Slant Magazine's 100 Essential Films

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Created by johnnyg.

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While you will find many popular classics and critical favorites on our list of 100 Essential Films, our goal was to mix things up a bit. This list should not be construed as a definitive "greatest films" package, but as an alternative compiled by a group of kinky film-lovers wanting to give serious critical thought to neglected, forgotten and misunderstood gems. We aimed for the kind of list where post-Cahiers Orson Welles could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a pre-pastiche Brian De Palma; where it's understood that Hitchcock, Dreyer, Ford and Ozu created masterpieces besides film-school staples like Vertigo, The Passion of Joan of Arc, The Searchers, and Tokyo Story; and where the postmodern irony of Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life is allowed space next to its modern-day equivalent: Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls (gasp!). Because space was tight, documentaries, shorts and animated films were not eligible. Additionally, we limited directors to no more than one spot on the list

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  1. 1 -

    Les vampires

    1915, in 14 top lists Check
  2. 2 -

    Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl

    1919 — a.k.a. Broken Blossoms, in 13 top lists Check
  3. 3 -

    Foolish Wives

    1922, in 10 top lists Check
  4. 4 -

    Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage

    1926 — a.k.a. Faust, in 15 top lists Check
  5. 5 -

    Hindle Wakes

    1927 — a.k.a. Fanny Hawthorne, in 2 top lists Check
  6. 6 -

    The Cameraman

    1928, in 13 top lists Check
  7. 7 -

    The Crowd

    1928, in 20 top lists Check
  8. 8 -

    La chute de la maison Usher

    1928 — a.k.a. The Fall of the House of Usher, in 10 top lists Check
  9. 9 -

    Spione

    1928 — a.k.a. Spies, in 8 top lists Check
  10. 10 -

    Zemlya

    1930 — a.k.a. Earth, in 16 top lists Check
  11. 11 -

    An American Tragedy

    1931, in 0 top lists Check
  12. 12 new

    ¡Que viva México! Da zdravstvuyet Meksika!

    1979 — a.k.a. Que Viva Mexico, in 3 top lists Check
  13. 13 -

    Freaks

    1932, in 19 top lists Check
  14. 14 -

    Love Me Tonight

    1932, in 11 top lists Check
  15. 15 -

    The Black Cat

    1934, in 8 top lists Check
  16. 16 -

    Le crime de Monsieur Lange

    1936 — a.k.a. The Crime of Monsieur Lange, in 7 top lists Check
  17. 17 -

    Gueule d'amour

    1937 — a.k.a. Lady Killer, in 1 top list Check
  18. 18 -

    Make Way for Tomorrow

    1937, in 16 top lists Check
  19. 19 -

    Stage Door

    1937, in 6 top lists Check
  20. 20 -

    Only Angels Have Wings

    1939, in 10 top lists Check
  21. 21 -

    The Mortal Storm

    1940, in 4 top lists Check
  22. 22 -

    To Be or Not to Be

    1942, in 23 top lists Check
  23. 23 -

    The Leopard Man

    1943, in 3 top lists Check
  24. 24 -

    Monsieur Verdoux

    1947, in 11 top lists Check
  25. 25 -

    Portrait of Jennie

    1948, in 5 top lists Check
  26. 26 -

    Francesco, giullare di Dio

    1950 — a.k.a. The Flowers of St. Francis, in 10 top lists Check
  27. 27 -

    In a Lonely Place

    1950, in 19 top lists Check
  28. 28 -

    Ace in the Hole

    1951, in 21 top lists Check
  29. 29 -

    Saikaku ichidai onna

    1952 — a.k.a. The Life of Oharu, in 12 top lists Check
  30. 30 -

    Le plaisir

    1952 — a.k.a. Le Plaisir, in 6 top lists Check
  31. 31 -

    I Confess

    1953, in 2 top lists Check
  32. 32 -

    Ensayo de un crimen

    1955 — a.k.a. The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, in 6 top lists Check
  33. 33 -

    Autumn Leaves

    1956, in 0 top lists Check
  34. 34 -

    Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

    1957, in 4 top lists Check
  35. 35 -

    Bonjour tristesse

    1958, in 3 top lists Check
  36. 36 -

    Imitation of Life

    1959, in 6 top lists Check
  37. 37 -

    The Ladies Man

    1961, in 5 top lists Check
  38. 38 -

    Cléo de 5 à 7

    1962 — a.k.a. Cleo from 5 to 7, in 15 top lists Check
  39. 39 -

    Confessions of an Opium Eater

    1962 — a.k.a. Evils of Chinatown, in 1 top list Check
  40. 40 -

    Nattvardsgästerna

    1963 — a.k.a. Winter Light, in 10 top lists Check
  41. 41 -

    Charulata

    1964 — a.k.a. The Lonely Wife, in 10 top lists Check
  42. 42 -

    Gertrud

    1964, in 11 top lists Check
  43. 43 -

    Midareru

    1964 — a.k.a. Yearning, in 5 top lists Check
  44. 44 -

    7 Women

    1965, in 3 top lists Check
  45. 45 -

    Operazione paura

    1966 — a.k.a. Kill Baby, Kill, in 3 top lists Check
  46. 46 -

    Masculin féminin

    1966 — a.k.a. Masculine-Feminine, in 7 top lists Check
  47. 47 -

    Point Blank

    1967, in 15 top lists Check
  48. 48 -

    The Shooting

    1966, in 4 top lists Check
  49. 49 -

    Memorias del subdesarrollo

    1968 — a.k.a. Memories of Underdevelopment, in 11 top lists Check
  50. 50 -

    C'era una volta il West

    1968 — a.k.a. Once Upon a Time in the West, in 28 top lists Check
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Last updated on May 14, 2012; source