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. 111 new

    Strangers on a Train

    1951, in 17 top lists Check
  2. 201 new

    The River

    1951, in 9 top lists Check
  3. 319 new

    The Steel Helmet

    1951, in 2 top lists Check
  4. 320 new

    Fixed Bayonets!

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  5. 337 new

    The Prowler

    1951, in 4 top lists Check
  6. 338 new

    The Big Night

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  7. 353 new

    The Tall Target

    1951, in 2 top lists Check
  8. 380 new

    An American in Paris

    1951, in 18 top lists Check
  9. 405 new

    On Dangerous Ground

    1951, in 3 top lists Check
  10. 435 new

    A Place in the Sun

    1951, in 13 top lists Check
  11. 488 new

    Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  12. 489 new

    Distant Drums

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  13. 496 new

    Bullfighter and the Lady

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  14. 551 new

    Cause for Alarm!

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  15. 572 new

    The Man in the White Suit

    1951, in 5 top lists Check
  16. 744 new

    The Red Badge of Courage

    1951, in 3 top lists Check
  17. 745 new

    The African Queen

    1951, in 11 top lists Check
  18. 752 new

    A Streetcar Named Desire

    1951, in 15 top lists Check
  19. 781 new

    People Will Talk

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  20. 804 new

    Outcast of the Islands

    1951, in 2 top lists Check
  21. 830 new

    Ace in the Hole

    1951, in 21 top lists Check
  22. 849 new

    Detective Story

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  23. 856 new

    Teresa

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  24. 903 new

    Force of Arms

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  25. 950 new

    You're in the Navy Now

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  26. 951 new

    Rawhide

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  27. 952 new

    Fourteen Hours

    1951, in 2 top lists Check
  28. 953 new

    The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel

    1951 — a.k.a. Rommel, Desert Fox, in 1 top list Check
  29. 980 new

    Cry, the Beloved Country

    1951 — a.k.a. African Fury, in 0 top lists Check
  30. 991 new

    The Mating Season

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  31. 1014 new

    Show Boat

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  32. 1092 new

    Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

    1951, in 2 top lists Check
  33. 1115 new

    Kind Lady

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  34. 1116 new

    The People Against O'Hara

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  35. 1127 new

    The Day the Earth Stood Still

    1951, in 12 top lists Check
  36. 1159 new

    The Thing from Another World

    1951, in 7 top lists Check
  37. 1160 new

    Cry Danger

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  38. 1310 new

    Only the Valiant

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  39. 1311 new

    Come Fill the Cup

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  40. 1334 new

    Storm Warning

    1951, in 1 top list Check
  41. 1352 new

    Take Care of My Little Girl

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
  42. 1363 new

    Five

    1951, in 0 top lists Check
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Last updated on Sep 28, 2019;