15 Great Current Directors’ Top 10 Criterion Film Lists

If you are a big Criterion fan as I am,you know there is a section on their site called “Top 10 Lists”,it is a selection of lists made by directors,actors,screenwriters,film critics and even pop icons.This list roundup,like the famous “Sight&Sound” directors’ top 100 film poll,displays some of the greatest living directors’ top 10 Criterion films,most of the directors have their films in the collection,and most of them wrote long testimonials for his favorite Criterion titles,as you can see,some of them don’t include exact 10 films,but who cares? The more,the better,right?

These lists worth a dig for several reasons:

1.For those art film fans who would like to get themselves familiarize with Criterion’s arsenal in a quick way,you can’t find a better way to start.

2.For those fans who only care certain directors’ selections,you would be satisfied because those directors are not on the ”Sight&Sound” poll lists.

3.For cinephiles who likes to do research on directors’ influence on each other,here is a great chance for you to do so,you can certainly find something you want here.

4.For those bloggers who likes making lists,there is no better place than here to learn how to write capsule reviews of films you liked(I will only link to those lists which has capsule reviews).

No matter which group you are in,I hope these lists would be useful to you and have fun digging!

 

Wes Anderson’s Top 10

1. The Earrings of Madame de . . .
2. Au hasard Balthazar
3. Pigs and Battleships
(tie) The Insect Woman
(tie) Intentions of Murder
4. The Taking of Power by Louis XIV
5. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
6. The Friends of Eddie Coyle
7. Classe tous risques
8. L’enfance nue
9. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
10. The Exterminating Angel

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Jane Campion’s Top 10

1. Seven Samurai
2. The Night Porter
3. The Firemen’s Ball
4. That Obscure Object of Desire
5. Contempt
6. Tokyo Story
7. La strada
8. Scenes from a Marriage
9. Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Pedro Costa’s Top 10

1. The River
2. Playtime
3. Late Spring
4. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
5. The Exterminating Angel
6. Heaven Can Wait
7. Notorious
8. Young Mr. Lincoln
9. Vampyr
10. Diary of a Country Priest

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Guillermo del Toro’s Top 10

1. Throne of Blood
(tie) High and Low
2. The Seventh Seal
(tie) Fanny and Alexander — The Theatrical Version
3. Beauty and the Beast
(tie) Eyes Without a Face
4. Great Expectations
(tie) Oliver Twist
5. Time Bandits
(tie) Brazil
6. Onibaba
(tie) Kuroneko
7. Spartacus
(tie) Paths of Glory
8. Sullivan’s Travels
(tie) Unfaithfully Yours
9. Vampyr
(tie) Häxan
10. The Spirit of the Beehive
(tie) The Night of the Hunter

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Xavier Dolan’s Top 10

1. Pierrot le fou
2. Cries and Whispers
3. Forbidden Games
4. The 400 Blows
5. Taste of Cherry
6. The Cranes Are Flying
7. Au revoir les enfants
8. Beauty and the Beast
9. Mala Noche
10. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

William Friedkin’s Top 10

1. The Night of the Hunter
2. Night and Fog
3. Last Year at Marienbad
4. Diabolique
5. Ordet
6. The Red Shoes
7. Paths of Glory
8. Le Samouraï
9. Vengeance Is Mine
10. Belle de jour

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Aki Kaurismäki’s Top 10

1. Casque d’or
(tie) Au hasard Balthazar
2. Tokyo Story
(tie) Late Spring
(tie) An Autumn Afternoon
3. Ikiru
(tie) Red Beard
4. Written on the Wind
(tie) Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
5. Shadows
(tie) Faces
(tie) A Woman Under the Influence
(tie) The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
(tie) Opening Night
6. À propos de Nice
(tie) Zéro de conduite
(tie) L’Atalante
(tie) Nanook of the North
7. 49th Parallel
(tie) The Small Back Room
8. Army of Shadows
(tie) Le deuxième souffle
9. Port of Shadows
(tie) Bicycle Thieves
10. The Night of the Hunter
(tie) Ace in the Hole
(tie) Simon of the Desert
(tie) Jimi Plays Monterey & Shake! Otis at Monterey
11. This Is Spinal Tap

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Richard Linklater’s Top 10

1. Andrei Rublev
2. Au hasard Balthazar
3. The Flowers of St. Francis
4. Day of Wrath
5. Tokyo Story
6. The Last Temptation of Christ
7. Unfaithfully Yours
8. Fanny and Alexander — The Television Version
9. Pickpocket
10. I Know Where I’m Going!

 

Guy Maddin’s Top 10

1. Forbidden Games
2. Day of Wrath
3. Umberto D.
4. Grey Gardens
5. Pandora’s Box
6. I vitelloni
7. Ivan the Terrible, Part II
8. Black Narcissus
9. Written on the Wind
10. Häxan

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Nicolas Winding Refn’s Top 10

1. Tokyo Drifter
2. The Battle of Algiers
3. Vampyr
4. The Night of the Hunter
5. Videodrome
6. Flesh for Frankenstein
7. Sweet Smell of Success
8. My Life as a Dog
9. Beauty and the Beast
10. Branded to Kill

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Nicolas Roeg’s Top 10

1. L’avventura
2. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Wild Strawberries
5. 8½
6. Children of Paradise
7. Schizopolis
8. Contempt
9. Straw Dogs
10. The Leopard

Paul Schrader’s Top 10

1. The Spirit of the Beehive
2. Wings
3. Death of a Cyclist
4. The Face of Another
5. The Furies
6. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
7. Mala Noche
8. Berlin Alexanderplatz
9. Hands over the City
10. Street of Shame

 

Whit Stillman’s Top 10

1. The 400 Blows
2. The Lady Vanishes
3. The Harder They Come
4. The Seventh Seal
5. The Lady Eve
6. Big Deal on Madonna Street
7. My Man Godfrey
8. Black Orpheus
9. Notorious
10. Children of Paradise

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Johnnie To’s Top 10

1. Seven Samurai
2. High and Low
3. Straw Dogs
4. Harakiri
5. Le Samouraï
6. Le cercle rouge
7. In the Mood for Love
8. Brazil
9. The Last Emperor
10. Yojimbo

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

Edgar Wright’s Top 10

1. Blow Out
2. Brazil
3. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
4. Eyes Without a Face
5. Head
6. Peeping Tom
7. Rushmore
8. Le Samouraï
9. This Is Spinal Tap
10. Walkabout
11. Two-Lane Blacktop

Read full lists with capsule reviews

 

It’s Your Turn

OK,the fun part is over,here are some questions for discussions,whose list made you say something like:

1.WOW,this director chooses some of my favorite films.

2.Um,it’s the type of the films he/she would like.

3.What?? He/She makes these selections?? Maybe I don’t know him/her too well.

4.This director has such great taste/writes so well,I would like to check out more of his/her films!

Or maybe you’d like to make a top 10 Criterion film list of your own here?

 

Check out another great list roundup titled “Director’s Choice:19 Great Directors’ Top 10 Favorite Films“