Sight and Sound: The Greatest Films of All Time

Since 1952, Sight and Sound magazine published by the British Film Institute has conducted a poll every 10 years to determine the greatest films of all time.
Until 1992, the votes of the invited critics and directors were compiled in a single list.

#2022 Critics' Top Ten Poll

#1 Jeanne Dielmand 23 Quai du commerce 1080 Bruxelles [1975]
#2 Vertigo [1958]
#3 Citizen Kane [1941]
#4 Tokyo Story [1953]
#5 In the Mood for Love [2000]
#6 2001 A Space Odyssey [1968]
#7 Beau Travail [1999]
#8 Mulholland Drive [2001]
#9 Man with a Movie Camera [1929]
#10 Singin' in the Rain [1952]

#2022 Directors' Top Ten Poll

#1 2001 A Space Odyssey [1968]
#2 Citizen Kane [1941]
#3 The Godfather [1972]
=4 Tokyo Story [1953]
=4 Jeanne Dielmand 23 Quai du commerce 1080 Bruxelles [1975]
=6 Vertigo [1958]
=6 Otto e Mezzo [1963]
#8 Mirror [1975]
=9 In the Mood for Love [2000]
=9 Close-up [1990]

#2012 Critics' Top Ten Poll

#1 Vertigo [1958]
#2 Citizen Kane [1941]
#3 Tokyo Story [1953]
#4 La Règle du Jeu [1939]
#5 Sunrise [1927]
#6 2001 A Space Odyssey [1968]
#7 The Searchers [1956]
#8 Man with a Movie Camera [1929]
#9 The Passion of Joan of Arc [1924]
#10 Otto e Mezzo [1963]

#2012 Directors' Top Ten Poll

#1 Tokyo Story [1953]
#2 2001 A Space Odyssey [1968]
#3 Citizen Kane [1941]
#4 Otto e Mezzo [1963]
#5 Taxi Driver [1976]
#6 Apocalypse Now [1979]
=7 The Godfather [1972]
=7 Vertigo [1958]
#9 Mirror [1975]
#10 Ladri di Biciclette [1948]

#2002 Critics' Top Ten Poll

#1 Citizen Kane [1941]
#2 Vertigo [1958]
#3 La Règle du Jeu [1939]
#4 The Godfather [1972]
#5 Tokyo Story [1953]
#6 2001 A Space Odyssey [1968]
#7 Battleship Potemkin [1925]
#8 Sunrise [1927]
#9 Otto e Mezzo [1963]
#10 Singin' in the Rain [1952]

#2002 Directors' Top Ten Poll

#1 Citizen Kane [1941]
#2 The Godfather [1972]
#3 Otto e Mezzo [1963]
#4 Lawrence of Arabia [1962]
#5 Dr. Strangelove [1964]
=6 Ladri di Biciclette [1948]
=6 Raging Bull [1980]
=6 Vertigo [1958]
=9 Rashomon [1950]
=9 Seven Samurai [1954]

#1992 Critics' Top Ten Poll

#1 Citizen Kane [1941]
#2 La Règle du Jeu [1939]
#3 Tokyo Story [1953]
#4 Vertigo [1958]
#5 The Searchers [1956]
=6 Pather Panchali [1955]
=6 L'Atalante [1934]
=6 Battleship Potemkin [1925]
=6 The Passion of Joan of Arc [1924]
#10 2001 A Space Odyssey [1968]

#1992 Directors' Top Ten Poll

#1 Citizen Kane [1941]
#2 Otto e Mezzo [1963]
#3 Raging Bull [1980]
#4 La Strada [1954]
#5 L'Atalante [1934]
#6 The Godfather [1972]
#7 Modern Times [1936]
#8 Vertigo [1958]
#9 The Godfather Part II [1974]
#10 The Passion of Joan of Arc [1924]

#1982 Top Ten Poll

#1 Citizen Kane [1941]
#2 La Règle du Jeu [1939]
=3 Seven Samurai [1954]
=3 Singin' in the Rain [1952]
#5 Otto e Mezzo [1963]
#6 Battleship Potemkin [1925]
=7 L'Avventura [1960]
=7 The Magnificent Ambersons [1942]
=7 Vertigo [1958]
=10The General [1926]
=10 The Searchers [1956]

Runners Up

=12 2001 A Space Odyssey [1968]
=12 Andrei Rublev [1966]
=14 Greed [1924]
=14 Jules et Jim [1962]
=14 The Third Man [1949]

#1972 Top Ten Poll

#1 Citizen Kane [1941]
#2 La Règle du Jeu [1939]
#3 Battleship Potemkin [1925]
#4 Otto e Mezzo [1963]
=5 L'Avventura [1960]
=5 Persona [1966]
#7 The Passion of Joan of Arc [1924]
=8The General [1926]
=8 The Magnificent Ambersons [1942]
=10 Ugetsu [1953]
=10 Wild Strawberries [1957]

Closest Runners Up

=12 The Gold Rush [1925]
=12 Hiroshima mon amour [1959]
=12 Ikiru [1952]
=12 Ivan the Terrible [1945]
=12 Pierrot Le Fou [1965]
=12 Vertigo [1958]

#1962 Top Ten Poll

#1 Citizen Kane [1941]
#2 L'Avventura [1960]
#3 La Règle du Jeu [1939]
=4 Greed [1924]
=4 Ugetsu [1953]
=6 Battleship Potemkin [1925]
=6 Ivan the Terrible [1945]
=6 Ladri di Biciclette [1948]
#9 La Terra Trema [1948]
#10 L'Atalante [1934]

Closest Runners Up

=11 Hiroshima mon amour [1959]
=11 Pather Panchali [1955]
=11 Zero de Conduite [1933]

#1952 Top Ten Poll

=1 Ladri di Biciclette [1948]
=2 City Lights [1931]
=2 The Gold Rush [1925]
#4 Battleship Potemkin [1925]
=5 Intolerance [1916]
=5 Louisiana Story [1948]
=7 Greed [1924]
=7 The Passion of Joan of Arc [1924]
=7 Le Jour Se Leve [1939]
=10 Brief Encounter [1945]
=10 Le Million [1931]
=10 La Règle du Jeu [1939]

Closest Runners Up

=11 Citizen Kane [1941]
=11 La Grande Illusion [1937]
=11 The Grapes of Wrath [1940]

#50 films to see by age 15

In 2005 the British Film Institute published the Watch This! list to inspire young people to explore a wide variety of great films.
In 2020, Into Film collaborated with the BFI to update the list, resulting in the addition of 15 new films.

#2020 Films to see by age 15

Perfect for Primary!

My Life as a Courgette [2017] New!
The Song of the Sea [2014] New!
The Iron Giant [1999] New!
Spirited Away [2001]
Kirikou and the Sorceress [1998]
Le ballon rouge [1956]
Lotte Reiniger Shorts [1954] New!
The Kid [1921]
Le Voyage dans la lune [1902]

Super for Secondary!

Your Name [2016] New!
He Named Me Malala [2015] New!
Romeo + Juliet [1996]
The Outsiders [1983]
Kes [1969]
The Night of the Hunter [1955]
La Belle et la Bête [1946]

Wonders from Around the World!

Wallay [2017] New!
Hunt for the Wilderpeople [2016] New!
Wadjda [2012] New!
My Neighbour Totoro [1988]
The White Balloon [1995]
My Life as a Dog [1985]
Pather Panchali [1955]
The Cave of the Yellow Dog [2015] New!

‘Growing Up’ Greats!

Tomboy [2011] New!
Persepolis [2007] New!
Bend It Like Beckham [2002] New!
Show Me Love [1998]
Les quatre cents coups [1959]
Oliver Twist [1948]
Whistle Down the Wind [1961]

The rest of the list

Shaun the Sheep the Movie [2015] New!
I Wish [2011] New!
Finding Nemo [2003]
Whale Rider [2002]
Rabbit-Proof Fence [2002]
Être et avoir [2002]
Billy Elliot [2000]
Toy Story [1995]
The Secret Garden [1993]
Beauty and the Beast [1991]
Edward Scissorhands [1990]
Where is the Friend's House [1987]
Au revoir les enfants [1987]
The Princess Bride [1987]
Back to the Future [1985]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial [1982]
Raiders of the Lost Ark [1981]
Star Wars IV - A New Hope [1977]
El espiritu de la colmena [1973]
Walkabout [1971]
The Railway Children [1970]
Playtime [1967]
Jason and the Argounauts [1963]
To Kill a Mockingbird [1962]
Some Like It Hot [1959]
Les vacances de M. Hulot [1953]
Singin' in the rain [1952]
Ladri di biciclette [1948]
It's a Wonderful Life [1946]
The Wizard of Oz [1939]
The Adventures of Robin Hood [1938]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs [1937]
A Day at the Races [1937]
King Kong [1933]

#2005 Watch This!

Ten most recommended films for children to see:

Spirited Away [2001]
Show Me Love [1998]
Toy Story [1995]
Where is the Friend's House [1987]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial [1982]
Kes [1969]
Les quatre cents coups [1959]
The Nigth of the Hunter [1955]
Ladri di biciclette [1948]
The Wizard of Oz [1939]

The remaining 40 films

Finding Nemo [2003]
Whale Rider [2002]
Rabbit-Proof Fence [2002]
Être et avoir [2002]
Billy Elliot [2000]
Kirikou and the Sorceress
Romeo + Juliet [1996]
The White Balloon [1995]
The Secret Garden [1993]
Beauty and the Beast [1991]
Edward Scissorhands [1990]
My Neighbour Totoro [1988]
The Princess Bride [1987]
Au revoir les enfants [1987]
My Life as a Dog [1985]
Back to the Future [1985]
The Outsiders [1983]
Raiders of the Lost Ark [1981]
Star Wars IV [1977]
El espiritu de la colmena [1973]
Walkabout [1971]
The Railway Children [1970]
Playtime [1967]
Jason and the Argounauts [1963]
To Kill a Mockingbird [1962]
Whistle Down the Wind [1961]
Some Like It Hot [1959]
Le ballon rouge [1956]
Pather Panchali [1955]
Les vacances de M. Hulot [1953]
Singin'n the Rain [1952]
Oliver Twist [1948]
It's a Wonderful Life [1946]
La Belle et la Bête [1946]
The Adventures of Robin Hood [1938]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs [1937]
A Day at the Races [1937]
King Kong [1933]
The Kid [1921]
Le Voyage dans la lune [1902]

AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies

The American Film Institute published in 1998 a list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time.
Certain films were British-made but funded and distributed by American studios. The list was updated in 2007.

#2007 AFI Top Ten Movies

#1 Citizen Kane [1941]
#2 The Godfather [1972]
#3 Casablanca [1942]
#4 Raging Bull [1980]
#5 Singin' in the Rain [1952]
#6 Gone with the Wind [1939]
#7 Lawrence of Arabia [1962]
#8 Schindlers List [1993]
#9 Vertigo [1958]
#10 The Wizard of Oz [1939]

The rest of the list

11. City Lights (1931)

12. The Searchers (1956)

13. Star Wars (1977)

14. Psycho (1960)

15. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

16. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

17. The Graduate (1967)

18. The General (1927)

19. On the Waterfront (1954)

20. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

21. Chinatown (1974)

22. Some Like It Hot (1959)

23. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

27. High Noon (1952)

28. All About Eve (1950)

29. Double Indemnity (1944)

30. Apocalypse Now (1979)

31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

32. The Godfather Part II (1974)

33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

35. Annie Hall (1977)

36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

39. Dr. Strangelove (1964)

40. The Sound of Music (1965)

41. King Kong (1933)

42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

44. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

45. Shane (1953)

46. It Happened One Night (1934)

47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

48. Rear Window (1954)

49. Intolerance (1916)

50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

51. West Side Story (1961)

52. Taxi Driver (1976)

53. The Deer Hunter (1978)

54. M*A*S*H (1970)

55. North by Northwest (1959)

56. Jaws (1975)

57. Rocky (1976)

58. The Gold Rush (1925)

59. Nashville (1975)

60. Duck Soup (1933)

61. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

62. American Graffiti (1973)

63. Cabaret (1972)

64. Network (1976)

65. The African Queen (1951)

66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

68. Unforgiven (1992)

69. Tootsie (1982)

70. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

76. Forrest Gump (1994)

77. All the President’s Men (1976)

78. Modern Times (1936)

79. The Wild Bunch (1969)

80. The Apartment (1960)

81. Spartacus (1960)

82. Sunrise (1927)

83. Titanic (1997)

84. Easy Rider (1969)

85. A Night at the Opera (1935)

86. Platoon (1986)

87. 12 Angry Men (1957)

88. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

89. The Sixth Sense (1999)

90. Swing Time (1936)

91. Sophie’s Choice (1982)

92. Goodfellas (1990)

93. The French Connection (1971)

94. Pulp Fiction (1994)

95. The Last Picture Show (1971)

96. Do the Right Thing (1989)

97. Blade Runner (1982)

98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

99. Toy Story (1995)

100. Ben-Hur (1959)

#1998 AFI Top Ten Movies

#1 Citizen Kane [1941]
#2 Casablanca [1942]
#3 The Godfather [1972]
#4 Gone with the Wind [1939]
#5 Lawrence of Arabia [1962]
#6 The Wizard of Oz [1939]
#7 The Graduate [1967]
#8 On The Waterfront [1954]
#9 Schindlers List [1993]
#10 Singin' in the Rain [1952]

The rest of the list

11. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

12. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

13. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

14. Some Like it Hot (1959)

15. Star Wars (1977)

16. All About Eve (1950)

17. The African Queen (1951)

18. Psycho (1960)

19. Chinatown (1974)

20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

21. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

22. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

23. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

24. Raging Bull (1980)

25. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

26. Dr. Strangelove (1964)

27. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

28. Apocalypse Now (1979)

29. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

30. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

31. Annie Hall (1977)

32. The Godfather Part II (1974)

33. High Noon (1952)

34. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

35. It Happened One Night (1934)

36. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

38. Double Indemnity (1944)

39. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

40. North by Northwest (1959)

41. West Side Story (1961)

42. Rear Window (1954)

43. King Kong (1933)

44. The Birth of a Nation (1915)

45. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

46. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

47. Taxi Driver (1976)

48. Jaws (1975)

49. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

50. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

51. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

52. From Here to Eternity (1953)

53. Amadeus (1984)

54. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

55. The Sound of Music (1965)

56. M*A*S*H (1970)

57. The Third Man (1949)

58. Fantasia (1940)

59. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

60. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

61. Vertigo (1958)

62. Tootsie (1982)

63. Stagecoach (1939)

64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

65. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

66. Network (1976)

67. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

68. An American in Paris (1951)

69. Shane (1953)

70. The French Connection (1971)

71. Forrest Gump (1994)

72. Ben-Hur (1959)

73. Wuthering Heights (1939)

74. The Gold Rush (1925)

75. Dances With Wolves (1990)

76. City Lights (1931)

77. American Graffiti (1973)

78. Rocky (1976)

79. The Deer Hunter (1978)

80. The Wild Bunch (1969)

81. Modern Times (1936)

82. Giant (1956)

83. Platoon (1986)

84. Fargo (1996)

85. Duck Soup (1933)

86. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

87. Frankenstein (1931)

88. Easy Rider (1969)

89. Patton (1970)

90. The Jazz Singer (1927)

91. My Fair Lady (1964)

92. A Place in the Sun (1951)

93. The Apartment (1960)

94. Goodfellas (1990)

95. Pulp Fiction (1994)

96. The Searchers (1956)

97. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

98. Unforgiven (1992)

99. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

100. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Charlie Chaplin: Filmography

Charlie Chaplin appeared in 36 films for Keystone, 15 films for Essanay, 12 films for Mutual, 9 films for First National and 8 films for United Artists.
He made his last two films in England, A King in New York (1957) and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967).