Essential List of Films for Filmmakers
I've Been A Professor At The NYU Graduate Film For The Past 15 Years.The 1st Day Of Every Class I Hand Out My List Of Films That I Feel You Must See If You Want To Make Films. Please Look At This List And See What You Might Have Missed. As I Tell My Students If You Want Your Film "Game" To Be Tight You Must Have Seen Great Movies, World Cinema, It Just Can't Be Hollywood Films. Educate Yourself. Learn. Grow. Evolve. Make Great Films.
Peace, Onward And Upward,
Spike Lee.
Aditya V Iyer likes this update.
Andrea Hetheru on September 1, 2013
My favorite Spike Lee Joint: Mo Betta Blues. It is one of only two films about black male/female love that approach the artistry allowed for love between a white man and white woman.
My least favorite Spike Lee joint; Miracle At St. Anna. The adoration of the white woman and the white child was too much for me to take.
Brad Avery on August 16, 2013
There's just so many possibilities.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Th. Dreyer)
Vampyr (Carl Th. Dreyer)
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog)
Stroszek (Werner Herzog)
Punch Drunk-Love (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese)
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock)
Knife in the Water (Roman Polanski)
Harakiri (Masaki Kobayashi)
A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes)
Eraserhead (David Lynch)
Hunger (Steve McQueen)
Daisies (Vera Chytilová)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols)
Gun Crazy (Joseph H. Lewis)
Olympia (Leni Riefenstahl)
Metropolis (Fritz Lang)
Sunrise (F.W. Murnau)
The Last Laugh (F.W. Murnau)
Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman)
The Exorcist (William Friedkin)
Putney Swope (Robert Downey Sr)
Barton Fink (Coen Brothers)
Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero)
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (Melvin Van Peebles)
The Panic in Needle Park (Jerry Schatzberg)
Robocop (Paul Verhoeven)
Two-Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman)
3 Women (Robert Altman)
This list could go on into infinity.
David Glassey on August 15, 2013
That's a great list Mr. Lee, I'm surprised you missed Seven Samurai but I'm loving that Thief is on there. Others that I don't see mentioned but come to mind quickly that I'd put on are:
Ikiru, Akira Kurosawa
Dark City, Alex Proyas
Alien, Ridley Scott
The Asphalt Jungle, John Huston
Princess Mononoke, Hayao Miyazaki
Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki
Say Anything, Cameron Crowe
The Spirit of the Beehive, Victor Erice
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
The Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont
Antwone Fisher, Denzel Washington
Fresh, Boaz Yakin
I could probably go on for quite a while.
Noel McIntosh on August 11, 2013
The Deer Hunter 1978 #Michael Cimino
Rita Osei on August 10, 2013
To add to the list:
The Piano. Jane Campion
The White Ribbon. Michael Haneke
Amores Perros. Alejandro González Iñárritu
Biutiful. Alejandro González Iñárritu
The Deer Hunter. Michael Cimino
Betty Blue. Jean-Jacques Beineix
Feston. Thomas Vinterberg
Manderlay. Lars von Trier
Kes. Ken Loach
Repulsion. Roman Polanski
Saturday Night, Sunday Morning. Karel Reisz
Blade Runner. Ridley Scott
City of God. Kátia Lund, Fernando Meirelles
Lantana. Ray Lawrence
Whale Rider. Niki Caro
Life Is Sweet. Mike Leigh
Scum. Alan Clarke.
Vampyr. Carl Theodor Dreyer
Bad Education. Pedro Almodóvar
Three Colours Red. Krzysztof Kieslowski
pete nicks on August 2, 2013
Pete's BIG 25 addendum
The Connection (Shirley Clarke, 1962)
Man On Wire (James Marsh, 2008)
4 Little Girls (Spike Lee, 1997)
Rocky (John G. Avildsen, 1976)
Burden of Dreams (Les Blank, 1982)
Sans Soleil (Chris Marker, 1983)
Harlan County USA (Barbara Koppel, 1977)
Locks (Ryan Coogler, 2011 short)
A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, 2010)
Man With A Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov,1929)
The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978)
Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2007)
Salesman (Albert Maysels, 1968)
Gimme Shelter (Albert Maysles & Charlotte Zwerin, 1970)
Titticut Follies (Frederick Wiseman 1967)
Night and Fog (Alain Resnais, 1955 short)
Melancholia (Lars Von Trier, 2011)
Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
Gates of Heaven (Errol Morris,1978)
Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, 2005)
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
The Hurt Locker (Katherine Bigelow, 2009)
Maria Candelaria (Emilio Fernandez, 1943)
The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2007)
An Education (Lone Scherfig, 2009)
Regina Koehler on July 29, 2013
Thanks to everyone for such great lists. Here are my suggestions:
The Kid - Charlie Chaplin - 1921
Metropolis - Fritz Lang - 1927
M - Fritz Lang - 1931
The Great Dictator - Charlie Chaplin - 1940
Citizen Kane - Orson Welles - 1941
The Third Man - Orson Welles - 1949
Morte a Venezia - Luchino Visconti - 1971
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 1975
Die Blechtrommel (The tin drum) - Volker Schlöndorff - 1979
Hong gao lian (Red Sorghum) - Yimou Zhang - 1987
When Harry met Sally - Rob Reiner - 1989
Kafka - Steven Soderbergh - 1991
Lola rennt - Tom Tykwer - 1998
Das weiße Band - Michael Haneke - 2009
Des hommes et des dieux - Xavier Beauvois - 2010
Rebecca J. T. on July 29, 2013
This is a nice, well-rounded list. Here are my contributions:
True Grit - 2012 - Coen Brothers
Monty Python and the Holy Grail -Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones - 1975
Fiddler on the Roof - Norman Jewison - 1964
The Blues Brothers - John Landis - 1980
Metropolis - Fritz Lang - 1927
Nosferatu - F. W. Murnau - 1922
Alien - Ridley Scott - 1979
Blade Runner* - Ridley Scott - 1982
Slingblade - Billy Bob Thornton - 1996
Hero - Zhang Yimou - 2002
*This one is influential, but it has been recut so many times, it may be difficult to justify its inclusion.
I have a sad story to tell. I am a mathematics professor. (That is not the sad part.) I give my students a one-point quiz each day to keep track of their attendance. On the day after the exam, I had no new material with which to quiz them, so I asked them to, "Draw a picture of your all-time favorite movie." I had one student that gave me the mistakenly-titled, "Fear and Loathing From Las Vegas," one that said, "The Lord of the Rings," and the rest of the auditorium of students drew movies that had been released that very week. I chatted with them, and most had never seen movies from before the late 90s (they were all born around '95). I have become resigned to the fact that students have never read a book, but I thought movies were their artistic expression, their form of culture. I guess they just have texting.
Roy Endsley on July 28, 2013
for the love of Film and for your consideration:
The Hedgehog - Mona Achache
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Julian Schnabel
see you in class Mr. Lee
kim applebury on July 27, 2013
Do you have a list of guilty pleasures? I like to watch The Towering Inferno and Zero Hour, for example. Any list like that? Or, any must see scenes?
Lee on July 27, 2013
You certainly know your Hitchcock film, both Jimmy Stewart film there my top 2!
Great list. I'd add Scorsese's After Hours and Jarmusch's Midnight Train.
Wells Touch of Evil I really must see.
Turki Al-Asmari on July 27, 2013
seven samurai
Mr. Smith goes to Washington
LK Toepfer on July 27, 2013
Some Favs....
Jungle Fever (Spike Lee, 1991)
Run, Lola, Run (Tom Tykwer, 1999)
The Quiet Man (John Ford, 1952)
The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940)
Strictly Ballroom (Baz Luhrmann, 1992)
Heat (Michael Mann, 1995)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003, 2004)
Kris Schultz on July 27, 2013
And yes! you were too humble. I second all who point out you have not placed any of your own films on the list. At least DO THE RIGHT THING and MALCOLM X belong on there. If not more!
Kris Schultz on July 27, 2013
This is a great list, and I am grateful you are sharing it with us. As I said in the comments right after I donated to your kickstarter, it is an honor to be asked, as I deeply respect your work. (And I am not a kissa$$.)
My list would include more comedy, though you include two of my favorites: SOME LIKE IT HOT and RAISING ARIZONA. And old silent slapstick ones, too, with Charlie Chaplin. Or Buster Keaton. Busby Berkley (sp?) I would include some Rob Reiner & Nora Ephron for sure. Definitely a Mel Brooks film. Hard to pick which ones, though.
I also would include at least two Quentin Tarantino movies: Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. I respect why you may have not, though, if memory serves correctly. To me he is crucial to a must see list.
I would put an unorthodox movie like A CABIN IN THE WOODS by Joss Whedon. I think it is one of the best movies in recent years. Or SHAWN OF THE DEAD by Pegg and Frost. To combine comedy and horror, not easy to do. Both of those movies succeed with the mashup resoundingly.
I can love all those movies and yours too.
Reminds me of the quote: in matters of taste, there is no dispute. Also, I am not a filmmaker. So perhaps I don't know what the heck I am talking about. But I am at least smart enough to kickstart your next film!!!
June Frances Coleman on July 27, 2013
It's only ten bucks-- I got my own film to make... I just want to show love to the filmmaker that showed me there was a way to do what I love and love what I do. With that said, here's my amendment to your list.
"Amelie" Jean-Pierre Jeunet 2001
"La Femme Nikita" Luc Besson 1990
"Leon: The Professional" Luc Besson 1994
"Eve's Bayou" Kasi Lemmons 1997
"Ma Vie en Rose" Alain Berliner 1997
"Daughter's of the Dust" Julie Dash 1991
"Born on the Fourth of July" Oliver Stone 1989
"Sweetie" Jane Campion 1989
"The Piano" Jane Campion 1993
"Chocolat" Claire Denis 1988
"Beau Travail" Claire Denis 1999
"Do the Right Thing" Spike Lee 1989
"Girl 6" Spike Lee 1996
"Bamboozled" Spike Lee 2000
"She Hate Me" Spike Lee 2004
"Slums of Beverly Hills" Tamara Jenkins 1998
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" Amy Heckerling 1982
"Clueless" Amy Heckerling 1995
"His Gal Friday" Howard Hawks 1940
"In Bruges" Martin McDonagh 2008
"Blue Valentine" Derek Cianfrance 2010
"Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" Pedro Almodovar 1988
"The Wedding Banquet" Ang Lee 1993
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Ang Lee 2000
"Match Point" Woody Allen 2005
"My Beautiful Launderette" Stephen Frears 1985
"Welcome to the Dollhouse" Todd Solondz 1995
"My Own Private Idaho" Gus Van Sant 1991
"Mi Vida Loca" Allison Anders 1993
"The Graduate" Mike Nichols 1967
James Dellow
Superbacker
on July 27, 2013
What a great insight for those of us who will never be part of your class. As Kim noted, this provides us with an opportunity to interact with someone we would never normally get access to. Prior to this campaign, I think that if people around the world were asked to name a list of truly independent film makers, then you would figure prominently on the vast majority, so I believe that Kickstarter is a natural home for you.
I notice that there are only 5 films from the 2000s, is that because you think that there hasn't been the quality or that, maybe, film needs a bit of distance before being truly classic?
Lisa Vollrath on July 27, 2013
Something tells me we'll all be blowing up Netflix and Hulu this week :)
Paul Alaoui on July 27, 2013
That’s an amazing list but as someone else said, Do the Right Thing definitely belongs on there too!
I know there’s only a finite amount of films you can add and it’s subjective but I’d also add:
Wake in Fright (Ted Kotchef)
Performance (Donald Cammell/Nicolas Roeg)
Don’t Look Now (Nicolas Roeg)
Halloween (John Carpenter)
Blue Velvet (David Lynch)
Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski)
Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby)
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick – my all-time favourite film!)
Annie Hall (Woody Allen)
La Haine (Matthieu Kassovitz)
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Elio Petri)
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog)
Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog)
Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone)
Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper)
If…. (Lindsay Anderson)
I could probably add more but I’d need a long time to think about it.
Nicholas George Ferguson on July 27, 2013
I would also suggest
Born on the Fourth of July (Oliver Stone, 1989)
and maybe even Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
Nicholas George Ferguson on July 27, 2013
You have a great list here, Spike. There are many great films people wouldn't care to watch these days, but they have no idea what they're missing. Anyways, I wanted to help out with the list, but I don't want to repeat what everyone else is saying. They have plenty of essential additions, but one I don't see anyone has said yet is The Deer Hunter by Michael Cimino (1978), which is such a powerful movie. Another one would be The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Sergio Leone (1966).
I also heard you say Goodfellas in the video, but it's not on the list. Also, don't be modest, most, if not all, of your films deserve to be on there.
Nikita Rybak on July 26, 2013
There's no one like Yasujiro Ozu (Floating Weeds, Tokyo Story). He may not be the most technically sophisticated director, but the human side in his films is like nothing I ever saw.
Thank you for the list! I haven't seen many of the films on it and will check some out.
Barry Woodward on July 26, 2013
12 Monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995)
Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000)
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
Broadcast News (James L. Brooks, 1987)
Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004)
Ed Wood (Tim Burton, 1994)
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
Flirting (John Duigan, 1991)
JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991)
Joint Security Area (Park Chan-wook, 2000)
Léon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994)
Live Flesh (Pedro Almodóvar, 1997)
Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
The Matrix (The Wachowskis, 1999)
Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)
Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
Raiders Of The Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
Requiem For A Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
Rocky (John G. Avildsen, 1976)
Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)
Seven (David Fincher, 1995)
The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
The Untouchables (Brian De Palma, 1987)
Bob Amaden on July 26, 2013
I was hoping to spend part of this weekend streaming some of the movies on this list that I haven't seen. Turns out not a single one of the ones I haven't seen is streamable on Netflix! :-(
Ricky Bardy on July 26, 2013
Some more essentials
Andrei Rubulev- Tarkovsky
2001 a space odyssey- Kubrick
City Lights- Chaplin
Apocalypse Now- Coppola
Battleship Potemkin- Eisenstien
Passion of Joan or arc- Dreyer
Persona- Bergman
Cries and whispers- Bergman
Citizen Kane- Welles
Spirited Away- Miyazaki
Manhattan- Allen
M- Lang
Metropolis- Lang
DO THE RIGHT THING- you
Film that although it may have helped write cinematic language, should be avoided at all costs:
Birth of a Nation- DW
also i commend you on not putting Psyco on the list because it isnt half a good as Vertigo or Rear Window
Marco Landi on July 26, 2013
Amici Miei I-II-III (Mario Monicelli)
Philip Victor Colon on July 26, 2013
Thanks for this extensive list of films Mr.Lee! From my viewing experience, I would also add "Caro Diario" by Nanni Moretti (1994).
MaryJ on July 26, 2013
I added my list, but I don't see it. Here it is again:
FILM DIRECTOR YEAR
The Red Balloon Albert Lamorisse 1956
Like Water For Chocolate Alfonso Arau 1992
Strangers on a Train Alfred Hitchcock 1951
Payback Brian Helgeland 1999
The Third Man Carol Reed 1949
A Man and A Woman Claude Lelouch 1966
Blue Velvet David Lynch 1986
A New Leaf Elaine May 1971
City of God Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund 2002
It Happened One Night Frank Capra 1934
The Women George Cukor 1939
The Vanishing (Spoorloos) George Sluizer 1988
Bhaji on the Beach Gurindar Chadha 1993
Drugstore Cowboy Gus Van Sant 1989
Wild Strawberries Ingmar Bergman 1957
A Day In The Country Jean Renoir 1936
Woman Under the Influence John Cassavetes 1974
Men With Guns (Hombres armados) John Sayles 1997
Lone Star John Sayles 1996
Pecker John Waters 1988
The Man Who Knew Too Little Jon Amiel 1997
Powwow Highway Jonathan Wacks 1989
Daughters of the Dust
Better Luck Tomorrow Justin Lin 2003
Black Orpheus Marcel Camus 1959
The King of Comedy Martin Scorsese 1983
Taxi Driver Martin Scorsese 1976
Blow Up Michaelangelo Antonioni 1966
Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf Mike Nichols 1966
Natural Born Killers Oliver Stone 1994
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Pedro Almodóvar. 1988
Rosalie Goes Shopping Percy Adlon 1989
A Clockwork Orange Stanley Kubrick 1971
2001: A Space Odyssey Stanley Kubrick 1968
She’s Gotta Have It Spike Lee 1986
Do The Right Thing Spike Lee 1989
Malcolm X Spike Lee 1992
Sex, Lies and Videotape Steven Soderbergh 1989
A Sinful Life William Schreiner. 1989
Paris Texas Wim Wenders 1984
kim applebury on July 26, 2013
I see a lot of movies I love. I am happy that White Heat and Dead End made the list. I didn't know that anyone was paying attention to Dead End anymore. Some Like It Hot and Ace in the Hole, of course. I like The Searchers, and I noticed it didn't make your list. That's okay. We can't agree on everything.
I knew you liked Cool Hand Luke because I saw the poster in 25th Hour. I love that movie. There is something that F. Scott Fitzgerald would like about that ending. American Dream and Re-invention.
Biggest surprise: Singing in the Rain. Once I think about it, I understand since it is a film about making movies. I was waiting for Sunset Boulevard.
A Mel Gibson directed movie? That showed me that art is art is art. You respect the process. I really wish I could take your class. I am afraid that is not going to happen.
As for those who question why you are using Kickstarter? Well, how else would I have the "thrill" of being part of the process?
If I hadn't decided to teach, I would have wanted to be in film. So, thanks for giving me a window into the process.
Kim
Gilberto Martinez Jr on July 26, 2013
Alfonso Cuaron- Y Tu Mama Tambien
Alfonso Cuaron- Children of Men
Charlie Chaplin- The Kid
Michael Mann- Ali
Diana Ng on July 26, 2013
'Nostalghia, 1983' by Andrei Tarkovsky.
Diana Ng on July 26, 2013
'Raise the Red Lantern'?
Diana Ng on July 26, 2013
Oh and 'Brazil', 'Naked Lunch', 'Eraserhead'?
:)
Faisal A. Qureshi on July 26, 2013
Incidentally, why no silent films?
Ryan Graham on July 26, 2013
Ong bak - Rocky - The Crow
Diana Ng on July 26, 2013
No 'Delicatessen, 1991' by Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet?
Nor 'Days of Being Wild' by Wong Kai Wai?
Barry Woodward on July 26, 2013
Elevator To The Gallows (Louis Malle, 1958)
Harakiri (Masaki Kobayashi, 1962)
The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1943)
Safety Last! (Fred Neymeyer & Sam Taylor, 1923)
Samurai Rebellion (Masaki Kobayashi, 1967)
Sleuth (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1972)
Sullivan's Travels (Preston Sturges, 1941)
Sweet Smell Of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)
Unfaithfully Yours (Preston Sturges, 1948)
Marco Landi on July 26, 2013
Amarcord - Federico Fellini (R.I.P. Tonino Guerra)
Matt Bowman on July 26, 2013
Everyone has a list. It's great conversation. But it's really cool to see the list that Spike actually uses in his class. I think that She's Gotta Have It! should be on that list though, but he's not going to do that. Thanks Spike.
Barry Woodward on July 26, 2013
Blow Out (Brian De Palma, 1981)
Delicatessen (Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro, 1991)
High And Low (1963)
Olju Man on July 26, 2013
Love your list. A few other films I can think of:
Double Indemnity - Billy Wilder (1944)
The Big Sleep - Howard Hawks (1946)
The Asphalt Jungle - John Huston (1950)
Tokyo Story - Yasujiro Ozu (1953)
Bande a Part - Jean-Luc Godard (1964)
Chungking Express - Wong Kar Wai (1994)
Do the Right Thing - Spike Lee (1989)
In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar Wai (2000)
Moon - Duncan Jones (2009)
Dana Tucker on July 26, 2013
I watched a lot of your films in my multicultural studies classes in college and I learned so much for them. They include Jungle Fever, Do the Right Thing, She's Gotta Have it, and Malcolm X
David on July 26, 2013
Some Westerns too. HIGH NOON, WINCHESTER' 73, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, Sergio Leone films.
Also, KOYAANISQATSI, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE, CAMERA BUFF, A MAN ESCAPED.
David on July 26, 2013
Gotta Have some silent era classics on there. I say: THE GENERAL, CITY LIGHTS, SUNRISE, PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, METROPOLIS. Also, some Antonioni - L'AVVENTURA.
Charlie Strive on July 26, 2013
Les Triplettes de Belleville (2003) - Strange, beautiful, oozes style and there's basically no dialogue. The fact that it can not only pull you in but make you connect with these characters is a testament to Sylvain Chomet.
Marco Landi on July 26, 2013
Down By Law - Jim Jarmusch.(Roberto Benigni,Tom Waits)
David Sayre on July 26, 2013
Excellent selections. A few others that come to mind are Lone Star (1996; John Sayles), La Haine (1995; Mathieu Kassovitz), There Will Be Blood (2007; Paul Thomas Anderson) and Pickup on South Street (1953; Samuel Fuller).
Branden Jaquays on July 26, 2013
Citizen Kane, Goodfellas, The Searchers, Stagecoach, Unforgiven, Schindler's List, Apocalypse Now, Persona, 6th Sense, the Exorcist, American Psycho, Trainspotting, Romper Stomper, Boogie Nights, The 7th Seal, Cinema Paradiso, Chronicle of a Summer, Natural Born Killers....Do The Right Thing.
Marco Landi on July 26, 2013
Life is Beautiful-Roberto Benigni. (R.I.P.Vincenzo Cerami...)
Omari Cahill on July 26, 2013
Birth of a Nation - D.W. Griffith's 1915 Civil War epic, The Birth of a Nation, with its groundbreaking camerawork -- including close-ups, night photography, and tracking shots ground breaking.
Gone With The Wind-Victor Fleming