Alan's Sight And Sound Top Ten Best Films Ever Made
No, they didn't ask, and neither did you, but oh well, this is the fresh content
I was not invited to participate in the 2022 Sight and Sound Best Films of All Time poll. I would have if asked, but as I said in a previous post, top ten lists aren’t really about the films being ranked anyway. It’s best to approach these kinds of things as suggested rather than holy writ, and lists like this, in my opinion, come off as pretentious and exclusive anyway. The vast majority of moviegoers will likely not see a French movie about three days in the life of a mother and prostitute (JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES) much less put it as their number one film of all time, but Sight and Sound’s ranking system of over 1600 critics worldwide has placed this film the highest. I haven’t seen it, but I do have the Criterion app, so it may be in my future, but honestly, as far as movie-watching goes, I have other priorities. I’m trying to catch up on the rest of this year’s titles, but the real reason is that the Shawscope Volume II box is coming, and there’s nothing that clears the palette quite like a bunch of martial arts movies.
Something I don’t see addressed very much in lists like this is the fact that cinema is collaborative, and often the choices are still very beholden to the auteur theory. Many critics may think they’re celebrating a voice in cinema when, in my opinion, cinema has never been and should never be about one singular voice. CITIZEN KANE can be Orson Welles’ magnum opus, but he would have never gotten there without Gregg Toland. Toland was one of the best cinematographers who ever lived, and KANE’s impact is much more visual than it is in the script (which to its credit is great). Had Welles went with one of the more established cinematographers of the time, we might not be talking about CITIZEN KANE at all. We love Martin Scorsese, but Scorsese isn’t Scorsese without his editor Thelma Schoonmaker. Even Akira Kurosawa had a team of writers at his beck and call.
There’s also the fact that critics differentiate between “best” and “favorite.” Films that have an impact on me personally, I shouldn’t assume will for others. Something as simple as watching wind blow through the branches of a tree may move me, but may do nothing for someone else. There are levels of engagement, and there are also levels of appreciation, and simple imagery shouldn’t be the sole criteria. Craftwork, innovation, scope of the project, intent - these should all be factors.
So… these ten films are, in my opinion, the ten best films ever made. It’s a mix of what I have personally experienced, the skills of the filmmakers, their importance in the world, and the intent and scope of the film. I can’t put too much stock in a list that doesn’t have LAWRENCE OF ARABIA on it, but that’s my sensibility at work here. I think that stories become universal the more intimate they become, but I also think that audiences respond to scale and craft more than perhaps critics like to admit. The only real criteria I used is that all of these films are at least ten years old or older. I don’t believe you can judge something so recent as to not see the arc of its impact - as much as I love PARASITE, I think it’s too soon to see what effect it will have on audiences and on the art.
My list is my own, and my criteria for what is “best” will surely be different from yours. These films moved me, and changed me, and the only grand statement I want to make with the list is to say that great art is nothing if it isn’t shared. So, I share this list with you.
SEVEN SAMURAI (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (David Lean, 1962)
DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee, 1989)
IKIRU (Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks, 1959)
CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Billy Wilder, 1944)
THE GODFATHER (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
There are many other films I could have went with, and I’m certain having two by Kurosawa is a little unfair, but those films are just that great. Even now, I look at the list and start making adjustments in my head. No CITIZEN KANE? Really? (It came close, but didn’t quite get there.) Is DO THE RIGHT THING really a better film than IKIRU? (That’s a really difficult thing to parse, but DO THE RIGHT THING edges it out because of the message and the craft.) What’s with all the dudes? (Even though the film’s within the ten year margin, I seriously considered Greta Gerwig’s LADY BIRD.) Where’s the horror? (David Cronenberg’s THE FLY missed this list by a very slim margin.) Seriously though, Kurosawa twice? (Yes, and in fact, he almost made it on here three times.) Ask me again in a year, and I guarantee this list will change. These ten films, to me, are the greatest films of cinema, and each of them has changed us and pushed the medium forward.
What do you genuinely think the best films of all time are? Let me know in the comments.
Knowing you, this top ten seems like YOU, even with only the one Spielberg. My own list has some of the same movies on it. I have a weird disconnect with mine. I know that there's a huge gulf between some of the BEST movies and the movies that I like the most/mean the most to me. My favorite movie MIGHT be Beastmaster, but I know it's schlock. I know intellectually that Godfather II is a better made film than Gremlins II, but gun to my head I would pick the New Batch 11/10 times.
I generally take lists with a grain of salt. Someone who is very into horror or comedy or musicals will have vastly different lists than most people.
I often feel like people feel obligated to fluff their wings by voting for certain films. While I understand the importance of KANE and I love Ebert's commentary track with it, I don't place that film in my top 10 or 20 if I'm being honest.
It's strange to me that such a specific film like DIELMAN ascended to the top spot. I was affected more by NIGHTS OF CABIRIA than DIELMAN.
I like your list. I probably share 5 or 6 with you on a given day - I think your Kurosawa and Lee picks are spot on. I can't do a top 10 list without THE APARTMENT. I would swap INDEMNITY for that. I also find myself more drawn to WAGES OF FEAR and THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS than RIO BRAVO and CASABLANCA.
It's difficult for me to do any lists without AMADEUS, THE TALENTED MISTER RIPLEY, GOODFELLAS, BROADCAST NEWS, JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, BIG NIGHT.
I can never condense it to just 10 so I've stopped trying. You catch me on the right day and I'm putting ALMOST FAMOUS or THE INSIDER up there. Depardieu's CYRANO is a work of art in my eyes. And then I feel like how do you rank Spielberg, Kubrick, Tarantino, Kurosawa except against themselves and their bodies of work.
It does feel odd to me that as reflexively as everyone has voted for CITIZEN KANE in the past they all got together and decided on JEANNE DIELMAN. This is where I feel like the social media algorithms come into play -- like was it was a thing recently on Twitter to recognize DIELMAN as the greatest film of all time?
And I like your ten year waiting period.