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

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

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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.

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  1. 85 new

    The Big Sleep

    1946, in 22 top lists Check
  2. 96 new

    Murder!

    1930, in 0 top lists Check
  3. 97 new

    The Man Who Knew Too Much

    1934, in 2 top lists Check
  4. 98 new

    The 39 Steps

    1935, in 16 top lists Check
  5. 99 new

    Secret Agent

    1936, in 0 top lists Check
  6. 101 new

    The Lady Vanishes

    1938, in 15 top lists Check
  7. 102 new

    Young and Innocent

    1937 — a.k.a. The Girl Was Young, in 0 top lists Check
  8. 103 new

    Rebecca

    1940, in 23 top lists Check
  9. 104 new

    Foreign Correspondent

    1940, in 6 top lists Check
  10. 105 new

    Suspicion

    1941, in 4 top lists Check
  11. 114 new

    Rear Window

    1954, in 31 top lists Check
  12. 115 new

    To Catch a Thief

    1955, in 6 top lists Check
  13. 116 new

    The Trouble with Harry

    1955, in 2 top lists Check
  14. 117 new

    The Man Who Knew Too Much

    1956, in 0 top lists Check
  15. 119 new

    Vertigo

    1958, in 42 top lists Check
  16. 121 new

    Psycho

    1960, in 39 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. 151 new

    Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse

    1960 — a.k.a. The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, in 5 top lists Check
  20. 197 new

    Swamp Water

    1941, in 1 top list Check
  21. 222 new

    Citizen Kane

    1941, in 39 top lists Check
  22. 232 new

    Kiss Me Deadly

    1955, in 20 top lists Check
  23. 236 new

    Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte

    1964, in 3 top lists Check
  24. 314 new

    A Shot in the Dark

    1964, in 2 top lists Check
  25. 317 new

    Gunn

    1967, in 0 top lists Check
  26. 329 new

    Shock Corridor

    1963, in 14 top lists Check
  27. 339 new

    Time Without Pity

    1957, in 1 top list Check
  28. 340 new

    Blind Date

    1959, in 2 top lists Check
  29. 390 new

    Fallen Angel

    1945, in 2 top lists Check
  30. 399 new

    Anatomy of a Murder

    1959, in 12 top lists Check
  31. 402 new

    Bunny Lake Is Missing

    1965, in 1 top list Check
  32. 404 new

    In a Lonely Place

    1950, in 19 top lists Check
  33. 507 new

    Dark Waters

    1944, in 1 top list Check
  34. 522 new

    Charade

    1963, in 5 top lists Check
  35. 553 new

    Taste of Fear

    1961 — a.k.a. Scream of Fear, in 1 top list Check
  36. 581 new

    A Kiss Before Dying

    1956, in 1 top list Check
  37. 601 new

    The Killers

    1964, in 6 top lists Check
  38. 608 new

    The Spiral Staircase

    1946, in 6 top lists Check
  39. 635 new

    Cat People

    1942, in 15 top lists Check
  40. 647 new

    Murder Is My Beat

    1955, in 1 top list Check
  41. 650 new

    The Bat

    1926, in 0 top lists Check
  42. 656 new

    L'avventura

    1960 — a.k.a. L'Avventura, in 24 top lists Check
  43. 660 new

    Blow-Up

    1966, in 20 top lists Check
  44. 675 new

    Les bonnes femmes

    1960 — a.k.a. The Good Time Girls, in 5 top lists Check
  45. 688 new

    And Then There Were None

    1945, in 2 top lists Check
  46. 737 new

    Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa...

    1965 — a.k.a. Sandra, in 3 top lists Check
  47. 776 new

    The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

    1947, in 8 top lists Check
  48. 784 new

    The Barefoot Contessa

    1954, in 8 top lists Check
  49. 786 new

    Suddenly, Last Summer

    1959, in 2 top lists Check
  50. 802 new

    The Fallen Idol

    1948, in 10 top lists Check
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Last updated on Sep 28, 2019;