Some professors of Film Studies at Harvard University did a great job in making a seriously impressive list of the most essential and remarkable films ever made, all of which have had a strongly impact on the world of cinematography. They say it is impossible to become a movie expert without watching these films. In fact, students who wish to become Harvard-trained film experts are expected to know these movies nearly frame by frame. Even if you have no desire to become a Harvard film guru, though, watching the movies listed below will give you a new appreciation of cinema.

Bright Side decided to share the list with you, which consists of two parts: landmark films in the history of cinema and the best Hollywood movies.

Part 1. The most essential films in the history of world cinema

Cinematography in its early years: 1895-1910

  • Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat / L’Arrivee d’un train en gare de la Ciotat, 1895. Auguste Lumière and Louis Lumière.
  • Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory / La Sortie de l’usine Lumiere a Lyon, 1895. Louis Lumière.
  • The Waterer Watered / L’Arroseur arrose, 1895. Louis Lumière.
  • Baby’s Dinner / Le Repas de beb, 1895. Louis Lumière.
  • The Vanishing Lady / Escamotage d’une Dame chez Robert-Houdin, 1896. Georges Méliès.
  • A Trip to the Moon / Le Voyage dans la lune, 1902. Georges Méliès.
  • The Kingdom of the Fairies / Le Royaume des fees, 1903. Georges Méliès.
  • The Magic Lantern / La Lanterne magiquе, 1903. Georges Méliès.
  • The Impossible Voyage / Le Voyage a travers l’impossible, 1904. Georges Méliès.
  • Annabelle Serpentine Dance, 1895. William K.L. Dickson, William Heise.
  • The Kiss, 1896. William Heise.
  • Mr. Edison at Work in His Chemical Laboratory, 1897. James H. White.
  • Electrocuting an Elephant, 1903.
  • The Patchwork Girl of Oz, 1914. J. Farrell MacDonald.
  • Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King, 1901. Edwin S. Porter.
  • Circular Panorama of Electric Tower, 1901. Edwin S. Porter.
  • Pan-American Exposition by Night, 1901. Edwin S. Porter.
  • Life of an American Fireman, 1902. Edwin S. Porter.
  • Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show, 1902. Edwin S. Porter.
  • Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 1903. Thomas A. Edison.
  • The Gay Shoe Clerk, 1903. Edwin S. Porter.
  • Romance of the Rails, 1903. Edwin S. Porter.
  • The Great Train Robbery, 1903. Edwin S. Porter.
  • The Teddy Bears, 1907. Edwin S. Porter.
  • The Lonely Villa, 1909. David W. Griffith.
  • Corner in Wheat, 1909. David W. Griffith.

The golden age of «great silent films»: 1910-1930

  • His Trust, 1911. David W. Griffith.
  • The Lonedale Operator, 1911. David W. Griffith.
  • The New York Hat, 1912. David W. Griffith.
  • The Musketeers of Pig Alley, 1912. David W. Griffith.
  • The Battle of Elderbush Gulch, 1913. David W. Griffith.
  • The Cabbage Fairy / La Fee aux choux, 1896. Alice Guy.
  • A House Divided, 1913. Alice Guy.
  • Cabiria, 1914, Italy. Giovanni Pastrone.
  • Fantomas, 1914, France. Louis Feuillade.
  • The Birth of a Nation, 1915, USA. David W. Griffith.
  • Les Vampires, 1915, France. Louis Feuillade.
  • Intolerance, 1916, USA. David W. Griffith.
  • The Cheat, 1916, USA. Cecil B. DeMille.
  • The Immigrant, 1917, USA. Charles Chaplin.
  • The Outlaw and His Wife / Berg-Ejvind och hans hustru, 1917, Sweden. Victor Sjöström.
  • Broken Blossoms, 1919, USA. David W. Griffith.
  • Sunnyside, 1919, USA. Charles Chaplin.
  • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari / Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari, 1920, Germany. Robert Wiene.
  • The Phantom Carriage / Korkarlen, 1920, Sweden. Victor Sjöström.
  • The Blot, 1921, USA. Lois Weber.
  • Nosferatu / Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, 1922, Germany. Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau.
  • Po zakonu, 1926, USSR. Lev Kuleshov.
  • The Witches / Haxan, 1922, Denmark. Benjamin Christensen.
  • Foolish Wives, 1922, USA. Erich Oswald Stroheim.
  • Safety Last, 1923, USA. Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor.
  • Kino Eye / Kinoglaz, 1924, USSR. Dziga Vertov.
  • The Last Laugh / Der Letzte Mann, 1924, Germany. Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau.
  • Greed, 1924, USA. Erich von Stroheim.
  • Sherlock Junior, 1924, USA. Buster Keaton.
  • The Saga of Gosta Berling / Gosta Berlings saga, 1924, Sweden. Mauritz Stiller.
  • The Inhuman Woman / L’Inhumaine, 1924, France. Marcel L’Herbier.
  • The Iron Horse, 1924, USA. John Ford.
  • Battleship Potemkin / Bronenosets Potyomkin, 1925, USSR. Sergei Eisenstein.
  • The Gold Rush, 1925, USA. Charles Chaplin.
  • Body and Soul, 1925, USA. Oscar Micheaux.
  • The Joyless Street / Die freudlose Gasse, 1925, Germany. Georg Wilhelm Pabst.
  • The General, 1926, USA. Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton.
  • The Lodger, 1926, Great Britain. Alfred Hitchcock.
  • Mother / Mat, 1926, USSR. Vsevolod Pudovkin.
  • A Page of Madness / Kurutta ippeji, 1926, Japan. Teinosuke Kinugasa.
  • Metropolis, 1927, Germany. Fritz Lang.
  • The End of St. Petersburg / Konets Sankt-Peterburga, 1927, USSR. Vsevolod Pudovkin.
  • Napoleon, 1927, France. Abel Gance.
  • Sunrise, 1927, USA. Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau.
  • October / Oktyabr, 1927, USSR. Sergei Eisenstein.
  • Money / L’Argent, 1928, France. Marcel L’Herbier.
  • The Crowd, 1928, USA. King Vidor.
  • Storm Over Asia / Potomok Chingiskhana, 1928, USSR. Vsevolod Pudovkin.
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc / La passion de Jeanne d’Arc, 1928, France. Carl Theodor Dreyer.
  • Earth / Zemlya, 1930, USSR. Alexander Dovzhenko.

The late 1920s-1940: The first movies with sound

  • The Jazz Singer, 1927, USA. Alan Crosland.
  • Under the Roofs of Paris / Sous les toits de Paris, 1929, France. René Clair.
  • The Blue Angel, 1930, Germany. Josef von Sternberg.
  • The Golden Age / L’Age d’Or, 1930, France. Luis Buñuel.
  • Borderline, 1930, Great Britain. Kenneth MacPherson.
  • M, 1931, Germany. Fritz Lang.
  • The Exile, 1931, USA. Oscar Micheaux, Leonard Harper.
  • I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, 1932, USA. Mervyn LeRoy.
  • Zero for Conduct / Zero de conduite: Jeunes diables au college, 1933, France. Jean Vigo.
  • Christopher Strong, 1933, USA. Dorothy Arzner.
  • El Compadre Mendoza, 1933, Mexico. Fernando de Fuentes.
  • L’Atalante, 1934, France. Jean Vigo.
  • The Crime of Monsieur Lange / Le crime de monsieur Lange, 1935, France. Jean Renoir.
  • The 39 Steps, 1935, Great Britain. Alfred Hitchcock.
  • Modern Times, 1935, USA. Charles Chaplin.
  • Sisters of the Gion / Gion no shimai, 1936, Japan. Kenji Mizoguchi.
  • Grand Illusion / La Grande Illusion, 1937, France. Jean Renoir.
  • Alexander Nevsky, 1938, USSR. Sergei Eisenstein.
  • Daybreak / Le Jour se leve, 1939, France. Marcel Carné.
  • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939, USA. Frank Capra.
  • The Rules of the Game / La Regle du jeu, 1939, France. Jean Renoir.
  • Thief of Bagdad, 1940, Great Britain. Michael Powell et al.
  • Süss the Jew / Jud Suss, 1940, Germany. Veit Harlan.

1940-1960

  • Citizen Kane, 1941, USA. Orson Welles.
  • Day of Wrath / Vredens dag, 1943, Denmark. Carl T. Dreyer.
  • The Raven / Le Corbeau, 1943, France. Henri-Georges Clouzot.
  • Ivan the Terrible / Ivan Grozniy, Part 1, 1944, USSR. Sergei Eisenstein.
  • Children of Paradise / Les Enfants du Paradis, 1945, France. Marcel Carné.
  • Rome, Open City / Roma, citta aperta, 1945, Italy. Roberto Rossellini.
  • Brief Encounter, 1945, Great Britain. David Lean.
  • Paisan / Paisa, 1946, Italy. Roberto Rossellini.
  • Murderers Among Us / Die Morder sind unter uns, 1946, Germany. Wolfgang Staudte.
  • The Earth Trembles / La Terra Trema, 1948, Italy. Luchino Visconti.
  • The Red Shoes, 1948, Great Britain. Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger.
  • Bicycle Thieves / Ladri di biciclette, 1948, Italy. Vittorio De Sica.
  • Diary of a Country Priest / Journal d’un cure de campagne, 1950, France. Robert Bresson.
  • The Third Man, 1950, Great Britain. Carol Reed.
  • The Young and the Damned / Los Olvidados, 1950, Mexico. Luis Buñuel.
  • Sunset Boulevard, 1950, USA. Billy Wilder.
  • Rashomon, 1950, Japan. Akira Kurosawa.
  • The River, 1951, France-Italy. Jean Renoir.
  • Forbidden Games / Les Jeux interdits, 1952, France. René Clément.
  • The Earrings of Madame de… / Madame De…, 1953, France. Max Ophüls.
  • Tokyo Story / Tokyo monogatari, 1953, Japan. Yasujirō Ozu.
  • The Wages of Fear / Le Salaire de la peur, 1953, France. Henri-Georges Clouzot.
  • Ugetsu Monogatari, 1953, Japan. Kenji Mizoguchi.
  • Mr. Hulot’s Holiday / Les Vacances de M. Hulot, 1953, France. Jacques Tati.
  • Salt of the Earth, 1953, USA. Herbert J. Biberman.
  • Journey to Italy / Viaggio in Italia, 1953, Italy. Roberto Rossellini.
  • The Little Fugitive, 1953, USA. Ray Ashley et al.
  • Seven Samurai / Shichinin no samurai, 1954, Japan. Akira Kurosawa.
  • Sansho the Bailiff / Sansho dayu, 1954, Japan. Kenji Mizoguchi.
  • On the Waterfront, 1954, USA. Elia Kazan.
  • The Word / Ordet, 1954, Denmark. Carl T. Dreyer.
  • The Road / La Strada, 1954, Italy. Federico Fellini.
  • Song of the Little Road / Pather Panchali, 1955, India. Satyajit Ray.
  • Bob the Gambler / Bob le Flambeur, 1955, France. Jean-Pierre Melville.
  • Death of a Cyclist / Muerte de un ciclista, 1955, Spain. Juan Antonio Bardem.
  • Kanał, 1956, Poland. Andrzej Wajda.
  • The Red Balloon / Le Ballon rouge, 1956, France. Albert Lamorisse.
  • The Burmese Harp / Biruma no tategoto, 1956, Japan. Kon Ichikawa.
  • Wild Strawberries / Smultronstallet, 1957, Sweden. Ingmar Bergman.
  • The Cranes Are Flying / Letyat zhuravli, 1957, USSR. Mikhail Kalatozov.
  • Nights of Cabiria / Le notti di Cabiria, 1957, Italy. Federico Fellini.
  • Ashes and Diamonds / Popiol i diament, 1958, Poland. Andrzej Wajda.
  • Vertigo, 1958, USA. Alfred Hitchcock.
  • Ballad of a Soldier / Ballada o soldate, 1959, USSR. Grigori Chukhrai.
  • Breathless / A Bout de souffle, 1959, France. Jean-Luc Godard.
  • Hiroshima My Love / Hiroshima mon Amour, 1959, France. Alain Resnais.
  • The 400 Blows / Les quatre cents coups, 1959, France. François Truffaut.
  • Pickpocket, 1959, France. Robert Bresson.
  • Shadows, 1959, USA. John Cassavetes.
  • The World of Apu / Apur Sansar, 1959, India. Satyajit Ray.
  • The Adventure / L’Avventura, 1960, Italy. Michelangelo Antonioni.
  • The Housemaid / Hanyeo, 1960, South Korea. Kim Ki-young.
  • Mother Joan of the Angels / Matka Joanna od aniolow, 1960, Poland. Jerzy Kawalerowicz.
  • Rocco and His Brothers / Rocco e i suoi fratelli, 1960, Italy. Luchino Visconti.
  • The Cloud-Capped Star / Meghe Dhaka Tara, 1960, India. Ritwik Ghatak.
  • Peeping Tom, 1960, Great Britain. Michael Powell

1960-1980

  • Accattone, 1961, Italy. Pier Paolo Pasolini.
  • Last Year at Marienbad / L’annee derniere a Marienbad, 1961, France. Alain Resnais.
  • The Naked Island / Hadaka no shima, 1960, Japan. Kaneto Shindo.
  • The Exiles, 1961, USA. Kent MacKenzie.
  • Viridiana, 1961, Mexico. Luis Buñuel.
  • Cléo from 5 to 7 / Cleo a 5 de 7, 1961, France. Agnès Varda.
  • The Connection, 1961, USA. Shirley Clarke.
  • An Autumn Afternoon / Sanma no aji, 1962, Japan. Yasujirō Ozu.
  • Eclipse / L’eclisse, 1962, Italy. Michelangelo Antonioni.
  • The Jetty / La Jetée, 1962, France. Chris Marker.
  • 8 1/2, 1963, Italy. Federico Fellini.
  • The Leopard / Il gattopardo, 1963, Italy. Luchino Visconti.
  • Barren lives / Vidas Secas, 1963, Brazil. Nelson Pereira dos Santos.
  • Red Desert / Il deserto rosso, 1964, Italy. Michelangelo Antonioni.
  • Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors / Tini zabutykh predkiv, 1964, USSR. Sergei Parajanov.
  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 1964, Great Britain. Stanley Kubrick.
  • A Hard Day’s Night, 1964, Great Britain. Richard Lester.
  • The Gospel According to St. Matthew / Il vangelo secondo Matteo, 1964, Italy. Pier Paolo Pasolini.
  • Black Girl / La noire de…, 1965, Senegal. Ousmane Sembène.
  • Pierrot the Madman / Pierrot le Fou, 1965, France-Italy. Jean-Luc Godard.
  • The Round-Up / Szegenylegenyek, 1965, Hungary. Miklós Jancsó.
  • The Shop on Main Street / Obchod na korze, 1965, Czechoslovakia. Ján Kadár, Elmar Klos.
  • Not Reconciled / Nicht versohnt, 1965, Germany. Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet.
  • Happiness / Le Bonheur, 1965, France. Agnès Varda.
  • The Battle of Algiers / La battaglia di Algeri, 1966, Italy. Gillo Pontecorvo.
  • The Young Girls of Rochefort / Les demoiselles de Rochefort, 1966, France. Jacques Demy.
  • Father / Apa, 1966, Hungary. István Szabó.
  • Blow-up, 1966, Great Britain. Michelangelo Antonioni.
  • Daisies / Sedmikrasky, 1966, Czechoslovakia. Věra Chytilová.
  • A Report on the Party and the Guests / O slavnosti a hostech, 1966, Czechoslovakia. Jan Němec.
  • Loves of a Blonde / Lasky jedne plavovlasky, 1965, Czechoslovakia. Miloš Forman.
  • Balthazar / Au Hasard, Balthazar, 1966, France-Sweden. Robert Bresson.
  • Andrei Rublev, 1966, USSR. Andrei Tarkovsky.
  • Persona, 1966, Sweden. Ingmar Bergman.
  • The Hawks and the Sparrows / Uccellacci e uccellini, 1966, Italy. Pier Paolo Pasolini.
  • David Holzman’s Diary, 1967, USA. Jim McBride.
  • Two or Three Things I Know About Her / 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d’elle, 1967, France. Jean-Luc Godard.
  • Playtime, 1967, France. Jacques Tati.
  • Weekend, 1967, France. Jean-Luc Godard.
  • Belle de Jour, 1967, France. Luis Buñuel.
  • War and Peace / Voyna i mir, 1967, USSR. Sergei Bondarchuk.
  • Entranced Earth / Terra em Transe, 1967, Brazil. Glauber Rocha.
  • Innocence Unprotected / Nevinost bez zastite, 1968, Yugoslavia. Dušan Makavejev.
  • If, 1968, Great Britain. Lindsey Anderson.
  • My Night at Maud’s / Ma Nuit chez Maude, 1968, France. Éric Rohmer.
  • Death by Hanging / Koshikei, 1968, Japan. Nagisa Oshima.
  • Once Upon a Time in the West / C’era una volta il West, 1968, Italy. Sergio Leone.
  • Petulia, 1968, USA. Richard Lester.
  • Memories of Underdevelopment / Memorias del subdesarrollo, 1968, Cuba. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea.
  • The Conformist / Il conformista, 1969, Italy. Bernardo Bertolucci.
  • Four Nights of a Dreamer / Quatre nuits d’un reveur, 1971, France. Robert Bresson.
  • The Night of Counting the Years / Al-mummia, 1969, Egypt. Shadi Abdel Salam.
  • The Color of Pomegranates / Tsvet granata, 1969, USSR. Sergei Parajanov.
  • Easy Rider, 1969, USA. Dennis Hopper.
  • Blood of the Condor / Yawar mallku, 1969, Bolivia. Jorge Sanjinés.
  • Antonio das Mortes / O Dragao da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro, 1969, Brazil. Glauber Rocha.
  • Lucia, 1969, Cuba. Humberto Solás.
  • King Lear, 1970, USSR. Grigori Kozintsev.
  • Performance, 1970, Great Britain. Donald Cammell, Nicolas Roeg.
  • Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song, 1971, USA. Melvin Van Peebles.
  • Mon Oncle Antoine, 1971, Canada. Claude Jutra.
  • Shaft, 1971, USA. Gordon Parks.
  • The Last Picture Show, 1971, USA. Peter Bogdanovich.
  • W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism / W.R. — Misterije organizma, 1971, Yugoslavia. Dušan Makavejev.
  • How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman / Como Era Gostoso o Meu Frances, 1971, Brazil. Nelson Pereira dos Santos.
  • The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie / Le Charme discret de la Bourgeoisie, 1972, France. Luis Buñuel.
  • Aguirre, the Wrath of God / Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes, 1972, Germany. Werner Herzog.
  • Last Tango in Paris / Ultimo tango a Parigi, 1972, Italy-France. Bernardo Bertolucci.
  • The Spirit of the Beehive / El espiritu de la colmena, 1973, Spain. Víctor Erice.
  • Day for Night / La Nuit americaine, 1973, France. François Truffaut.
  • Mean Streets, 1973, USA. Martin Scorsese.
  • Badlands, 1973, USA. Terrence Malick.
  • The Mother and the Whore / La Maman et la putain, 1973, France. Jean Eustache.
  • India Song, 1974, France. Marguerite Duras.
  • Xala, 1974, Senegal. Ousmane Sembène.
  • Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1975, Australia. Peter Weir.
  • Raise Ravens / Cria Cuervos, 1975, Spain. Carlos Saura.
  • Just Great / Tout va bien, 1975, France. Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Gorin.
  • Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, 1975, Belgium. Chantal Akerman.
  • The Travelling Players / O thiasos, 1975, Greece. Theodoros Angelopoulos.
  • Kings of the Road / Im Lauf der Zeit, 1976, Germany. Wim Wenders.
  • Nashville, 1976, USA. Robert Altman.
  • Taxi Driver, 1976, USA. Martin Scorsese.
  • All the President’s Men, 1976, USA. Alan Pakula.
  • Man of Marble / Czlowiek z marmuru, 1976, Poland. Andrzej Wajda.
  • The Ascent / Voskhozhdeniye, 1976, USSR. Larisa Shepitko.
  • In the Realm of the Senses / Ai no korida, 1976, Japan. Nagisa Oshima.
  • Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 / Jonas qui aura 25 ans en l’an 2000, 1976, Switzerland. Alain Tanner.
  • Killer of Sheep, 1977, USA. Charles Burnett.
  • Suspiria, 1977. Dario Argento.
  • The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting / L’hypothese du tableau vole, 1978, France. Raúl Ruiz.
  • The Marriage of Maria Braun / Die Ehe der Maria Braun, 1978, Germany. Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
  • Apocalypse Now, 1979, USA. Francis Ford Coppola.
  • The Patriot / Die Patriotin, 1979, Germany. Alexander Kluge.
  • Vengeance Is Mine / Fukushu suru wa ware ni ari, 1979, Japan. Shōhei Imamura.
  • Raging Bull, 1980, USA. Martin Scorsese.

1980-2000

  • Marianne and Juliane / Die bleierne Zeit, 1981, West Germany. Margarethe von Trotta.
  • The Draftsman’s Contract, 1982, Great Britain. Peter Greenaway.
  • Boat People / Tau ban no hoi, 1982, Hong Kong. Ann Hui.
  • A Question of Silence / De stilte rond Christine M., 1981, The Netherlands. Marleen Gorris.
  • The Wind / Finye, 1982, Mali. Souleymane Cissé.
  • Yol, 1982, Turkey. Yılmaz Güney.
  • Videodrome, 1982, Canada. David Cronenberg.
  • The Ballad of Narayama / Narayama-bushi ko, 1983, Japan. Shōhei Imamura.
  • Fanny and Alexander / Fanny och Alexander, 19832, Sweden. Ingmar Bergman.
  • Carmen, 1983, Spain. Carlos Saura.
  • Nostalghia, 1983, Italy-USSR. Andrei Tarkovsky.
  • Yellow Earth / Huang tudi, 1984, China. Chen Kaige.
  • Illusions, 1982, USA. Julie Dash.
  • Paris, Texas, 1984, USA. Wim Wenders.
  • The Home and the World / Ghare-Baire, 1984, India. Satyajit Ray.
  • Camila, 1984, Argentina. María Luisa Bemberg.
  • Ran, 1985, Japan. Akira Kurosawa.
  • Blue Velvet, 1986, USA. David Lynch.
  • Caravaggio, 1986, Great Britain. Derek Jarman.
  • Yeelen, 1987, Mali. Souleymane Cissé.
  • Red Sorghum / Hong gao liang, 1987, China. Zhang Yimou.
  • Wedding in Galilee / Urs al-jalil, 1987, Belgium-Israel-France. Michel Khleifi.
  • Wings of Desire / Der Himmel uber Berlin, 1987, Germany. Wim Wenders.
  • Greetings Bombay / Salaam Bombay!, 1988, India. Mira Nair.
  • The Decalogue / Dekalog, 1988, Poland. Krzysztof Kieślowski.
  • Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown / Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, 1988, Spain. Pedro Almodóvar.
  • Do the Right Thing, 1989, USA. Spike Lee.
  • Yaaba, 1989, Burkina Faso-France-Switzerland. Idrissa Ouedraogo.
  • The Killer / Dip huet seung hung, 1989, Hong Kong. John Woo.
  • The Puppetmaster / Xi meng ren sheng, 1989, Taiwan. Hou Hsiao-Hsien.
  • The Match Factory Girl / Tulitikkutehtaan tytto, 1989, Finland. Aki Kaurismäki.
  • Crimes and Misdemeanors, 1989, USA. Woody Allen.
  • Looking for Langston, 1989, Great Britain. Isaac Julien.
  • Speaking Parts, 1989, Canada. Atom Egoyan.
  • Sex, lies, and videtape, 1989, USA. Steven Soderbergh.
  • An Angel at My Table, 1990, New Zealand. Jane Campion.
  • I Hired a Contract Killer, 1990, Finland. Aki Kaurismäki.
  • Time of the Gypsies / Dom za vesanje, 1990, Yugoslavia. Emir Kusturica.
  • The Law / Tilai, 1990, Burkina Faso. Idrissa Ouedraogo.
  • Ju Dou, 1990, China. Zhang Yimou, Yang Fengliang.
  • La belle noiseuse, 1991, France. Jacques Rivette.
  • The Suspended Step of the Stork / To meteoro vima tou pelargou, 1991, Greece. Theo Angelopoulos.
  • Raise the Red Lantern / Da hong deng long gao gao gua, 1991, China. Zhang Yimou.
  • Daughters of the Dust, 1992, USA. Julie Dash.
  • Dream of Light / El sol del membrillo, 1992, Spain. Víctor Erice.
  • Life According to Agfa / Ha-Chayim Al-Pi Agfa, 1992, Israel. Assi Dayan.
  • Sankofa, 1993, Burkina Faso. Haile Gerima.
  • Dear Diary / Caro diario, 1993, Italy. Nanni Moretti.
  • Chungking Express / Chung Hing sam lam, 1994, Hong Kong. Wong Kar-wai.
  • Vive L’Amour / Ai qing wan sui, 1994, China-Taiwan. Tsai Ming-liang.
  • Three Colors / Trois couleurs, 1993-1994, France-Poland. Krzysztof Kieślowski.
  • Dead Man, 1995, USA. Jim Jarmusch.
  • Breaking the Waves, 1996, Denmark. Lars von Trier.
  • The Pillow Book, 1996, Great Britain. Peter Greenaway.
  • The Sweet Hereafter, 1997, Canada. Atom Egoyan.
  • Taste of Cherry / Ta’m e guilass, 1997, Iran. Abbas Kiarostami.
  • The River / He liu, 1997, Taiwan. Tsai Ming-liang.
  • The Celebration / Festen, 1998, Denmark. Thomas Vinterberg.
  • Flowers of Shanghai / Hai shang hua, 1998, Taiwan. Hou Hsiao-Hsien.
  • Run Lola Run / Lola rennt, 1998, Germany. Tom Tykwer.
  • Beau Travail, 1999, France. Claire Denis.
  • Eyes Wide Shut, 1999, Great Britain. Stanley Kubrick.
  • A One and a Two / Yi yi, 2000, Taiwan.Edward Yang.
  • Platform / Zhantai, 2000, China. Jia Zhangke.
  • Amores Perros, 2000, Mexico. Alejandro González Iñárritu.
  • In the Mood for Love / Fa yeung nin wa, 2000, Hong Kong. Wong Kar-Wai.
  • The Man Without a Past / Mies vailla menneisyytta, 2000, Finland. Aki Kaurismäki.
  • Songs from the Second Floor / Sanger fran andra vaningen, 2000, Sweden. Roy Andersson.

From 2000

  • In Praise of Love/ Eloge de l’amour, 2001, France. Jean-Luc Godard.
  • Talk to Her / Hable con ella, 2002, Spain. Pedro Almodóvar.
  • City of God / Cidade de Deus, 2002, Brazil. Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund.
  • Waiting for Happiness / Heremakono, 2002, France-Mauritania. Abderrahmane Sissako.
  • Ten / 10, 2002, Iran. Abbas Kiarostami.
  • Russian Ark / Russkij Kovcheg, 2002, Russia. Alexander Sokurov.
  • The Son / Le Fils, 2002, Belgium. Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne.
  • Distant / Uzak, 2003, Turkey. Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
  • The Five Obstructions / De fem benspaend, 2003, Denmark. Lars von Trier, Jørgen Leth.
  • Hidden / Cache, 2004, France. Michael Haneke.
  • Tropical Malady / Sud pralad, 2004, Thailand. Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
  • The Holy Girl / La nina santa, 2004, Argentina. Lucrecia Martel.
  • The Death of Mr. Lazarescu / Moartea domnului Lazarescu, 2005, Romania. Cristi Puiu.
  • Still Life / Sanxia haoren, 2006, China. Jia Zhangke.
  • Colossal Youth / Juventude Em Marcha, 2006, Portugal. Pedro Costa.
  • Pan’s Labyrinth / El laberinto del fauno, 2006, Mexico. Guillermo del Toro.
  • 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days / 4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile, 2007, Romania. Cristian Mungiu.
  • United Red Army / Jitsuroku Rengo Sekigun: Asama sanso e no michi, 2008, Japan. Kōji Wakamatsu.
  • The White Ribbon / Das weisse Band — Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte, 2009, Germany. Michael Haneke.
  • Carlos, 2010, France. Olivier Assayas.
  • A Tree of Life, 2011, USA. Terrence Malick.
  • Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives / Loong Boonmee raleuk chat, 2011, Thailand. Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

Part 2. The very best Hollywood films

Comedies

  • Trouble in Paradise, 1932. Ernst Lubitsch.
  • It Happened One Night, 1934. Frank Capra.
  • A Night at the Opera, 1935. Sam Wood.
  • My Man Godfrey, 1936. Gregory La Cava.
  • The Awful Truth, 1937. Leo McCarey.
  • Bringing Up Baby, 1938. Howard Hawks.
  • The Philadelphia Story, 1940. George Cukor.
  • His Girl Friday, 1940. Howard Hawks.
  • Sullivan’s Travels, 1941. Preston Sturges.
  • The Lady Eve, 1941. Preston Sturges.
  • Some Like It Hot, 1959. Billy Wilder.
  • Annie Hall, 1977. Woody Allen.

Epic films

  • Ben Hur: The Tale of the Christ, 1926. Fred Niblo.
  • Cleopatra, 1934. Cecil B. DeMille.
  • The Good Earth, 1937. Sidney Franklin et al.
  • Gone With the Wind, 1939. Victor Fleming et al.
  • The Robe, 1953. Henry Koster.
  • The Ten Commandments, 1956. Cecil B. DeMille.
  • Giant, 1956. George Stevens.
  • Ben Hurr, 1959. William Wyler.
  • Spartacus, 1960. Stanley Kubrick.
  • El Cid, 1961. Anthony Mann.
  • Reds, 1981. Warren Beatty.
  • Titanic, 1997. James Cameron.
  • Gladiator, 2000. Ridley Scott.

Film noir

  • The Maltese Falcon, 1941. John Huston.
  • Double Indemnity, 1944. Billy Wilder.
  • Laura, 1944. Otto Preminger.
  • Phantom Lady, 1944. Robert Siodmak.
  • Detour, 1945. Edgar Ulmer.
  • The Big Sleep, 1946. Howard Hawks.
  • Gun Crazy, 1950. Joseph H. Lewis.
  • The Big Heat, 1953. Fritz Lang.
  • Kiss Me Deadly, 1955. Robert Aldrich.
  • Touch of Evil, 1958. Orson Welles.
  • Point Blank, 1967. John Boorman.
  • The Long Goodbye, 1973. Robert Altman.
  • Chinatown, 1974. Roman Polanski.
  • The Conversation, 1974. Francis F. Coppola.
  • Night Moves, 1975. Arthur Penn.
  • Pulp Fiction, 1994. Quentin Tarantino.

Gangster films

  • Underworld, 1927. Josef von Sternberg.
  • Little Caesar, 1930. Mervyn LeRoy.
  • The Public Enemy, 1931. William Wellman.
  • Scarface, 1932. Howard Hawks.
  • Angels with Dirty Faces, 1938. Michael Curtiz.
  • The Roaring Twenties, 1939. Raoul Walsh.
  • White Heat, 1949. Raoul Walsh.
  • The Asphalt Jungle, 1950. John Huston.
  • Bonnie and Clyde, 1967. Arthur Penn.
  • The Godfather, 1972. Francis F. Coppola.
  • The Godfather: Part II, 1974. Francis F. Coppola.
  • Once upon a Time in America, 1984. Sergio Leone.
  • Goodfellas, 1990. Martin Scorsese.
  • Reservoir Dogs, 1992. Quentin Tarantino.

History and war films

  • The Big Parade, 1925. King Vidor.
  • All Quiet on the Western Front, 1930. Lewis Milestone.
  • Young Mr. Lincoln, 1939. John Ford.
  • Mrs. Miniver, 1942. William Wyler.
  • Casablanca, 1942. Michael Curtiz.
  • The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946. William Wyler.
  • From Here to Eternity, 1953. Fred Zinnemann.
  • Paths of Glory, 1957. Stanley Kubrick.
  • Patton, 1970. Franklin J. Schaffner.
  • Full Metal Jacket, 1987. Stanley Kubrick.
  • Schindler’s List, 1993. Steven Spielberg.
  • The Thin Red Line, 1998. Terrence Malick.
  • Saving Private Ryan, 1998. Steven Spielberg.
  • Inglourious Basterds, 2009. Quentin Tarantino.
  • The Hurt Locker, 2009. Kathryn Bigelow.

Horror films

  • Dracula, 1931. Tod Browning.
  • King Kong, 1933. Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack.
  • Bride of Frankenstein, 1935. James Whale.
  • Cat People, 1942. Jack Turner.
  • The Seventh Victim, 1943. Mark Robson.
  • The Thing, 1951. Christian Nyby.
  • The Night of the Hunter, 1955. Charles Laughton.
  • Psycho, 1960. Alfred Hitchcock.
  • The Birds, 1963. Alfred Hitchcock.
  • Rosemary’s Baby, 1968. Roman Polanski.
  • Night of the Living Dead, 1969. George Romero.
  • The Exorcist, 1973. William Friedkin.
  • Carrie, 1978. Brian De Palma.
  • The Shining, 1980. Stanley Kubrick.
  • The Blair Witch Project, 1999. Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez.
  • Paranormal Activity, 2007. Oren Peli.

Melodramas

  • Seventh Heaven, 1927. Frank Borzage.
  • Blonde Venus, 1932. Josef von Sternberg.
  • The Scarlet Empress, 1934. Josef von Sternberg.
  • Stella Dallas, 1937. King Vidor.
  • Stage Door, 1937. Gregory La Cava.
  • Dance, Girl, Dance, 1940. Dorothy Arzner.
  • Rebecca, 1940. Alfred Hitchcock.
  • Now, Voyager, 1942. Irving Rapper.
  • Mildred Pierce, 1945. Michael Curtiz.
  • Letter from an Unknown Woman, 1948. Max Ophüls.
  • All about Eve, 1950. Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
  • The Bad and the Beautiful, 1952. Vincente Minnelli.
  • All That Heaven Allows, 1956. Douglas Sirk.
  • Imitation of Life, 1959. Douglas Sirk.
  • Far from Heaven, 2002. Todd Haynes.

Musicals

  • The Love Parade, 1929. Ernst Lubitsch.
  • Love Me Tonight, 1932. Rouben Mamoulian.
  • Footlight Parade, 1933. Lloyd Bacon.
  • Top Hat, 1935. Mark Sandrich.
  • Swing Time, 1936. George Stevens.
  • The Wizard of Oz, 1939. Victor Fleming.
  • Meet Me in St. Louis, 1945. Vincente Minnelli.
  • Easter Parade, 1948. Charles Walters.
  • Singin’ in the Rain, 1952. Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly.
  • The Band Wagon, 1953. Vincente Minnelli.
  • Funny Face, 1957. Stanley Donen.
  • West Side Story, 1961. Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins.
  • Cabaret, 1972. Bob Fosse.
  • Moulin Rouge!, 2001. Baz Luhrman.

Science fiction

  • The Day the Earth Stood Still, 1951. Robert Wise.
  • The War of the Worlds, 1953. Byron Haskin.
  • This Island Earth, 1955. Joseph M. Newman, Jack Arnold.
  • Forbidden Planet, 1956. Fred M. Wilcox.
  • Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956. Don Siegel.
  • Seconds, 1966. John Frankenheimer.
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968. Stanley Kubrick.
  • Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, 1977. George Lucas.
  • Blade Runner, 1982. Ridley Scott.
  • Dark City, 1998. Alex Proyas.
  • The Matrix, 1999. Andy and Larry Wachowski.
  • Avatar, 2009. James Cameron.

Westerns

  • Stagecoach, 1939. John Ford.
  • Canyon Passage, 1946. Jack Turner.
  • Duel in the Sun, 1947. King Vidor.
  • Red River, 1948. Howard Hawks.
  • High Noon, 1952. Fred Zinnemann.
  • Johnny Guitar, 1954. Nicholas Ray.
  • The Man from Laramie, 1955. Anthony Mann.
  • The Searchers, 1956. John Ford.
  • Forty Guns, 1957. Samuel Fuller.
  • Rio Bravo, 1959. Howard Hawks.
  • Ride Lonesome, 1959. Budd Boetticher.
  • The Wild Bunch, 1969. Sam Peckinpah.
  • McCabe and Mrs. Miller, 1971. Robert Altman.
  • Dances with Wolves, 1990. Kevin Costner.
  • Unforgiven, 1992. Clint Eastwood.
  • True Grit, 2010. Ethan and Joel Coen.

Independent films

  • The Exiles, 1961. Kent MacKenzie.
  • Two-Lane Blacktop, 1971. Monte Hellman.
  • Badlands, 1973. Terrence Malick.
  • Eraserhead, 1976. David Lynch.
  • Angel City, 1977. Jon Jost.
  • Variety, 1983. Bette Gordon.
  • Stranger than Paradise, 1984. Jim Jarmusch.
  • Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, 1986. John McNaughton.
  • Sex, lies and videotape, 1989. Steven Soderbergh.
  • Drugstore Cowboy, 1989. Gus Van Sant.
  • Slacker, 1991. Richard Linklater.
  • Smoke, 1995. Wayne Wang, Paul Auster.
  • Gummo, 1997. Harmony Korine.
  • George Washington, 2000. David Gordon Green.
  • The Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein, 2001. John Gianvito.
  • Lost in Translation, 2003. Sofia Coppola.

Source: Сinemotionlab

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