# How many of these 20 best Sight and Sound films have you seen? How many have you heard of? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [January 2, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524 "2024-01-02T21:30:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/1 "2024-01-02T21:30:20Z")
Sight and sound is a magazine published by the British Film Institute. Starting in 1952, and continuing once every 10 years, they poll and publish their list of the Greatest Films of All Time based on critics and film professionals. Roger Ebert described the polls as “by far the most respected of the countless polls of great movies – the only one most serious movie people take seriously.” This list, based on more than 1,600 participating voters, is the most recent (2022). I am curious as to which of the top 20 you have seen, or even heard of. mmm How many of these films have you **HEARD OF?** _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/1))_ How many of these films have you **SEEN?** _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/1))_ ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/2 "2024-01-03T05:20:24Z")
I’m not sure if I’ve seen all or part of _The Rules of the Game_, so I left it off my list. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/3 "2024-01-03T05:43:38Z")
When we were just starting to date, my now-wife was getting her masters degree in English, and for one class she wrote an essay on Roger Ebert’s review of _Tokyo Story_ (from my copy of Ebert’s anthology book _Great Movies Ii_), so it’s one of the first DVDs we rented from Netflix. Good, mellow, expertly shot film, about parents, children, and grandparents. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/4 "2024-01-03T05:43:39Z")
I’m somewhat famous in my tiny and pathetic social circle for being “that guy”: the guy who watches almost no tv or movies. Despite this I’ve heard of 7, seen 4. And consider Mulholland Drive the worst movie I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/5 "2024-01-03T05:44:19Z")
Hehehe, I had this poster of _Man With a Movie Camera_ for years before seeing the movie. Right now it’s hung at the top of the stairs. I finally saw the movie a couple of years ago, and it really kind of lives up to the poster. [![](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi5.walmartimages.com%2Fasr%2F5986cd79-1f7d-485e-9978-5d8da8c71ab7_1.29aba9841391005193292a3a1c00953f.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=6026053b705c738a6bbdf888513db42fd2eb66338ccd16cd86d13c5e92668cbd&ipo=images) ](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi5.walmartimages.com%2Fasr%2F5986cd79-1f7d-485e-9978-5d8da8c71ab7_1.29aba9841391005193292a3a1c00953f.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=6026053b705c738a6bbdf888513db42fd2eb66338ccd16cd86d13c5e92668cbd&ipo=images) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/6 "2024-01-03T07:11:03Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I’m not sure if I’ve seen all or part of _The Rules of the Game_, so I left it off my list. Well I guess I should say that I was interrupted while watching _In the Mood for Love_ and couldn’t be bothered watching the rest of it. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/7 "2024-01-03T07:26:06Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > And consider Mulholland Drive the worst movie I’ve ever seen. You might want to avoid any further attempts at David Lynch projects. Most of them are downhill from Mulholland Drive. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/8 "2024-01-03T15:07:43Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > And consider Mulholland Drive the worst movie I’ve ever seen. Wow. I’ve watched it a few times, read many discussions of the movie, and would put it in my all time top ten. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/9 "2024-01-03T15:09:53Z")
**Singin’ In The Rain** remains my favorite film. Every time I see it I forget how good it is. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/10 "2024-01-03T15:28:11Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > I’m somewhat famous in my tiny and pathetic social circle for being “that guy”: the guy who watches almost no tv or movies. > > Despite this I’ve heard of 7, seen 4. And consider Mulholland Drive the worst movie I’ve ever seen. ⁢ I guess I’ve become more like that as I’ve gotten older, but that’s usually because of the Internet. Still, I’d heard of the top 7. But I’ve only watched one. Citizen Kane played on TV once when I was pretty young, and I happened to flip to it not very long after it started. I only learned it was Citizen Kane later, as I knew nothing besides the name of it at the time. I did check to see if I’d seen “Singing in the Rain,” but I don’t remember that plot. I think I’d just seen the clips of the song. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/11 "2024-01-03T15:30:21Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > **Singin’ In The Rain** remains my favorite film. That was one I’d heard of and seen clips from, but I’ve never watched it. Not my cuppa. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/12 "2024-01-03T15:31:35Z")
I have a hard time with any list that includes _Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles_. I watched it, based on its reputation, and it’s a terrible film. It’s basic point is to tell its story in the most tedious way possible. I think the point is to show how boring life can be. But that’s not really enough of an idea to base a film on. I’m going to take the risk here of sounding like one of those anti-woke assholes. But this movie was made in 1975, when the feminist movement was gathering momentum. The movie was written and directed by a woman, with a female lead. Akerman consciously chose to work with an all women crew (at a time when there were not a lot of women with experience in film making). So I feel that critics bent over backwards to praise the movie. Nobody wanted to be the man who said that a group of women had made a movie and the result was a failure. That said, if somebody can tell me what I’m missing and unlock this movie for me, I’d welcome it. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/13 "2024-01-03T15:47:49Z")
Look, I keep meaning to watch The Godfather, alright? I’ll get around to it. Soon. I’ve just been busy… j ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/14 "2024-01-03T19:51:02Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > The Godfather That’s one of the ones that I haven’t seen. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/15 "2024-01-03T21:16:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > That said, if somebody can tell me what I’m missing and unlock this movie for me, I’d welcome it. I have only read the wiki plot description. Spoiler: During sex she either has an orgasm or is disgusted by what she is doing, then dresses herself and stabs the man to death with a pair of scissors. She then sits quietly at her dining room table. Oh…Kay. I did NOT see that coming (so to speak). Is that supposed to be empowering? I don’t think that should be a role model for women. Women every day lead lives of quiet desperation, and yet don’t become whores or stab clients. And …three hours twenty one minutes?? I don’t need a slow film to tell me life is slow. I get that on my own. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/16 "2024-01-03T21:22:16Z")
I can’t remember offhand if I’ve seen _Tokyo Story_ or _In The Mood For Love_, though I did pick up a used copy of the Criterion disc of the latter recently. I can’t really argue with the ones I’ve seen, in terms of impact upon their release. Though there are Hitchcock films I like a lot more than _Vertigo_ (how can it possibly beat out _Rear Window_ year after year?). ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/17 "2024-01-03T21:57:39Z")
Heard of 19, seen 14, have intentionally avoided 4 others and probably will avoid the remaining two. No _M_ (1931)? No _King Kong_ (1933)? No _Beyond the Valley of the Dolls_ (1970)? No credibility. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/18 "2024-01-03T22:12:17Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And …three hours twenty one minutes?? I don’t need a slow film to tell me life is slow. I get that on my own. To give a sense of what this movie is like, here’s [a typical scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C5Az-239uM). Three minutes of the lead character peeling potatoes. Now imagine three hours of this. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/19 "2024-01-03T22:18:25Z")
Jesus, seriously? And the was the number one movie in the poll. mmm ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524/20 "2024-01-03T22:55:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Three minutes of the lead character peeling potatoes. Now imagine three hours of this. I thought you might be exaggerating a bit. Nope. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Jesus, seriously? > > And the was the number one movie in the poll. My reaction as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-these-20-best-sight-and-sound-films-have-you-seen-how-many-have-you-heard-of/995524.md?page=2)