO MANY WAYS TO BE NO. 1 (Wai Ka-fai)
  7. TASTE OF CHERRY (Abbas Kiarostami)
  8. THE SWEET HEREAFTER (Atom Egoyan)
  9. STARSHIP TROOPERS (Paul Verhoeven)
  10. XIAO WU (Jia Zhangke)

1996

  1. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: “TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.” (Anno Hideaki)
  2. MAHJONG (Edward Yang)
  3. COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY (Peter Chan)
  4. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: “DO YOU LOVE ME?” (Anno Hideaki)
  5. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: “THE BEGINNING AND THE END, OR ‘KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR’” (Anno Hideaki)
  6. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: “WEAVING A STORY 2: ORAL STAGE” (Anno Hideaki)
  7. SECRETS & LIES (Mike Leigh)
  8. VIVA EROTICA (Derek Yee & Lo Chi-leung)
  9. GOODBYE SOUTH, GOODBYE (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  10. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: “WEAVING A STORY” (Anno Hideaki)

1995

  1. HEAT (Michael Mann)
  2. STRANGE DAYS (Kathryn Bigelow)
  3. THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (Clint Eastwood)
  4. FALLEN ANGELS (Wong Kar-wai)
  5. SAFE (Todd Haynes)
  6. BEFORE SUNRISE (Richard Linklater)
  7. CLUELESS (Amy Heckerling)
  8. PREMONITIONS FOLLOWING AN EVIL DEED (David Lynch)
  9. WHEN IT RAINS (Charles Burnett)
  10. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: “HEDGEHOG’S DILEMMA” (Anno Hideaki, Japan)

1994

  1. CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar-wai)
  2. ASHES OF TIME (Wong Kar-wai)
  3. A CONFUCIAN CONFUSION (Edward Yang)
  4. IN THE HEAT OF THE SUN (Jiang Wen)
  5. SÁTÁNTANGÓ (Tarr Béla)
  6. VIVE L’AMOUR (Tsai Ming-liang)
  7. BLACK ICE (Stan Brakhage)
  8. U.S. GO HOME (Claire Denis)
  9. TO LIVE (Zhang Yimou)
  10. THE MAMMALS OF VICTORIA (Stan Brakhage)

1993

  1. GREEN SNAKE (Tsui Hark)
  2. NAKED (Mike Leigh)
  3. JE VOUS SALUE, SARAJEVO (Jean-Luc Godard)
  4. CARLITO’S WAY (Brian De Palma)
  5. D’EST (Chantal Akerman)
  6. STELLAR (Stan Brakhage)
  7. DAZED AND CONFUSED (Richard Linklater)
  8. THREE COLORS: BLUE (Krzysztof Kieślowski)
  9. JURASSIC PARK (Steven Spielberg)
  10. SCHINDLER’S LIST (Steven Spielberg)

1992

  1. TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (David Lynch)
  2. THE ROCKING HORSEMEN (Ōbayashi Nobuhiko)
  3. HARD-BOILED (John Woo)
  4. THE LONG DAY CLOSES (Terence Davies)
  5. UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood)
  6. DEEP COVER (Bill Duke)
  7. REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (Tsai Ming-liang)
  8. SIMPLE MEN (Hal Hartley)
  9. NITRATE KISSES (Barbara Hammer)
  10. HYENAS (Djibril Diop Mambéty)

1991

  1. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang)
  2. SURVIVING DESIRE (Hal Hartley)
  3. THE SIMPSONS: “ONE FISH, TWO FISH, BLOWFISH, BLUE FISH” (Wes Archer)
  4. THE SIMPSONS: “LISA’S SUBSTITUTE” (Rich Moore)
  5. BARTON FINK (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  6. UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (Wim Wenders)
  7. AMBITION (Hal Hartley)
  8. TWIN PEAKS: “BEYOND LIFE AND DEATH” (David Lynch)
  9. RAISE THE RED LANTERN (Zhang Yimou)
  10. THE SIMPSONS: “BRUSH WITH GREATNESS” (Jim Reardon)

1990

  1. TRUST (Hal Hartley)
  2. CLOSE-UP (Abbas Kiarostami)
  3. DAYS OF BEING WILD (Wong Kar-wai)
  4. BULLET IN THE HEAD (John Woo)
  5. TWIN PEAKS: “LONELY SOULS” (David Lynch)
  6. TOTAL RECALL (Paul Verhoeven)
  7. WILD AT HEART (David Lynch)
  8. TWIN PEAKS: “PILOT” (David Lynch)
  9. THE SIMPSONS: “TREEHOUSE OF HORROR” (Wes Archer & Rich Moore & David Silverman)
  10. THE SIMPSONS: “ITCHY & SCRATCHY & MARGE” (Jim Reardon)

1980s

Best of the Decade

  1. SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker)
  2. BLUE VELVET (David Lynch)
  3. A CITY OF SADNESS (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  4. BEIJING WATERMELON (Ōbayashi Nobuhiko)
  5. PEKING OPERA BLUES (Tsui Hark)
  6. PARIS, TEXAS (Wim Wenders)
  7. MANHUNTER (Michael Mann)
  8. STOP MAKING SENSE (Jonathan Demme)
  9. SHANGHAI BLUES (Tsui Hark)
  10. PEDICAB DRIVER (Sammo Hung)

—

1989

  1. A CITY OF SADNESS (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  2. BEIJING WATERMELON (Ōbayashi Nobuhiko)
  3. PEDICAB DRIVER (Sammo Hung)
  4. DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee)
  5. THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH (Hal Hartley)
  6. THE KILLER (John Woo)
  7. CASUALTIES OF WAR (Brian De Palma)
  8. KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE (Miyazaki Hayao)
  9. LES SIÈGES DE L’ALCAZAR (Luc Moullet)
  10. THE SEVENTH CONTINENT (Michael Haneke)

1988

  1. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (Miyazaki Hayao)
  2. SCHOOL ON FIRE (Ringo Lam)
  3. AS TEARS GO BY (Wong Kar-wai)
  4. 36 FILLETTE (Catherine Breillat)
  5. CAT LISTENING TO MUSIC (Chris Marker)
  6. UMA PEDRA NO BOLSO (Joaquim Pinto)
  7. AKIRA (Ōtomo Katsuhiro)
  8. DIE HARD (John McTiernan)
  9. CHOCOLAT (Claire Denis)
  10. POLICE STORY 2 (Jackie Chan)

1987

  1. EASTERN CONDORS (Sammo Hung)
  2. ISHTAR (Elaine May)
  3. DAUGHTER OF THE NILE (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  4. 4 ADVENTURES OF REINETTE AND MIRABELLE (Éric Rohmer)
  5. CITY ON FIRE (Ringo Lam)
  6. WINGS OF DESIRE (Wim Wenders)
  7. ROBOCOP (Paul Verhoeven)
  8. RAISING ARIZONA (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  9. AN AUTUMN’S TALE (Mabel Cheung)
  10. SIGN “O” THE TIMES (Prince)

1986

  1. BLUE VELVET (David Lynch)
  2. PEKING OPERA BLUES (Tsui Hark)
  3. MANHUNTER (Michael Mann)
  4. THE TERRORIZERS (Edward Yang)
  5. BOUND FOR THE FIELDS, THE MOUNTAINS, AND THE SEACOAST (Ōbayashi Nobuhiko)
  6. THE GREEN RAY (Éric Rohmer)
  7. ROSA LA ROSE, FILLE PUBLIQUE (Paul Vecchiali)
  8. FAUBOURG ST. MARTIN (Jean-Claude Guiguet)
  9. HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND (Ōbayashi Nobuhiko)
  10. DOUBLE MESSIEURS (Jean-François Stévenin)

1985

  1. TAIPEI STORY (Edward Yang)
  2. RAN (Kurosawa Akira)
  3. POLICE STORY (Jackie Chan)
  4. CONTACT (Alan Clarke)
  5. DAY OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
  6. BRAZIL (Terry Gilliam)
  7. AFTER HOURS (Martin Scorsese)
  8. MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (Stephen Frears)
  9. TROUBLE IN MIND (Alan Rudolph)

1984

  1. PARIS, TEXAS (Wim Wenders)
  2. STOP MAKING SENSE (Jonathan Demme)
  3. SHANGHAI BLUES (Tsui Hark)
  4. WHEELS ON MEALS (Sammo Hung)
  5. DUNE (David Lynch)
  6. STANDARD GAUGE (Morgan Fisher)
  7. THE TERMINATOR (James Cameron)
  8. CLASS RELATIONS (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  9. BODY DOUBLE (Brian De Palma)
  10. GREMLINS (Joe Dante)

1983

  1. SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker)
  2. THAT DAY, ON THE BEACH (Edward Yang)
  3. PAULINE AT THE BEACH (Éric Rohmer)
  4. TESTAMENT (Lynne Littman)
  5. THE KEEP (Michael Mann)
  6. BORN IN FLAMES (Lizzie Borden)
  7. AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS (Paul Vecchiali)
  8. BLESS THEIR LITTLE HEARTS (Billy Woodberry)
  9. RETURN OF THE JEDI (Richard Marquand)
  10. SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN (Alan Briggs)

1982

  1. BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott)
  2. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (Steven Spielberg)
  3. NOMAD (Patrick Tam)
  4. POLTERGEIST (Tobe Hooper)
  5. TOO EARLY/TOO LATE (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  6. THE THING (John Carpenter)
  7. EXPECTATIONS (Edward Yang)
  8. KOYAANISQATSI (Godfrey Reggio)
  9. EN RACHÂCHANT (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  10. IN OUR TIME (Tao Te-chen/Edward Yang/Ko I-chen/Chang Yi)

1981

  1. THE AVIATOR’S WIFE (Éric Rohmer)
  2. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Steven Spielberg)
  3. MY YOUNG AUNTIE (Lau Kar-leung)
  4. THIEF (Michael Mann)
  5. BLOW OUT (Brian De Palma)
  6. AT THIS LATE DATE, THE CHARLESTON (Okamoto Kihachi)
  7. ORDERLY OR DISORDERLY (Abbas Kiarostami)
  8. POSSESSION (Andrzej Żuławski)
  9. THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS (Stan Brakhage)
  10. MERRY-GO-ROUND (Jacques Rivette)

1980

  1. KAGEMUSHA (Kurosawa Akira)
  2. SIMONE BARBÈS OR VIRTUE (Marie-Claude Treilhou)
  3. DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS – FIRST KIND (Tsui Hark)
  4. EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF (Jean-Luc Godard)
  5. THE SHINING (Stanley Kubrick)
  6. CRUISING (William Friedkin)
  7. LOULOU (Maurice Pialat)
  8. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Irvin Kershner)
  9. THE BIRTH OF MAGELLAN: CADENZA I (Hollis Frampton)
  10. RAGING BULL (Martin Scorsese)

1970s

Best of the Decade

  1. A TOUCH OF ZEN (King Hu)
  2. CÉLINE AND JULIE GO BOATING (Jacques Rivette)
  3. OUT 1: NOLI ME TANGERE (Jacques Rivette)
  4. THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (Jean Eustache)
  5. PERCEVAL LE GALLOIS (Éric Rohmer)
  6. FEMMES FEMMES (Paul Vecchiali)
  7. INDIA SONG (Marguerite Duras)
  8. ERASERHEAD (David Lynch)
  9. (NOSTALGIA) (Hollis Frampton)
  10. JEANNE DIELMAN, 23, QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES (Chantal Akerman)

—

1979

  1. DIRTY HO (Lau Kar-leung)
  2. THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
  3. LEGEND OF THE MOUNTAIN (King Hu)
  4. STALKER (Andrei Tarkovsky)
  5. APOCALYPSE NOW (Francis Ford Coppola)
  6. RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN (King Hu)
  7. THE BUGS BUNNY/ROAD RUNNER MOVIE (Chuck Jones)
  8. ALIEN (Ridley Scott)
  9. ASPARAGUS (Suzan Pitt)
  10. WISE BLOOD (John Huston)

1978

  1. PERCEVAL LE GALLOIS (Éric Rohmer)
  2. THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (Lau Kar-leung)
  3. DAYS OF HEAVEN (Terrence Malick)
  4. DAWN OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
  5. IN A YEAR WITH 13 MOONS (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
  6. GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS (Bertrand Blier)
  7. THE HYPOTHESIS OF THE STOLEN PAINTING (Raúl Ruiz)
  8. LES RENDEZ-VOUS D’ANNA (Chantal Akerman)
  9. THE GREEN ROOM (François Truffaut)
  10. DOSSIER 51 (Michel Deville)

1977

  1. ERASERHEAD (David Lynch)
  2. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (Steven Spielberg)
  3. THE DEVIL, PROBABLY (Robert Bresson)
  4. PROVIDENCE (Alain Resnais)
  5. ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen)
  6. HOUSE (Ōbayashi Nobuhiko)
  7. THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE (Luis Buñuel)
  8. THE AMERICAN FRIEND (Wim Wenders)
  9. STAR WARS (George Lucas)
  10. SUSPIRIA (Dario Argento)

1976

  1. DUELLE (UNE QUARANTAINE) (Jacques Rivette)
  2. THE MARQUISE OF O… (Éric Rohmer)
  3. TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese)
  4. IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (Ōshima Nagisa)
  5. INSIANG (Lino Brocka)
  6. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (Alan J. Pakula)
  7. NOROÎT (UNE VENGEANCE) (Jacques Rivette)
  8. CARRIE (Brian De Palma)
  9. SÉRAIL (Eduardo de Gregorio)
  10. MIKEY AND NICKY (Elaine May)

1975

  1. INDIA SONG (Marguerite Duras)
  2. JEANNE DIELMAN, 23, QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES (Chantal Akerman)
  3. NASHVILLE (Robert Altman)
  4. MOSES UND ARON (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  5. SALÒ, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM (Pier Paolo Pasolini)
  6. JAWS (Steven Spielberg)
  7. THE VALIANT ONES (King Hu)
  8. DERSU UZALA (Kurosawa Akira)
  9. THE PASSENGER (Michelangelo Antonioni)
  10. FOX AND HIS FRIENDS (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

1974

  1. CÉLINE AND JULIE GO BOATING (Jacques Rivette)
  2. FEMMES FEMMES (Paul Vecchiali)
  3. THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (Tobe Hooper)
  4. ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
  5. LANCELOT DU LAC (Robert Bresson)
  6. A SIMPLE EVENT (Sohrab Shahid-Saless)
  7. THE BENCH OF DESOLATION (Claude Chabrol)
  8. STAVISKY… (Alain Resnais)
  9. THE MOUTH AGAPE (Maurice Pialat)
  10. A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (John Cassavetes)

1973

  1. THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (Jean Eustache)
  2. F FOR FAKE (Orson Welles)
  3. THE FATE OF LEE KHAN (King Hu)
  4. BADLANDS (Terrence Malick)
  5. MEAN STREETS (Martin Scorsese)
  6. DAY FOR NIGHT (François Truffaut)
  7. INTRODUCTION TO ARNOLD SCHOENBERG’S “ACCOMPANIMENT TO A CINEMATOGRAPHIC SCENE” (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  8. A DOLL’S HOUSE (Joseph Losey)
  9. THE ILLUMINATION (Krzysztof Zanussi)
  10. ISRAEL, WHY (Claude Lanzmann)

1972

  1. OUT 1: SPECTRE (Jacques Rivette)
  2. THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
  3. THE HEARTBREAK KID (Elaine May)
  4. LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON (Éric Rohmer)
  5. WE WON’T GROW OLD TOGETHER (Maurice Pialat)
  6. POETIC JUSTICE (Hollis Frampton)
  7. THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (Luis Buñuel)
  8. NATHALIE GRANGER (Marguerite Duras)
  9. TOUT VA BIEN (Jean-Luc Godard & Jean-Pierre Gorin)
  10. PINK FLAMINGOS (John Waters)

1971

  1. A TOUCH OF ZEN (King Hu)
  2. OUT 1: NOLI ME TANGERE (Jacques Rivette)
  3. (NOSTALGIA) (Hollis Frampton)
  4. A NEW LEAF (Elaine May)
  5. TWO ENGLISH GIRLS (François Truffaut)
  6. THE DEVILS (Ken Russell)
  7. PUNISHMENT PARK (Peter Watkins)
  8. THE CEREMONY (Ōshima Nagisa)
  9. FOUR NIGHTS OF A DREAMER (Robert Bresson)
  10. JUST BEFORE NIGHTFALL (Claude Chabrol)

1970

  1. ZORNS LEMMA (Hollis Frampton)
  2. CLAIRE’S KNEE (Éric Rohmer)
  3. EYES DO NOT WANT TO CLOSE AT ALL TIMES, OR PERHAPS ONE DAY ROME WILL PERMIT HERSELF TO CHOOSE IN HER TURN (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  4. SERENE VELOCITY (Ernie Gehr)
  5. LE BOUCHER (Claude Chabrol)
  6. LA RUPTURE (Claude Chabrol)
  7. THE CONFORMIST (Bernardo Bertolucci)
  8. DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST (Satyajit Ray)
  9. THE WILD CHILD (François Truffaut)
  10. DEEP END (Jerzy Skolimowski)

1960s

Best of the Decade

  1. THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (Jacques Demy)
  2. LA JETÉE (Chris Marker)
  3. LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (Alain Resnais)
  4. DRAGON INN (King Hu)
  5. MURIEL, OR THE TIME OF RETURN (Alain Resnais)
  6. GERTRUD (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
  7. WAVELENGTH (Michael Snow)
  8. HIGH AND LOW (Kurosawa Akira)
  9. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (Jacques Demy)
  10. PIERROT LE FOU (Jean-Luc Godard)

—

1969

  1. MY NIGHT AT MAUD’S (Éric Rohmer)
  2. L’AMOUR FOU (Jacques Rivette)
  3. THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (Sergei Parajanov)
  4. BOY (Ōshima Nagisa)
  5. THE NAIL CLIPPERS (Jean-Claude Carriére)
  6. THE SORROW AND THE PITY (Marcel Ophuls)
  7. UNE FEMME DOUCE (Robert Bresson)
  8. DESTROY, SHE SAID (Marguerite Duras)
  9. LEMON (Hollis Frampton)
  10. DOUBLE SUICIDE (Masahiro Shinoda)

1968

  1. DEATH BY HANGING (Ōshima Nagisa)
  2. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Sergio Leone)
  3. JE T’AIME, JE T’AIME (Alain Resnais)
  4. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick)
  5. THE IMMORTAL STORY (Orson Welles)
  6. GOLDEN SWALLOW (Chang Cheh)
  7. LA CHAMADE (Alain Cavalier)
  8. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (George A. Romero)
  9. MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea)
  10. ROSEMARY’S BABY (Roman Polański)

1967

  1. THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (Jacques Demy)
  2. DRAGON INN (King Hu)
  3. WAVELENGTH (Michael Snow)
  4. WEEKEND (Jean-Luc Godard)
  5. LA COLLECTIONNEUSE (Éric Rohmer)
  6. ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (Chang Cheh)
  7. THE RED AND THE WHITE (Jancsó Miklós)
  8. MOUCHETTE (Robert Bresson)
  9. LE DÉPART (Jerzy Skolimowski)
  10. 2 OR 3 THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER (Jean-Luc Godard)

1966

  1. ALL MY LIFE (Bruce Baillie)
  2. PERSONA (Ingmar Bergman)
  3. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (Gillo Pontecorvo)
  4. THE TAKING OF POWER BY LOUIS XIV (Roberto Rossellini)
  5. AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (Robert Bresson)
  6. BLACK GIRL (Ousmane Sembène)
  7. ROGER LA HONTE (Riccardo Freda)
  8. COME DRINK WITH ME (King Hu)
  9. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (Sergio Leone)
  10. THE NUN (Jacques Rivette)

1965

  1. PIERROT LE FOU (Jean-Luc Godard)
  2. SONS OF THE GOOD EARTH (King Hu)
  3. NOT RECONCILED (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  4. THE WAR GAME (Peter Watkins)
  5. SIMON OF THE DESERT (Luis Buñuel)
  6. TOKYO OLYMPIAD (Ichikawa Kon)
  7. RED BEARD (Kurosawa Akira)
  8. LE BONHEUR (Agnès Varda)
  9. THE KOUMIKO MYSTERY (Chris Marker)
  10. SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS (Sergei Parajanov)

1964

  1. GERTRUD (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
  2. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (Jacques Demy)
  3. YEARNING (Naruse Mikio)
  4. WOMAN IN THE DUNES (Teshigahara Hiroshi)
  5. MARNIE (Alfred Hitchcock)
  6. CHARULATA (Satyajit Ray)
  7. NOTHING BUT A MAN (Michael Roemer)
  8. THE STORY OF SUE SAN (King Hu)
  9. UNE FEMME MARIÉE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  10. THE BRIG (Jonas Mekas)

1963

  1. MURIEL, OR THE TIME OF RETURN (Alain Resnais)
  2. HIGH AND LOW (Kurosawa Akira)
  3. THE LOVE ETERNE (Li Han-hsiang)
  4. THE BIRDS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  5. THE HOUSE IS BLACK (Forough Farrokhzad)
  6. MOTHLIGHT (Stan Brakhage)
  7. THE SERVANT (Joseph Losey)
  8. BAY OF ANGELS (Jacques Demy)
  9. LE JOLI MAI (Chris Marker)
  10. PASAZERKA (Andrzej Munk)

1962

  1. LA JETÉE(Chris Marker)
  2. LOLITA (Stanley Kubrick)
  3. AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (Ozu Yasujirō)
  4. COSMIC RAY (Bruce Conner)
  5. L’ECLISSE (Michelangelo Antonioni)
  6. CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7 (Agnès Varda)
  7. JULES ET JIM (François Truffaut)
  8. VIVRE SA VIE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  9. THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (Luis Buñuel)
  10. HARAKIRI (Kobayashi Masaki)

1961

  1. LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (Alain Resnais)
  2. ALLURES (Jordan Belson)
  3. LOLA (Jacques Demy)
  4. HERCULES CONQUERS ATLANTIS (Vittorio Cottafavi)
  5. PARIS BELONGS TO US (Jacques Rivette)
  6. THE EXILES (Kent Mackenzie)
  7. YOJIMBO (Kurosawa Akira)
  8. WEST SIDE STORY (Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins)
  9. VIRIDIANA (Luis Buñuel)
  10. PRELUDE: DOG STAR MAN (Stan Brakhage)

1960

  1. BREATHLESS (Jean-Luc Godard)
  2. THE 1000 EYES OF DR. MABUSE (Fritz Lang)
  3. PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock)
  4. L’AVVENTURA (Michelangelo Antonioni)
  5. PEEPING TOM (Michael Powell)
  6. THE APARTMENT (Billy Wilder)
  7. ARNULF RAINER (Peter Kubelka)
  8. NIGHT AND FOG IN JAPAN (Ōshima Nagisa)
  9. THE BELLBOY (Jerry Lewis)
  10. LA DOLCE VITA (Federico Fellini)

1950s

Best of the Decade

  1. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
  2. VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock)
  3. SEVEN SAMURAI (Kurosawa Akira)
  4. DUCK AMUCK (Chuck Jones)
  5. SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  6. TOKYO STORY (Ozu Yasujirō)
  7. REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock)
  8. RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks)
  9. A STAR IS BORN (George Cukor)
  10. PYAASA (Guru Dutt)

—

1959

  1. RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks)
  2. THE 400 BLOWS (François Truffaut)
  3. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (Alain Resnais)
  4. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Alfred Hitchcock)
  5. LE CHANT DU STYRÈNE (Alain Resnais)
  6. SHADOWS (John Cassavetes)
  7. PICKPOCKET (Robert Bresson)
  8. THE WORLD OF APU (Satyajit Ray)
  9. WINDOW WATER BABY MOVING (Stan Brakhage)
  10. I DIMENTICATI (Vittorio De Seta)

1958

  1. VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock)
  2. TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles)
  3. LE BEAU SERGE (Claude Chabrol)
  4. A MOVIE (Bruce Conner)
  5. PESCHERECCI (Vittorio De Seta)
  6. ROBIN HOOD DAFFY (Chuck Jones)
  7. UN GIORNO IN BARBAGIA (Vittorio De Seta)
  8. PASTORI DI ORGOSOLO (Vittorio De Seta)
  9. HARE-WAY TO THE STARS (Chuck Jones)
  10. ENJO (Ichikawa Kon)

1957

  1. PYAASA (Guru Dutt)
  2. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (Alexander Mackendrick)
  3. EIGHT HOURS OF TERROR (Suzuki Seijun)
  4. WHAT’S OPERA, DOC? (Chuck Jones)
  5. THRONE OF BLOOD (Kurosawa Akira)
  6. PATHS OF GLORY (Stanley Kubrick)
  7. ALI BABA BUNNY (Chuck Jones)

1956

  1. NIGHT AND FOG (Alain Resnais)
  2. THE WRONG MAN (Alfred Hitchcock)
  3. A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson)
  4. THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Alfred Hitchcock)
  5. THE BURMESE HARP (Ichikawa Kon)
  6. TOUTE LA MÉMOIRE DU MONDE (Alain Resnais)
  7. THE SEARCHERS (John Ford)

1955

  1. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
  2. FLOATING CLOUDS (Naruse Mikio)
  3. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (Nicholas Ray)
  4. LOLA MONTÈS (Max Ophuls)
  5. THE LONG GRAY LINE (John Ford)
  6. MOONFLEET (Fritz Lang)
  7. MR. ARKADIN (Orson Welles)
  8. ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS (Douglas Sirk)
  9. ARTISTS AND MODELS (Frank Tashlin)
  10. SURFARARA (Vittorio De Seta)

1954

  1. SEVEN SAMURAI (Kurosawa Akira)
  2. SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  3. REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock)
  4. A STAR IS BORN (George Cukor)
  5. JOURNEY TO ITALY (Roberto Rossellini)
  6. GODZILLA (Honda Ishirō)
  7. THE CRUCIFIED LOVERS (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  8. MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION (Douglas Sirk)
  9. LU TEMPU DI LI PISCI SPATA (Vittorio De Seta)
  10. ISOLE DI FUOCO (Vittorio De Seta)

1953

  1. DUCK AMUCK (Chuck Jones)
  2. TOKYO STORY (Ozu Yasujirō)
  3. THE SAGA OF ANATAHAN (Josef von Sternberg)
  4. UGETSU (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  5. DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24½TH CENTURY (Chuck Jones)
  6. A GEISHA (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  7. DUCK! RABBIT, DUCK! (Chuck Jones)
  8. THE BIG HEAT (Fritz Lang)
  9. BULLY FOR BUGS (Chuck Jones)
  10. STATUES ALSO DIE (Alain Resnais & Chris Marker & Ghislain Cloquet)

1952

  1. THE GOLDEN COACH (Jean Renoir)
  2. THE QUIET MAN (John Ford)
  3. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly)
  4. THE LUSTY MEN (Nicholas Ray)
  5. RABBIT SEASONING (Chuck Jones)
  6. OPERATION: RABBIT (Chuck Jones)
  7. FEED THE KITTY (Chuck Jones)
  8. EUROPA ’51 (Roberto Rossellini)
  9. IKIRU (Kurosawa Akira)

1951

  1. DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST (Robert Bresson)
  2. AWAARA (Raj Kapoor)
  3. THE TALL TARGET (Anthony Mann)
  4. OTHELLO (Orson Welles)
  5. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (Vincente Minnelli)
  6. RABBIT FIRE (Chuck Jones)

1950

  1. SUNSET BLVD. (Billy Wilder)
  2. LA RONDE (Max Ophuls)
  3. RABBIT OF SEVILLE (Chuck Jones)
  4. ALL ABOUT EVE (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
  5. RASHOMON (Kurosawa Akira)
  6. LOS OLVIDADOS (Luis Buñuel)
  7. LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES (Jean-Pierre Melville)

1940s

Best of the Decade

  1. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles)
  2. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli)
  3. LATE SPRING (Ozu Yasujirō)
  4. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles)
  5. HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Howard Hawks)
  6. NOTORIOUS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  7. SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN (Fei Mu)
  8. FORT APACHE (John Ford)
  9. THE CLOCK (Vincente Minnelli)
  10. THE BIG SLEEP (Howard Hawks)

—

1949

  1. LATE SPRING (Ozu Yasujirō)
  2. THE THIRD MAN (Carol Reed)
  3. A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

1948

  1. SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN (Fei Mu)
  2. FORT APACHE (John Ford)
  3. BERLIN EXPRESS (Jacques Tourneur)
  4. WOMEN OF THE NIGHT (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  5. ROPE (Alfred Hitchcock)

1947

  1. OUT OF THE PAST (Jacques Tourneur)
  2. DAISY KENYON (Otto Preminger)
  3. FIREWORKS (Kenneth Anger)
  4. THE SIN OF HAROLD DIDDLEBOCK (Preston Sturges)

1946

  1. NOTORIOUS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  2. THE BIG SLEEP (Howard Hawks)
  3. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Frank Capra)
  4. THE LOCKET (John Brahm)
  5. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Jean Cocteau)
  6. ENAMORADA (Emilio Fernández)

1945

  1. THE CLOCK (Vincente Minnelli)
  2. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (David Lean)
  3. DETOUR (Edgar G. Ulmer)
  4. MILDRED PIERCE (Michael Curtiz)
  5. LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE (Robert Bresson)
  6. ROME, OPEN CITY (Roberto Rossellini)
  7. MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (Joseph H. Lewis)

1944

  1. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli)
  2. GROSSE FREIHEIT NR. 7 (Helmut Käutner)
  3. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Billy Wilder)
  4. LAURA (Otto Preminger)

1943

  1. MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON (Maya Deren & Alexander Hammid)
  2. I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (Jacques Tourneur)
  3. THE GANG’S ALL HERE (Busby Berkeley)
  4. HEAVEN CAN WAIT (Ernst Lubitsch)
  5. ANGELS OF SIN (Robert Bresson)
  6. SHADOW OF A DOUBT (Alfred Hitchcock)
  7. OSSESSIONE (Luchino Visconti)

1942

  1. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles)
  2. CAT PEOPLE (Jacques Tourneur)
  3. CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz)
  4. RADIO DYNAMICS (Oskar Fischinger)

1941

  1. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles)

1940

  1. HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Howard Hawks)
  2. REBECCA (Alfred Hitchcock)

1930s

Best of the Decade

  1. ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (Howard Hawks)
  2. THE RULES OF THE GAME (Jean Renoir)
  3. THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (Fritz Lang)
  4. THE AWFUL TRUTH (Leo McCarey)
  5. M (Fritz Lang)
  6. A DAY IN THE COUNTRY (Jean Renoir)
  7. FURY (Fritz Lang)
  8. EARTH (Alexander Dovzhenko)
  9. HOLIDAY (George Cukor)
  10. SABOTAGE (Alfred Hitchcock)

—

1939

  1. ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (Howard Hawks)
  2. THE RULES OF THE GAME (Jean Renoir)
  3. STAGECOACH (John Ford)
  4. THE WIZARD OF OZ (Victor Fleming)

1938

  1. HOLIDAY (George Cukor)
  2. THE LADY VANISHES (Alfred Hitchcock)

1937

  1. THE AWFUL TRUTH (Leo McCarey)
  2. MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW (Leo McCarey)
  3. GRAND ILLUSION (Jean Renoir)
  4. A STAR IS BORN (William A. Wellman)

1936

  1. A DAY IN THE COUNTRY (Jean Renoir)
  2. FURY (Fritz Lang)
  3. THE STORY OF A CHEAT (Sacha Guitry)
  4. SABOTAGE (Alfred Hitchcock)
  5. ROSE HOBART (Joseph Cornell)
  6. THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE (Jean Renoir)

1935

  1. THE 39 STEPS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  2. TONI (Jean Renoir)

1934

  1. THE GODDESS (Wu Yonggang)
  2. L’ATALANTE (Jean Vigo)

1933

  1. THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (Fritz Lang)
  2. ONLY YESTERDAY (John M. Stahl)
  3. DRAGNET GIRL (Ozu Yasujirō)
  4. LIEBELEI (Max Ophuls)
  5. DESIGN FOR LIVING (Ernst Lubitsch)

1932

  1. TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch)
  2. WHERE NOW ARE THE DREAMS OF YOUTH? (Ozu Yasujirō)
  3. SCARFACE (Howard Hawks)
  4. THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (Charles Brabin)

1931

  1. M (Fritz Lang)
  2. CITY LIGHTS (Charles Chaplin)
  3. TABU (F.W. Murnau)
  4. LA CHIENNE (Jean Renoir)
  5. FRANKENSTEIN (James Whale)
  6. DISHONORED (Josef von Sternberg)
  7. MARIUS (Alexander Korda)

1930

  1. EARTH (Alexander Dovzhenko)
  2. THE BIG TRAIL (Raoul Walsh)
  3. THE BLUE ANGEL (Josef von Sternberg)
  4. MOROCCO (Josef von Sternberg)

1920s

  1. SUNRISE (F.W. Murnau)
  2. NAPOLÉON (Abel Gance)
  3. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
  4. SPIONE (Fritz Lang)
  5. THE GENERAL (Buster Keaton)
  6. DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER (Fritz Lang)
  7. SEVEN CHANCES (Buster Keaton)
  8. MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Dziga Vertov)
  9. GREED (Erich von Stroheim)
  10. NOSFERATU (F.W. Murnau)

—

1929

  1. MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Dziga Vertov)
  2. APPLAUSE (Rouben Mamoulian)
  3. UN CHIEN ANDALOU (Luis Buñuel)
  4. RAIN (Joris Ivens & Mannus Franken)
  5. LIBERTY (Leo McCarey)
  6. BRUMES D’AUTOMNE (Dimitri Kirshoff)
  7. TOKYO MARCH (Mizoguchi Kenji)

1928

  1. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
  2. SPIONE (Fritz Lang)
  3. STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. (Charles Reisner and Buster Keaton)
  4. THE WEDDING MARCH (Erich von Stroheim)
  5. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF 9413, A HOLLYWOOD EXTRA (Robert Florey & Slavko Vorkapich)
  6. RECORD 957 (Germaine Dulac)
  7. SHOW PEOPLE (King Vidor)

1927

  1. SUNRISE (F.W. Murnau)
  2. NAPOLÉON (Abel Gance)
  3. METROPOLIS (Fritz Lang)
  4. THE SEASHELL AND THE CLERGYMAN (Germaine Dulac)

1926

  1. THE GENERAL (Buster Keaton)

1925

  1. SEVEN CHANCES (Buster Keaton)
  2. BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Sergei Eisenstein)
  3. THE MERRY WIDOW (Erich von Stroheim)

1924

  1. GREED (Erich von Stroheim)
  2. SHERLOCK JR. (Buster Keaton)
  3. THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (Raoul Walsh)
  4. MÉNILMONTANT (Dimitri Kirshoff)
  5. BALLET MÉCANIQUE (Fernand Léger & Dudley Murphy)
  6. HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (Victor Sjöström)

1923

  1. SAFETY LAST! (Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor)

1922

  1. DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER (Fritz Lang)
  2. NOSFERATU (F.W. Murnau)
  3. NANOOK OF THE NORTH (Robert J. Flaherty)

Pre-1920s

  1. LES VAMPIRES (Louis Feuillade)
  2. WORKERS LEAVING THE LUMIÈRE FACTORY IN LYON (Louis & Auguste Lumière)
  3. TIH-MINH (Louis Feuillade)
  4. FANTÔMAS (Louis Feuillade)
  5. THE MUSKETEERS OF PIG ALLEY (D.W. Griffith)
  6. THE ARRIVAL OF A TRAIN AT LA CIOTAT STATION (Louis & Auguste Lumière)
  7. THE SPRINKLER SPRINKLED (Louis & Auguste Lumière)
  8. TUNNELING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL (Georges Méliès)
  9. THE BLACK IMP (Georges Méliès)
  10. A TRIP TO THE MOON (Georges Méliès)

—

1918

  1. TIH-MINH (Louis Feuillade)

1915

  1. LES VAMPIRES (Louis Feuillade)
  2. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (D.W. Griffith)

1914

  1. KID AUTO RACES AT VENICE (Henry Lehrman)

1913

  1. FANTÔMAS (Louis Feuillade)

1912

  1. THE MUSKETEERS OF PIG ALLEY (D.W. Griffith)

1910

  1. THE UNCHANGING SEA (D.W. Griffith)

1907

  1. TUNNELING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL (Georges Méliès)

1905

  1. THE BLACK IMP (Georges Méliès)

1904

  1. THE MERMAID (Georges Méliès)

1902

  1. A TRIP TO THE MOON (Georges Méliès)

1896

  1. THE ARRIVAL OF A TRAIN AT LA CIOTAT STATION (Louis & Auguste Lumière)

1895

  1. WORKERS LEAVING THE LUMIÈRE FACTORY IN LYON (Louis & Auguste Lumière)
  2. THE SPRINKLER SPRINKLED (Louis & Auguste Lumière)
  3. THE BABY’S MEAL (Louis & Auguste Lumière)
  4. BOAT LEAVING THE PORT (Louis & Auguste Lumière)