Slant Magazine's 100 Essential Films

Slant Magazine's 100 Essential Films's icon

Created by johnnyg.

Favorited 39 times, disliked 0 times, added to 43 watchlists.

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

Remove ads

Pssst, want to check out the Slant Magazine's 100 Essential Films list in our new look?

Filter

  1. 50 -

    C'era una volta il West

    1968 — a.k.a. Once Upon a Time in the West, in 28 top lists Check
  2. 68 -

    Stalker

    1979, in 22 top lists Check
  3. 59 -

    The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

    1974, in 15 top lists Check
  4. 22 -

    To Be or Not to Be

    1942, in 24 top lists Check
  5. 13 -

    Freaks

    1932, in 19 top lists Check
  6. 54 -

    McCabe & Mrs. Miller

    1971, in 20 top lists Check
  7. 28 -

    Ace in the Hole

    1951, in 21 top lists Check
  8. 80 -

    Nema-ye Nazdik

    1990 — a.k.a. Close-Up, in 21 top lists Check
  9. 60 -

    Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080...

    1975, in 12 top lists Check
  10. 71 -

    Fitzcarraldo

    1982, in 13 top lists Check
  11. 87 -

    Dead Man

    1995, in 12 top lists Check
  12. 27 -

    In a Lonely Place

    1950, in 19 top lists Check
  13. 86 -

    Sátántangó

    1994 — a.k.a. Satantango, in 12 top lists Check
  14. 38 -

    Cléo de 5 à 7

    1962 — a.k.a. Cleo from 5 to 7, in 15 top lists Check
  15. 70 -

    Possession

    1981, in 7 top lists Check
  16. 96 -

    Beau travail

    1999, in 15 top lists Check
  17. 4 -

    Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage

    1926 — a.k.a. Faust, in 15 top lists Check
  18. 7 -

    The Crowd

    1928, in 20 top lists Check
  19. 81 -

    Guling jie shaonian sharen shijian

    1991 — a.k.a. A Brighter Summer Day, in 19 top lists Check
  20. 40 -

    Nattvardsgästerna

    1963 — a.k.a. Winter Light, in 10 top lists Check
  21. 89 -

    Underground

    1995, in 9 top lists Check
  22. 57 -

    Céline et Julie vont en bateau: Phantom Ladies...

    1974 — a.k.a. Celine and Julie Go Boating, in 11 top lists Check
  23. 65 -

    Le locataire

    1976 — a.k.a. The Tenant, in 7 top lists Check
  24. 24 -

    Monsieur Verdoux

    1947, in 11 top lists Check
  25. 47 -

    Point Blank

    1967, in 15 top lists Check
  26. 18 -

    Make Way for Tomorrow

    1937, in 16 top lists Check
  27. 61 -

    Professione: reporter

    1975 — a.k.a. The Passenger, in 11 top lists Check
  28. 84 -

    Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

    1992, in 6 top lists Check
  29. 82 -

    Lat sau san taam

    1992 — a.k.a. Hard Boiled, in 12 top lists Check
  30. 36 -

    Imitation of Life

    1959, in 6 top lists Check
  31. 64 -

    F for Fake

    1973, in 11 top lists Check
  32. 10 -

    Zemlya

    1930 — a.k.a. Earth, in 16 top lists Check
  33. 91 -

    Hana-bi

    1997 — a.k.a. Fireworks, in 11 top lists Check
  34. 66 -

    Killer of Sheep

    1978, in 14 top lists Check
  35. 20 -

    Only Angels Have Wings

    1939, in 10 top lists Check
  36. 56 -

    Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

    1974, in 10 top lists Check
  37. 90 -

    Crash

    1996, in 9 top lists Check
  38. 42 -

    Gertrud

    1964, in 11 top lists Check
  39. 2 -

    Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl

    1919 — a.k.a. Broken Blossoms, in 13 top lists Check
  40. 29 -

    Saikaku ichidai onna

    1952 — a.k.a. The Life of Oharu, in 12 top lists Check
  41. 14 -

    Love Me Tonight

    1932, in 11 top lists Check
  42. 1 -

    Les vampires

    1915, in 14 top lists Check
  43. 78 -

    The Last Temptation of Christ

    1988, in 7 top lists Check
  44. 6 -

    The Cameraman

    1928, in 13 top lists Check
  45. 49 -

    Memorias del subdesarrollo

    1968 — a.k.a. Memories of Underdevelopment, in 11 top lists Check
  46. 74 -

    Day of the Dead

    1985, in 4 top lists Check
  47. 77 -

    Distant Voices, Still Lives

    1988, in 11 top lists Check
  48. 41 -

    Charulata

    1964 — a.k.a. The Lonely Wife, in 10 top lists Check
  49. 63 -

    Assault on Precinct 13

    1976, in 6 top lists Check
  50. 15 -

    The Black Cat

    1934, in 8 top lists Check
Remove ads
Show all 100 movies

Last updated on May 14, 2012; source