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