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. 1132 new

    West Side Story

    1961, in 22 top lists Check
  2. 1154 new

    The Night of the Hunter

    1955, in 34 top lists Check
  3. 834 new

    Some Like It Hot

    1959, in 35 top lists Check
  4. 738 new

    The Maltese Falcon

    1941, in 26 top lists Check
  5. 754 new

    On the Waterfront

    1954, in 32 top lists Check
  6. 120 new

    North by Northwest

    1959, in 30 top lists Check
  7. 85 new

    The Big Sleep

    1946, in 22 top lists Check
  8. 726 new

    Les quatre cents coups

    1959 — a.k.a. The 400 Blows, in 26 top lists Check
  9. 226 new

    Touch of Evil

    1958, in 30 top lists Check
  10. 1391 new

    Thunderball

    1965, in 4 top lists Check
  11. 140 new

    M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder

    1931 — a.k.a. M, in 35 top lists Check
  12. 590 new

    Bonnie and Clyde

    1967, in 28 top lists Check
  13. 313 new

    The Pink Panther

    1963, in 4 top lists Check
  14. 1389 new

    Dr. No

    1962, in 7 top lists Check
  15. 826 new

    Double Indemnity

    1944, in 37 top lists Check
  16. 111 new

    Strangers on a Train

    1951, in 17 top lists Check
  17. 232 new

    Kiss Me Deadly

    1955, in 20 top lists Check
  18. 113 new

    Dial M for Murder

    1954, in 9 top lists Check
  19. 115 new

    To Catch a Thief

    1955, in 6 top lists Check
  20. 76 new

    Scarface

    1932, in 16 top lists Check
  21. 833 new

    Witness for the Prosecution

    1957, in 11 top lists Check
  22. 643 new

    The Black Cat

    1934, in 8 top lists Check
  23. 399 new

    Anatomy of a Murder

    1959, in 13 top lists Check
  24. 389 new

    Laura

    1944, in 21 top lists Check
  25. 161 new

    Trouble in Paradise

    1932, in 17 top lists Check
  26. 1136 new

    Point Blank

    1967, in 15 top lists Check
  27. 704 new

    Die Büchse der Pandora

    1929 — a.k.a. Pandora's Box, in 18 top lists Check
  28. 735 new

    Rocco e i suoi fratelli

    1960 — a.k.a. Rocco and His Brothers, in 19 top lists Check
  29. 645 new

    Detour

    1945, in 16 top lists Check
  30. 1084 new

    The Killing

    1956, in 15 top lists Check
  31. 19 new

    Monsieur Verdoux

    1947, in 11 top lists Check
  32. 1380 new

    The Thin Man

    1934, in 14 top lists Check
  33. 109 new

    Under Capricorn

    1949, in 3 top lists Check
  34. 743 new

    The Asphalt Jungle

    1950, in 15 top lists Check
  35. 224 new

    The Lady from Shanghai

    1947, in 9 top lists Check
  36. 664 new

    Los olvidados

    1950 — a.k.a. The Young and the Damned, in 25 top lists Check
  37. 322 new

    Pickup on South Street

    1953, in 14 top lists Check
  38. 550 new

    The Postman Always Rings Twice

    1946, in 9 top lists Check
  39. 118 new

    The Wrong Man

    1956, in 8 top lists Check
  40. 284 new

    Gaslight

    1944, in 11 top lists Check
  41. 97 new

    The Man Who Knew Too Much

    1934, in 2 top lists Check
  42. 727 new

    Tirez sur le pianiste

    1960 — a.k.a. Shoot the Piano Player, in 10 top lists Check
  43. 1056 new

    In Cold Blood

    1967, in 8 top lists Check
  44. 900 new

    Mildred Pierce

    1945, in 17 top lists Check
  45. 801 new

    Odd Man Out

    1947, in 15 top lists Check
  46. 808 new

    The Public Enemy

    1931, in 13 top lists Check
  47. 890 new

    Angels with Dirty Faces

    1938, in 9 top lists Check
  48. 784 new

    The Barefoot Contessa

    1954, in 8 top lists Check
  49. 149 new

    The Big Heat

    1953, in 18 top lists Check
  50. 135 new

    Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler

    1922 — a.k.a. Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, in 14 top lists Check
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Last updated on Sep 28, 2019;