Movie Directors' Top Films

[pauldrach]

It's very unlikely that it well eventually end up below Nightmare Alley and lew will like having a very recent film on one of these lists. So, yeah, I'll probably stick it at #8 for now.

[pauldrach]

Updates for page 35:

Charles Vidor
1. Gilda (1946)
2. Cover Girl (1944)
3. Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
4. Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
5. A Song to Remember (1945)
6. Ladies in Retirement (1941)
7. A Farewell to Arms (1957)
8. The Joker Is Wild (1957)
9. The Desperadoes (1943)
10. The Swan (1956)

King Vidor
1. The Big Parade (1925)
2. The Crowd (1928)
3. Duel in the Sun (1946)
4. Hallelujah! (1929)
5. Stella Dallas (1937)
6. Show People (1928)
7. The Champ (1931)
8. War and Peace (1959)
9. La Bohème (1926)
10. Street Scene (1931)

Denis Villeneuve
1. Dune: Part Two (2024)
2. Dune (2021)
3. Arrival (2016)
4. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
5. Incendies (2010)
6. Sicario (2015)
7. Prisoners (2013)
8. Enemy (2013)
9. Polytechnique (2009)
10. Maelström (2000)

Thomas Vinterberg
1. The Celebration (1998)
2. The Hunt (2012)
3. Another Round (2020)
4. Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)
5. Submarino (2010)
6. Kursk (2018)
7. Dear Wendy (2005)
8. The Commune (2016)
9. Families Like Ours (2024)
10. It's All About Love (2003)

Luchino Visconti
1. The Leopard (1963)
2. Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
3. Death in Venice (1971)
4. Ossessione (1943)
5. La terra trema (1948)
6. The Damned (1969)
7. Senso (1954)
8. Bellissima (1951)
9. White Nights (1957)
10. Ludwig (1973)

Lana & Lilly Wachowski
1. The Matrix (1999)
2. Bound (1996)
3. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
4. Sense8 [with J. Michael Straczynski] (2015-2018)
5. Cloud Atlas [with Tom Tykwer] (2012)
6. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
7. Speed Racer (2008)
8. The Matrix Resurrections [Lana] (2021)
9. Jupiter Ascending (2015)
10. Antony and the Johnsons: Epilepsy Is Dancing (2009)

David Wain
1. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
2. Role Models (2008)
3. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp [with Michael Showalter] (2015)
4. They Came Together (2014)
5. A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)
6. Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later [with Michael Showalter] (2017)
7. Wanderlust (2012)
8. Medical Police [with Bill Benz] (2020)
9. Wainy Days (2007-2012)
10. The Ten (2007)

Taika Waititi
1. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
2. Jojo Rabbit (2019)
3. What We Do in the Shadows [with Jemaine Clement] (2014)
4. Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
5. Boy (2010)
6. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
7. Next Goal Wins (2023)
8. Eagle vs Shark (2007)
9. Two Cars, One Night (2003)
10. Team Thor (2016)

Andrzej Wajda
1. Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
2. Kanał (1957)
3. Man of Marble (1977)
4. The Promised Land (1975)
5. Danton (1983)
6. Man of Iron (1981)
7. The Maids of Wilko (1979)
8. A Generation (1955)
9. Without Anesthesia (1978)
10. Innocent Sorcerers (1960)

Raoul Walsh
1. White Heat (1949)
2. The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
3. The Roaring Twenties (1939)
4. The Big Trail (1930)
5. High Sierra (1941)
6. Regeneration (1915)
7. Gentleman Jim (1942)
8. Sadie Thompson (1928)
9. What Price Glory? (1926)
10. They Died with Their Boots On (1941)

Charles Walters
1. Easter Parade (1948)
2. High Society (1956)
3. Lili (1953)
4. Summer Stock (1950)
5. The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
6. The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
7. Good News (1947)
8. Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)
9. The Tender Trap (1955)
10. Don't Go Near the Water (1957)

James Wan
1. Saw (2004)
2. The Conjuring (2013)
3. Furious 7 (2015)
4. Insidious (2010)
5. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
6. Aquaman (2018)
7. Malignant (2021)
8. Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
9. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
10. Dead Silence (2007)

Wang Bing
1. Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2002)
2. The Ditch (2010)
3. 'Til Madness Do Us Part (2013)
4. Three Sisters (2012)
5. Dead Souls (2018)
6. Youth (Spring) (2023)
7. Mrs. Fang (2017)
8. Fengming, a Chinese Memoir (2007)
9. Youth (Hard Times) (2024)
10. Man with No Name (2010)

Andy Warhol
1. Chelsea Girls [with Paul Morrissey] (1966)
2. Blue Movie (1969)
3. Empire [with John Palmer] (1965)
4. Vinyl (1965)
5. Sleep (1964)
6. Blow Job (1963)
7. Screen Tests (1964-1966)
8. Lonesome Cowboys (1968)
9. My Hustler [with Chuck Wein] (1965)
10. Kiss (1964)

Peter Watkins (1935-2025)
1. The War Game (1966)
2. Edvard Munch (1974)
3. Punishment Park (1971)
4. Culloden (1964)
5. La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000)
6. Privilege (1967)
7. Resan (1987)
8. Evening Land (1977)
9. The Freethinker (1994)
10. The Gladiators (1969)

Lois Weber
1. Suspense [with Phillips Smalley] (1913)
2. Where Are My Children? [with Phillips Smalley] (1916)
3. Hypocrites (1915)
4. Shoes (1916)
5. The Blot (1921)
6. The Merchant of Venice [with Phillips Smalley] (1914)
7. The Dumb Girl of Portici [with Phillips Smalley] (1916)
8. The Jew's Christmas [with Phillips Smalley] (1913)
9. Too Wise Wives (1921)
10. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle [with Phillips Smalley] (1917)

Apichatpong Weerasethakul
1. Tropical Malady (2004)
2. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
3. Syndromes and a Century (2006)
4. Blissfully Yours (2002)
5. Cemetery of Splendour (2015)
6. Memoria (2021)
7. Mysterious Object at Noon (2000)
8. Mekong Hotel (2012)
9. The Adventure of Iron Pussy [with Michael Shaowanasai] (2003)
10. Phantoms of Nabua (2009)

Paul Wegener
1. The Golem: How He Came into the World [with Carl Boese] (1920)
2. The Student of Prague [with Stellan Rye] (1913)
3. The Golem [with Henrik Galeen] (1915)
4. The Golem and the Dancing Girl [with Rochus Gliese] (1917)
5. Rübezahl's Wedding (1916)
6. The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1918)
7. The Yogi [with Rochus Gliese] (1916)
8. Living Buddhas (1925)
9. Hans Trutz in the Land of Plenty (1917)
10. A Man Wants to Get to Germany (1934)

Peter Weir
1. The Truman Show (1998)
2. Dead Poets Society (1989)
3. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
4. Witness (1985)
5. Gallipoli (1981)
6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
7. The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
8. The Last Wave (1977)
9. Fearless (1993)
10. The Way Back (2010)

Orson Welles
1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. Touch of Evil (1958)
3. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
4. Chimes at Midnight (1965)
5. The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
6. The Stranger (1946)
7. Othello (1951)
8. F for Fake (1973)
9. The Trial (1962)
10. Mr. Arkadin (1955)

And the new list:

Alice Rohrwacher (1981-)
1. Happy as Lazzaro (2018)
2. La chimera (2023)
3. The Wonders (2014)
4. Le pupille (2022)
5. Heavenly Body (2011)

[ManPerson]

I'm curious about Dune vs Dune: Part Two, WWDitS and HftW > Jojo Rabbit, The Stranger and Othello vs F for Fake and The Trial.

I'd say Gallipoli takes acclaim and influence over Master and Commander so I'd move Master and Commander down two spots.

I feel like Speed Racer's lasting acclaim could push it ahead of Revolutions.

[pauldrach]

I moved Jojo Rabbit up. It was an oversight on my account on your revised 2010s list because his name was misspelt.

Dune 2 grossed more and has better acclaim from critics and audiences on rating/aggregate sites.

"The Stranger" was Welles' most commercially successful film and established him as a filmmaker. Also his fourth most popular film at the IMDb. "The Trial" and "F for Fake" both do very badly in initial reception (both popularity and acclaim). I could maybe see "F for Fake" above "Othello" but that's about as far as I'd go.

I'll comment on the rest later.

[ManPerson]

Ok, fair on all accounts.

[Fido]

So, will Dune 2 replace the first one on the all time list?

[pauldrach]

So, will Dune 2 replace the first one on the all time list?

Eventually, I'd say yes.

[pauldrach]

Re: Weir

M&C's win in popularity seems to me to be the most substantial of the three wins especially since Gallipoli's influence is mainly a continuation of what "Mad Max" had set in motion two years earlier. I'd keep M&C ahead but I'm open to switching if others disagree.

Re: Wachowskis

TM Revolutions takes popularity very easily, initial acclaim and influence I see as about equal, which leaves SR with a (decisive) win in lasting (critical) acclaim. I wouldn't consider that enough.

[pauldrach]

Just sent the page 34 updates to lew.

[ManPerson]

Re: Weir

M&C's win in popularity seems to me to be the most substantial of the three wins especially since Gallipoli's influence is mainly a continuation of what "Mad Max" had set in motion two years earlier. I'd keep M&C ahead but I'm open to switching if others disagree.

Lasting popularity seems like more or less a tie, so I wouldn't say Master and Commander has a particularly huge advantage in that category overall. Gallipoli's international awards resume is also much stronger than Mad Max, so I'd argue that it deserves a good amount of credit for elevating the prestige of Australian film.

[pauldrach]

Re: Weir

M&C's win in popularity seems to me to be the most substantial of the three wins especially since Gallipoli's influence is mainly a continuation of what "Mad Max" had set in motion two years earlier. I'd keep M&C ahead but I'm open to switching if others disagree.

Lasting popularity seems like more or less a tie, so I wouldn't say Master and Commander has a particularly huge advantage in that category overall. Gallipoli's international awards resume is also much stronger than Mad Max, so I'd argue that it deserves a good amount of credit for elevating the prestige of Australian film.

OK, I moved M&C to #6.

[pauldrach]

Updates for page 36:

William A. Wellman
1. The Public Enemy (1931)
2. Wings (1927)
3. The Ox-Bow Incident (1942)
4. A Star Is Born (1937)
5. Battleground (1949)
6. The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
7. Nothing Sacred (1937)
8. Beau Geste (1939)
9. The High and the Mighty (1954)
10. Wild Boys of the Road (1933)

Wim Wenders
1. Wings of Desire (1987)
2. Paris, Texas (1984)
3. The American Friend (1977)
4. Alice in the Cities (1974)
5. Kings of the Road (1976)
6. Perfect Days (2023)
7. Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
8. Pina (2011)
9. The State of Things (1982)
10. The Salt of the Earth [with Juliano Ribeiro Salgado] (2014)

Lina Wertmüller
RIP 1928-2021

James Whale
1. Frankenstein (1931)
2. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
3. The Invisible Man (1933)
4. Show Boat (1936)
5. The Old Dark House (1932)
6. Waterloo Bridge (1931)
7. The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
8. The Great Garrick (1937)
9. The Kiss Before the Mirror (1933)
10. One More River (1934)

Ben Wheatley
1. Kill List (2011)
2. Sightseers (2012)
3. A Field in England (2013)
4. Free Fire (2016)
5. High-Rise (2015)
6. Down Terrace (2009)
7. Meg 2: The Trench (2023)
8. Rebecca (2020)
9. In the Earth (2021)
10. Happy New Year, Colin Burstead (2018)

Joss Whedon
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
2. The Avengers (2012)
3. Firefly [with Tim Minear] (2002)
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
5. Serenity (2005)
6. Angel [with David Greenwalt] (1999-2004)
7. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)
8. Much Ado About Nothing (2012)
9. Dollhouse [with others] (2009-2010)
10. The Nevers [season 1] (2021)

Bo Widerberg
1. Elvira Madigan (1967)
2. Ådalen 31 (1969)
3. Raven's End (1963)
4. All Things Fair (1995)
5. The Man on the Roof (1976)
6. The Man from Majorca (1984)
7. Joe Hill (1971)
8. The Baby Carriage (1963)
9. The Serpent's Way (1986)
10. Fimpen (1974)

Robert Wiene
1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
2. The Hands of Orlac (1924)
3. Raskolnikow (1923)
4. Genuine (1920)
5. Fear (1917)
6. Der Rosenkavalier (1925)
7. I.N.R.I. (1923)
8. The Other (1930)
9. The Wandering Light (1916)
10. The Guardsman (1925)

Billy Wilder
1. Some Like It Hot (1959)
2. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
3. Double Indemnity (1944)
4. The Apartment (1960)
5. The Lost Weekend (1945)
6. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
7. Stalag 17 (1953)
8. Ace in the Hole (1951)
9. Sabrina (1954)
10. The Seven Year Itch (1955)

Nicolas Winding Refn
1. Drive (2011)
2. Pusher (1996)
3. Bronson (2008)
4. The Neon Demon (2016)
5. Valhalla Rising (2009)
6. Pusher II (2004)
7. Too Old to Die Young (2019)
8. Only God Forgives (2013)
9. Pusher 3 (2005)
10. Copenhagen Cowboy (2023)

Michael Winterbottom
1. 24 Hour Party People (2002)
2. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005)
3. The Trip (2010)
4. Wonderland (1999)
5. In This World (2002)
6. The Road to Guantanamo [with Mat Whitecross] (2006)
7. Jude (1996)
8. The Trip to Italy (2014)
9. Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)
10. The Trip to Spain (2017)

Robert Wise
1. The Sound of Music (1965)
2. West Side Story [with Jerome Robbins] (1961)
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
4. The Haunting (1963)
5. The Set-Up (1949)
6. The Sand Pebbles (1966)
7. I Want to Live! (1958)
8. The Andromeda Strain (1971)
9. The Curse of the Cat People [with Gunther von Fritsch] (1944)
10. The Body Snatcher (1945)

Frederick Wiseman
1. High School (1968)
2. Titicut Follies (1967)
3. Welfare (1975)
4. Hospital (1970)
5. Near Death (1989)
6. Belfast, Maine (1999)
7. Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
8. National Gallery (2014)
9. In Jackson Heights (2015)
10. City Hall (2020)

Wong Kar-Wai
1. In the Mood for Love (2000)
2. Chungking Express (1994)
3. Days of Being Wild (1990)
4. 2046 (2004)
5. Happy Together (1997)
6. Fallen Angels (1995)
7. Ashes of Time (1994)
8. The Grandmaster (2013)
9. As Tears Go By (1988)
10. My Blueberry Nights (2007)

John Woo
1. The Killer (1989)
2. Hard Boiled (1992)
3. A Better Tomorrow (1986)
4. Face/Off (1997)
5. Bullet in the Head (1990)
6. Red Cliff (2008/2009)
7. A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
8. Broken Arrow (1996)
9. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
10. Hard Target (1993)

And the new list:

John M. Stahl (1886-1950)
1. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
2. Imitation of Life (1934)
3. Back Street (1932)
4. The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)
5. Magnificent Obsession (1935)
6. Holy Matrimony (1943)
7. When Tomorrow Comes (1939)
8. Only Yesterday (1933)
9. The Foxes of Harrow (1947)
10. Seed (1931)

[pauldrach]

Just sent the updates for page 35.

[ManPerson]

I'd have Belfast Maine > Ex Libris since Belfast, Maine takes acclaim while none of his films (except maybe Titicut Follies and High School) have any real popularity.

I might have Broken Arrow slightly higher on Woo's list since it was arguably the film that brought his style to America.

I guess this ship has sort of sailed since both are on the all time list, so, mostly out of curiosity, how do Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire compare.

[pauldrach]

I'd have Belfast Maine > Ex Libris since Belfast, Maine takes acclaim while none of his films (except maybe Titicut Follies and High School) have any real popularity.

I might have Broken Arrow slightly higher on Woo's list since it was arguably the film that brought his style to America.

I guess this ship has sort of sailed since both are on the all time list, so, mostly out of curiosity, how do Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire compare.

Did the swaps. As for Wenders, his top two have always been changing back and forth in terms of acclaim. WoD has very slightly bigger initial popularity but P,T seems to have the edge in lasting popularity rather clearly by now. Both were very influential on individual works but not in a broader manner. I'd be absolutely open to switching but maybe it would be better to wait for a possible revision of the all-time list. They're very close either way.

[ManPerson]

It seems like Paris, Texas has become popular with more casual movie fans in recent years (based on its popularity on letterboxd anyway), which I'd argue pushes it over the edge compared to WoD but I agree we should wait for the next all time revision.