The results of the 2022 Sight & Sound poll polarized some parts of the film world.
We’ve already tackled the soft backlash that greeted ‘Jeanne Dielman’ topping the prestigious poll. Armond White said “Nobody really believes ‘Jeanne Dielman’ is the greatest film of all-time,” Paul Schrader called the poll “rigged.” Quentin Tarantino admitted he’s never seen the film. I also chimed in with my own thoughts.
Apart from ‘Jeanne Dielman,’ and the surprising addition of Claire Denis’ “Beau Travail” in the top 10, the usual suspects showed up near the top of the list, including Welles’ “Citizen Kane,’ Hitchock’s “Vertigo,” and Kubrick’s ‘2001.’
How about the great films that didn’t get a single vote? Ángel González, the editor of They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They?, has polled nearly 839 critics on the best films that didn’t receive a single vote on the Sight & Sound list, which he’s now compiled into a massive piece titled Beyond the Sight & Sound Canon,.
Spike Jonze’s “Her” leads the way at #1 with 77 votes, followed by Dassin’s “Rififi” (75), Hanson’s “L.A. Confidential” (71), The Safdies’ “Uncut Gems” (70) and Miike’s “Audition” (63). It’s also noted that the director most represented in the top 1000 is Fritz Lang who leads the pack with eight films mentioned,
TOP 20
Her (Jonze) — 77 votes
Rififi (Dassin) — 75
L.A. Confidential (Hanson) — 71
Uncut Gems (Safdie) — 70
Audition (Miike) — 63
The Big Heat (Lang) — 60
Pickup on South Street (Fuller) — 60
Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino) — 59
Paterson (Jarmusch) — 57
Spring Breakers (Korine) — 56
Safety Last! (Newmeyer/Taylor) —56
To Live and Die in L.A. (Friedkin) — 54
Fallen Angels (Wong) — 54
The Princess Bride (Reiner) — 52
Blade Runner 2049 (Villeneuve) —52
My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin) —50
Trust (Hal Hartley) — 48
Othello (Welles) — 48
Prince of Darkness (Carpenter) — 48
My Man Godfrey (La Cava) — 48
Some other great films that didn’t get a single vote on Sight & Sound’s original poll include “In Cold Blood,” “Bob Le Flambeur,” “Dial M For Murder,” and “Cool Hand Luke” — all four made the top 100 in González’ poll.