Home


Essential Movies

I am currently maintaing a list of movies that I call "Essential Movies".

Composition of the List
This list tries to include all the movies that are mentioned in some best-movie-list, be it a critics-choice list, a famous list like AFI, a popular-choice list, or just about any reasonably compiled list. The philosophy is that if it has been included in some best movie list, then there must be something good about it. (however, it must be internationally recognized/popular, not just locally)

Both commercial mainstream popular and non-commercial non-mainstream art movies find place in the list, however, commercial films are not the focus here so many popular commercial films may not have been included.

Attempt has been made to include films from diverse genres, from different countries* and from all periods of time. And even reasonably good films are included. For these reasons, the list is somewhat lengthy.

To be noted is that the list also does not portray my subjective choice of movies, it just gives the "generally accepted" good movies.

I wanted to display the list sorted in something better than just alphabetical order, and since the IMDB's My Movies feature, where I maintain the list, provides sorting by IMDb ratings, it made sense to go for it. However, this does not mean that I consider the IMDb ratings as the perfect measure of a movie, though I do think that it is roughly relevant. And yes, the list is no way a pulloff of the IMDb Top 250, although that list was also considered in making this.

[*However, list consists of mostly American and European movies, though other countries are represented as well]

Purpose of the List, Possible Use
I wanted to make a list of movies that I wanted to make sure I have watched in my life. This is that list.

However, I think it can be useful to others as well. You can browse through the list and see which ones you have already seen, which ones you have not, and which ones you would like to. This list can serve as the list of good movies of all kinds, and might be helpful if you need to select a movie to see. Just make sure you check out the IMDb page of the movie linked here and see whether it is a movie of your type.

I, ofcourse, will be carrying a printout of this list when I make visits to the video-store to rent a movie.:-)

Suggestions, additions, criticisms, comments are more than welcome. Email me at grkhetan@yahoo.com gkhetan@usc.edu

I maintain the list in IMDB's My Movies feature, and below is the latest snapshot taken of that list. (Update: IMDB now allows lists to be made public: The current list can be accessed here)

This snapshot date: July 24, 2003 (505 movies). Click Here To View The List In Alphabetical Order


Movie Name My RatingIMDb Rating
 Sanshô dayû (1954)   9.1
 Godfather, The (1972)   9.0
 Shawshank Redemption, The (1994) 8 9.0
 Godfather: Part II, The (1974)   8.9
 Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1968)   8.9
 Shichinin no samurai (1954)   8.9
 Banshun (1949)   8.8
 Bowling for Columbine (2002) 9 8.8
 Casablanca (1942) 8 8.8
 Citizen Kane (1941) 9 8.8
 Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001) 8 8.8
 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)   8.8
 Schindler's List (1993) 8 8.8
 Star Wars (1977)   8.8
 Zangiku monogatari (1939)   8.8
 Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966) 7 8.7
 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 8 8.7
 Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) 7 8.7
 Memento (2000) 8 8.7
 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 8 8.7
 Pianist, The (2002) 8 8.7
 Rear Window (1954) 8 8.7
 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)   8.7
 Usual Suspects, The (1995) 8 8.7
 12 Angry Men (1957) 8 8.6
 C'era una volta il West (1968)   8.6
 Cidade de Deus (2002)   8.6
 Double Indemnity (1944)   8.6
 Goodfellas (1990)   8.6
 It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 7 8.6
 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)   8.6
 North by Northwest (1959)   8.6
 Paths of Glory (1957)   8.6
 Psycho (1960) 8 8.6
 Pulp Fiction (1994) 8 8.6
 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 7 8.6
 Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)   8.6
 Sunset Blvd. (1950)   8.6
 All About Eve (1950)   8.5
 American Beauty (1999) 9 8.5
 Apocalypse Now (1979) 8 8.5
 Boot, Das (1981)   8.5
 Fight Club (1999)   8.5
 M (1931)   8.5
 Matrix, The (1999) 9 8.5
 Przesluchanie (1982)   8.5
 Rashômon (1950)   8.5
 Requiem for a Dream (2000) 7 8.5
 Silence of the Lambs, The (1991) 8 8.5
 Some Like It Hot (1959)   8.5
 Third Man, The (1949)   8.5
 To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)   8.5
 Vertigo (1958) 8 8.5
 Apartment, The (1960)   8.4
 Au hasard Balthazar (1966)   8.4
 Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946)   8.4
 Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)   8.4
 Chinatown (1974)   8.4
 City Lights (1931)   8.4
 General, The (1927)   8.4
 L.A. Confidential (1997) 7 8.4
 Ladri di biciclette (1948)   8.4
 Maltese Falcon, The (1941)   8.4
 Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)   8.4
 Modern Times (1936)   8.4
 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)   8.4
 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 8 8.4
 On the Waterfront (1954)   8.4
 Raging Bull (1980)   8.4
 Ran (1985)   8.4
 Singin' in the Rain (1952) 7 8.4
 Taxi Driver (1976) 7 8.4
 To Be or Not to Be (1942)   8.4
 Touch of Evil (1958)   8.4
 Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)   8.4
 Vita è bella, La (1997)   8.4
 Wo hu cang long (2000)   8.4
 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 9 8.3
 Alien (1979) 8 8.3
 Amadeus (1984) 8 8.3
 American History X (1998)   8.3
 Annie Hall (1977)   8.3
 Big Sleep, The (1946)   8.3
 Braveheart (1995) 7 8.3
 Clockwork Orange, A (1971) 9 8.3
 Donnie Darko (2001)   8.3
 Duck Soup (1933)   8.3
 Finding Nemo (2003)   8.3
 Grande illusion, La (1937)   8.3
 Great Dictator, The (1940)   8.3
 Great Escape, The (1963)   8.3
 High Noon (1952)   8.3
 It Happened One Night (1934)   8.3
 Léon (1994)   8.3
 Mononoke-hime (1997)   8.3
 Nema-ye Nazdik (1990)   8.3
 Notorious (1946)   8.3
 Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988)   8.3
 Saving Private Ryan (1998)   8.3
 Se7en (1995) 7 8.3
 Searchers, The (1956)   8.3
 Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)   8.3
 Smultronstället (1957)   8.3
 Stalag 17 (1953)   8.3
 Sting, The (1973)   8.3
 Strangers on a Train (1951)   8.3
 Sullivan's Travels (1941)   8.3
 Sunrise (1927)   8.3
 Witness for the Prosecution (1957)   8.3
 Wizard of Oz, The (1939)   8.3
 Yojimbo (1961)   8.3
 African Queen, The (1951)   8.2
 Aliens (1986) 8 8.2
 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)   8.2
 Blade Runner (1982) 7 8.2
 Bringing Up Baby (1938)   8.2
 Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)   8.2
 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)   8.2
 Enfants du paradis, Les (1945)   8.2
 Fargo (1996)   8.2
 Festen (1998)   8.2
 Gold Rush, The (1925)   8.2
 Grapes of Wrath, The (1940) 8 8.2
 Hable con ella (2002)   8.2
 His Girl Friday (1940)   8.2
 Hotaru no haka (1988)   8.2
 Hustler, The (1961)   8.2
 Ikiru (1952)   8.2
 Jaws (1975) 7 8.2
 Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)   8.2
 Laura (1944)   8.2
 Lola rennt (1998)   8.2
 Manhattan (1979)   8.2
 Night at the Opera, A (1935)   8.2
 Night of the Hunter, The (1955)   8.2
 Ox-Bow Incident, The (1943)   8.2
 Patton (1970)   8.2
 Philadelphia Story, The (1940)   8.2
 Princess Bride, The (1987)   8.2
 Quatre cents coups, Les (1959)   8.2
 Rebecca (1940)   8.2
 Red River (1948)   8.2
 Reservoir Dogs (1992)   8.2
 Shadow of a Doubt (1943)   8.2
 Shining, The (1980) 8 8.2
 Sixth Sense, The (1999) 8 8.2
 Strada, La (1954)   8.2
 Straight Story, The (1999)   8.2
 Toy Story 2 (1999)   8.2
 White Heat (1949)   8.2
 Wild Bunch, The (1969)   8.2
 Amores perros (2000)   8.1
 Andrei Rublyov (1969)   8.1
 Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)   8.1
 Ben-Hur (1959)   8.1
 Bride of Frankenstein (1935)   8.1
 Charade (1963)   8.1
 Christmas Story, A (1983)   8.1
 Conversation, The (1974)   8.1
 Cool Hand Luke (1967)   8.1
 Crowd, The (1928)   8.1
 Deer Hunter, The (1978)   8.1
 Diaboliques, Les (1955)   8.1
 Dodsworth (1936)   8.1
 Elephant Man, The (1980)   8.1
 Full Metal Jacket (1987)   8.1
 Glory (1989)   8.1
 Gone with the Wind (1939)   8.1
 Graduate, The (1967)   8.1
 Great Expectations (1946)   8.1
 Green Mile, The (1999)   8.1
 Harvey (1950)   8.1
 Killing, The (1956)   8.1
 Lady Eve, The (1941)   8.1
 Lion in Winter, The (1968)   8.1
 Magnificent Ambersons, The (1942)   8.1
 Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962)   8.1
 Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968)   8.1
 My Darling Clementine (1946)   8.1
 Once Upon a Time in America (1984)   8.1
 Persona (1966)   8.1
 Roman Holiday (1953)   8.1
 Shrek (2001) 8 8.1
 Stagecoach (1939)   8.1
 Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)   8.1
 Sweet Smell of Success (1957)   8.1
 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 8 8.1
 Thin Man, The (1934)   8.1
 Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994)   8.1
 Whale Rider (2002)   8.1
 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)   8.1
 39 Steps, The (1935)   8.0
 8 1/2 (1963)   8.0
 Albero degli zoccoli, L' (1978)   8.0
 All the President's Men (1976)   8.0
 Almost Famous (2000) 7 8.0
 Ame agaru (1999)   8.0
 Back to the Future (1985) 7 8.0
 Being John Malkovich (1999) 7 8.0
 Brazil (1985)   8.0
 Capturing the Friedmans (2003)   8.0
 Da hong deng long gao gao gua (1991)   8.0
 Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951)   8.0
 Die Hard (1988) 7 8.0
 Die xue shuang xiong (1989)   8.0
 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)   8.0
 Fanny och Alexander (1982)   8.0
 Forrest Gump (1994)   8.0
 Gladiator (2000)   8.0
 Henry V (1989)   8.0
 How Green Was My Valley (1941)   8.0
 In the Heat of the Night (1967)   8.0
 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)   8.0
 Insider, The (1999) 8 8.0
 Lady Vanishes, The (1938)   8.0
 Last Picture Show, The (1971)   8.0
 Life of Brian (1979)   8.0
 Lilja 4-ever (2002)   8.0
 Louisiana Story (1948)   8.0
 Madame de... (1953)   8.0
 Magnolia (1999)   8.0
 Midnight Cowboy (1969)   8.0
 Miller's Crossing (1990)   8.0
 Monsters, Inc. (2001) 7 8.0
 Mulholland Dr. (2001) 8 8.0
 Network (1976)   8.0
 Ninotchka (1939)   8.0
 Out of the Past (1947)   8.0
 Platoon (1986)   8.0
 Quiet Man, The (1952)   8.0
 Règle du jeu, La (1939)   8.0
 Right Stuff, The (1983)   8.0
 Rio Bravo (1959)   8.0
 Sling Blade (1996)   8.0
 Spartacus (1960)   8.0
 Todo sobre mi madre (1999)   8.0
 Trouble in Paradise (1932)   8.0
 Unforgiven (1992)   8.0
 Young Frankenstein (1974)   8.0
 Adaptation. (2002)   7.9
 Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1973)   7.9
 Amarcord (1973)   7.9
 Au revoir les enfants (1987)   7.9
 Being There (1979)   7.9
 Big Lebowski, The (1998)   7.9
 Bonnie and Clyde (1967)   7.9
 Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)   7.9
 Dersu Uzala (1974)   7.9
 Dogville (2003)   7.9
 Dolce vita, La (1960)   7.9
 Ed Wood (1994)   7.9
 Exorcist, The (1973) 8 7.9
 Frankenstein (1931)   7.9
 From Here to Eternity (1953)   7.9
 Gandhi (1982)   7.9
 Hamlet (1948)   7.9
 Himmel über Berlin, Der (1987)   7.9
 Hud (1963)   7.9
 King Kong (1933)   7.9
 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)   7.9
 Man Who Would Be King, The (1975)   7.9
 Minority Report (2002) 8 7.9
 Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The (1944)   7.9
 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)   7.9
 Others, The (2001) 7 7.9
 Palm Beach Story, The (1942)   7.9
 Road to Perdition (2002)   7.9
 Snatch. (2000)   7.9
 Stand by Me (1986)   7.9
 Tengoku to jigoku (1963)   7.9
 Terminator, The (1984) 8 7.9
 This Is Spinal Tap (1984)   7.9
 To Have and Have Not (1944)   7.9
 Tonari no Totoro (1988)   7.9
 Toy Story (1995)   7.9
 Traffic (2000)   7.9
 Trainspotting (1996)   7.9
 Twelve Monkeys (1995)   7.9
 Umberto D. (1952)   7.9
 Y tu mamá también (2001) 8 7.9
 Z (1969)   7.9
 À bout de souffle (1960)   7.8
 Abre los ojos (1997)   7.8
 Argent, L' (1983)   7.8
 Barry Lyndon (1975) 7 7.8
 Beautiful Mind, A (2001) 8 7.8
 Birds, The (1963)   7.8
 Cabaret (1972)   7.8
 Chicago (2002)   7.8
 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)   7.8
 Dancer in the Dark (2000)   7.8
 Deadly Is the Female (1949)   7.8
 Deliverance (1972)   7.8
 Dial M for Murder (1954)   7.8
 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 8 7.8
 Fantasia (1940)   7.8
 Far from Heaven (2002)   7.8
 French Connection, The (1971)   7.8
 Good Will Hunting (1997)   7.8
 Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)   7.8
 Heat (1995)   7.8
 It's a Gift (1934)   7.8
 JFK (1991)   7.8
 MASH (1970)   7.8
 Mies vailla menneisyyttä (2002)   7.8
 Miracle on 34th Street (1947)   7.8
 My Fair Lady (1964)   7.8
 Nashville (1975)   7.8
 O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)   7.8
 Ordinary People (1980)   7.8
 Planet of the Apes (1968) 6 7.8
 Producers, The (1968)   7.8
 Rain Man (1988)   7.8
 Rosemary's Baby (1968) 7 7.8
 Secrets & Lies (1996)   7.8
 Shane (1953)   7.8
 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)   7.8
 Sons of the Desert (1933)   7.8
 Top Hat (1935)   7.8
 Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993)   7.8
 Underground (1995)   7.8
 Untouchables, The (1987)   7.8
 Airplane! (1980)   7.7
 Blood Simple. (1984)   7.7
 Blue Velvet (1986)   7.7
 Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)   7.7
 Casino (1995)   7.7
 Dances with Wolves (1990)   7.7
 Dead Poets Society (1989)   7.7
 Do the Right Thing (1989)   7.7
 Field of Dreams (1989)   7.7
 Fugitive, The (1993)   7.7
 Goldfinger (1964)   7.7
 Happiness (1998)   7.7
 Hours, The (2002)   7.7
 Jetée, La (1962) 7 7.7
 Mildred Pierce (1945)   7.7
 Now, Voyager (1942)   7.7
 Ordet (1955)   7.7
 Paisà (1946)   7.7
 Pickpocket (1959)   7.7
 Place in the Sun, A (1951)   7.7
 Rebel Without a Cause (1955)   7.7
 Rocky (1976)   7.7
 Sound of Music, The (1965)   7.7
 Swing Time (1936)   7.7
 Thing, The (1982) 7 7.7
 Truman Show, The (1998) 9 7.7
 Ugetsu monogatari (1953)   7.7
 West Side Story (1961)   7.7
 When Harry Met Sally... (1989) 8 7.7
 About Schmidt (2002)   7.6
 Adam's Rib (1949)   7.6
 Akira (1988)   7.6
 Ba wang bie ji (1993)   7.6
 Bank Dick, The (1940)   7.6
 Baraka (1992)   7.6
 Boogie Nights (1997) 6 7.6
 Boys Don't Cry (1999)   7.6
 Chelovek s kinoapparatom (1929)   7.6
 Chong qing sen lin (1994)   7.6
 Dirty Harry (1971)   7.6
 Forbidden Planet (1956)   7.6
 Gunga Din (1939)   7.6
 Halloween (1978)   7.6
 Jules et Jim (1962)   7.6
 Kôkaku kidôtai (1995)   7.6
 Last Emperor, The (1987)   7.6
 Olvidados, Los (1950)   7.6
 On the Town (1949)   7.6
 Outlaw Josey Wales, The (1976)   7.6
 Shakespeare in Love (1998)   7.6
 Short Cuts (1993)   7.6
 Tokyo monogatari (1953)   7.6
 Yi yi (2000)   7.6
 42nd Street (1933)   7.5
 Akahige (1964)   7.5
 All That Jazz (1979)   7.5
 American in Paris, An (1951)   7.5
 Apollo 13 (1995)   7.5
 Conformista, Il (1970)   7.5
 Dead Man (1995)   7.5
 Don't Look Now (1973)   7.5
 Dracula (1931/I)   7.5
 Faustrecht der Freiheit (1975)   7.5
 Gattaca (1997) 8 7.5
 Giant (1956)   7.5
 Goda viljan, Den (1992)   7.5
 Ice Storm, The (1997)   7.5
 Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)   7.5
 Mean Streets (1973)   7.5
 Ocean's Eleven (2001) 7 7.5
 Paris, Texas (1984)   7.5
 Pather Panchali (1955)   7.5
 Pi (1998)   7.5
 Popiól i diament (1958)   7.5
 Ring, The (2002) 8 7.5
 Roaring Twenties, The (1939)   7.5
 Solyaris (1972)   7.5
 Tootsie (1982)   7.5
 Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956)   7.5
 Waking Life (2001)   7.5
 Woman Under the Influence, A (1974)   7.5
 Abyss, The (1989) 8 7.4
 All or Nothing (2002)   7.4
 Atalante, L' (1934)   7.4
 Avventura, L' (1960)   7.4
 Bacheha-Ye aseman (1997)   7.4
 Barton Fink (1991)   7.4
 Blowup (1966)   7.4
 Céline et Julie vont en bateau (1974)   7.4
 Carlito's Way (1993)   7.4
 Carrosse d'or, Le (1952)   7.4
 Die xue jie tou (1990)   7.4
 Double vie de Véronique, La (1991)   7.4
 Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)   7.4
 Huang tu di (1984)   7.4
 Mépris, Le (1963)   7.4
 Man Who Knew Too Much, The (1956) 8 7.4
 Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)   7.4
 Missing (1982)   7.4
 Otac na sluzbenom putu (1985)   7.4
 Pelle erobreren (1987)   7.4
 Pierrot le fou (1965)   7.4
 Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco (1981)   7.4
 Rang-e khoda (1999)   7.4
 Room with a View, A (1986)   7.4
 Sans toit ni loi (1985)   7.4
 Stanza del figlio, La (2001)   7.4
 Topsy-Turvy (1999)   7.4
 Unbearable Lightness of Being, The (1988)   7.4
 Uninvited, The (1944)   7.4
 Yukinojo henge (1963)   7.4
 Zerkalo (1975)   7.4
 À la folie... pas du tout (2002)   7.3
 All That Heaven Allows (1955)   7.3
 Broadway Danny Rose (1984)   7.3
 Driving Miss Daisy (1989)   7.3
 Jerry Maguire (1996)   7.3
 Jurassic Park (1993)   7.3
 Matrix Reloaded, The (2003) 8 7.3
 Misfits, The (1961)   7.3
 Narayama bushiko (1982)   7.3
 Pianiste, La (2001) 8 7.3
 Piano, The (1993) 8 7.3
 Secretary (2002)   7.3
 Suspiria (1977)   7.3
 Terms of Endearment (1983)   7.3
 Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962)   7.3
 Chariots of Fire (1981)   7.2
 Hanging Garden, The (1997)   7.2
 Irréversible (2002)   7.2
 Mission, The (1986)   7.2
 Oklahoma! (1955)   7.2
 Poltergeist (1982)   7.2
 Ta'm e guilass (1997)   7.2
 Unagi (1997)   7.2
 Deconstructing Harry (1997)   7.1
 Enemy of the State (1998) 8 7.1
 Gigi (1958)   7.1
 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)   7.1
 Masculin, féminin (1966)   7.1
 Mia aioniotita kai mia mera (1998)   7.1
 Moonstruck (1987)   7.1
 Padre padrone (1977)   7.1
 Speed (1994) 7 7.1
 Wavelength (1967)   7.1
 Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover, The (1989)   7.0
 English Patient, The (1996) 7 7.0
 Girl, Interrupted (1999) 7 7.0
 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)   7.0
 Notes From Underground (1995) 8 7.0
 Reds (1981)   7.0
 Rock, The (1996) 7 7.0
 Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)   7.0
 Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) 8 6.9
 Elephant (2003)   6.9
 Rosetta (1999)   6.9
 Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The (1974)   6.9
 Titanic (1997) 8 6.9
 Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972)   6.9
 Vanilla Sky (2001) 8 6.9
 Wild at Heart (1990)   6.9
 Out of Africa (1985)   6.8
 Scarecrow (1973)   6.8
 Fatal Attraction (1987)   6.7
 Ghost (1990)   6.7
 À ma soeur! (2001)   6.6
 Lady in White (1988)   6.6
 Performance (1970)   6.6
 Natural Born Killers (1994) 8 6.5
 Sous le soleil de Satan (1987)   6.5
 S1m0ne (2002) 7 6.4
 Top Gun (1986) 6 6.4
 Con Air (1997)   6.3
 Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002)   6.3
 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)   6.2
 City of Angels (1998) 7 6.2
 Forget Paris (1995)   6.2
 Stepmom (1998) 8 6.1
 Beavis and Butt-head Do America (1996)   6.0
 Independence Day (1996) 7 6.0
 Love Story (1970)   6.0
 Twister (1996) 6 5.9
 Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)   5.4

(Note: I am currently still in the process of defining "my rating" column, so for now, ignore it)

(This page has been visited times)


Last modified: Friday, 30-Dec-2005 18:50:29 EST