Stacker's 100 Best International Movies of All Time
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WRITTEN BY:
Molly Pennington
April 24, 2021
From 'Metropolis' to 'Parasite': 100 best international movies of all time
International cinema has always had a profound influence on American movies. At the same time, many of the great films in languages other than English retool the styles and genres of popular American movies. Have you ever forgotten you were reading subtitles as you were swept up in the action on screen? Westerns, film noirs, and even romances tap into universal visual languages of movement, action, and emotion that draw in worldwide audiences.
Stacker’s list of the 100 best international movies includes the science fiction masterpiece of German Expressionist style, “Metropolis,” with its epic, futuristic city and iconic robot gone bad. You’ll also find the smash hit “Parasite,” a taut thriller from South Korea that captured acclaim across the globe for its suspenseful, tragicomic look at two families from different classes.
We feature work from major auteurs of European cinema like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut of the French New Wave, Vittorio De Sica of Italian neorealism, and Spanish surrealist Luis Buñuel. Our list also includes major Japanese masterpieces from Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi, and Hirokazu Koreeda, Hong Kong cinema’s Wong Kar-wai, Tawainese auteurs Ang Lee and Edward Yang, and contemporary films from South Korea’s Lee Chang-dong and Bong Joon-ho. International cinema often has a political or philosophical bent—a rebel core—as it frequently explores the human condition within histories of oppression. While African cinema and women directors are underrepresented on this list and across the international film festival circuit, Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” from France in 2019 masterfully reinvents ideas around gendered gaze. Get ready for films you’ve heard about and obscure gems that just may become your new cinematic obsession.
Stacker compiled data (from July 2020) on all international movies to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. To qualify, the film had to be directed by a non-American, be primarily in a language other than English, have a Metascore, and have at least 5,000 votes. Ties were broken by Metascore, and further ties were broken by IMDb user rating. Stacker’s list combines the scores from critics and audiences to give you a sense of a movie’s greatness. Check out our list to see what you’ve already watched—and what great and underappreciated must-see to add to your watchlist.
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1 new
Shichinin no samurai
1954 — a.k.a. Seven Samurai, in 36 top lists Check -
2 new
Gisaengchung
2019 — a.k.a. Parasite, in 22 top lists -
3 new
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi
2001 — a.k.a. Spirited Away, in 39 top lists Check -
4 new
Trois couleurs: Rouge
1994 — a.k.a. Three Colors: Red, in 20 top lists Check -
5 new
Fanny och Alexander
1982 — a.k.a. Fanny and Alexander, in 25 top lists Check -
6 new
L'armée des ombres
1969 — a.k.a. Army of Shadows, in 18 top lists Check -
7 new
Metropolis
1927, in 36 top lists Check -
8 new
Il conformista
1970 — a.k.a. The Conformist, in 20 top lists Check -
9 new
Il gattopardo
1963 — a.k.a. The Leopard, in 18 top lists Check -
10 new
El laberinto del fauno
2006 — a.k.a. Pan's Labyrinth, in 33 top lists Check -
11 new
Rashômon
1950 — a.k.a. Rashomon, in 34 top lists Check -
12 new
Les enfants du paradis
1945 — a.k.a. Children of Paradise, in 21 top lists Check -
13 new
Au hasard Balthazar
1966 — a.k.a. Au Hasard Balthazar, in 18 top lists Check -
14 new
Du rififi chez les hommes
1955 — a.k.a. Rififi, in 18 top lists Check -
15 new
Hotaru no haka
1988 — a.k.a. Grave of the Fireflies, in 21 top lists Check -
16 new
Ran
1985, in 25 top lists Check -
17 new
Jodaeiye Nader az Simin
2011 — a.k.a. A Separation, in 15 top lists Check -
18 new
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
1966 — a.k.a. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in 29 top lists Check -
19 new
La battaglia di Algeri
1966 — a.k.a. The Battle of Algiers, in 29 top lists Check -
20 new
4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile
2007 — a.k.a. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, in 13 top lists Check -
21 new
Portrait de la jeune fille en feu
2019 — a.k.a. Portrait of a Lady on Fire, in 12 top lists -
22 new
Pépé le Moko
1937, in 10 top lists Check -
23 new
Jules et Jim
1962 — a.k.a. Jules and Jim, in 21 top lists Check -
24 new
La dolce vita
1960 — a.k.a. La Dolce Vita, in 22 top lists Check -
25 new
Yi yi
2000 — a.k.a. Yi Yi: A One and a Two..., in 19 top lists Check -
26 new
Viaggio in Italia
1954 — a.k.a. Journey to Italy, in 14 top lists Check -
27 new
Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
1958 — a.k.a. Elevator to the Gallows, in 10 top lists Check -
28 new
Umberto D.
1952, in 16 top lists Check -
29 new
Werckmeister harmóniák
2000 — a.k.a. Werckmeister Harmonies, in 12 top lists Check -
30 new
Guling jie shaonian sharen shijian
1991 — a.k.a. A Brighter Summer Day, in 19 top lists Check -
31 new
Jôi-uchi: Hairyô tsuma shimatsu
1967 — a.k.a. Samurai Rebellion, in 8 top lists Check -
32 new
La meglio gioventù
2003 — a.k.a. The Best of Youth, in 12 top lists Check -
33 new
Roma
2018, in 18 top lists -
34 new
Amour
2012, in 15 top lists Check -
35 new
Manbiki kazoku
2018 — a.k.a. Shoplifters, in 10 top lists -
36 new
Das Leben der Anderen
2006 — a.k.a. The Lives of Others, in 20 top lists Check -
37 new
Ah Fei jing juen
1990 — a.k.a. Days of Being Wild, in 11 top lists Check -
38 new
Wo hu cang long
2000 — a.k.a. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, in 27 top lists Check -
39 new
Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie
1972 — a.k.a. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, in 21 top lists Check -
40 new
Seppuku
1962 — a.k.a. Hara-Kiri, in 16 top lists Check -
41 new
La belle et la bête
1946 — a.k.a. Beauty and the Beast, in 26 top lists Check -
42 new
Le cercle rouge
1970 — a.k.a. The Red Circle, in 11 top lists Check -
43 new
Solyaris
1972 — a.k.a. Solaris, in 28 top lists Check -
44 new
Gangs of Wasseypur
2012, in 7 top lists Check -
45 new
L'argent
1983 — a.k.a. L'Argent, in 8 top lists Check -
46 new
Persepolis
2007, in 9 top lists Check -
47 new
Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni...
1970 — a.k.a. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, in 11 top lists Check -
48 new
Smultronstället
1957 — a.k.a. Wild Strawberries, in 24 top lists Check -
49 new
Le petit soldat
1963 — a.k.a. The Little Soldier, in 3 top lists Check -
50 new
L'enfant sauvage
1970 — a.k.a. The Wild Child, in 3 top lists Check
Last updated on Jan 7, 2022; source