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Great films all filmmakers must see. The definitive list for filmmakers, by wolfcrow.
1 Technical artistry
Films have many departments. I’m looking for mastery over all departments. The really great films are also
innovators. Camera, art, lighting, wardrobe, sound design, visual effects…anything that furthers the cause of
filmmaking.
2 Storytelling artistry
This is the part that deals with what the audience is aware of. Screenplay, acting, editing and of course, film
direction.
3 Cinema as art
Does the movie elevate itself to high art? Does it communicate with us on a deeper level than what’s on the
surface? It’s a tricky criterion to score, and everyone will have their own opinions here. It’s definitely the most
contentious. Let’s agree to disagree on this one.
4 Cinema as entertainment
Movies are too expensive to ignore finances. If a movie is both art and entertainment, it is the highest form of
cinema. You can’t ask more from a film.
97. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Watch on Amazon
96. Scream (1996)
Director: Wes Craven
Watch on Amazon
51. 8½ (1963)
Director: Frederico Fellini
Watch on Amazon
50. Chungking Express (1994) [Chung Hing sam lam]
Director: Kar-Wai Wong
Watch on Amazon
35. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) [La passion de Jeanne d’Arc]
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Watch on Amazon
34. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Watch on Amazon
15. In the Mood for Love (2000) [Fa yeung nin wah]
Director: Kar-Wai Wong
Watch on Amazon
14. The Godfather (1972)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Watch on Amazon
Hope you liked my list. Don’t ask me why your favorite movie isn’t on this list. It’s on yours!
Trivia
For nerds.
1. Percentage split between black and white and color film is: 38% for Black and White and 62% for
Color.
2. The ‘Drama’ genre has the greatest representation with 46% of films. Action has 15% and Mystery has
10%.
3. Number of films by decade: 90s – 21%, 70s – 15% and 60s – 13%.
4. The USA has the greatest representation with 56% of films.
5. 5 directors with three films each: Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg
and Francis Ford Coppola.