Dale Thomajan

Some of these gloriously idiosyncratic lists - like many of Dale Thomajan's articles - have previously appeared in FILM COMMENT.

All lists are preferential, and very kindly supplied by Mr. Thomajan himself.

Recently revised years: 1937, 1958, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1981, 1995  [NB. I've kept the old #10s, since most of them were too good to waste.]

SPECIAL FEATURE : Dale Thomajan's Most Overrated Movies Ever Made (in chronological order)

THE DIRTY DOZEN

BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN
Despite the dazzling editing, a simplistic, disturbingly sadistic film. (Has anybody ever noticed that the good guys in this movie are all Commies?)
GONE WITH THE WIND
The first hour is good. The last three (or is it fifteen?) are unbearable -- particularly if you're male.
SOME LIKE IT HOT
Probably the best picture on this list -- but "the funniest movie of all time" (American Film Institute)? Come on. Joe E. ("Nobody's perfect") Brown made three better comedies in 1934 alone.
DR. STRANGELOVE
Wise-ass sophomoric "wit" -- dated even in 1964. (The title character is very funny though.)
BONNIE AND CLYDE
We have made beloved superstars out of brutal outlaws. If this banal sociological truism is not big news to you, pass up BONNIE AND CLYDE in favor of the earlier GUN CRAZY, a B masterpiece blessed with the absence of Faye Dunaway.
EASY RIDER
They blew it.
THE GODFATHER
May I suggest an acronym? "The Hollywood Establishment's Glorification Of Downright Fascists As Tragic Heroes Exceeds Reason".
NETWORK
Cinema as hysteria.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
With the possible exception of FIELD OF DREAMS, the most psychologically unhealthy picture Hollywood ever produced. I knew something was wrong at the point when Richard Dreyfuss traded in the adorable Teri Garr for a method actress.
APOCALYPSE NOW
Suggested ad slogan for the restored version : "One of the worst movies ever made is now longer".
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (or practically any Woody Allen movie after LOVE AND DEATH)
Who are these people?
AMERICAN BEAUTY
As a young critic, Francois Truffaut condemned prestigious French movies of the time as "anti-bourgeois films made by the bourgeois for the bourgeois". He should have lived to see this one, the lousiest movie ever to win a Best Picture Oscar -- and that's no small accomplishment.

1930

  1. MOROCCO (Josef von Sternberg)
  2. THE BLUE ANGEL (Josef von Sternberg)
  3. HER MAN (Tay Garnett)
  4. UP THE RIVER (John Ford)
  5. RAIN OR SHINE (Frank Capra)
  6. ANIMAL CRACKERS (Victor Heerman)
  7. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Lewis Milestone)
  8. MIN AND BILL (George Hill)
  9. THE UNHOLY THREE (Jack Conway)

1931

  1. CITY LIGHTS (Charles Chaplin)
  2. THE PUBLIC ENEMY (William Wellman)
  3. MAEDCHEN IN UNIFORM (Leontine Sagan)
  4. FRANKENSTEIN (James Whale)
  5. DRACULA (Tod Browning)
  6. LITTLE CAESAR (Mervyn LeRoy)
  7. PLATINUM BLONDE (Frank Capra)
  8. DISHONORED (Josef von Sternberg)
  9. MONKEY BUSINESS (Norman Z. McLeod)
  10. PARLOR, BEDROOM AND BATH (Edward Sedgwick)

1932

  1. TWO SECONDS (Mervyn LeRoy)
  2. FREAKS (Tod Browning)
  3. LOVE ME TONIGHT (Rouben Mamoulian)
  4. THE HEART OF NEW YORK (Mervyn LeRoy)
  5. A NOUS LA LIBERTE (Rene Clair)
  6. VIRTUE (Edward Buzzell)
  7. SCARFACE (Howard Hawks)
  8. JEWEL ROBBERY (William Dieterle)
  9. THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM (Lowell Sherman)
  10. RED-HEADED WOMAN (Jack Conway)

1933

  1. MARIUS (Alexander Korda)
  2. FLYING DOWN TO RIO (Thornton Freeland)
  3. EMPLOYEES' ENTRANCE (Roy del Ruth)
  4. ESKIMO (W. S. Van Dyke)
  5. ZOO IN BUDAPEST (Rowland V. Lee)
  6. HALLELUJAH I'M A BUM (Lewis Milestone)
  7. GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy)
  8. QUEEN CHRISTINA (Rouben Mamoulian)
  9. DINNER AT EIGHT (George Cukor)
  10. FOOTLIGHT PARADE (Lloyd Bacon)

1934

  1. THE SCARLET EMPRESS (Josef von Sternberg)
  2. THE GAY DIVORCEE (Mark Sandrich)
  3. LITTLE MAN, WHAT NOW? (Frank Borzage)
  4. JIMMY THE GENT (Michael Curtiz)
  5. KID MILLIONS (Roy Del Ruth)
  6. THE MERRY WIDOW (Ernst Lubitsch)
  7. SIX OF A KIND (Leo McCarey)
  8. YOU'RE TELLING ME (Erle C. Kenton)
  9. MANDALAY (Michael Curtiz)
  10. HE WAS HER MAN (Lloyd Bacon)

1935

  1. TOP HAT (Mark Sandrich)
  2. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (James Whale)
  3. ROBERTA (William A. Seiter)
  4. THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN (Josef von Sternberg)
  5. SYLVIA SCARLETT (George Cukor)
  6. ANNIE OAKLEY (George Stevens)
  7. RUGGLES OF RED GAP (Leo McCarey)
  8. THE 39 STEPS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  9. IT'S A GIFT (Norman Z. McLeod)
  10. THE MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE (Clyde Bruckman)

1936

  1. MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin)
  2. SHOW BOAT (James Whale)
  3. SWING TIME (George Stevens)
  4. THE CRIME OF M. LANGE (Jean Renoir)
  5. LIBELED LADY (Jack Conway)
  6. FOLLOW THE FLEET (Mark Sandrich)
  7. CLUB DE FEMMES (Jacques Deval)
  8. CARNIVAL IN FLANDERS (Jacques Feyder)
  9. THE MILKY WAY (Leo McCarey)
  10. MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (Frank Capra)

1937

  1. THE HURRICANE (John Ford)
  2. THE MAN WHO COULD WORK MIRACLES (Lothar Mendes)
  3. STAGE DOOR (Gregory LaCava)
  4. MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW (Leo McCarey)
  5. 100 MEN AND A GIRL (Henry Koster)
  6. MANNEQUIN (Frank Borzage)
  7. THE BROKEN JUG (Gustav Ucicky)
  8. SWING HIGH, SWING LOW (Mitchell Leisen)
  9. THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (John Cromwell)
  10. PEPE LE MOKO (Julien Duvivier)
  11. HOLLYWOOD HOTEL (Busby Berkeley)

1938

  1. BRINGING-UP BABY (Howard Hawks)
  2. LA GRANDE ILLUSION (Jean Renoir)
  3. PYGMALION (Anthony Asquith, Leslie Howard)
  4. THE CHILDHOOD OF MAXIM GORKY (Mark Donskoi)
  5. ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (Michael Curtiz)
  6. CAREFREE (Mark Sandrich)
  7. THE LADY VANISHES (Alfred Hitchcock)
  8. EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY (A. Edward Sutherland)
  9. THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938 (Mitchell Leisen)

1939

  1. THE WIZARD OF OZ (Victor Fleming)
  2. NINOTCHKA (Ernst Lubitsch)
  3. QUAI DES BRUMES (Marcel Carne)
  4. BEAU GESTE (William Wellman)
  5. DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (George Marshall)
  6. STAGECOACH (John Ford)
  7. YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (John Ford)
  8. THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (Busby Berkeley)
  9. YOU CAN'T CHEAT AN HONEST MAN (George Marshall)
  10. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (Frank Capra)

1940

  1. CHRISTMAS IN JULY (Preston Sturges)
  2. HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Howard Hawks)
  3. THE GREAT DICTATOR (Charles Chaplin)
  4. VOLPONE (Maurice Tourneur)
  5. ST. MARTIN'S LANE (Tim Whelan)
  6. THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (Ernst Lubitsch)
  7. FANTASIA (Ben Sharpsteen et al.)
  8. THE GREAT McGINTY (Preston Sturges)
  9. THE LONG VOYAGE HOME (John Ford)
  10. FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (Alfred Hitchcock)

1941

  1. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles)
  2. MEET JOHN DOE (Frank Capra)
  3. THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE (Raoul Walsh)
  4. THE LADY EVE (Preston Sturges)
  5. HATTER'S CASTLE (Lance Comfort)
  6. AMONG THE LIVING (Stuart Heisler)
  7. MODEL WIFE (Leigh Jason)
  8. BLUES IN THE NIGHT (Anatole Litvak)
  9. DUMBO (Ben Sharpsteen et al.)
  10. THE BIG STORE (Charles Reisner)

1942

  1. GENTLEMAN JIM (Raoul Walsh)
  2. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (Preston Sturges)
  3. TO BE OR NOT TO BE (Ernst Lubitsch)
  4. THE PALM BEACH STORY (Prseton Sturges)
  5. MY SISTER EILEEN (Alexander Hall)
  6. THE IRON CROWN (Alessandro Blasetti)
  7. CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz)
  8. WOMAN OF THE YEAR (George Stevens)
  9. SABOTEUR (Alfred Hitchcock)
  10. HOLIDAY INN (Mark Sandrich)

1943

  1. THE SEVENTH VICTIM (Mark Robson)
  2. CABIN IN THE SKY (Vincente Minnelli)
  3. HEAVEN CAN WAIT (Ernst Lubitsch)
  4. A LADY TAKES A CHANCE (William A. Seiter)
  5. I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (Jacques Tourneur)
  6. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)
  7. SHADOW OF A DOUBT (Alfred Hitchcock)
  8. GIRL CRAZY (Norman Taurog)
  9. LE CORBEAU (Henri-Georges Clouzot)
  10. THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (William Wellman)

1944

  1. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli)
  2. HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO (Preston Sturges)
  3. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Billy Wilder)
  4. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (Howard Hawks)
  5. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (Robert Siodmak)
  6. ON APPROVAL (Clive Brook)
  7. THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (Preston Sturges)
  8. A PLACE OF ONE'S OWN (Bernard Knowles)
  9. THE BLUE DAHLIA (George Marshall)
  10. THE UNINVITED (Lewis Allen)

1945

  1. A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (Elia Kazan)
  2. BREWSTER'S MILLIONS (Allan Dwan)
  3. PERFECT STRANGERS / VACATION FROM MARRIAGE (Alexander Korda)
  4. JUNIOR MISS (George Seaton)
  5. CORNERED (Edward Dmytryk)
  6. PAINTED BOATS (Charles Crichton)
  7. I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)
  8. THE LOST WEEKEND (Billy Wilder)
  9. THE STORY OF G.I. JOE (William Wellman)
  10. HANGOVER SQUARE (John Brahm)

1946

  1. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Frank Capra)
  2. MARGIE (Henry King)
  3. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (David Lean)
  4. DEAD OF NIGHT (Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer)
  5. ANTOINE AND ANTOINETTE (Jacques Becker)
  6. BEDLAM (Mark Robson)
  7. MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (John Ford)
  8. THE WELL-DIGGER'S DAUGHTER (Marcel Pagnol)
  9. THE HARVEY GIRLS (George Sidney)
  10. THE CHASE (Arthur Ripley)

1947

  1. BLACK NARCISSUS (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)
  2. GOOD NEWS (Charles Walters)
  3. RIDE THE PINK HORSE (Robert Montgomery)
  4. L'ATALANTE (Jean Vigo)
  5. FEAR IN THE NIGHT (Maxwell Shane)
  6. BODY AND SOUL (Robert Rossen)
  7. ODD MAN OUT (Carol Reed)
  8. DARK PASSAGE (Delmer Daves)
  9. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Jean Cocteau)
  10. REPEAT PERFORMANCE (Alfred L. Werker)

1948

  1. MOONRISE (Frank Borzage)
  2. PITFALL (Andre de Toth)
  3. FORCE OF EVIL (Abraham Polonsky)
  4. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (John Huston)
  5. ROPE (Alfred Hitchcock)
  6. THE PARADINE CASE (Alfred Hitchcock)
  7. ROAD HOUSE (Jean Negulesco)
  8. EASTER PARADE (Charles Walters)
  9. SUMMER HOLIDAY (Rouben Mamoulian)
  10. MISS TATLOCK'S MILLIONS (Richard Haydn)

1949

  1. REIGN OF TERROR (Anthony Mann)
  2. ADAM'S RIB (George Cukor)
  3. THE RECKLESS MOMENT (Max Ophuls)
  4. THE QUEEN OF SPADES (Thorold Dickinson)
  5. HOUSE OF STRANGERS (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
  6. PRINCE OF FOXES (Henry King)
  7. CRISS CROSS (Robert Siodmak)
  8. I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE (Howard Hawks)
  9. A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
  10. TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME (Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen)

1950

  1. THE THIRD MAN (Carol Reed)
  2. ALL ABOUT EVE (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
  3. THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (John Huston)
  4. GUN CRAZY (Joseph H. Lewis)
  5. LA RONDE (Max Ophuls)
  6. THE BREAKING POINT (Michael Curtiz)
  7. CAGED (John Cromwell)
  8. BORN YESTERDAY (George Cukor)
  9. FATHER OF THE BRIDE (Vincente Minnelli)
  10. THE GOLDBERGS (Walter Hart)

1951

  1. THE TALES OF HOFFMAN (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)
  2. EARLY SUMMER (Yasujiro Ozu)
  3. THE NARROW MARGIN (Richard Fleischer)
  4. THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE (John Huston)
  5. ACE IN THE HOLE (Billy Wilder)
  6. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (Vincente Minnelli)
  7. THE THING (Christian Nyby)
  8. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (Alfred Hitchcock)
  9. MIRACLE IN MILAN (Vittorio de Sica)
  10. ROYAL WEDDING (Stanley Donen)

1952

  1. LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES (Jean-Pierre Melville)
  2. AN OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS (Carol Reed)
  3. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen)
  4. THE LUSTY MEN (Nicholas Ray)
  5. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (John Huston)
  6. PAT AND MIKE (George Cukor)
  7. THE MARRYING KIND (George Cukor)
  8. THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT (Alexander Mackendrick)
  9. THE QUIET MAN (John Ford)
  10. MONKEY BUSINESS (Howard Hawks)

1953

  1. SHANE (George Stevens)
  2. THE BAND WAGON (Vincente Minnelli)
  3. 99 RIVER STREET (Phil Karlson)
  4. THE LITTLE FUGITIVE (Ray Ashley, Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin)
  5. LILI (Charles Walters)
  6. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (Byron Haskin)
  7. CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS (John H. Auer)
  8. THE ACTRESS (George Cukor)
  9. THE FLAVOR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE (Yasujiro Ozu)
  10. TOKYO STORY (Yasujiro Ozu)

1954

  1. ON THE WATERFRONT (Elia Kazan)
  2. SUMMER INTERLUDE (Ingmar Bergman)
  3. THE PICKWICK PAPERS (Noel Langley)
  4. HOBSON'S CHOICE (David Lean)
  5. MEXICAN BUS RIDE (Luis Bunuel)
  6. GENEVIEVE (Henry Cornelius)
  7. THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE (Luis Bunuel)
  8. SUDDENLY (Lewis Allen)
  9. CRIME WAVE (Andre de Toth)
  10. THE NIGHT MY NUMBER CAME UP (Leslie Norman)

1955

  1. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
  2. KISS ME DEADLY (Robert Aldrich)
  3. THE WAGES OF FEAR (Henri-Georges Clouzot)
  4. IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER (Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen)
  5. THE BIG KNIFE (Robert Aldrich)
  6. THE BIG COMBO (Joseph H. Lewis)
  7. BOB LE FLAMBEUR (Jean-Pierre Melville)
  8. BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (John Sturges)
  9. EAST OF EDEN (Elia Kazan)
  10. FIVE AGAINST THE HOUSE (Phil Karlson)

1956

  1. GIANT (George Stevens)
  2. THE SEARCHERS (John Ford)
  3. FRENCH CAN CAN (Jean Renoir)
  4. THE KILLING (Stanley Kubrick)
  5. SAWDUST AND TINSEL (Ingmar Bergman)
  6. CAROUSEL (Henry King)
  7. RIFIFI (Jules Dassin)
  8. I VITELLONI (Federico Fellini)
  9. THE LADYKILLERS (Alexander Mackendrick)
  10. INVITATION TO THE DANCE (Gene Kelly)

1957

  1. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (Alexander Mackendrick)
  2. PATHS OF GLORY (Stanley Kubrick)
  3. NIGHTS OF CABIRIA (Federico Fellini)
  4. SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT (Ingmar Bergman)
  5. A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson)
  6. THE STRANGE ONE (Jack Garfein)
  7. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (David Lean)
  8. THE PAJAMA GAME (George Abbott, Stanley Donen)
  9. 12 ANGRY MEN (Sidney Lumet)
  10. THE GREAT MAN (Jose Ferrer)

1958

  1. TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles)
  2. THE SEVENTH SEAL (Ingmar Bergman)
  3. VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock)
  4. THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (Akira Kurosawa)
  5. PATHER PANCHALI (Satyajit Ray)
  6. PARTY GIRL (Nicholas Ray)
  7. THUNDER ROAD (Arthur Ripley)
  8. I BURY THE LIVING (Albert Band)
  9. NAZARIN (Luis Bunuel)
  10. WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES (Nicholas Ray)
  11. THE DEFIANT ONES (Stanley Kramer)

1959

  1. RIDE LONESOME (Budd Boetticher)
  2. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Alfred Hitchcock)
  3. THE 400 BLOWS (Francois Truffaut)
  4. RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks)
  5. THE MAGICIAN (Ingmar Bergman)
  6. THE COUSINS (Claude Chabrol)
  7. THE CRIMSON KIMONO (Samuel Fuller)
  8. TIGER BAY (J. Lee Thompson)
  9. ANATOMY OF A MURDER (Otto Preminger)
  10. OHAYO (Yasujiro Ozu)

1960

  1. EYES WITHOUT A FACE (Georges Franju)
  2. PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock)
  3. JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY (Bert Stern)
  4. BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET (Mario Monicelli)
  5. BALLAD OF A SOLDIER (Grigori Chukhrai)
  6. STUDS LONIGAN (Irving Lerner)
  7. THE CRANES ARE FLYING (Mikhail Kalotozov)
  8. NORTH TO ALASKA (Henry Hathaway)
  9. THE SUNDOWNERS (Fred Zinnemann)
  10. MALAGA (Laslo Benedek)

1961

  1. SHADOWS (John Cassavetes)
  2. LOLA (Jacques Demy)
  3. THE JOKER (Philippe de Broca)
  4. THE HUSTLER (Robert Rossen)
  5. WHITE NIGHTS (Luchino Visconti)
  6. LA DOLCE VITA (Federico Fellini)
  7. UNDERWORLD U.S.A. (Samuel Fuller)
  8. ALL NIGHT LONG (Basil Dearden)
  9. CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 (Agnes Varda)
  10. SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING (Karel Reisz)

1962

  1. RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (Sam Peckinpah)
  2. VIRIDIANA (Luis Bunuel)
  3. AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (Yasujiro Ozu)
  4. THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER (Tony Richardson)
  5. MY LIFE TO LIVE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  6. THE CRIMINAL (Joseph Losey)
  7. LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (Alain Resnais)
  8. HARAKIRI (Masaki Kobayashi)
  9. THE MUSIC MAN (Morton Da Costa)
  10. A KIND OF LOVING (John Schlesinger)
  11. LA VIACCIA (Mauro Bolognini)

1963

  1. THE EASY LIFE (Dino Risi)
  2. MAFIOSO (Alberto Lattuada)
  3. AMERICA, AMERICA (Elia Kazan)
  4. KNIFE IN THE WATER (Roman Polanski)
  5. IL POSTO (Ermanno Olmi)
  6. HUD (Martin Ritt)
  7. LA VISITA (Antonio Pietrangeli)
  8. SPARROWS CAN'T SING (Joan Littlewood)
  9. LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER (Robert Mulligan)
  10. THE BIRDS (Alfred Hitchcock)

1964

  1. THE SERVANT (Joseph Losey)
  2. LILITH (Robert Rossen)
  3. BAND OF OUTSIDERS (Jean-Luc Godard)
  4. THE BEST MAN (Franklin Schaffner)
  5. THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (Roger Corman)
  6. NOTHING BUT A MAN (Michael Roemer)
  7. FAIL SAFE (Sidney Lumet)
  8. THE ORGANIZER (Mario Monicelli)
  9. ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS (Byron Haskin)
  10. NOBODY WAVED GOODBYE (Don Owen)

1965

  1. THE KNACK (Richard Lester)
  2. ALPHAVILLE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  3. REPULSION (Roman Polanski)
  4. THE MOMENT OF TRUTH (Francesco Rosi)
  5. A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA (Alexander Mackendrick)
  6. EVA (Joseph Losey)
  7. THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (Martin Ritt)
  8. THE 10TH VICTIM (Elio Petri)
  9. THE HILL (Sidney Lumet)
  10. LA VIE DE CHATEAU (Jean-Paul Rappeneau)

1966

  1. MOUCHETTE (Robert Bresson)
  2. JUDEX (Georges Franju)
  3. MASCULIN FEMININ (Jean-Luc Godard)
  4. CUL-DE-SAC (Roman Polanski)
  5. LOVES OF A BLONDE (Milos Forman)
  6. LES BONNES FEMMES (Claude Chabrol)
  7. THE GIRL-GETTERS (Michael Winner)
  8. FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (Sergio Leone)
  9. GEORGY GIRL (Silvio Narizzano)
  10. CRAZY QUILT (John Korty)

1967

  1. POINT BLANK (John Boorman)
  2. BEDAZZLED (Stanley Donen)
  3. SAMURAI REBELLION (Masaki Kobayashi)
  4. GUNN (Blake Edwards)
  5. DAISIES (Vera Chytilova)
  6. A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG (Charles Chaplin)
  7. THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (Luis Bunuel)
  8. LE PETIT SOLDAT (Jean-Luc Godard)
  9. ELVIRA MADIGAN (Bo Widerberg)
  10. THE FAMILY WAY (Roy Boulting)
  11. THE STRANGER (Luchino Visconti)

1968

  1. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (George Romero)
  2. MADIGAN (Don Siegel)
  3. WITCHFINDER GENERAL / THE CONQUEROR WORM (Michael Reeves)
  4. FACES (John Cassavetes)
  5. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick)
  6. HELL IN THE PACIFIC (John Boorman)
  7. THE PARTY (Blake Edwards)
  8. CHARLIE BUBBLES (Albert Finney)
  9. DANGER: DIABOLIK (Mario Bava)
  10. WEEKEND ITALIAN STYLE (Dino Risi)

1969

  1. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Sergio Leone)
  2. GOYOKIN (Hideo Gosha)
  3. LES CREATURES (Agnes Varda)
  4. THE WITCHES (Luchino Visconti / Mauro Bolognini / Pier Paolo Pasolini / Franco Rossi / Vittorio de Sica)
  5. PICKPOCKET (Robert Bresson)
  6. LA FEMME INFIDELE (Claude Chabrol)
  7. THE REIVERS (Mark Rydell)
  8. THE ROUND UP (Miklos Jancso)
  9. INTIMATE LIGHTING (Ivan Passer)
  10. SINFUL DAVEY (John Huston)
  11. BAD COMPANY (Jean Eustache)

1970

  1. FELLINI SATYRICON (Federico Fellini)
  2. THE MOLLY MAGUIRES (Martin Ritt)
  3. LOVING (Irvin Kershner)
  4. THE HONEYMOON KILLERS (Leonard Kastle)
  5. AGNUS DEI (Miklos Jancso)
  6. THE REVOLUTIONARY (Paul Williams)
  7. MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (Eric Rohmer)
  8. WHERE'S POPPA? (Carl Reiner)
  9. DARKER THAN AMBER (Robert Clouse)
  10. THE PASSENGER (Andrezj Munk)

1971

  1. WALKABOUT (Nicolas Roeg)
  2. BLEAK MOMENTS (Mike Leigh)
  3. DEEP END (Jerzy Skolimowski)
  4. THE GO-BETWEEN (Joseph Losey)
  5. WANDA (Barbara Loden)
  6. TAKING OFF (Milos Forman)
  7. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (Peter Bogdanovich)
  8. THE SHOOTING (Monte Hellman)
  9. LE BOUCHER (Claude Chabrol)
  10. MINNIE AND MOSKOWITZ (John Cassavetes)

1972

  1. LE SAMOURAI (Jean-Pierre Melville)
  2. JUNIOR BONNER (Sam Peckinpah)
  3. MY UNCLE ANTOINE (Claude Jutra)
  4. THE HEARTBREAK KID (Elaine May)
  5. FELLINI'S ROMA (Federico Fellini)
  6. DELIVERANCE (John Boorman)
  7. THE EMIGRANTS (Jan Troell)
  8. ACROSS 110TH STREET (Barry Shear)
  9. POCKET MONEY (Stuart Rosenberg)
  10. OUTBACK (Ted Kotcheff)

1973

  1. MEAN STREETS (Martin Scorsese)
  2. THE LAST DETAIL (Hal Ashby)
  3. DAY FOR NIGHT (Francois Truffaut)
  4. CHARLEY VARRICK (Don Siegel)
  5. ADIEU PHILIPPINE (Jacques Rozier)
  6. PLAYTIME (Jacques Tati)
  7. BLUME IN LOVE (Paul Mazursky)
  8. WESTWORLD (Michael Crichton)
  9. RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND (Monte Hellman)
  10. THE LONG GOODBYE (Robert Altman)

1974

  1. BADLANDS (Terrence Malick)
  2. BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (Sam Peckinpah)
  3. LE PETIT THEATRE DE JEAN RENOIR (Jean Renoir)
  4. A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (John Cassavetes)
  5. CALIFORNIA SPLIT (Robert Altman)
  6. FREEBIE AND THE BEAN (Richard Rush)
  7. AMARCORD (Federico Fellini)
  8. THAT'LL BE THE DAY (Claude Whatham)
  9. DARK STAR (John Carpenter)
  10. THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (Joseph Sargent)

1975

  1. SMILE (Michael Ritchie)
  2. THE SUNSHINE BOYS (Herbert Ross)
  3. NASHVILLE (Robert Altman)
  4. THE STORY OF ADELE H. (Francois Truffaut)
  5. HESTER STREET (Joan Micklin Silver)
  6. BARRY LYNDON (Stanley Kubrick)
  7. THE MYSTERY OF KASPAR HAUSER (Werner Herzog)
  8. THE YAKUZA (Sydney Pollack)
  9. THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (John Huston)
  10. LANCELOT OF THE LAKE (Robert Bresson)

1976

  1. THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
  2. THE MARQUISE OF O... (Eric Rohmer)
  3. IMMORAL TALES (Walerian Borowczyk)
  4. CARRIE (Brian De Palma)
  5. SMALL CHANGE (Francois Truffaut)
  6. MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH (Renee Daalder)
  7. NUTS IN MAY (Mike Leigh)
  8. MIKEY AND NICKY (Elaine May)
  9. THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE (John Cassavetes)
  10. DIE SWEETHEARTS (Klaus Lemke)

1977

  1. AGUIRRE, WRATH OF GOD (Werner Herzog)
  2. SUSPIRIA (Dario Argento)
  3. STROSZEK (Werner Herzog)
  4. F FOR FAKE (Orson Welles)
  5. HANDLE WITH CARE (Jonathan Demme)
  6. THREE WOMEN (Robert Altman)
  7. WHICH WAY IS UP? (Michael Schultz)
  8. DERSU UZALA (Akira Kurosawa)
  9. IN THE NAME OF THE POPE KING (Luigi Magni)
  10. FEMMES FATALES (Bertrand Blier)

1978

  1. THE DUELLISTS (Ridley Scott)
  2. STRAIGHT TIME (Ulu Grosbard)
  3. BLUE COLLAR (Paul Schrader)
  4. WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN? (Karel Reisz)
  5. BREAD AND CHOCOLATE (Franco Brusati)
  6. BIG WEDNESDAY (John Milius)
  7. A WEDDING (Robert Altman)
  8. THE DRIVER (Walter Hill)
  9. BLOODBROTHERS (Robert Mulligan)
  10. DOSSIER 51 (Michel Deville)

1979

  1. BILLY IN THE LOWLANDS (Jan Egleson)
  2. NORTH DALLAS FORTY (Ted Kotcheff)
  3. DOWN AND DIRTY (Ettore Scola)
  4. WIFEMISTRESS (Mario Vicario)
  5. THE ONION FIELD (Harold Becker)
  6. THE WARRIORS (Walter Hill)
  7. SKATETOWN U.S.A. (William A. Levey)
  8. MEATBALLS (Ivan Reitman)
  9. "10" (Blake Edwards)
  10. REAL LIFE (Albert Brooks)

1980

  1. BYE BYE BRAZIL (Carlos Diegues)
  2. THE RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN (John Sayles)
  3. CARNY (Robert Kaylor)
  4. GROWN-UPS (Mike Leigh)
  5. GLORIA (John Cassavetes)
  6. WISE BLOOD (John Huston)
  7. AIRPLANE! (Jim Abrahams / Jerry Zucker / David Zucker)
  8. THE STUNT MAN (Richard Rush)
  9. RAGING BULL (Martin Scorsese)
  10. LITTLE DARLINGS (Ronald F. Maxwell)

1981

  1. MODERN ROMANCE (Albert Brooks)
  2. GALLIPOLI (Peter Weir)
  3. KNIGHTRIDERS (George A. Romero)
  4. TRUE CONFESSIONS (Ulu Grosbard)
  5. CITY OF WOMEN (Federico Fellini)
  6. THIEF (Michael Mann)
  7. CUTTER'S WAY (Ivan Passer)
  8. GARDE A VUE (Claude Miller)
  9. THE FUNHOUSE (Tobe Hooper)
  10. S.O.B. (Blake Edwards)
  11. SHARKY'S MACHINE (Burt Reynolds)

1982

  1. GREGORY'S GIRL (Bill Forsyth)
  2. LE BEAU MARIAGE (Eric Rohmer)
  3. THE ROAD WARRIOR (George Miller)
  4. ANDROID (Aaron Lipstadt)
  5. DON'S PARTY (Bruce Beresford)
  6. STARSTRUCK (Gillian Armstrong)
  7. SMASH PALACE (Roger Donaldson)
  8. FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (Amy Heckerling)
  9. SERIE NOIRE (Alain Corneau)
  10. PORKY'S (Bob Clark)

1983

  1. CARMEN (Carlos Saura)
  2. PAULINE AT THE BEACH (Eric Rohmer)
  3. THE KING OF COMEDY (Martin Scorsese)
  4. LIANNA (John Sayles)
  5. BETRAYAL (David Jones)
  6. ANGELO MY LOVE (Robert Duvall)
  7. LOCAL HERO (Bill Forsyth)
  8. BABY IT'S YOU (John Sayles)
  9. NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION (Harold Ramis)
  10. VALLEY GIRL (Martha Coolidge)

1984

  1. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (Sergio Leone)
  2. CHOOSE ME (Alan Rudolph)
  3. LE DERNIER COMBAT (Luc Besson)
  4. STRANGER THAN PARADISE (Jim Jarmusch)
  5. AND THE SHIP SAILS ON (Federico Fellini)
  6. THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (Shohei Imamura)
  7. SUGAR CANE ALLEY (Euzhan Palcy)
  8. THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (W.D. Richter)
  9. SIXTEEN CANDLES (John Hughes)
  10. STOP MAKING SENSE (Jonathan Demme)

1985

  1. LOST IN AMERICA (Albert Brooks)
  2. BLOOD SIMPLE (Joel Coen)
  3. GOODBYE, NEW YORK (Amos Kollek)
  4. AFTER HOURS (Martin Scorsese)
  5. PRIZZI'S HONOR (John Huston)
  6. PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (Tim Burton)
  7. VENGEANCE IS MINE (Shohei Imamura)
  8. RE-ANIMATOR (Stuart Gordon)
  9. BETTER OFF DEAD (Savage Steve Holland)
  10. 28 UP (Michael Apted)

1986

  1. CROCODILE DUNDEE (Peter Faiman)
  2. GINGER AND FRED (Federico Fellini)
  3. CLOCKWISE (Christopher Morahan)
  4. THERESE (Alain Cavalier)
  5. RITA, SUE AND BOB TOO (Alan Clarke)
  6. SINCERELY CHARLOTTE (Caroline Huppert)
  7. DOWN BY LAW (Jim Jarmusch)
  8. PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (Francis Ford Coppola)
  9. THE HITCHER (Robert Harmon)
  10. EL AMOR BRUJO (Carlos Saura)

1987

  1. RAISING ARIZONA (Joel Coen)
  2. HOUR OF THE STAR (Suzana Amaral)
  3. WITHNAIL AND I (Bruce Robinson)
  4. BOYFRIENDS AND GIRLFRIENDS (Eric Rohmer)
  5. THE DEAD (John Huston)
  6. THE BIG EASY (Jim McBride)
  7. HOUSE OF GAMES (David Mamet)
  8. ORPHANS (Alan J. Pakula)
  9. RIVER'S EDGE (Tim Hunter)
  10. JEAN DE FLORETTE and MANON DES SOURCES (Claude Berri)

1988

  1. BAGDAD CAFE (Percy Adlon)
  2. THE FIRM (Alan Clarke)
  3. AFTER PILKINGTON (Christopher Morahan)
  4. CANDY MOUNTAIN (Robert Frank / Rudy Wurlitzer)
  5. SPIKE OF BENSONHURST (Paul Morrissey)
  6. THINGS CHANGE (David Mamet)
  7. THE GRAND HIGHWAY (Jean-Loup Hubert)
  8. A FISH CALLED WANDA (Charles Crichton)
  9. DIE HARD (John McTiernan)
  10. DEAD RINGERS (David Cronenberg)

1989

  1. MYSTERY TRAIN (Jim Jarmusch)
  2. SAY ANYTHING... (Cameron Crowe)
  3. HIGH HOPES (Mike Leigh)
  4. HEATHERS (Michael Lehmann)
  5. THE WAR OF THE ROSES (Danny DeVito)
  6. DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES (Terence Davies)
  7. THE MIGHTY QUINN (Carl Schenkel)
  8. TRUE LOVE (Nancy Savoca)
  9. DRUGSTORE COWBOY (Gus Van Sant, Jr.)
  10. MY LEFT FOOT (Jim Sheridan)

1990

  1. METROPOLITAN (Whit Stillman)
  2. GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese)
  3. EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (Tim Burton)
  4. JESUS OF MONTREAL (Denys Arcand)
  5. SWEETIE (Jane Campion)
  6. MY 20TH CENTURY (Ildiko Enyedi)
  7. THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH (Hal Hartley)
  8. DARKMAN (Sam Raimi)
  9. POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE (Mike Nichols)
  10. THE PLOT AGAINST HARRY (Michael Roemer)

1991

  1. LIFE IS SWEET (Mike Leigh)
  2. KILLER OF SHEEP (Charles Burnett)
  3. TRUST (Hal Hartley)
  4. RAMBLING ROSE (Martha Coolidge)
  5. LA FEMME NIKITA (Luc Besson)
  6. THE STORY OF BOYS AND GIRLS (Pupi Avati)
  7. MY FATHER'S GLORY & MY MOTHER'S CASTLE (Yves Robert)
  8. ANTONIA AND JANE (Beeban Kidron)
  9. BLACK ROBE (Bruce Beresford)
  10. JUNGLE FEVER (Spike Lee)

1992

  1. UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood)
  2. RESERVOIR DOGS (Quentin Tarantino)
  3. GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (James Foley)
  4. LOVE POTION NO. 9 (Dale Launer)
  5. LOVE FIELD (Jonathan Kaplan)
  6. DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST (Julie Dash)
  7. ONE FALSE MOVE (Carl Franklin)
  8. MY NEW GUN (Stacy Cochran)
  9. THE MATCH FACTORY GIRL (Aki Kaurismaki)
  10. 35 UP (Michael Apted)

1993

  1. RUBY IN PARADISE (Victor Nunez)
  2. THE SNAPPER (Stephen Frears)
  3. GROUNDHOG DAY (Harold Ramis)
  4. THE STOLEN CHILDREN (Gianni Amelio)
  5. THE WEDDING BANQUET (Ang Lee)
  6. MATINEE (Joe Dante)
  7. EL MARIACHI (Robert Rodriguez)
  8. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Henry Selick)
  9. DEMOLITION MAN (Marco Brambilla)
  10. JUDGMENT NIGHT (Stephen Hopkins)

1994

  1. THE LAST SEDUCTION (John Dahl)
  2. PULP FICTION (Quentin Tarantino)
  3. RED ROCK WEST (John Dahl)
  4. DECEMBER BRIDE (Thaddeus O'Sullivan)
  5. SPANKING THE MONKEY (David O. Russell)
  6. KILLING ZOE (Roger Avary)
  7. THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA (Tran Anh Hung)
  8. READY TO WEAR (Robert Altman)
  9. I'LL DO ANYTHING (James L. Brooks)
  10. BARCELONA (Whit Stillman)

1995

  1. LES MISERABLES (Claude Lelouch)
  2. THE KINGDOM (Lars von Trier)
  3. CLUELESS (Amy Heckerling)
  4. TO DIE FOR (Gus Van Sant)
  5. DOLORES CLAIBORNE (Taylor Hackford)
  6. DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (Carl Franklin)
  7. SWIMMING WITH SHARKS (George Huang)
  8. A MONTH BY THE LAKE (John Irvin)
  9. STRANGE DAYS (Kathryn Bigelow)
  10. O QUATRILHO (Fabio Barreto)
  11. KIDS (Larry Clark)

1996

  1. SECRETS AND LIES (Mike Leigh)
  2. BOTTLE ROCKET (Wes Anderson)
  3. FARGO (Joel Coen)
  4. WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE (Todd Solondz)
  5. THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS (Michael Lehmann)
  6. LONE STAR (John Sayles)
  7. FREEWAY (Matthew Bright)
  8. KINGPIN (Peter and Bobby Farrelly)
  9. SLING BLADE (Billy Bob Thornton)
  10. 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY (John Herzfeld)

1997

  1. IN THE COMPANY OF MEN (Neil LaBute)
  2. MEN IN BLACK (Barry Sonnenfeld)
  3. TEMPTRESS MOON (Chen Kaige)
  4. CAREER GIRLS (Mike Leigh)
  5. HARD EIGHT (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  6. IRMA VEP (Olivier Assayas)
  7. PONETTE (Jacques Doillon)
  8. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson)
  9. THE APOSTLE (Robert Duvall)
  10. ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION (David Mirkin)

1998

  1. THE OPPOSITE OF SEX (Don Roos)
  2. SNAKE EYES (Brian De Palma)
  3. A SIMPLE PLAN (Sam Raimi)
  4. A MERRY WAR (Robert Bierman)
  5. THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (Whit Stillman)
  6. THE BUTCHER BOY (Neil Jordan)
  7. THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick)
  8. RUSHMORE (Wes Anderson)
  9. SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS (Tamara Jenkins)
  10. BUFFALO 66 (Vincent Gallo)

1999

  1. TOPSY-TURVY (Mike Leigh)
  2. ELECTION (Alexander Payne)
  3. OFFICE SPACE (Mike Judge)
  4. AUTUMN TALE (Eric Rohmer)
  5. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (Daniel Myrick / Eduardo Sanchez)
  6. EYES WIDE SHUT (Stanley Kubrick)
  7. RUN LOLA RUN (Tom Tykwer)
  8. THE LIMEY (Steven Soderbergh)
  9. SUGAR TOWN (Allison Anders / Kurt Voss)
  10. THE STRAIGHT STORY (David Lynch)