Wednesday, July 5, 2017

1050 Essential Movies: The Very Best of Each Year

This is a titles-only round-up meant to accompany my recently concluded YEARS IN REVIEW project, where I revealed my choices for the top films in each AMPAS-approved category. There are many more titles I loved in each listed year, but these mentioned here are my very favorite cinematic achievements from 1925 to 2017. Soon to come: the best performances of each year: 

1925: BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (USSR, Sergei Eistenstein) (2nd: The Gold Rush (US, Charles Chaplin), followed by: The Phantom of the Opera (US, Rupert Julian); Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ (US, Fred Niblo); Seven Chances (US, Buster Keaton); The Freshman (US, Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor) (6) 


1926: THE GENERAL (US, Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman) (2nd: Faust (Germany, F.W. Murnau), followed by: Mother (USSR, Vsevelod I. Pudovkin); The Lodger (UK, Alfred Hitchcock) (4) 

1927: NAPOLEON (France, Abel Gance) (2nd: Metropolis (Germany, Fritz Lang), followed by: Sunrise (US, F.W. Murnau); 7th Heaven (US, Frank Borzage); Wings (US, William Wellman) (5) 

1928: LE PASSION DE JEANNE D'ARC (France, Carl Th. Dreyer) (2nd: The Crowd (US, King Vidor); The Wedding March (US, Erich Von Stroheim); Steamboat Bill Jr. (US, Buster Keaton); Spione (Germany, Fritz Lang); The Wind (US, Victor Sjostrom); The Circus (US, Charles Chaplin); October (USSR, Sergei Eisenstein) (8) 

1929: MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (USSR, Dziga Vertov) (2nd: Pandora’s Box (Germany, G.W. Pabst, Germany), followed by: Blackmail (UK, Alfred Hitchcock (sound version)); Diary of a Lost Girl (Germany, G.W. Pabst); The Love Parade (US, Ernst Lubitsch); Queen Kelly (US, Erich Von Stroheim) (6) 

1930: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (US, Lewis Milestone), followed by: The Tale of the Fox (France, Wladyslaw and Irene Starewicz); Earth (USSR, Alexander Dovzhenko); Morocco (US, Josef Von Sternberg), Murder (UK, Alfred Hitchcock); The Blue Angel (Germany, Josef Von Sternberg); L’Age d’Or (France/Spain, Luis Buñuel); Animal Crackers (US, Victor Heerman) (8) 

1931: CITY LIGHTS (US, Charles Chaplin) (2nd: M (Germany, Fritz Lang), followed by: Frankenstein (US, James Whale); The Criminal Code (US, Howard Hawks); The Public Enemy (US, William A.Wellman); Little Caesar (US, Mervyn LeRoy); Madchen in Uniform (Germany, Leontine Sagan); Street Scene (US, King Vidor); Monkey Business (US, Norman Z. McLeod); Le Million (France, Rene Clair) (10) 

1932: FREAKS (US, Tod Browning) (2nd: Vampyr (Denmark, Carl Th. Dreyer), followed by: Trouble in Paradise (US, Ernst Lubischt); Scarface, or: The Shame of a Nation (US, Howard Hawks); Boudu Saved From Drowning (France, Jean Renoir); The Old Dark House (US, James Whale); Shanghai Express (US, Josef von Sternberg); I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (US, Mervyn Le Roy); Grand Hotel (US, Edmond Goulding); The Most Dangerous Game (US, Irving Michel and Ernest B. Schoedsack) (10) 

1933: DUCK SOUP (US, Leo McCarey) (2nd: King Kong (US, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack), followed by: Zero for Conduct (France, Jean Vigo); Queen Christina (US, Rouben Mamoulian); 42nd Street (US, Lloyd Bacon and Busby Berkeley); Dinner at Eight (US, George Cukor) (6) 

1934: L'ATALANTE (France, Jean Vigo) (2nd: Twentieth Century (US, Howard Hawks), followed by: It Happened One Night (US, Frank Capra); The Scarlet Empress (US, Josef von Sternberg); It's A Gift (US, Norman Z. McLeod); The Thin Man (US, W.S. Van Dyke); Imitation of Life (US, John Stahl); The Man Who Know Too Much (UK, Alfred Hitchcock) (8) 

1935: THE 39 STEPS (UK, Alfred Hitchcock) (2nd: The Bride of Frankenstein (US, James Whale), followed by: Triumph of the Will (Germany, Leni Refenstahl); Top Hat (US, Mark Sandrich); Captain Blood (US, Michael Curtiz); Mutiny on the Bounty (US, Frank Lloyd) (6) 

1936: MODERN TIMES (US, Charles Chaplin) (2nd: Fury (US, Fritz Lang), followed by: Dodsworth (US, William Wyler); Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (US, Frank Capra); Swing Time (US, George Stevens); Things to Come (UK, William Cameron Menzies and Alexander Korda); Intermezzo (Sweden, Gustaf Molander); Show Boat (US, James Whale); The Petrified Forest (US, Archie Mayo); The Green Pastures (US, William Keighley and Marc Connelly) (10) 

1937: GRAND ILLUSION (France, Jean Renoir) (2nd: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (US, David Hand and Walt Disney), followed by: The Awful Truth (US, Leo McCarey); Make Way for Tomorrow (US, Leo McCarey); Nothing Sacred (US, William Wellman); Lost Horizon (US, Frank Capra); A Star is Born (US, William Wellman); Stella Dallas (US, King Vidor); Dead End (US, William Wyler) (9) 

1938: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (US, Michael Curtiz and William Keighley) (2nd: Alexander Nevsky (USSR, Sergei Eisenstein), followed by: Olympia (Germany, Leni Riefenstahl); The Lady Vanishes (UK, Alfred Hitchcock); Angels With Dirty Faces (US, Michael Curtiz); Bringing Up Baby (US, Howard Hawks); J’Accuse (France, Abel Gance); They Drive by Night (UK, Arthur Woods); You Can’t Take It With You (US, Frank Capra); The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (US, Norman Taurog) (10)

1939: GONE WITH THE WIND (US, Victor Fleming) (2nd: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (US, Frank Capra), followed by: The Wizard of Oz (US, Victor Fleming); Stagecoach (US, John Ford); Wuthering Heights (US, William Wyler); The Women (US, George Cukor); Young Mr. Lincoln (US, John Ford); Gunga Din (US, George Stevens); The Rules of the Game (France, Jean Renoir); Ninotchka (US. Ernst Lubitsch); Only Angels Have Wings (US, Howard Hawks); Babes in Arms (US, Busby Berkeley); Goodbye Mr. Chips (UK, Sam Wood); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (US, William Dieterle); Dark Victory (US, Edmund Goulding) (15)

1940: THE GRAPES OF WRATH (US, John Ford) (2nd: The Great Dictator (US, Charles Chaplin), followed by: Fantasia (US, Ben Sharpsteen and Walt Disney); The Thief of Bagdad (UK, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan, and Ludwig Berger); His Girl Friday (US. Howard Hawks); The Shop Around the Corner (US, Ernst Lubitsch); They Drive by Night (US, Raoul Walsh); Foreign Correspondent (US, Alfred Hitchcock); The Letter (US, William Wyler); Rebecca (US, Alfred Hitchcock) (10) 

1941: CITIZEN KANE (US, Orson Welles) (2nd: Sullivan’s Travels (US, Preston Sturges), followed by: The Maltese Falcon (US, John Huston); The Lady Eve (US, Preston Sturges); Ball of Fire (US, Howard Hawks); How Green Was My Valley (US, John Ford); The Little Foxes (US, William Wyler); Here Comes Mr. Jordan (US, Alexander Hall); The 47 Ronin (Japan, Kenji Mizoguchi); 49th Parallel (UK, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger); Man Hunt (US, Fritz Lang); That Hamilton Woman (UK/US, Alexander Korda); Dumbo (US, Ben Sharpsteen and Walt Disney) (13) 

1942: THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (US, Orson Welles) (2nd: The Palm Beach Story (US, Preston Sturges). followed by: Casablanca (US, Michael Curtiz); To Be or Not To Be (US, Ernst Lubitsch); Bambi (US, David Hand); Went the Day Well? (UK, Alberto Cavalcanti); The Pride of the Yankees (US, Sam Wood); In Which We Serve (UK, David Lean and Noël Coward); Saboteur (US, Alfred Hitchcock); Cat People (US, Jacques Tourneur); The Talk of the Town (US, George Stevens); Woman of the Year (US, George Stevens); The Major and the Minor (US, Billy Wilder); Now, Voyager (US, Irving Rapper) (14) 

1943: SHADOW OF A DOUBT (US, Alfred Hitchcock) (2nd: Day of Wrath (Denmark, Carl Th. Dreyer), followed by: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (UK, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger); The More the Merrier (US, George Stevens); I Walked With a Zombie (US, Jacques Tourneur); The Ox-Bow Incident (US, William A. Wellman) (6)

1944: DOUBLE INDEMNITY (US, Billy Wilder) (2nd: Meet Me in St. Louis (US, Vincente Minnelli, followed by: Lifeboat (US, Alfred Hitchcock); Laura (US, Otto Preminger); Henry V (UK, Laurence Olivier); The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (US, Preston Sturges); Arsenic and Old Lace (US, Frank Capra); Since You Went Away (US, John Cromwell); To Have and Have Not (US, Howard Hawks); Hail the Conquering Hero (US, Preston Sturges); Wilson (US, Henry King) (11) 

1945: CHILDREN OF PARADISE (France, Marcel Carné) (2nd: Ivan the Terrible, Part One: Ivan Grozyni (USSR, Sergei Eisenstein), followed by: Brief Encounter (UK, David Lean); They Were Expendable (US, John Ford); Rome: Open City (Italy, Roberto Rossellini); "I Know Where I’m Going!" (UK, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger); Detour (US, Edgar G. Ulmer); Scarlet Street (US, Fritz Lang); Leave Her to Heaven (US, John M. Stahl); The Lost Weekend (US, Billy Wilder); Spellbound (US, Alfred Hitchcock); Mildred Pierce (US, Michael Curtiz) (12) 


1946: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (US, Frank Capra) (2nd: A Matter of Life and Death (aka Stairway to Heaven) (UK, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger), followed by: La Belle et la Bete (France, Jean Cocteau); Great Expectations (UK, David Lean); My Darling Clementine (US, John Ford); The Best Years of Our Lives (US, William Wyler); Notorious (US, Alfred Hitchcock); The Big Sleep (US, Howard Hawks); The Postman Always Rings Twice (US, Tay Garnett); Shoeshine (Italy, Vittorio de Sica); Paisàn (Italy, Roberto Rossellini); The Killers (US, Robert Siodmak); Gilda (US, Charles Vidor) (13) 


1947: MONSIEUR VERDOUX (US, Charles Chaplin) (2nd: Miracle on 34th Street (US, George Seaton), followed by: Nightmare Alley (US, Edmund Goulding); Black Narcissus (UK, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger); Brute Force (US, Jules Dassin); Out of the Past (US, Jacques Tourneur); Body and Soul (US, Robert Rossen); T-Men (US, Anthony Mann) (8) 

1948: THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (US, John Huston) (2nd: The Red Shoes (UK, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger), followed by: The Fallen Idol (UK, Carol Reed); Bicycle Thieves (Italy, Vittorio De Sica); Germany Year Zero (Italy/West Germany, Roberto Rossellini); Red River (US, Howard Hawks); Oliver Twist (UK, David Lean); Letter from an Unknown Woman (US, Max Ophuls); He Walked By Night (US, Alfred Werker and Anthony Mann); They Live by Night (US, Nicholas Ray); Yellow Sky (US, William A. Wellman); Force of Evil (US, Abraham Polonsky); Key Largo (US, John Huston); Raw Deal (US, Anthony Mann) (14) 

1949: THE SET-UP (US, Robert Wise) (2nd: The Third Man (UK, Carol Reed), followed by: The Heiress (US, William Wyler); Kind Hearts and Coronets (UK, Robert Hamer); White Heat (US, Raoul Walsh); Late Spring (Japan, Yasujiro Ozu); On the Town (US, Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly); Stray Dog (Japan, Akira Kurosawa); A Letter to Three Wives (US, Joseph L. Mankiewicz); Battleground (US, William A. Wellman); She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (US, John Ford); The Window (US, Ted Tetzlaff); Champion (US, Mark Robson) (13) 

1950: SUNSET BLVD. (US, Billy Wilder) (2nd: Gun Crazy (US, Joseph H. Lewis), followed by: Rashomon (Japan, Akira Kurosawa); Winchester ’73 (US, Anthony Mann); The Asphalt Jungle (US, John Huston); In a Lonely Place (US, Nicholas Ray); All About Eve (US, Joseph L. Mankiewicz); La Ronde (France, Max Ophuls); Los Olvidados (Mexico, Luis Buñuel); Wagon Master (US, John Ford) (10) 

1951: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (US, Elia Kazan) (2nd: Strangers on a Train (US, Alfred Hitchcock), followed by: Ace in the Hole (US, Billy Wilder); A Place in the Sun (US, George Stevens); The African Queen (UK, John Huston); Early Summer (Japan, Yasujiro Ozu); The Tales of Hoffmann (UK, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger); An American in Paris (US, Vincente Minnelli); The Lavender Hill Mob (UK, Charles Crichton); Diary of a Country Priest (France, Robert Bresson); The Day the Earth Stood Still (US, Robert Wise); On Dangerous Ground (US, Nicholas Ray) (12)

1952: IKIRU (Japan, Akira Kurosawa) (2nd: Singin’ in the Rain (US, Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly), followed by: Umberto D (Italy, Vittorio De Sica); High Noon (US, Fred Zinnemann); The Quiet Man (US, John Ford); The Bad and the Beautiful (US, Vincente Minnelli); Forbidden Games (France, René Clair); Bend of the River (US, Anthony Mann); Limelight (UK, Charles Chaplin); The Life of Oharu (Japan, Kenji Mizoguchi) (10) 

1953: TOKYO STORY (Japan, Yasujiro Ozu) (2nd: The Naked Spur (US, Anthony Mann), followed by: Madame de… (France, Max Ophuls); I Vitelloni (Italy, Federico Fellini); Shane (US, George Stevens); Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (France, Jacques Tati); Gate of Hell (Japan, Teinosuke Kinugasa); The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T (US, Roy Rowland); The Big Heat (US, Fritz Lang); Summer With Monika (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); The Band Wagon (US, Vincente Minnelli); Ugetsu Monogatari (Japan, Kenji Mizoguchi); From Here to Eternity (US, Fred Zinnemann); The Wages of Fear (France, Henri-Georges Clouzot) (14) 

1954: REAR WINDOW (US, Alfred Hitchcock) (2nd: The Seven Samurai (Japan, Akira Kurosawa), followed by: On the Waterfront (US, Elia Kazan); La Strada (Italy, Federico Fellini); Salt of the Earth (US, Herbert J. Biberman); A Star is Born (US, George Cukor); Sansho The Baliff (Japan, Kenji Mizoguchi); Magnificent Obsession (US, Douglas Sirk); Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (US, Stanley Donen); Johnny Guitar (US, Nicholas Ray) (10) 


1955: THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (US, Charles Laughton) (2nd: Kiss Me, Deadly (US, Robert Aldrich), followed by: Pather Panchali (India, Satyajit Ray); East of Eden (US, Elia Kazan); Lola Montes (France, Max Ophuls); All That Heaven Allows (US, Douglas Sirk); Les Diaboliques (France, Henri-Georges Clouzot); Ordet (Denmark, Carl Th. Dreyer); Rififi (France, Jules Dassin); The Big Combo (US, Joseph H. Lewis); The Man from Laramie (US, Anthony Mann); Lady and the Tramp (Clyde Geromini, Wilfred Jackson and Walt Disney); The Ladykillers (UK, Alexander Mackendrick); Smiles of a Summer Night (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman) (14)  

1956: THE SEARCHERS (US, John Ford) (2nd: Giant (US, George Stevens), followed by: Bigger Than Life (US, Nicholas Ray); The Killing (US, Stanley Kubrick); The Wrong Man (US, Alfred Hitchcock); A Man Escaped (France, Robert Bresson); Aparajito (India, Satyajit Ray); Bob le Flambeur (France, Jean-Pierre Melville); The Silent World (France, Louis Malle and Jacques-Yves Cousteau); Baby Doll (US, Elia Kazan); There’s Always Tomorrow (US, Douglas Sirk); Early Spring (Japan, Yasujiro Ozu); Invasion of the Body Snatchers (US, Don Siegel) (13) 

1957: PATHS OF GLORY (US, Stanley Kubrick) (2nd: Wild Strawberries (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman), followed by: 12 Angry Men (US, Sidney Lumet); The Seventh Seal (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); Sweet Smell of Success (US, Alexander Mackendrick); Nights of Cabiria (Italy, Federico Fellini); A Face in the Crowd (US, Elia Kazan); Throne of Blood (Japan, Akira Kurosawa); Funny Face (US, Stanley Donen); The Cranes are Flying (USSR, Mikhail Kalatozov); On the Bowery (US, Lionel Rogosin); Kanal (Poland, Andrzej Wajda) (12) 

1958: TOUCH OF EVIL (US, Orson Welles) (2nd: Vertigo (US, Alfred Hitchcock), followed by: Ashes and Diamonds (Poland, Andrzej Wajda); Some Came Running (US, Vincente Minnelli); The Hidden Fortress (Japan, Akira Kurosawa); Mon Oncle (France, Jacques Tati); Auntie Mame (US, Morton da Costa); The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (Czechlosovakia, Karel Zeman); Terror in a Texas Town (US, Joseph H. Lewis); The Horse’s Mouth (UK, Ronald Neame); Big Deal on Madonna Street (Italy, Mario Monicelli) (11) 

1959: THE 400 BLOWS (France, François Truffaut) (2nd: Some Like it Hot (US, Billy Wilder), followed by: North by Northwest (US, Alfred Hitchcock); Rio Bravo (US, Howard Hawks); Anatomy of a Murder (US, Otto Preminger); Pickpocket (France, Robert Bresson); Pork Chop Hill (US, Lewis Milestone); Hiroshima, Mon Amour (France, Alain Resnais); The Diary of Anne Frank (US, George Stevens); Day of the Outlaw (US, André de Toth) (10) 

1960: PSYCHO (US, Alfred Hitchcock) (2nd: The Virgin Spring (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman), followed by: Breathless (France, Jean-Luc Godard); La Dolce Vita (Italy, Federico Fellini); Purple Noon (France/Italy, René Clément); Shoot the Piano Player (France, François Truffaut); L’Avventura (Italy, Michelangelo Antonioni); Primary (US, Robert Drew and Richard Leacock); Spartacus (US, Stanley Kubrick); Jigoku (Japan, Nobuko Nakagawa); Peeping Tom (UK, Michael Powell); Late Autumn (Japan, Yasujiro Ozu) (12) 

1961: WEST SIDE STORY (US, Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins) (2nd: The Innocents (UK, Jack Clayton), followed by: The Hustler (US, Robert Rossen); Through a Glass, Darkly (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); Yojimbo (Japan, Akira Kurosawa); Judgment at Nuremberg (US, Stanley Kramer); Divorce, Italian Style (Italy, Pietro Germi); Splendor in the Grass (US, Elia Kazan); The End of Summer (Japan, Yasujiro Ozu); One, Two, Three (US, Billy Wilder) (10) 
 
1962: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (UK, David Lean) (2nd: The Music Man (US, Morton Da Costa), followed by: Ride the High Country (US, Sam Peckinpah); The Exterminating Angel (Mexico, Luis Buñuel); To Kill a Mockingbird (US, Robert Mulligan); The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (US, John Ford); Sundays and Cybele (France, Serge Bourguignon); Knife in the Water (Poland, Roman Polanski); Harakiri (Japan, Masaki Kobayashi); David and Lisa (US, Frank Perry); The Manchurian Candidate (US, John Frankenheimer); Jules and Jim (France, François Truffaut) (12) 

1963: 8½ (Italy, Federico Fellini) (2nd: Hud (US, Martin Ritt), followed by: Contempt (France, Jean-Luc Godard); High and Low (Japan, Akira Kurosawa); The Leopard (Italy/US, Luchino Visconti); America, America (US, Elia Kazan); Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (US, Robert Drew); Winter Light (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); The Birds (US, Alfred Hitchcock); Shock Corridor (US, Samuel Fuller); The Haunting (US, Robert Wise) (11) 

1964: DR. STRANGELOVE, OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (US/UK, Stanley Kubrick) (2nd: A Hard Day’s Night (UK, Richard Lester), followed by: The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Italy, Pier Paolo Pasolini); The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (France, Jacques Demy); I Am Cuba (USSR/Cuba, Mikhail Kalatozov); Culloden (UK, Peter Watkins); Point of Order (US, Emile de Antonio); Woman in the Dunes (Japan, Hiroshi Teshigahara); Red Desert (Italy, Michelangelo Antonioni); Zulu (UK, Cy Endfield); Kwaidan (Japan, Masaki Kobayashi); Goldfinger (UK, Guy Hamilton) (12) 



1965: REPULSION (UK, Roman Polanski) (2nd: The Hill (US/UK, Sidney Lumet), followed by: The Knack, And How to Get It (UK, Richard Lester); The War Game (UK, Peter Watkins); Pierrot le Fou (France, Jean-Luc Godard); Chimes at Midnight (Spain/US, Orson Welles); Doctor Zhivago (US/UK, David Lean); War and Peace (USSR, Sergei Bondarchuk); Alphaville (France, Jean-Luc Godard); The Flight of the Phoenix (US, Robert Aldrich); The Loved One (UK, Tony Richardson); The Shop on Main Street (Czechoslovakia, Jan Kadar) (12) 


1966: WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (US, Mike Nichols) (2nd: Persona (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman), followed by: Blow Up (UK, Michelangelo Antonioni); A Man for All Seasons (UK, Fred Zinnemann); The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Italy, Sergio Leone); Au Hasard, Balthazar (France, Robert Bresson); Masculin Feminin (France/Sweden, Jean-Luc Godard); Closely Watched Trains (Czechoslovakia, Jiri Menzel); The Round Up (Hungary, Miklos Jancso); Seconds (US, John Frankenheimer); The Battle of Algiers (Italy/Algeria, Gillo Pontecorvo); Andrei Rublev (USSR, Andrei Tarkovsky); Cul de Sac (UK, Roman Polanski) (13) 

1967: THE GRADUATE (US, Mike Nichols) (2nd: Playtime (France, Jacques Tati), followed by: Bonnie and Clyde (US, Arthur Penn); Weekend (France, Jean-Luc Godard); In Cold Blood (US, Richard Brooks); Mouchette (France, Robert Bresson); Titicut Follies (US, Frederick Wiseman); Belle de Jour (France, Luis Buñuel); Point Blank (US, John Boorman); Bedazzled (UK, Stanley Donen); Cool Hand Luke (US, Stuart Rosenberg); Quatermass and the Pit (aka Five Million Years to Earth) (UK, Roy Ward Baker); Don’t Look Back (US, D.A. Pennebaker); Le Samourai (France, Jean-Pierre Melville); Two For The Road (UK, Stanley Donen) (15) 

1968: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (UK/US, Stanley Kubrick) (2nd: Once Upon a Time in the West (US/Italy, Sergio Leone), followed by: Oliver! (UK, Carol Reed); Targets (US, Peter Bogdanovich); Petulia (US, Richard Lester); The Color of Pomegranates (USSR, Sergei Paradjanov); Head (US, Bob Rafelson); Rosemary’s Baby (US, Roman Polanski); if… (UK, Lindsay Anderson); Yellow Submarine (UK, George Dunning); Monterey Pop (US, D.A. Pennebaker); Night of the Living Dead (US, George A. Romero); Shame (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); High School (US, Frederick Wiseman); Faces (US, John Cassavetes); Bullitt (US, Peter Yates) (16) 

1969: THE WILD BUNCH (US, Sam Peckinpah) (2nd: Midnight Cowboy (US, John Schlesinger), followed by: Z (Algeria/France, Constantin Costa-Gavras); Salesman (US, Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin); Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (US, George Roy Hill); The Honeymoon Killers (US, Leonard Kastle); Medium Cool (US, Haskell Wexler); The Sorrow and the Pity (France, Marcel Ophuls); They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (US, Sydney Pollack); This Man Must Die (France, Claude Chabrol); Kes (UK, Ken Loach); Fellini Satyricon (Italy, Federico Fellini) (12) 

1970: M*A*S*H (US, Robert Altman) (2nd: Five Easy Pieces (US, Bob Rafelson), followed by: Gimme Shelter (US, Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin); The Conformist (Italy, Bernardo Bertolucci); Claire’s Knee (France, Eric Rohmer); Ryan’s Daughter (US, David Lean); Patton (US, Franklin J. Schaffner); Woodstock (US, Michael Wadleigh); The Garden of the Finzi Continis (Italy, Vittorio de Sica); Husbands (US, John Cassavetes); Wanda (US, Barbara Loden); Deep End (UK, Jerzy Skolimowski) (12) 

1971: THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (US, Peter Bogdanovich) (2nd: A Clockwork Orange (UK, Stanley Kubrick), followed by: McCabe and Mrs. Miller (US, Robert Altman); Fiddler on the Roof (US, Norman Jewison); The French Connection (US, William Friedkin); Punishment Park (UK/US, Peter Watkins); Sunday, Bloody Sunday (UK, John Schlesinger); Two-Lane Blacktop (US, Monte Hellman); Carnal Knowledge (US, Mike Nichols); Macbeth (UK, Roman Polanski); Harold and Maude (US, Hal Ashby); The Beguiled (US, Don Siegel); Walkabout (Australia, Nicolas Roeg); Dirty Harry (US, Don Siegel); Klute (US, Alan J. Pakula) (15) 

1972: THE GODFATHER (US, Francis Ford Coppola) (2nd: Cabaret (US, Bob Fosse), followed by: Cries and Whispers (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); Deliverance (US, John Boorman); Aguirre, The Wrath of God (West Germany, Werner Herzog); Solaris (USSR, Andrei Tarkovsky); The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (France, Luis Buñuel); Images (Ireland/US, Robert Altman); What’s Up, Doc? (US, Peter Bogdanovich); The Candidate (US, Michael Ritchie); Last Tango in Paris (France, Bernardo Bertolucci) (11)

1973: AMERICAN GRAFFITI (US, George Lucas) (2nd: O Lucky Man! (UK, Lindsay Anderson), followed by: The Exorcist (US, William Friedkin); Scenes from a Marriage (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); Mean Streets (US, Martin Scorsese); Electra Glide in Blue (US, James William Guercio); Paper Moon (US, Peter Bogdanovich); Badlands (US, Terrence Malick); The Long Goodbye (US, Robert Altman); The Sting (US, George Roy Hill); Amarcord (Italy, Federico Fellini); Painters Painting (US, Emile de Antonio); The Mother and the Whore (France, Jean Eustache); The Spirit of the Beehive (Spain, Victor Erice) (14) 

1974: THE GODFATHER PART II (US, Francis Ford Coppola) (2nd: Chinatown (US, Roman Polanski), followed by: The Conversation (US, Francis Ford Coppola); A Woman Under the Influence (US, John Cassavetes); The Parallax View (US, Alan J. Pakula); The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (US, Tobe Hooper); Young Frankenstein (US, Mel Brooks); General Idi Amin Dada (France/Switzerland, Barbet Schroeder); Blazing Saddles (US, Mel Brooks); Céline and Julie Go Boating (France, Jacques Rivette); Edvard Munch (Norway/Sweden, Peter Watkins); The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (West Germany, Werner Herzog); Thieves Like Us (US, Robert Altman) (13) 

1975: NASHVILLE (US, Robert Altman) (2nd: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (US, Milos Forman), followed by: Seven Beauties (Italy, Lina Wertmuller); Dog Day Afternoon (US, Sidney Lumet); Barry Lyndon (UK, Stanley Kubrick); Jaws (US, Steven Spielberg); Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Belgium/France, Chantal Akerman); The Day of the Locust (US, John Schlesinger); Monty Python and the Holy Grail (UK, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam); Grey Gardens (US, Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer); Tommy (UK, Ken Russell); Picnic at Hanging Rock (Australia, Peter Weir) (12) 

1976: TAXI DRIVER (US, Martin Scorsese) (2nd: Network (US, Sidney Lumet), followed by: All the President’s Men (US, Alan J. Pakula); Rocky (US, John G. Avildsen); Bound for Glory (US, Hal Ashby); The Front (US, Martin Ritt); Small Change (France, François Truffaut); Bugsy Malone (UK, Alan Parker); Carrie (US, Brian de Palma); Harlan County, USA (US, Barbara Kopple); The Outlaw Josey Wales (US, Clint Eastwood); The Bad News Bears (US, Michael Richie) (12) 

1977: ANNIE HALL (US, Woody Allen) (2nd: Eraserhead (US, David Lynch), followed by: 3 Women (US, Robert Altman); Close Encounters of the Third Kind (US, Steven Spielberg); Star Wars (US, George Lucas); That Obscure Object of Desire (France/Spain, Luis Buñuel); Opening Night (US, John Cassavetes); Sorcerer (US, William Friedkin); The Late Show (US, Robert Benton); Abigail's Party (UK, Mike Leigh); Oh, God! (US, Carl Reiner); Padre Padrone (Italy, Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani); Killer of Sheep (US, Charles Burnett) (13) 


1978: THE DEER HUNTER (US, Michael Cimino) (2nd: The Last Waltz (US, Martin Scorsese), followed by: Days of Heaven (US, Terrence Malick); Interiors (US, Woody Allen); Straight Time (US, Ulu Grosbard); The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Italy, Ermanno Olmi); An Unmarried Woman (US, Paul Mazursky); Who’ll Stop The Rain (US, Karel Reisz); Blue Collar (US, Paul Schrader); Halloween (US, John Carpenter); Gates of Heaven (US, Errol Morris); The Silent Partner (Canada, Darryl Duke); Superman (US, Richard Donner) (13) 


1979: ALL THAT JAZZ (US, Bob Fosse) (2nd: Manhattan (US, Woody Allen), followed by: Apocalypse Now (US, Francis Ford Coppola); Tess (UK, Roman Polanski); Breaking Away (US, Peter Yates); The Tin Drum (West Germany, Volker Schlöndorff); Best Boy (US, Ira Wohl); Alien (US/UK, Ridley Scott); Kramer vs. Kramer (US, Robert Benton); A Little Romance (US/France, George Roy Hill); Oblomov (USSR, Nikita Mikhalkov); The Black Stallion (US, Carroll Ballard); Wise Blood (US, John Huston); Over the Edge (US, Jonathan Kaplan); Being There (US, Hal Ashby); Going in Style (US, Martin Brest); Hair (US, Milos Forman); The Onion Field (US, Harold Becker); Phantasm (US, Don Coscarelli) (19)


1980: RAGING BULL (US, Martin Scorsese) (2nd: Ordinary People (US, Robert Redford), followed by: The Shining (US/UK, Stanley Kubrick); Kagemusha (Japan, Akira Kurosawa); The Elephant Man (UK/US, David Lynch); The Long Riders (US, Walter Hill); Coal Miner’s Daughter (US, Michael Apted); The Empire Strikes Back (US, Irwin Kershner); One Trick Pony (US, Robert M. Young); The Stunt Man (US, Richard Rush); Heaven’s Gate (US, Michael Cimino); Altered States (US, Ken Russell); Fame (US, Alan Parker); Airplane! (US, Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and Jim Abrahams); Used Cars (US, Robert Zemeckis) (15) 

1981: REDS (US, Warren Beatty) (2nd: Das Boot (West Germany, Wolfgang Petersen), followed by: Prince of the City (US, Sidney Lumet); Raiders of the Lost Ark (US, Steven Spielberg); Pennies from Heaven (US, Herbert Ross); Cutter’s Way (US, Ivan Passer); Modern Romance (US, Albert Brooks); Gregory’s Girl (UK, Bill Forsyth); Pixote (Brazil, Hector Babenco); Gallipoli (Australia, Peter Weir); My Dinner With André (US, Louis Malle); Vernon, Florida (US, Erroll Morris); The Road Warrior (Australia, George Miller) (13) 

1982: FANNY AND ALEXANDER (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman) (2nd: Blade Runner (US, Ridley Scott), followed by: Chilly Scenes of Winter (US, Joan Micklin Silver); Sophie’s Choice (US, Alan J. Pakula); E.T. The Extraterrestrial (US, Steven Spielberg); Missing (US, Costa-Gavras); The Verdict (US, Sidney Lumet); Tootsie (US, Sydney Pollack); Shoot the Moon (US, Alan Parker); Diner (US, Barry Levinson); Burden of Dreams (US, Les Blank); The Night of the Shooting Stars (Italy, Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani); Koyaanisqatsi (US, Godfrey Reggio); The Thing (US, John Carpenter) (14) 

1983: LOCAL HERO (Scotland, Bill Forsyth) (2nd: The Right Stuff (US, Philip Kaufman), followed by: The King of Comedy (US, Martin Scorsese); Star 80 (US, Bob Fosse); Entre Nous (France, Diane Kurys); Zelig (US, Woody Allen); The Dresser (UK, Peter Yates); Silkwood (US, Mike Nichols); Terms of Endearment (US, James L. Brooks); Marvin and Tige (US, Eric Weston); The 4th Man (Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven); Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (UK, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam); Lianna (US, John Sayles) (13) 

1984: STOP MAKING SENSE (US, Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads) (2nd: This is Spinal Tap (US, Rob Reiner), followed by: The Killing Fields (UK, Roland Joffé); Broadway Danny Rose (US, Woody Allen); The Times of Harvey Milk (US, Robert Epstein); A Passage to India (UK, David Lean); Streetwise (US, Martin Bell); Blood Simple (US, Joel Coen); Stranger Than Paradise (US, Jim Jarmusch); Amadeus (US, Milos Forman); 28 Up (UK, Michael Apted); Threads (UK, Mick Jackson); Paris, Texas (West Germany/France/US, Wim Wenders); Love Streams (US, John Cassavetes); Once Upon a Time in America (US, Sergio Leone); The Terminator (US, James Cameron) (16) 

1985: RAN (Japan, Akira Kurosawa) (2nd: Brazil (UK, Terry Gilliam), followed by: The Purple Rose of Cairo (US, Woody Allen); After Hours (US, Martin Scorsese); Lost in America (US, Albert Brooks); Prizzi’s Honor (US, John Huston); My Life as a Dog (Sweden, Lasse Hallström); Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (US, Tim Burton); Shoah (France/UK, Claude Lanzmann); The Official Story (Argentina, Luis Puenza) (10) 

1986: BLUE VELVET (US, David Lynch) (2nd: Sherman’s March (US, Ross McElwee), followed by: Jean De Florette/Manon of the Spring (France, Claude Berri); The Green Ray (aka Summer) (France, Eric Rohmer); Round Midnight (US/France, Bertrand Tavernier); Hannah and Her Sisters (US, Woody Allen); Sid and Nancy (US, Alex Cox); The Sacrifice (Sweden/France, Andrei Tarkovsky); Aliens (US, James Cameron); The Color of Money (US, Martin Scorsese); The Mosquito Coast (US, Peter Weir); Something Wild (US, Jonathan Demme) (12)

1987: WINGS OF DESIRE (West Germany, Wim Wenders) (2nd: Matewan (US, John Sayles), followed by: The Dead (UK/Ireland, John Huston); Full Metal Jacket (US, Stanley Kubrick); Hope and Glory (UK, John Boorman); Broadcast News (US, James L. Brooks); Empire of the Sun (US, Steven Spielberg); Raising Arizona (US, Joel Coen); Radio Days (US, Woody Allen); Someone To Love (US, Henry Jaglom); Au Revoir, Les Enfants (France, Louis Malle) (11) 

1988: THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (US, Philip Kaufman) (2nd: The Last Temptation of Christ (US, Martin Scorsese), followed by: Cinema Paradiso (Italy, Giuseppe Tornatore); The Thin Blue Line (US, Errol Morris); Distant Voices, Still Lives (UK, Terence Davies); Tucker: The Man and His Dream (US, Francis Ford Coppola); Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie (France, Marcel Ophuls); The Vanishing (Netherlands/France, George Sluizer); Die Hard (US, John McTiernan); The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (US/UK, Terry Gilliam); High Hopes (UK, Mike Leigh); Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (US, Robert Zemeckis); Dead Ringers (Canada, David Cronenberg); Hairspray (US, John Waters) (14)

1989: DO THE RIGHT THING (US, Spike Lee) (2nd: Drugstore Cowboy (US, Gus Van Sant), followed by: Crimes and Misdemeanors (US, Woody Allen); Mystery Train (US, Jim Jarmusch); Henry V (UK, Kenneth Branagh); Sex, Lies and Videotape (US, Steven Soderbergh); Jesus of Montreal (Canada, Denys Arcand); The Seventh Continent (Austria, Michael Haneke); Field of Dreams (US, Phil Alden Robinson); The Abyss (US, James Cameron); For All Mankind (US, Al Reinert); My Left Foot (UK/Ireland, Jim Sheridan) (12)  

1990: GOODFELLAS (US, Martin Scorsese) (2nd: Europa Europa (Germany/France/Poland, Agnieszka Holland), followed by: Life is Sweet (UK, Mike Leigh); Miller’s Crossing (US, Joel Coen); Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (US/UK, James Ivory); The Grifters (US, Stephen Frears); American Dream (US, Barbara Kopple); The Reflecting Skin (Canada, Philip Ridley); Mindwalk (US, Bernt Capra); Men Don’t Leave (US, Paul Brickman); Quick Change (US, Howard Franklin and Bill Murray); Strangers in Good Company (Canada, Cynthia Scott) (12) 

1991: BARTON FINK (US, Joel Coen) (2nd: Raise the Red Lantern (China, Zhang Yimou), followed by: Defending Your Life (US, Albert Brooks); The Rapture (US, Michael Tolkin); The Double Life of Véronique (France/Poland, Krzysztof Kieslowski); Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (US, Fax Bahr, Eleanor Coppola and George Hickenlooper); Europa (aka Zentropa) (Germany/Denmark, Lars Von Trier); A Brighter Summer Day (Taiwan, Edward Yang); The Silence of the Lambs (US, Jonathan Demme); The Commitments (UK/Ireland, Alan Parker); Cape Fear (US, Martin Scorsese); Dogfight (US, Nancy Savoca); The Best Intentions (Sweden, Bille August); Beauty and the Beast (US, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise) (14) 

1992: UNFORGIVEN (US, Clint Eastwood) (2nd: Howards End (UK, James Ivory), followed by: The Long Day Closes (UK, Terence Davies); Glengarry Glen Ross (US, James Foley); Reservoir Dogs (US, Quentin Tarantino); The Crying Game (UK, Neil Jordan); Hard Boiled (Hong Kong, John Woo); A Midnight Clear (US, Keith Gordon); Brothers Keeper (US, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky); Bad Lieutenant (US, Abel Ferrara); Malcolm X (US, Spike Lee) (11) 

1993: SCHINDLER'S LIST (US, Steven Spielberg) (2nd: Time Indefinite (US, Ross McElwee), followed by: The Remains of the Day (UK, James Ivory); Three Colors: Blue (Poland/France, Krzysztof Kieslowski); The Age of Innocence (US, Martin Scorsese); Naked (UK, Mike Leigh); Short Cuts (US, Robert Altman); Dazed and Confused (US, Richard Linklater); Groundhog Day (US, Harold Ramis); Fearless (US, Peter Weir); Silverlake Life: The View From Here (US, Peter Friedman and Tom Joslin); King of the Hill (US, Steven Soderburgh) (12) 

1994: PULP FICTION (US, Quentin Tarantino) (2nd: Crumb (US, Terry Zwigoff), followed by: Ed Wood (US, Tim Burton); Three Colors: Red (France/Poland/Germany, Krzysztof Kieslowski); To Live (China, Zhang Yimou); Hoop Dreams (US, Steve James); Vanya on 42nd Street (US, Louis Malle); The Shawshank Redemption (US, Frank Darabont); Little Women (US, Gillian Armstrong); Natural Born Killers (US, Oliver Stone); Heavenly Creatures (New Zealand, Peter Jackson); Leon (aka The Professional) (US/France, Luc Besson) (12) 

1995: TOY STORY (US, John Lasseter) (2nd: Seven (US, David Fincher), followed by: Casino (US, Martin Scorsese); Babe (Australia, Chris Noonan); Heat (US, Michael Mann); La Cérémonie (France, Claude Chabrol); Safe (US, Todd Haynes); Leaving Las Vegas (US, Mike Figgis); Apollo 13 (US, Ron Howard); Richard III (UK, Richard Loncraine); A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (UK/US, Michael Henry Wilson and Martin Scorsese); Clueless (US, Amy Heckerling) (12) 


1996: BREAKING THE WAVES (Denmark/UK, Lars Von Trier) (2nd: Fargo (US, Joel Coen), followed by: Sling Blade (US, Billy Bob Thornton); Secrets and Lies (UK, Mike Leigh); Ponette (France, Jacques Doillon); Flirting With Disaster (US, David O. Russell); Citizen Ruth (US, Alexander Payne); Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (US, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky); Lone Star (US, John Sayles); Bottle Rocket (US, Wes Anderson); Trainspotting (UK, Danny Boyle) (11) 

1997: THE SWEET HEREAFTER (Canada, Atom Egoyan) (2nd: L.A. Confidential (US, Curtis Hanson), followed by: Jackie Brown (US, Quentin Tarantino); A Taste of Cherry (Iran, Abbas Kiarostami); Funny Games (Austria, Michael Haneke); The Ice Storm (US, Ang Lee); Starship Troopers (US, Paul Verhoeven); Mother and Son (Russia, Aleksandr Sokurov); Donnie Brasco (US, Mike Newell); Eve’s Bayou (US, Kasi Lemmons); The Apostle (US, Robert Duvall); Boogie Nights (US, Paul Thomas Anderson) (12) 

1998: THE THIN RED LINE (US, Terrence Malick) (2nd: Festen (aka The Celebration) (Denmark, Thomas Vinterberg), followed by: The Big Lebowski (US, Joel Coen); A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (UK/France, James Ivory); Saving Private Ryan (US, Steven Spielberg); Rushmore (US, Wes Anderson); A Simple Plan (US, Sam Raimi); Primary Colors (US, Mike Nichols); Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (US, Terry Gilliam); Out of Sight (US, Steven Soderbergh) (10) 

1999: MAGNOLIA (US, Paul Thomas Anderson) (2nd: Topsy Turvy (UK, Mike Leigh), followed by: The Insider (US, Michael Mann); Eyes Wide Shut (US, Stanley Kubrick); Election (US, Alexander Payne); The Iron Giant (US, Brad Bird); All About My Mother (Spain, Pedro Almodóvar); The Matrix (US, Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski); The Gods of Times Square (US, Richard Sandler); The Straight Story (US, David Lynch); Office Space (US, Mike Judge); Toy Story 2 (US, Ash Brannon and John Lasseter); American Movie (US, Chris Smith); The Talented Mr. Ripley (US, Anthony Minghella); Three Kings (US, David O. Russell); Fight Club (US, David Fincher); My Best Fiend (Germany, Werner Herzog) (17) 

2000: THE HOUSE OF MIRTH (UK, Terrence Davies) (2nd: You Can Count on Me (US, Kenneth Lonergan), followed by: In the Mood for Love (Hong Kong, Wong Kar-Wai); Requiem for a Dream (US, Darren Aronofsky); Dancer in the Dark (Denmark, Lars Von Trier); Amores Perros (Mexico, Aléjandro González Iñarritu); Traffic (US, Steven Soderbergh); A One and a Two (aka Yi-Yi) (Taiwan, Edward Yang); Memento (US, Christopher Nolan); O Brother, Where Art Thou? (US, Joel Coen) (10) 

2001: MULHOLLAND DR. (US, David Lynch) (2nd: Donnie Darko (US, Richard Kelly), followed by: Gosford Park (UK/US, Robert Altman); Moulin Rouge! (Australia/US, Baz Luhrmann); In the Bedroom (US, Todd Field); The Piano Teacher (France, Michael Haneke); Ghost World (US, Terry Zwigoff); Y Tu Mama También (Mexico, Alfonso Cuaron); Hedwig and the Angry Inch (US, John Cameron Mitchell); A.I. Artificial Intelligence (US, Steven Spielberg); Time Out (France, Laurent Cantet); The Royal Tenenbaums (US, Wes Anderson); Lantana (Australia, Ray Lawrence); Spirited Away (Japan, Hayao Miyazaki); Monsters Inc. (US, Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich, and David Silverman) (15) 

2002: FAR FROM HEAVEN (US, Todd Haynes) (2nd: Russian Ark (Russia/Germany, Aleksandr Sokurov), followed by: All or Nothing (UK, Mike Leigh); City of God (Brazil, Fernando Meirelles); Catch Me If You Can (US, Steven Spielberg); The Pianist (France/Poland/Germany/ UK, Roman Polanski); Chicago (US, Rob Marshall); Punch Drunk Love (US, Paul Thomas Anderson); 25th Hour (US, Spike Lee); Adaptation (US, Spike Jonze); To Be and To Have (France, Nicolas Philibert); In America (US, Jim Sheridan) (12) 

2003: LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF (US, Thom Andersen) (2nd: Elephant (US, Gus Van Sant), followed by: Lost in Translation (US, Sofia Coppola); All the Real Girls (US, David Gordon Green); Oldboy (South Korea, Park Chan-wook); Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (US, Peter Weir); Bad Santa (US, Terry Zwigoff); Capturing the Friedmans (US, Andrew Jarecki); The Brown Bunny (US, Vincent Gallo); Saraband (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman); The Triplets of Belleville (France, Sylvain Chomet); The Fog of War (US, Errol Morris) (12) 

2004: SIDEWAYS (US, Alexander Payne) (2nd: Vera Drake (UK, Mike Leigh), followed by: Nobody Knows (Japan, Hirokazu Kore-Eda); Million Dollar Baby (US, Clint Eastwood); Downfall (Germany, Oliver Hirschbiegel); Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (US, Michel Gondry); The Incredibles (US, Brad Bird); Napoleon Dynamite (US, Jared Hess); The Aviator (US, Martin Scorsese); Birth (US, Jonathan Glazer); Before Sunset (US, Richard Linklater) (11) 

2005: THE NEW WORLD (US, Terrence Malick) (2nd: Brokeback Mountain (US, Ang Lee), followed by: Caché (France, Michael Haneke); L’Enfant (Belgium/France, Jean-Luc Dardenne and Pierre Dardenne); Munich (US, Steven Spielberg); Grizzly Man (US, Werner Herzog and Timothy Treadwell); Capote (US, Bennett Miller); The Constant Gardener (UK, Fernando Meirelles); Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (UK, Michael Winterbottom); Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (US, Martin Scorsese); The Squid and the Whale (US, Noam Baumbach) (11) 

2006: UNITED 93 (US, Paul Greengrass) (2nd: The Fall (US/India, Tarsem Singh), followed by: Children of Men (US/UK, Alfonso Cuarón); The Lives of Others (Germany, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck); Old Joy (US, Kelly Reichardt); Little Children (US, Todd Field); Syndromes and a Century (Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul); Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (US, Larry Charles); This is England (UK, Shane Meadows); The Fountain (US, Darren Aronofsky); A Prairie Home Companion (US, Robert Altman); The Departed (US, Martin Scorsese) (12) 

2007: THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (US, Andrew Dominik) (2nd: There Will Be Blood (US, Paul Thomas Anderson), followed by: No Country for Old Men (US, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen); Zodiac (US, David Fincher); The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (US, Julian Schnabel); No End in Sight (US, Charles Ferguson); Grindhouse (US, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino); Encounters at the End of the World (US, Werner Herzog); State Legislature (US, Frederick Wiseman); Silent Light (Mexico, Carlos Reygadas); 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania, Cristian Mungiu) (11)   

2008: WENDY AND LUCY (US, Kelly Reichardt) (2nd: Synecdoche, New York (US, Charlie Kaufman), followed by: Let The Right One In (Sweden, Tomas Alfredson); Happy-Go-Lucky (UK, Mike Leigh); The Hurt Locker (US, Kathryn Bigelow); Still Walking (Japan, Hirokazu Kore-Eda); In Bruges (UK, Martin McDonagh); The Beaches of Agnès (France, Agnès Varda); WALL-E (US, Andrew Stanton); Somers Town (UK, Shane Meadows); The Wrestler (US, Darren Aronofsky); Hunger (UK, Steve McQueen) (12) 

2009: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (US, Quentin Tarantino) (2nd: A Prophet (France, Jacques Audiard), followed by: Bright Star (Australia, Jane Campion); A Serious Man (US, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen); Fantastic Mr. Fox (US, Wes Anderson); Enter the Void (France, Gaspar Noé); The White Ribbon (Germany/France, Michael Haneke); Big Fan (US, Robert Siegel); Antichrist (Denmark, Lars Von Trier); Fish Tank (UK, Andrea Arnold); Collapse (US, Chris Smith) (11) 

2010: THE SOCIAL NETWORK (US, David Fincher) (2nd: Greenberg (US, Noah Baumbach), followed by: Another Year (UK, Mike Leigh); Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul); Inside Job (US, Charles Ferguson); The King’s Speech (US/UK, Tom Hooper); Inception (US, Christopher Nolan); Tiny Furniture (US, Lena Dunham); Tuesday, After Christmas (Romania, Radu Muntean); Marwencol (US, Jeff Malmberg); Of Gods and Men (France, Xavier Beauvois); Boxing Gym (US, Frederick Wiseman) (12) 

2011: THE TREE OF LIFE (US, Terrence Malick) (2nd: Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan), followed by: A Separation (Iran, Asghar Farhadi); Melancholia (Denmark, Lars Von Trier); Moneyball (US, Bennett Miller); Margaret (US, Kenneth Lonergan); General Orders No. 9 (US, Robert Persons); The Artist (France, Michel Hazanavicius); Oslo, 31st August (Norway, Joachim Trier); Footnote (Israel, Joseph Cedar); We Need to Talk About Kevin (UK/US, Lynne Ramsay); Take This Waltz (Canada, Sarah Polley) (12) 

2012: THE MASTER (US, Paul Thomas Anderson) (2nd: Searching for Sugar Man (Sweden/UK, Malik Bendjelloul), followed by: Amour (France, Michael Haneke); Zero Dark Thirty (US, Kathryn Bigelow); Compliance (US, Craig Zobel); Neighboring Sounds (Brazil, Kleber Mendonça Filho); Araf (aka Somewhere in Between) (Turkey, Yesim Ustaoglu); No (Spain, Pablo Larrain); Frances Ha (US, Noah Baumbach); Holy Motors (France, Leos Carax) (10) 

2013: 12 YEARS A SLAVE (US, Steve McQueen) (2nd: Her (US, Spike Jonze), followed by: Blue is the Warmest Color (France/Belgium/Spain, Abdellatif Kechiche); The Congress (Israel/Germany/France, Ari Folman); Computer Chess (US, Andrew Bujalski); The Wolf of Wall Street (US, Martin Scorsese); Gravity (US, Alfonso Cuarón); The Selfish Giant (UK, Clio Barnard); Under the Skin (US, Jonathan Glazer); Inside Llewyn Davis (US, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen); Gloria (Chile, Sebastian Lelio); Nebraska (US, Alexander Payne) (12) 

2014: BOYHOOD (US, Richard Linklater) (2nd: Wild Tales (Argentina, Damián Szifron), followed by: Birdman, or: The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance (US, Alejandro Inarritu); Inherent Vice (US, Paul Thomas Anderson); We Are the Best! (Sweden, Lukas Moodysson); A Chair Fit for an Angel (Finland/Canada, Raymond St. Jean); Whiplash (US, Damien Chazelle); Force Majeure (Sweden, Reuben Ostland); National Gallery (US, Frederick Wiseman); Leviathan (Russia, Andrey Zvyagintsev); Two Days, One Night (Belgium, Jean Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne) (11) 

2015: INSIDE OUT (US, Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen) (2nd: 45 Years (UK, Andrew Haigh), followed by: Creed (US, Ryan Coogler); Amy (UK/US, Asif Kapadia); The Revenant (US, Alejandro G. Inarritu); Anomalisa (US, Charles Kaufman and Duke Johnson); Chi-Raq (US, Spike Lee); James White (US, Josh Mond); The End of the Tour (US, James Ponsoldt); In Jackson Heights (US, Frederick Wiseman); Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (Israel, Shlomi Elkabetz and Ronit Elkabetz) (11) 

2016: LA LA LAND (US, Damien Chazelle) (2nd: Manchester by the Sea (US, Kenneth Lonergan), followed by: Paterson (US, Jim Jarmusch); Indignation (US, James Schamus); Love and Friendship (Ireland/France/Netherlands, Whit Stillman); 20th Century Women (US, Mike Mills);  I, Daniel Blake (UK, Ken Loach); Little Men (US, Ira Sachs); Southside With You (US, Richard Tanne); Christine (US, Antonio Campos)) (11) 


2017: mother! (US, Darren Aronofsky) (2nd: Dunkirk (US/UK, Christopher Nolan), followed by: Phantom Thread (US/UK, Paul Thomas Anderson); Lady Bird (US, Greta Gerwig); The Florida Project (US, Sean Baker); Graduation (Romania, Cristian Mungiu); Maudie (Ireland/Canada, Aisling Walsh); Brawl in Cell Block 99 (US, S. Craig Zahler)) (8)

1050 TOTAL

IN NUMBERS ONLY:

1979--19--BEST EVER
1999--17--SECOND BEST 
1968--16--THIRD BEST 1
1984--16--THIRD BEST 2
1939--15--FOURTH BEST 1
1967--15--FOURTH BEST 2
1971--15--FOURTH BEST 3
1980--15--FOURTH BEST 4
2001--15--FOURTH BEST 5
1942--14
1948--14
1953--14
1955--14
1973--14
1982--14
1988--14
1991--14
1941--13
1946--13
1949--13
1956--13
1966--13
1974--13
1977--13
1978--13
1981--13
1983--13
2015--13