Films considered the greatest ever

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While there is no agreement upon the greatest film, many publications and organizations have tried to determine the films considered the greatest ever. The films mentioned in this article have all been mentioned in a notable survey — be it a critics' poll or popular poll. Many of these sources focus on American films or were polls of English-speaking film goers, but those considered the greatest within their respective countries are also included here.

None of these citations should be viewed as scientific measures of the film-watching world. All the surveys are flawed in one way or another. They are often influenced by vote stacking or they survey a population with skewed demographics. Internet-based surveys have a self-selecting audience of unknown participants. The methodology of some surveys may be questionable. Sometimes (as in the case of the American Film Institute) voters were asked to select films from a limited list of entries.

Contents

Polls of critics and filmmakers

  • Every decade, the British film monthly Sight & Sound asks an international group of film professionals to vote for their greatest film of all time. The Sight & Sound accolade has come to be regarded as one of the most important of the "greatest ever film" lists. Roger Ebert described it as "by far the most respected of the countless polls of great movies--the only one most serious movie people take seriously."[1] The first poll, in 1952, was topped by The Bicycle Thief.[2]
  • Orson Welles' Citizen Kane has been consistently voted number one in each of the last five Sight & Sound polls. A separate poll of established film directors, held for the first time in 1992, has also placed Citizen Kane at the top.[2] The film was selected as number one in a Village Voice and in a Time Out critics' poll. It was listed as the greatest American film twice by the American Film Institute, in both the first (1998) and second (2007) versions of its 100 Years... 100 Movies list.
  • La Règle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game) by director Jean Renoir was named the greatest film by the French film magazine Positif in 1991. It also holds the second slot in the Village Voice poll and is one of only two movies to have appeared in every one of the Sight & Sound polls.[citation needed]
  • The Searchers is the film most often mentioned in a poll of the favorite films of directors by German language Steadycam magazine.[3]
  • Tokyo Story (1953) by director Yasujiro Ozu topped a critics' poll conducted by Asian film magazine Cinemaya in 1998. It was followed by Pather Panchali (1955) and Ugetsu (1953) tied at second place.[4]
  • The Brussels World’s Fair, organized in 1958, offered the occasion for the organization by thousands of critics and filmmakers from all over the world, of the first universal film poll in history.[5] These were the films chosen as most artistically fulfilled:
Rank Film Director Year
1 Броненосец Потёмкин (The Battleship Potemkin) Sergei Eisenstein 1925
2 The Gold Rush Charles Chaplin 1925
3 Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) Vittorio De Sica 1948
4 La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc) Carl Theodor Dreyer 1928
5 La Grande Illusion (Grand Illusion) Jean Renoir 1937
6 Greed Erich von Stroheim 1924
7 Intolerance: Love's Struggle Through the Ages D. W. Griffith 1916
8 Мать (Mother) Vsevolod Pudovkin 1926
9 Citizen Kane Orson Welles 1941
10 Земля (Earth) Alexander Dovzhenko 1930

Audience polls

Particular genres or media

Action

Animation

Concert

The film has been hailed critically, listed among the greatest concert films. Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Wilmington calls it "the greatest rock concert movie ever made – and maybe the best rock movie, period."[27] Total Film considers it "the greatest concert film ever shot."

Comedy

Comic/Superhero

Crime/Gangster

Disaster

Documentary

Epic

  • Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was voted best epic by readers of Total Film in May 2004. It was selected as the number one epic movie during the American Film Institute during their Ten Top Ten.[21]

Fantasy

  • The Wizard of Oz (1939) was selected as the best fantasy movie by the American Film Institute during their Ten Top Ten.[21]

Holiday

Horror

Musical

Mystery

  • Vertigo was selected as the best mystery by the American Film Institute during their Ten Top Ten.[21]

Propaganda

Romance

Science fiction

Sport

War

Western

Countries

Australia

Bangladesh

Belgium

Brazil

  • City of God (2002) is the highest rated Brazilian film according to IMDb users. Brazilian critics, however, have selected Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol (1964) as the best film of all several times, such as the 27th edition of Brazilian film magazine Contracampo.[52]

Canada

China

Denmark

  • Day of Wrath (Vredens dag) Carl Th. Dreyer's harrowing tale of adultery and repression is often cited in Denmark as the greatest Danish film.[57]
  • Flickering Lights (Blinkende lygter) the 2000 comedy about small-time gangsters was voted the Best Danish Film in a 2007 poll by Ekstra Bladet newspaper. Thomas Vinterberg's The Celebration (Festen) was the runner-up.[58]

Finland

  • The Unknown Soldier (1955) was voted the best Finnish movie in an Internet poll by Helsingin Sanomat in 2007.[59]
  • Talvisota (The Winter War, 1989): is the highest user rated Finnish film on the IMDb having received more than 1000 votes (8.2/10) (3,210 votes) on April 16, 2009.[60]

France

Germany

India

Iran

Ireland

Israel

  • Giv'at Halfon Eina Ona (1976) was voted "Favorite Israeli Film of all time" in a 2004 poll by Ynet, the web site of a popular Israeli newspaper. The film got 25,000 votes.[71]

Italy

Japan

  • Rashomon (羅生門), 1950: This film by Akira Kurosawa was the first Japanese film to gain worldwide acclaim. The highest-ranked Japanese film (#10) on the Village Voice list of 100 Best Films of the 20th Century. It also tied for the highest-ranked Japanese film on the Sight and Sound 2002 Directors' Top Ten Poll (ranked #9).[73]
  • Seven Samurai (七人の侍 Shichinin no samurai), 1954: Also by Kurosawa, this period adventure film is frequently cited as the greatest Japanese film ever; at #12, it is the highest-ranked Japanese film in the Internet Movie Database's "Top 250 movies" (as of January 2009).[74] It ranked, for the first time, at #3 in the 1982 Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll,[75] and appeared on the Sight & Sound Directors' Top Ten Poll in 1992 (ranked #10)[76] and tied for the highest-ranked Japanese film in 2002 (ranked #9).[73] It is also ranked #2 on Rotten Tomatoes' top 100 foreign films [77] and top 100 action/adventure films.[78]
  • Tokyo Story (東京物語 Tokyo Monogatari), 1953 was declared the greatest film ever by Halliwell's Film Guide in 2005.[79] It was also the highest-ranked Japanese film on the Sight and Sound 2002 Critics' Top Ten Poll. [80]

South Korea

  • Obaltan (오발탄): Released in 1960. This film is widely regarded as the best South Korean film.[citation needed]
  • Oldboy (올드보이): This 2003 South Korean film is the highest rated Korean language film on the IMDb top 250 list. It also won the Grand Prix of the jury at Cannes.

Sri Lanka

  • Pura Handa Kaluwara (1997), also known as Death on a Full Moon Day, directed by P. Vithanage and starring Joe Abeywickrama, topped the British Film Institute's poll of "Top 10 Sri Lankan Films" of all time.[81]
  • Ananta Rathiriya (1995), directed by P. Vithanage, topped the user poll of "Top 10 Sri Lankan Films" of all time.[82]

Mexico

  • El callejón de los milagros (Miracle Alley) is the most awarded film in Mexican history with 49 international awards.[4][citation needed]
  • Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno) is the highest rated film in Spanish on IMDb. While this film is set in Spain and primarily features Spanish actors, it was written and produced in Mexico and is considered a Mexican film.[citation needed]

The Netherlands

New Zealand

See : Lord of the Rings in the Films acclaimed in audience polls section above.

Norway

  • Flåklypa Grand Prix (Pinchcliffe Grand Prix - 1975 - Ivo Caprino): The people's choice for "Best Norwegian Film of the Century" during the 2005 Bergen International Film Festival.[84]
  • Ni Liv (Nine Lives - 1957 - Arne Skouen): The critics' choice for "Best Norwegian Film of the Century" during the 2005 Bergen International Film Festival.[84]

Pakistan

  • Baji (1963), directed by S. Suleman, topped the British Film Institute's critics poll of "Top 10 Pakistani Films" of all time.[85]
  • Aina (1977), directed by Nazr-ul-Islam, topped the user poll of "Top 10 Pakistani Films" of all time.[86]

Philippines

Poland

  • Sexmission (Seksmisja) is the best Polish film of the last 30 years according to a 2005 poll by readers of three popular film magazines.[87]

Russia

Serbia

  • Who's That Singing Over There (Ko to tamo peva, 1980) was in 1996 voted the best Serbian movie made in the 1947-1995 period by the members of the Yugoslavian Board of the Academy of Film Art and Science (AFUN).[88]

Sweden

United Kingdom

United States

Since 1998, the American Film Institute has assembled juries of film community leaders and polled them for a series of top 100 lists. Two of the lists from the series, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies from 1998 and AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) from 2007, identified Citizen Kane as the best American film ever. In other years, AFI's jury members selected Some Like It Hot the greatest American comedy, Psycho as the most thrilling American movie, Casablanca as the greatest American love story, Singin' in the Rain as the greatest American film musical, and It's a Wonderful Life as the most inspiring American film.[94]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "'Citizen Kane' fave film of movie elite". rogerebert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20020811/COMMENTARY/88010305. Retrieved on 2008-01-01. 
  2. ^ a b "Sight & Sound - Top ten". http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/. Retrieved on 2008-11-11. 
  3. ^ Lieblings Filme
  4. ^ Totaro, Donato (January 31, 2003), "The “Sight & Sound” of Canons", Offscreen Journal (Canada Council for the Arts), http://www.horschamp.qc.ca/new_offscreen/canon.html, retrieved on 2009-04-19 
  5. ^ Władysław Jewsiewicki: "Kronika kinematografii światowej 1895-1964", Warsaw 1967, no ISBN, page 129 (in Polish)
  6. ^ a b c IMDb Top 250
  7. ^ Best Films
  8. ^ "Yahoo! Movies - Top 10". http://movies.yahoo.com/mvc/top10. Retrieved on 2008-12-09. 
  9. ^ "Official Top Movie List". filmcrave.com. http://filmcrave.com/list_top_movie.php. Retrieved on 2009-01-14. 
  10. ^ Filmsite.org posting about Entertainment Weekly's book
  11. ^ Filmsite.org posting about Time out reader's poll
  12. ^ Empire Online
  13. ^ 50 Greatest Movies from TV Guide
  14. ^ Magische Filmmomente Top 100 Filme anno 2000 News & Specials.Alle Specials
  15. ^ presseportal.de (german)
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ Greatest.Empireonline.com
  18. ^ Total Film Presents the Top 100 Movies of All Time
  19. ^ "Top 100 Animations". Agency for Cultural Affairs. 2007. http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/hundred/bumon_anime.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.  (translation: [2])
  20. ^ "Top 500 Best Rated". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/ratings-anime.php?top50=best_bayesian&n=500. Retrieved on 2009-03-01. 
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i "AFI's 10 Top 10". American Film Institute. 2008-06-17. http://www.afi.com/10top10/default.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-16. 
  22. ^ A. S. Byatt (2005-04-16). "Sweet little mystery". Guardian Unlimited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1460940,00.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. "Tale of Tales has been called the greatest animated film ever. But what does it mean?" 
  23. ^ Malpas, Anna (2005-04-08). "Teller of Tales". The Moscow Times. http://context.themoscowtimes.com/print.php?aid=141447. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. "Some people consider Yury Norshtein the greatest animator in history" 
  24. ^ Top 100 Animated Features of All Time at the Online Film Critics Society website.
  25. ^ [3]
  26. ^ Beck, Jerry (ed.) (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. Atlanta: Turner Publishing.
  27. ^ Wilmington, Michael. "Movie review, 'The Last Waltz'". Chicago Tribune. http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/movies/mmx-16264_lgcy,0,6333653.story. Retrieved on 2007-01-07. 
  28. ^ "Life of Brian tops comedy poll". BBC News. September 29, 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/948331.stm. Retrieved on 2007-04-03. 
  29. ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Life of Brian named best comedy
  30. ^ "Channel Five "Greatest Ever Movies - Comedy"". http://www.five.tv/programmes/greatestevermovies/countdown/?list=0. Retrieved on 2008-10-09. 
  31. ^ The last laugh: your favourite 50 | Features | guardian.co.uk Film
  32. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt_genre.php
  33. ^ Poseidon Adventure tops film poll
  34. ^ Documentary.com
  35. ^ "The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): Rank 1". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/best_christmas_movies/nightmare_before_christmas/. Retrieved on 2008-12-20. 
  36. ^ AMC Poll: The Exorcist Scariest Movie. Multichannel News. 2006-10-23. http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6384063.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-30. 
  37. ^ 25 Best Musicals
  38. ^ West Side Story Tops Best Movie Musical
  39. ^ Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler's favourite film propagandist, dies at 101 | World news | The Guardian
  40. ^ ""2001: A Space Odyssey Named the Greatest Sci-Fi Film of All Time By the Online Film Critics Society"". Online Film Critics Society. http://ofcs.rottentomatoes.com/pages/pr/top100scifi. Retrieved on 2006-12-15. 
  41. ^ Scientists vote Blade Runner best sci-fi film of all time
  42. ^ Alison George (1 October 2008). "New Scientist's favourite sci-fi film". New Scientist. Reed Business Information. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14805-new-scientists-favourite-scifi-film-.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-28. 
  43. ^ Alison George (12 November 2008). "Sci-fi special: Your all-time favourite science fiction". New Scientist (Reed Business Information) (2682). http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026826.300-scifi-special-your-alltime-favourite-science-fiction.html. 
  44. ^ ET named top Sci-Fi Movie
  45. ^ "Rotten Tomatoes Best Sports Films". Rottentomatoes.com. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/features/special/2007/top_sports/?r=1&mid=1003249. Retrieved on 2007-09-13. 
  46. ^ "Rocky Crowned Best Sports Film". Female First. http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/entertainment/Sylvester+Stallone-50551.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  47. ^ Chris Wilson (14/04/2008). "Top 10: Sports movies". Daily Mirror. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/more-sport/2008/04/14/mirror-co-uk-top-10-sports-movies-115875-20383249. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  48. ^ "100 Greatest War Films". Channel4.com. http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/W/greatest_warfilms/results/5-1.html. Retrieved on 2008-04-02. 
  49. ^ Hanging Rock
  50. ^ "Top 10 Bangladesh Films". British Film Institute. 2002. http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/bangladesh. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  51. ^ "User Poll: Bangladeshi Top 10". British Film Institute. 2002. http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/userpoll/bangladesh.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  52. ^ Tose, Juliano. "contracampo - revista de cinema" (in Portuguese). http://www.contracampo.com.br/27/frames.htm. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. 
  53. ^ Playback :: Egoyan tops Canada's all-time best movies list
  54. ^ http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/6696/Lists/01play15.htm
  55. ^ http://www.filmsite.org/villvoice.html
  56. ^ Wo hu cang long (2000) at the Internet Movie Database
  57. ^ Jensen, Bo Green, De 25 bedste danske film, Rosinante, 2002
  58. ^ Sørensen, Sola Kruchov, [Det er en syg høne, der har lagt det æg], Ekstra Bladet, August 3 2007
  59. ^ http://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/artikkeli/Tuntematon+sotilas+on+lukijoiden+mielest%C3%A4+yh%C3%A4+paras/1135227575816
  60. ^ http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0098437/
  61. ^ http://www.imdb.com/chart/top?tt0110413
  62. ^ a b Aaron and Mark Caldwell (2004). "Sight and Sound". Top 100 Movie Lists. http://www.geocities.com/aaronbcaldwell/dimsscri.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-19. 
  63. ^ "The Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll: 1992". British Film Institute. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1992.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-15. 
  64. ^ "SUMMARY OF TOP FILMS OF ALL-TIME". Filmsite.org. http://www.filmsite.org/greatfilmssummary.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  65. ^ "Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002: The rest of the critics' list". Sight & Sound. British Film Institute. https://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics-long.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-24. 
  66. ^ Ivana Redwine. ""Apu Trilogy" DVD Review". About.com. http://homevideo.about.com/cs/worldfilm/gr/ApuTrilogyDVDRv.htm. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  67. ^ a b "Take One: The First Annual Village Voice Film Critics' Poll". The Village Voice. 1999. Archived from the original on 2007-08-26. http://web.archive.org/web/20070826201343/http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/take/one/full_list.php3?category=10. Retrieved on 2006-07-27. 
  68. ^ a b "100 Best Films of the 20th Century". Filmsite.org. 2001. http://www.filmsite.org/villvoice.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  69. ^ "Top 10 Indian Films". British Film Institute. 2002. http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/india. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  70. ^ Gandhi (1982) at the Internet Movie Database
  71. ^ poll
  72. ^ http://www.imdb.com/chart/top?tt0060196
  73. ^ a b "Directors' Top Ten Poll". Sight & Sound. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/directors.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  74. ^ Shichinin no samurai (1954) at the Internet Movie Database
  75. ^ "The Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll: 1982". Sight & Sound. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1982.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  76. ^ "The Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll: 1992". Sight & Sound. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1992.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  77. ^ "Best of Rotten Tomatoes: Foreign". Rotten Tomatoes. http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt_genre.php?category=200010. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  78. ^ "Best of Rotten Tomatoes: Action/Adventure". Rotten Tomatoes. http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt_genre.php. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  79. ^ Peter Bradshaw pays tribute to Tokyo Story | Features | guardian.co.uk Film
  80. ^ "Critics' Top Ten Poll". Sight & Sound. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-30. 
  81. ^ "Top 10 Sri Lankan Films". British Film Institute. 2002. http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/srilanka. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  82. ^ "User Poll: Sri Lankan Top 10". British Film Institute. 2002. http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/userpoll/srilanka.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-15. 
  83. ^ http://www.cinema.nl/nff-2008/media/4085225/nff-2008-beste-nederlandse-film-aller-tijden
  84. ^ a b "Norsk film i 100". 2005-10-23. http://www.biff.no/2005/index.php3?ID=Nyhet&Eng=&ID2=Vis&counter=67. 
  85. ^ "Top 10 Pakistani Films". British Film Institute. 2002. http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/pakistan. Retrieved on 2009-03-14. 
  86. ^ "User Poll: Pakistani Top 10". British Film Institute. 2002. http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/userpoll/pakistan.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-15. 
  87. ^ "The Best Polish Film of the Last 30 Years" (results of the poll by "Cinema", "Esensja" and "Stopklatka.pl") (in Polish)"
  88. ^ SERBIAN FILM PRODUCTION - FEATURE FILMS
  89. ^ http://www.imdb.com/chart/top?tt0050976
  90. ^ BFI | Features | The BFI 100 | 1-10
  91. ^ Stars vote Lawrence of Arabia the best British film of all time - Telegraph
  92. ^ Python's Grail 'best Brit film'. BBC News (2004-2-12)
  93. ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Film | Get Carter tops British film poll
  94. ^ AFI told their jury to consider "Movies that inspire with characters of vision and conviction who face adversity and often make a personal sacrifice for the greater good. Whether these movies end happily or not, they are ultimately triumphant—both filling audiences with hope and empowering them with the spirit of human potential.

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