Spike Lee's Essential List of Films for Filmmakers

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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."

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  1. 25 -1

    The Godfather

    1972, in 42 top lists Check
  2. 6 -

    Vertigo

    1958, in 42 top lists Check
  3. 17 -

    Lawrence of Arabia

    1962, in 40 top lists Check
  4. 57 -8

    Casablanca

    1942, in 39 top lists Check
  5. 88 -8

    The Wizard of Oz

    1939, in 38 top lists Check
  6. 79 -8

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

    1964, in 37 top lists Check
  7. 76 -8

    Singin' in the Rain

    1952, in 37 top lists Check
  8. 91 -8

    Ladri di biciclette

    1948 — a.k.a. Bicycle Thieves, in 36 top lists Check
  9. 23 -1

    8½

    1963, in 35 top lists Check
  10. 62 -8

    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

    1975, in 35 top lists Check
  11. 12 -

    Some Like It Hot

    1959, in 35 top lists Check
  12. 14 -

    The Night of the Hunter

    1955, in 34 top lists Check
  13. 55 -8

    Raging Bull

    1980, in 34 top lists Check
  14. 2 -

    Rashômon

    1950 — a.k.a. Rashomon, in 34 top lists Check
  15. 16 -

    The Bridge on the River Kwai

    1957, in 32 top lists Check
  16. 26 -1

    The Godfather Part II

    1974, in 32 top lists Check
  17. 18 -

    On the Waterfront

    1954, in 32 top lists Check
  18. 73 -8

    Chinatown

    1974, in 31 top lists Check
  19. 5 -

    Rear Window

    1954, in 31 top lists Check
  20. 7 -

    North by Northwest

    1959, in 30 top lists Check
  21. 65 -8

    Touch of Evil

    1958, in 30 top lists Check
  22. 32 -1

    La battaglia di Algeri

    1966 — a.k.a. The Battle of Algiers, in 29 top lists Check
  23. 35 -2

    À bout de souffle

    1960 — a.k.a. Breathless, in 29 top lists Check
  24. 8 -

    Bonnie and Clyde

    1967, in 28 top lists Check
  25. 39 -2

    The Maltese Falcon

    1941, in 27 top lists Check
  26. 59 -8

    The Red Shoes

    1948, in 27 top lists Check
  27. 77 -8

    Paths of Glory

    1957, in 26 top lists Check
  28. 27 -1

    Les quatre cents coups

    1959 — a.k.a. The 400 Blows, in 26 top lists Check
  29. 51 -8

    Los olvidados

    1950 — a.k.a. The Young and the Damned, in 25 top lists Check
  30. 4 -

    Ran

    1985, in 25 top lists Check
  31. 40 -2

    The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

    1948, in 25 top lists Check
  32. 86 -8

    Badlands

    1973, in 23 top lists Check
  33. 83 -8

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind

    1977, in 23 top lists Check
  34. 75 -8

    Dog Day Afternoon

    1975, in 23 top lists Check
  35. 71 -8

    Roma città aperta

    1945 — a.k.a. Rome, Open City, in 23 top lists Check
  36. 24 -1

    Cidade de Deus

    2002 — a.k.a. City of God, in 22 top lists Check
  37. 22 -1

    La dolce vita

    1960 — a.k.a. La Dolce Vita, in 22 top lists Check
  38. 54 -8

    Mean Streets

    1973, in 22 top lists Check
  39. 42 -2

    Midnight Cowboy

    1969, in 22 top lists Check
  40. 36 -2

    West Side Story

    1961, in 22 top lists Check
  41. 11 -

    Ace in the Hole

    1951, in 21 top lists Check
  42. 69 -8

    M*A*S*H

    1970, in 21 top lists Check
  43. 21 -1

    La strada

    1954, in 21 top lists Check
  44. 9 -

    Il conformista

    1970 — a.k.a. The Conformist, in 20 top lists Check
  45. 87 -8

    Days of Heaven

    1978, in 19 top lists Check
  46. 28 -1

    La nuit américaine

    1973 — a.k.a. Day for Night, in 19 top lists Check
  47. 78 -8

    Spartacus

    1960, in 19 top lists Check
  48. 10 -

    Ultimo tango a Parigi

    1972 — a.k.a. Last Tango in Paris, in 19 top lists Check
  49. 3 -

    Yôjinbô

    1961 — a.k.a. Yojimbo, in 19 top lists Check
  50. 89 -8

    An American in Paris

    1951, in 18 top lists Check
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Last updated on Jan 22, 2014; source