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. YI YI (Edward Yang)
  2. MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
  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. DRIVE MY CAR (Hamaguchi Ryūsuke)
  2. CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD: AN EMOTIONAL HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD (Adam Curtis)
  3. MEMORIA (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  4. WALK UP (Hong Sang-soo)
  5. PACIFICTION (Albert Serra)
  6. THE NOVELIST’S FILM (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. EO (Jerzy Skolimowski)
  8. DAYS (Tsai Ming-liang)
  9. THE WORKS AND DAYS (OF TAYOKO SHIOJIRI IN THE SHIOTANI BASIN) (C.W. Winter & Anders Edström)
  10. WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY? (Alexandre Koberidze)

—

2022

  1. WALK UP (Hong Sang-soo)
  2. PACIFICTION (Albert Serra)
  3. THE NOVELIST’S FILM (Hong Sang-soo)
  4. EO (Jerzy Skolimowski)
  5. TRENQUE LAUQUEN (Laura Citarella)
  6. SECTION 1 (Jon Bois)
  7. CAPTAIN AHAB: THE STORY OF DAVE STIEB (Jon Bois)
  8. THE FABELMANS (Steven Spielberg)
  9. IRMA VEP (Olivier Assayas)
  10. DIARY OF A FLEETING AFFAIR (Emmanuel Mouret)

2021

  1. DRIVE MY CAR (Hamaguchi Ryūsuke)
  2. CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD: AN EMOTIONAL HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD (Adam Curtis)
  3. MEMORIA (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  4. WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY? (Alexandre Koberidze)
  5. IL BUCO (Michelangelo Frammartino)
  6. WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY (Hamaguchi Ryūsuke)
  7. WHO’S STOPPING US (Jonás Trueba)
  8. A NEW OLD PLAY (Qiu Jiongjiong)
  9. EARTHEARTHEARTH (Saïto Daïchi, Canada)
  10. WEST SIDE STORY (Steven Spielberg)

2020

  1. DAYS (Tsai Ming-liang)
  2. THE WORKS AND DAYS (OF TAYOKO SHIOJIRI IN THE SHIOTANI BASIN) (C.W. Winter & Anders Edström)
  3. THE WOMAN WHO RAN (Hong Sang-soo)
  4. SHORT VACATION (Kwon Min-pyo & Seo Han-sol)
  5. BEGINNING (Déa Kulumbegashvili)
  6. THE HISTORY OF THE SEATTLE MARINERS (Jon Bois)
  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. YOURSELF AND YOURS (Hong Sang-soo)
  3. STRAY DOGS (Tsai Ming-liang)
  4. TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (David Lynch)
  5. MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (Jia Zhangke)
  6. MYSTERIES OF LISBON (Raúl Ruiz)
  7. LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE (Abbas Kiarostami)
  8. ASAKO I & II (Hamaguchi Ryūsuke)
  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. GRASS (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. ASH IS PUREST WHITE (Jia Zhangke)
  7. AMANDA (Mikhaël Hers)
  8. HIGH LIFE (Claire Denis)
  9. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (Orson Welles)
  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. THE DAY AFTER (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. ARBORETUM CYCLE (Nathaniel Dorsky)
  7. CLAIRE’S CAMERA (Hong Sang-soo)
  8. ★ (Johann Lurf)
  9. STREETSCAPES [DIALOGUE] (Heinz Emigholz)
  10. PRINCESS CYD (Stephen Cone)

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. RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. MISTRESS AMERICA (Noah Baumbach)
  8. HAPPY HOUR (Hamaguchi Ryūsuke)
  9. JOURNEY TO THE SHORE (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  10. AFTERNOON (Tsai Ming-liang)

2014

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

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. NOBODY’S DAUGHTER HAEWON (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. BEFORE MIDNIGHT (Richard Linklater)
  7. BASTARDS (Claire Denis)
  8. THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA (Takahata Isao)
  9. OUR SUNHI (Hong Sang-soo)
  10. TIREZ LA LANGUE, MADEMOISELLE (Axelle Ropert)

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. IN ANOTHER COUNTRY (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. FRANCES HA (Noah Baumbach)
  7. TABU (Miguel Gomes)
  8. LINCOLN (Steven Spielberg)
  9. MOONRISE KINGDOM (Wes Anderson)
  10. DIFFERENTLY, MOLUSSIA (Nicolas Rey)

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. DREILEBEN: BEATS BEING DEAD (Christian Petzold)
  7. LIST (Hong Sang-soo)
  8. DREILEBEN: DON’T FOLLOW ME AROUND (Dominik Graf)
  9. THE COLOR WHEEL (Alex Ross Perry)
  10. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (David Fincher)

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. OKI’S MOVIE (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. THE CITY BELOW (Christoph Hochhäusler)
  8. FILM SOCIALISME (Jean-Luc Godard)
  9. LOVE IN A PUFF (Pang Ho-cheung)
  10. THE GHOST WRITER (Roman Polański)

2000s

Best of the Decade

  1. YI YI (Edward Yang)
  2. MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
  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. OXHIDE II (Liu Jiayin)
  8. A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Steven Spielberg)
  9. SPIRITED AWAY (Miyazaki Hayao)
  10. SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

—

2009

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

2008

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

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. DEJA VU (Tony Scott)
  7. MARIE ANTOINETTE (Sofia Coppola)
  8. WOMAN ON THE BEACH (Hong Sang-soo)
  9. I DON’T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE (Tsai Ming-liang)
  10. EXILED (Johnnie To)

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. TROPICAL MALADY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  2. 2046 (Wong Kar-wai)
  3. BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater)
  4. THROW DOWN (Johnnie To)
  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. BLISSFULLY YOURS (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  4. ON THE OCCASION OF REMEMBERING THE TURNING GATE (Hong Sang-soo)
  5. CHINESE ODYSSEY 2002 (Jeffrey Lau)
  6. HERO (Zhang Yimou)
  7. THE CENTURY OF THE SELF (Adam Curtis)
  8. FRIDAY NIGHT (Claire Denis)
  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. SPIRITED AWAY (Miyazaki Hayao)
  4. PULSE (Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  5. MILLENNIUM MAMBO (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  6. LA LIBERTAD (Lisandro Alonso)
  7. WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? (Tsai Ming-liang)
  8. LA CIÉNAGA (Lucrecia Martel)
  9. ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU (Iwai Shunji)
  10. ALI (Michael Mann)

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. BAMBOOZLED (Spike Lee)
  7. THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE (Mark Dindal)
  8. HAMLET (Michael Almereyda)
  9. VIRGIN STRIPPED BARE BY HER BACHELORS (Hong Sang-soo)
  10. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (Kenneth Lonergan)

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. COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY (Peter Chan)
  7. TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (David Lynch)
  8. TRUST (Hal Hartley)
  9. MAHJONG (Edward Yang)
  10. CLOSE-UP (Abbas Kiarostami)

—

1999

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

1998

  1. THE HOLE (Tsai Ming-liang)
  2. FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  3. THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick)
  4. A HERO NEVER DIES (Johnnie To)
  5. RUSHMORE (Wes Anderson)
  6. NEW ROSE HOTEL (Abel Ferrara)
  7. THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE (Hong Sang-soo)
  8. COWBOY BEBOP: “SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL” (Watanabe Shinichirō)
  9. FESTEN (Thomas Vinterberg)
  10. VASSOURINHA: THE VOICE AND THE VOID (Carlos Adriano)

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. FACE/OFF (John Woo)
  9. THE SWEET HEREAFTER (Atom Egoyan)
  10. STARSHIP TROOPERS (Paul Verhoeven)

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. IRMA VEP (Olivier Assayas)
  7. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: “WEAVING A STORY 2: ORAL STAGE” (Anno Hideaki)
  8. SECRETS & LIES (Mike Leigh)
  9. VIVA EROTICA (Derek Yee & Lo Chi-leung)
  10. GOODBYE SOUTH, GOODBYE (Hou Hsiao-hsien)

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. TATORT: FRAU BU LACHT (Dominik Graf)
  9. PREMONITIONS FOLLOWING AN EVIL DEED (David Lynch)
  10. WHEN IT RAINS (Charles Burnett)

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. POM POKO (Takahata Isao)
  8. WING CHUN (Yuen Woo-ping)
  9. BLACK ICE (Stan Brakhage)
  10. U.S. GO HOME (Claire Denis)

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. TAI-CHI MASTER (Yuen Woo-ping)
  10. THE PIANO (Jane Campion)

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. ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA II (Tsui Hark)
  6. UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood)
  7. MALCOLM X (Spike Lee)
  8. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Michael Mann)
  9. DEEP COVER (Bill Duke)
  10. REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (Tsai Ming-liang)

1991

  1. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang)
  2. ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (Tsui Hark)
  3. SURVIVING DESIRE (Hal Hartley)
  4. ONLY YESTERDAY (Takahata Isao)
  5. THE SIMPSONS: “ONE FISH, TWO FISH, BLOWFISH, BLUE FISH” (Wes Archer)
  6. THE SIMPSONS: “LISA’S SUBSTITUTE” (Rich Moore)
  7. BARTON FINK (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  8. LA VIE DES MORTS (Arnaud Desplechin)
  9. UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (Wim Wenders)
  10. AMBITION (Hal Hartley)

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. WILD AT HEART (David Lynch)
  7. TOTAL RECALL (Paul Verhoeven)
  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. L’ARGENT (Robert Bresson)
  3. BLUE VELVET (David Lynch)
  4. THE KILLER (John Woo)
  5. A CITY OF SADNESS (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  6. BEIJING WATERMELON (Ōbayashi Nobuhiko)
  7. PEKING OPERA BLUES (Tsui Hark)
  8. PARIS, TEXAS (Wim Wenders)
  9. MANHUNTER (Michael Mann)
  10. STOP MAKING SENSE (Jonathan Demme)

—

1989

  1. THE KILLER (John Woo)
  2. A CITY OF SADNESS (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  3. BEIJING WATERMELON (Ōbayashi Nobuhiko)
  4. PEDICAB DRIVER (Sammo Hung)
  5. DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee)
  6. THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH (Hal Hartley)
  7. KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE (Miyazaki Hayao)
  8. CASUALTIES OF WAR (Brian De Palma)
  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. MIRACLE MILE (Steve De Jarnatt)
  8. DIE KATZE (Dominik Graf)
  9. AKIRA (Ōtomo Katsuhiro)
  10. DIE HARD (John McTiernan)

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. BACK TO THE FUTURE (Robert Zemeckis)
  6. DAY OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
  7. BRAZIL (Terry Gilliam)
  8. AFTER HOURS (Martin Scorsese)
  9. MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (Stephen Frears)
  10. 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. STANDARD GAUGE (Morgan Fisher)
  6. CHOOSE ME (Alan Rudolph)
  7. DUNE (David Lynch)
  8. THE TERMINATOR (James Cameron)
  9. CLASS RELATIONS (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  10. BODY DOUBLE (Brian De Palma)

1983

  1. SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker)
  2. L’ARGENT (Robert Bresson)
  3. THAT DAY, ON THE BEACH (Edward Yang)
  4. VIDEODROME (David Cronenberg)
  5. PAULINE AT THE BEACH (Éric Rohmer)
  6. TESTAMENT (Lynne Littman)
  7. EIN BILD (Harun Farocki)
  8. THE KEEP (Michael Mann)
  9. BORN IN FLAMES (Lizzie Borden)
  10. AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS (Paul Vecchiali)

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. TREE OF KNOWLEDGE (Nils Malmros)
  3. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Steven Spielberg)
  4. MY YOUNG AUNTIE (Lau Kar-leung)
  5. THIEF (Michael Mann)
  6. BLOW OUT (Brian De Palma)
  7. AT THIS LATE DATE, THE CHARLESTON (Okamoto Kihachi)
  8. ORDERLY OR DISORDERLY (Abbas Kiarostami)
  9. POSSESSION (Andrzej Żuławski)
  10. THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS (Stan Brakhage)

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. EQUATION TO AN UNKNOWN (Dietrich de Velsa)
  7. CRUISING (William Friedkin)
  8. LOULOU (Maurice Pialat)
  9. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Irvin Kershner)
  10. THE BIRTH OF MAGELLAN: CADENZA I (Hollis Frampton)

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. REMEMBER MY NAME (Alan Rudolph)
  9. LES RENDEZ-VOUS D’ANNA (Chantal Akerman)
  10. THE GREEN ROOM (François Truffaut)

1977

  1. ERASERHEAD (David Lynch)
  2. THE DEVIL, PROBABLY (Robert Bresson)
  3. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (Steven Spielberg)
  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. ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (John Carpenter)
  2. DUELLE (UNE QUARANTAINE) (Jacques Rivette)
  3. THE MARQUISE OF O… (Éric Rohmer)
  4. TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese)
  5. IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (Ōshima Nagisa)
  6. INSIANG (Lino Brocka)
  7. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (Alan J. Pakula)
  8. NOROÎT (UNE VENGEANCE) (Jacques Rivette)
  9. CARRIE (Brian De Palma)
  10. SÉRAIL (Eduardo de Gregorio)

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 CONVERSATION (Francis Ford Coppola)
  8. THE BENCH OF DESOLATION (Claude Chabrol)
  9. STAVISKY… (Alain Resnais)
  10. THE MOUTH AGAPE (Maurice Pialat)

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. WORLD ON A WIRE (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
  6. MEAN STREETS (Martin Scorsese)
  7. DAY FOR NIGHT (François Truffaut)
  8. INTRODUCTION TO ARNOLD SCHOENBERG’S “ACCOMPANIMENT TO A CINEMATOGRAPHIC SCENE” (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  9. A DOLL’S HOUSE (Joseph Losey)
  10. THE ILLUMINATION (Krzysztof Zanussi)

1972

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

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. DESTROY, SHE SAID (Marguerite Duras)
  6. THE NAIL CLIPPERS (Jean-Claude Carriére)
  7. THE SORROW AND THE PITY (Marcel Ophuls)
  8. UNE FEMME DOUCE (Robert Bresson)
  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. MOUCHETTE (Robert Bresson)
  7. ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (Chang Cheh)
  8. THE RED AND THE WHITE (Jancsó Miklós)
  9. POINT BLANK (John Boorman)
  10. LE DÉPART (Jerzy Skolimowski)

1966

  1. ALL MY LIFE (Bruce Baillie)
  2. PERSONA (Ingmar Bergman)
  3. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (Gillo Pontecorvo)
  4. AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (Robert Bresson)
  5. THE TAKING OF POWER BY LOUIS XIV (Roberto Rossellini)
  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. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW (Pier Paolo Pasolini)
  6. MARNIE (Alfred Hitchcock)
  7. CHARULATA (Satyajit Ray)
  8. DOG STAR MAN (Stan Brakhage)
  9. NOTHING BUT A MAN (Michael Roemer)
  10. UNE FEMME MARIÉE (Jean-Luc Godard)

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. AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (Ozu Yasujirō)
  3. COSMIC RAY (Bruce Conner)
  4. L’ECLISSE (Michelangelo Antonioni)
  5. CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7 (Agnès Varda)
  6. JULES ET JIM (François Truffaut)
  7. LOLITA (Stanley Kubrick)
  8. VIVRE SA VIE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  9. CARNIVAL OF SOULS (Herk Harvey)
  10. THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (Luis Buñuel)

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. A WOMAN IS A WOMAN (Jean-Luc Godard)

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. GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (Howard Hawks)
  6. SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  7. RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks)
  8. A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson)
  9. TOKYO STORY (Ozu Yasujirō)
  10. REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock)

—

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. A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson)
  2. NIGHT AND FOG (Alain Resnais)
  3. THE WRONG MAN (Alfred Hitchcock)
  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. GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (Howard Hawks)
  3. TOKYO STORY (Ozu Yasujirō)
  4. THE SAGA OF ANATAHAN (Josef von Sternberg)
  5. UGETSU MONOGATARI (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  6. DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24½TH CENTURY (Chuck Jones)
  7. A GEISHA (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  8. DUCK! RABBIT, DUCK! (Chuck Jones)
  9. BULLY FOR BUGS (Chuck Jones)
  10. THE BIG HEAT (Fritz Lang)

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. LA RONDE (Max Ophuls)
  2. RABBIT OF SEVILLE (Chuck Jones)
  3. ALL ABOUT EVE (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
  4. SUNSET BLVD. (Billy Wilder)
  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. LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (Max Ophuls)
  5. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles)
  6. HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Howard Hawks)
  7. THE HEIRESS (William Wyler)
  8. NOTORIOUS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  9. SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN (Fei Mu)
  10. THE BIG SLEEP (Howard Hawks)

—

1949

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

1948

  1. LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (Max Ophuls)
  2. SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN (Fei Mu)
  3. FORT APACHE (John Ford)
  4. THE RED SHOES (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
  5. BERLIN EXPRESS (Jacques Tourneur)
  6. WOMEN OF THE NIGHT (Mizoguchi Kenji)
  7. DRUNKEN ANGEL (Kurosawa Akira)
  8. 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. CANYON PASSAGE (Jacques Tourneur)
  4. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Frank Capra)
  5. THE LOCKET (John Brahm)
  6. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Jean Cocteau)
  7. ENAMORADA (Emilio Fernández)

1945

  1. THE CLOCK (Vincente Minnelli)
  2. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (David Lean)
  3. DETOUR (Edgar G. Ulmer)
  4. LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE (Robert Bresson)
  5. MILDRED PIERCE (Michael Curtiz)
  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. THE SEVENTH VICTIM (Mark Robson)
  3. I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (Jacques Tourneur)
  4. THE GANG’S ALL HERE (Busby Berkeley)
  5. THE LEOPARD MAN (Jacques Tourneur)
  6. HEAVEN CAN WAIT (Ernst Lubitsch)
  7. ANGELS OF SIN (Robert Bresson)
  8. SHADOW OF A DOUBT (Alfred Hitchcock)
  9. 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. RUGGLES OF RED GAP (Leo McCarey)
  5. THE AWFUL TRUTH (Leo McCarey)
  6. M (Fritz Lang)
  7. SHANGHAI EXPRESS (Josef von Sternberg)
  8. A DAY IN THE COUNTRY (Jean Renoir)
  9. MOROCCO (Josef von Sternberg)
  10. FURY (Fritz Lang)

—

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)
  5. THE WOMEN (George Cukor)

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. RUGGLES OF RED GAP (Leo McCarey)
  2. THE 39 STEPS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  3. 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. SHANGHAI EXPRESS (Josef von Sternberg)
  2. TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch)
  3. WHERE NOW ARE THE DREAMS OF YOUTH? (Ozu Yasujirō)
  4. SCARFACE (Howard Hawks)
  5. BLONDE VENUS (Josef von Sternberg)
  6. THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (Charles Brabin)

1931

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

1930

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

1920s

Best of the Decade

  1. SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS (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. GREED (Erich von Stroheim)
  7. THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK (Josef von Sternberg)
  8. DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER (Fritz Lang)
  9. SEVEN CHANCES (Buster Keaton)
  10. MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Dziga Vertov)

—

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. THUNDERBOLT (Josef von Sternberg)
  6. LIBERTY (Leo McCarey)
  7. BRUMES D’AUTOMNE (Dimitri Kirshoff)
  8. TOKYO MARCH (Mizoguchi Kenji)

1928

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

1927

  1. SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS (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

Best Before 1920

  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)