Sight & Sound magazine and the British Film Institute put out their once-every-decade poll of greatest films. The top ten:
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Vertigo
Citizen Kane
Tokyo Story
In the Mood for Love
2001: A Space Odyssey
Beau Travail
Mulholland Dr.
Man with a Movie Camera
Singin’ in the Rain
The poll, which first started in 1952 and had come to be the definitive film list, now has a controversial and brand new #1 film for this decade: Chantal Ackerman’s 1975 piece of slow cinema. And this episode, we discuss:
the expansion of the voter-base leading to the controversy
Paul Schrader’s reaction on Facebook decrying the poll being “woke”;
which titles were dropped between 2012 and 2022;
and the distinction between polls of “favorites” and “GREATEST.”
Also:
how the poll ensconced Citizen Kane into the top spot for so long;
the poll’s history of top tens;
the age of those top ten titles at the time each decade’s poll;
and the lists’ preference for titles over filmographies.
The Sight & Sound/BFI list can be found here.