Major props to Paul Schrader for calling it like it is. I do think the Sight and Poll results will wake more than a few people up about what is actually going on: a total reinterpretation of film history.
As Schrader writes, Jeanne Dielman’ is an important film and one that should be seen by any serious moviegoer, but its sudden jump to the top feels artificial. You just have to look at the history of the poll to notice the blatant revisionism in this one. Most films take decades to climb up. ‘Dielman’ skyrocketed.
Schrader calls it a “politically correct rejiggering” and “woke reappraisal.” He’ll get some flack for this, but I don’t think he really cares. I wouldn’t be too surprised if some of his other peers call it out as well in the coming weeks and months. He doesn’t even mention the ‘Portrait,’ ‘Get Out,’ ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Parasite’ quadfecta, but I’m sure he eventually will …
From Paul Schrader’s Facebook post
“For seventy years the SIGHT AND SOUND POLL has been a reliable if somewhat incremental measure of critical consensus and priorities. Films moved up the list, others moved down; but it took time. The sudden appearance of "Jeanne Dielman" in the number one slot undermines the S&S poll's credibility. It feels off, as if someone had put their thumb on the scale. Which I suspect they did. As Tom Stoppard pointed out in Jumpers, in democracy it doesn't matter who gets the votes, it matters who counts the votes. By expanding the voting community and the point system this year's S&S poll reflects not a historical continuum but a politically correct rejiggering. Ackerman's film is a favorite of mine, a great film, a landmark film but its unexpected number one rating does it no favors. "Jeanne Dielman" will from this time forward be remembered not only an important film in cinema history but also as a landmark of distorted woke reappraisal.”