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The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Film by year.

These are the films which I've seen over the space of 25 years or so and gives the thumbs up for. It is also a list drawn up to assist me in overviewing articles and priority for film article development on here. The selection ranges from the best films ever made (like Lord of The Rings, Ikiru, Sunset Boulevard, Once Upon a Time in America, 2001:A Space Odyssey, Citizen Kane etc), to those with something special about them in terms of content (like A Clockwork Orange or Inception) or acting (like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane or Days of Wine and Roses), or those which are just really enjoyable (like Out for Justice or It's a Great Feeling) which makes me believe they belong on such a list. A lot listed really fall in the "good-very good" rather than "truly great" category but I thought were worthy of inclusion. The truly great ones have multiple stars. I'll add a green good article star anyway next to the films I consider the best I've seen in a given year. Occasionally a film may come along in which the cinematography is stunning but the acting or plot itself fairly average or poor. Those films don't come along very often but there are some films like El Cid, Days of Heaven and Avatar which spring to mind, which are included on technical merit.

I had previously thought 1939 or 1962 to have been the greatest year in film but my list currently has the most entries for 1969 with 115, 1955 with 100, 1966 with 74, 1957 with 72, 1970 with 64, 1988 and 1960 with 59, and 1968 with 56. 1955 in film in particular seems to have a staggering number of notable films, for me it's really the peak of Golden Hollywood, and the most iconic to look at on screen, with the glamour and stylish cars of that period and big band jazz. Seeing 1955 in colour is always one of the greatest joys of film for me, to the point that I'm often willing to be more lenient towards the average ones if they're visually appealing and evoke the period. I'm a regular film viewer (often have a film running in the background on a split screen as I do other things online) so over time the list will develop. Where possible I try to find on Amazon Instant Video which has access to about 150,000 films or buy DVDs on Amazon largely thanks to Zoverstocks which sells them ridiculously cheaply. The following are the ones I recommend (particularly in bold with stars) for any film buff (who'll probably have seen most) or anybody visiting this who might not have seen that many films but would like to broaden their horizons.

There may be some surprising omissions from the list which are either intentional or I haven't seen it or forgot to list it. Ones like Lincoln (2012) (one of the most boring films I've ever seen even if Daniel Day-Lewis was brilliant), The Greatest Story Ever Told (one of the biggest disasters in film history, possibly The Most Boring Story Ever Told), Gigi (irritating), The Blair Witch Project (gutter trash, one of the worst films ever made from those generally considered to be masterful by the critics), X-Men series (not too bad but purely commercial in intention), The Twilight Saga series (cinematic teeny-bopping crap, an embarrassment to film acting), Chariots of Fire (pompous, worst Oscar winner I've seen), Night of the Living Dead (how scary can a film almost entirely about boarding up a house really be?) and Dawn of the Dead (nasty looking film). Didn't rate Dawn of the Planet of the Apes either, gibbering nonsense. Generally I'm not a fan of silly far-fetched sci-fi or superhero films and generic slasher films, especially the more recent ones with overblown CGI, but if they're well-made with a decent plot and entertaining like the recent Batman films and the Iron Man films then I'm likely to rate them.

If there's any notable great films missing which anybody seeing this might suggest and highly recommend please feel free to mention on the talk page but ping me so I see the suggestions! They may be added to the films to see of note list. Note though I already have about 90 films from the 1001 movies book and numerous others I've been meaning to watch so many will probably be among those...


Contents

Key

  • - top 10 greatest ever material
  • - a true masterpiece, top 100 best ever film material. If you spot a 3 or 4 star film on the list you've not seen, I recommend you urgently see it as I don't give away these ratings very often!!
  • - a truly great film, top 500 best ever film material
  • - Top 1000 best ever film material. I'm more lenient with this rating, often it's a film that would be candidate for a given year worth considering when drawing up a list of the greatest films ever made, even if sometimes not good enough to really be selected in the eventual top list.
  • Bold - An excellent to great film
  • Normal - A satisfactory to very good film
  • - The best film in a given year
  • - A rare and special film which I found to move me spiritually or emotionally or has some sort of supernatural feeling or electric atmosphere to it throughout or in part which makes it a special viewing experience
  • (cinematography) - A technical masterpiece or a film with striking cinematography/set design/costume design but an average or poor plot/acting
  • (I enjoyed it) - A film which might have been largely panned by critics or be a very questionable choice which is included because I enjoyed it!
  • (enjoyably bad) or (so silly it was enjoyable!) - A film which might have so many flaws in it, whether it's a dubious plot scenario, bad acting, or low budget production props, which raise a chuckle when watching it to the point that it's fun viewing. Most films like that don't make the list, but some do have a certain charm and likeability despite the serious flaws!

Top 50

I originally thought it was too difficult to rank masterpieces as being better than each other, but it now seems reasonable at least to list the top 50 films I think are among the best I've seen. These are truly the great ones highlighted, ones that are must sees for film buffs. I think that The Lord of the Rings Trilogy considered as one film is undoubtedly the greatest technical accomplishment in film history and probably the strongest candidate for best film overall, but ones like Ugetsu and The Ascent rank higher on the list because of the extraordinary emotions you feel in watching them, they're like a force of nature, very powerful films. Obviously there's many more, which is reflected in the full list, but these in my opinion are among the real crème de la crème:

  1. Ugetsu (1953)
  2. The Ascent (1977)
  3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001)
  4. Ikiru (1952)
  5. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
  6. A Dog's Love (1914)
  7. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
  8. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
  9. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
  10. Marketa Lazarová (1967)/Late Spring (1949)
  11. Psycho (1960)
  12. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
  13. Double Indemnity (1944)
  14. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
  15. L.A. Confidential (1997)
  16. Citizen Kane (1941)
  17. The Mirror (1975)
  18. Vertigo (1958)
  19. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
  20. Andrei Rublev (1966)
  21. The Kid (1921)
  22. Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
  23. Umberto D. (1952)
  24. Back to the Future Trilogy (1985-90)
  25. A Clockwork Orange (1971)/Wild Tales (2014)
  26. Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
  27. Ben-Hur (1959)
  28. Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
  29. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
  30. Metropolis (1927)
  31. Peeping Tom (1960)
  32. Spirited Away (2001)/The Innocents (1961)
  33. City Lights (1931)
  34. The Godfather Trilogy (1972-90)
  35. Breathless/Shoot the Piano Player (1960)
  36. Rashomon (1950)
  37. Schindler's List (1993)/Dr. Zhivago (1965)
  38. Rebecca (1940)
  39. Rear Window (1954)
  40. Barton Fink (1991)/Delicatessen (1991)
  41. Toy Story series (1995-)
  42. Mondo cane (1962)/Sans Soleil (1983)
  43. The Killing (1956)
  44. I am Cuba (1964)/Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
  45. Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)/It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
  46. Mulholland Drive (2001)/The Wages of Fear (1953)
  47. Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932)
  48. The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)
  49. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
  50. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)/Persona (1966)

1888-1890s

1888

2 films

1889

1 film

1891

2 films

1892

2 films

1893

2 films

1894

2 films

1895

3 films

1896

3 films

1897

3 films

1898

4 films

1899

4 films

1900s

1900

12 films

1901

11 films

1902

6 films

1903

6 films

1904

6 films

1905

5 films

1906

5 films

1907

5 films

1908

5 films

1909

6 films

1910s

1910

8 films

1911

6 films

1912

5 films

1913

5 films

1914

12 films

1915

8 films

1916

5 films

1917

10 films

1918

5 films

1919

5 films

1920s

1920

16 films

1921

10 films

1922

11 films

1923

10 films

1924

11 films

1925

10 films

1926

10 films

1927

12 films

1928

13 films

1929

26 films

1930s

1930

22 films

1931

20 films

1932

27 films

1933

26 films

1934

27 films

1935

27 films

1936

31 films

1937

28 films

1938

23 films

1939

33 films

1940s

1940

31 films

1941

36 films

1942

32 films

1943

32 films

1944

32 films

1945

35 films

1946

32 films

1947

42 films

1948

35 films

1949

34 films

1950s

1950

35 films

1951

43 films

1952

42 films

1953

43 films

1954

41 films

1955

100 films

1956

47 films

1957

72 films

1958

41 films

1959

51 films
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Film by year.

These are the films which I've seen over the space of 25 years or so and gives the thumbs up for. It is also a list drawn up to assist me in overviewing articles and priority for film article development on here. The selection ranges from the best films ever made (like Lord of The Rings, Ikiru, Sunset Boulevard, Once Upon a Time in America, 2001:A Space Odyssey, Citizen Kane etc), to those with something special about them in terms of content (like A Clockwork Orange or Inception) or acting (like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane or Days of Wine and Roses), or those which are just really enjoyable (like Out for Justice or It's a Great Feeling) which makes me believe they belong on such a list. A lot listed really fall in the "good-very good" rather than "truly great" category but I thought were worthy of inclusion. The truly great ones have multiple stars. I'll add a green good article star anyway next to the films I consider the best I've seen in a given year. Occasionally a film may come along in which the cinematography is stunning but the acting or plot itself fairly average or poor. Those films don't come along very often but there are some films like El Cid, Days of Heaven and Avatar which spring to mind, which are included on technical merit.

I had previously thought 1939 or 1962 to have been the greatest year in film but my list currently has the most entries for 1969 with 115, 1955 with 100, 1966 with 74, 1957 with 72, 1970 with 64, 1988 and 1960 with 59, and 1968 with 56. 1955 in film in particular seems to have a staggering number of notable films, for me it's really the peak of Golden Hollywood, and the most iconic to look at on screen, with the glamour and stylish cars of that period and big band jazz. Seeing 1955 in colour is always one of the greatest joys of film for me, to the point that I'm often willing to be more lenient towards the average ones if they're visually appealing and evoke the period. I'm a regular film viewer (often have a film running in the background on a split screen as I do other things online) so over time the list will develop. Where possible I try to find on Amazon Instant Video which has access to about 150,000 films or buy DVDs on Amazon largely thanks to Zoverstocks which sells them ridiculously cheaply. The following are the ones I recommend (particularly in bold with stars) for any film buff (who'll probably have seen most) or anybody visiting this who might not have seen that many films but would like to broaden their horizons.

There may be some surprising omissions from the list which are either intentional or I haven't seen it or forgot to list it. Ones like Lincoln (2012) (one of the most boring films I've ever seen even if Daniel Day-Lewis was brilliant), The Greatest Story Ever Told (one of the biggest disasters in film history, possibly The Most Boring Story Ever Told), Gigi (irritating), The Blair Witch Project (gutter trash, one of the worst films ever made from those generally considered to be masterful by the critics), X-Men series (not too bad but purely commercial in intention), The Twilight Saga series (cinematic teeny-bopping crap, an embarrassment to film acting), Chariots of Fire (pompous, worst Oscar winner I've seen), Night of the Living Dead (how scary can a film almost entirely about boarding up a house really be?) and Dawn of the Dead (nasty looking film). Didn't rate Dawn of the Planet of the Apes either, gibbering nonsense. Generally I'm not a fan of silly far-fetched sci-fi or superhero films and generic slasher films, especially the more recent ones with overblown CGI, but if they're well-made with a decent plot and entertaining like the recent Batman films and the Iron Man films then I'm likely to rate them.

If there's any notable great films missing which anybody seeing this might suggest and highly recommend please feel free to mention on the talk page but ping me so I see the suggestions! They may be added to the films to see of note list. Note though I already have about 90 films from the 1001 movies book and numerous others I've been meaning to watch so many will probably be among those...


Contents

Key

  • - top 10 greatest ever material
  • - a true masterpiece, top 100 best ever film material. If you spot a 3 or 4 star film on the list you've not seen, I recommend you urgently see it as I don't give away these ratings very often!!
  • - a truly great film, top 500 best ever film material
  • - Top 1000 best ever film material. I'm more lenient with this rating, often it's a film that would be candidate for a given year worth considering when drawing up a list of the greatest films ever made, even if sometimes not good enough to really be selected in the eventual top list.
  • Bold - An excellent to great film
  • Normal - A satisfactory to very good film
  • - The best film in a given year
  • - A rare and special film which I found to move me spiritually or emotionally or has some sort of supernatural feeling or electric atmosphere to it throughout or in part which makes it a special viewing experience
  • (cinematography) - A technical masterpiece or a film with striking cinematography/set design/costume design but an average or poor plot/acting
  • (I enjoyed it) - A film which might have been largely panned by critics or be a very questionable choice which is included because I enjoyed it!
  • (enjoyably bad) or (so silly it was enjoyable!) - A film which might have so many flaws in it, whether it's a dubious plot scenario, bad acting, or low budget production props, which raise a chuckle when watching it to the point that it's fun viewing. Most films like that don't make the list, but some do have a certain charm and likeability despite the serious flaws!

Top 50

I originally thought it was too difficult to rank masterpieces as being better than each other, but it now seems reasonable at least to list the top 50 films I think are among the best I've seen. These are truly the great ones highlighted, ones that are must sees for film buffs. I think that The Lord of the Rings Trilogy considered as one film is undoubtedly the greatest technical accomplishment in film history and probably the strongest candidate for best film overall, but ones like Ugetsu and The Ascent rank higher on the list because of the extraordinary emotions you feel in watching them, they're like a force of nature, very powerful films. Obviously there's many more, which is reflected in the full list, but these in my opinion are among the real crème de la crème:

  1. Ugetsu (1953)
  2. The Ascent (1977)
  3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001)
  4. Ikiru (1952)
  5. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
  6. A Dog's Love (1914)
  7. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
  8. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
  9. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
  10. Marketa Lazarová (1967)/Late Spring (1949)
  11. Psycho (1960)
  12. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
  13. Double Indemnity (1944)
  14. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
  15. L.A. Confidential (1997)
  16. Citizen Kane (1941)
  17. The Mirror (1975)
  18. Vertigo (1958)
  19. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
  20. Andrei Rublev (1966)
  21. The Kid (1921)
  22. Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
  23. Umberto D. (1952)
  24. Back to the Future Trilogy (1985-90)
  25. A Clockwork Orange (1971)/Wild Tales (2014)
  26. Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
  27. Ben-Hur (1959)
  28. Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
  29. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
  30. Metropolis (1927)
  31. Peeping Tom (1960)
  32. Spirited Away (2001)/The Innocents (1961)
  33. City Lights (1931)
  34. The Godfather Trilogy (1972-90)
  35. Breathless/Shoot the Piano Player (1960)
  36. Rashomon (1950)
  37. Schindler's List (1993)/Dr. Zhivago (1965)
  38. Rebecca (1940)
  39. Rear Window (1954)
  40. Barton Fink (1991)/Delicatessen (1991)
  41. Toy Story series (1995-)
  42. Mondo cane (1962)/Sans Soleil (1983)
  43. The Killing (1956)
  44. I am Cuba (1964)/Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
  45. Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)/It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
  46. Mulholland Drive (2001)/The Wages of Fear (1953)
  47. Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932)
  48. The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)
  49. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
  50. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)/Persona (1966)

1888-1890s

1888

2 films

1889

1 film

1891

2 films

1892

2 films

1893

2 films

1894

2 films

1895

3 films

1896

3 films

1897

3 films

1898

4 films

1899

4 films

1900s

1900

12 films

1901

11 films

1902

6 films

1903

6 films

1904

6 films

1905

5 films

1906

5 films

1907

5 films

1908

5 films

1909

6 films

1910s

1910

8 films

1911

6 films

1912

5 films

1913

5 films

1914

12 films

1915

8 films

1916

5 films

1917

10 films

1918

5 films

1919

5 films

1920s

1920

16 films

1921

10 films

1922

11 films

1923

10 films

1924

11 films

1925

10 films

1926

10 films

1927

12 films

1928

13 films

1929

26 films

1930s

1930

22 films

1931

20 films

1932

27 films

1933

26 films

1934

27 films

1935

27 films

1936

31 films

1937

28 films

1938

23 films

1939

33 films

1940s

1940

31 films

1941

36 films

1942

32 films

1943

32 films

1944

32 films

1945

35 films

1946

32 films

1947

42 films

1948

35 films

1949

34 films

1950s

1950

35 films

1951

43 films

1952

42 films

1953

43 films

1954

41 films

1955

100 films

1956

47 films

1957

72 films

1958

41 films

1959

51 films

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