I am sure than Eisenstein's " The Battleship Potemkin " is a great film, but it's not going on my list simply so I can impress people. There was a bit of both (1) and (2) represented there. "Black Narcissus" (1947) 5. " OK, so by the time you read this the Top 50 may already have been announced and that will give us something else to talk about. Murnau, 1927) These are the best family films of 2020, determined by the weekly reviews on this site. Now it is time for me to commence this ten-yearly ritual, and decide on my list for 2012. Citizen Kane (Welles) On the one hand: ... as we commonly acknowledge, we need films to acquire a few barnacles with the passing of time before we anoint them. Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" (1948) topped the first Sight & Sound critics' poll in 1952, only four years after it was first released, dropped to #7 in 1962, and then disappeared from the top ten never to be seen again. To tell the truth, I think my 2002 list holds up pretty well, and I'm tempted to just send it in again. Ranking ahead of "Our Hospitality," "Sherlock, Jr.," "Steamboat Bill, Jr."... "Ugetsu Monogatari" (Mizoguchi, 1953) -- #50 critics. Ebert was a film critic for Chicago Sun Times from 1967 to 2013, until his death. Then they print out all the vote totals, and reveal who voted for what. Shoah (1985) Ebert… Ebert's Best Film Lists1967 - present If I must make a list of the Ten Greatest Films of All Time, my first vow is to make the list for myself, not for anybody else. "The Rules of the Game" (Renoir) 4. You can play with these lists. In 1975, Ebert became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. ("For Thursday's food section, can you list the 10 funniest movies about pumpkin pie?") Roger Ebert is the best-known film critic of our time. Same thing with Billy Wilder. There may be no underestimating the difference between being disappointed by a classic viewed in a shabby repertory cinema on a beat-up print in the 1970s, and being awakened to it today on your state-of-the-art home screen, after a good digital shave-and-haircut restoration. Apocalypse Now " (1979) 3. " I was teaching a film course in the University of Chicago's Fine Arts Program, and taught classes of the top ten films in 1972, 1982 and 1992. The order does not matter to the voting system - we will allot one vote only to each of your ten films. Therefore, every ten years interest centers on a kind of ghoulish death watch to see if Kane has survived for another decade. Nashville (Altman) You can submit up to 50 titles yourself, just by going here and checking out a list of titles that, unbelievably, still aren't on the registry. Some years they poll critics and directors, and combine the results. ", So I stare at these titles and recall transcendent experiences. Are we so sure that "Uncle Boonmee," for instance, isn't as mysterious and resonant and fascinating as "Ugetsu monogatari" (1953), or that "Once upon a Time in Anatolia" isn't in fact superior to Antonioni? At a guess, I may have substituted "The Decalogue," Kieslowski's astonishing 10-peat project, which had recently been released in the U.S. by Facets Mutimedia. Then I think of other wonderful films, like "The Thin Man." Many would choose "Taxi Driver" as Scorsese's greatest film, but I believe "Raging Bull" is his best and most personal, a film he says in some ways saved his life. "Singin' in the Rain" (also a musical) is still the highest-ranking comedy at #20. Akira Kurosawa 4. In the same year, the directors as a group voted for: 1. 4) "8 ½" (Fellini, 1963) "8 1/2" (Fellini) 4. (3) Strategic votes, such as a shift from "Notorious" (1946) to "Vertigo" as Hitchcock's best. Roger Ebert Ten Greatest Films of all Time Pulitzer Prize winning Critic, Roger Ebert, named ten films he believed to be the greatest of all time. You cannot vote for, say, the "Three Colours Trilogy" unless you want to use up three choices out of ten. Roger Ebert on the autobiographical intensity of both films' directors Every 10 years since 1952, British film magazine 'Sight and Sound' has published a list of the 'Ten Greatest Films of All Time.' It tells of a … If you scan back over the history of the Sight & Sound poll, as well as the Oscars and every qualitative ballot-collection in between, it becomes clear that such contests are not definitive preservers of posterity deciding once and for all (but over and over again) what's 'best'. They are flat-out fun (even if they are regarded as "classics"). The newest film on the 2002 list was the combination of "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather, Part II" (1974) -- but they won't be allowed to count as one title for 2012. Roger Ebert Critic, Chicago Sun-Times. In a field with much competition, Number One on my list of Most Shameless Lists has got to be Time mag's recent list of the "Best 140 Tweeters." 22 August: the complete interactive directors' poll of 358 entries follows. "The Battleship Potemkin" (Eisenstein) 7. Sunrise " (1927) 4. "Sunrise" (Murnau) 9. 1." For years they had value only in the minds of feature editors fretting that their movie critics had too much free time. Ingmar Bergman 9. 5) "Sunrise" (F.W. George Lucas • Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. ", "Viaggio in Italia" (Roberto Rossellini, 1954) -- formerly "Rome: Open City. Michael Atkinson ("Listomania!") A list of films that Roger Ebert, in addition to giving 0 out of 4 stars, described in his reviews as horrible to a life-changing degree. Does it all work, and does the film still hold together, years later? But, for now at least, I'm more interested in the process. UPDATE: (08/01/12): Sight & Sound has just tweeted the new Top Ten in its 2012 international critics' poll: 1) "Vertigo" (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958) Once a film has appeared in my S&S top 10, it has been canonized, and is forevermore entitled to quote me. I mean, if "Citizen Kane" were to drop a few slots after 50 years, does that really indicate that its statue as a work of art is declining after 50 years at #1? For the magazine's decade-by-decade breakdown of its famous poll, click here. Roger Joseph Ebert was the all-time best-known, most successful movie critic in cinema history, when one thinks of his establishing a rapport with both serious cineastes and the movie-going public and reaching more movie fans via television and print than any other critic. Has it fallen in my estimation? 3) "Tokyo Story" (Yasujiro Ozo, 1953) 23. Roger Ebert's Article: "Top 20 Movie Sites 1997" "The Greatest Films of All Time represents an astonishing amount of thought and work by Tim Dirks, who is so modest he doesn't even byline his detailed, evocative essays on great films. Here are Roger Ebert's most hardcore disses and most brutal movie reviews of all time. Vertigo (Hitchcock). The only vote I ever cast that became somewhat notorious was for Errol Morris's first feature, "Gates of Heaven," a documentary about a pet cemetery. Sunrise (Murnau) "The General" (Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman, 1926) -- #34 critics. Strange how 2 people that have such a blatant disregard for what are widely considered 2 of the best films of all time!! Kristin Thompson wrote last spring of its place in the S&S poll: "Ozu's first film to became well known in the west didn't make the list until decades later, in 1992, and yet despite the discovery of 'Late Spring' and 'Early Summer' and 'An Autumn Afternoon,' 'Tokyo Story' remains the Ozu film.". One of the footnotes is that they keep jiggering the rules. Apart from my annual year’s best lists, this is the only list I vote in – and have done since 1972. Billy Wilder 8. Fight Club when reviewed by Roger Ebert was called, "Macho porn -- the sex movie Hollywood has been moving toward for… Hilariously scathing quotes from his reviews will be included. 6) "Apocalypse Now" (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979) Inspired probably by its 1958 re-release (that was the first time I saw it), Welles' film jumped to the #1 spot in 1962, and has remained on top ever since. But don't forget about the National Film Registry. ", "Pather Panchali" (Satyajit Ray, 1955) -- first film in the "Apu Trilogy. In that year, "Citizen Kane" was a main runner-up. Recently they've started splitting them into two lists. "The Godfather" and "The Godfather, Part II"  3. When it comes to grouped films, such as the "Godfather" series, please choose by individual film alone ("The Godfather" or "Godfather II" etc.) Every 10 years, the ancient and venerable British film magazine, Sight & Sound, polls the world's directors, movie critics, and assorted producers, cinematheque operators and festival directors, etc., to determine the Greatest Films of All Time. Having gained the honor of being on the list, each title could be retired, and a whole new set concocted ten years later. We also invite you to add a short commentary after the list explaining why you have chosen the films in your top ten. And families need movies too! (In 2002 only five of the 145 participating critics voted for it.) "The Rules of the Game" (Renoir) 9. Orson Welles 2. Also, whatever happened to former favorites "Modern Times" (my own Chaplin of choice), "The Gold Rush" and "Monsieur Verdoux"? You can spend hours on that list, and all of the decade lists, by clicking here. Long-suffering readers will have read many times about my dislike of lists, especially lists of the best or worst movies in this or that category. Please draw up a list of ten films only, in order of preference or, if you'd rather, alphabetically. "Rashomon" (Kurosawa) 9. I voted for the first time, I think, in 1972. Now, however, it is that time in the Wheel of the Decades when I make out the one single list of interest to me. considers the inevitable fluctuations inherent in constructing such hierarchical love-rankings: It's strange to think that this accountants'-reflex, oligarchical canon-building phenomenon had never occurred to anyone before Elizabeth became queen - not regarding any cultural product, at least. 9) "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928) It could be one of several. My guess: He made so many great films that the voted were scattered. "Reservoir Dogs," on the other hand, is probably better regarded now than it was when it was released -- and, I'd argue, rightly so. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Buñuel) In Memoriam 1942-2013. And then stopped clicking. "The Seven Samurai" (Kurosawa). Federico Fellini 3. 6) "2001: A Space Odyssey" (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) I am faced once again with the task of voting in Sight & Sound’s famous poll to determine the greatest films of all time. The 136-page issue features the critics' Top 100, a new essay on the top film, short essays on every film in our top 10, an essay on changing critical tastes in our poll, top 10s by decade, nationality and genre, the directors' Top Ten, the critics' top directors and directors' top directors, and individual top-ten entries from 100 critics and 100 directors, from Woody Allen to Edgar Wright. I think Roger Ebert is the best movie reviewer that we have ever had. Now their value has shot way up with the use of slide shows, a diabolical time-waster designed to boost a web site's page visits. I saw someone predict that Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" would make it into the all-time top 10 this time around. Roger Ebert's 10 greatest films of all time Robert Duvall in "Apocalpse Now," directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Star Wars 1977, 121 min. Martin Scorsese 9. ☞ How we made the Greatest Films of All Time poll ☞ See all our coverage of this poll ☞ See our annual best-films lists and more surveys 10) "8 1/2" (Federico Fellini, 1963), 1) "Tokyo Story" (Ozu, 1953) Jean Renoir. Now, however, it is that time in the Wheel of the Decades when I make out the one single list of interest to me. Roger Ebert genuinely loved movies, and seemed to take bad filmmaking as a personal affront. For example, although "8 1/2" is widely considered Fellini's best film, did the directors vote it higher than the critics because it's about a director? Roger Ebert was an American Film Journalist and Critic. Alfred Hitchcock 6. Sight & Sound has announced it will live-tweet the 2012 "Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time" (@SightSoundmag #sightsoundpoll) August 1, and as I write this the night before, I of course don't know the results. The list is in alphabetical order. "Lawrence of Arabia" (Lean) 5. I guess it's possible, but if it happened, would that indicate that the movie's reputation had increased significantly between 2002 and 2012? 7) "The Godfather" (Coppola, 1972), "Vertigo" (Hitchcock, 1958) [tie] That seems like a reasonable way to interpret it, but I wonder how accurate it really is. Spike Lee Receives American Cinematheque Award, America Has to Come to a Reckoning: Director Sam Pollard on MLK/FBI, The TV Homages of WandaVision are an Amusing, Unfulfilling Distraction. There must be an Ozu. "Dr. Strangelove" (Kubrick) 6. Followed by: Carl Theodor Dreyer ("The Passion of Joan of Arc," "Ordet," "Gertrud"), Francis Ford Coppola ("Apocalypse Now," "The Godfather," "The Godfather Part II"), Andrei Tarkovsky ("Andrei Rublev," "Mirror," "Stalker"). It is the greatest cinematic expression of the torture of jealousy--his "Othello." Last spring, Kristin Thompson suggested a poll method a little more like the National Film Registry (or, for that matter, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame): I think this business of polls and lists for the greatest films of all times would be much more interesting if each film could only appear once. He has been reviewing films for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, and was the first film critic ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. "Citizen Kane" (Welles) 2. "The Bicycle Thief" (De Sica) 6. The first time I saw it in the magazine, I was much impressed by the names of the voters, and felt a thrill to think that I might someday be invited to join their numbers. Will there be any silent films in the top 10? 2) "2001: A Space Odyssey" (Kubrick, 1968), "Citizen Kane" (Welles, 1941) [tie] 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick) There have been some other great ones but to me Roger stands out above the rest. Drama (290) Romance (77) Comedy (72) Thriller (67) Crime (60) Mystery (44) War (35) Adventure (30) Fantasy (29) History (29) Biography (22) Action (21) Music (20) Film-Noir (18) Horror (17) Western (17) Musical (15) Sci-Fi (15) Family (11) Documentary (9) Animation (7) Sport (5) Short (1) I'm going to make a leap of faith and assume that "The Decalogue" won't count as ten. Do you think I would click through 140 pages just looking for my name? Looking over great new movies from the past decade, I come up with some contenders: "Chop Shop," "Departures," "Juno," "Monster," "No Country for Old Men," "Pan's Labyrinth," "A Separation," "Shame" (2011), "Silent Light," "Synecdoche, New York. Action • … Ebert is widely regarded as the greatest film critic of All Time. Roger Ebert, Actor: Siskel & Ebert & the Movies. About this list: If I must make a list of the Ten Greatest Films of All Time, my first vow is to make the list for myself, not for anybody else. "Vertigo" (Hitchcock) 9. Once Roger’s reviews became available online, I would always read them. If you're not interested in those things, you don't have much reason to care about these lists. 7) "The Searchers" (John Ford, 1956) 5) "Taxi Driver" (Martin Scorsese, 1980) Why do I value this poll more than others? By tabulating all their votes for every film, S&S came up with this list of The Directors' Top Ten Directors: 1. Must a Sight & Sound movie need, after all, to be profound? Then there is a list of the Top Directors, which never corresponds to the Top Films (this is just like the Oscars). ", "Au Hasard, Balthazar" (Robert Bresson," 1966) -- formerly "Pickpocket. In our biggest ever film critics’ poll, the list of best movies ever made has a new top film, ending the 50-year reign of Citizen Kane. 4) "Rules of the Game" (Jean Renoir, 1939) "Tokyo Story" (Ozu) 6. Francis Ford Coppola 5. 21. Kristin's assessment of "the point" of these exercises is the one most people would probably cite if you asked them why they would care about looking over a list of "The Greatest Movies Ever Made," or some such thing.