Top Ranked Films from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan

[2011 Update]
© William L. Sinclair

China had just 6 films crack the top 1000, Hong Kong 8, and Taiwan 6 on our Top Ranked Films, 2011 Edition, based on all film polls. I extended the lists further to include more titles, 30 in all, and I have them separate first, then all together, the top 30 in all off the polls. I then include my own favorite 30, with 12 new unranked titles that include directors Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee, John Woo, and Chien Kaige.

Just one of many magical scenes in Hero

China (or Chinese directors)

1. Hero (2002) Yimou, Zhang #591 China - top-grossing film in Chinese history, exciting action and a terrific screenplay with a winding plot about assassins after the King of Q'in.
2. Farewell, My Concubine (1993) Chen Kaige #614 Hong Kong-China
3. House of Flying Daggers (2004) Yimou, Zhang #724 China
4. Spring in a Small Town (1948) Fei, Mu #909 China
5. Last Train Home (2009) Fan, Lixie #918 Can-China-UK
6. Flight of the Red Balloon, The (2007) Hou, Hsiao-hsien #922 China
7. Up the Yangtze (2007) Chang, Yung #1015 China
8. Springtime in a Small Town (2002) Tian, Zhuangzhuang #1076 China
9. Yellow Earth (1984) Kaige, Chen #1214 China
10. Red Sorghum (1987) Yimou, Zhang #1333 China
11. Ju Dou (1990) Yimou, Zhang #1402 China
12. King of the Children (1987) Kaige, Chen #1818 China



Hong Kong

1. In the Mood for Love (2001) Wong Kar-Wai #167 Hong Kong-France [photo rt]
2. Chungking Express (1994) Wong Kar-Wai #363 Hong Kong
3. Raise the Red Lantern (1991) Zhang Yimou #386 Hong Kong
4. Days of Being Wild (1990) Wong Kar-Wai #466 Hong Kong
5. Infernal Affairs (2002) Lau (Wai-keung), Mak (Alan) #662 Hong Kong
6. Killer, The (1989) Woo, John #670 Hong Kong
7. 2046 (2004) Wong Kar-Wai #790 Hong Kong
8. Happy Together (1997) Wong Kar-Wai #824 Hong Kong
9. Fallen Angels (1995) Wong Kar-Wai #1096 Hong Kong


Taiwan (alone or multinational)

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Lee, Ang #245 China-Taiwan-US [photo rt]
2. Yi yi (2000) Yang, Edward #249 Taiwan-Japan
3. Time to Live and the Time to Die, The (1985) Hou, Hsiao-Hsien #657 Taiwan
4. City of Sadness, A (1989) Hou, Hsiao-Hsien #672 Taiwan
5. Touch of Zen, A (1971) Hu, King #881 Taiwan
6. Brighter Summer Day, A (1991) Yang, Edward #937 Taiwan
7. Puppetmaster, The (1993) Hou, Hsiao-Hsien #1149 Taiwan
8. Flowers of Shanghai (1998) Hou, Hsiao-Hsien #1292 Taiwan
9. Vive L'Amour (1994) Tsai Ming-Liang #1573 Taiwan

All Lists Above Merged

1. In the Mood for Love (2001) Wong Kar-Wai #167 Hong Kong-France
2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Lee, Ang #245 China-Taiwan-US
3. Yi yi (2000) Yang, Edward #249 Taiwan-Japan
4. Chungking Express (1994) Wong Kar-Wai #363 Hong Kong
5. Raise the Red Lantern (1991) Zhang Yimou #386 Hong Kong
6. Days of Being Wild (1990) Wong Kar-Wai #466 Hong Kong
7. Hero (2002) Yimou, Zhang #591 China
8. Farewell, My Concubine (1993) Chen Kaige #614 Hong Kong-China
9. Time to Live and the Time to Die, The (1985) Hou, Hsiao-Hsien #657 Taiwan
10. Infernal Affairs (2002) Lau (Wai-keung), Mak (Alan) #662 Hong Kong
11. Killer, The (1989) Woo, John #670 Hong Kong
12. City of Sadness, A (1989) Hou, Hsiao-Hsien #672 Taiwan
13. House of Flying Daggers (2004) Yimou, Zhang #724 China
14. 2046 (2004) Wong Kar-Wai #790 Hong Kong
15. Happy Together (1997) Wong Kar-Wai #824 Hong Kong
16. Touch of Zen, A (1971) Hu, King #881 Taiwan
17. Spring in a Small Town (1948) Fei, Mu #909 China
18. Last Train Home (2009) Fan, Lixie #918 Can-China-UK
19. Flight of the Red Balloon, The (2007) Hou, Hsiao-hsien #922 China
20. Brighter Summer Day, A (1991) Yang, Edward #937 Taiwan
21. Up the Yangtze (2007) Chang, Yung #1015 China
22. Springtime in a Small Town (2002) Tian, Zhuangzhuang #1076 China
23. Fallen Angels (1995) Wong Kar-Wai #1096 Hong Kong
24. Puppetmaster, The (1993) Hou, Hsiao-Hsien #1149 Taiwan
25. Yellow Earth (1984) Kaige, Chen #1214 China
26. Flowers of Shanghai (1998) Hou, Hsiao-Hsien #1292 Taiwan
27. Red Sorghum (1987) Yimou, Zhang #1333 China
28. Ju Dou (1990) Yimou, Zhang #1402 China
29. Vive L'Amour (1994) Tsai Ming-Liang #1573 Taiwan
30. King of the Children (1987) Kaige, Chen #1818 China

Ziyi Zhang amid posters for The Road Home

in the clothes she wore in the film

My Favorites (30)
Click links for our reviews at 1000 Dvds to See
* = unranked
1. Hero (2002) Yimou, Zhang #591 China
2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Lee, Ang #245 China-Taiwan-US
3. To Live (1994) Yimou, Zhang * China
4. Chungking Express (1994) Wong Kar-Wai #363 Hong Kong
5. In the Mood for Love (2001) Wong Kar-Wai #167 Hong Kong-France
6. Together (2002) Kaige, Chen * China
7. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) Lee, Ang * Taiwan
8. Devils On the Doorstep (2000) Wiang, Jen * China
9. The Road Home (1999) Yimou, Zhang * China - the audience award at Sundance
10. Fallen Angels (1995)Wong Kar-Wai #1096 Hong Kong
11. Farewell My Concubine (1993) Kaige, Chen #614 Hong Kong-China
12. Red Cliff (2008) Woo, John * China
13. House of Flying Daggers (2004) Yimou, Zhang #724 China
14. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)Yimou, Zhang #386 Hong Kong
15. King of Masks (1997) Lian, Bian * China-Hong Kong
16. The Emperor and the Assassin (1998) Kaige, Chen * China
17. Flowers of Shanghai (1998) Hou, Hsiao-Hsien #1292 Taiwan
18. Ashes of Time Redux (1994) Wong Kar-Wai * Hong Kong
19. The Kite Runner (2007) Forster, Marc * US-China
20. Not One Less (1999) Yimou, Zhang * China
21. Zhou Yu's Train (2004) Sun, Zhou * China
22. Spring in a Small Town (1948) Fei, Mu #909 China
23. Three Times (2005) Hou, Hsiao-hsien * Taiwan
24. Killer, The (1989) Woo, John #670 Hong Kong
25. 2046 (2004) Wong Kar-Wai #790 Hong Kong
26. The Promise (2005) Kaige, Chen * China
27. Days of Being Wild (1990) Wong Kar-Wai #466 Hong Kong
28. Lust, Caution (2007) * China
29. Ju Dou (1990) Yimou, Zhang #1402 China
30. Yi yi (2000) Yang, Edward #249 Taiwan-Japan


These are all worth seeing, Zhang Yimou and Wong Kar-Wai are among my favorite all-time directors, and Ang Lee never made a bad film in the east or west.  Two of Kar-Wai's best films were meant as one long film: Chungking Express, followed by Fallen Angels - together they inspired Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Yimou's films got him the job of planning the ceremonies at the Beijing summer Olympics, which were mind-boggling.


The Hong Kong Film Awards
[complete list of best picture winners]

2009 - Ip Man (2008)
2008 - The Warlords (2007)
2007 - After This Our Exile (2006)
2006 - Election (2005)
2005 - Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
2004 - Running on Karma (2003)
2003 - Infernal Affairs (2002)
2002 - Shaolin Soccer (2001)
2001 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
2000 - Ordinary Heroes (1998)
1999 - Beast Cops (1998)
1998 - Made in Hong Kong (1997)
1997 - Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996)
1996 - Summer Snow (1994)
1995 - Chungking Express (1994)
1994 - C'est la vie, mon chéri (1994)
1993 - Cageman (1992)
1992 - To Be Number One (1991)
1991 - Days of Being Wild (1991)
1990 - Beyond the Sunset (1989)
1989 - Rouge (1987)
1988 - An Autumn's Tale (1987)
1987 - A Better Tomorrow (1986)
1986 - Police Story (1985)
1985 - Homecoming (1984)
1984 - Banbianren (1983)
1983 - Boat People (1982)
1982 - Father and Son (1981)

Top Ranked Films from Japan

© William L. Sinclair
The top ranked films from Japan, based on our survey of internet polls. A total of 38 made the top 1000, up from 34 in 2009.

1. Seven Samurai, The [Kurosawa, Akira; 1954] #7 [photo top]
2. Rashomon (1950) Kurosawa, Akira #29 Japan
3. Ran (1985) Kurosawa, Akira #39 Japan-France
4. Tokyo Story (1953) Ozu, Yasujiro #76 Japan
5. Spirited Away (2001) Miyazaki, Hayao #78 Japan
6. Ugetsu (1953) Mizoguchi, Kenji #85 Japan
7. Ikiru (1952) Kurosawa, Akira #101 Japan
8. Yojimbo (1961) Kurosawa, Akira #163 Japan
9. Hotaru no Hakaa (Grave/Fireflies, 1988) Takahata, Isao #228 Japan
10. Sansho the Bailiff (1954) Mizoguchi, Kenji #240 Japan
11. Throne of Blood (1957) Kurosawa, Akira #244 Japan
12. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) Miyazaki, Hayao #352 Japan
13. Mononoke-hime (1997) - anime Miyazaki, Hayao #355 Japan
14. I Was Born, But… (1932) Ozu, Yasujiro #370 Japan
15. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) Miyazaki, Hayao #382 Japan
16. Princess Yang Kwei Fei (Yokihi, 1955) Mizoguchi, Kenji #415 Japan-Hong Kong
17. High and Low (1963) Kurosawa, Akira #450 Japan
18. Late Spring (1949) Ozu, Yasujiro #454 Japan
19. Ponyo (anime, 2008) Miyazaki, Hayao #569 Japan
20. In the Realm of the Senses (1976) Oshima, Nagisa #583 France-Japan
21. Nobody Knows (2004) Kore-eda, Hirokazu #608 Japan
22. Story of the Late Chrysanthemums, The (1939) Mizoguchi, Kenji #618 Japan
23. Life of Oharu, The (1952) Mizoguchi, Kenji #636 Japan
24. Woman in the Dunes (1964) Teshigahara, Hiroshi #637 Japan
25. Floating Clouds (1955) Naruse, Mikio #638 Japan
26. Dersu Uzala (1975) Kurosawa, Akira #647 Japan-Russia
27. Castle in the Sky (1986) Miyazaki, Hayao #668 Japan
28. Kagemusha (1980) Kurosawa, Akira #682 Japan
29. Still Walking (2008) Koreeda, Hirokazu #707 Japan
30. Autumn Afternoon, An (1962) Ozu, Yasujiro #767 Japan
31. An Actor's Revenge (1963) Ichikawa, Kon #786 Japan
32. Hidden Fortress, The (1958) Kurosawa, Akira #789 Japan
33. 13 Assassins (2010) Miike, Takashi #852 Japan
34. Harakiri (1962) Kobayashi, Masaki #867 Japan
35. Children of Hiroshima (1952) Shindô, Kaneto #891 Japan
36. Akira (anime, 1988) Ôtomo, Katsuhiro #907 Japan
37. Red Beard (1965) Kurosawa, Akira #963 Japan
38. Black Rain (1989) Imamura, Shohei #990 Japan

Masahiro Motoki in Departures

My Favorites

1. Seven Samurai, The (1954) Kurosawa, Akira #2 Japan
2. Departures (2008) Takita, Yôjirô * Japan
3. Shall We Dance? (1995) Suo, Masayuki * Japan
4. The Twilight Samurai (2002) Yamada, Yôji * Japan
5. Ugetsu (1953) Mizoguchi, Kenji #85 Japan
6. Stray Dog (1949) Kurosawa, Akira #1899 Japan
7. Crazed Fruit (1956) Nakahira, Kô * Japan
8. High and Low (1963) Kurosawa, Akira #450 Japan
9. Dersu Uzala (1975) Kurosawa, Akira #647 Japan-Russia
10. Rashomon (1950) Kurosawa, Akira #29 Japan
11. Hotaru no Hakaa (Grave/Fireflies, 1988) Takahata, Isao #228 Japan
12. The Bird People in China (1998) Miike, Takashi * Japan
13. Ikiru (1952) Kurosawa, Akira #101 Japan
14. Yojimbo (1961) Kurosawa, Akira #163 Japan
15. Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) Inagaki, Hiroshi * Japan
16. Tokyo Story (1953) Ozu, Yasujiro #76 Japan
17. Ran (1985) Kurosawa, Akira #39 Japan-France
18. Burmese Harp (1956) Ichikawa, Kon #1525 Japan
19. Harakiri (1962) Kobayashi, Masaki #867 Japan
20. Hidden Fortress, The (1958) Kurosawa, Akira #789 Japan
21. Floating Weeds (1959) Ozu, Yasujiro #1435 Japan
22. Woman in the Dunes (1964) Teshigahara, Hiroshi #637 Japan
23. Throne of Blood (1957) Kurosawa, Akira #244 Japan
24. Sansho the Bailiff (1954) Mizoguchi, Kenji #240 Japan
25. Godzilla (1954) Honda, Ishirô #1599 Japan
26. Kagemusha (1980) Kurosawa, Akira #682 Japan

These are an acquired taste but nearly everyone agrees that The Seven Samurai is one of the all-time classics of both black and white cinematography, and action-adventure captured dramatically on film, making viewers feel part of the action. The original title in Japan: The Magnificent Seven! When the U.S. western based on this came out, Kurosawa's film title was changed in the west to avoid confusion.

Ugetsu is one of the more haunting stories put on film, suffice to say that there are surprising plot twists that no one can see coming.

Departures won 33 awards overall. Shall We Dance? won 52 awards out of 55 nominations.

Top Ranked Films from Germany

[2011 update]
© William L. Sinclair
This continues our top ranked films on all film polls, 2011 edition, by individual countries. The first list here is just Germany, and we merged West Germany into these; 29 total in the top 1000, down from 35. The second list is just the multi-country productions that included Germany, with 27 in the top 1000, down from 38. The last list is my own personal favorite 30 German films, and I stuck with German directors only.


Germany and West Germany

1. Metropolis (1927) Lang, Fritz #7 [production still above]
2. M (1931) Lang, Fritz #16
3. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972) Herzog, Werner #83
4. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) Murnau, F.W. #112
5. Lives of Others, The (2006) von Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel #134
6. Blue Angel, The (1930) von Sternberg, Josef #196
7. Das Boot (1981) Peterson, Wolfgang #233
8. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #279
9. Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The (1919) Wiene, Robert #292
10. Downfall (2004) Hirschbiegel, Oliver #328
11. Vampyr (1932) Dreyer, Carl #349
12. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1971) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #409
13. Fitzcarraldo (1982) Herzog, Werner #425
14. Marriage of Maria Braun, The (1979) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #481
15. Last Laugh (1924) Murnau, F.W. #508
16. White Ribbon, The (2009) Haneke, Michael #522
17. Grizzly Man (2005) Herzog, Werner #541
18. Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, The (1974) Herzog, Werner #555
19. Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, The (1972) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #602
20. Triumph of the Will (1935) Riefenstahl, Leni #615
21. Faust (1926) Murnau, F.W. #619
22. Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler (1922) Lang, Fritz #641
23. Kings of the Road (1976) Wenders, Wim #643
24. Olympia (1938) Riefenstahl, Leni #701
25. Alice in the Cities (1974) Wenders, Wim #704
26. In a Year with 13 Moons (1978) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #710
27. Tin Drum, The (1979) Schlöndorff, Volker #903
28. Fox and His Friends (1975) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #958
29. Run Lola Run (1998) Tykwer, Tom #1001
30. Tiger of Eschnapur, The (1959) Lang, Fritz #1016

Lang, Murnau, Herzog - these are not only deservedly at the top of this list but are also among my favorite directors. Each seemed to make his films into works of art.

Fitzcarraldo remains a favorite 'obsession on film', a grand adventure as crazy as its director. Les Blank's documentary Burden of Dreams chronicles the making of the film and Herzog's own obsession. I was also riveted by The Lives of Others, and Das Boot.

Even today, the filmmaking artistry of Leni Reifenstahl is undeniable; she undoubtably gets moved down the list because it's all Third Reich propaganda, but those interested in creative camera work and direction should definitely see these, at least Olympia, which documented the 1936 Olympics.

Multi-Country with Germany
1. Conformist, The (1970) Bertolucci, Bernardo #45 Italy-France-Germany
2. Pianist, The (2002) Polanski, Roman #142 France-Gy-UK-Poland
3. City of God (2002) Meirelles, Fernando #121 Brazil-Germany-France
4. Wings of Desire (1987) Wenders, Wim #165 Germany-France
5. Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The (1964) Demy, Jacques #187 France-Germany
6. Fight Club (1999) Fincher, David #201 US-Germany
7. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) Ki-duk Kim #351 South Korea-Gy
8. Dead Man (1995) Jarmusch, Jim #424 US-Germany
9. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) Tarr, Bela & Hranitzky, Agnes #504 Hung-It-Gy-France
10. 1900 (1976) Bertolucci, Bernardo #505 France-Germany-Italy
11. V for Vendetta (2005) McTeigue, James #507 US-UK-Germany
12. Hidden (Caché, 2005) Haneke, Michael #534 Germany-Fr-Aus-Ity
13. Sátántangó (1994) Tarr, Béla #542 Hungary-Germany-Switzerland
14. Germany, Year Zero (1947) Rossellini, Roberto #580 Italy-West Germany
15. Underground (1995) Kusturica, Emir #633 France-Germany-Hungary
16. Edge of Heaven, The (2007) Akin, Fatih #783 Germany-Turkey-Italy
17. Film Unfinished, A (2010) Hersonski, Yael #805 Germany-Israel
18. Fateless (2005) Koltai, Lajos #844 Hungary-GY
19. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010) Herzog, Werner #880 Can-US-Fr-UK-Gy
20. Dogville (2003) von Trier, Lars #897 Den-Swe-UK-Fr-Gy
21. Antonio das Mortes (1969) Rocha, Glauber #904 Brazil-Fr-Gy
22. Our Daily Bread (2005) Geyrhalter, Nikolaus #905 Germany-Austria
23. Sweet Sixteen (2002) Loach, Ken #912 UK-Gy-Spain
24. Dancer in the Dark (2000) von Trier, Lars #917 Sp-Arg-Gy-UK-Neth-Fr-Swe
25. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, The (2000) Butler, George #935 Sw-UK-Gy-US
26. Nostalgia for the Light (2010) Guzmán, Patricio #936 France-Gy-Chile
27. Paragraph 175 (2000) Epstein, Rob & Friedman, Jeffrey #986 UK-US-Germany

The Conformist remains one of my favorite films from any era. For me, Bertolucci's finest, and the influence on Coppola is obvious as this seems to have inspired the Godfather films. However, this is almost a total Italian film so I've placed it in my list of Italian favorites and removed it from here.


City of God is a modern masterpiece, a literal war in the streets of what's considered the worst slums in our hemisphere; this is my favorite Brazilian film, but it's not really a German film. Same with Fight Club, which I liked a lot.

My Favorites
* = unranked - 10 titles added, Doc = documentary
 [AA]  = academy award for best foreign language film 
click links for our review

1. Run Lola Run (1998) Tykwer, Tom #1001 [Our Review]
2. Lives of Others, The (2006) von Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel #134 [AA] [photo above]
3. Good Bye Lenin (2003) Becker, Wolfgang *
4. Das Boot (1981) Peterson, Wolfgang #233
5. Fitzcarraldo (1982) Herzog, Werner #425
6. Triumph of the Will (1935) Riefenstahl, Leni #615 (Doc.)
7. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) Tykwer, Tom *
8. Downfall (2004) Hirschbiegel, Oliver #328
9. Metropolis (1927) Lang, Fritz #7
10. Fateless (2005) Koltai, Lajos #844 Hungary-GY
11. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972) Herzog, Werner #83
12. Nowhere in Africa (2002) Link, Caroline * [AA]
13. M (1931) Lang, Fritz #16
14. Olympia (1938) Riefenstahl, Leni #701 (Doc.)
15. Beyond Silence (1996) Link, Caroline *
16. The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003) Byambasuren Davaa & Luigi Falorni * Germany-Mongolia (Doc.)
17. Wings of Desire (1987) Wenders, Wim #165 Germany-France
18. White Ribbon, The (2009) Haneke, Michael #522
19. The Harmonists (1999) Vilsmaier, Joseph *
20. The Tunnel (2001) Richter, Roland Suso *
21. Gloomy Sunday (1999) Schübel, Rolf *
22. Blue Angel, The (1930) von Sternberg, Josef #196
23. Last Laugh (1924) Murnau, F.W. #508
24. Touch the Sound (2004) Riedelsheimer, Thomas * (Doc.)
25. Marriage of Maria Braun, The (1979) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #481
26. Cobra Verde (1987) Herzog, Werner *
27. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1971) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #409
28. Tin Drum, The (1979) Schlöndorff, Volker #903
29. In a Year with 13 Moons (1978) Fassbinder, Rainer Werner #710
30. Hidden (Caché, 2005) Haneke, Michael #534 Germany-Fr-Aus-Ity

Tom Tykwer is so creative, he's my favorite modern German director, while Herzog, Lang, and Murnau are the all-time masters here. Run, Lola, Run starts with a phone call, and Lola's boyfriend has lost some money - if she can't get to him in 20 minutes, he's a dead dude.. so the race is on, and never lets up..

Top Ranked Films from France

© William L. Sinclair
All French films listed, including multinational (joint country) projects. 135 total films mentioned in the top 1000 ranked films, 2011 edition. Just French productions alone alone had 87 (down from 94). These are the highest totals after the U.S.  Rules of the Game was #1 last time.

Renee Maria Falconetti turned in the best silent performance

of all time in Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc

France Only
88 Titles, most of any non-U.S. country

1. Passion of Joan of Arc, The (1928) Dreyer, Carl Theodor #34
2. 400 Blows, The (1959) Truffaut, François #37
3. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) Bresson, Robert #50
4. Rules of the Game, The (1939) Renoir, Jean #63
5. Jules et Jim (1961) Truffaut, François #73
6. L'Atalante (1934) Vigo, Jean #88
7. Shoah (1985) Lanzmann, Claude #98
8. Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The (1972) Buñuel, Luis #99
9. Pickpocket (1959) Bresson, Robert #146
10. Breathless (1959) Godard, Jean-Luc #159
11. My Life to Live (Vivre sa vie) (1963) Godard, Jean-Luc #171
12. Man Escaped, A (1956) Bresson, Robert #188
13. Grande Illusion, La (1937) Renoir, Jean #197
14. Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) Rivette, Jacques #202
15. Playtime (1967) Tati, Jacques #211
16. Diaboliques, Les (1955) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #214
17. Un Chien Andalou (1929) Short Buñuel, Luis #216
18. Ratatouille (2007) Bird, Brad & Pinkava, Jan #217
19. Belle et la bête, La (Beauty/Beast, 1946) Cocteau, Jean #241
20. Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain,2001) Jeunet, Jean-Pierre #243
21. Mon oncle (1958) Tati, Jacques #251
22. L'Âge d'or (1930) Buñuel, Luis #263
23. Band of Outsiders (Bande à part, 1964) Godard, Jean-Luc #268
24. Le Samouraï (1967) Melville, Jean-Pierre #299
25. Les Enfants du paradis (1945) Carné, Marcel #305
26. Diary of a Country Priest (1950) Bresson, Robert #312
27. Léon (The Professional, 1994) Besson, Luc #314
28. Day for Night (1973) Truffaut, François #334
29. Two or Three Things I Know About Her (1966) Godard, Jean-Luc #341
30. Napoléon (1927) Gance, Abel #354
31. Le Cercle Rouge (1970) Melville, Jean-Pierre #378
32. Forbidden Games (1951) Clément, René #383
33. Pépé le Moko (1937) Duvivier, Julien #384
34. Les Vampires (1915-16) Feuillade, Louis #391
35. Rise to Power of Louis XIV, The (1966) Rossellini, Roberto #399
36. Night and Fog (1955) Resnais, Alain #414
37. Shoot the Piano Player (1960) Truffaut, François #428
38. Lola Montès (1955) Ophüls, Max #432
39. Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) Ophüls, Max #433
40. Orpheus (1950) Cocteau, Jean #440
41. Sans soleil (1963) Marker, Chris #445
42. Le Million (1931) Clair, René #448
43. Prophet, A (2009) Audiard, Jacques #449
44. Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953) Tati, Jacques #459
45. Le Voyage dans la lune (Trip to the Moon, 1902) Méliès, Georges #462
46. Beau Travail (1998) Denis, Claire #468
47. Rififi (55) Dassin, Jules #474
48. Mother and the Whore, The (1973) Eustache, Jean #496
49. Mouchette (1966) Bresson, Robert #497
50. À nous la liberté (1931) Clair, René #528
51. Alphaville (1965) Godard, Jean-Luc #545
52. Le Jour se lève (1939) Carné, Marcel #562
53. Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) Varda, Agnès #599
54. Class, The (2008) Cantet, Laurent #620
55. Crime of Monsieur Lange, The (1936) Renoir, Jean #621
56. My Night at Maud's (1969) Rohmer, Eric #650
57. 35 Shots of Rum (2008) Denis, Claire #655
58. L'Enfant (The Child, 2005) Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc #661
59. Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932) Renoir, Jean #676
60. United 93 (2006) Greengrass, Paul #685-UK-US
61. Carlos (2010) Assayas , Olivier #689
62. Claire's Knee (1970) Rohmer, Eric #712
63. Casque d'or (1952) Becker, Jacques #713
64. Son, The (Le Fils, 2002) Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc #732
65. Plaisir, Le (1951) Ophüls, Max #745
66. La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000) Watkins, Peter #754
67. Blood of a Poet, The (1930) Cocteau, Jean #778
68. Quai des Orfèvres (1947) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #788
69. Piccadilly (1929) Dupont, Ewald André #792
70. Le Boucher (1970) Chabrol, Claude #802
71. Young Girls of Rochefort, The (1967) Demy, Jacques #806
72. Time Out (2001) Cantet, Laurent #807
73. French Cancan (1954) Renoir, Jean #819
74. Phantom of Liberty, The (1974) Buñuel, Luis #828
75. India Song (1975) Duras, Marguerite #851
76. To Be and to Have (2002) Philibert, Nicolas #868
77. Au Revoir, Les Enfants (1987) Malle, Louis #873
78. Of Gods and Men (2010) Beauvois, Xavier #883
79. Beaches of Agnès, The (2008) Varda, Agnès #885
80. Under the Sand (2000) Ozon, Francois #894
81. Christmas Tale, A (2008) Desplechin, Arnaud #898
82. Wild Child, The (1970) Truffaut, François #906
83. Bob le flambeur (1956) Melville, Jean-Pierre #910
84. La Chienne (1931) Renoir, Jean #913
85. Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945) Bresson, Robert #950
86. Touchez Pas A Grisbi (1954) Becker, Jacques #978
87. Summer Hours (2008) Assayas, Olivier #991
88. Big Risk, The (1960) Sautet, Claude #1005
89. Murmur of the Heart (1971) Malle, Louis #1011
90. Van Gogh (1991) Pialat, Maurice #1055
91. La Haine (95) Kassovitz, Mathieu #1067
92. Vagabond (San toit ni loi, 1985) Varda, Agnès #1083
93. Mademoiselle Chambon (2009) Brizé, Stéphane #1125
94. Mon oncle d'Amérique (1980) Resnais, Alain #1146
95. La Ronde (1950) Ophüls, Max #1166
96. Delicatessen (91) Jeunet & Marc Caro #1168
97. Under the Roofs of Paris (1930) Clair, René #1195
98. Two English Girls (1971) Truffaut, François #1206
99. Amants du Pont-Neuf, Les (1991) Carax, Lèos #1207
100. Sur mes lèvres (Read My Lips, 01) Audiard, Jacques #1223
101. Lacombe, Lucien (1974) Malle, Louis #1265
102. Sugar Cane Alley (Rue case negres, 1983) Palcy, Euzhan #1288
103. Woman Next Door, The (1981) Truffaut, François #1303
104. A Woman is a Woman (61, Godard) Godard, Jean-Luc #1349
105. Port of Shadows (1938) Carné, Marcel #1361
106. Une Femme est une femme (1961) Godard, Jean-Luc #1384
107. La Collectionneuse (1967) Rohmer, Eric #1396
108. Carnival in Flanders (1935) Feyder, Jacques #1420
109. Out 1: Spectre (1974) Rivette, Jacques #1434
110. La Bête Humaine (1938) Renoir, Jean #1446
111. Un Coeur en hiver (1992) Sautet, Claude #1452
112. Cul-de-sac Polanski, Roman #1475
113. Les Enfants terribles Melville, Jean-Pierre #1489

Multinational Films (47 ranked)

1. Contempt (1963) Godard, Jean-Luc #89 France-Italy
2. Mulholland Dr. (2001) Lynch, David #122 France-US
3. Pierrot le fou (1965) Godard, Jean-Luc #124 France-Italy
4. Masculine-Feminine (1966) Godard, Jean-Luc #126 France-Sweden
5. Earrings of Madame de..., The (1953) Ophuls, Max #136 France-Italy
6. Pianist, The (2002) Polanski, Roman #142 France-Gy-UK-Poland
7. Wages of Fear, The (1952) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #168 France-Italy
8. Gospel According to St. Matthew, The (1964) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #176 France-Italy
9. Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The (1964) Demy, Jacques #187 France-Germany
10. Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The (2008) Schnabel, Julian #194 France-US
11. Last Year at Marienbad (1961) Resnais, Alain #213 France-Italy
12. Belle de jour (1967) Buñuel, Luis #219 France-Italy
13. Eyes Without a Face (1959) Franju, Georges #229 France-Italy
14. Hiroshima mon amour (1959) Resnais, Alain #246 France-Japan
15. Last Tango in Paris (1973) Bertolucci, Bernardo #262 France-Italy
16. Three Colours: Red (1994) Kieslowski, Krszystof #275 France-Switzerland-Poland
17. Army of Shadows (1969) Melville, Jean-Pierre #277 France-Italy
18. L'Eclisse (1962) Antonioni, Michelangelo #286 France-Italy
19. That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) Buñuel, Luis #293 France-Spain
20. Week-End (1967) Godard, Jean-Luc #304 France-Italy
21. Double Life of Veronique, The (1991) Kieslowski, Krszystof #344 France-Poland-Norway
22. La Notte (1961) Antonioni, Michelangelo #357 France-Italy
23. Red Desert (1964) Antonioni, Michelangelo #408 France-Italy
24. Three Colours: Blue (1993) Kieslowski, Krszystof #421 France-Poland-Switzerland
25. Persepolis (2007) Paronnaud, Vincent & Satrapi, Marjane #438 France-US
26. Tristana (1970) Buñuel, Luis #444 France-Spain
27. F for Fake (1973) Welles, Orson #471 France-Iran-West Germany
28. Sacrifice, The (1986) Tarkovsky, Andrei #472 France-Sweden
29. 1900 (1976) Bertolucci, Bernardo #505 France-Germany-Italy
30. Lola (1961) Demy, Jacques #540 France-Italy
31. In the Realm of the Senses (1976) Oshima, Nagisa #583 France-Japan
32. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964) Parajanov, Sergei #592 France-Iran
33. Argent, L' (1983) Bresson, Robert #593 France-Switz
34. River, The (1951) Renoir, Jean #611 France-India-US
35. Underground (1995) Kusturica, Emir #633 France-Germany-Hungary
36. Atlantic City (1980) Malle, Louis #642 Canada-France
37. Providence (1977) Resnais, Alain #718 France-Switz
38. Triplets of Belleville, The (2003) Chomet, Sylvain #736 France-Belg-Can-UK
39. Muriel ou Le Temps d'un Retour (1963) Resnais, Alain #817 France-Italy
40. Lancelot du Lac (1974) Bresson, Robert #831 France-Italy
41. Three Colours: White (1994) Kieslowski, Krszystof #845 France-Poland
42. Je rentre à la maison (I'm Going Home, 2001) de Oliveira, Manoel #879 France-Portugal
43. Certified Copy (2010) Kiarostami, Abbas #908 France-Italy-Belgium
44. Nostalgia for the Light (2010) Guzmán, Patricio #936 France-Gy-Chile
45. Passion (1982) Godard, Jean-Luc #952 France-Switzerland
46. La Belle Noiseuse (1991) Rivette, Jacques #967 France-Switz
47. Sauve qui peut (la vie) (1980) Godard, Jean-Luc #977 France-Switzerland
48. Since Otar Left (2003) Bertucelli, Julie #997 France-Belgium
49. Seraphine (2008) Provost, Martin #1020 France-Belgium
50. Ludwig (1972) Visconti, Luchino #1027 France-Germany-Italy
51. Tenant, The (1976) Polanski, Roman #1042 France-US
52. Z (1969) Costa-Gavras, Constantin #1080 France-Algeria
53. Trial, The (62) Welles, Orson #1092 France-Gy-Yugo-Italy
54. Winged Migration (2001) Perrin, Cluzaud, & Debats #1191 France-Ity-Gy-Spn-Switz
55. Arabian Nights (1974) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #1231 France-Italy

Some of the above don't seem very French (Pasolini, Kurosawa) - that's what makes country lists difficult.

All French Titles Merged (135 ranked)

1. Passion of Joan of Arc, The (1928) Dreyer, Carl Theodor #34 France
2. 400 Blows, The (1959) Truffaut, François #37 France
3. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) Bresson, Robert #50 France
4. Rules of the Game, The (1939) Renoir, Jean #63 France
5. Jules et Jim (1961) Truffaut, François #73 France
6. L'Atalante (1934) Vigo, Jean #88 France
7. Contempt (1963) Godard, Jean-Luc #89 France-Italy
8. Shoah (1985) Lanzmann, Claude #98 France
9. Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The (1972) Buñuel, Luis #99 France
10. Mulholland Dr. (2001) Lynch, David #122 France-US
11. Pierrot le fou (1965) Godard, Jean-Luc #124 France-Italy
12. Masculine-Feminine (1966) Godard, Jean-Luc #126 France-Sweden
13. Earrings of Madame de..., The (1953) Ophuls, Max #136 France-Italy
14. Pianist, The (2002) Polanski, Roman #142 France-Gy-UK-Poland
15. Pickpocket (1959) Bresson, Robert #146 France
16. Breathless (1959) Godard, Jean-Luc #159 France
17. Wages of Fear, The (1952) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #168 France-Italy
18. My Life to Live (Vivre sa vie) (1963) Godard, Jean-Luc #171 France
19. Gospel According to St. Matthew, The (1964) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #176 France-Italy
20. Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The (1964) Demy, Jacques #187 France-Germany
21. Man Escaped, A (1956) Bresson, Robert #188 France
22. Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The (2008) Schnabel, Julian #194 France-US
23. Grande Illusion, La (1937) Renoir, Jean #197 France
24. Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) Rivette, Jacques #202 France
25. Playtime (1967) Tati, Jacques #211 France
26. Last Year at Marienbad (1961) Resnais, Alain #213 France-Italy
27. Diaboliques, Les (1955) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #214 France
28. Un Chien Andalou (1929) Short Buñuel, Luis #216 France
29. Ratatouille (2007) Bird, Brad & Pinkava, Jan #217 France
30. Belle de jour (1967) Buñuel, Luis #219 France-Italy
31. Eyes Without a Face (1959) Franju, Georges #229 France-Italy
32. Belle et la bête, La (Beauty/Beast, 1946) Cocteau, Jean #241 France
33. Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain,2001) Jeunet, Jean-Pierre #243 France
34. Hiroshima mon amour (1959) Resnais, Alain #246 France-Japan
35. Mon oncle (1958) Tati, Jacques #251 France
36. Last Tango in Paris (1973) Bertolucci, Bernardo #262 France-Italy
37. L'Âge d'or (1930) Buñuel, Luis #263 France
38. Band of Outsiders (Bande à part, 1964) Godard, Jean-Luc #268 France
39. Three Colours: Red (1994) Kieslowski, Krszystof #275 France-Switzerland-Poland
40. Army of Shadows (1969) Melville, Jean-Pierre #277 France-Italy
41. L'Eclisse (1962) Antonioni, Michelangelo #286 France-Italy
42. That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) Buñuel, Luis #293 France-Spain
43. Le Samouraï (1967) Melville, Jean-Pierre #299 France
44. Week-End (1967) Godard, Jean-Luc #304 France-Italy
45. Les Enfants du paradis (1945) Carné, Marcel #305 France
46. Diary of a Country Priest (1950) Bresson, Robert #312 France
47. Léon (The Professional, 1994) Besson, Luc #314 France
48. Day for Night (1973) Truffaut, François #334 France
49. Two or Three Things I Know About Her (1966) Godard, Jean-Luc #341 France
50. Double Life of Veronique, The (1991) Kieslowski, Krszystof #344 France-Poland-Norway
51. Napoléon (1927) Gance, Abel #354 France
52. La Notte (1961) Antonioni, Michelangelo #357 France-Italy
53. Le Cercle Rouge (1970) Melville, Jean-Pierre #378 France
54. Forbidden Games (1951) Clément, René #383 France
55. Pépé le Moko (1937) Duvivier, Julien #384 France
56. Les Vampires (1915-16) Feuillade, Louis #391 France
57. Rise to Power of Louis XIV, The (1966) Rossellini, Roberto #399 France
58. Red Desert (1964) Antonioni, Michelangelo #408 France-Italy
59. Night and Fog (1955) Resnais, Alain #414 France
60. Three Colours: Blue (1993) Kieslowski, Krszystof #421 France-Poland-Switzerland
61. Shoot the Piano Player (1960) Truffaut, François #428 France
62. Lola Montès (1955) Ophüls, Max #432 France
63. Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) Ophüls, Max #433 France
64. Persepolis (2007) Paronnaud, Vincent & Satrapi, Marjane #438 France-US
65. Orpheus (1950) Cocteau, Jean #440 France
66. Tristana (1970) Buñuel, Luis #444 France-Spain
67. Sans soleil (1963) Marker, Chris #445 France
68. Le Million (1931) Clair, René #448 France
69. Prophet, A (2009) Audiard, Jacques #449 France
70. Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953) Tati, Jacques #459 France
71. Le Voyage dans la lune (Trip to the Moon, 1902) Méliès, Georges #462 France
72. Beau Travail (1998) Denis, Claire #468 France
73. F for Fake (1973) Welles, Orson #471 France-Iran-West Germany
74. Sacrifice, The (1986) Tarkovsky, Andrei #472 France-Sweden
75. Rififi (55) Dassin, Jules #474 France
76. Mother and the Whore, The (1973) Eustache, Jean #496 France
77. Mouchette (1966) Bresson, Robert #497 France
78. 1900 (1976) Bertolucci, Bernardo #505 France-Germany-Italy
79. À nous la liberté (1931) Clair, René #528 France
80. Lola (1961) Demy, Jacques #540 France-Italy
81. Alphaville (1965) Godard, Jean-Luc #545 France
82. Le Jour se lève (1939) Carné, Marcel #562 France
83. In the Realm of the Senses (1976) Oshima, Nagisa #583 France-Japan
84. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964) Parajanov, Sergei #592 France-Iran
85. Argent, L' (1983) Bresson, Robert #593 France-Switz
86. Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) Varda, Agnès #599 France
87. River, The (1951) Renoir, Jean #611 France-India-US
88. Class, The (2008) Cantet, Laurent #620 France
89. Crime of Monsieur Lange, The (1936) Renoir, Jean #621 France
90. Underground (1995) Kusturica, Emir #633 France-Germany-Hungary
91. Atlantic City (1980) Malle, Louis #642 Canada-France
92. My Night at Maud's (1969) Rohmer, Eric #650 France
93. 35 Shots of Rum (2008) Denis, Claire #655 France
94. L'Enfant (The Child, 2005) Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc #661 France
95. Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932) Renoir, Jean #676 France
96. United 93 (2006) Greengrass, Paul #685 France-UK-US
97. Carlos (2010) Assayas , Olivier #689 France
98. Claire's Knee (1970) Rohmer, Eric #712 France
99. Casque d'or (1952) Becker, Jacques #713 France
100. Providence (1977) Resnais, Alain #718 France-Switz
101. Son, The (Le Fils, 2002) Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc #732 France
102. Triplets of Belleville, The (2003) Chomet, Sylvain #736 France-Belg-Can-UK
103. Plaisir, Le (1951) Ophüls, Max #745 France
104. La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000) Watkins, Peter #754 France
105. Blood of a Poet, The (1930) Cocteau, Jean #778 France
106. Quai des Orfèvres (1947) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #788 France
107. Piccadilly (1929) Dupont, Ewald André #792 France
108. Le Boucher (1970) Chabrol, Claude #802 France
109. Young Girls of Rochefort, The (1967) Demy, Jacques #806 France
110. Time Out (2001) Cantet, Laurent #807 France
111. Muriel ou Le Temps d'un Retour (1963) Resnais, Alain #817 France-Italy
112. French Cancan (1954) Renoir, Jean #819 France
113. Phantom of Liberty, The (1974) Buñuel, Luis #828 France
114. Lancelot du Lac (1974) Bresson, Robert #831 France-Italy
115. Three Colours: White (1994) Kieslowski, Krszystof #845 France-Poland
116. India Song (1975) Duras, Marguerite #851 France
117. To Be and to Have (2002) Philibert, Nicolas #868 France
118. Au Revoir, Les Enfants (1987) Malle, Louis #873 France
119. Je rentre à la maison (I'm Going Home, 2001) de Oliveira, Manoel #879 France-Portugal
120. Of Gods and Men (2010) Beauvois, Xavier #883 France
121. Beaches of Agnès, The (2008) Varda, Agnès #885 France
122. Under the Sand (2000) Ozon, Francois #894 France
123. Christmas Tale, A (2008) Desplechin, Arnaud #898 France
124. Wild Child, The (1970) Truffaut, François #906 France
125. Certified Copy (2010) Kiarostami, Abbas #908 France-Italy-Belgium
126. Bob le flambeur (1956) Melville, Jean-Pierre #910 France
127. La Chienne (1931) Renoir, Jean #913 France
128. Nostalgia for the Light (2010) Guzmán, Patricio #936 France-Gy-Chile
129. Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945) Bresson, Robert #950 France
130. Passion (1982) Godard, Jean-Luc #952 France-Switzerland
131. La Belle Noiseuse (1991) Rivette, Jacques #967 France-Switz
132. Sauve qui peut (la vie) (1980) Godard, Jean-Luc #977 France-Switzerland
133. Touchez Pas A Grisbi (1954) Becker, Jacques #978 France
134. Summer Hours (2008) Assayas, Olivier #991 France
135. Since Otar Left (2003) Bertucelli, Julie #997 France-Belgium

Winged Migration was shot at over 200 locations

worldwide over six years, following migrating birds

My Favorites (* = unranked)

1. Winged Migration (2001) Perrin, Cluzaud, & Debats #1191 France-Ity-Gy-Spn-Switz
2. Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring (1986) Berri, Claude * France
3. 400 Blows, The (1959) Truffaut, François #37 France
4. Chaos (2001) Serreau, Coline * France
5. A Very Long Engagement (2002) Jeunet, Jean-Pierre * France
6. La Femme Nikita (1990) Besson, Luc * France
7. Micmacs (2009) Jeunet, Jean-Pierre * France
8. Diva (1981) Beineix, Jean-Jacques * France
9. Innocence (2004) Hadzihalilovic, Lucile * France
10. Chorus, The (2004) Barratier, Christophe * France
11. United 93 (2006) Greengrass, Paul #685 France-UK-US
12. Ridicule (1996) Leconte, Patrice * France
13. Atlantic City (1980) Malle, Louis #642 Canada-France
14. The Two of Us (1967) Berri, Claude * France
15. Grande Illusion, La (1937) Renoir, Jean #197 France
16. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) Bresson, Robert #50 France
17. Léon (The Professional, 1994) Besson, Luc #314 France
18. Triplets of Belleville, The (2003) Chomet, Sylvain #736 France-Belg-Can-UK
19. Elevator to the Gallows (1958) Malle, Louis #1593 France
20. Earrings of Madame de..., The (1953) Ophuls, Max #136 France-Italy
21. Plaisir, Le (1951) Ophüls, Max #745 France
22. 13 Tzameti (2006) Babluani, Géla * France
23. Rififi (1955) Dassin, Jules #474 France
24. Band of Outsiders (Bande à part, 1964) Godard, Jean-Luc #268 France
25. Vatel (2000) Joffé, Roland * France-UK-Belgium
26. Return of Martin Guerre, The (1982) Vigne, Daniel * France
27. Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The (1972) Buñuel, Luis #99 France
28. Wages of Fear, The (1952) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #168 France-Italy
29. Day for Night (1973) Truffaut, François #334 France-Italy
30. Carlos (2010) Assayas , Olivier #689 France
31. Prophet, A (2009) Audiard, Jacques #449 France
32. Army of Shadows (1969) Melville, Jean-Pierre #277 France-Italy
33. Jules et Jim (1961) Truffaut, François #73 France
34. Shoah (1985) Lanzmann, Claude #98 France
35. Diaboliques, Les (1955) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #214 France
36. Pianist, The (2002) Polanski, Roman #142 France-Gy-UK-Poland
37. Shoot the Piano Player (1960) Truffaut, François #428 France
38. Man Escaped, A (1956) Bresson, Robert #188 France
39. Under the Sand (2000) Ozon, Francois #894 France-Japan
40. Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) Varda, Agnès #599 France
41. La Ronde (1950) Ophüls, Max #1166 France
42. Rules of the Game, The (1939) Renoir, Jean #63 France
43. Passion of Joan of Arc, The (1928) Dreyer, Carl Theodor #34 France
44. Chocolat (2000) Hallström, Lasse * UK-US
45. Lacombe, Lucien (1974) Malle, Louis #1265 France
46. Belle de jour (1967) Buñuel, Luis #219 France-Italy
47. Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud (1995) Sautet, Claude * France-Italy-Germany
48. The Raven (1945) Clouzot, Henri-Georges * France
49. Breathless (1959) Godard, Jean-Luc #159 France
50. La Vie en Rose (2007) Dahan, Olivier * France-UK-CzechRep

Some of the multinational films I purposely left off my list since they seem more like other nations (like Antonioni and Bertolucci) than French films.

Many that I left off of my list I simply haven’t seen, such as L’atalante, Pickpocket, My Life to Live, Celine and Julie Go Boating, L'Âge d'or, Le Cercle Rouge. Some others I have seen and just didn’t like a lot (Children of Paradise I found tedious and cliché ridden – I mean, do people HAVE to sing La Marseilles in every French film? This one also had the clichés of mimes, Pierrots, cognac, and mistresses; you name it, if it’s French, they put it in this film. So where the heck was Chevalier singing?)


How in the world is Jean de Florette unranked? For me, and many others I’ve talked to, this is France’s best epic, a multi-generational story about land, water, and justice in life. One novel filmed as two films, four hours total, released simultaneously as a double feature so people could see both parts in one sitting or return for the second half, Manon of the Spring (aka Manon des Sources). Claude Berri also directed the wonderful and uplifting story The Two Of Us (aka, The Old Man and the Boy, also unranked), about a Jewish child sent from Paris to live with an elderly couple in the country during WW2.

I found Children of Paradise (#20) painstaking to sit through; and La Jetee is not even a film, its 15 minutes of still photos with a narrator - it has no "moving pictures".

The 400 Blows is terrific, shot at 25 by Truffaut, a movie critic, for his first feature film. Much of it was improvised, most was overdubbed later by the actors so he could shoot in the streets without bulky sound equipment.

Louis Malle's first fim, Elevator To the Gallows, belongs on this list. It's only ranked 1593rd overall.

At one point, I was gonna say that you could tell a French film because (a) someone will either dress up like a woman or two guys will dance together (b) someone will sing something French, either Freres Jacques or La Marseillaise (c) someone will do mime or Pierrot the clown with the frilly collar (d) someone will drink cognac or champagne, or both. I believe ALL of these are in the classic La Grande Illusion (well, not Pierrot), which is a masterpiece anyway; all are in Children of Paradise (which I don't like). Thankfully, I saw enough French gangster films that the stereotype was finally broken. But I still don't get their spelling - if all those letters are silent, then why use 'em? Rendezvous that..

Top Ranked Films from Italy

[2011 Update, film polls through June 2011 included]
© William L. Sinclair

This begins our series of posts of the top ranked films on the internet by individual nations. I think Italy is my favorite nation for foreign language films, followed by France, Japan, China-Hong Kong-Taiwan, and Russia.

The U.S. easily has the most listed, with 502 in the top 1000, an increase from 482 in 2009. France is second with 87 (but 135 if you include joint efforts). The UK is next with 112.

Many international films present a unique problem: they are sometimes made by several countries together, so separating the true country of origin may be difficult. This time I've usually gone with the director's main country of origin - a Melville film was France-Italy produced, I'm putting it into the French films post, not the Italian one here.

In this case, we are listing the films from Italy alone first, 33 in the top 1000, then a second list that includes all Italian joint efforts with other nations (36 more), then a merged list of all those 69. I listed my favorite 40 Italian films after that, which includes some unranked ones, like De Sica's Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Tornatore's The Legend of 1900, and Malena. Those on my list with links connect to our reviews at 1000 Dvds to See

Photo is actor-director Vittorio De Sica, who said "I lost all my money on these films; but I did them so I would have Umberto D and Bicycle Thief.."


Italy (Italian only productions in the top 1000)

1. Bicycle Thief, The (1949) De Sica, Vittorio #21 Italy
2. 8½ (1963) Fellini, Federico #40 Italy
3. La Dolce Vita (1960) Fellini, Federico #74 Italy
4. Umberto D (1952) De Sica, Vittorio #80 Italy [photo rt]
5. La Strada (1954) Fellini, Federico #114 Italy
6. Leopard, The (1963) Visconti, Luchino #151 Italy
7. Passenger, The (1975) Antonioni, Michelangelo #250 Italy
8. Amarcord (1973) Fellini, Federico #254 Italy
9. Paisan (1946) Rossellini, Roberto #280 Italy
10. Rome, Open City (1945) Rossellini, Roberto #291 Italy
11. Suspiria (1977) Argento, Dario #329 Italy
12. I Vitelloni (1953) Fellini, Federico #348 Italy
13. Life is Beautiful (1997) Begnini, Roberto #446 Italy
14. Juliet of the Spirits (1965) Fellini, Federico #479 Italy
15. Senso (1954) Visconti, Luchino #488 Italy
16. Death in Venice (1971) Visconti, Luchino #517 Italy
17. Voyage in Italy (1953) Rossellini, Roberto #533 Italy
18. Tree of Wooden Clogs, The (1978) Olmi, Ermanno #550 Italy
19. Miracle in Milan (1951) De Sica, Vittorio #631 Italy
20. Salvatore Giuliano (1961) Rosi, Francesco #646 Italy
21. Teorema (1968) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #680 Italy
22. Accattone (1961) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #695 Italy
23. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970) Petri, Elio #738 Italy
24. Fellini Satyricon (1969) Fellini, Federico #744 Italy
25. Best of Youth, The (2003) Giordana, Marco Tullio #766 Italy
26. La Terra trema (1948) Visconti, Luchino #794 Italy
27. Mafioso (bw, 1962) Lattuada, Alberto #812 Italy
28. Gomorra (2008) Garrone, Matteo #830 Italy
29. Europa '51 (1952) Rossellini, Roberto #842 Italy
30. Fellini's Casanova (1976) Fellini, Federico #843 Italy
31. Ossessione (1943) Visconti, Luchino #940 Italy
32. Intruder, The (L'innocent, 1976) Visconti, Luchino #968 Italy
33. Spider's Stratagem, The (1970) Bertolucci, Bernardo #994 Italy


Italy Plus (multi-country films only)

1. Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, The (1966) Leone, Sergio #36 Italy-Spain
2. Conformist, The (1970) Bertolucci, Bernardo #45 Italy-France-Germany
3. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Leone, Sergio #52 Italy-US
4. Battle of Algiers, The (1966) Pontecorvo, Gillo #60 Italy-Algiers
5. Contempt (1963) Godard, Jean-Luc #89 France-Italy
6. Cinema Paradiso (1988) Tornatore, Giuseppe #118 Italy-France
7. Pierrot le fou (1965) Godard, Jean-Luc #124 France-Italy
8. Earrings of Madame de..., The (1953) Ophuls, Max #136 France-Italy
9. Wages of Fear, The (1952) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #168 France-Italy
10. Nights of Cabiria (1957) Fellini, Federico #172 Italy-France
11. Gospel According to St. Matthew, The (1964) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #176 France-Italy
12. L'Avventura (1960) Antonioni, Michelangelo #183 Italy-France
13. Last Year at Marienbad (1961) Resnais, Alain #213 France-Italy
14. Belle de jour (1967) Buñuel, Luis #219 France-Italy
15. Rocco and His Brothers (1964) Visconti, Luchino #223 Italy-France
16. Eyes Without a Face (1959) Franju, Georges #229 France-Italy
17. Last Tango in Paris (1973) Bertolucci, Bernardo #262 France-Italy
18. Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #272 Italy-France
19. Army of Shadows (1969) Melville, Jean-Pierre #277 France-Italy
20. L'Eclisse (1962) Antonioni, Michelangelo #286 France-Italy
21. Week-End (1967) Godard, Jean-Luc #304 France-Italy
22. Golden Coach, The (1952) Renoir, Jean #345 Italy-France
23. La Notte (1961) Antonioni, Michelangelo #357 France-Italy
24. Red Desert (1964) Antonioni, Michelangelo #408 France-Italy
25. 1900 (1976) Bertolucci, Bernardo #505 France-Germany-Italy
26. For a Few Dollars More (1965) Leone, Sergio #509 Italy-Spain
27. Lola (1961) Demy, Jacques #540 France-Italy
28. Nostalghia (1983) Tarkovsky, Andrei #577 Italy-USSR
29. Germany, Year Zero (1947) Rossellini, Roberto #580 Italy-West Germany
30. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) Charles, Larry #773 France-Italy
31. Muriel ou Le Temps d'un Retour (1963) Resnais, Alain #817 France-Italy
32. Lancelot du Lac (1974) Bresson, Robert #831 France-Italy
33. Last Emperor, The (1987) Bertolucci, Bernardo #901 UK-Italy-China-France
34. Certified Copy (2010) Kiarostami, Abbas #908 France-Italy-Belgium
35. Vincere (2009) Bellocchio, Marco #951 Italy-France
36. Damned, The (1969) Visconti, Luchino #992 Italy-West Germany

Merged, all Italian films 

1. Bicycle Thief, The (1949) De Sica, Vittorio #21 Italy [photo above]
2. Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, The (1966) Leone, Sergio #36 Italy-Spain
3. 8½ (1963) Fellini, Federico #40 Italy
4. Conformist, The (1970) Bertolucci, Bernardo #45 Italy-France-Germany
5. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Leone, Sergio #52 Italy-US
6. Battle of Algiers, The (1966) Pontecorvo, Gillo #60 Italy-Algiers
7. La Dolce Vita (1960) Fellini, Federico #74 Italy
8. Umberto D (1952) De Sica, Vittorio #80 Italy
9. Contempt (1963) Godard, Jean-Luc #89 France-Italy
10. La Strada (1954) Fellini, Federico #114 Italy

11. Cinema Paradiso (1988) Tornatore, Giuseppe #118 Italy-France
12. Pierrot le fou (1965) Godard, Jean-Luc #124 France-Italy
13. Earrings of Madame de..., The (1953) Ophuls, Max #136 France-Italy
14. Leopard, The (1963) Visconti, Luchino #151 Italy
15. Wages of Fear, The (1952) Clouzot, Henri-Georges #168 France-Italy
16. Nights of Cabiria (1957) Fellini, Federico #172 Italy-France
17. Gospel According to St. Matthew, The (1964) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #176 France-Italy
18. L'Avventura (1960) Antonioni, Michelangelo #183 Italy-France
19. Last Year at Marienbad (1961) Resnais, Alain #213 France-Italy
20. Belle de jour (1967) Buñuel, Luis #219 France-Italy
21. Rocco and His Brothers (1964) Visconti, Luchino #223 Italy-France
22. Eyes Without a Face (1959) Franju, Georges #229 France-Italy
23. Passenger, The (1975) Antonioni, Michelangelo #250 Italy
24. Amarcord (1973) Fellini, Federico #254 Italy
25. Last Tango in Paris (1973) Bertolucci, Bernardo #262 France-Italy
26. Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #272 Italy-France
27. Army of Shadows (1969) Melville, Jean-Pierre #277 France-Italy
28. Paisan (1946) Rossellini, Roberto #280 Italy
29. L'Eclisse (1962) Antonioni, Michelangelo #286 France-Italy
30. Rome, Open City (1945) Rossellini, Roberto #291 Italy
31. Week-End (1967) Godard, Jean-Luc #304 France-Italy
32. Suspiria (1977) Argento, Dario #329 Italy
33. Golden Coach, The (1952) Renoir, Jean #345 Italy-France
34. I Vitelloni (1953) Fellini, Federico #348 Italy
35. La Notte (1961) Antonioni, Michelangelo #357 France-Italy
36. Red Desert (1964) Antonioni, Michelangelo #408 France-Italy
37. Life is Beautiful (1997) Begnini, Roberto #446 Italy
38. Juliet of the Spirits (1965) Fellini, Federico #479 Italy
39. Senso (1954) Visconti, Luchino #488 Italy
40. 1900 (1976) Bertolucci, Bernardo #505 France-Germany-Italy
41. For a Few Dollars More (1965) Leone, Sergio #509 Italy-Spain
42. Death in Venice (1971) Visconti, Luchino #517 Italy
43. Voyage in Italy (1953) Rossellini, Roberto #533 Italy
44. Lola (1961) Demy, Jacques #540 France-Italy
45. Tree of Wooden Clogs, The (1978) Olmi, Ermanno #550 Italy
46. Nostalghia (1983) Tarkovsky, Andrei #577 Italy-USSR
47. Germany, Year Zero (1947) Rossellini, Roberto #580 Italy-West Germany
48. Miracle in Milan (1951) De Sica, Vittorio #631 Italy
49. Salvatore Giuliano (1961) Rosi, Francesco #646 Italy
50. Teorema (1968) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #680 Italy
51. Accattone (1961) Pasolini, Pier Paolo #695 Italy
52. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970) Petri, Elio #738 Italy
53. Fellini Satyricon (1969) Fellini, Federico #744 Italy
54. Best of Youth, The (2003) Giordana, Marco Tullio #766 Italy
55. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) Charles, Larry #773 France-Italy
56. La Terra trema (1948) Visconti, Luchino #794 Italy
57. Mafioso (bw, 1962) Lattuada, Alberto #812 Italy
58. Muriel ou Le Temps d'un Retour (1963) Resnais, Alain #817 France-Italy
59. Gomorra (2008) Garrone, Matteo #830 Italy
60. Lancelot du Lac (1974) Bresson, Robert #831 France-Italy
61. Europa '51 (1952) Rossellini, Roberto #842 Italy
62. Fellini's Casanova (1976) Fellini, Federico #843 Italy
63. Last Emperor, The (1987) Bertolucci, Bernardo #901 UK-Italy-China-France
64. Certified Copy (2010) Kiarostami, Abbas #908 France-Italy-Belgium
65. Ossessione (1943) Visconti, Luchino #940 Italy
66. Vincere (2009) Bellocchio, Marco #951 Italy-France
67. Intruder, The (L'innocent, 1976) Visconti, Luchino #968 Italy
68. Damned, The (1969) Visconti, Luchino #992 Italy-West Germany
69. Spider's Stratagem, The (1970) Bertolucci, Bernardo #994 Italy

Bertolucci's The Conformist - cinematographer Vittorio

Storaro later won 3 Oscars (Reds, The Last

Emperor, and Apocalypse Now)

Personal Favorite 40
(some unranked ones added) * = unranked

1. Cinema Paradiso (1988) Tornatore, Giuseppe
2. L'Avventura (1960) Antonioni, Michelangelo
3. Conformist, The (1970) Bertolucci, Bernardo
4. Umberto D (1952) De Sica, Vittorio
5. Battle of Algiers, The (1966) Pontecorvo, Gillo
6. Lamerica (1994) Amelio, Gianni [photo rt]
7. Last Emperor, The (1987) Bertolucci, Bernardo
8. La Dolce Vita (1960) Fellini, Federico
9. Il Posto (1961) Olmi, Ermanno
10. Bicycle Thief, The (aka Bicycle Thieves, 1949) De Sica, Vittorio
11. Il Postino (95) Radford, Michael*
12. Gospel According to St. Matthew, The (1964) Pasolini, Pier Paolo
13. Best of Youth, The (2003) Giordana, Marco Tullio
14. Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) Monicelli, Mario
15. 8½ (1963) Fellini, Federico
16. Rocco and His Brothers (1964) Visconti, Luchino
17. Last Tango in Paris (1973) Bertolucci, Bernardo
18. Amarcord (1973) Fellini, Federico
19. L'Eclisse (1962) Antonioni, Michelangelo
20. Legend of 1900, The (1998) Tornatore, Giuseppe*
21. Nights of Cabiria (1957) Fellini, Federico
22. Passenger, The (1975) Antonioni, Michelangelo

23. Garden of the Finzi-Continis, The (1970) De Sica, Vittorio* [photo rt]

24. El Alamein (2002) Monteleone, Enzo*
25. Seven Beauties (1976) Wertmuller, Lina*
26. Night Porter, The (1974) Cavani, Liliana*
27. Swept Away (1975) Wertmuller, Lina*
28. La Notte (1961) Antonioni, Michelangelo
29. Malena (2000) Tornatore, Giuseppe*
30. Kapó (1959) Pontecorvo, Gillo*
31. Viridiana (1961) Buñuel, Luis*
32. Rome, Open City (1945) Rossellini, Roberto
33. Belle de jour (1967) Buñuel, Luis
34. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970) Petri, Elio
35. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Leone, Sergio
36. Tree of Wooden Clogs, The (1978) Olmi, Ermanno
37. Death in Venice (1971) Visconti, Luchino
38. Fellini's Roma (1972) Fellini, Federico
39. La Terra trema (1948) Visconti, Luchino
40. Flowers of St. Francis, The (1950) Rossellini, Roberto

These are some of my favorite foreign language films, I think because they are so well composed visually, yet are also touching; plus, the language really is one of the most enjoyable to hear, isn't it? Umberto D is a masterpiece of the heart to me, while L'avventura is one of the best composed films shot-for-shot that I've ever seen (see photo above), one of three that Woody Allen said "transcend film and become art". It won a Jury Prize at Cannes (after being booed by the audience) for "giving us a new way to look at cinema". The two films that followed it are L'Eclisse, and La Notte, all worth seeing.

Cinema Paradiso is an homage to a life spent with movies, a love letter to their inspiration, and an autobiographical story of Guiseppe Tornatore, from Sicily. L'america is a striking statement about identity, alienation, and hope.

Bertolucci's The Conformist is a riveting indictment of losing one's ethics for personal gain, and its style influenced many American directors. His cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, became a favorite in the US, winning Oscars for Apocalypse Now, Reds, and The Last Emperor. They won an award in 1998 as best director-cinematographer duo. 

Fellini may not be for all tastes, but I think La Dolce Vita is another masterpiece, while his Amarcord may be more accessible to general audiences as it's a nostalgic, autobiographical look at growing up in a small Italian town.

Top Ranked Films by Year: the 2000s

Based on our compendium of all film polls 
[2011 Update - added 2009, July 2011; current through mid 2011 polls] 

© William L. Sinclair

Photo from the Oscar®-winning German film, The Lives of Others

This continues our series of top-ranked films by year, based on the Top Ranked 1000 Films on the Net, 2011 Edition that we compiled,

Total Ranked Films in the 2000's: 246 (up from 152 as 2 more years were added, 2009-2010 - with 92 ranked 800 or lower, some will undoubtably drop out of the rankings)

- [ 2010 ] -
1. Toy Story 3 - Lasseter, John #180
2. Social Network - Fincher, David #235
3. King's Speech - Hooper, Tom #267
4. Black Swan - Aronofsky, Darren #287
5. Inception - Nolan, Christopher #300
6. Exit Through the Gift Shop - Banksy #556
7. Shutter Island - Scorsese, Martin #565
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - Weerasethakul, Apichatpong #588
9. Winter's Bone - Granik, Debra #602
10. Carlos - Assayas , Olivier #687
11. My Perestroika - Hessman, Robin #725
12. Poetry (Shi) Lee, Chang-dong #762
13. 127 Hours - Boyle, Danny #783
14. Film Unfinished, A - Hersonski, Yael #803
15. Inside Job - Ferguson, Charles #814
16. Kids Are All Right, The - Cholodenko, Lisa #830
17. Arbor, The - Barnard, Clio #832
18. Blue Valentine - Cianfrance, Derek #848
19. 13 Assassins - Miike, Takashi #850
20. How to Train Your Dragon - DeBlois (Dean), Sanders (Chris) #852
21. Tillman Story, The - Bar-Lev, Amir #854
22. Illusionist, The - Chomet, Sylvain #872
23. Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Herzog, Werner #878
24. Of Gods and Men - Beauvois, Xavier #881
25. True Grit - Coen Bros. #888
26. Certified Copy - Kiarostami, Abbas #906
27. Nostalgia for the Light - Guzmán, Patricio #934
28. Restrepo - Hetherington, Tim & Junger, Sebastian #981
29. Meek's Cutoff - Reichardt, Kelly #983
Best Picture: The King's Speech

- [ 2009 ] -
1. District 9 - Blomkamp, Neill #310
2. Inglourious Basterds - Tarantino, Quentin #333
3. Star Trek - Abrams, J J #376
4. Secret in Their Eyes - Campanella, Juan José #401
5. Prophet, A - Audiard, Jacques #449
6. Avatar - Cameron, James #457
7. Fantastic Mr Fox - Anderson, Wes #494
8. White Ribbon, The - Haneke, Michael #522
9. Serious Man, A - Coen Bros #631
10. Hunger - McQueen, Steve #656
11. Mary and Max - Elliot, Adam #658
12. An Education - Scherfig, Lone #700
13. Up in the Air - Reitman, Jason #749
14. In the Loop - Iannucci, Armando #762
15. 45365 - Ross, Bill IV #828
16. I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You - Ainouz, Karim #835
17. Cove, The - Psihoyos, Louie #879
18. Coraline - Selick, Henry #906
19. Last Train Home - Fan, Lixie #926
20. Lebanon - Maoz, Samuel #942
21. Vincere - Bellocchio, Marco #960
22. Fish Tank - Arnold, Andrea #966
23. Passing Strange - Lee, Spike #993
Best Picture: The Hurt Locker [technically a 2008 release; the Oscars also did this in 42-43 with Casablanca, released in 42, but awarded best picture of 1943]

- [ 2008 ] -
1. WALL-E - Stanton, Andrew #155
2. Dark Knight, The - Nolan, Christopher #189
3. Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The - Schnabel, Julian #194
4. Slumdog Millionaire - Boyle, Danny #221
5. Let the Right One In - Alfredson, Tomas #288
6. Wrestler, The - Aronofsky, Darren #292
7. Hurt Locker, The - Bigelow, Kathryn #428
8. Gran Torino - Eastwood, Clint #434
9. Waltz with Bashir - Folman, Ari #474
10. Man on Wire - Marsh, James #484
11. Milk - Van Sant, Gus #522
12. Ponyo (anime,2008) Miyazaki, Hayao #567
13. In Bruges - McDonagh, Martin #583
14. Class, The - Cantet, Laurent #618
15. Hunger - McQueen, Steve #650
16. 35 Shots of Rum - Denis, Claire #653
17. Still Walking - Kore-eda, Hirokazu #705
18. Sita Sings the Blues - Paley, Nina #709
19. Goodbye Solo - Bahrani, Ramin #775
20. Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh, Mike #785
21. Tulpan - Dvortsevoy, Sergei #799
22. Gomorra - Garrone, Matteo #828
23. Revanche - Spielmann, Götz #858
24. Beaches of Agnès, The - Varda, Agnès #883
25. Christmas Tale, A - Desplechin, Arnaud #896
26. Rachel Getting Married - Demme, Jonathan #909
27. Synecdoche, New York - Kaufman, Charlie #967
28. Summer Hours - Assayas, Olivier #989
[Gone: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Goodbye Solo, Changeling, Seraphine]
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

- [ 2007 ] -
1. No Country for Old Men - Coen Ethan and Joel #133
2. There Will Be Blood - Anderson, Paul Thomas #150
3. Ratatouille - Bird, Brad & Pinkava, Jan #217
4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and2 Days - Mungiu, Cristian #360
5. Bourne Ultimatum, The - Greengrass, Paul #374
6. Persepolis - Paronnaud, Vincent & Satrapi, Marjane #435
7. Atonement - Wright, Joe #643
8. Juno - Reitman, Jason #657
9. Eastern Promises - Cronenberg, David #697
10. Zodiac - Fincher, David #719
11. Paranoid Park - Van Sant, Gus #733
12. Into the Wild - Penn, Sean #760
13. No End in Sight - Ferguson, Charles #774
14. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Burton, Tim #777
15. Edge of Heaven, The - Akin, Fatih #781
16. My Winnipeg - Maddin, Guy #821
17. Hot Fuzz - Wright, Edgar #839
18. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - Lumet, Sydney #853
19. Flight of the Red Balloon, The - Hsiao-hsien Hou #920
20. Savages, The - Jenkins, Tamara #931
21. Knocked Up - Apatow, Judd #940
22. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, The - Gordon, Seth #959
23. Forbidden Lie$ - Broinowski, Anna #968
24. Alexandra - Sokurov, Aleksandr #972
25. Control - Corbijn, Anton #997
Best Picture: No Country for Old Men

- [ 2006 ] -
1. Pan's Labyrinth - del Toro, Guillermo #125
2. Lives of Others, The - von Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel #134 (photo top) (AA and BAFTA for foreign language film)
3. Departed, The - Scorsese, Martin #191
4. Children of Men - Cuaron, Alfonso #258
5. Letters from Iwo Jima - Eastwood, Clint #365
6. Prestige, The - Nolan, Christopher #392
7. Volver - Almodovar, Pedro #523
8. Once - Carney, John #544
9. Queen, The - Frears, Stephen #585
10. This Is England - Meadows, Shane #599
11. Little Miss Sunshine - Dayton, Jonathan & Faris, Valerie #622
12. Host, The - Bong, Joon-ho #672
13. United 93 - Greengrass, Paul #683
14. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - Charles, Larry #771
15. Half Nelson - Fleck, Ryan #773
16. Away from Her - Polley, Sarah #809
17. Deliver Us from Evil - Berg, Amy #890
18. Offside - Panahi, Jafar #937
19. Neil Young: Heart of Gold - Demme, Jonathan #962
Best Picture: The Departed

- [ 2005 ] -
1. Brokeback Mountain - Lee, Ang #334
2. Sin City - Rodgriguez, Robert #409
3. V for Vendetta - McTeigue, James #504
4. Hidden (Caché,2005) Haneke, Michael #531
5. Grizzly Man - Herzog, Werner #539
6. History of Violence, A - Cronenberg, David #611
7. Squid and the Whale, The - Baumbach, Noah #623
8. Capote - Miller, Bennett #651
9. L'Enfant (The Child,2005) Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc #659
10. Batman Begins - Nolan, Christopher #698
11. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Park, Nick & Box, Steve #835
12. Fateless - Koltai, Lajos #842
13. Murderball - Rubin, Henry Alex & Shapiro, Dana Adam #847
14. Our Daily Bread - Geyrhalter, Nikolaus #903
15. Street Fight - Curry, Marshall #952
16. Sun, The - Sokurov, Aleksandr #970
17. Death of Mr. Lazarescu, The - Puiu, Cristi #993
[Gone: Crash - Haggis, Paul]
Best Picture: Crash

- [ 2004 ] -
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Gondry, Michael #169 (photo rt)
2. Million Dollar Baby - Eastwood, Clint #237
3. Incredibles, The - Bird, Brad #252
4. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 - Tarantino, Quentin #286
5. Downfall - Hirschbiegel, Oliver #326
6. Howl's Moving Castle - Miyazaki, Hayao #350
7. Sideways - Payne, Alexander #378
8. Before Sunset - Linklater, Richard #416
9. Hotel Rwanda - George, Terry #498
10. Nobody Knows - Kore-eda, Hirokazu #606
11. House of Flying Daggers - Yimou, Zhang #722
12. Moolaadé - Sembene, Ousmane #729
13. 2046 - Wong Kar-Wai #788
14. Shaun of the Dead - Wright, Edgar #818
15. Maria Full of Grace - Marston, Joshua #838
16. Bad Education - Almodovar, Pedro #863
17. Life Aquatic w Steve Zissou - Anderson, Wes #925
18. Turtles Can Fly - Ghobadi, Bahman #944
19. Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession - Cassavetes, Alexandra #996
Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby

- [ 2003 ] -
1. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The - Jackson, Peter #92
2. Finding Nemo - Stanton, Andrew & Unkrich, Lee #236
3. Lost in Translation - Coppola, Sofia #256
4. Oldboy - Park Chan-Wook #260
5. Mystic River - Eastwood, Clint #323
6. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring - Ki-duk Kim #349
7. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 - Tarantino, Quentin #362
8. American Splendor - Berman, Shari, and Pulcini, Robert #610
9. Fog of War, The - Morris, Errol #669
10. Capturing the Friedmans - Jarecki, Andrew #727
11. Triplets of Belleville, The - Chomet, Sylvain #734
12. Return, The - Zvyagintsev, Andrei #744
13. Best of Youth, The - Giordana, Marco Tullio #764
14. Memories of Murder - Bong, Joon-ho #793
15. Tarnation - Caouette, Jonathan #845
16. Dogville - von Trier, Lars #895
17. Los Angeles Plays Itself - Andersen, Thom #939
18. Festival Express - Smeaton & Cvitanovich #945
19. Since Otar Left - Bertucelli, Julie #995
[Gone: Big Fish - Burton, Tim]
Best Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

- [ 2002 ] -
1. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The - Jackson, Peter #119
2. City of God - Meirelles, Fernando #121 (photo rt)
3. Pianist, The - Polanski, Roman #142
4. Talk to Her - Almodóvar, Pedro #316
5. Adaptation - Jonze, Spike #414
6. Punch-Drunk Love - Anderson, Paul Thomas #534
7. Hero (02, Yimou) Yimou, Zhang #589
8. Russian Ark - Sokurov, Aleksandr #596
9. Infernal Affairs - Lau (Wai-keung), Mak (Alan) #660
10. Far from Heaven - Haynes, Todd #663
11. Son, The (Le Fils,2002) Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc #730
12. Bloody Sunday - Greengrass, Paul #747
13. Marooned in Iraq - Ghobadi, Bahman #851
14. To Be and to Have - Philibert, Nicolas #866
15. Ten - Kiarostami, Abbas #873
16. Distant - Ceylan, Nuri Bilge #875
17. 24 Hour Party People - Winterbottom, Michael #900
18. Sweet Sixteen - Loach, Ken #910
19. Lilya 4-Ever - Moodysson, Lucas #912
20. Hours, The - Daldry, Steven #924
21. Love and Diane - Dworkin, Jennifer #954
22. About Schmidt - Payne, Alexander #958
23. Man Without a Past, The - Kaurismaki, Aki #964
Best Picture: Chicago

- [ 2001 ] -
1. Spirited Away - Miyazaki, Hayao #78
2. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The - Jackson, Peter #79
3. Mulholland Dr. - Lynch, David #122
4. In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar-Wai #167
5. Donnie Darko - Kelly, Richard #178
6. Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain,2001) Jeunet, Jean-Pierre #242
7. Y Tu Mamá También - Cuarón, Alfonso #333
8. Ghost World - Zwigoff, Terry #517
9. Royal Tenenbaums, The - Anderson, Wes #570
10. Gosford Park - Altman, Robert #593
11. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India - Gowariker, Ashutosh #665
12. Waking Life (anime) Linklater, Richard #684
13. Fast Runner, The - Kunuk, Zacharias #732
14. Hedwig and the Angry Itch - Mitchell, John Cameron #739
15. Monsters, Inc. - Dokter, Unkrich, Silverman #778
16. Time Out - Cantet, Laurent #805
17. In the Bedroom - Field, Todd #874
18. Je rentre à la maison (I'm Going Home) de Oliveira, Manoel #877
19. Children Underground - Belzberg, Edet #923
20. Domestic Violence - Wiseman, Frederick #960
21. Long Night's Journey Into Day - Hoffman, Deborah #987
[Gone: I'm Going Home - de Oliveira, Manuel]
Best Picture: A Beautiful Mind

- [ 2000 ] -
1. Memento - Nolan, Christopher #195
2. Amores Perros - Inarritu #230
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Lee, Ang #244 (photo rt)
4. Yi yi - Yang, Edward #248
5. Requiem for a Dream - Aronofsky, Darren #322
6. Werckmeister Harmonies - Tarr, Bela & Hranitzky, Agnes #501
7. Gladiator - Scott, Ridley #515
8. Traffic - Soderbergh, Steve #527
9. Snatch - Ritchie, Guy #726
10. La Commune (Paris,1871) - Watkins, Peter #752
11. Almost Famous - Crowe, Cameron #758
12. Chicken Run - Park, Nick & Lord, Peter #816
13. Under the Sand - Ozon, Francois #892
14. High Fidelity - Frears, Stephen #894
15. Dancer in the Dark - von Trier, Lars #915
16. Before Night Falls - Schnabel, Julian #921
17. You Can Count On Me - Lonergan, Kenneth #926
18. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, The - Butler, George #933
19. O Brother, Where Art Thou - Coen Bros. #957
20. Paragraph 175 - Epstein, Rob & Friedman, Jeffrey #984
21. Sound and Fury - Aronson, Josh #986
22. Circle, The (Dayereh) Panahi, Jafar #994
Best Picture: Gladiator


All Ranked Films from the 2000s
[147 of these are in the bottom 200, so many will fall off before the next update in 2012]

1. Spirited Away (2001) Miyazaki, Hayao #78
2. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001) Jackson, Peter #79
3. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003) Jackson, Peter #92
4. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002) Jackson, Peter #119
5. City of God (2002) Meirelles, Fernando #121
6. Mulholland Dr. (2001) Lynch, David #122
7. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) del Toro, Guillermo #125
8. No Country for Old Men (2007) Coen Ethan and Joel #133
9. Lives of Others, The (2006) von Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel #134
10. Pianist, The (2002) Polanski, Roman #142
11. There Will Be Blood (2007) Anderson, Paul Thomas #150
12. WALL-E (2008) Stanton, Andrew #155
13. In the Mood for Love (2001) Wong Kar-Wai #167
14. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Gondry, Michael #169
15. Donnie Darko (2001) Kelly, Richard #178
16. Toy Story 3 (2010) Lasseter, John #180
17. Dark Knight, The (2008) Nolan, Christopher #189
18. Departed, The (2006) Scorsese, Martin #191
19. Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The (2008) Schnabel, Julian #194
20. Memento (2000) Nolan, Christopher #195
21. Ratatouille (2007) Bird, Brad & Pinkava, Jan #217
22. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Boyle, Danny #221
23. Amores Perros (2000) Inarritu #230
24. Social Network (2010) Fincher, David #235
25. Finding Nemo (2003) Stanton, Andrew & Unkrich, Lee #236
26. Million Dollar Baby (2004) Eastwood, Clint #237
27. Amélie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain,2001) Jeunet, Jean-Pierre #242
28. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Lee, Ang #244
29. Yi yi (2000) Yang, Edward #248
30. Incredibles, The (2004) Bird, Brad #252
31. Lost in Translation (2003) Coppola, Sofia #256
32. Children of Men (2006) Cuaron, Alfonso #258
33. Oldboy (2003) Park Chan-Wook #260
34. King's Speech (2010) Hooper, Tom #267
35. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) Tarantino, Quentin #286
36. Black Swan (2010) Aronofsky, Darren #287
37. Let the Right One In (2008) Alfredson, Tomas #288
38. Wrestler, The (2008) Aronofsky, Darren #292
39. Inception (2010) Nolan, Christopher #300
40. Up (2009) Docter, Peter #305
41. District 9 (2009) Blomkamp, Neill #309
42. Talk to Her (2002) Almodóvar, Pedro #316
43. Requiem for a Dream (2000) Aronofsky, Darren #322
44. Mystic River (2003) Eastwood, Clint #323
45. Downfall (2004) Hirschbiegel, Oliver #326
46. Inglourious Basterds (2009) Tarantino, Quentin #331
47. Y Tu Mamá También (2001) Cuarón, Alfonso #333
48. Brokeback Mountain (2005) Lee, Ang #334
49. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) Ki-duk Kim #349
50. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) Miyazaki, Hayao #350
51. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) Mungiu, Cristian #360
52. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) Tarantino, Quentin #362
53. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) Eastwood, Clint #365
54. Star Trek (2009) Abrams, J.J. #372
55. Bourne Ultimatum, The (2007) Greengrass, Paul #374
56. Sideways (2004) Payne, Alexander #378
57. Prestige, The (2006) Nolan, Christopher #392
58. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) Campanella, Juan José #397
59. Sin City (2005) Rodgriguez, Robert #409
60. Adaptation (2002) Jonze, Spike #414
61. Before Sunset (2004) Linklater, Richard #416
62. Hurt Locker, The (2008) Bigelow, Kathryn #428
63. Gran Torino (2008) Eastwood, Clint #434
64. Persepolis (2007) Paronnaud, Vincent & Satrapi, Marjane #435
65. Prophet, A (2009) Audiard, Jacques #446
66. Avatar (2009) Cameron, James #454
67. Waltz with Bashir (2008) Folman, Ari #474
68. Man on Wire (2008) Marsh, James #484
69. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Anderson, Wes #491
70. Hotel Rwanda (2004) George, Terry #498
71. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) Tarr, Bela & Hranitzky, Agnes #501
72. V for Vendetta (2005) McTeigue, James #504
73. Gladiator (2000) Scott, Ridley #515
74. Ghost World (2001) Zwigoff, Terry #517
75. White Ribbon, The (2009) Haneke, Michael #519
76. Milk (2008) Van Sant, Gus #522
77. Volver (2006) Almodovar, Pedro #523
78. Traffic (2000) Soderbergh, Steve #527
79. Hidden (Caché, 2005) Haneke, Michael #531
80. Punch-Drunk Love (2002) Anderson, Paul Thomas #534
81. Grizzly Man (2005) Herzog, Werner #539
82. Once (2006) Carney, John #544
83. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) Banksy #556
84. Shutter Island (2010) Scorsese, Martin #565
85. Ponyo (anime, 2008) Miyazaki, Hayao #567
86. Royal Tenenbaums, The (2001) Anderson, Wes #570
87. In Bruges (2008) McDonagh, Martin #583
88. Queen, The (2006) Frears, Stephen #585
89. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) Weerasethakul, Apichatpong #588
90. Hero (02, Yimou) Yimou, Zhang #589
91. Gosford Park (2001) Altman, Robert #593
92. Russian Ark (2002) Sokurov, Aleksandr #596
93. This Is England (2006) Meadows, Shane #599
94. Winter's Bone (2010) Granik, Debra #602
95. Nobody Knows (2004) Kore-eda, Hirokazu #606
96. American Splendor (2003) Berman, Shari, and Pulcini, Robert #610
97. History of Violence, A (2005) Cronenberg, David #611
98. Class, The (2008) Cantet, Laurent #618
99. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Dayton, Jonathan & Faris, Valerie #622
100. Squid and the Whale, The (2005) Baumbach, Noah #623
101. Serious Man, A (2009) Coen Bros. #626
102. Atonement (2007) Wright, Joe #643
103. Hunger (2008) McQueen, Steve #650
104. Capote (2005) Miller, Bennett #651
105. Mary and Max (2009) Elliot, Adam #652
106. 35 Shots of Rum (2008) Denis, Claire #653
107. Juno (2007) Reitman, Jason #657
108. L'Enfant (The Child, 2005) Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc #659
109. Infernal Affairs (2002) Lau (Wai-keung), Mak (Alan) #660
110. Far from Heaven (2002) Haynes, Todd #663
111. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) Gowariker, Ashutosh #665
112. Fog of War, The (2003) Morris, Errol #669
113. Host, The (2006) Bong, Joon-ho #672
114. United 93 (2006) Greengrass, Paul #683
115. Waking Life (anime, 2001) Linklater, Richard #684
116. Carlos (2010) Assayas , Olivier #687
117. An Education (2009) Scherfig, Lone #694
118. Eastern Promises (2007) Cronenberg, David #697
119. Batman Begins (2005) Nolan, Christopher #698
120. Still Walking (2008) Kore-eda, Hirokazu #705
121. Sita Sings the Blues (2008) Paley, Nina #709
122. Zodiac (2007) Fincher, David #719
123. House of Flying Daggers (2004) Yimou, Zhang #722
124. My Perestroika (2010) Hessman, Robin #725
125. Snatch (2000) Ritchie, Guy #726
126. Capturing the Friedmans (2003) Jarecki, Andrew #727
127. Moolaadé (2004) Sembene, Ousmane #729
128. Son, The (Le Fils, 2002) Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc #730
129. Fast Runner, The (2001) Kunuk, Zacharias #732
130. Paranoid Park (2007) Van Sant, Gus #733
131. Triplets of Belleville, The (2003) Chomet, Sylvain #734
132. Hedwig and the Angry Itch (2001) Mitchell, John Cameron #739
133. Up in the Air (2009) Reitman, Jason #741
134. Return, The (2003) Zvyagintsev, Andrei #744
135. Bloody Sunday (2002) Greengrass, Paul #747
136. La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000) Watkins, Peter #752
137. In the Loop (2009) Iannucci, Armando #754
138. Almost Famous (2000) Crowe, Cameron #758
139. Into the Wild (2007) Penn, Sean #760
140. Poetry (Shi, 2010) Lee, Chang-dong #762
141. Best of Youth, The (2003) Giordana, Marco Tullio #764
142. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) Charles, Larry #771
143. Half Nelson (2006) Fleck, Ryan #773
144. No End in Sight (2007) Ferguson, Charles #774
145. Goodbye Solo (2008) Bahrani, Ramin #775
146. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) Burton, Tim #777
147. Monsters, Inc. (2001) Dokter, Unkrich, Silverman #778
148. Edge of Heaven, The (2007) Akin, Fatih #781
149. 127 Hours (2010) Boyle, Danny #783
150. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) Leigh, Mike #785
151. 2046 (2004) Wong Kar-Wai #788
152. Memories of Murder (2003) Bong, Joon-ho #793
153. Tulpan (2008) Dvortsevoy, Sergei #799
154. Film Unfinished, A (2010) Hersonski, Yael #803
155. Time Out (2001) Cantet, Laurent #805
156. Away from Her (2006) Polley, Sarah #809
157. Inside Job (2010) Ferguson, Charles #814
158. Chicken Run (2000) Park, Nick & Lord, Peter #816
159. Shaun of the Dead (2004) Wright, Edgar #818
160. 45365 (2009) Ross, Bill IV #820
161. My Winnipeg (2007) Maddin, Guy #821
162. I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You (2009) Ainouz, Karim & Gomes, Marcello #827
163. Gomorra (2008) Garrone, Matteo #828
164. Kids Are All Right, The (2010) Cholodenko, Lisa #830
165. Arbor, The (2010) Barnard, Clio #832
166. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) Park, Nick & Box, Steve #835
167. Maria Full of Grace (2004) Marston, Joshua #838
168. Hot Fuzz (2007) Wright, Edgar #839
169. Fateless (2005) Koltai, Lajos #842
170. Tarnation (2003) Caouette, Jonathan #845
171. Murderball (2005) Rubin, Henry Alex & Shapiro, Dana Adam #847
172. Blue Valentine (2010) Cianfrance, Derek #848
173. 13 Assassins (2010) Miike, Takashi #850
174. Marooned in Iraq (2002) Ghobadi, Bahman #851
175. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) DeBlois (Dean), Sanders (Chris) #852
176. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) Lumet, Sydney #853
177. Tillman Story, The (2010) Bar-Lev, Amir #854
178. Revanche (2008) Spielmann, Götz #858
179. Bad Education (2004) Almodovar, Pedro #863
180. To Be and to Have (2002) Philibert, Nicolas #866
181. Cove, The (2009) Psihoyos, Louie #870
182. Illusionist, The (2010) Chomet, Sylvain #872
183. Ten (2002) Kiarostami, Abbas #873
184. In the Bedroom (2001) Field, Todd #874
185. Distant (2002) Ceylan, Nuri Bilge #875
186. Je rentre à la maison (I'm Going Home, 2001) de Oliveira, Manoel #877
187. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010) Herzog, Werner #878
188. Drag Me to Hell (2009) Raimi, Sam #880
189. Of Gods and Men (2010) Beauvois, Xavier #881
190. Beaches of Agnès, The (2008) Varda, Agnès #883
191. True Grit (2010) Coen Bros. #888
192. Deliver Us from Evil (2006) Berg, Amy #890
193. Under the Sand (2000) Ozon, Francois #892
194. High Fidelity (2000) Frears, Stephen #894
195. Dogville (2003) von Trier, Lars #895
196. Christmas Tale, A (2008) Desplechin, Arnaud #896
197. Coraline (2009) Selick, Henry #897
198. 24 Hour Party People (2002) Winterbottom, Michael #900
199. Our Daily Bread (2005) Geyrhalter, Nikolaus #903
200. Certified Copy (2010) Kiarostami, Abbas #906
201. Rachel Getting Married (2008) Demme, Jonathan #909
202. Sweet Sixteen (2002) Loach, Ken #910
203. Lilya 4-Ever (2002) Moodysson, Lucas #912
204. Dancer in the Dark (2000) von Trier, Lars #915
205. Last Train Home (2009) Fan, Lixie #916
206. Flight of the Red Balloon, The (2007) Hsiao-hsien Hou #920
207. Before Night Falls (2000) Schnabel, Julian #921
208. Children Underground (2001) Belzberg, Edet #923
209. Hours, The (2002) Daldry, Steven #924
210. Life Aquatic w Steve Zissou (2004) Anderson, Wes #925
211. You Can Count On Me (2000) Lonergan, Kenneth #926
212. Savages, The (2007) Jenkins, Tamara #931
213. Lebanon (2009) Maoz, Samuel #932
214. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, The (2000) Butler, George #933
215. Nostalgia for the Light (2010) Guzmán, Patricio #934
216. Offside (2006) Panahi, Jafar #937
217. Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) Andersen, Thom #939
218. Knocked Up (2007) Apatow, Judd #940
219. Turtles Can Fly (2004) Ghobadi, Bahman #944
220. Festival Express (2003) Smeaton & Cvitanovich #945
221. Vincere (2009) Bellocchio, Marco #949
222. Street Fight (2005) Curry, Marshall #952
223. Love and Diane (2002) Dworkin, Jennifer #954
224. Fish Tank (2009) Arnold, Andrea #955
225. O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000) Coen Bros. #957
226. About Schmidt (2002) Payne, Alexander #958
227. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, The (2007) Gordon, Seth #959
228. Domestic Violence (2001) Wiseman, Frederick #960
229. Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006) Demme, Jonathan #962
230. Man Without a Past, The (2002) Kaurismaki, Aki #964
231. Synecdoche, New York (2008) Kaufman, Charlie #967
232. Forbidden Lie$ (2007) Broinowski, Anna #968
233. Sun, The (2005) Sokurov, Aleksandr #970
234. Alexandra (2007) Sokurov, Aleksandr #972
235. Restrepo (2010) Hetherington, Tim & Junger, Sebastian #981
236. Passing Strange (2009) Lee, Spike #982
237. Meek's Cutoff (2010) Reichardt, Kelly #983
238. Paragraph 175 (2000) Epstein, Rob & Friedman, Jeffrey #984
239. Sound and Fury (2000) Aronson, Josh #986
240. Long Night's Journey Into Day (2001) Hoffman, Deborah #987
241. Summer Hours (2008) Assayas, Olivier #989
242. Death of Mr. Lazarescu, The (2005) Puiu, Cristi #993
243. Circle, The (Dayereh, 2000) Panahi, Jafar #994
244. Since Otar Left (2003) Bertucelli, Julie #995
245. Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) Cassavetes, Alexandra #996
246. Control (2007) Corbijn, Anton #997

Unranked best pictures: A Beautiful Mind, Chicago, Crash 

My Favorites
1-Hero (China), 2-City of God (Brazil), 3-WALL-E, 4-The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, 5-Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (China), 6-Open Range, 7-Memento, 8-Requiem for a Dream (photo btm), 9-Traffic, 10-The Lives of Others (Germany), 11-Chicago, 12-Million Dollar Baby, 13-An Education, 14-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 15-V for Vendetta, 16-In Bruges, 17-Nowhere in Africa (Germany), 18-Big Fish, 19-No Country for Old Men, 20-Finding Nemo, 21-A Wednesday (India), 22-The Departed, 23-Slumdog Millionaire, 24-Zodiac, 25-The Prestige, 26-The Hurt Locker, 27-Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, 28-A Beautiful Mind (someone has to mention that, an unranked best picture winner.

Zhang Yimou's Hero, top-grossing Chinese film in history, is NOW ranked on our 2011 update, # 594 (finally!)





Photo: Jennifer Connelly and Jered Leto, in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream (2000)