Philip Berk
HFPA president, LA Jewish Times film critic
USA
Voted for
| Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Citizen Kane | 1941 | Orson Welles |
| Army of Shadows | 1969 | Jean-Pierre Melville |
| Casablanca | 1942 | Michael Curtiz |
| Sunset Blvd. | 1950 | Billy Wilder |
| The Magnificent Ambersons | 1942 | Orson Welles |
| Amarcord | 1972 | Federico Fellini |
| Red River | 1947 | Howard Hawks |
| The Red Shoes | 1948 | Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger |
| The Shop around the Corner | 1940 | Ernst Lubitsch |
| The Third Man | 1949 | Carol Reed |
Comments
Citizen Kane
1941 USA
The most influential film in history.
Army of Shadows
1969 France, Italy
The best of his great movies.
Casablanca
1942 USA
The most famous film from the most underrated hollywood director. No one orchestrated action like Curtis.
Sunset Blvd.
1950 USA
His most perfect movie.
The Magnificent Ambersons
1942 USA
Survives repeated viewing, a magical experience.
Amarcord
1972 Italy, France
Another magical experience.
Red River
1947 USA
The greatest western of all time.
The Red Shoes
1948 United Kingdom
Sublime filmmaking; indestructible.
The Shop around the Corner
1940 USA
The most shamelessly romantic movie of all time.
The Third Man
1949 United Kingdom
Perfection - the best of British cinema.
Further remarks
It surprises me to note that all those films except for the two foreign titles were made in the 1940s.
Not much has changed in the past ten years.