The Best Films According to Andrew Sarris's The American Cinema

The Best Films According to Andrew Sarris's The American Cinema's icon

Created by TomServo.

Favorited 11 times, disliked 0 times, added to 4 watchlists.

In Andrew Sarris's The American Cinema, every director in the book has their full filmography listed, and Sarris italicizes the best films of each director. Here is the full collection of every film italicized in the book (with the exception of Out of the Past, which remains unitalicized likely as an error as he calls it Jacques Torneur's masterpiece).

The book has multiple sections, with who Sarris viewed as the pantheon directors at the top, and slowly dwindling in quality as the list goes down. However, there is merit to be found towards the bottom, as he lists a series of oddities, one-shots, and, at the time, newcomers, as well as subjects for further research.

Remove ads

Pssst, want to check out the The Best Films According to Andrew Sarris's The American Cinema list in our new look?

  1. 19 new

    Monsieur Verdoux

    1947, in 11 top lists Check
  2. 26 new

    Up the River

    1930, in 0 top lists Check
  3. 32 new

    The Whole Town's Talking

    1935 — a.k.a. Passport to Fame, in 0 top lists Check
  4. 76 new

    Scarface

    1932, in 16 top lists Check
  5. 85 new

    The Big Sleep

    1946, in 22 top lists Check
  6. 95 new

    Blackmail

    1929, in 7 top lists Check
  7. 96 new

    Murder!

    1930, in 0 top lists Check
  8. 97 new

    The Man Who Knew Too Much

    1934, in 2 top lists Check
  9. 102 new

    Young and Innocent

    1937 — a.k.a. The Girl Was Young, in 0 top lists Check
  10. 109 new

    Under Capricorn

    1949, in 3 top lists Check
  11. 111 new

    Strangers on a Train

    1951, in 17 top lists Check
  12. 112 new

    I Confess

    1953, in 2 top lists Check
  13. 113 new

    Dial M for Murder

    1954, in 9 top lists Check
  14. 115 new

    To Catch a Thief

    1955, in 6 top lists Check
  15. 118 new

    The Wrong Man

    1956, in 8 top lists Check
  16. 120 new

    North by Northwest

    1959, in 30 top lists Check
  17. 135 new

    Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler

    1922 — a.k.a. Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, in 14 top lists Check
  18. 140 new

    M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder

    1931 — a.k.a. M, in 35 top lists Check
  19. 141 new

    Fury

    1936, in 12 top lists Check
  20. 142 new

    You Only Live Once

    1937, in 7 top lists Check
  21. 145 new

    Ministry of Fear

    1944, in 3 top lists Check
  22. 146 new

    The Woman in the Window

    1944, in 8 top lists Check
  23. 149 new

    The Big Heat

    1953, in 18 top lists Check
  24. 151 new

    Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse

    1960 — a.k.a. The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, in 5 top lists Check
  25. 161 new

    Trouble in Paradise

    1932, in 17 top lists Check
  26. 193 new

    Le crime de Monsieur Lange

    1936 — a.k.a. The Crime of Monsieur Lange, in 7 top lists Check
  27. 195 new

    La bête humaine

    1938 — a.k.a. The Human Beast, in 9 top lists Check
  28. 197 new

    Swamp Water

    1941, in 1 top list Check
  29. 208 new

    Underworld

    1927, in 9 top lists Check
  30. 210 new

    The Docks of New York

    1928, in 9 top lists Check
  31. 211 new

    Thunderbolt

    1929, in 1 top list Check
  32. 220 new

    The Shanghai Gesture

    1941, in 3 top lists Check
  33. 224 new

    The Lady from Shanghai

    1947, in 9 top lists Check
  34. 226 new

    Touch of Evil

    1958, in 31 top lists Check
  35. 227 new

    Mr. Arkadin

    1955 — a.k.a. Confidential Report, in 7 top lists Check
  36. 232 new

    Kiss Me Deadly

    1955, in 20 top lists Check
  37. 233 new

    The Big Knife

    1955, in 3 top lists Check
  38. 251 new

    Desire

    1936, in 2 top lists Check
  39. 256 new

    Moonrise

    1948, in 4 top lists Check
  40. 284 new

    Gaslight

    1944, in 12 top lists Check
  41. 285 new

    A Double Life

    1947, in 1 top list Check
  42. 313 new

    The Pink Panther

    1963, in 4 top lists Check
  43. 322 new

    Pickup on South Street

    1953, in 14 top lists Check
  44. 323 new

    House of Bamboo

    1955, in 3 top lists Check
  45. 327 new

    Underworld, U.S.A.

    1961 — a.k.a. Underworld U.S.A., in 3 top lists Check
  46. 336 new

    The Lawless

    1950, in 1 top list Check
  47. 339 new

    Time Without Pity

    1957, in 1 top list Check
  48. 340 new

    Blind Date

    1959, in 2 top lists Check
  49. 341 new

    The Criminal

    1960 — a.k.a. Concrete Jungle, in 2 top lists Check
  50. 346 new

    Accident

    1967, in 3 top lists Check
Remove ads
Show all 1392 movies

Last updated on Sep 28, 2019;