There’s a scene in an episode of FRIENDS where, after Joey gets defensive over Rachel having never seen CUJO she immediately retorts “Relax! It’s not like it’s CITIZEN KANE”. It’s a phrase that’s become as overused as “It’s hardly Shakespeare”. Even if you’ve never seen it, have no idea what it’s about, or don’t even include it in your own top 10 films, it’s the ‘go to’ for film comparisons.
But that may be about to change. Every 10 years since 1952, Sight & Sound magazine tallies the top 10 lists of renowned
critics and directors. In 1952 the top spot went to the Italian film BICYCLE THIEVES, but ever since 1962 that number one position has belonged to Orson Welles’ CITIZEN KANE. Now, for the first time in half a century, a new film stands in that coveted place. That film, as chosen by critics, is Alfred Hitchcock’s VERTIGO. As for the choice of best films by directors, it is Yasujiro Ozu’s masterpiece TOKYO STORY that takes the lead.
I think it’s no surprise that after so long the preferences of critics and directors have changed slightly. There’s only so many times we can be told that a single film is ‘The Best Film Ever’ before we get sick and tired of it. And let’s not forget the fact that now international cinema and a wider range of films in general are easily available. The lists still have a preference to older films, which I think is only fair as they’ve stood the test of time and constantly impress new generations of film lovers. However, with only 2 films from the 21st century IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE and MULHOLLAND DR. appearing in the top 50 that seems a little harsh.
Here are the top 10 lists for critics and directors.
The Critics’ Top 10
1. VERTIGO (Hitchcock, 1958)
2. CITIZEN KANE (Welles, 1941)
3. TOKYO STORY (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953)
4. THE RULES OF THE GAME (Jean Renoir, 1939)
5. SUNRISE: A SONG FOR TWO HUMANS (F.W. Murnau, 1927)
6. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
7. THE SEARCHERS(John Ford, 1956)
8. MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Dziga Vertov, 1929)
9. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Carl Th. Dreyer, 1927)
10. 8 ½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
The Directors’ Top 10
1. TOKYO STORY (Ozu, 1953)
2 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Kubrick, 1968)
2 CITIZEN KANE (Welles, 1941)
4. 8 ½ (Fellini, 1963)
5. TAXI DRIVER (Scorsese, 1976)
6. APOCALYPSE NOW (Coppola, 1979)
7. THE GODFATHER (Coppola, 1972)
7. VERTIGO (Hitchcock, 1958)
9. MIRROR (Tarkovsky, 1974)
10. BICYCLE THIEVES (De Sica, 1948)
Two of my own top 10 make the critics’ list with TOKYO STORY and THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC. I think we can all agree that it’s very hard to compose a list of the best films of all time because of changing trends in filmmakers, audiences, and distribution. Not to mention that one of the great things about film is that it can be informative, entertaining, exciting, thought provoking, technically well crafted, artistic and/or innovative. No matter how you feel, the films on the lists above are certainly worth checking out.
How do you guys feel about these films, how ‘classic’ films are revered, or just lists in general?
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Matt
Aug 2, 2012 at 1:28 pm
2001: A Space Odyssey being on both lists is a joke. It’s probably one of the most boring, pretentious and self-indulgent films ever made. People only put it on their lists to look intelligent. I don’t know anyone who would consider watching it a second time, and a few don’t make it through the first. Could do with being edited down to about 85 minutes.
If they want a Kubrick film in there, choose The Shining.
As for the rest, I personally can only agree with The Searchers and Apocalypse Now.
Granted I haven’t seen Citizen Kane. But then I doubt it’s as entertaining as Point Break.
Dan Bullock
Aug 2, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Matt – It’s not always about entertainment though. It’s also about what they achieved, with the resources, at that moment in cinema history.
I don’t put it on my top list but there’s no doubt it was groundbreaking, the same goes for Metropolis and 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s not in my all-time top 10 but it’s remarkable in its own right.