The Sight and Sound’s Top Ten Poll: What About You?
Every decade since 1952, the prestigious magazine Sight and Sound asks critics to vote for the 10 greatest films of all time. So, in 2012 will come another edition of this much awaited poll.
As the many followers of Roger Ebert may be aware, he already published his list on his blog, the selection of the ten, yes only ten, greatest films of all time is something quite a task.
Here we will be talking only about the choices of the Critics’ list, because in 2002 a panel of directors were asked the same duty and many films were the same while some differed from both lists, there have been a few articles about this topic and some critics even made their choices available on their own blogs. However, it is interesting to try to predict how the vote will go this time. Since every decade saw new films entering and others go out, the last edition was probably the most academic. Almost only classic films were cited.
As you would have expected, Citizen Kane placed first. It has been the case since 1962 while back in 1952 it didn’t even make the top ten. In second place was Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, often regarded as the legendary director’s masterpiece but since new lectures placed Psycho and Rear Window in better positions by the contemporary Hitchcockians. Number three was Renoir’s La règle du jeu aka The Rules of the Game. After that, the rest of the top 10 was as follow:
4. The Godfather and The Godfather part II,
5. Yasujiro Ozu’s masterpiece Tokyo Story,
6. Sci-Fi perfection 2001: A Space Odyssey
7. Textbook editing Battleship Potemkin (no link with the new release Battleship)
7. Murnau’s culmination of Silent Film mastery Sunrise (tie)
9. 8 ½
9. Singin’ In the Rain (tie)
Many critics were asked if they had to remove one film off the list and add another one in its place, what would those be. Many critics seemed to want to exclude Vertigo because it is not the best Hitchcock film, some answered the same way with 8 ½ and Federico Fellini’s corpus, while others wanted to oust The Godfather movies because they count for two entries. Nonetheless, it is Singin’ In the Rain that has been shown the door the most.
The most common answer as the replacement of those films would be to add Jacques Tati’s play on modernity Playtime. Others would add popular classics like Kurosawa’s Rashomon or Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. A critic even mentioned Jurassic Park. If you ask me, it is a bold and audacious pick but it demonstrates how difficult it is to get a consensus on the greatest films of all time. A list of ten choices is a very hard task to accomplish because the average movie enthusiast sees +/- 100 films per year. Think about for a moment and a critic must see around three or four times as many films per year. Multiply this by ten, fifteen, twenty years you have a whole lot of films. So choosing only ten can be a head scratcher.
It will be interesting to see what critics will come up with as the greatest films of all time in 2012. Let’s hope for more international titles, more contemporary Cinema, and why not more mainstream entries. Personally, when I made my picks I kept in mind the movies that made the films of today. But also the movies that made the History of Cinema and that have been able to pass the test of time.
If you were asked to take one film out and add one film into the list above, what would those be? What do you think of the 2002 edition? Which films do you expect to be on the new edition?
19 Comments
Wow…
If I was a member of Sight & Sound…
Well, in no particular order.
1. The Godfather
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
3. The 400 Blows
4. The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
5. Days of Heaven
6. Chungking Express
7. 8 1/2
8. Tokyo Story
9. The Seven Samurai
10. Wild Strawberries
Great list! I still have to watch Chungking Express from your picks! I like the Bergman, Leone, and Truffaut insertions too!
I guess I couldn’t say because I’ve only seen three of the ten films and two of them, Citizen Kane and 2001 A Space Odyssey, both put me to sleep! I know The Godfather deserves to be on there, I would unfairly take out Singing In the Rain because I’m not too big on musicals. Gee, you certainly have me thinking about what my list would be…
This is the “fun” of those lists it makes you weight the reach of each film and put it in the context of their values as entertainment and into the History of Cinema.
I also think Vertigo wasn’t Hitchcock’s best. I’d put Psycho instead.
I would put Rear Window if I could replace Vertigo. But still Psycho is more Hitchcockian than Vertigo.
Gah I suck at “Best of” lists. Much more easier to choose my favourites. Having said that, from the one’s mentioned, I’d definitely want to see Taxi Driver in the most. Personally, I think Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the most beautiful and brilliant films that I have seen, and none of these to my knowledge have like a fantasy element to them.
Ahah! Taxi Driver is my No.1!
I would add The 400 Blows and take off singing in the rain…. But I am but a peasant that knows nothing.
We are all peasants here! Let’s just have fun and do our guessings! The 400 Blows is a very clever choice!
I would probably first take out 8 1/2 (I prefer La Dolce Vita) and add The Red Shoes (my all-time favourite). AS for my own list, off the top of my head right here and right now:
1. The Red Shoes
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
3. The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
4. Psycho
5. Sunrise
6. Singin’ in the Rain
7. The Night of the Hunter
8. Bonnie & Clyde
9. City Lights
10. The Searchers
With the exception of the top 4, I would probably change this list if asked tomorrow or the next day or whenever, but right now, right here, it is this. I do plan on posting a 100 Favourites list on my site sometime in late 2012. I am already upset I forgot to include Taxi Driver and King Kong. C’est la vie.
I also made a list with my picks but I felt like lefting so many films down by narrowing it to only 10… I also have Taxi Driver and The Red Shoes.
Excellent list Kevyn!
That’s a really interesting list. I’m not a big fan of 8 1/2, so I would remove that. In its place, I would select either City Lights or Sunset Boulevard.
I’m surprised that so many people aren’t fond of 8 1/2… But, your replacing picks are solid choices!
First very surprised if not shocked Citizen Kane wasn’t on the list. I mean it was thought of as the best film ever. My how tastes change. My top ten faves in no particular order Godfather, East of Eden, Some Like it Hot, Red Sorghum, 400 Blows, La Dolce Vita, Red Shoes, Boomerang 47, Thin Blue Line.
Kane is number one since 1962… Interesting picks mugwort!
It’s a fun game isn’t it? Mine would look like this:
1. Metropolis-Lang (1927) [The "Complete" Metropolis, 147 min]
2. Nostalghia-Tarkovsky (1983)
3. Citizen Kane-Welles (1941)
4. Touch of Evil-Welles (1958) ["Welles' Memo" Restoration, 108 min]
5. North by Northwest-Hitchcock (1959)
6. Brazil-Gilliam (1985) [The Final Cut, 142 min]
7. Nashville-Altman (1975)
8. The Kingdom-Von Trier (1994)
9. The Mirror-Tarkovsky (1974)
10. Persona-Bergman (1966)
It is a very fun game! Great list. That Tarkovsky, Nostalghia, is a personal favorite. It’s also great to see more recent films on your list: The Kingdom and Brazil.
Thanks
Re: “more recent films”, if it could stretch to 11 entries, I’d include Underground-Kusturica (1995) as well. Re: Nostalghia, surely Tarkovsky’s most underrated film…
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