Every decade the British magazine “Sight & Sound” polls film critics and directors to compile a list of the ten greatest films ever made. As “best” lists go these are probably the most solid. Here are the lists from 2002, listed in reverse order for heightened suspense.
Critics' picks – Best films of all time
10) Singin’ in the Rain – 1952 – Stanley Donen/Gene Kelly
9) 8 ˝ - 1963 – Federico Fellini
7-8) (tie) Battleship Potemkin - 1925 – Sergei Eisenstien
Sunrise – 1927 - F.W. Murnau
6) 2001: A Space Odyssey – 1968 – Stanley Kubrick
5) Toyko Story – 1953 - Yasujiro Ozu
4) The Godfather and The Godfather Part II – 1972/1974 – Francis Ford Coppola
3) The Rules of the Game (Le Regle de jeu) – 1939 - Jean Renoir
2) Vertigo – 1958 – Alfred Hitchcock
1) Citizen Kane – 1941 – Orson Welles
Directors' picks – Best films of all time
9-11) (tie) Rashomon - 1950 – Akira Kurosawa
The Rules of the Game (Le Regle de jeu) – 1939 - Renoir
The Seven Samurai – 1954 - Akira Kurosawa
6-8) (tie) The Bicycle Thief – 1948 - Vittorio de Sica
Raging Bull – 1980 – Martin Scorsese
Vertigo – 1958 – Alfred Hitchcock
5) Dr. Strangelove – 1964 – Stanley Kubrick
4) Lawrence of Arabia – 1962 – David Lean
3) 8 ˝ - 1963 – Federico Fellini
2) The Godfather and The Godfather Part II – 1972/1974 – Francis Ford Coppola
1) Citizen Kane – 1941 – Orson Welles
2002 marks the first year in which “Sight & Sound” polls critics and directors to compile lists of the greatest movie directors of all time.
Critics' picks – Best directors of all time
10-11) (tie) Francis Ford Coppola
Yasujiro Ozu
Sergei Eisenstein
8) John Ford
7) Federico Fellini
6) Akira Kurosawa
5) Stanley Kubrick
4) Jean Renoir
3) Jean-Luc Godard
1-2) (tie) Alfred Hitchcock
Orson Welles
Directors' picks – Best directors of all time
9-11) (tie) David Lean
Jean Renoir
Martin Scorsese
8) Ingmar Bergman
7) Billy Wilder
6) Stanley Kubrick
5) Alfred Hitchcock
4) Francis Ford Coppola
3) Akira Kurosawa
2) Federico Fellini
1) Orson Welles
For more information on past “Sight & Sound” lists, or to find out which critics and which directors picked which films, consult the magazines official website at http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/index.html.