updates

list changes and additions
2012 TO THE WONDER added to ten-best list
2003 OLDBOY moved from ten-best list to runners-up
2002 MINORITY REPORT moved from ten-best list to runners-up
1969 BOY moved up on ten-best list
1972 THE VISITORS added to ten-best list
1968 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY dropped from ten-best list
1967 SCATTERED CLOUDS changes colors; DRAGNET 1967 "The Shooting Board" added to ten-best list
1962 AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON changes colors; JULES AND JIM added to runners-up; TWO WEEKS FROM ANOTHER TOWN moved from ten-best list to runners-up
1959 INDIA: MATRI BHUMI added to runners-up
1955 A LAWLESS STREET added to ten-best list
1954 SOUND OF THE MOUNTAIN changes colors
1953 THE BIG HEAT dropped from runners-up
1945 ALLOTMENT WIVES added to runners-up
1937 HUMANITY AND PAPER BALLOONS dropped from runners-up
1930 THE DAWN PATROL added to ten-best list
1925 GO WEST moved up on ten-best list

View full lists, by decade:

2010s / 2000s / 1990s / 1980s / 1970s
1960s / 1950s / 1940s / 1930s / 1920s
1890s through 1910s

Alternate format available. Now view lists as "Simple Top Tens" (without colors or runners-up), to include "Decade's Best":

2010s / 2000s / 1990s / 1980s / 1970s
1960s / 1950s / 1940s / 1930s / 1920s
pre-1920s

2010s

view as simple top tens

2013

PAIN & GAIN (Michael Bay)

2012

1 THE UNSPEAKABLE ACT (Dan Sallitt)
2 LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE (Abbas Kiarostami)
3 TO THE WONDER (Terrence Malick)
4 MOONRISE KINGDOM (Wes Anderson)
5 FLIGHT (Robert Zemeckis)
6 APOLOGIZE (Louis C.K.)
7 LOOPER (Rian Johnson)
8 RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION (Paul W.S. Anderson)
9 IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY (Don Hertzfeldt)
10 PASSION (Brian De Palma)
11 NOT FADE AWAY (David Chase)
12 CLOUD ATLAS (Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer)
13 YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET (Alain Resnais)
14 PROMETHEUS (Ridley Scott)
15 THE LAST TIME I SAW MACAO (João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata)
16 NO (Pablo Larraín)
17 DJANGO UNCHAINED (Quentin Tarantino)

2011

1 THIS IS NOT A FILM (Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and Jafar Panahi)
2 MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Woody Allen)
3 A DANGEROUS METHOD (David Cronenberg)
4 MILDRED PIERCE (Todd Haynes)
5 HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (David Yates)
6 THE KID WITH A BIKE (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
7 THE DEEP BLUE SEA (Terence Davies)
8 LUCK: "Pilot" (Michael Mann)
9 THE DESCENDANTS (Alexander Payne)
10 LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE (Johnnie To)
11 TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (Tomas Alfredson)
12 SLEEPLESS NIGHT (Frédéric Jardin)
13 THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Paul W.S. Anderson)
14 WE BOUGHT A ZOO (Cameron Crowe)
15 THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (David Fincher)
16 YOUNG ADULT (Jason Reitman)
17 THE SKIN I LIVE IN (Pedro Almodovar)
18 J. EDGAR (Clint Eastwood)
19 THE IDES OF MARCH (George Clooney)
20 MARGARET (Kenneth Lonergan)
21 THE TREE OF LIFE (Terrence Malick)
22 HAYWIRE (Steven Soderbergh)
23 DRIVE (Nicolas Winding Refn)
24 DAMSELS IN DISTRESS (Whit Stillman)
25 CARNAGE (Roman Polanski)
26 HANNA (Joe Wright)

2010

1 CERTIFIED COPY (Abbas Kiarostami)
2 MYSTERIES OF LISBON (Raul Ruiz)
3 THE STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA (Manoel de Oliveira)
4 ANOTHER YEAR (Mike Leigh)
5 TUESDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS (Radu Muntean)
6 RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE (Paul W.S. Anderson)
7 FILM SOCIALISME (Jean-Luc Godard)
8 HOW DO YOU KNOW (James L. Brooks)
9 ANTON CHEKHOV'S THE DUEL (Dover Koshashvili)
10 AURORA (Cristi Puiu)
11 SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (Edgar Wright)
12 THE CRAZIES (Breck Eisner)
13 OKI'S MOVIE (Hong Sang-soo)
14 THE GHOST WRITER (Roman Polanski)
15 INCEPTION (Christopher Nolan)
16 POETRY (Lee Chang-dong)
17 BEGINNERS (Mike Mills)
18 UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
19 NEVER LET ME GO (Mark Romanek)
20 KICK-ASS (Matthew Vaughn)
21 THE LAST AIRBENDER (M. Night Shyamalan)
22 GET HIM TO THE GREEK (Nicholas Stoller)

Prior decades:
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

2000s

view as simple top tens

2009

1 THE ROAD (John Hillcoat)
2 VENGEANCE (Johnnie To)
3 ECCENTRICITIES OF A BLONDE-HAIRED GIRL (Manoel de Oliveira)
4 A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Robert Zemeckis)
5 FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson)
6 WILD GRASS (Alain Resnais)
7 INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino)
8 UP (Pete Docter)
9 SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
10 DOLLHOUSE, Season One (various directors)
11 FUNNY PEOPLE (Judd Apatow)
12 THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (Tony Scott)
13 THE THICK OF IT, Series Three (Armando Iannucci)
14 THE HEADLESS WOMAN (Lucretia Martel)
15 PERSECUTION (Patrice Chereau)
16 PUBLIC ENEMIES (Michael Mann)
17 THIRST (Park Chan-wook)

2008

1 SPEED RACER (Lana and Andy Wachowski)
2 HISTORIAS EXTRAORDINARIAS (Mariano Llinás)
3 SPARROW (Johnnie To)
4 CHANGELING (Clint Eastwood)
5 PONTYPOOL (Bruce McDonald)
6 SHIRIN (Abbas Kiarostami)
7 WALL·E (Andrew Stanton)
8 THE SHIELD, Season Seven (various directors)
9 THE BROTHERS BLOOM (Rian Johnson)
10 ME AND ORSON WELLES (Richard Linklater)
11 DEATH RACE (Paul W.S. Anderson)
12 SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT) (Jake Nava)
13 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (David Fincher)
14 BURN AFTER READING (Joel and Ethan Coen)
15 NUCINGEN HOUSE (Raoul Ruiz)
16 DR HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG (Joss Whedon)
17 LEATHERHEADS (George Clooney)
18 AUSTRALIA (Baz Luhrmann)
19 TOKYO SONATA (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
20 IN BRUGES (Martin McDonagh)
21 TWO LOVERS (James Gray)
22 REDBELT (David Mamet)
23 BE KIND REWIND (Michel Gondry)
24 VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (Woody Allen)
25 APPALOOSA (Ed Harris)

2007

1 HOT FUZZ (Edgar Wright)
2 ZODIAC (David Fincher)
3 BEOWULF (Robert Zemeckis)
4 THE OFFICE: "TRAVELLING SALESMEN/THE RETURN" (Greg Daniels)
5 FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
6 DEATH PROOF (Quentin Tarantino)
7 THE MIST (Frank Darabont)
8 THE DARJEELING LIMITED (Wes Anderson)
9 THE HEARTBREAK KID (Bobby and Peter Farrelly)
10 MAD DETECTIVE (Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai)
11 I'M NOT THERE (Todd Haynes)
12 STARDUST (Matthew Vaughn)
13 SILENT LIGHT (Carlos Reygadas)
14 CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (Mike Nichols)
15 DIARY OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
16 THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)
17 REDACTED (Brian De Palma)
18 THE LAST MIMZY (Robert Shaye)
19 MICHAEL CLAYTON (Tony Gilroy)
20 THE ROMANCE OF ASTREA & CELADON (Eric Rohmer)
21 RATATOUILLE (Brad Bird)

2006

1 EXILED (Johnnie To)
2 INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)
3 MIAMI VICE (Michael Mann)
4 THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP (Michel Gondry)
5 LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (Clint Eastwood)
6 THE UNIT: "OLD HOME WEEK" (David Mamet)
7 A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (Robert Altman)
8 THE PRESTIGE (Christopher Nolan)
9 PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES (Alain Resnais)
10 LADY IN THE WATER (M. Night Shyamalan)
11 A SCANNER DARKLY (Richard Linklater)
12 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: "Pilot" (Peter Berg)
13 TRIAD ELECTION (Johnnie To)
14 THE BOSS OF IT ALL (Lars von Trier)
15 RETRIBUTION (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
16 LADY CHATTERLY (Pascale Ferran)
17 MASTERS OF HORROR: "THE SCREWFLY SOLUTION" (Joe Dante)
18 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST (Gore Verbinski)
19 THE SHIELD: "MAN INSIDE" (Dean White)
20 THE ILLUSIONIST (Neil Burger)
21 BUG (William Friedkin)
22 IDIOCRACY (Mike Judge)
23 INSIDE MAN (Spike Lee)

2005

1 MOUSE HEAVEN (Kenneth Anger)
2 ELECTION (Johnnie To)
3 THE WAYWARD CLOUD (Tsai Ming-liang)
4 MASTERS OF HORROR: "HOMECOMING" (Joe Dante)
5 LAND OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
6 WAR OF THE WORLDS (Steven Spielberg)
7 LOFT (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
8 STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH (George Lucas)
9 THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU (Cristi Puiu)
10 MUNICH (Steven Spielberg)
11 THE PROPOSITION (John Hillcoat)
12 SERENITY (Joss Whedon)
13 LOST: "S.O.S." (Eric Launeville)
14 THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN (Judd Apatow)
15 THE UNIT "DEDICATION" (David Mamet)
16 TALE OF CINEMA (Hong Sang-soo)
17 THE SUN (Alexander Sokurov)
18 GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. (George Clooney)
19 BRICK (Rian Johnson)
20 L'ENFANT (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
21 CACHÉ (Michael Haneke)
22 REVOLVER (Guy Ritchie)

2004

1 KILL BILL: VOL. 2 (Quentin Tarantino)
2 PRIMER (Shane Carruth)
3 VERA DRAKE (Mike Leigh)
4 2046 (Wong Kar-wai)
5 THE SOPRANOS: "TEST DREAM" (Allen Coulter)
6 THE SHIELD, SEASON 3 (various directors)
7 ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)
8 BREAKING NEWS (Johnnie To)
9 THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (Jonathan Demme)
10 I ♥ HUCKABEES (David O. Russell)
11 MILLION DOLLAR BABY (Clint Eastwood)
12 WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN (Sang-soo Hong)
13 TRIPLE AGENT (Eric Rohmer)
14 BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater)
15 THE HOLY GIRL (Lucrecia Martel)
16 COLLATERAL (Michael Mann)
17 GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE (Mamoru Oshii)
18 HEAD-ON (Fatih Akin)
19 HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Hayao Miyazaki)
20 THE LADYKILLERS (Joel and Ethan Coen)
21 SPARTAN (David Mamet)
21 AVP: ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (Paul W.S. Anderson)

2003

1 DOGVILLE (Lars von Trier)
2 FATHER AND SON (Alexander Sokurov)
3 BRIGHT FUTURE (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
4 CAFÉ LUMIÈRE (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
5 DOPPELGÄNGER (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
6 ALL THE SHIPS AT SEA (Dan Sallitt)
7 HULK (Ang Lee)
8 STUCK ON YOU (Bobby and Peter Farrelly)
9 ELEPHANT (Gus Van Sant)
10 PLAYING 'IN THE COMPANY MEN' (Arnaud Desplechin)
11 THE HUNTED (William Friedkin)
12 KILL BILL: VOL. 1 (Quentin Tarantino)
13 MASTER OF COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (Peter Weir)
14 OLDBOY (Park Chan-wook)
15 OPEN RANGE (Kevin Costner)
16 GOODBYE, DRAGON INN (Tsai Ming-liang)
17 THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (Lana and Andy Wachowski)
18 ZATÔICHI (Takeshi Kitano)
19 NOT ON THE LIPS (Alain Resnais)
20 THE RUNDOWN (Peter Berg)
21 ANGEL: "Conviction" (Joss Whedon)
22 TIMELINE (Richard Donner)
23 THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (Sylvain Chomet)
24 ZERO DAY (Ben Coccio)
25 BLISSFULLY YOURS (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
26 THE HARDEST BUTTON TO BUTTON (Michel Gondry)
27 ANA AND THE OTHERS (Celina Murga)
28 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: "Chosen" (Joss Whedon)
29 THE MATRIX RELOADED (Lana and Andy Wachowski)

2002

1 RUSSIAN ARK (Alexander Sokurov)
2 PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (Paul Thomas Anderson)
3 THE SHIELD, SEASON ONE (various directors)
4 FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL (Michel Gondry)
5 FEMME FATALE (Brian De Palma)
6 BULLY (Larry Clark)
7 ANGEL: "Spin the Bottle" (Joss Whedon)
8 TURNING GATE (Sang-soo Hong)
9 PANIC ROOM (David Fincher)
10 THE SON (Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne)
11 THE RING (Gore Verbinski)
12 ALI (Michael Mann)
13 THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES (Mark Pellington)
14 ANGEL: "Waiting in the Wings" (Joss Whedon)
15 MINORITY REPORT (Steven Spielberg)
16 ALL OR NOTHING (Mike Leigh)
17 OASIS (Chang-dong Lee)
18 THE SOPRANOS: "FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE" (Allen Coulter)
19 BLOOD WORK (Clint Eastwood)
20 DOLLS (Takeshi Kitano)
21 FIREFLY: "OBJECTS IN SPACE" (Joss Whedon)
22 STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES (George Lucas)
23 THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS (Alan Rudolph)
24 UNDISPUTED (Walter Hill)
25 HAPPY HERE AND NOW (Michael Almereyda)
26 AU-DELA DE 'PLAY TIME' (Stéphane Goudet)

2001

1 PULSE (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
2 MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
3 SPIRITED AWAY (Hayao Miyazaki)
4 WAKING LIFE (Richard Linklater)
5 A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Steven Spielberg)
6 LA CIÉNAGA (Lucrecia Martel)
7 PISTOL OPERA (Seijun Suzuki)
8 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: "The Body" (Joss Whedon)
9 LA PIANISTE (Michael Haneke)
10 THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson)
11 MILLENNIUM MAMBO (Hou Hsaio Hsien)
12 THE SOPRANOS: "PINE BARRENS" (Steve Buscemi)
13 SHALLOW HAL (Bobby and Peter Farrelly)
14 TIME OUT (Laurent Cantet)
15 WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? (Tsai Ming-liang)
16 HEIST (David Mamet)
17 THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (Joel and Ethan Coen)
18 READ MY LIPS (Jacques Audiard)
19 I'M GOING HOME (Manoel de Oliveira)
20 ABC AFRICA (Abbas Kiarostami)
21 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (Frederick Wiseman)
22 MOULIN ROUGE! (Baz Luhrmann)
23 REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS TO COME (Chris Marker and Yannick Bellon)
24 TAURUS (Alexander Sokurov)
25 THE OFFICE: SERIES ONE (Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant)
26 NO SUCH THING (Hal Hartley)
27 THE SOPRANOS: "MR. RUGGERIO'S NEIGHBORHOOD" (Allen Coulter)
28 GHOSTS OF MARS (John Carpenter)

2000

1 ESTHER KAHN (Arnaud Desplechin)
2 CODE UNKNOWN (Michael Haneke)
3 EUREKA (Shinji Aoyama)
4 WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES (Béla Tarr)
5 THE HEART OF THE WORLD (Guy Maddin)
6 HAMLET (Michael Almereyda)
7 YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (Kenneth Lonergan)
8 DEVILS ON THE DOOR STEP (Wen Jiang)
9 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: "Who Are You?" (Joss Whedon)
10 THE WAY OF THE GUN (Christopher McQuarrie)
11 ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF ANDRE ARSENEVITCH (Chris Marker)
12 BAMBOOZLED (Spike Lee)
13 THE HOUSE OF MIRTH (Terence Davies)
14 IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai)
15 CAST AWAY (Robert Zemeckis)
16 AS I WAS MOVING AHEAD OCCASIONALLY I SAW BRIEF GLIMPSES OF BEAUTY (Jonas Mekas)
17 O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (Joel and Ethan Coen)
18 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: "Restless" (Joss Whedon)
19 KIPPUR (Amos Gitai)
20 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (William Friedkin)
21 AMERICAN PSYCHO (Mary Harron)
22 STATE AND MAIN (David Mamet)
23 ALMOST FAMOUS (Cameron Crowe)
24 BROTHER (Takeshi Kitano)
25 WHAT'S UP FATLIP? (Spike Jonze)
26 FINAL DESTINATION (James Wong)
27 SENTIMENTAL DESTINIES (Olivier Assayas)

Other decades:
2010s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

1990s

view as simple top tens

1999

1 EYES WIDE SHUT (Stanley Kubrick)
2 CHARISMA (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
3 MAGNOLIA (Paul Thomas Anderson)
4 THE NINTH GATE (Roman Polanski)
5 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: "Hush" (Joss Whedon)
6 THE MATRIX (Lana and Andy Wachowski)
7 FIGHT CLUB (David Fincher)
8 LET FOREVER BE (Michel Gondry)
9 THE 13TH WARRIOR (John McTiernan and Michael Crichton)
10 THE MISSION (Johnnie To)
11 BRINGING OUT THE DEAD (Martin Scorsese)
12 OFFICE SPACE (Mike Judge)
13 EXCEL SAGA: "Bowling Girls" (Shinichi Watanabe)
14 THREE KINGS (David O. Russell)
15 THE DREAMLIFE OF ANGELS (Erick Zonca)
16 THE STRAIGHT STORY (David Lynch)
17 THE MINUS MAN (Hampton Fancher)
18 DA FUNK (Spike Jonze)

1998

1 HISTOIRE(S) DU CINÉMA (Jean-Luc Godard)
2 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (Steven Spielberg)
3 THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick)
4 FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
5 HONEYMOON (Dan Sallitt)
6 LICENSE TO LIVE (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
7 THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (Whit Stillman)
8 DR. AKAGI (Shohei Imamura)
9 THE HOLE (Tsai Ming-liang)
10 BELOVED (Jonathan Demme)
11 THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Joel Coen)
12 CONFESSION (Alexander Sokurov)
13 RONIN (John Frankenheimer)
14 AUTUMN TALE (Eric Rohmer)
15 THE SILENCE (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
16 BULWORTH (Warren Beatty)

1997

1 CURE (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
2 LOST HIGHWAY (David Lynch)
3 MOTHER AND SON (Alexander Sokurov)
4 JACKIE BROWN (Quentin Tarantino)
5 END OF EVANGELION (Hideaki Anno)
6 KUNDUN (Martin Scorsese)
7 STARSHIP TROOPERS (Paul Verhoeven)
8 TASTE OF CHERRY (Abbas Kiarostami)
9 THE RIVER (Tsai Ming-liang)
10 FACE/OFF (John Woo)
11 PRINCESS MONONOKE (Hayao Miyazaki)
12 FIREWORKS (Takeshi Kitano)
13 CONTACT (Robert Zemeckis)
14 BOOGIE NIGHTS (Paul Thomas Anderson)
15 BACHELORETTE (Michel Gondry)
16 LAWN DOGS (John Duigan)
17 AS GOOD AS IT GETS (James L. Brooks)
18 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: "PROPHECY GIRL" (Joss Whedon)
19 THE EEL (Shohei Imamura)
20 GABBEH (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
21 AROUND THE WORLD (Michel Gondry)

1996

1 FARGO (Joel Coen)
2 ORIENTAL ELEGY (Alexander Sokurov)
3 A SUMMER'S TALE (Eric Rohmer)
4 LA PROMESSE (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
5 MY SEX LIFE…OR HOW I GOT INTO AN ARGUMENT (Arnaud Desplechin)
6 CRASH (David Cronenberg)
7 IRMA VEP (Olivier Assayas)
8 A MOMENT OF INNOCENCE (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
9 BOTTLE ROCKET (Wes Anderson)
10 GOODBYE SOUTH, GOODBYE (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
11 HUBERT ROBERT. A SIMPLE LIFE (Alexander Sokurov)
12 KINGPIN (Bobby and Peter Farrelly)

1995

1 SPIRITUAL VOICES (Alexander Sokurov)
2 NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (Hideaki Anno)
3 CASINO (Martin Scorsese)
4 DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (John McTiernan)
5 BEFORE THE RAIN (Milcho Manchevski)
6 RENDEZVOUS IN PARIS (Eric Rohmer)
7 SAFE (Todd Haynes)
8 THE NEON BIBLE (Terence Davies)
9 HEAT (Michael Mann)
10 ON YOUR MARK (Hayao Miyazaki)
11 2 X 50 YEARS OF FRENCH CINEMA (Jean-Luc Godard and Anne-Marie Miéville)
12 FROM THE JOURNALS OF JEAN SEBERG (Mark Rappaport)
13 JLG/JLG (Jean-Luc Godard)

1994

1 PULP FICTION (Quentin Tarantino)
2 NADJA (Michael Almereyda)
3 THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES (Abbas Kiarostami)
4 BARCELONA (Whit Stillman)
5 HEAVENLY CREATURES (Peter Jackson)
6 SATANTANGO (Béla Tarr)
7 TO LIVE (Zhang Yimou) 
8 AMATEUR (Hal Hartley)
9 CHARTRES SERIES (Stan Brakhage)
10 CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar-wai)
11 FRESH (Boaz Yakin)
12 SIRENS (John Duigan)
13 VANYA ON 42ND STREET (Louis Malle)

1993

1 SCHINDLER'S LIST (Steven Spielberg)
2 CARLITO'S WAY (Brian De Palma)
3 ABRAHAM'S VALLEY (Manoel de Oliveira)
4 THE PUPPETMASTER (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
5 CALENDAR (Atom Egoyan)
6 THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (Martin Scorsese)
7 WHISPERING PAGES (Alexander Sokurov)
8 NAKED (Mike Leigh)
9 A PERFECT WORLD (Clint Eastwood)
10 DOTTIE GETS SPANKED (Todd Haynes)
11 THE TREE, THE MAYOR, AND THE MEDIATHEQUE (Eric Rohmer)
12 SONATINE (Takeshi Kitano)
13 MY FAVORITE SEASON (André Téchiné)
14 DAZED AND CONFUSED (Richard Linklater)

1992

1 TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (David Lynch)
2 THE LAST BOLSHEVIK (Chris Marker)
3 THE LONG DAY CLOSES (Terence Davies)
4 UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood)
5 CAREFUL (Guy Maddin)
6 MALCOLM X (Spike Lee)
7 THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Michael Mann)
8 BITTER MOON (Roman Polanski)
9 A TALE OF WINTER (Eric Rohmer)
10 ANOTHER GIRL ANOTHER PLANET (Michael Almereyda)
11 TRIBULATION 99: ALIEN ANOMALIES UNDER AMERICA (Craig Baldwin)
12 LIFE AND NOTHING MORE (Abbas Kiarostami)

1991

1 FLIRTING (John Duigan)
2 JFK (Oliver Stone)
3 HOMICIDE (David Mamet)
4 BLOOD TIES (Jim McBride)
5 SURVIVING DESIRE (Hal Hartley)
6 SIDE/WALK/SHUTTLE (Ernie Gehr)
7 MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO (Gus Van Sant)
8 VAN GOGH (Maurice Pialat)
9 THEORY OF ACHIEVEMENT (Hal Hartley)
10 SLACKER (Richard Linklater)
11 AMBITION (Hal Hartley)

1990

1 GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese)
2 METROPOLITAN (Whit Stillman)
3 DAYS OF BEING WILD (Wong Kar-wai)
4 TWIN PEAKS (David Lynch): "Lonely Souls"
5 CLOSE-UP (Abbas Kiarostami)
6 TRUST (Hal Hartley)
7 MIAMI BLUES (George Armitage)
8 TWIN PEAKS (David Lynch): "Pilot"
9 A TALE OF SPRINGTIME (Eric Rohmer)
10 CINÉMA DE NOTRE TEMPS: JACQUES RIVETTE, LE VEILLEUR (Claire Denis)
11 WHITE HUNTER, BLACK HEART (Clint Eastwood)
12 TOTAL RECALL (Paul Verhoeven)
13 THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (John McTiernan)

2010s
2000s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

1980s

view as simple top tens

1989

1 DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee)
2 SWEETIE (Jane Campion)
3 CASUALTIES OF WAR (Brian De Palma)
4 THE CHURCH (Michele Soavi)
5 STREET OF NO RETURN (Samuel Fuller)
6 BLACK RAIN (Shohei Imamura)
7 VISIONS IN MEDITATION #2: MESA VERDE (Stan Brakhage)
8 SKIN DEEP (Blake Edwards)
9 ELEPHANT (Alan Clarke)
10 KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (Hayao Miyazaki)
11 CAMP DE THIAROYE (Ousmane Sembene)
12 SAY ANYTHING… (Cameron Crowe)
13 THE OWL'S LEGACY (Chris Marker)
14 THE TIME OF THE GYPSIES (Emir Kusturica)
15 ALWAYS (Steven Spielberg)
16 THE CYCLIST (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
17 THE 'BURBS (Joe Dante)
18 THE SEVENTH CONTINENT (Michael Haneke)
19 VIOLENT COP (Takeshi Kitano)
20 HE WAS ONCE (Mary Hestand)

1988

1 DAYS OF ECLIPSE (Alexander Sokurov)
2 DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES (Terence Davies)
3 MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (Hayao Miyazaki)
4 TALES FROM THE GIMLI HOSPITAL (Guy Maddin)
5 THEY LIVE (John Carpenter)
6 A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
7 TANNER '88 (Robert Altman)
8 THE THIN BLUE LINE (Errol Morris)
9 SUNSET (Blake Edwards)
10 THE MODERNS (Alan Rudolph)
11 FRANTIC (Roman Polanski)
12 THE FIRM (Alan Clarke)
13 WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (Robert Zemeckis)
14 THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (Philip Kaufman)
15 MARIA (Alexander Sokurov)

1987


1 HOUSEKEEPING (Bill Forsyth)
2 WHERE IS THE FRIEND'S HOME? (Abbas Kiarostami)
3 RAISING ARIZONA (Joel Coen)
4 HOUSE OF GAMES (David Mamet)
5 INNERSPACE (Joe Dante)
6 FOUR ADVENTURES OF REINETTE AND MIRABELLE (Eric Rohmer)
7 KING LEAR (Jean-Luc Godard)
8 FULL METAL JACKET (Stanley Kubrick)
9 PRINCE OF DARKNESS (John Carpenter)
10 THREE O'CLOCK HIGH (Phil Joanou)
11 MOURNFUL INDIFFERENCE (Alexander Sokurov)
12 BROADCAST NEWS (James L. Brooks)
13 THE BIG EASY (Jim McBride)

1986

1 THE SACRIFICE (Andrei Tarkovsky)
2 MANHUNTER (Michael Mann)
3 BLUE VELVET (David Lynch)
4 THE SINGING DETECTIVE (Jon Amiel)
5 LE RAYON VERT (Eric Rohmer)
6 SHERMAN'S MARCH (Ross McElwee)
7 ROUTINE PLEASURES (Jean-Pierre Gorin)
8 ALIENS (James Cameron)
9 HEARTBREAK RIDGE (Clint Eastwood)
10 CRIME STORY (Abel Ferrara): "Pilot"
11 LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY (Hayao Miyazaki)

1985

1 VAGABOND (Agnès Varda)
2 AFTER HOURS (Martin Scorsese)
3 CRIME WAVE (John Paizs)
4 PALE RIDER (Clint Eastwood)
5 TAMPOPO (Juzo Itami)
6 THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (Dan O'Bannon)
7 HAIL MARY (Jean-Luc Godard)
8 INTO THE NIGHT (John Landis)
9 LOST IN AMERICA (Albert Brooks)
10 THE TWILIGHT ZONE: "Little Boy Lost" (Tommy Lee Wallace)
11 DETECTIVE (Jean-Luc Godard)
12 RAN (Akira Kurosawa)
13 COME AND SEE (Elem Klimov)
14 DAY OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
15 EXPLORERS (Joe Dante)

1984

1 STRANGER THAN PARADISE (Jim Jarmusch)
2 STREETS OF FIRE (Walter Hill)
3 FULL MOON IN PARIS (Eric Rohmer)
4 THE KILLING FIELDS (Roland Joffé)
5 THE SPIRIT OF CHARLES LINDBERGH (Orson Welles)
6 REPO MAN (Alex Cox)
7 LOVE STREAMS (John Cassavetes)
8 THE HIT (Stephen Frears)
9 NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WINDS (Hayao Miyazaki)
10 ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (Sergio Leone)
11 BLOOD SIMPLE (Joel Coen)
12 PARIS, TEXAS (Wim Wenders)
13 STANDARD GAUGE (Morgan Fisher)

1983

1 L'ARGENT (Robert Bresson)
2 À NOS AMOURS (Maurice Pialat)
3 SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker)
4 CHRISTINE (John Carpenter)
5 THREE CROWNS OF THE SAILOR (Raoul Ruiz)
6 ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (Tsui Hark)
7 CRACKING UP (Jerry Lewis)
8 MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE (Nagisa Oshima)
9 UNCOMMON VALOR (Ted Kotcheff)
10 NEVER CRY WOLF (Carroll Ballard)
11 RETURN OF THE JEDI (Richard Marquand)
12 VIDEODROME (David Cronenberg)

1982

1 BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott)
2 WHITE DOG (Samuel Fuller)
3 BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (Shohei Imamura)
4 POLTERGEIST (Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg)
5 NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS (Taviani brothers)
6 THE THING (John Carpenter)
7 EUREKA (Nicolas Roeg)
8 HONKYTONK MAN (Clint Eastwood)
9 THE DREAMERS (Orson Welles)
10 LE BEAU MARIAGE (Eric Rohmer)
11 STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (Nicholas Meyer)
11 ONE FROM THE HEART (Francis Ford Coppola)
12 THE GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME (Hou Hsiao-hsien)

1981

1 MODERN ROMANCE (Albert Brooks)
2 CUTTER'S WAY (Ivan Passer)
3 SPRINGTIME IN GREENLAND (John Paisz)
4 ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (John Carpenter)
5 DRAGONSLAYER (Matthew Robbins)
6 THIEF (Michael Mann)
7 LOLA (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
8 THE HOWLING (Joe Dante)
9 FRANCISCA (Manoel de Oliveira)
10 KNIGHTRIDERS (George A. Romero)
11 SOUTHERN COMFORT (Walter Hill)

1980


1 HEAVEN'S GATE (Michael Cimino)
2 DRESSED TO KILL (Brian De Palma)
3 THE BIG RED ONE (Samuel Fuller)
4 THE LONG RIDERS (Walter Hill)
5 THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Irvin Kershner)
6 BAD TIMING: A SENSUAL OBSESSION (Nicolas Roeg)
7 RAGING BULL (Martin Scorsese)
8 ZIGEUNERWEISEN (Seijun Suzuki)
9 LE VOYAGE EN DOUCE (Michel Deville)
10 THE ELEPHANT MAN (David Lynch)
11 GROWN-UPS (Mike Leigh)
12 CATHERINE DE HEILBRONN (Eric Rohmer)

Other decades:
2010s
2000s
1990s
1970s
1960s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

1970s

view as simple top tens

1979

1 ALL THAT JAZZ (Bob Fosse)
2 APOCALYPSE NOW (Francis Ford Coppola)
3 THE HYPOTHESIS OF THE STOLEN PAINTING (Raoul Ruiz)
4 STALKER (Andrei Tarkovsky)
5 ALIEN (Ridley Scott)
6 VENGEANCE IS MINE (Shohei Imamura)
7 HOME MOVIES (Brian De Palma)
8 CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER (Joan Micklin Silver)
9 MANHATTAN (Woody Allen)
10 MAD MAX (George Miller)
11 THE BLACK STALLION (Carroll Ballard)
12 "10" (Blake Edwards)
13 THE WOMAN WITH RED HAIR (Tatsumi Kumashiro)
14 THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
15 THE WARRIORS (Walter Hill)
16 REAL LIFE (Albert Brooks)
17 NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (Werner Herzog)
18 1941 (Steven Spielberg)

1978

1 DAWN OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
2 THE DRIVER (Walter Hill)
3 PERCEVAL LE GALLOIS (Eric Rohmer)
4 THE FURY (Brian De Palma)
5 DAYS OF HEAVEN (Terrence Malick)
6 FILMING 'OTHELLO' (Orson Welles)
7 SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR (Robert Mulligan)
8 THE GREEN ROOM (François Truffaut)
9 FEDORA (Billy Wilder)
10 WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN (Karel Reisz)

1977

1 ERASERHEAD (David Lynch)
2 OPENING NIGHT (John Cassavetes)
3 KILLER OF SHEEP (Charles Burnett)
4 ABIGAIL'S PARTY (Mike Leigh)
5 ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen)
6 THE DUELLISTS (Ridley Scott)
7 SUSPIRIA (Dario Argento)
8 THE AMERICAN FRIEND (Wim Wenders)
9 NEWS FROM HOME (Chantal Akerman)
10 LE DIABLE PROBABLEMENT (Robert Bresson)
11 STAR WARS (George Lucas)
12 MARTIN (George A. Romero)
13 TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING (Robert Aldrich)

1976

1 DUELLE (UNE QUARANTAINE) (Jacques Rivette)
2 THE MARQUISE OF O... (Eric Rohmer)
3 THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (Nicolas Roeg)
4 THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE (John Cassavetes)
5 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (Alan J. Pakula)
6 ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (John Carpenter)
7 MIKEY AND NICKEY (Elaine May)
8 GOD TOLD ME TO (Larry Cohen)
9 BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS, OR SITTING BULL'S HISTORY LESSON (Robert Altman)
10 THE TENANT (Roman Polanski)
11 BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR (Joan Micklin Silver)
12 CARRIE (Brian De Palma)

1975

1 JAWS (Steven Spielberg)
2 NASHVILLE (Robert Altman)
3 THE MIRROR (Andrei Tarkovsky)
4 BARRY LYNDON (Stanley Kubrick)
5 SHAMPOO (Hal Ashby)
6 JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES (Chantal Akerman)
7 XALA (Ousmane Sembene)
8 GREY GARDENS (Ellen Hovde, Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Muffie Meyer)
9 FRENCH CONNECTION II (John Frankenheimer)
10 PROFESSIONE: REPORTER (Michelangelo Antonioni)

1974

1 LANCELOT DU LAC (Robert Bresson)
2 CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski)
3 PARADE (Jacques Tati)
4 THE CONVERSATION (Francis Ford Coppola)
5 A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (John Cassavetes)
6 PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (Brian De Palma)
7 CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING (Jacques Rivette) 8 EDVARD MUNCH (Peter Watkins)
9 ALICE IN THE CITIES (Wim Wenders)
10 JUGGERNAUT (Richard Lester)
11 THE GODFATHER, PART II (Francis Ford Coppola)
12 THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (Joseph Sargent)
13 L'AMBASSADE (Chris Marker)
14 COCKFIGHTER (Monte Hellman)
15 THE FRONT PAGE (Billy Wilder)

1973

1 F FOR FAKE (Orson Welles)
2 PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID (Sam Peckinpah)
3 BREEZY (Clint Eastwood)
4 THE ICEMAN COMETH (John Frankenheimer)
5 CHARLEY VARRICK (Don Siegel)
6 THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (Peter Yates)
7 THE PAPER CHASE (James Bridges)
8 WHAT? (Roman Polanski)
9 SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (Ingmar Bergman)
10 SEASON OF THE WITCH (George A. Romero)
11 LUCIFER RISING (Kenneth Anger)
12 THE CRAZIES (George A. Romero)
13 THE EXORCIST (William Friedkin) 14 BADLANDS (Terrence Malick)
15 DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET (Samuel Fuller)
16 BLUME IN LOVE (Paul Mazursky)

1972

1 scenes from THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (Orson Welles)
2 LETTER TO JANE (Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorin)
3 AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (Werner Herzog)
4 JUNIOR BONNER (Sam Peckinpah)
5 TOUT VA BIEN (Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Gorin)
6 AVANTI! (Billy Wilder)
7 THE HEARTBREAK KID (Elaine May)
8 REMINISCENCES OF A JOURNEY TO LITHUANIA (Jonas Mekas)
9 THE VISITORS (Elia Kazan)
10 FAT CITY (John Huston)
11 BLAISE PASCAL (Roberto Rossellini)
12 ULZANA'S RAID (Robert Aldrich)
13 WE WON'T GROW OLD TOGETHER (Maurice Pialat)
14 THE GETAWAY (Sam Peckinpah)
15 POETIC JUSTICE (Hollis Frampton)
16 SPECIAL EFFECTS (Hollis Frampton)
17 CHLOE IN THE AFTERNOON (Erich Rohmer)

1971

1 FOUR NIGHTS OF A DREAMER (Robert Bresson)
2 MCCABE & MRS. MILLER (Robert Altman)
3 DUCK, YOU SUCKER (Sergio Leone)
4 TRAFIC (Jacques Tati)
5 STRAW DOGS (Sam Peckinpah)
6 THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (Robert Fuest)
7 MINNIE AND MOSKOWITZ (John Cassavetes)
8 SUMMER OF '42 (Robert Mulligan)
9 TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (Monte Hellman)
10 CRITICAL MASS (Hollis Frampton)
11 MAX ET LES FERRAILLEURS (Claude Sautet)
12 VANISHING POINT (Richard C. Sarafian)
12 TAKING OFF (Milos Forman)

1970

1 LA RUPTURE (Claude Chabrol)
2 HUSBANDS (John Cassavetes)
3 CLAIRE'S KNEE (Eric Rohmer)
4 HI, MOM! (Brian De Palma)
5 ZABRISKIE POINT (Michelangelo Antonioni)
6 "Whistling Away the Dark" number from DARLING LILI (Blake Edwards)
7 PERFORMANCE (Nicolas Roeg and Donald Cammell)
8 HORNET'S NEST (Phil Karlson)
9 CATCH-22 (Mike Nichols)
10 LE CERCLE ROUGE (Jean-Pierre Melville)
11 WANDA (Barbara Loden)
12 VENGEANCE! (Zhang Che)
13 SERENE VELOCITY (Ernie Gehr)
14 ONE MORE TIME (Jerry Lewis)
15 TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA (Don Siegel)

Other decades:
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1960s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

1960s

view as simple top tens

1969

1 PLAY DIRTY (André De Toth)
2 UNE FEMME DOUCE (Robert Bresson)
3 AGE OF CONSENT (Michael Powell)
4 ARMY OF SHADOWS (Jean-Pierre Melville)
5 MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (Eric Rohmer)
6 BOY (Nagisa Oshima)
7 THE ITALIAN JOB (Peter Collinson)
8 INVOCATION OF MY DEMON BROTHER (Kenneth Anger)
9 A TOUCH OF ZEN (King Hu)
10 THE STERILE CUCKOO (Alan J. Pakula)
11 THE WILD BUNCH (Sam Peckinpah)
12 THE HONEYMOON KILLERS (Leonard Kastle)
13 FELLINI SATYRICON (Federico Fellini)
14 BLIND BEAST (Yasuzo Masumura)

1968

1 L'ENFANCE NUE (Maurice Pialat) 2 JE T'AIME, JE T'AIME (Alain Resnais)
3 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (George A. Romero)
4 THE BOSTON STRANGLER (Richard Fleischer)
5 ROSEMARY'S BABY (Roman Polanski)
6 SECRET CEREMONY (Joseph Losey)
7 FACES (John Cassavetes)
8 SURFACE TENSION (Hollis Frampton)
9 LA CHAMADE (Alain Cavalier)
10 MANDABI (Ousmane Sembene)
11 ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Sergio Leone)
12 DEATH BY HANGING (Nagisa Oshima)

1967

1 PLAYTIME (Jacques Tati)
2 MOUCHETTE (Robert Bresson)
3 WEEK END (Jean-Luc Godard)
4 SCATTERED CLOUDS (Mikio Naruse)
5 THE GRADUATE (Mike Nichols)
6 DAVID HOLZMAN'S DIARY (Jim McBride)
7 THE RED AND THE WHITE (Miklós Jancsó)
8 DRAGNET 1967 "The Shooting Board" (Jack Webb)
9 THE BIG MOUTH (Jerry Lewis)
10 LA COLLECTIONNEUSE (Eric Rohmer)
11 DRAGNET 1967 "The Big Interrogation" (Jack Webb)
12 DRAGNET 1967 "The Big Kidnapping" (Jack Webb)
13 ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (Zhang Che)
14 DRAGNET 1967 "The Big Gun" (Jack Webb)
15 THE SHOOTING (Monte Hellman)
16 SAMURAI REBELLION (Masaki Kobayashi)
17 HURRY SUNDOWN (Otto Preminger)
18 THE HONEY POT (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

1966

1 AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (Robert Bresson)
2 THREE ON A COUCH (Jerry Lewis)
3 LA GUERRE EST FINIE (Alain Resnais)
4 ANDREI RUBLEV (Andrei Tarkovsky)
5 THE TAKING OF POWER BY LOUIS XIV (Roberto Rossellini)
6 COME DRINK WITH ME (King Hu)
7 WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, DADDY? (Blake Edwards)
8 REPORT (Bruce Conner)
9 FIGHTING ELEGY (Seijun Suzuki)
10 PERSONA (Ingmar Bergman)
11 BLOWUP (Michelangelo Antonioni)
12 THEY'RE A WEIRD MOB (Michael Powell)
13 THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (Sergio Leone)
14 MADE IN U.S.A. (Jean-Luc Godard)
15 IREZUMI (Yasuzo Masumura)
16 WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (Mike Nichols)
17 THE PORNOGRAPHERS (Shohei Imamura)
18 ALL MY LIFE (Bruce Baillie)
19 THE CHASE (Arthur Penn)

1965

1 CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (Orson Welles)
2 IN HARM'S WAY (Otto Preminger)
3 THE WAR GAME (Peter Watkins
4 A THOUSAND CLOWNS (Fred Coe)
5 FISTS IN THE POCKET (Marco Bellocchio)
6 A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA (Alexander Mackendrick)
7 BLACK GIRL (Ousmane Sembene)
8 TOKYO OLYMPIAD (Kon Ichikawa)
9 THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (Gillo Pontecorvo)
10 THE KNACK...AND HOW TO GET IT (Richard Lester)
11 KUSTOM KAR KOMMANDOS (Kenneth Anger)
12 FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (Sergio Leone)
13 DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (David Lean)
14 RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND (Monte Hellman)
15 THERE ARE HORSES (Tolomush Okeyev)
16 BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (Otto Preminger)

1964

1 THE PATSY (Jerry Lewis)
2 YEARNING (Mikio Naruse)
3 ZULU (Cy Endfield)
4 WOMAN IN THE DUNES (Hiroshi Teshigahara)
5 SCORPIO RISING (Kenneth Anger)
6 DOG STAR MAN (Stan Brakhage)
7 THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (Anthony Mann)
8 NOTHING BUT A MAN (Michael Roemer)
9 HAMLET (Grigory Kozintzev)
10 CULLODEN (Peter Watkins)
11 BANDE À PART (Jean-Luc Godard)
12 A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (Sergio Leone)
13 THE DISORDERLY ORDERLY (Frank Tashlin)
14 CHARULATA (Satyajit Ray)
15 TRUTH AND ILLUSION: AN INTRODUCTION TO METAPHYSICS (King Vidor)
16 MARY POPPINS (Robert Stevenson)

1963

1 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini)
2 MURIEL (Alain Resnais)
3 THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (Jerry Lewis)
4 SHOCK CORRIDOR (Samuel Fuller)
5 THE BIRDS (Alfred Hitchcock)
6 HIGH AND LOW (Akira Kurosawa)
7 YOUTH OF THE BEAST (Seijun Suzuki)
8 BYE BYE BIRDIE (George Sidney)
9 CHRISTMAS ON EARTH (Barbara Rubin)
10 I FIDANZATI (Ermanno Olmi)
11 THE OUTER LIMITS: "O.B.I.T." (Gerd Oswald)
12 JUDEX (Georges Franju)
13 CONTEMPT (Jean-Luc Godard)
14 LE JOLI MAI (Chris Marker)
15 BOROM SARRET (Ousmane Sembene)

1962

1 LA JETÉE (Chris Marker)
2 THE TRIAL (Orson Welles)
3 A WANDERER'S NOTEBOOK (Mikio Naruse)
4 HATARI! (Howard Hawks)
5 COSMIC RAY (Bruce Conner)
6 THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (John Ford)
7 THE HOUSE IS BLACK (Forugh Farrokhzad)
8 THESE ARE THE DAMNED (Joseph Losey)
9 THE THIRD LOVER (Claude Chabrol)
10 PROCÈS DE JEANNE D'ARC (Robert Bresson)
11 MAMMALS (Roman Polanski)
12 THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (John Frankenheimer)
13 CONFESSIONS OF AN OPIUM EATER (Albert Zugsmith)
14 JULES AND JIM (François Truffaut)
15 AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (Yasujiro Ozu)
16 SANJURO (Akira Kurosawa)
17 EVA (Joseph Losey
18 IVAN'S CHILDHOOD (Andrei Tarkvosky)
19 HELL IS FOR HEROES (Don Siegel)
20 ADVISE & CONSENT (Otto Preminger)
21 THE ELUSIVE CORPORAL (Jean Renoir)
22 MAFIOSO (Alberto Lattuada)
23 TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN (Vincente Minnelli)
24 LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Sidney Lumet)
25 VIVRE SA VIE: FILM EN DOUZE TABLEAUX (Jean-Luc Godard)
26 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (David Lean)

1961

1 THE LADIES' MAN (Jerry Lewis)
2 ALYONKA (Boris Barnet)
3 THE ERRAND BOY (Jerry Lewis)
4 YOJIMBO (Akira Kurosawa)
5 IL POSTO (Ermanno Olmi)
6 PARIS BELONGS TO US (Jacques Rivette)
7 THE END OF SUMMER (Yasujiro Ozu)
8 BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (Blake Edwards)
9 ¡CUBA SÍ! (Chris Marker)
10 EL CID (Anthony Mann)
11 NELLY'S FOLLY (Chuck Jones)
12 THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW: "Harrison B. Harding of Camp Crowder, Mo." (John Rich)
13 ONE, TWO, THREE (Billy Wilder)
14 BAD BOY (Susumi Hani)
15 THE LAST HUNGRY CAT (Friz Freleng)
16 THE FAT AND THE LEAN (Roman Polanski)
17 THE FORGOTTEN FACES (Peter Watkins)
18 BARABBAS (Richard Fleischer)

1960

1 WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS (Mikio Naruse)
2 BREATHLESS (Jean-Luc Godard)
3 LE TROU (Jacques Becker)
4 THE THOUSAND EYES OF DR. MABUSE (Fritz Lang)
5 THE TESTAMENT OF ORPHEUS (Jean Cocteau)
6 LATE AUTUMN (Yasujiro Ozu)
7 THE BELLBOY (Jerry Lewis)
8 LET'S MAKE LOVE (George Cukor)
9 THE APPROACH OF AUTUMN (Mikio Naruse)
10 THE BAD SLEEP WELL (Akira Kurosawa)
11 LES BONNES FEMMES (Claude Chabrol)
12 HOME FROM THE HILL (Vincente Minnelli)
13 L'AVVENTURA (Michelangelo Antonioni)
14 PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock)
15 EYES WITHOUT A FACE (Georges Franju)
16 SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (John Ford)
17 AFRAID TO DIE (Yasuzo Masumura)
18 BRAINWASHED (Gerd Oswald)
19 CLASSE TOUS RISQUES (Claude Sautet)
20 THE LADY WITH THE DOG (Iosif Khejfits)

Other decades:
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

1950s

view as simple top tens

1959

1 RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks)
2 DAY OF THE OUTLAW (André de Toth)
3 RIDE LONESOME (Budd Boetticher)
4 ANATOMY OF A MURDER (Otto Preminger)
5 NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Alfred Hitchcock)
6 PICKPOCKET (Robert Bresson)
7 THE HORSE SOLDIERS (John Ford)
8 THE CRIMSON KIMONO (Samuel Fuller)
9 IL GENERALE DELLA ROVERE (Roberto Rossellini)
10 NO NAME ON THE BULLET (Jack Arnold)
11 THE TESTAMENT OF DR. CORDELIER (Jean Renoir)
12 INDIA: MATRI BHUMI (Roberto Rossellini)
13 OPERATION PETTICOAT (Blake Edwards)
14 VERBOTEN! (Samuel Fuller)
15 FLOATING WEEDS (Yasujiro Ozu)
16 THE SIGN OF THE LION (Eric Rohmer)
17 PORK CHOP HILL (Lewis Milestone)

1958

1 VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock)
2 TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles)
3 THE TARNISHED ANGELS (Douglas Sirk)
4 THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (Akira Kurosawa)
5 IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART TWO (Sergei Eisenstein)
6 THE LAST HURRAH (John Ford)
7 PARTY GIRL (Nicholas Ray)
8 MON ONCLE (Jacques Tati)
9 NAZARÍN (Luis Buñuel)
10 MAN OF THE WEST (Anthony Mann)
11 THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH (Orson Welles)
12 BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE (Budd Boetticher)
13 WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES (Nicholas Ray)
14 TERROR IN A TEXAS TOWN (Joseph H. Lewis)
15 A MOVIE (Bruce Conner)
16 GIDEON'S DAY (John Ford)
17 THE RIFLEMAN: "Duel of Honor" (Joseph H. Lewis)
18 THE QUIET AMERICAN (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
19 A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (Roy Baker)
20 THE MUSIC ROOM (Satyajit Ray)
21 SUMMER CLOUDS (Mikio Naruse)
22 ROCK-A-BYE BABY (Frank Tashlin)
23 THE LINEUP (Don Siegel)
24 ROBIN HOOD DAFFY (Chuck Jones)

1957

1 THRONE OF BLOOD (Akira Kurosawa)
2 MEN IN WAR (Anthony Mann)
3 TIME WITHOUT PITY (Joseph Losey)
4 THE TIN STAR (Anthony Mann)
5 A KING IN NEW YORK (Charles Chaplin)
6 NIGHTS OF CABIRIA (Federico Fellini)
7 BITTER VICTORY (Nicholas Ray)
8 THE TALL T (Budd Boetticher)
9 NIGHTFALL (Jacques Tourneur)
10 PATHS OF GLORY (Stanley Kubrick)
11 3:10 TO YUMA (Delmer Daves)
12 THREE LITTLE BOPS (Friz Freleng)
13 LETTER FROM SIBERIA (Chris Marker)
14 WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? (Frank Tashlin)
15 JAMESTOWN BALOOS (Robert Breer)
16 SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (Alexander Mackendrick)
17 CHINA GATE (Samuel Fuller)
18 FORTY GUNS (Samuel Fuller)
19 NIGHT OF THE DEMON (Jacques Tourneur)
20 RUN OF THE ARROW (Samuel Fuller)
21 HIDDEN FEAR (Andre de Toth)
22 THE PAJAMA GAME (Stanley Donen and George Abbott)
23 JET PILOT (Josef von Sternberg)
24 A MAN AND HIS DOG OUT FOR AIR (Robert Breer)
25 STEAL WOOL (Chuck Jones)

1956

1 THE SEARCHERS (John Ford)
2 THE WRONG MAN (Alfred Hitchcock)
3 WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS (Fritz Lang)
4 WRITTEN ON THE WIND (Douglas Sirk)
5 THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT (Frank Tashlin)
6 THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Alfred Hitchcock)
7 A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson)
8 THE BURMESE HARP (Kon Ichikawa)
9 ATTACK! (Robert Aldrich)
10 THE PAINTER AND THE CITY (Manoel de Oliveira)
11 SUDDEN RAIN (Mikio Naruse)
12 SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (Budd Boetticher)
13 BIGGER THAN LIFE (Nicholas Ray)
14 THE KILLING (Stanley Kubrick)
15 THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW (Douglas Sirk)
16 A WIFE'S HEART (Mikio Naruse)
17 HOT BLOOD (Nicholas Ray)
18 THE BRASS LEGEND (Gerd Oswald)
19 GIANT (George Stevens)

1955

1 FLOATING CLOUDS (Mikio Naruse)
2 CONFIDENTIAL REPORT (Orson Welles)
3 A LAWLESS STREET (Joseph H. Lewis)
4 NIGHT AND FOG (Alain Resnais)
5 THE MAN FROM LARAMIE (Anthony Mann)
6 FRENCH CANCAN (Jean Renoir)
7 LAND OF THE PHARAOHS (Howard Hawks)
8 KISS ME DEADLY (Robert Aldrich)
9 DADDY LONG LEGS (Jean Negulesco)
10 ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: "Revenge" (Alfred Hitchcock)
11 RUN FOR COVER (Nicholas Ray)
12 I LIVE IN FEAR (Akira Kurosawa)
13 REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (Nicholas Ray)
14 THE LAST FRONTIER (Anthony Mann)
15 GUYS AND DOLLS (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
16 THE WONDER RING (Stan Brakhage)
17 NEW TALES OF THE TAIRA CLAN (Kenji Mizoguchi)
18 THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
19 ONE FROGGY EVENING (Chuck Jones)
20 PATHER PANCHALI (Satyajit Ray)
21 ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS (Douglas Sirk)
22 ORSON WELLES' SKETCH BOOK (Orson Welles)
23 HOUSE OF BAMBOO (Samuel Fuller)
24 EAST OF EDEN (Elia Kazan)

1954

1 REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock)
2 SEVEN SAMURAI (Akira Kurosawa)
3 MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION (Douglas Sirk)
4 SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Kenji Mizoguchi)
5 LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS (Mikio Naruse)
6 A STAR IS BORN (George Cukor)
7 THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
8 SOUND OF THE MOUNTAIN (Mikio Naruse)
9 CRIME WAVE (André De Toth)
10 THE PURPLE PLAIN (Robert Parrish)
11 WORLD FOR RANSOM (Robert Aldrich)
12 SENSO (Luchino Visconti)
13 CARMEN JONES (Otto Preminger)
14 RIDING SHOTGUN (André De Toth)
15 SABRINA (Billy Wilder)
16 DIAL M FOR MURDER (Alfred Hitchcock)
17 DEVIL MAY HARE (Robert McKimson)

1953

1 M. HULOT'S HOLIDAY (Jacques Tati)
2 PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET (Samuel Fuller)
3 VOYAGE IN ITALY (Roberto Rossellini)
4 GLEN OR GLENDA? (Edward D. Wood, Jr.)
5 DRAGNET: "The Big Thief" (Jack Webb)
6 THE BAND WAGON (Vincente Minnelli)
7 DUCK AMUCK (Chuck Jones)
8 THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T. (Roy Rowland)
9 WHERE CHIMNEYS ARE SEEN (Heinosuke Gosho)
10 OLDER BROTHER, YOUNGER SISTER (Mikio Naruse)
11 DRAGNET: "The Big Frank" (Jack Webb)
12 UGETSU (Kenji Mizoguchi)
13 THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT (John Ford)
14 WIFE (Mikio Naruse)
15 THE SAGA OF ANATAHAN (Josef von Sternberg)
16 THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE... (Max Ophüls)
17 DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24½TH CENTURY (Chuck Jones)
18 THE NAKED SPUR (Anthony Mann)
19 DUCK! RABBIT, DUCK! (Chuck Jones)
20 ALL I DESIRE (Douglas Sirk)
21 THE STRANGER WORE A GUN (André De Toth)
22 THE MAN FROM THE ALAMO (Budd Boetticher)
23 HUSBAND AND WIFE (Mikio Naruse)

1952

1 PARK ROW (Samuel Fuller)
2 ON DANGEROUS GROUND (Nicholas Ray)
3 OTHELLO (Orson Welles)
4 BEND OF THE RIVER (Anthony Mann)
5 CASQUE D'OR (Jacques Becker)
6 LAST OF THE COMANCHES (André De Toth)
7 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)
8 CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY (Zoltan Korda)
9 FEED THE KITTY (Chuck Jones)
10 THE NARROW MARGIN (Richard Fleischer)
11 THE GOLDEN COACH (Jean Renoir)
12 LIMELIGHT (Charles Chaplin)
13 SPRINGFIELD RIFLE (André De Toth)
14 MY SON JOHN (Leo McCarey)
15 THE MARRYING KIND (George Cukor)
16 MOTHER (Mikio Naruse)
17 WATER, WATER EVERY HARE (Chuck Jones)
18 DRAGNET: "The Big September Man" (Jack Webb)
19 THE LUSTY MEN (Nicholas Ray)
20 THE QUIET MAN (John Ford)
21 LIGHTNING (Mikio Naruse)
22 MOULIN ROUGE (John Huston)
23 KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (Phil Karlson)

1951

1 THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby)
2 LA POISON (Sacha Guitry)
3 DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST (Robert Bresson)
4 STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (Alfred Hitchcock)
5 M (Joseph Losey)
6 FIXED BAYONETS! (Samuel Fuller)
7 MISS JULIE (Alf Sjoberg)
8 APACHE DRUMS (Hugo Fregonese)
9 THE STEEL HELMET (Samuel Fuller)
10 REPAST (Mikio Naruse)
11 ROYAL WEDDING (Stanley Donen)
12 THE RIVER (Jean Renoir)
13 HIS KIND OF WOMAN (Richard Fleischer and John Farrow)
14 THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (Robert Wise)
15 THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT (Alexander Mackendrick)
16 DRIP-ALONG DAFFY (Chuck Jones)
17 WEARING OF THE GRIN (Chuck Jones)
18 EARLY TO BET (Robert McKimson)

1950

1 IN A LONELY PLACE (Nicholas Ray)
2 GUN CRAZY (Joseph H. Lewis)
3 TRY AND GET ME! (Cy Endfield)
4 DEVIL'S DOORWAY (Anthony Mann)
5 SIDE STREET (Anthony Mann)
6 RABBIT OF SEVILLE (Chuck Jones)
7 THE MUNEKATA SISTERS (Yasujiro Ozu)
8 AMERICAN GUERRILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES (Fritz Lang)
9 WHEN WILLIE COMES MARCHING HOME (John Ford)
10 WAGON MASTER (John Ford)
11 BORN TO BE BAD (Nicholas Ray)
12 ALL ABOUT EVE (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
13 HILLBILLY HARE (Robert McKimson)
14 NIGHT AND THE CITY (Jules Dassin)
15 LOS OLVIDADOS (Luis Buñuel)
16 WINCHESTER '73 (Anthony Mann)
17 GONE TO EARTH (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger)
18 STARS IN MY CROWN (Jacques Tourneur)
19 RIO GRANDE (John Ford)
20 SUNSET BLVD. (Billy Wilder)
21 RABBIT MOON (Kenneth Anger)
22 RASHOMON (Akira Kurosawa)
23 THE DUCKSTERS (Chuck Jones)
24 THE FURIES (Anthony Mann)
25 STROMBOLI (Roberto Rossellini)
26 STAGE FRIGHT (Alfred Hitchcock)
27 STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR (Michelangelo Antonioni)

Other decades:
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

1940s

view as simple top tens

1949

1 LATE SPRING (Yasujiro Ozu)
2 REIGN OF TERROR (Anthony Mann)
3 UNDER CAPRICORN (Alfred Hitchcock)
4 BORDER INCIDENT (Anthony Mann)
5 LE SILENCE DE LA MER (Jean-Pierre Melville)
6 JOUR DE FÊTE (Jacques Tati)
7 THE THIRD MAN (Carol Reed)
8 PUCE MOMENT (Kenneth Anger)
9 KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (Robert Hamer)
10 THE BIG STEAL (Don Siegel)
11 THE RECKLESS MOMENT (Max Ophüls)
12 THE SMALL BACK ROOM (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger)
13 THE UNDERCOVER MAN (Joseph H. Lewis)
14 I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE (Howard Hawks)
15 LITTLE RURAL RIDING HOOD (Tex Avery)
16 I SHOT JESSE JAMES (Samuel Fuller)
17 HOMELESS HARE (Chuck Jones)
18 SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (John Ford)
19 ON THE TOWN (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)
20 LONG-HAIRED HARE (Chuck Jones)
21 AWFUL ORPHAN (Chuck Jones)
22 8 BALL BUNNY (Chuck Jones)

1948

1 RED RIVER (Howard Hawks)
2 FORT APACHE (John Ford)
3 LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (Max Ophüls)
4 RAW DEAL (Anthony Mann)
5 SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (Fritz Lang)
6 MOONRISE (Frank Borzage)
7 FORCE OF EVIL (Abraham Polonsky)
8 SCAREDY CAT (Chuck Jones)
9 SPRINGTIME IN A SMALL TOWN (Mu Fei)
10 GOOD SAM (Leo McCarey)
11 3 GODFATHERS (John Ford)
12 HAREDEVIL HARE (Chuck Jones)
13 THE FOGHORN LEGHORN (Robert McKimson)
14 MACBETH (Orson Welles)
15 HE WALKED BY NIGHT (Anthony Mann and Alfred L. Werker)
16 THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (John Huston)

1947

1 MONSIEUR VERDOUX (Charles Chaplin)
2 DAISY KENYON (Otto Preminger)
3 THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (Orson Welles)
4 OUT OF THE PAST (Jacques Tourneur)
5 THE PRIVATE AFFAIRS OF BEL AMI (Albert Lewin)
6 LE TEMPESTAIRE (Jean Epstein)
7 FIREWORKS (Kenneth Anger)
8 NIGHTMARE ALLEY (Edmund Goulding)
9 MISSISSIPPI HARE (Chuck Jones)
10 BLACK NARCISSUS (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger)
11 PURSUED (Raoul Walsh)
12 RIDE THE PINK HORSE (Robert Montgomery)
13 ANTOINE ET ANTOINETTE (Jacques Becker)
14 GOOD NEWS (Charles Walters)
15 T-MEN (Anthony Mann)
16 THEY LIVE BY NIGHT (Nicholas Ray)
17 THE SIN OF HAROLD DIDDLEBOCK (Preston Sturges)
18 QUAI DES ORFÈVRES (Henri-Georges Clouzot)
19 RAMROD (André De Toth)

1946

1 THE BIG SLEEP (Howard Hawks)
2 MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (John Ford)
3 NOTORIOUS (Alfred Hitchcock)
4 THE CHASE (Arthur D. Ripley)
5 THE BIG SNOOZE (Robert Clampett)
6 KITTY KORNERED (Robert Clampett)
7 THE STRANGER (Orson Welles)
8 THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID (Jean Renoir)
9 BABY BOTTLENECK (Robert Clampett)
10 HAIR-RAISING HARE (Chuck Jones)
11 GILDA (Charles Vidor)
12 CLUNY BROWN (Ernst Lubitsch)
13 TO EACH HIS OWN (Mitchell Leisen)
14 THE DARK CORNER (Henry Hathaway)
15 CLOAK AND DAGGER (Fritz Lang)
16 THE GREAT PIGGY BANK ROBBERY (Robert Clampett)
17 ACROBATTY BUNNY (Robert McKimson)

1945

1 BRIEF ENCOUNTER (David Lean)
2 THE CLOCK (Vincente Minnelli)
3 THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (John Ford)
4 THE SOUTHERNER (Jean Renoir)
5 THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (Albert Lewin)
6 OPEN CITY (Roberto Rossellini)
7 ISLE OF THE DEAD (Mark Robson)
8 DRAFTEE DAFFY (Robert Clampett)
9 DETOUR (Edgar G. Ulmer)
10 FALLEN ANGEL (Otto Preminger)
11 LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE (Robert Bresson)
12 MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (Joseph H. Lewis)
13 ALLOTMENT WIVES (William Nigh)
14 LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (John M. Stahl)
15 THE SCREWY TRUANT (Tex Avery)
16 IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART ONE (Sergei Eisenstein)
17 I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger)

1944

1 TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (Howard Hawks)
2 MINISTRY OF FEAR (Fritz Lang)
3 NONE SHALL ESCAPE (André de Toth)
4 A CANTERBURY TALE (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger)
5 PHANTOM LADY (Robert Siodmak)
6 THE STUPID CUPID (Frank Tashlin)
7 THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (Preston Sturges)
8 THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (Fritz Lang)
9 HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO (Preston Sturges)
10 LIFEBOAT (Alfred Hitchcock)
11 LAURA (Otto Preminger)
12 MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli)
13 UNCERTAIN GLORY (Raoul Walsh)
14 STAGE DOOR CARTOON (Friz Freleng)
15 NATIONAL VELVET (Clarence Brown)
16 DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Billy Wilder)

1943

1 THIS LAND IS MINE (Jean Renoir)
2 DAY OF WRATH (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
3 AIR FORCE (Howard Hawks)
4 PUSS N' BOOTY (Frank Tashlin)
5 RUMORS (Friz Freleng)
6 HANGMEN ALSO DIE! (Fritz Lang)
7 I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (Jacques Tourneur)
8 TORTOISE WINS BY A HARE (Robert Clampett)
9 THE LEOPARD MAN (Jacques Tourneur)
10 YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY (Friz Freleng)
11 SPIES (Chuck Jones)
12 THE HUMAN COMEDY (Clarence Brown)
13 SHADOW OF A DOUBT (Alfred Hitchcock)
14 THE GHOST SHIP (Mark Robson)
15 THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger)
16 LES ANGES DU PÉCHÉ (Robert Bresson)
17 THE SEVENTH VICTIM (Mark Robson)
18 PORKY PIG'S FEAT (Frank Tashlin)
19 PRINCESS O'ROURKE (Norman Krasna)


1942

1 THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles)
2 CAT PEOPLE (Jacques Tourneur)
3 THE PALM BEACH STORY (Preston Sturges)
4 GENTLEMAN JIM (Raoul Walsh)
5 SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (Preston Sturges)
6 CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz)
7 A TALE OF TWO KITTIES (Robert Clampett)
8 THE TALK OF THE TOWN (George Stevens)
9 SABOTEUR (Alfred Hitchcock)
10 THE HECKLING HARE (Tex Avery)
11 ONCE UPON A HONEYMOON (Leo McCarey)
12 THE DOVER BOYS (Chuck Jones)
13 TOMORROW WE LIVE (Edgar G. Ulmer)
14 THE HARE-BRAINED HYPNOTIST (Friz Freleng)

1941

1 CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles)
2 THE LOYAL 47 RONIN (Kenji Mizoguchi)
3 WESTERN UNION (Fritz Lang)
4 FORTY-NINTH PARALLEL (Michael Powell)
5 MAN HUNT (Fritz Lang) 6 THAT UNCERTAIN FEELING (Ernst Lubitsch)
7 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (William Witney and John English)
8 WABBIT TWOUBLE (Robert Clampett)
9 BALL OF FIRE (Howard Hawks)
10 THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (William Dieterle)
11 SMILIN' THROUGH (Frank Borzage)
12 BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE TODA FAMILY (Yasujiro Ozu)
13 HIDEKO THE BUS CONDUCTOR (Mikio Naruse)
14 THE LADY EVE (Preston Sturges)
15 NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK (Edward F. Cline)
16 DUMBO (Ben Sharpsteen)

1940

1 HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Howard Hawks)
2 THE GRAPES OF WRATH (John Ford)
3 THE MORTAL STORM (Frank Borzage)
4 CHRISTMAS IN JULY (Preston Sturges)
5 REMEMBER THE NIGHT (Mitchell Leisen)
6 FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (Alfred Hitchcock)
7 THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (Ernst Lubitsch)
8 CONTRABAND (Michael Powell)
9 THE GREAT DICTATOR (Charles Chaplin)
10 THE GREAT MCGINTY (Preston Sturges)
11 TRAVELLING ACTORS (Mikio Naruse)
12 THE MAN FROM TUMBLEWEEDS (Joseph H. Lewis)
13 REBECCA (Alfred Hitchcock)
13 FLIGHT COMMAND (Frank Borzage)
14 THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (George Cukor)

Other decades:
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1950s
1930s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

1930s

view as simple top tens

1939

1 THE RULES OF THE GAME (Jean Renoir)
2 ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (Howard Hawks)
3 THE ROARING TWENTIES (Raoul Walsh)
4 STAGECOACH (John Ford)
5 THE WOMEN (George Cukor)
6 DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK (John Ford)
7 THE SPY IN BLACK (Michael Powell)
8 THUGS WITH DIRTY MUGS (Tex Avery)
9 YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (John Ford)
10 DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (George Marshall)
11 NAUGHTY NEIGHBORS (Robert Clampett)
12 GUNGA DIN (George Stevens)
13 MIDNIGHT (Mitchell Leisen)

1938

1 HOLIDAY (George Cukor)
2 THE LADY VANISHES (Alfred Hitchcock)
3 PORKY IN WACKYLAND (Robert Clampett)
4 THE WOODS ARE FULL OF CUCKOOS (Frank Tashlin)
5 PORKY'S FIVE & TEN (Robert Clampett)
6 YOU AND ME (Fritz Lang)
7 SPAWN OF THE NORTH (Henry Hathaway)
8 THE CITADEL (King Vidor)
9 THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (Michael Powell)
10 LE QUAI DES BRUMES (Marcel Carné)
11 REMONTONS LES CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES (Sacha Guitry)
12 PORKY IN EGYPT (Robert Clampett)
13 THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (Michael Curtiz and William Keighley)
14 LITTLE PANCHO VANILLA (Frank Tashlin)
15 QUADRILLE (Sacha Guitry)
15 KATNIP KOLLEGE (Cal Dalton, Ben Hardaway, Cal Howard)
16 BRINGING UP BABY (Howard Hawks)

1937

1 MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW (Leo McCarey)
2 STAGE DOOR (Gregory La Cava)
3 ANGEL (Ernst Lubitsch)
4 HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT (Frank Borzage)
5 SHALL WE DANCE (Mark Sandrich)
6 THE GREAT GARRICK (James Whale)
7 EASY LIVING (Mitchell Leisen)
8 YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE (Fritz Lang)
9 THE AWFUL TRUTH (Leo McCarey)
10 GRAND ILLUSION (Jean Renoir)
11 YOUNG AND INNOCENT (Alfred Hitchcock)
12 FAISONS UN RÊVE (Sacha Guitry)
13 LES PERLES DE LA COURONNE (Sacha Guitry and Christian-Jaque)
14 THE SPANISH EARTH (Joris Ivens)
15 PÉPÉ LE MOKO (Julien Duvivier)
16 WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET? (Yasujiro Ozu)

1936

1 DODSWORTH (William Wyler)
2 FURY (Fritz Lang)
3 SABOTAGE (Alfred Hitchcock)
4 CAMILLE (George Cukor)
5 THE STORY OF A CHEAT (Sacha Guitry)
6 MARY OF SCOTLAND (John Ford)
7 MY MAN GODFREY (Gregory La Cava)
8 AFTER THE THIN MAN (W.S. Van Dyke)
9 SWING TIME (George Stevens)
10 OSAKA ELEGY (Kenji Mizoguchi)
11 THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE (Jean Renoir)
12 BY THE BLUEST OF SEAS (Boris Barnet)
13 COME AND GET IT (Howard Hawks and William Wyler)
14 MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin)
15 REMBRANDT (Alexander Korda)
16 PORKY IN THE NORTH WOODS (Frank Tashlin)
17 THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND (John Ford)
18 THE MILKY WAY (Leo McCarey)

1935

1 RUGGLES OF RED GAP (Leo McCarey)
2 THE 39 STEPS (Alfred Hitchcock)
3 THE GIRL FROM MOORHOF (Douglas Sirk)
4 CEILING ZERO (Howard Hawks)
5 MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION (John M. Stahl)
6 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (William Dieterle and Max Reinhardt)
7 TOP HAT (Mark Sandrich)
8 THE PHANTOM LIGHT (Michael Powell)
9 SYLVIA SCARLET (George Cukor)
10 THE GOOD FAIRY (William Wyler)
11 WIFE! BE LIKE A ROSE! (Mikio Naruse)
12 THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN (Josef von Sternberg)
13 AN INN IN TOKYO (Yasujiro Ozu)
14 FIRST A GIRL (Victor Saville)

1934

1 L'ATALANTE (Jean Vigo)
2 OUR DAILY BREAD (King Vidor)
3 THE BLACK CAT (Edgar G. Ulmer)
4 A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS (Yasujiro Ozu)
5 THE MERRY WIDOW (Ernst Lubitsch)
6 FLIRTATION WALK (Frank Borzage)
7 LA SIGNORA DI TUTTI (Max Ophüls)
8 TWO-GUN MICKEY (Ben Sharpsteen)
9 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (Frank Capra)
10 THE SCARLET EMPRESS (Josef von Sternberg)
11 HEAT LIGHTNING (Mervyn LeRoy)
12 THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Alfred Hitchcock)
13 THE GAY DIVORCEE (Mark Sandrich)
14 TWENTIETH CENTURY (Howard Hawks)

1933

1 THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (Fritz Lang)
2 PILGRIMAGE (John Ford)
3 MAN'S CASTLE (Frank Borzage)
4 DESIGN FOR LIVING (Ernst Lubitsch)
5 COUNSELLOR AT LAW (William Wyler)
6 EVERY NIGHT DREAMS (Mikio Naruse)
7 GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy)
8 ZÉRO DE CONDUITE (Jean Vigo)
9 LAS HURDES (Luis Buñuel)
10 LADIES THEY TALK ABOUT (Howard Bretherton and William Keighley)
11 EMPLOYEE'S ENTRANCE (Roy Del Ruth)
12 LITTLE WOMEN (George Cukor)
13 42ND STREET (Lloyd Bacon)
14 NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN (Alexander Alexeieff and Claire Parker)
15 OKRAINA (Boris Barnet)

1932

1 LOVE ME TONIGHT (Rouben Mamoulian)
2 LA NUIT DU CARREFOUR (Jean Renoir)
3 THE CROWD ROARS (Howard Hawks)
4 BLONDE VENUS (Josef von Sternberg)
5 TWO SECONDS (Mervyn LeRoy)
6 VAMPYR (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
7 SHANGHAI EXPRESS (Josef von Sternberg)
8 TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch)
9 DOCTOR X (Michael Curtiz)
10 THE HATCHET MAN (William A. Wellman)
11 NUMBER 17 (Alfred Hitchcock)
12 SCARFACE (Howard Hawks)
13 TOM BROWN OF CULVER (William Wyler)
14 WHERE NOW ARE THE DREAMS OF YOUTH? (Yasujiro Ozu)
15 TIGER SHARK (Howard Hawks)
16 SMILIN' THROUGH (Sidney Franklin)
17 A FAREWELL TO ARMS (Frank Borzage)
18 ONE HOUR WITH YOU (Ernst Lubitsch)
19 RED DUST (Victor Fleming)
20 I AM A FUGITIVE FROM THE CHAIN GANG (Mervyn LeRoy)

1931

1 M (Fritz Lang)
2 DISHONORED (Josef von Sternberg)
3 WATERLOO BRIDGE (James Whale)
4 PLATINUM BLONDE (Frank Capra)
5 BAD GIRL (Frank Borzage)
6 THE MIRACLE WOMAN (Frank Capra)
7 STAR WITNESS (William A. Wellman)
8 A HOUSE DIVIDED (William Wyler)
9 THE SMILING LIEUTENANT (Ernst Lubitsch)
10 TOKYO CHORUS (Yasujiro Ozu)
11 POSSESSED (Clarence Brown)
12 THE BLUE ANGEL (Josef von Sternberg)
13 TABU (F.W. Murnau)
14 THE PUBLIC ENEMY (William A. Wellman)
15 THE STRUGGLE (D.W. Griffith)
16 THE CRIMINAL CODE (Howard Hawks)

1930

1 L'ÂGE D'OR (Luis Buñuel)
2 SOUS LES TOITS DE PARIS (René Clair)
3 I FLUNKED, BUT... (Yasujiro Ozu)
4 MOROCCO (Josef von Sternberg)
5 ABRAHAM LINCOLN (D.W. Griffith)
6 THE FIRE FIGHTERS (Burt Gillett)
7 THAT NIGHT'S WIFE (Yasujiro Ozu)
8 THE DAWN PATROL (Howard Hawks)
9 THE KING OF JAZZ (John Murray Anderson)
10 THE CHAIN GANG (Burt Gillett)
11 MONTE CARLO (Ernst Lubitsch)

Other decades:
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1950s
1940s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

1920s

view as simple top tens

1929

1 QUEEN KELLY (Erich von Stroheim)
2 LIBERTY (Leo McCarey)
3 THUNDERBOLT (Josef von Sternberg)
4 APPLAUSE (Rouben Mamoulian)
5 WOMAN IN THE MOON (Fritz Lang)
6 LUCKY STAR (Frank Borzage)
7 DIARY OF A LOST GIRL (G.W. Pabst)
8 IN OLD ARIZONA (Raoul Walsh and Irving Cummings)
9 THE LOVE PARADE (Ernst Lubitsch)
10 BLACKMAIL (Alfred Hitchcock)

1928

1 THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
2 STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. (Buster Keaton and Charles Reisner)
3 THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (Jean Epstein)
4 A GIRL IN EVERY PORT (Howard Hawks)
5 THE WIND (Victor Sjöström)
6 THE HOUSE ON TRUBNAYA SQUARE (Boris Barnet)
7 SPIES (Fritz Lang)
8 STREET ANGEL (Frank Borzage)
9 PLANE CRAZY (Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks)
10 THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK (Josef von Sternberg)
11 THE LAST COMMAND (Josef von Sternberg)
12 STEAMBOAT WILLIE (Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks)
13 THE WEDDING MARCH (Erich von Stroheim)
14 THE LOVE OF ZERO (William Cameron Menzies and Robert Florey)

1927

1 THE STUDENT PRINCE OF OLD HEIDELBERG (Ernst Lubitsch)
2 SUNRISE (F.W. Murnau)
3 COLLEGE (Buster Keaton and James W. Horne)
4 BED AND SOFA (Abram Room)
5 BERLIN: SYMPHONY OF A GREAT CITY (Walter Ruttmann)
6 THE GENERAL (Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman)
7 METROPOLIS (Fritz Lang)
8 THE KID BROTHER (Ted Wilde and J.A. Howe)
9 THE LIFE AND DEATH OF 9413, A HOLLYWOOD EXTRA (Robert Florey and Slavko Vorkapich)
10 THE GIRL WITH THE HAT BOX (Boris Barnet)
11 UNDERWORLD (Josef von Sternberg)
12 THE END OF ST. PETERSBURG (Vsevolod Pudovkin)
13 NAPOLÉON (Abel Gance)

1926

FAUST (F.W. Murnau)
THE SHAMROCK HANDICAP (John Ford)
MIGHTY LIKE A MOOSE (Leo McCarey)
BATTLING BUTLER (Buster Keaton)
SO THIS IS PARIS (Ernst Lubitsch)

1925

1 GREED (Erich von Stroheim)
2 THE BIG PARADE (King Vidor)
3 SEVEN CHANCES (Buster Keaton)
4 GO WEST (Buster Keaton)
5 THE GOLD RUSH (Charles Chaplin)
6 SALLY OF THE SAWDUST (D.W. Griffith)
7 CHESS FEVER (Vsevolod Pudovkin and Nikolai Shpikovsky)
8 MASTER OF THE HOUSE (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
9 BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Sergei Eisenstein)
10 LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN (Ernst Lubitsch)

1924

1 SHERLOCK, JR. (Buster Keaton)
2 STRIKE (Sergei Eisenstein)
3 THE LAST LAUGH (F.W. Murnau)
4 DIE NIBELUNGEN: KRIEMHILD'S REVENGE (Fritz Lang)
5 DIE NIBELUNGEN: SIEGFRIED (Fritz Lang)
6 THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (Raoul Walsh)
7 HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (Victor Sjöström)
8 GIRL SHY (Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor)
9 HOT WATER (Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor)
10 ENTR'ACTE (René Clair)

1923

OUR HOSPITALITY (Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone)
PIERROT, PIERRETTE (Louis Feuillade)
WHY WORRY? (Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor)
THE LOVE NEST (Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton)
THREE AGES (Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton)
THE BALLOONATIC (Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton)
SAFETY LAST! (Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor)

1922

DR. MABUSE, DER SPIELER (Fritz Lang)
HÄXAN (Benjamin Christensen)
LOVE'S CRUCIBLE (Victor Sjöström)
FOOLISH WIVES (Erich von Stroheim)
NOSFERATU, EINE SYMPHONIE DES GRAUENS (F.W. Murnau)
COPS (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)
THE PALEFACE (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)
THE FROZEN NORTH (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)
DAYDREAMS (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)

1921

1 THE GOAT (Buster Keaton and Malcolm St. Clair)
2 THE 'HIGH SIGN' (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)
3 THE PLAY HOUSE (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)
4 LEAVES FROM SATAN'S BOOK (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
5 THE HAUNTED HOUSE (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)
6 THE BOAT (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)
7 NEVER WEAKEN (Fred C. Newmeyer)
8 THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE (Victor Sjöström)
9 DESTINY (Fritz Lang)

1920

1 NEIGHBORS (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)
2 A DANGEROUS PLEDGE (Victor Sjöström)
3 ONE WEEK (Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton)
4 THE SCARECROW (Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton)
5 THE SPIDERS, PART 2: THE DIAMOND SHIP (Fritz Lang)
6 CONVICT 13 (Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline)
7 THE PARSON'S WIDOW (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
8 LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Maurice Tourneur and Clarence Brown)
9 ROMEO UND JULIA IM SCHNEE (Ernst Lubitsch)
10 DAS KABINETT DES DOKTOR CALIGARI (Robert Weine)

Other decades:
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1890s through 1910s

1890s / 1900s / 1910s

view as simple top ten

1910s and before

1 JUDEX (Louis Feuillade)
2 BARRABAS (Louis Feuillade)
3 THE DYING SWAN (Yevgeni Bauer)
4 THE RACE FOR MILLIONS (Louis Feuillade)
5 TIH MINH (Louis Feuillade)
6 JUVE CONTRE FANTÔMAS (Louis Feuillade)
7 LES VAMPIRES (Louis Feuillade)
8 AFTER DEATH (Yevgeni Bauer)
9 INTOLERANCE (D.W. Griffith)
10 A CORNER IN WHEAT (D.W. Griffith)
11 LE VOYAGE À TRAVERS L'IMPOSSIBLE (Georges Méliès)
12 TWILIGHT OF A WOMAN'S SOUL (Yevgeni Bauer)
13 EASY STREET (Charles Chaplin)
14 THE BLACK IMP (Georges Méliès)
15 THE COLONEL'S ACCOUNT (Louis Feuillade)
16 ASK FATHER (Hal Roach)
17 THE MERRY JAIL (Ernst Lubitsch)
18 FANTÔMAS À L'OMBRE DE LA GUILLOTINE (Louis Feuillade)
19 THE DREAM OF A RAREBIT FIEND (Wallace McCutcheon and Edwin S. Porter)
20 THE UNCHANGING SEA (D.W. Griffith)
21 FRIENDS (D.W. Griffith)
22 SPRING (Louis Feuillade)
23 THE FAIRY OF THE SURF (Louis Feuillade)
24 THE TRUST: OR THE BATTLES FOR MONEY (Louis Feuillade)
25 THE OBSESSION (Louis Feuillade)
26 THE ROMAN ORGY (Louis Feuillade)
27 BLIND HUSBANDS (Erich von Stroheim)
28 LE MORT QUI TUE (Louis Feuillade)
29 FANTÔMAS CONTRE FANTÔMAS (Louis Feuillade)
30 BILLY BLAZES, ESQ. (Hal Roach)
31 THE COOK IN TROUBLE (Georges Méliès)
32 CUSTODY OF THE CHILD (Louis Feuillade)
33 THE MYSTERIOUS RETORT (Georges Méliès)
34 THE USURER (D.W. Griffith)
35 THE SEALED ROOM (D.W. Griffith)
36 A VERY FINE LADY (Louis Feuillade)
37 HOW A MOSQUITO OPERATES (Winsor McCay)
38 BÉBÉ APACHE (Louis Feuillade)
39 ERREUR TRAGIQUE (Louis Feuillade)
40 LES BOUS BOUS MIE (Louis Feuillade)
41 THE THIEVING HAND (creator unknown)
42 THOSE AWFUL HATS (D.W. Griffith)

Subsequent decades:
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s