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. 898 new

    Casablanca

    1942, in 39 top lists Check
  2. 1085 new

    Paths of Glory

    1957, in 26 top lists Check
  3. 18 new

    The Great Dictator

    1940, in 25 top lists Check
  4. 106 new

    Saboteur

    1942, in 2 top lists Check
  5. 789 new

    All Quiet on the Western Front

    1930, in 19 top lists Check
  6. 364 new

    Duck Soup

    1933, in 24 top lists Check
  7. 745 new

    The African Queen

    1951, in 11 top lists Check
  8. 848 new

    The Best Years of Our Lives

    1946, in 30 top lists Check
  9. 167 new

    To Be or Not to Be

    1942, in 24 top lists Check
  10. 831 new

    Stalag 17

    1953, in 7 top lists Check
  11. 858 new

    From Here to Eternity

    1953, in 13 top lists Check
  12. 715 new

    Roma città aperta

    1945 — a.k.a. Rome, Open City, in 23 top lists Check
  13. 238 new

    The Dirty Dozen

    1967, in 8 top lists Check
  14. 694 new

    Jeux interdits

    1952 — a.k.a. Forbidden Games, in 15 top lists Check
  15. 806 new

    Wings

    1927, in 12 top lists Check
  16. 228 new

    Campanadas a medianoche

    1965 — a.k.a. Chimes at Midnight, in 11 top lists Check
  17. 760 new

    In Which We Serve

    1942, in 6 top lists Check
  18. 452 new

    The Big Parade

    1925, in 13 top lists Check
  19. 214 new

    Dishonored

    1931, in 4 top lists Check
  20. 429 new

    Gunga Din

    1939, in 7 top lists Check
  21. 448 new

    Hail the Conquering Hero

    1944, in 7 top lists Check
  22. 1006 new

    Mister Roberts

    1955, in 3 top lists Check
  23. 799 new

    Night Train to Munich

    1940 — a.k.a. Gestapo, in 2 top lists Check
  24. 319 new

    The Steel Helmet

    1951, in 2 top lists Check
  25. 820 new

    Battleground

    1949, in 3 top lists Check
  26. 87 new

    I Was a Male War Bride

    1949 — a.k.a. You Can't Sleep Here, in 3 top lists Check
  27. 1165 new

    Major Dundee

    1965, in 2 top lists Check
  28. 43 new

    They Were Expendable

    1945, in 4 top lists Check
  29. 467 new

    War and Peace

    1956, in 3 top lists Check
  30. 246 new

    A Farewell to Arms

    1932, in 3 top lists Check
  31. 425 new

    A Time to Love and a Time to Die

    1958, in 4 top lists Check
  32. 1240 new

    Twelve O'Clock High

    1949, in 4 top lists Check
  33. 706 new

    Westfront 1918: Vier von der Infanterie

    1930 — a.k.a. Westfront 1918, in 4 top lists Check
  34. 978 new

    Sahara

    1943, in 0 top lists Check
  35. 825 new

    Five Graves to Cairo

    1943, in 4 top lists Check
  36. 40 new

    The Long Voyage Home

    1940, in 4 top lists Check
  37. 9 new

    Shoulder Arms

    1918, in 5 top lists Check
  38. 864 new

    For Me and My Gal

    1942 — a.k.a. For Me and My Girl, in 1 top list Check
  39. 57 new

    The Horse Soldiers

    1959, in 0 top lists Check
  40. 536 new

    Sands of Iwo Jima

    1949, in 2 top lists Check
  41. 919 new

    The Dawn Patrol

    1938, in 1 top list Check
  42. 320 new

    Fixed Bayonets!

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  43. 722 new

    Il generale Della Rovere

    1959 — a.k.a. General della Rovere, in 6 top lists Check
  44. 447 new

    The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

    1944, in 9 top lists Check
  45. 876 new

    Since You Went Away

    1944, in 2 top lists Check
  46. 767 new

    The Sound Barrier

    1952, in 3 top lists Check
  47. 221 new

    Anatahan

    1953 — a.k.a. Ana-ta-han, in 4 top lists Check
  48. 311 new

    Operation Petticoat

    1959, in 0 top lists Check
  49. 234 new

    Attack

    1956, in 2 top lists Check
  50. 851 new

    Friendly Persuasion

    1956, in 3 top lists Check
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Last updated on Sep 28, 2019;