TSPDT Poll: 1,005 Film Favourites
(As voted by 1,983 film buffs)
(As voted by 1,983 film buffs)
August 3, 2021
Thank you to everyone who participated and correctly submitted their ballots of 25 favourite films. In the end, that ended up being 1,983 of us. Overall, I was really impressed by the passion and knowledge for cinema that was evidenced in many of your responses. Also, from a personal perspective, thank you for bringing to my attention many films that I had never previously crossed paths with.
A top 1,005 films listing was derived, encompassing all the films that registered nine votes or more.
I really enjoyed putting this together, and I was genuinely intrigued by some of the films selected, as much by those that received one vote, as with some of those that received many votes. The top 1,005, in the end, is an eclectic amalgamation of mainstream, cult, arthouse, and classic cinema. It, of course, houses many of the usual suspects, but it is also populated by a sturdy number of curiosities. I think this list makes a worthwhile, crowd-pleasing companion to the 1,000 Greatest Films and 21st Century lists, and I'm sure you will be adding many of the films included to your watch lists.
A total of 5,945 individual titles were selected, and they can all be viewed here (EXCEL spreadsheet).
1,005 Film Favourites… Brief Analysis…
Directors with Six or More Films
15 – Martin Scorsese
12 – Alfred Hitchcock
11 – Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa
10 – Jean-Luc Godard, David Lynch, Steven Spielberg
9 – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, John Ford, Hayao Miyazaki
8 – Robert Bresson, Stanley Kubrick, Yasujiro Ozu, Quentin Tarantino, Orson Welles
7 – Paul Thomas Anderson, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Abbas Kiarostami, Terrence Malick, Tsai Ming-liang
6 – Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Michelangelo Antonioni, Luis Buñuel, John Carpenter, John Cassavetes, Charles Chaplin, Brian De Palma, Richard Linklater, Christopher Nolan, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, Andrei Tarkovsky, Lars von Trier, Billy Wilder, Wong Kar-wai
Ten Highest Ranked Films in the 1,000 Greatest Films List That Are Not in the 1,005 Film Favourites List.
L’Âge d'or (1930, Luis Buñuel) #135 in the 1,000 Greatest Films list
Un Chien andalou (1928, Luis Buñuel) #141
Earth (1930, Alexander Dovzhenko) #170
Paisan (1946, Roberto Rossellini) #199
Black God, White Devil (1964, Glauber Rocha) #207
Red River (1948, Howard Hawks) #211
Nanook of the North (1922, Robert Flaherty) #235
Zero for the Conduct (1933, Jean Vigo) #238
Germany, Year Zero (1948, Roberto Rossellini) #240
Two or Three Things I Know About Her (1966, Jean-Luc Godard) #250
Ten Highest Ranked Films in the 21st Century’s Most Acclaimed Films List That Are Not in the 1,005 Film Favourites List.
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Cristi Puiu) #35
Russian Ark (2002, Aleksandr Sokurov) #37
A History of Violence (2005, David Cronenberg) #41
The Hurt Locker (2008, Kathryn Bigelow) #47
Tabu (2012, Miguel Gomes) #65
The Son (2002, Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne) #72
A Prophet (2009, Jacques Audiard) #74
Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Patricio Guzmán) #76
The Headless Woman (2008, Lucrecia Martel) #77
Million Dollar Baby (2004, Clint Eastwood) #78
Ten Lowest Ranked Films (or films not ranked at all) in the 1,000 Greatest Films List That Are in the 1,005 Film Favourites List.
Angel's Egg (1985, Mamoru Oshii) no ranking
His Motorbike, Her Island (1986, Nobuhiko Obayashi) no ranking
First Cow (2019, Kelly Reichardt) no ranking
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020, Charlie Kaufman) no ranking
Asako I & II (2018, Ryusuke Hamaguchi) no ranking
Little Women (2019, Greta Gerwig) #19,470
Song to Song (2017, Terrence Malick) #14,080
Sparrow (2008, Johnnie To) #13,099
Nostos: The Return (1989, Franco Piavoli) #12,817
Clue (1985, Jonathan Lynn) #10,902
Ten Lowest Ranked 21st Century Films in the 21st Century’s Most Acclaimed Films List That Are in the 1,005 Film Favourites List.
Freddy Got Fingered (2001, Tom Green) #3,243
Sparrow (2008, Johnnie To) #3,013
Throw Down (2004, Johnnie To) #2,630
Asako I & II (2018, Ryusuke Hamaguchi) #2,134
Love Exposure (2008, Sion Sono) #2,079
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas) #2,041
Song to Song (2017, Terrence Malick) #2,027
Halloween II (2001, Rob Zombie) #2,001
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012, Paul W.S. Anderson) #1,964
Kaili Blues (2015, Bi Gan) #1,851
Number of Films in the 1,005 Film Favourites List that are also in the 1,000 Greatest Films List = 669
Number of Films in the 1,005 Film Favourites List that are also in the 21st Century’s Most Acclaimed Films List = 245
Films by Leading Production Country
478 – USA
118 – France
76 – Japan
54 – UK
43 – Italy
29 – Germany/West Germany
22 – Taiwan
20 – USSR/Russia
16 – Hong Kong, Sweden
13 – Denmark
10 – Canada, China, South Korea
9 – Spain
8 – Iran, Poland
6 – Australia, Mexico
5 – India, New Zealand
4 – Austria, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Thailand
3 – Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Hungary
2 – Brazil, Ireland, Senegal, Turkey
1 – Colombia, Cuba, Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, Yugoslavia
Films by Decade
1910s – 2
1920s – 24
1930s – 36
1940s – 57
1950s – 83
1960s – 125
1970s – 132
1980s – 125
1990s – 154
2000s – 138
2010s – 128
2020s – 1
Leading Years
20 – 2001, 2004
19 – 1973, 1997, 1999, 2000
18 – 1975, 1995
17 – 1964
16 – 1967, 1974, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1994
Leading 25 Directors (Total Votes)
1,476 votes - Stanley Kubrick
1,086 - Alfred Hitchcock
978 - Francis Ford Coppola
975 - Martin Scorsese
929.7 - David Lynch
853 - Ingmar Bergman
804 - Akira Kurosawa
737 - Andrei Tarkovsky
623 - Paul Thomas Anderson
594 - Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
573 - Wong Kar-wai
558 - Billy Wilder
535 - Orson Welles
504 - Federico Fellini
493.5 - Quentin Tarantino
480 - Terrence Malick
466 - Steven Spielberg
450.8 - Jean-Luc Godard
450 - Yasujiro Ozu
448 - Sergio Leone
426 - Hayao Miyazaki
419 - Edward Yang
411 - Ridley Scott
386 - Carl Theodor Dreyer
358 - Charles Chaplin
OK then, listed below in descending ranking order, are the 1,005 Film Favourites (as voted by 1,983 film buffs).
I can't be stuffed scrolling, show me number one.
Thank you to everyone who participated and correctly submitted their ballots of 25 favourite films. In the end, that ended up being 1,983 of us. Overall, I was really impressed by the passion and knowledge for cinema that was evidenced in many of your responses. Also, from a personal perspective, thank you for bringing to my attention many films that I had never previously crossed paths with.
A top 1,005 films listing was derived, encompassing all the films that registered nine votes or more.
I really enjoyed putting this together, and I was genuinely intrigued by some of the films selected, as much by those that received one vote, as with some of those that received many votes. The top 1,005, in the end, is an eclectic amalgamation of mainstream, cult, arthouse, and classic cinema. It, of course, houses many of the usual suspects, but it is also populated by a sturdy number of curiosities. I think this list makes a worthwhile, crowd-pleasing companion to the 1,000 Greatest Films and 21st Century lists, and I'm sure you will be adding many of the films included to your watch lists.
A total of 5,945 individual titles were selected, and they can all be viewed here (EXCEL spreadsheet).
1,005 Film Favourites… Brief Analysis…
Directors with Six or More Films
15 – Martin Scorsese
12 – Alfred Hitchcock
11 – Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa
10 – Jean-Luc Godard, David Lynch, Steven Spielberg
9 – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, John Ford, Hayao Miyazaki
8 – Robert Bresson, Stanley Kubrick, Yasujiro Ozu, Quentin Tarantino, Orson Welles
7 – Paul Thomas Anderson, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Abbas Kiarostami, Terrence Malick, Tsai Ming-liang
6 – Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Michelangelo Antonioni, Luis Buñuel, John Carpenter, John Cassavetes, Charles Chaplin, Brian De Palma, Richard Linklater, Christopher Nolan, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, Andrei Tarkovsky, Lars von Trier, Billy Wilder, Wong Kar-wai
Ten Highest Ranked Films in the 1,000 Greatest Films List That Are Not in the 1,005 Film Favourites List.
L’Âge d'or (1930, Luis Buñuel) #135 in the 1,000 Greatest Films list
Un Chien andalou (1928, Luis Buñuel) #141
Earth (1930, Alexander Dovzhenko) #170
Paisan (1946, Roberto Rossellini) #199
Black God, White Devil (1964, Glauber Rocha) #207
Red River (1948, Howard Hawks) #211
Nanook of the North (1922, Robert Flaherty) #235
Zero for the Conduct (1933, Jean Vigo) #238
Germany, Year Zero (1948, Roberto Rossellini) #240
Two or Three Things I Know About Her (1966, Jean-Luc Godard) #250
Ten Highest Ranked Films in the 21st Century’s Most Acclaimed Films List That Are Not in the 1,005 Film Favourites List.
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Cristi Puiu) #35
Russian Ark (2002, Aleksandr Sokurov) #37
A History of Violence (2005, David Cronenberg) #41
The Hurt Locker (2008, Kathryn Bigelow) #47
Tabu (2012, Miguel Gomes) #65
The Son (2002, Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne) #72
A Prophet (2009, Jacques Audiard) #74
Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Patricio Guzmán) #76
The Headless Woman (2008, Lucrecia Martel) #77
Million Dollar Baby (2004, Clint Eastwood) #78
Ten Lowest Ranked Films (or films not ranked at all) in the 1,000 Greatest Films List That Are in the 1,005 Film Favourites List.
Angel's Egg (1985, Mamoru Oshii) no ranking
His Motorbike, Her Island (1986, Nobuhiko Obayashi) no ranking
First Cow (2019, Kelly Reichardt) no ranking
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020, Charlie Kaufman) no ranking
Asako I & II (2018, Ryusuke Hamaguchi) no ranking
Little Women (2019, Greta Gerwig) #19,470
Song to Song (2017, Terrence Malick) #14,080
Sparrow (2008, Johnnie To) #13,099
Nostos: The Return (1989, Franco Piavoli) #12,817
Clue (1985, Jonathan Lynn) #10,902
Ten Lowest Ranked 21st Century Films in the 21st Century’s Most Acclaimed Films List That Are in the 1,005 Film Favourites List.
Freddy Got Fingered (2001, Tom Green) #3,243
Sparrow (2008, Johnnie To) #3,013
Throw Down (2004, Johnnie To) #2,630
Asako I & II (2018, Ryusuke Hamaguchi) #2,134
Love Exposure (2008, Sion Sono) #2,079
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas) #2,041
Song to Song (2017, Terrence Malick) #2,027
Halloween II (2001, Rob Zombie) #2,001
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012, Paul W.S. Anderson) #1,964
Kaili Blues (2015, Bi Gan) #1,851
Number of Films in the 1,005 Film Favourites List that are also in the 1,000 Greatest Films List = 669
Number of Films in the 1,005 Film Favourites List that are also in the 21st Century’s Most Acclaimed Films List = 245
Films by Leading Production Country
478 – USA
118 – France
76 – Japan
54 – UK
43 – Italy
29 – Germany/West Germany
22 – Taiwan
20 – USSR/Russia
16 – Hong Kong, Sweden
13 – Denmark
10 – Canada, China, South Korea
9 – Spain
8 – Iran, Poland
6 – Australia, Mexico
5 – India, New Zealand
4 – Austria, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Thailand
3 – Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Hungary
2 – Brazil, Ireland, Senegal, Turkey
1 – Colombia, Cuba, Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, Yugoslavia
Films by Decade
1910s – 2
1920s – 24
1930s – 36
1940s – 57
1950s – 83
1960s – 125
1970s – 132
1980s – 125
1990s – 154
2000s – 138
2010s – 128
2020s – 1
Leading Years
20 – 2001, 2004
19 – 1973, 1997, 1999, 2000
18 – 1975, 1995
17 – 1964
16 – 1967, 1974, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1994
Leading 25 Directors (Total Votes)
1,476 votes - Stanley Kubrick
1,086 - Alfred Hitchcock
978 - Francis Ford Coppola
975 - Martin Scorsese
929.7 - David Lynch
853 - Ingmar Bergman
804 - Akira Kurosawa
737 - Andrei Tarkovsky
623 - Paul Thomas Anderson
594 - Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
573 - Wong Kar-wai
558 - Billy Wilder
535 - Orson Welles
504 - Federico Fellini
493.5 - Quentin Tarantino
480 - Terrence Malick
466 - Steven Spielberg
450.8 - Jean-Luc Godard
450 - Yasujiro Ozu
448 - Sergio Leone
426 - Hayao Miyazaki
419 - Edward Yang
411 - Ridley Scott
386 - Carl Theodor Dreyer
358 - Charles Chaplin
OK then, listed below in descending ranking order, are the 1,005 Film Favourites (as voted by 1,983 film buffs).
I can't be stuffed scrolling, show me number one.
TSPDT Poll: 1,005 Film Favourites… Full List…
Vote-Splitting… Please note that if a film trilogy or multiple films were chosen in one position on a ballot, the one vote for that film selection was split. For example, if a voter selected The Godfather Parts I & II in one position on their ballot, then each Godfather film received 0.5 votes. Similarly, if the Apu Trilogy was chosen in one position on a ballot, each film was awarded 0.33 votes each. The bottom line is that each ballot tallied up to a maximum of 25 votes, with strictly one vote for each of the 25 positions on the ballot.
Note… The above referenced Greatest Films and 21st Century rankings are from the 2021 editions of these lists, the same year as this poll.