Talk:List of films voted the best

Some basic guidelines to improve this page

Obviously, this is a difficult subject. As seen below, too many editors simply make a pitch for a personal favorite, in some cases totally inappropriate selections such as The Bourne Ultimatum or the remake of Scarface that no one with an extensive knowledge of film and its history would ever remotely entertain as a serious candidate for 'greatest film of all time.' To make this article useful in some way, a few suggestions:

• 1. Avoid any and all readers' polls. These tend to be no more than popularity contests/beauty pageants, and generally are heavily weighed toward whatever is the most recent and most-hyped. A reader's poll of 1940 would probably pick Gone With the Wind as the best film ever, while a 1960 poll would choose Ben-Hur with no mention of Gone With the Wind, a 1980 poll Star Wars with no mention of Gone With the Wind or Ben-Hur, a 2000 poll Titanic with no mention of Gone With the Wind, Ben-Hur, or Star Wars. Movies more than a few years old are generally outside the collective memory of people who contribute to readers' polls, making them unreliable to determine greatness over a stretch of time. Incorporating those polls into the article to illustrate this effect, however, would be useful.
  2. Reference to people who do know what they are talking about is very useful. Inclusion of the opinions by noted film historians such as David Bordwell or Robert Osborne, film directors such as Martin Scorsese and screenwriters such as Paul Schrader who have time and time again demonstrated a thorough understanding of film history and film aesthetics will only strengthen the article.
  3. Collation of critical polls and assessments by established authorities on film and film history, among them the American Film Institute, Sight & Sound, and Cahiers du Cinéma.
  4. There are some good websites. For instance, contrary to an opinion listed below, They Shoot Pictures Don't They is an excellent website. Anyone who knows film will recognize the basic rightness of its lists immediately.

There are some editors below who suggest deleting the article entirely. That might actually be the best course, but it still might also be possible to turn this article into something with merit, incorporating a historical overview of what constitutes the greatest film or films, how that might differ from the most popular films, and how that evolves over time.PJtP (talk) 22:31, 21 April 2011 (UTC)

Dubious choice?

I see no point in including Enthiran. To me, this looks like a marketing gag. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Edfand (talk • contribs) 01:47, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

Out of Place Entry

{{edit semi-protected}} The last entry in the science fiction section seems out of place, irrelevant, and personal. It has no source verifying that it is indeed considered a reputable movie. I thought it could at least be looked at for authenticity.

The line reads, "Enthiran.THE FIRST INDIAN HIGH BUDGET MOVIE."

98.212.172.61 (talk) 00:05, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

 Done Logan _Talk ^{Contributions} 02:34, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

Grease ?

Grease is not on the list for musicals ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gizziiusa (talk • contribs) 11:46, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

It is articles exactly like this one that harms the credibility of Wikipedia.The article mentions vote stacking but WHERE is it?.whats the methodology.Standards are being severely breached here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.151.87.170 (talk) 02:14, 20 February 2011 (UTC)

Pulp Fiction

Rotten Tomatoes has Pulp Fiction listed at 94% (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pulp_fiction/) and calls it "One of the most influential films of the 1990s" and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, losing Best Picture to Forrest Gump which is another film that should probably be considered for this list. Wikipedia's own page on Pulp Fiction has a section on the film's influence and reputation with a lot of links to people independently verifying it's importance as a film. I would propose that Pulp Fiction be considered for inclusion on this list but also that there be a careful debate about what section the film is placed in. AtlasBurden (talk) 18:15, 24 February 2011 (UTC)

Harry Potter

Entry: "Each Harry Potter film (2001-2010) has scored at least 78% on Rotten Tomatoes." So what??? Why does this make them one of "films considered the best"? --178.1.215.81 (talk) 22:25, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

Genre list / American Film Institute

The votes of the AFI are only about American films. These entries in section "Particular genres or media" all belong into the country section "USA".

The same with

" Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) A 2004 poll by UK arm of Amazon and the Internet Movie Database named Monty Python and the Holy Grail as the best British comedy picture of all time.[41]" --178.1.215.81 (talk) 22:30, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

What's Opera Doc?

Why is animated short in a list of the worlds greatest films? Is this a mistake or have you done this on purpose?-James Pandora Adams —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.176.129.194 (talk) 00:00, 17 March 2011 (UTC)

Because a "short film" is a film.--Scottandrewhutchins (talk) 02:36, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Well, there are plenty of other "short films" besides cartoons, so you are potentially opening up the floodgates with that comment. BollyJeff || talk 12:44, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Ben-Hur

Surely Ben-Hur (1959 film) should be on the list! It should be added under the title Epic right next to The Battle of Algiers and Lawrence of Arabia.

Ben-Hur (or Benhur) is a 1959 epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film version of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. It premiered at Loew's State Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1959. The film went on to win a record of eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, a feat equaled only by Titanic in 1998 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2004.

Emphasis above is mine. Also: my opinion: Ben-Hur is a fantastic movie, one of the most epic of all time. The chariot race scene is one of the best of all time, as is the slavery/rowing scene. The movie is heart-wrenching, beautiful, and exciting. Also, there's a better moral to it than many of the stories also included in this "Best Movies" list: That revenge is not always worth it. Sometimes forgiveness is far stronger.

— a guy too lazy to register on WP...aka 99.59.26.3 (talk) 02:48, 25 March 2011 (UTC)

That's all nice, but can you cite some kind of list by critics or popular opinion saying that it's one of the best? BollyJeff || talk 03:09, 25 March 2011 (UTC)

 Done

Birth of a Nation?

The wiki page for Birth of a Nation has references to its influence, shouldn't it have a section below propaganda? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.194.107.165 (talk) 22:49, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Agreed That film should definitely be on this list because of it's historical significance and innovation, even if it is ridiculously racist. It should just be under "Propaganda." It was on Roger Ebert's list of Great Movies, for one. Eclecticperson34 (talk) 04:13, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

You should add "Come and See" to the best war films category. See the wikipedia entry of that movie for praise. The part I was going to include was: "Come and See was included in Channel 4's list of 50 Films to See Before You Die[9] and was ranked #24 in Empire magazines "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010". Thanks.

People, read the section titled "Basic guidelines for inclusion" at the top of this page. It says it must be listed as THE BEST. Really good, significant, top 10, etc. is not enough. BollyJeff || talk 12:05, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from Duterrage, 16 June 2011

Typo： Hong Kong movie : internal affair (and not infernal affair)

Duterrage (talk) 02:25, 16 June 2011 (UTC)

 Not done: It is Infernal Affairs GaneshBhakt (talk) 07:44, 16 June 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from 194.63.239.234, 19 July 2011

Hello from Greece, there is not country with name Macedonia! Macedonia is an area in Greece (since ancient time), not a country. THe name of the country near greek Macedonia is Skopia or FYROM.

194.63.239.234 (talk) 08:40, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

 Not done: But there is a Republic of Macedonia which is what its referring to there. Jnorton7558 (talk) 09:48, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from 184.18.198.234, 4 August 2011

{{edit semi-protected}}

Spirited Away is the only anime film to have won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature 184.18.198.234 (talk) 18:10, 4 August 2011 (UTC)

 Not done Requests require a reliable source.  Chzz  ►  19:52, 4 August 2011 (UTC)

Disaster Movies

Savellexsse (talk) 07:32, 7 August 2011 (UTC)savellexsse

“The Towering Inferno” (1974) is highly regarded as the best disaster movie from the heyday of the genre in the 1970s, as attempts at disaster movies from later decades often omitted what many consider to be a crucial component to qualify as a real disaster movie, namely an all-star cast of potential victims. Roger Ebert called the film “by far the best of the mid-1970s wave of disaster films.” Unlike producer Irwin Allen’s other highly regarded entry in the category (“The Poseidon Adventure”), “The Towering Inferno” was actually nominated for best motion picture at both the 1975 Academy Awards and the 1976 People’s Choice Awards, and won the best picture award at that year's "Your Choice for the Academy Awards" TV special.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs/dll/article?AID=/19740101/REVIEWS/401010322/1023

Pan's Labyrinth

ClovisPE (talk) 18:17, 29 August 2011 (UTC)

What about "Pan's Labyrinth" to be considered one of the best fantasy films ever? It has scored 98 out of 100 at metacritic. It is their highest scored film upon its original release. And the same site elected it one of the best films of the decade (2000-2009).

• http://www.metacritic.com/movie/pans-labyrinth
• http://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-pick-the-best-movies-of-the-decade
• http://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-pick-the-best-movies-of-the-decade

INCEPTION

I suggest listing Inception as one of the best sci-fi films as its been at the top of IMDB since months:

• http://www.imdb.com/chart/scifi

Its also been in the Top3 of all movies for a while and still is in the Top10 of all movies ever on IMDB votings. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.133.116.20 (talk) 18:44, 6 September 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from Bunnahabhain1982, 9 September 2011

Add Battleship Potemkin to the propaganda section. It's clearly a propaganda movie, and has been listed as one of the best films in the world, as referenced elsewhere in this article.

Bunnahabhain1982 (talk) 23:49, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

 Done — Bility (talk) 20:53, 14 September 2011 (UTC)

I suggest Slumdog Millionaire, it is one of the grestest movies made in India, but this is my opinion. Also Citizen Kane should be definitely be included. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pragyadahiya (talk • contribs) 16:03, 15 September 2011 (UTC)

I really think that this page should be deleted

This page has no verifiable encyclopedic content. Honestly, think of an encyclopedia, for example, the Encyclopedia Britannica. Would you really expect to find an article as immature and so heavily biased as "List of Films Considered The Best?". I find this article as definitely not belonging in an encyclopedia. At Wikipedia, we try to make an encyclopedia, not a jumbled up mass of gossip like "Which movie is the best?" Thanks. (Saadzmirza (talk) 01:49, 17 September 2011 (UTC))

Welcome to Wikipedia. We're NOT like Britannica. Our goal is to document the sum total of human knowledge, ranging from the important and truthful to the absurd and false, AS LONG AS it is notable and documented in reliable sources. The subjects here are notable and lots of reliable sources are used. You're going to have to find some arguments based on our policies to get this deleted, since it uses abundant reliable sources and is a very valuable source of information, especially for film groups and clubs. -- Brangifer (talk) 02:05, 17 September 2011 (UTC)

Much information here has been cited and sourced to reliable parties, with 208 different sources used; it's hardly "immature" or "gossip". That not withstanding, there's always WP:AFD if you're so inclined, though I don't think the community is likely to side for deletion. Could be worth a shot if you're determined. GRAPPLE X 02:07, 17 September 2011 (UTC)

This is really just stupid

Movies are an art and are completely subjective to personal opinion. it would be different if it were a list of car's considered to be the best; one could claim the that Bugatti Veyron is arguably the best car and reinforce their argument with information and comparisons of the cars mechanical components. However there is no criteria for a good movie and I think that this page should seriously be considered for deletion.121.208.68.3 (talk) 07:07, 17 September 2011 (UTC)

That's just as subjective. In fact more so. Cars aren't held to be the best ever of any one time or of all time, they're all so different. Movies are frequently compared, rated and ranks by experts -- A.K.A. film critics. This is much more well-known form of criticism, many people know film critics and film criticism is highly esteemed to movie-goers before selecting a movie to view. How many people can name a automobile critic? Besides, the movies on this list are cited and referenced to lists and reviews extolling them as being "the best". Your critique is baseless and your reasoning flawed. This is a worthwhile article. JesseRafe (talk) 07:14, 17 September 2011 (UTC)

Titanic

I saw Titanic mentioned some time ago under Disaster section. Why is it no more? It is the movie considered the best. Looks like some hater removed it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.208.102.134 (talk) 14:00, 17 September 2011 (UTC)

I know. Titanic definitely deserves to be on this list. But where? Limetolime ^{Talk to me • look what I did!} 17:55, 2 December 2011 (UTC)

Hoop Dreams

It really should be considered for the "documentary" section. It has a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes[1]. Roger Ebert calls it "the great American documentary", and rated it the best movie (of any genre) of the 1990s.[2]. And it was added to the National Film Registry. -- Stormwatch (talk) 06:38, 21 September 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from , 17 October 2011

Request you to remove the list of best in sports categories as per the source sportsinmovies.com. Reason is, we should not take a single source to find out the best in a single category.

Suggest you to include "The Hustler" (1961 - starring Paul Newman). For it is one of the best & highly acclaimed movie in sports genre. Also in the list of National film registry.

Dinesh84d (talk) 10:27, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

✗ Not done for the first. Please provide other sources since these are already sourced. Most entries have only one reference!

✗ Not done for the second, since you didn't provided any reference for that film. mabdul 11:55, 17 October 2011 (UTC)