Stalker wasn’t a part of the list in 2002?That’s pretty sad…
And I’m really hoping that Once Upon a Time in the West will make the list this time.This films makes most of this list’s Western look childish.And I would like to see some classic american westerns to be out of the list too.Ok,they are films with a major influence and a great importance in the history of cinema,but some of them really didn’t stand the test of time so well.Of course,we shouldn’t judge these films with today’s standards,but the stories or the characters are sometimes too simplistic.
And there definetely should be more Antiononi films,apart from L’Avventura.At least the other two films of his “trilogy”(La Notte and L’Eclisse)are as essential as L’Avventura.
@Brad S. Yeah that always annoyed me, I don’t know who decided you could do that. It’s almost like they’re saying they’re not good enough on their own.
I would like to see La Strada back in the director’s list and have Tokyo Story higher in the critic’s list.
There should be a Bergman film in there as well.
Bergman seems to be a lot like Scorsese in the sense that critical opinion is very divided as to what his best film is- that’s why it’s difficult for those two, for all all their acclaim, to get a film on the top 10. Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if Raging Bull makes it on the critics list this time around- you would hope they select one film from the past 40 years. I also expect 2001 to move up a little on both lists.
Yeah you’re right. Persona and Wild Strawberries both made it to the top ten in 72 then disappeared. Maybe if there was a clear favourite he would have a more consistent place on the lists. Fanny and Alexander seems to be getting more popular as well.
I’d hope Raging Bull would make it on there. I wonder if they’ll move into the 90s and add Pulp Fiction.
Hopefully Forrest Gump will make it to the top ten at least, if not number one. It’s really time that film got some respect.
Yeah if the guys at Sight and Sound can’t appreciate an absolute classic like Forrst Gump then screw their list, the rats.
Of the Ingmar Bergman films, it seems like Wild Strawberries will be the one to squeeze in, even though Fanny & Alexander is both a better film and probably the most well known Bergman film.
Pulp Fiction deserves to be in the 10, if you ask me.
There should also be some Antonioni, Tarkovsky, and Billy Wilder.
And if it is against the rules to have Godfather Part 1&2 on the list, then please let it be part 2…
And at least one classic Scorsese must be in there.
I really just hope that Vertigo can overtake Citizen Kane and claim the top spot. It’s very unlikely, but I would give anything for a Hitchcock film to sit upon that throne.
And, if I were to pick a Scorsese for the list, it would be Taxi Driver. If there are any post-1980 films, it would be great to see David Lynch make it on (though the odds of that are about a million to one).
On the topic of newer movies, Ebert ssaid he is adding Tree of Life to his list and taking off the Decalogue. Do you think Tree of Life will be on the list? Top 40 for sure, and certainly will be the highest film from the past fifthteen years.
Tree of Life will not be on the list simply because it is too new. It’s likely that no film in the last 25 years will make the list.
^Agreed. And I sure hope it doesn’t make the list either. That would really be something of an insult to all of the masterpieces made in the past 25 years.
Tree of Life in S&S? Nice, I like the sound of that….
I like Tree of Life quite a bit, but it’s not even the best Malick film, nor is it as good as the other contemporary choice Ebert was considering, Synecdoche, New York.
If you can’t think of 10 better films than TREE OF LIFE, you should just stop at 9.
Synecdoche has to be the frontrunner as far as contemporary, Mulholland will also hopefully make some waves… would be completely legit if Vertigo overthrew Kane I agree!
It would be absolutely amazing if Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive made it on. The only 21st century films I can imagine making any real impact on the list are Mulholland and In the Mood For Love, and I still can’t see either getting close to the top 10.
Yeah, top 10… sounds pretty ambitious… uhh fingers crossed?!
It’s a foregone conclusion that Zodiac will make it.
It’s not even a question.
Just like Badlands going Criterion, doubtless eh Santino?
lol
KEVIN B. LEE (Indiewire):
“To discuss the poll, its history and relevance to film culture, and possibly indulge in a bit of prognosticating, I’ve organized an online discussion with David Jenkins, UK-based film critic for the website Little White Lies, Vadim Rizov, US-based film critic for Sight and Sound and other publications, and Bill Georgaris, Australian-based creator of the website They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They and keeper of the massive list of 1000 greatest films, compiled from over 2100 such lists, including each edition of the Sight and Sound poll.”
http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/not-simply-the-best-previewing-the-sight-and-sound-greatest-films-poll-part-i
Interesting read- I don’t think anyone is really expecting the canon to shift too much. There’s about 12-15 films which I think are the only ones with a real chance of making the top 10, and they’re the usual suspects who have been a part of these lists for years. My prediction for what the top 10 will look like:
http://mubi.com/lists/sight-and-sound-2012-predictions
I’m more interested in seeing the individual lists. I wonder if A.I. is still Armond White’s favorite movie
My predictions for this year’s Sight And Sound consists of this:
http://mubi.com/lists/sight-and-sound-2012-my-top-10-predictions-for-this-year
Along with some honorable mentions (which are originally actually some candiates, hehe):
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (John Landis, 1981)
BRAZIL (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
WOODSTOCK (Michael Wadleigh, 1970)
POSSESSION (Andrzej Żuławski, 1981)
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (Nicolas Roeg, 1976)
TASTE OF CHERRY (Abbas Kiarostami, 1997)
Z (Costa-Gavras, 1969)
IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (Nagisa Oshima, 1976) + EMPIRE OF PASSION (Oshima, 1978) (tied :P)
PARIS, TEXAS (Wim Wenders, 1984)
EL TOPO (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970)
That is all. Let me know if you have anything to say about my picks. :)
That Press Play article is good, you should all check it out.
It’s good to remember that each film in a top ten ballot gets just one point, regardless of position in that person’s top ten. And there are so many voters who vote for so many films, that the lower films in the overall official Top Ten only have like 18 votes apiece. Citizen Kane and Vertigo were both in the 40-something vote range in the critics list last time, and then Rules of the Game had about 30, then the next couple were in the 20s. And then there were dozens of films that were mentioned somewhere between 10 and 15 times, and so on. So on the one hand, Kane and a couple others really do dominate, and anyone hoping they’re going to fall off the list entirely are deluding themselves. On the other, it’s easy for just a couple ballots to have a major effect on the list.
I think the list will be shaken up a bit this year because there does seem to be some genuine frustration and boredom around the traditional predictability of the last couple times. People, including the magazine’s editors, are genuinely curious and disappointed why there have been so few films from the 2-3 decades that got any support. I expect that to change. There’s also been talk about the Eurocentrism of the list, and many calls for more non-Western films.
My guesses is that several relatively recent auteurs will make strong showings, though that doesn’t mean they’ll make it into the Top 10. Major Asian filmmakers like Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Edward Yang, Wong Kar-Wai, and possibly Apichatpong Weerasethakul will probably all make appearances. Bela Tarr’s stock has risen hugely, and I bet Satantango will have a very strong showing, though still outside the Top 10. Abbas Kiarostami will also be well-represented. I think Terrence Malick has grown hugely in popularity and controversy in the last ten years, and expect quite a few votes for his films, probably several for The Tree of Life. And David Lynch strikes me as likely to make a pretty strong bid for top spots, though the division between Blue Velvet and Mulholland Dr. supporters may scuttle that. Tarantino will probably get more support than he did before, though still not a ton. Claire Denis will do well.
As to older auteurs, I would love to see Tarkovsky get in, probably with Andrei Rublev, which for some reason has never quite made it on the list. And Bresson, what with the recent touring retrospectives in the US and the thriving critical discussion stemming from that may finally make it in with Au Hasard Balthazar as well. I think Eisenstein may finally leave the list—really don’t get why Battleship Potemkin makes it EVERY time. With The Godfather being split up this year, I think it will fall a bit—I like the second one better anyway. Satyajit Ray and Kenji Mizoguchi may have surprisingly strong showings. The sympathy vote for Angeloupoulis won’t get him on the list, but he’ll probably be pretty high.
My rough guess is the (Critics’, but the directors’ one won’t be way different) list will be something like this:
1. Vertigo
2. Citizen Kane
3. The Rules of the Game
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey
5. Tokyo Story
6. Sunrise
7. Andrei Rublev
8. Au Hasard balthazar
9. Pather Panchali
10. Raging Bull
But with Seven Samurai, Singin’ in the Rain, City of Sadness, 8 1/2, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Satantango, In the Mood for Love, A Brighter Summer Day, Mulholland Drive, and Metropolis all close runners-up.
^You make A LOT of excellent points. In unrelated news, I had a dream last night where the winners of the critics’ poll were revealed. All I remember was that Kane held onto #1, The Searchers was #2, Vertigo was #5, and some film I had never heard of (a German cop thriller- ???) squeezed into the top 10. Totally pointless, but I just thought I’d share the inner workings of my subconscious with regards to this topic.
When will the results be announced?
Later this summer, I believe.
I’d love to see a Bresson included. The argument against that (at least the one I’ve read) is that there’s no general consensus as to which film is actually his best. My personal favorite is A Man Escaped, but I wouldn’t give the stink eye to anyone who listed Diary of a Country Priest, Pickpocket, Au Hasard Balthazar, or Mouchette. Hell, I’d be comfortable with someone picking The Trial of Joan of Arc or L’argent for that matter. So, unless everyone can rally behind one title, it’s unlikely.
Brad S.
I think its kind of cheating to regard both Godfather films as one.