Criterion Collection Themes - Independent American Cinema
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In a national cinema dominated by behemoth Hollywood studios, independently produced films have always made for refreshing alternatives. There’s a great, diverse history of autonomous moviemaking in the United States, by artists whose intensely personal visions and ideas would have been unlikely to see a green light from, say, MGM or Universal. This selection of American films from the collection—narrative, documentary, experimental—got made without studio financing, whether by choice or necessity. The titles below come from raw, rough, and ready directors of nearly every period, including the silent era (Body and Soul, directed by African-American pioneer Oscar Micheaux), World War II (Paul Strand and Leo Hurwitz’s political semidocumentary Native Land), the radical sixties (the fiercely idiosyncratic films of John Cassavetes and William Greaves), and the indie waves of the eighties (Jim Jarmusch and Gus Van Sant’s daring early works) and nineties (the debuts of Whit Stillman and Wes Anderson). Whether exposés on disenfranchised subcultures, character studies heavy or hilarious, or microbudgeted horror flicks, these are some of the most uncompromised films ever made.
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95 new
Nanook of the North
1922, in 17 top lists Check -
85 new
Hoop Dreams
1994, in 15 top lists Check -
102 new
Shock Corridor
1963, in 14 top lists Check -
105 new
Stranger Than Paradise
1984, in 14 top lists Check -
111 new
A Woman Under the Influence
1974, in 14 top lists Check -
73 new
Crumb
1994, in 12 top lists Check -
101 new
Shadows
1958, in 12 top lists Check -
78 new
Faces
1968, in 11 top lists Check -
83 new
Harlan County U.S.A.
1976, in 11 top lists Check -
82 new
Grey Gardens
1975, in 10 top lists Check -
99 new
Salesman
1969, in 10 top lists Check -
16 new
The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes
1971, in 9 top lists Check -
74 new
Down by Law
1986, in 9 top lists Check -
88 new
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
1976, in 8 top lists Check -
107 new
The Times of Harvey Milk
1984, in 8 top lists Check -
103 new
Slacker
1990, in 7 top lists Check -
106 new
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One
1968, in 7 top lists Check -
18 new
Window Water Baby Moving
1959, in 7 top lists Check -
19 new
Mothlight
1963, in 6 top lists Check -
94 new
The Naked Kiss
1964, in 6 top lists Check -
5 new
Body and Soul
1925, in 5 top lists Check -
71 new
Carnival of Souls
1962, in 5 top lists Check -
97 new
El Norte
1983, in 5 top lists Check -
80 new
Frances Ha
2012, in 5 top lists Check -
81 new
George Washington
2000, in 5 top lists Check -
84 new
The Honeymoon Killers
1970 — a.k.a. The Lonely Hearts Killers, in 5 top lists Check -
92 new
Metropolitan
1990, in 5 top lists Check -
70 new
Burden of Dreams
1982, in 4 top lists Check -
98 new
Opening Night
1977, in 4 top lists Check -
100 new
Schizopolis
1996, in 4 top lists Check -
8 new
Bottle Rocket
1996, in 3 top lists Check -
72 new
Clean, Shaven
1993, in 3 top lists Check -
40 new
The Dead
1960, in 3 top lists Check -
44 new
Scenes from Under Childhood Section #1
1969, in 3 top lists Check -
42 new
23rd Psalm Branch: Part I
1967, in 2 top lists Check -
43 new
23rd Psalm Branch: Part II
1978, in 2 top lists Check -
1 new
Alambrista!
1977, in 2 top lists Check -
3 new
Beyond the Law
1968, in 2 top lists Check -
4 new
Blast of Silence
1961, in 2 top lists Check -
7 new
Borderline
1930, in 2 top lists Check -
17 new
Cat's Cradle
1959, in 2 top lists Check -
37 new
Comingled Containers
1997, in 2 top lists Check -
9 new
Desistfilm
1954, in 2 top lists Check -
75 new
Eating Raoul
1982, in 2 top lists Check -
76 new
The Emperor Jones
1933, in 2 top lists Check -
79 new
For All Mankind
1989, in 2 top lists Check -
45 new
The Machine of Eden
1970, in 2 top lists Check -
91 new
Mala Noche
1986, in 2 top lists Check -
93 new
Mystery Train
1989, in 2 top lists Check -
96 new
Native Land
1942, in 2 top lists Check
Last updated on Jun 7, 2014; source