Lee Marshall
Critic, Screen International
UK/Italy
Voted for
| Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| L'Atalante | 1934 | Jean Vigo |
| Badlands | 1973 | Terrence Malick |
| Beau travail | 1998 | Claire Denis |
| La ciénaga | 2001 | Lucrecia Martel |
| Cléo from 5 to 7 | 1962 | Agnès Varda |
| His Girl Friday | 1939 | Howard Hawks |
| Innocence | 2004 | Lucile Hadzihalilovic |
| Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles | 1975 | Chantal Akerman |
| The Night of the Hunter | 1955 | Charles Laughton |
| Wild Strawberries | 1957 | Ingmar Bergman |
Comments
As soon as I set my ten down, I think of others. Plus I can never decide if picking the greatest ten films of all time is the same as picking my ten favourite films. Last time I was shocked to realise, when the poll came out, that all my choices were by male directors. This time, I’ve included five women’s films I love. Call it positive discrimination, call it taking the time to consider how wonderful they are.
Do all these films have something in common? I think so. Like all the greatest movies, they slip the moorings that tie them to Reality Wharf and drift into another world. Even that most ‘realist’ of films, Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman does this… by making mundanity strange and unsettling.