World's Best War Films

A scene from David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, who used

guerrilla tactics with a small army to sever communications

and supply lines against the Ottoman Empire in WW1

Updated: 3.18.11 (* = new additions)



I’ve expanded this list to include civilian stories during wartime (A Canterbury Tale, Mrs. Miniver), to the “Indian Wars” (the U.S. vs Native Americans, ie Dances With Wolves, Into the West), Asian wars (Samurai I, The Emperor and the Assassin, Hero, Mongol), even small wars (Gangs of New York, The Wind That Shakes the Barley), and terrorism (The Kingdom, Rendition, United 93)



The Best 100

[AA] - Academy Award for Best picture

• 300 (2006) *


• A Very Long Engagement (2004) France *


• Aliens (1986)


• All Quiet On the Western Front (1930) bw [AA] *


• Apocalypse Now! (1979)


• Army of Shadows (France)


• Atonement (2007)


• Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) France, bw *


• Ballad of a Soldier (1959) Russia, bw


• Band of Brothers (2001) tv


• Battle of Algiers (1965) France, bw


• The Battleship Potemkin (1925) USSR, bw


• The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) bw [AA]


• Black Hawk Down (2001) *


• Bloody Sunday (2002)


• Breaker Morant (1979) Australia


• Brideshead Revisited (1981) tv


• The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) [AA]


• Casablanca (1942) bw [AA]


• Che (2008) *


• The Children of Huang Shi (2007) Australia *


• The Civil War (1990) tv


• Come and See (1985) Russia


• The Conformist (1970) Italy


• Control Room (2004, doc.) *


• The Cuckoo (2002) Russia


• Dances With Wolves (1990) [AA]


• Das Boot (The Boat) (1981) Germany


• Days of Glory (2006) Algeria *


• The Deer Hunter (1978) [AA]


• Devils On the Doorstep (2000), China, bw *


• Doctor Zhivago (1965)


• Downfall (2004) Germany *


• Dr. Strangelove (1964) bw


• El Alamein (2002) Italy *


• Enemy at the Gates (2001) *


• Farewell My Concubine (1993) China


• Fateless (2005) Hungary-France-UK, bw *


• Full Metal Jacket (1987)*


• Gallipoli (1981)


• Gladiator (2000) [AA]


• Goodnight Mister Tom (1998) tv


• Grand Illusion (1937) France, bw


• Green Zone (2010) *


• Hero (2002) China


• Hope and Glory (1987)


• The Hurt Locker (2009) *


• I Am Cuba (1964) Cuba-Russia, bw *


• Into the West (2005) *


• Ivan's Childhood (1962) Russia, bw


• John Adams (2008)


• Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) bw


• The Kingdom of Heaven


• The Last Emperor (1987) [AA]


• Lawrence of Arabia (1962) [AA]


• Lebanon (2009) Israel *


• Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2003) New Zealand [AA]


• Lord of War (2005)


• MASH (1970) *


• The Matrix Trilogy (1999-2004) *


• Mephisto (1981) Hungary


• Mister Roberts (1955)


• Mongol (2007) Russia *


• Mrs. Miniver (1942) bw [AA]


• Munich (2005)


• No Man’s Land (2001) Bosnia *


• The Pacific (2010) *


• Paths of Glory (1957) bw


• Patton (1970) [AA]


• Platoon (1986) [AA]


• Prisoner of the Mountains (1996) *


• The Red Badge of Courage (1951) bw *


• Red Cliff (2008) China *


• Reds (1981)


• Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983) tv *


• The Road Warrior (1981) Australia


• Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) Japan *


• Saving Private Ryan (1998)


• Schindler's List (1993) bw [AA]


• Seven Days in May (1964) bw


• The Seven Samurai (1957) Japan, bw


• The Shop on Main St. (1965) Czechoslavakia, bw *


• Spartacus (1960) *


• Stalag 17 (1953)


• Star Wars Trilogy (1983)


• Sunshine (1999) *


• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)


• The Thin Red Line (1998) *


• To Live (1994) China *


• The Train (1964) bw


• Triumph of the Will (1935) Germany, bw *


• Turtles Can Fly (2004) Iran-Iraq *


• United 93 (2006) *


• V for Vendetta (2005) *


• Valkyrie (2008) *


• War and Peace (1968) Russia


• War Photographer (2001) Switzerland *


• Warriors (Guerreros, 2007) Spain *


• When Trumpets Fade (1998)


• The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) *


• Zelary (2003) Czech Republic

The Rest

• A Canterbury Tale (1944) bw *


• Ashes of Time Redux (1994) China


• Australia (2008) *


• Avatar (2009) *


• Ben-Hur (1959) [AA]


• The Big Red One (1980)


• The Book of Eli (2010) *


• Brothers (2004) Denmark *


• Carrie's War (2004) *


• Closely Watched Trains (1966) Czechoslovakia, bw


• The Counterfeiters (2007) Austria


• The Cranes Are Flying (1957) Russia *


• Defiance (2008) *


• Era Notte a Roma (1960) Italy, bw *


• Gangs of New York (2002) *


• The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970) Italy *


• Gettysburg (1993)


• Gloomy Sunday (1999) Germany *


• Glory (1989)


• Gone With the Wind (1939) [AA]


• Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Japan *


• The Great Escape (1963)


• Hara-Kiri (1962) Japan, bw *


• The Harmonists (1997) Germany *


• House of Flying Daggers (2004) China


• How the West Was Won (1962)


• The Hunt For Red October (1990)


• I Served the King of England (2006) Czech Rep. *


• In the Valley of Elah (2007) *


• The Informer (1935) bw *


• Inglourious Basterds (2009) *


• Iron Man (2008) *


• Kapó (1959) Italy, bw *


• The Kingdom (2007) *


• The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)


• The Longest Day (1963)


• The Power of Nightmares (2007, doc.)


• Rendition (2007) *


• Sahara (1943) bw


• Stalingrad (Russia)


• She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)


• Star Trek (2008)


• Throne of Blood (2008) Japan, bw


• Troy (2004)


• The Tunnel (2001) Germany

Band of Brothers is probably the best war on film, so it had to be included; Hanks and Spielberg reportedly spent over $100 million to film the 12-hr series. The Pacific is their followup, the counterpoint that follows the stories of several marines in the war against Japan.



I include Best Years of Our Lives here because it's about the effect of war on its participants and their families for the rest of their lives. Many films on this list won Best Picture oscars: Best Years, Bridge on Kwai, Deer Hunter, Lawrence, Patton, Platoon, Schindler's, All Quiet on the Western Front. Many others were nominated.



Sergei Bondarchuk's War and Peace still has the soapy parts of the novel but also has 250,000 extras from the Red Army, in costume and at the time was the most expensive movie ever made (est. 100m in 1968)



Even though Seven Samurai is a small skirmish, not a war, it still looks like a war film, and as such is one of the best ever.



Apocalypse Now! I like the longer, director's cut version, called "Redux" - it seems to flow more leisurely like a relaxed boat ride up the Mekong (!) Not at good artistically, just more interesting and at nearly an hour longer, if you like something you don't want it to end, right? "One day this war film's gonna end." (Robert Duvall)



I added Breaker Morant (thanks for the commentarian), though not technically a war film, it's a court martial, so really a "legal film", similar to Paths of Glory, but based on a true event of the Boer War. An early Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy) masterpiece.



I also added La Grande Illusion, Jean Renoir's anti-war masterpiece, which also has no war scenes but is about Allied prisoners in a WW1 German prison castle. It's a beautifully shot b&w film, the first foreign film nominated for the best picture Oscar®



Seven Beauties garnered Lina Wertmuller the first Oscar® nomination for directing for a woman. Kathryn Bigelow became the first female Oscar® winner for director for The Hurt Locker.



Update - just added these: Lebanon (Israel), Days of Glory (Algeria), El Alamein (Italy), Green Zone, Red Cliff (China), War Photographer (Switzerland), I Am Cuba (USSR-Cuba), Prisoner of the Mountains (Russia), Samurai 1 (Japan), United 93, Black Hawk Down

World's Best Foreign Language Films

This is a subset of the non-English language films from all the other lists (my preferences, these are not from the Top Ranked on the Net survey we did - that post is listed seperately, as over 400 foreign language films made that list), with a few more worthy films added
(* = new additions)
Updated: 3.10.11

• 8 ½ (1963) Italy, bw
  
• 13 Tzameti (2006) France, bw*
  
• The 400 Blows (1959) France, bw*
  
• A Great Wall (US-China, mixed language)
  
• A Prophet (2009) France
  
• A Very Long Engagement (2004) France*
  
• A Wednesday (2008) India
  
• After the Wedding (2006) Denmark
  
• Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972) Germany
  
• All About My Mother (1999) Spain*
  
• Amarcord (1974) Italy* [AA]
  
• Ashes of Time Redux (1994) China
  
• Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) France, bw
  
• Babel (2006) Mexico
  
• Ballad of a Soldier (1959) Russia, bw
  
• The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (Mexico)
  
• Band of Outsiders (1964) France, bw*
  
• The Barbarian Invasions (2003) Canada [AA]
  
• Battle of Algiers (1965) France, bw [AA]
  
• The Battleship Potemkin (1925) USSR, bw
  
• The Beautiful Country (2004) Norway*
  
• The Best of Youth (2003) Italy*
  
• Beyond Silence (1996) Germany*
  
• The Bicycle Thief (Italy, bw) [AA]
  
• Black Orpheus (France-Portugal)
  
• Blood of My Blood (2007) Mexico*
  
• Brothers (2004) Denmark*
  
• Butterfly (1999) Spain*
  
• Carmen (1983) C. Suare, Spain - not the opera, a flamenco dance film
  
• Central Station (1998) Brazil
  
• Chaos (2001) France
  
• Chocolat (2000) France
  
• The Chorus (2004) France
  
• Chungking Express/Fallen Angels (1994) Hong Kong
  
• Cinema Paradiso (1988) Italy [AA]
  
• City of God (2002) Brazil
  
• Climates (2006) Turkey*
  
• Closely Watched Trains (1966) Czechoslovakia, bw [AA]
  
• Come and See (1985) Russia
  
• The Conformist (1970) Italy
  
• The Counterfeiters (2007) Austria* [AA]
  
• The Cranes Are Flying (1957) Russia*
  
• Crazed Fruit (1956) Japan, bw*
  
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) China [AA]
  
• The Cuckoo (2002) Russia
  
• Das Bööt (The Boat) (1981) Germany [AA]
  
• Days of Glory (2006) Algeria*
  
• Day for Night (France) [AA]
  
• Dersu Uzala (Japan)
  
• Devils On the Doorstep (2000), China, bw*
  
• The Discreet Charm of the Bourgoisie (France)*
  
• Diva (1981) France
  
• Downfall (2004) Germany*
  
• The Earrings of Madame De.. (1953) France, bw*
  
• Earth (1998) India-Canada*
  
• Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) China
  
• El Alamein (2002) Italy*
  
• El Mariachi (1992) Mexico*
  
• El Norté (Mexico)
  
• Elevator to the Gallows (1958) France, bw
  
• The Emigrants (Sweden) [AA]
  
• The Emperor and the Assassin (1998) China*
  
• Era Notte a Roma (1960) Italy, bw*
  
• Fallen Angels (1995) China (see Chungking Express)
  
• Farewell My Concubine (1993) China
  
• Fateless (2005) Hungary-France-UK, bw *
  
• Fitzcarraldo (1982) Germany
  
• Floating Weeds (1959), Japan*
  
• Gadjo Dilo (1998) Romania*
  
• The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970) Italy [AA]
  
• Good Bye, Lenin! (2003) Germany*
  
• The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964) Italy, bw
  
• Grand Illusion (1937) France, bw
  
• Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Japan*
  
• Hara-Kiri (1962) Japan, bw*
  
• The Harmonists (1997) Germany*
  
• Hero (Yimou, 2002) China
  
• House of Flying Daggers (2004) China
  
• I Am Cuba (1964) Cuba-Russia, bw*
  
• I Served the King of England (2006) Czech Rep.*
  
• Il Postino (1995), Italy [AA]
  
• Il Posto (1961) Italy, bw*
  
• In the Mood for Love (2001) Hong Kong
  
• The Italian (2005) Russia*
  
• Ivan's Childhood (1962) Russia, bw
  
• Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring (1986) France
  
• Jodhaa Akbar (2007) India
  
• Kapó (1959) Italy, bw*
  
• Kinamind (2005) Denmark *
  
• Kolya (1996) Czech Republic [AA]
  
• L'america (1994) Italy
  
• L'avventura (1960) Italy, bw
  
• La Cage Aux Folles (France)
  
• La Dolce Vita (1960) Italy, bw
  
• La Femme Nikita (1990) France
  
• The Lives of Others (2007) Germany [AA]
  
• Malena (2000) Italy
  
• Man With the Movie Camera (1928) USSR, bw/silent*
  
• Mephisto (1981) Hungary [AA]
  
• M. (1928) Germany, bw
  
• Metropolis (1927) Germany, bw-silent*
  
• Micmacs (2009) France*
  
• Mongol (2007) Russia
  
• The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) Brazil
  
• Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002) India
  
• My Life as a Dog (Sweden)
  
• Nine Queens (2000) Argentina*
  
• No Man’s Land (2001) Bosnia*
  
• Not One Less (1999) China*
  
• Nowhere in Africa (2002) Germany [AA]
  
• Olympia (1938) Germany, bw* documentary
  
• Perfume (2006) Germany*
  
• Prisoner of the Mountains (1996) Russia*
  
• Purple Noon (1961) France*
  
• Quinceañera (2006) [U.S., in Spanish]*
  
• Rashomon (1954) Japan, bw*
  
• Red Cliff (2008) China*
  
• Return of Martin Guerre (1982) France*
  
• Ridicule (France)*
  
• Rififi (1955) France, bw*
  
• The Road Home (1999) China
  
• Rocco and his Brothers (1964) Italy, bw
  
• Run Lola Run (1998) Germany*
  
• Salaam Bombay! (1988) India
  
• Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) Japan*
  
• Seven Beauties (Italy)
  
• The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) Argentina* [AA]
  
• The Seven Samurai (1957) Japan, bw [AA]
  
• The Seventh Seal (Sweden) [AA]
  
• Shall We Dance? (1995) Japan
  
• Shoot the Piano Player (France, bw)
  
• The Shop on Main St. (1965) Czechoslavakia, bw [AA]
  
• Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.. and Spring (2003) Korea
  
• The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003) Germany*
  
• Swept Away (Italy)
  
• To Live (1994) China
  
• Together (2002) China*
  
• Tokyo Story (1953) Japan, bw*
  
• Touch the Sound (2004) Germany*
  
• The Triplets of Belleville (2003) France-Belgium-Can.-UK*
  
• The Tunnel (2001) Germany*
  
• Turtles Can Fly (2004) Iran-Iraq*
  
• The Two of Us (1967) France, bw*
  
• The Twilight Samurai (2002) Japan *
  
• Ugetsu (1953) Japan, bw *
  
• Umberto D (1952) Italy, bw
  
• Under the Sun (1998), Sweden*
  
• Vatel (2000) France*
  
• Veer-Zaara (2004) India*
  
• Volver (Spain)* [AA]
  
• The Wages of Fear (1953) France, bw*
  
• War and Peace (1968) Russia
  
• Warriors (Guerreros, 2007) Spain*
  
• War Photographer (2001) Switzerland*
  
• Water (2005) India-Canada*
  
• The White Ribbon (2009) Germany*
  
• Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) Spain* [AA]
  
• Zelary (2003) Czech Republic
  
• Zhou Yu's Train (2004) China
  

The films listed together (ie, Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring; Chunking Express/Fallen Angels) are parts of the same story, intended by the director to be one long film but were split up due to length.

I think The Bicycle Thief is a great film, but it's very tough to recommend, as it's pretty depressing. Meanwhile, Under the Sun (a romance) is a true rarity: a non-depressing film from Sweden; so is My Life As a Dog (a comedy)

My Favorite 100 Movies

[Updated 1.5.11]
Films in gold won Best Picture Oscars® (* = recent addition)

The Top 20 (alpha order):
2001, All About Eve, Babe, The Best Years of Our Lives, City of God (Brazil), Cinema Paradiso (Italy), The Conformist (Italy), Dr. Strangelove, The Godfather II, Hannah and Her Sisters, Hero (China), Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring (France), Lawrence of Arabia, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, My Fair Lady, Once Upon a Time in America, Parenthood, Requiem for a Dream, The Seven Samurai (Japan), The Shawshank Redemption, Wall-E


Top 100 in alphabetical order

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
   
2. The 400 Blows * (France, bw)
   
3. A Clockwork Orange
   
4. A Room With a View
   
5. A Wednesday (India) *
   
6. After the Wedding (Denmark) *
   
7. Aliens
   
8. All About Eve (bw)
   
9. Amadeus
   
10. Annie Hall
    
11. Apocalypse Now!
    
12. As Good as It Gets
    
13. Babel (Mexico)
    
14. Babe
    
15. Baraka * (Documentary)
    
16. Battle of Algiers (France-Algiers, bw)
    
17. The Best Years of Our Lives (bw)
    
18. Big Fish
    
19. Brazil
    
20. The Bridge On the River Kwai
    
21. Carmen (Spain, flamenco version)
    
22. Casablanca (bw)
    
23. Central Station * (Brazil)
    
24. Chicago
    
25. Chungking Express * (China/Hong Kong)
    
26. Cinema Paradiso (Italy)
    
27. City of God (Brazil)
    
28. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    
29. Conformist, The (Italy)
    
30. Conversation, The
    
31. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (China)
    
32. Dances With Wolves
    
33. Dangerous Liaisons
    
34. Devils on the Doorstep * (China)
    
35. Diva (France)
    
36. Doctor Strangelove (bw)
    
37. Double Indemnity (bw)
    
38. The Empire Strikes Back
    
39. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
    
40. Field of Dreams
    
41. Finding Neverland
    
42. Finding Nemo
    
43. Fitzcarraldo (Germany)
    
44. Gandhi
    
45. The Godfather
    
46. The Godfather, Part II
    
47. Good Bye, Lenin! * (Germany)
    
48. Goodfellas
    
49. Goodnight Mister Tom
    
50. Graduate, The
    
51. The Gray Fox
    
52. Groundhog Day
    
53. Hannah and Her Sisters
    
54. Hero (China)
    
55. Hoop Dreams (Documentary)
    
56. Hope and Glory
    
57. House of Games
    
58. Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring (France)
    
59. Kolya (Czech Republic)
    
60. L'america (Italy)
    
61. The Last Emperor
    
62. L'avventura (Italy, bw)
    
63. Lawrence of Arabia
    
64. La Femme Nikita (France)
    
65. The Last Emperor
    
66. The Last Picture Show (bw)
    
67. The Lives of Others (Germany)
    
68. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
    
69. Manhattan (bw)
    
70. The Maltese Falcon (bw)
    
71. Memento
    
72. Million Dollar Baby
    
73. Minority Report
    
74. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington *
    
75. My Brilliant Career
    
76. My Fair Lady
    
77. The Namesake *
    
78. Network
    
79. Night of the Hunter (bw)
80. Norma Rae
    
81. Nowhere in Africa (Germany)
    
82. October Sky
    
83. On the Waterfront (bw)
    
84. Once Upon a Time in America
    
85. Open Range
    
86. Out of the Past (bw)
    
87. Parenthood
    
88. The Philadelphia Story (bw)
    
89. Platoon
    
90. The Player
91. Rabbit-Proof Fence *
    
92. Raging Bull (bw)
    
93. Raising Arizona
    
94. Requiem for a Dream *
    
95. The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2)
    
96. Run Lola Run (Germany)
    
97. Salaam Bombay! * (India)
    
98. Schindler's List (bw)
    
99. The Seven Samurai (Japan, bw)
    
100. Shakespeare in Love
     
101. Shane
     
102. The Shawshank Redemption
     
103. The Silence of the Lambs
     
104. Singin' in the Rain
     
105. Sunset Boulevard (bw)
     
106. The Sweet Smell of Success (bw)
     
107. To Kill a Mockingbird (bw)
     
108. To Live (China)
109. Together (China) *
     
110. Traffic
     
111. Turtles Can Fly (Iraq-Iran-France) *
     
112. The Twilight Samurai (Japan)
     
113. Umberto D * (Italy)
     
114. V for Vendetta
     
115. Walkabout
     
116. Wall-E
     
117. Whale Rider
     
118. Winged Migration (Documentary)
     
119. When Harry Met Sally
     
120. Zelary (Czech Republic)

Ok, so I can't count - that's why I had them auto-numbered.. call this a "baker's 100", you get ten dozens. 'So many movies, so little time..' (to paraphrase Raising Arizona)

Thirty are foreign language films.. always watch the subtitled and not the 'dubbed into English' versions.. once you know the dialogue (usually once), you can watch them without subtitles and see just the film itself.. A few more titles are films in English from foreign directors, such as Once Upon a Time in America (Leone, Italy), The Last Emperor (Bertolucci, Italy), and The Namesake (Nair, India).

This list is always changing.
Newer: A Wednesday, After the Wedding, Whale Rider, Central Station, Umberto D, L'avventura, Wall-E, Good Bye Lenin, Baraka, Devils on the Doorstep, The Namesake, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Together, Turtles Can Fly

Just Removed: It's a Wonderful Life, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Citizen Kane, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ugetsu (Japan), Slumdog Millionaire, Duck Soup, Auntie Mame, Patton, Mephisto, A Christmas Story, Sybil, Gangs of New York, Back to the Future

Low on the List (next to go): The Last Picture Show, As Good As It Gets, Devils on the Doorstep, Norma Rae, Manhattan, Goodfellas

TV Miniseries (that would be in the top 100): 1. Band of Brothers (10 hrs) 2. Planet Earth (12 hrs) 3. Into the West (12 hrs) 4. Brideshead Revisited (10 hrs) 5. Lonesome Dove (6 hrs) 6. The Prisoner (13 hrs, 17 episodes)

World's Best Nature Films

World's best nature films (updated 3/14/10) *=new

• Baraka (Ron Fricke, 1992, doc.)*
  
• Flight of the Navigator
  
• Fly Away Home
  
• March of the Penguins (doc.)
  
• Never Cry Wolf (1983)
  
• Planet Earth (2007; mini-series, doc.)
  
• Touching the Void
  
• Walkabout (1971)
  
• White Fang
  
• Winged Migration (2001, doc.)
  

Dir: Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats, 2001, France (10*) Perhaps the best feature length documentary film, seven years in the making



The terrific Australian film Walkabout was the first dvd I ordered, and is just as much a romance film as anything else. When you watch it, write down the poem from end of the film.

Doc of course refers to documentaries.

World's Best Romance Films

The world's best romance films, those without comedy
Films in gold won Best Picture Oscars®
(* = new additions)

• A Room With a View (also in Romantic Comedy)
  
• A Town Like Alice (mini-series)
  
• A Very Long Engagement [photo rt]
  
• The Age of Innocence
  
• An Education * [photo top]
  
• Atonement
  
• Bad Timing, a Sexual Obsession
  
• Brideshead Revisited (mini-series)
  
• Casablanca
  
• Children of a Lesser God
  
• The Crying Game
  
• Dangerous Liaisons
  
• Days of Heaven
  
• Doctor Zhivago
  
• Five Easy Pieces
  
• Hannah and Her Sisters (also Romantic Comedy)
  
• Heat and Dust
  
• House of Games
  
• Il Postino
  
• It's a Wonderful Life
  
• My Brilliant Career
  
• The Namesake *
  
• Now, Voyager *
  
• Out of Africa
  
• Sense and Sensibility
  
• Sex, Lies and Videotape
  
• Shall We Dance? (Japan)
  
• Slumdog Millionaire
  
• Tess
  
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being
  
• Under the Sun * (Sweden)
  
• Wings of the Dove
  
• Women in Love
  
• Zelary * (Czech Republic) [photo rt]
  

I had to include the incomparable Brideshead Revisited here, even though it was a PBS / Masterpiece Theater for television, and about 8 hrs long (it also made Jeremy Irons a star). Laurence Olivier, who won an Emmy, was in both that and Love Among the Ruins. The Australian film Walkabout was the first DVD I ever ordered. Also Australian, A Town Like Alice was also a PBS mini-series, but only 4 hours.

World's Best Children's Films

Live Action / or Mixed

• A Christmas Story
  
• A Boy Ten Feet Tall
  
• The Bad News Bears
  
• Babe
  
• Black Stallion, The
  
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (animated/live mix)
  
• The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T
  
• Mary Poppins (animated/live action mix)
  
• My Dog Skip
  
• Peter Pan (2002, animated/live action mix)

Animated

• 101 Dalmations (animated)
  
• Beauty and the Beast (animated)
  
• Cars (computer animated)
  
• Finding Nemo (computer animated)
  
• Hoppity Goes to Town (animated)
  
• Lady and the Tramp (animated)
  
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (animated)
  
• Silly Symphonies (Walt Disney's, animated)
  
• Toy Story 1 (computer animated)
• The Triplets of Belleville (animated)
  
• Wall-E (computer animated)*
  
• Wallace and Gromit: 3 Amazing Adventures (clay-mation)

Snow White was the first full-length animated feature film in 1938.

Wallace and Gromit are Nick Park's Oscar winning short films (Wallace is his dad, Gromit the dog is himself). He's also responsible for Chicken Run, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and Flushed Away, full-length animation films. He won Oscars for the shorts Creature Comforts, The Wrong Trousers (incredible), A Close Shave and the full-length Were-Rabbit.

A Boy Ten Feel Tall features a terrific supporting performance by Edward G. Robinson in his last film. It's hard to believe he never received an Oscar® nomination; this would have been a good chance to right that wrong.

The Triplets of Belleville, though animated, is really going to be understood and enjoyed more by adults; it's 'old school' animation, hand-drawn frame by frame, and even parodies old b&w cartoons in the beginning. It won many awards for animated film, and had the bad timing of being released the same year as Oscar®-winner Finding Nemo.

Babe, Beauty, Nemo, and Poppins were all nominated for Best Picture. Babe is my favorite children's film and favorite animal film; let's also throw in favorite Australian film!

World's Best Musical and Concert Films

• A Coal Miner's Daughter
  
• A Hard Days Night
  
• All that Jazz
  
• An American in Paris
  
• Amadeus
  
• Black Orpheus (France/Portugal)
  
• Bride and Prejudice (India)
  
• Carmen (Spain, flamenco version)
  
• Chicago
  
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
  
• The King and I
  
• The Music Man
  
• My Fair Lady
  
• Singing in the Rain
  
• Strictly Ballroom
  
• West Side Story
  
  

Concert Films

• The Cranberries: Live
• Dead Can Dance: Toward the Within
  
• Jimi Hendrix (documentary)
  
• The Last Waltz
  
• Led Zeppelin (2 dvd, live history)
  
• Peter Gabriel: Secret World Live
  
• Pat Metheny: Speaking of Now: Live (easily the world's best guitarist!)
• Police: Synchronicity Concert
  
• Stop Making Sense
  
• The TAMI Show
  
• Woodstock (documentary)
  

Runners-up: Cabaret, Dames, Damn Yankees, The Gay Divorcee, Golddiggers of 1933, Swing Time, Oliver!

[Updated after seeing West Side and Music Man in widescreen! It makes ALL the difference, seeing the director's intended view.. they oughtta outlaw fullscreen in Hollywood]

Most musicals are vastly overrated, some are downright unwatchable (anyone get through Tommy or Superstar without brain damage?). In Oklahoma they resorted to spelling out the state's name, now that's a lack of lyrical ingenuity. Sad that Marni Nixon sang in My Fair Lady, The King and I, and West Side Story and got NO billing credit at all!

The best classic Broadway style musical for me is My Fair Lady. Incredible lyrics, so good that Rex Harrison didn't even have to be able to sing to win an Oscar and a Tony. Based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, it had a solid artistic foundation to begin with. Of course, the ripoff in the movie is that Julie Andrews, who made the stage role what it was, was passed over for Audrey Hepburn (Marnie Nixon had to dub her singing), everyone's box office darling; Andrews won the Oscar that year anyway for Mary Poppins. Listen to the original cast recording on CD to hear the difference with Andrews!

Dames (34), not a great film, but is a great example of the insanity of early Busby Berkley; he's responsible for the musical numbers, original choreography, and inventiveness: neon violins played by dancers in the dark, all forming one giant violin; dancers forming a giant eyeball and a singer rising from the iris ("I Only Have Eyes for You"); floor cams sliding throught the spread legs of 100 grinning dancers; naked dancers bathing silhouetted behind shower curtains; the giant Carmen Miranda fruit hat - Busby was tripping 40 yrs before anyone else, and everyone else pales in comparison!
Amadeus is of course, the play about the life and music of Mozart, not a classic musical but still full of music (maybe "too many notes", inside joke). Best Picture Oscars went to Amadeus, Chicago, and My Fair Lady.

This Carmen, of the 18 or so, is Carlos Suare's flamenco version, where a dance troup is rehearsing for a flamenco performance of Bizet's Carmen and two dancers lives begin to mirror the story. This is easily the best dance film ever made.

Bollywood's Bride and Prejudice is a total trip - who else could have thought of a musical comedy of Austen's Pride and Prejudice? The gigantic dance number with the women teasing the men is worth the price of admission alone (but lose the ballads); throw in world-class beauty Aishayra Rai and you're in nirvana!

TAMI (for Teenage Awards for Music International) was an early concert film (from 66?) that had James Brown, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, many others, and kind of set the precedent for modern concert films.

World's Best Crime Films

The worlds best crime and mystery films
Films in gold won Best Picture Oscars®

• Atlantic City
  
• Chinatown
  
• Chungking Express (China)
  
• City of God (Brazil)
  
• The Conversation
  
• The Departed
  
• Diva (France)
  
• Double Indemnity (bw)
  
• Gangs of New York
  
• The Godfather
  
• The Godfather, Pt. II
  
• Goodfellas
  
• The Grifters
  
• Heavenly Creatures
  
• House of Games
  
• La Femme Nikita (France)
  
• The Lives of Others (Germany)
  
• The Maltese Falcon (bw)
  
• Memento
  
• Night of the Hunter (bw)
  
• Once Upon a Time in America (long version)
  
• Out of the Past (bw)
  
• The Player
  
• Pulp Fiction
  
• Run, Lola, Run (Germany)
  
• The Silence of the Lambs
  
• Sleuth
  
• Sunset Boulevard (bw)
  
• Taxi Driver
  
• Traffic
  
• The Usual Suspects
  
• Witness
  

Runners-Up: American History X, Body Heat, Fargo, Gorky Park, Klute, The Last Seduction, Little Caesar, Mystic River, The Spanish Prisoner, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Topkapi, The Yakuza

Let's see, four entries from Scorsese and three from Coppola, also Sergio Leone - wonder why Italians make great crime movies? Night of the Hunter is the only film directed by actor Charles Laughton, with Robert Mitchum as a villainous preacher so bad that he had both "Love" and "Hate" tattooed on his fingers. The Conversation and The Lives of Others both cover the subject of electronic eavesdropping, and Lives won both a US and a British Academy Award for Foreign Language film.

Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity is given credit for inventing film noir in 1944, and was the first of Wilder's b&w masterpieces, which include Lost Weekend, The Apartment, Some Like it Hot, The Fortune Cookie, One Two Three.