This post is fantastic and informative. I appreciate the Complete Sight and Sound (CSS) website for its exciting rankings. While I’m accustomed to the American Film Institute’s (AFI) top 100, the CSS rankings prompt a discussion on the criteria and reasoning behind them. It’s intriguing stuff. Thank you, sir.
I think it was like 10-12 years ago that Bill Hader came out with his list of favorite films. That started me on my quest to revisit films I either hadn't seen in a long time or at all.
That led me to the book, "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" by American film producer Steven Jay Schneider. It was first published in 2003 and was updated every year from 2007 to 2021.
I grabbed every edition and compared them. If we take every film ever included, I believe there are actually 1,167 movies we should see before we die.
I found it interesting to track the changes over time in the book. There were more American films at first, but they evolved to include more non-US films.
I'll be the first one to admit that non-US films have a hard time making it in the US for a myriad of reasons. I'd love to see a list of the top whatever number non-US films.
Steven Jay Schneider’s 1001 Movies is a favorite of mine. I own the first edition and frequently refer to it for guidance. Its content has significantly enhanced my appreciation for well-crafted cinema.
I'd argue the Bunuel films that have dropped in rankings fall under the "You Have to See to Appreciate..." category. A great many of his films are hard to find on Blu-ray in the US. Especially ones he made in Mexico such as Nazarin. Fortunately, Criterion is bringing back Viridiana on 4k next year.
Astonished by Bunuel’s fall from grace. Can only assume it’s a result of being taken for granted (“oc everyone else will vote for him”) and/or the ignorance of youth.
But am comforted by the thought the great man himself would be amused by it.
I guess people just don't like Luis Buñuel as much? OR he held so many titles at the top he got oared down eventually. Though I strongly believe his work to be extremely important, the one title of his that is in the falling list that shouldn't be is L'Age d'Or. Too important and probably amongst the few films that I feel should be required viewing for filmmakers to understand ways to fuck with narrative form.
L'Eclisse is a good movie to drop. I dropped it substantially from my own personal canon! It used to be my absolute favorite, top 1 film — the cinematography, the structural way every shot has some element eclipsing another, the ending, all hit me hard and I enjoyed watching it over and over again in my 20s.
In my mid-thirties I revisited it and was appalled. Cinematography and editing aside, it was about a woman who got out of a relationship and then had a few bad dates with some finance bro. Wow, such existentialism, much emptiness of modernism, wow. I mean I still follow the atomic bomb fear, early globalism stuff, distancing of people from their desires through capitalism stuff, but still, plot wise this movie is just a series of bad dates that we only find compelling merely because it's Alain Delon. Antonioni has far better work to see.
I wonder what specifically explains The Grapes of Wrath and Belle de Jour’s dramatic drop off. Seems like that latter film was considered a key classic when I was younger, now seems to have almost been memory-holed.
This post is fantastic and informative. I appreciate the Complete Sight and Sound (CSS) website for its exciting rankings. While I’m accustomed to the American Film Institute’s (AFI) top 100, the CSS rankings prompt a discussion on the criteria and reasoning behind them. It’s intriguing stuff. Thank you, sir.
I love this!
I think it was like 10-12 years ago that Bill Hader came out with his list of favorite films. That started me on my quest to revisit films I either hadn't seen in a long time or at all.
That led me to the book, "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" by American film producer Steven Jay Schneider. It was first published in 2003 and was updated every year from 2007 to 2021.
I grabbed every edition and compared them. If we take every film ever included, I believe there are actually 1,167 movies we should see before we die.
I found it interesting to track the changes over time in the book. There were more American films at first, but they evolved to include more non-US films.
I'll be the first one to admit that non-US films have a hard time making it in the US for a myriad of reasons. I'd love to see a list of the top whatever number non-US films.
Hello Tim
Steven Jay Schneider’s 1001 Movies is a favorite of mine. I own the first edition and frequently refer to it for guidance. Its content has significantly enhanced my appreciation for well-crafted cinema.
Trying to find old international films at the video store was a real
pain. Streaming makes it too easy in a way…
I've gone back to buying Blu-rays and DVDs. There are too many great films, US & non-US, that aren't streaming anywhere.
I'd argue the Bunuel films that have dropped in rankings fall under the "You Have to See to Appreciate..." category. A great many of his films are hard to find on Blu-ray in the US. Especially ones he made in Mexico such as Nazarin. Fortunately, Criterion is bringing back Viridiana on 4k next year.
Thank you, Stephen!
Astonished by Bunuel’s fall from grace. Can only assume it’s a result of being taken for granted (“oc everyone else will vote for him”) and/or the ignorance of youth.
But am comforted by the thought the great man himself would be amused by it.
Great analysis! Interesting conclusion - and well presented.
I guess people just don't like Luis Buñuel as much? OR he held so many titles at the top he got oared down eventually. Though I strongly believe his work to be extremely important, the one title of his that is in the falling list that shouldn't be is L'Age d'Or. Too important and probably amongst the few films that I feel should be required viewing for filmmakers to understand ways to fuck with narrative form.
L'Eclisse is a good movie to drop. I dropped it substantially from my own personal canon! It used to be my absolute favorite, top 1 film — the cinematography, the structural way every shot has some element eclipsing another, the ending, all hit me hard and I enjoyed watching it over and over again in my 20s.
In my mid-thirties I revisited it and was appalled. Cinematography and editing aside, it was about a woman who got out of a relationship and then had a few bad dates with some finance bro. Wow, such existentialism, much emptiness of modernism, wow. I mean I still follow the atomic bomb fear, early globalism stuff, distancing of people from their desires through capitalism stuff, but still, plot wise this movie is just a series of bad dates that we only find compelling merely because it's Alain Delon. Antonioni has far better work to see.
I wonder what specifically explains The Grapes of Wrath and Belle de Jour’s dramatic drop off. Seems like that latter film was considered a key classic when I was younger, now seems to have almost been memory-holed.
How smug would you be feeling if you were the one person who voted for In the Mood For Love in tye 2002 poll. Vindication!
How about "Fast and Furious"? That's supposed to be pretty good.
“Gone With The Wind”.
You forgot Gone With The Wind