It’s a favorite pass-time for movie-buffs to create lists of
‘Greatest Films of All Time’. Several such lists are prepared and discussed and
debated over every now and then. However, if there is one list that receives
the maximum attention from serious cinephiles, and which is considered arguably
the most important, it is the Sight and Sound poll that takes place once
every decade. Ever since 1952, this magazine has been asking international film
professionals to vote for the greatest film of all time. It is this poll that
has been the most important instrument in creating the stature of ‘Citizen Kane’,
which has widely been considered as the greatest film ever made. Since 1962,
this Orson Welles masterpiece has topped the list every time, making its ‘greatest’
tag almost official.
Well, no more. The latest poll has come as a huge surprise
for film-fanatics because the impossible has happened. ‘Citizen Kane’ has lost
its throne to Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ by a huge margin (191 versus 157
votes). The rise and rise of ‘Vertigo’ is another phenomenon. It made it into
the Top 10 only 24 years after its release, when it was ranked 7th
in the 1982 poll. It rose up to the 2nd position in the last poll,
that is, in 2002. I was eagerly awaiting the results this year as it was the
first Sight and Sound poll for me ever since I discovered International
Cinema in 2006. And I was almost certain that ‘Kane’ will hold its position,
not only because of its unanimous acclaim, but also because last year I had
spent a lot of time studying this great film, and was convinced of its
greatness. However, I have a soft spot for ‘Vertigo’ and Alfred Hitchcock and
hence my feelings are mixed – I’m glad and sad at the same time. But more than
anything, I’m surprised. The news is yet to sink in. And I confess that the
wait for 2022 poll has begun!
Following are the movies that ever found a place in Top 10
ever since the first poll in 1952. Here are some of my observations:
-
‘The Rules of the Game’ is the only film to have found
a place in the Top 10 in all seven polls until today.
-
‘Battleship Potemkin’ has failed to make it to the Top
10 for the first time in history.
-
‘The Godfather – II’ is the latest film to have ever made
it to the Top 10. All others are older than that.
-
It feels good to find an Indian film amidst all these,
though ‘Pather Panchali’ could never make it to the Top 10 before or after
1992.
-
Both ‘Citizen Kane’ and ‘Vertigo’ are tragedies – timeless
stories of obsessed men and their devastation. For the first time, I am drawing
parallels between John ‘Scottie’ Fergusson and Charles Foster Kane. And I’m
sorry for both.
Movie
|
2012
|
2002
|
1992
|
1982
|
1972
|
1962
|
1952
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
NA
|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
-
|
|
Tokyo Story (1953)
|
3
|
5
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
NA
|
The Rules of the Game (1939)
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
10
|
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
|
5
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
|
6
|
6
|
10
|
-
|
-
|
NA
|
NA
|
The Searchers (1956)
|
7
|
-
|
5
|
10
|
-
|
-
|
NA
|
8
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
|
9
|
-
|
6
|
-
|
7
|
-
|
7
|
10
|
9
|
-
|
5
|
4
|
NA
|
NA
|
|
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
|
-
|
7
|
6
|
6
|
3
|
6
|
4
|
L’avventura (1960)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
7
|
5
|
2
|
NA
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
7
|
1
|
|
Greed (1924)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
7
|
Ugetsu Monogatari (1953)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
4
|
NA
|
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
|
-
|
10
|
-
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
NA
|
The Gold Rush (1925)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
12
|
-
|
2
|
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
7
|
8
|
-
|
-
|
L’Atalante (1934)
|
-
|
-
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
-
|
The General (1926)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
8
|
-
|
-
|
Ivan the Terrible (1944)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
12
|
7
|
-
|
City Lights (1931)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
NA
|
|
The Godfather – 1 and 2 (1972-74)
|
-
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
NA
|
NA
|
NA
|
Persona (1966)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
NA
|
NA
|
Intolerance (1916)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
Louisiana Story (1948)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
Pather Panchali (1955)
|
-
|
-
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
NA
|
Le Jour se leve (1939)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
7
|
La terra trema (1947)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
9
|
-
|
Wild Strawberries (1957)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
-
|
NA
|
Brief Encounter (1945)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
Le Million (1931)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
P.S. “NA” means “not-applicable” as the poll in question was
conducted before the release of the respective film. “ – “ means the film has
failed to acquire a place into the Top 10.
Click here to see the list of Top 50. Wong Kar Wai's 'In the Mood for Love' and David Lynch's 'Mulholland Dr.' are the only films from the new millennium to feature in the list.
Click here to see the list of Top 50. Wong Kar Wai's 'In the Mood for Love' and David Lynch's 'Mulholland Dr.' are the only films from the new millennium to feature in the list.
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