A Personal canon

Starting with 500 films, this is an ever-expanding list of films that I consider to be essential in chronological order.

This is a personal canon, so it inevitably reflects the idiosyncrasies and limitations of my taste and viewing experience. So of course this list cannot include important films that I haven’t seen nor can it include important films that I do not personally appreciate. Nevertheless, I hope that this list can help people discover great films, maybe some they have not even heard of.

My tastes in film are varied, and I try my best to watch and enjoy films based on what they are trying to achieve. For this...