Spike Lee's Essential List of Films for Filmmakers

Spike Lee's Essential List of Films for Filmmakers's icon

An official iCheckMovies list (adopted from Filmista).

Favorited 154 times, disliked 3 times, added to 231 watchlists.

This is the list that Spike Lee distributes to his graduate students at NYU every year.

Spike says: "I've Been A Professor At The NYU Graduate Film For The Past 15 Years.The 1st Day Of Every Class I Hand Out My List Of Films That I Feel You Must See If You Want To Make Films. Please Look At This List And See What You Might Have Missed. As I Tell My Students If You Want Your Film "Game" To Be Tight You Must Have Seen Great Movies, World Cinema, It Just Can't Be Hollywood Films. Educate Yourself. Learn. Grow. Evolve. Make Great Films.

Peace, Onward And Upward,

Spike Lee."

Source

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  1. 63 -8

    District 9

    2009, in 10 top lists Check
  2. 46 new

    The Hurt Locker

    2008, in 13 top lists Check
  3. 25 -1

    The Godfather

    1972, in 42 top lists Check
  4. 88 -8

    The Wizard of Oz

    1939, in 38 top lists Check
  5. 79 -8

    Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop...

    1964, in 37 top lists Check
  6. 36 -2

    West Side Story

    1961, in 22 top lists Check
  7. 57 -8

    Casablanca

    1942, in 39 top lists Check
  8. 23 -1

    8½

    1963, in 35 top lists Check
  9. 30 -1

    Mad Max

    1979, in 13 top lists Check
  10. 56 -8

    Apocalypto

    2006, in 2 top lists Check
  11. 26 -1

    The Godfather Part II

    1974, in 32 top lists Check
  12. 83 -8

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind

    1977, in 23 top lists Check
  13. 55 -8

    Raging Bull

    1980, in 34 top lists Check
  14. 62 -8

    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

    1975, in 35 top lists Check
  15. 17 -

    Lawrence of Arabia

    1962, in 40 top lists Check
  16. 24 -1

    Cidade de Deus

    2002 — a.k.a. City of God, in 22 top lists Check
  17. 6 -

    Vertigo

    1958, in 42 top lists Check
  18. 70 -8

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    1962, in 18 top lists Check
  19. 73 -8

    Chinatown

    1974, in 31 top lists Check
  20. 69 -8

    M*A*S*H

    1970, in 21 top lists Check
  21. 15 -

    Raising Arizona

    1987, in 9 top lists Check
  22. 76 -8

    Singin' in the Rain

    1952, in 37 top lists Check
  23. 10 -

    Ultimo tango a Parigi

    1972 — a.k.a. Last Tango in Paris, in 19 top lists Check
  24. 35 -2

    À bout de souffle

    1960 — a.k.a. Breathless, in 29 top lists Check
  25. 34 new

    The Piano

    1993, in 14 top lists Check
  26. 22 -1

    La dolce vita

    1960 — a.k.a. La Dolce Vita, in 22 top lists Check
  27. 14 -

    The Night of the Hunter

    1955, in 35 top lists Check
  28. 5 -

    Rear Window

    1954, in 31 top lists Check
  29. 31 -1

    Mad Max 2

    1981 — a.k.a. The Road Warrior, in 14 top lists Check
  30. 91 -8

    Ladri di biciclette

    1948 — a.k.a. Bicycle Thieves, in 36 top lists Check
  31. 12 -

    Some Like It Hot

    1959, in 35 top lists Check
  32. 39 -2

    The Maltese Falcon

    1941, in 26 top lists Check
  33. 2 -

    Rashômon

    1950 — a.k.a. Rashomon, in 34 top lists Check
  34. 18 -

    On the Waterfront

    1954, in 34 top lists Check
  35. 54 -8

    Mean Streets

    1973, in 22 top lists Check
  36. 7 -

    North by Northwest

    1959, in 30 top lists Check
  37. 89 -8

    An American in Paris

    1951, in 18 top lists Check
  38. 27 -1

    Les quatre cents coups

    1959 — a.k.a. The 400 Blows, in 26 top lists Check
  39. 80 -8

    Kung fu

    2004 — a.k.a. Kung Fu Hustle, in 11 top lists Check
  40. 65 -8

    Touch of Evil

    1958, in 30 top lists Check
  41. 16 -

    The Bridge on the River Kwai

    1957, in 32 top lists Check
  42. 8 -

    Bonnie and Clyde

    1967, in 28 top lists Check
  43. 85 -8

    Cool Hand Luke

    1967, in 13 top lists Check
  44. 42 -2

    Midnight Cowboy

    1969, in 22 top lists Check
  45. 4 -

    Ran

    1985, in 25 top lists Check
  46. 77 -8

    Paths of Glory

    1957, in 26 top lists Check
  47. 78 -8

    Spartacus

    1960, in 19 top lists Check
  48. 87 -8

    Days of Heaven

    1978, in 19 top lists Check
  49. 75 -8

    Dog Day Afternoon

    1975, in 23 top lists Check
  50. 21 -1

    La strada

    1954, in 21 top lists Check
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Last updated on Jan 22, 2014; source