The Best Films According to Andrew Sarris's The American Cinema

The Best Films According to Andrew Sarris's The American Cinema's icon

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In Andrew Sarris's The American Cinema, every director in the book has their full filmography listed, and Sarris italicizes the best films of each director. Here is the full collection of every film italicized in the book (with the exception of Out of the Past, which remains unitalicized likely as an error as he calls it Jacques Torneur's masterpiece).

The book has multiple sections, with who Sarris viewed as the pantheon directors at the top, and slowly dwindling in quality as the list goes down. However, there is merit to be found towards the bottom, as he lists a series of oddities, one-shots, and, at the time, newcomers, as well as subjects for further research.

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  1. 1327 new

    The Wizard of Oz

    1939, in 38 top lists Check
  2. 121 new

    Psycho

    1960, in 39 top lists Check
  3. 898 new

    Casablanca

    1942, in 39 top lists Check
  4. 1093 new

    12 Angry Men

    1957, in 30 top lists Check
  5. 1133 new

    The Sound of Music

    1965, in 25 top lists Check
  6. 1087 new

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

    1964, in 37 top lists Check
  7. 222 new

    Citizen Kane

    1941, in 39 top lists Check
  8. 269 new

    It's a Wonderful Life

    1946, in 33 top lists Check
  9. 114 new

    Rear Window

    1954, in 31 top lists Check
  10. 119 new

    Vertigo

    1958, in 42 top lists Check
  11. 1158 new

    The Graduate

    1967, in 29 top lists Check
  12. 1328 new

    Gone with the Wind

    1939, in 31 top lists Check
  13. 514 new

    Singin' in the Rain

    1952, in 37 top lists Check
  14. 122 new

    The Birds

    1963, in 18 top lists Check
  15. 834 new

    Some Like It Hot

    1959, in 35 top lists Check
  16. 120 new

    North by Northwest

    1959, in 30 top lists Check
  17. 714 new

    Rosemary's Baby

    1968, in 21 top lists Check
  18. 312 new

    Breakfast at Tiffany's

    1961, in 9 top lists Check
  19. 1132 new

    West Side Story

    1961, in 22 top lists Check
  20. 1122 new

    The Great Escape

    1963, in 14 top lists Check
  21. 17 new

    Modern Times

    1936, in 30 top lists Check
  22. 138 new

    Metropolis

    1927, in 36 top lists Check
  23. 18 new

    The Great Dictator

    1940, in 25 top lists Check
  24. 829 new

    Sunset Blvd.

    1950 — a.k.a. Sunset Boulevard, in 35 top lists Check
  25. 738 new

    The Maltese Falcon

    1941, in 27 top lists Check
  26. 590 new

    Bonnie and Clyde

    1967, in 28 top lists Check
  27. 170 new

    Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens

    1922 — a.k.a. Nosferatu, in 28 top lists Check
  28. 835 new

    The Apartment

    1960, in 28 top lists Check
  29. 1170 new

    Cool Hand Luke

    1967, in 13 top lists Check
  30. 803 new

    The Third Man

    1949, in 37 top lists Check
  31. 16 new

    City Lights

    1931, in 34 top lists Check
  32. 752 new

    A Streetcar Named Desire

    1951, in 15 top lists Check
  33. 826 new

    Double Indemnity

    1944, in 37 top lists Check
  34. 140 new

    M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder

    1931 — a.k.a. M, in 35 top lists Check
  35. 111 new

    Strangers on a Train

    1951, in 17 top lists Check
  36. 113 new

    Dial M for Murder

    1954, in 9 top lists Check
  37. 1040 new

    Frankenstein

    1931, in 18 top lists Check
  38. 850 new

    Roman Holiday

    1953, in 14 top lists Check
  39. 754 new

    On the Waterfront

    1954, in 32 top lists Check
  40. 1389 new

    Dr. No

    1962, in 7 top lists Check
  41. 1085 new

    Paths of Glory

    1957, in 26 top lists Check
  42. 409 new

    Rebel Without a Cause

    1955, in 16 top lists Check
  43. 267 new

    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

    1939, in 16 top lists Check
  44. 1086 new

    Lolita

    1962, in 11 top lists Check
  45. 1127 new

    The Day the Earth Stood Still

    1951, in 12 top lists Check
  46. 780 new

    All About Eve

    1950, in 25 top lists Check
  47. 11 new

    The Kid

    1921, in 17 top lists Check
  48. 103 new

    Rebecca

    1940, in 23 top lists Check
  49. 726 new

    Les quatre cents coups

    1959 — a.k.a. The 400 Blows, in 26 top lists Check
  50. 14 new

    The Gold Rush

    1925, in 29 top lists Check
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Last updated on Sep 28, 2019;