James Gray


Voted for

FilmYearDirector
2001: A Space Odyssey1968Stanley Kubrick
Citizen Kane1941Orson Welles
The Godfather1972Francis Ford Coppola
1963Federico Fellini
The Leopard1963Luchino Visconti
Ordet1955Carl Th. Dreyer
Playtime1967Jacques Tati
Raging Bull1980Martin Scorsese
Tokyo Story1953Yasujirō Ozu
Vertigo1958Alfred Hitchcock

Comments

2001: A Space Odyssey

1968 USA, United Kingdom

A myth of the gods--unlike anything else, avant-garde yet narrative.

Citizen Kane

1941 USA

Fully deserving, despite its ubiquity on these lists. Think of the image of the emotionally broken Kane, walking down the mirrored hallway, his image reflected multiple times into infinity—his identity forever elusive.

The Godfather

1972 USA

Unparalleled narrative force and the greatest character arc in movie history.

1963 Italy, France

As close as we can get to stepping inside the consciousness of another human being.

The Leopard

1963 Italy, France

The ephemerality of life.

Ordet

1955 Denmark

Pure transcendence.

Playtime

1967 France

An epic vision of the modern world, absurd yet loving.

Raging Bull

1980 USA

A man’s soul on display: raw, honest, at war with itself.

Tokyo Story

1953 Japan

Astonishingly humane, compassionate—and above all, tender.

Vertigo

1958 USA

The absolute ultimate film on the subject of desire.