History of Movies
My Library

The Best Dramas of All Time

Cinema's broadest church, measured: every drama in our library ranked by composite score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls.

Drama is the genre every other genre borrows its spine from: character under pressure, choices with consequences, and no monster or gunfight to hide behind. It is where the awards live — most Best Picture winners are dramas — and where the great directors' reputations were made: William Wyler's twenty library dramas, David Lean's epics of conscience, Martin Scorsese's men at war with themselves, and the chamber cinema of Bergman and Ozu that proved two faces and a room are spectacle enough.

The Godfather (1972) leads with a composite score of 9.75. Top 100 of 4486 films in our library.

Masters of the genre

  1. 1
    The Godfather1972 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States / Italy · crime, drama, thriller
    9.75

    Empire 500 (2008) #1 · Oscar Best Picture winner 1972 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #3

  2. 2
    Citizen Kane1941 · Orson Welles · United States · drama, biography, mystery
    9.21

    AFI 100 (2007) #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #2 · AFI 100 (1998) #1

  3. 3
    Lawrence of Arabia1962 · David Lean · United Kingdom / United States · war, biography, drama
    7.40

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1962 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1963 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1963 #1

  4. 4
    Apocalypse Now1979 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · war, action, drama
    6.84

    Palme d'Or winner 1979 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #18 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #19

  5. 5
    Goodfellas1990 · Martin Scorsese · United States · biography, crime, thriller
    6.33

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1991 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #28 · Empire 500 (2008) #6

  6. 6
    Taxi Driver1976 · Martin Scorsese · United States · film-noir, drama, crime
    6.25

    Palme d'Or winner 1976 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1976 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #12

  7. 7
    Schindler's List1993 · Steven Spielberg · United States · war, biography, drama
    6.12

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1993 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1994 · AFI 100 (2007) #8

  8. 8
    The Third Man1949 · Carol Reed · United Kingdom · film-noir, mystery, drama
    6.08

    BFI Top 100 British films #1 · Palme d'Or winner 1949 · Cannes Grand Prix winner 1949

  9. 9
    All About Eve1950 · Joseph L. Mankiewicz · United States · drama, comedy
    5.87

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1950 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1951 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1951 #1

  10. 10
    Pulp Fiction1994 · Quentin Tarantino · United States · crime, drama, thriller
    5.76

    Palme d'Or winner 1994 · Empire 500 (2008) #9 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1994

  11. 11
    Parasite2019 · Bong Joon-ho · South Korea · comedy, drama, thriller
    5.72

    Palme d'Or winner 2019 · Oscar Best Picture winner 2019 · Film Comment year-end poll 2019 #1

  12. 12
    Raging Bull1980 · Martin Scorsese · United States · biography, drama, action
    5.71

    AFI 100 (2007) #4 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #22 · Siskel's annual top 10 1980 #1

  13. 13
    Annie Hall1977 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    5.55

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1977 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1978 · Siskel's annual top 10 1977 #1

  14. 14
    The Godfather Part II1974 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · drama, crime, thriller
    5.37

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1974 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #26 · Letterboxd Top 250 #8

  15. 15
    Casablanca1942 · Michael Curtiz · United States · romance, war, drama
    5.29

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1943 · AFI 100 (2007) #3 · AFI 100 (1998) #2

  16. 16
    Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles1975 · Chantal Akerman · Belgium / France · drama
    5.26

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #4 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1978 #1

  17. 17
    12 Angry Men1957 · Sidney Lumet · United States · drama
    5.25

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1957 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1959 #1 · Letterboxd Top 250 #3

  18. 18
    Vertigo1958 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · mystery, thriller, drama
    5.16

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #6 · AFI 100 (2007) #9

  19. 19
    In the Mood for Love2000 · Wong Kar-wai · Hong Kong, China / France / Thailand · romance, drama
    5.13

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #5 · Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #9

  20. 20
    The Piano1993 · Jane Campion · France / Australia / New Zealand · drama, romance
    4.99

    Palme d'Or winner 1993 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1994 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #50

  21. 21
    Spirited Away2001 · Hayao Miyazaki · Japan · fantasy, animation, drama
    4.98

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 2002 · Japan Academy Prize winner 2002 · Kehr's annual top 10 2002 #1

  22. 22
    Unforgiven1992 · Clint Eastwood · United States · western, drama, crime
    4.96

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1992 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1992 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1993 #1

  23. 23
    Tokyo Story1953 · Yasujirō Ozu · Japan · drama
    4.91

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #4 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #4 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1953 #2

  24. 24
    Bicycle Thieves1948 · Vittorio De Sica · Italy · drama
    4.78

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1950 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1950 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #20

  25. 25
    The Battle of Algiers1966 · Gillo Pontecorvo · Italy / Algeria · drama, war
    4.69

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1967 #1 · Venice Golden Lion winner 1966 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #22

  26. 26
    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest1975 · Miloš Forman · United States · comedy, drama
    4.63

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1975 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1977 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1976 #2

  27. 27
    Midnight Cowboy1969 · John Schlesinger · United States · drama
    4.62

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1969 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1970 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1969 #2

  28. 28
    The Bridge on the River Kwai1957 · David Lean · United Kingdom / United States · drama, war
    4.61

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1957 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1958 · BFI Top 100 British films #11

  29. 29
    Mulholland Drive2001 · David Lynch · United States · mystery, thriller, crime
    4.61

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2001 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2001 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #8

  30. 30
    8½1963 · Federico Fellini · Italy / France · comedy, drama, fantasy
    4.58

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #6 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1965 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #31

  31. 31
    Secrets & Lies1996 · Mike Leigh · United Kingdom · drama
    4.58

    Palme d'Or winner 1996 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1997 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1996

  32. 32
    Sunset Boulevard1950 · Billy Wilder · United States · drama, film-noir
    4.54

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1951 #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #62 · AFI 100 (2007) #16

  33. 33
    Do the Right Thing1989 · Spike Lee · United States · comedy, drama
    4.39

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1989 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #24 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #29

  34. 34
    The Apartment1960 · Billy Wilder · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    4.38

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1960 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1961 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #54

  35. 35
    Chinatown1974 · Roman Polanski · United States · film-noir, mystery, thriller
    4.33

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1974 · AFI 100 (2007) #21

  36. 36
    Amadeus1984 · Miloš Forman · United States · biography, musical, drama
    4.33

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1984 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1985 #1 · Ebert's annual top 10 1984 #1

  37. 37
    The Best Years of Our Lives1946 · William Wyler · United States · war, drama
    4.31

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1946 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1948 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1948 #2

  38. 38
    On the Waterfront1954 · Elia Kazan · United States · drama, crime, thriller
    4.31

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1954 · AFI 100 (1998) #8 · AFI 100 (2007) #19

  39. 39
    Wild Strawberries1957 · Ingmar Bergman · Sweden · drama
    4.30

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1958 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1962 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1959 #1

  40. 40
    Brief Encounter1945 · David Lean · United Kingdom · romance, drama
    4.30

    Palme d'Or winner 1946 · BFI Top 100 British films #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1948 #3

  41. 41
    Persona1966 · Ingmar Bergman · Sweden · drama
    4.29

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #9 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #18

  42. 42
    There Will Be Blood2007 · Paul Thomas Anderson · United States · drama, western, thriller
    4.26

    Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2008 #2

  43. 43
    The Tree of Life2011 · Terrence Malick · United States · sci-fi, fantasy, drama
    4.26

    Palme d'Or winner 2011 · Film Comment year-end poll 2011 #1 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2011 #2

  44. 44
    MASH1970 · Robert Altman · United States · comedy, drama, war
    4.25

    Palme d'Or winner 1970 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1970 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1970 #5

  45. 45
    La Dolce Vita1960 · Federico Fellini · France / Italy · comedy, drama
    4.24

    Palme d'Or winner 1960 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1960 #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #35

  46. 46
    The Silence of the Lambs1991 · Jonathan Demme · United States · thriller, horror, crime
    4.23

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1991 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1991 #2 · AFI 100 (2007) #74

  47. 47
    No Country for Old Men2007 · Ethan Coen, Joel Coen · United States · drama, thriller, western
    4.20

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2007 · Film Comment year-end poll 2007 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2008 #1

  48. 48
    E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial1982 · Steven Spielberg · United States · sci-fi, drama
    4.17

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1982 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1982 · AFI 100 (2007) #24

  49. 49
    The Deer Hunter1978 · Michael Cimino · United States · war, drama
    4.15

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1978 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1979 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #211

  50. 50
    Moonlight2016 · Barry Jenkins · United States · drama
    4.15

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2016 · Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #3 · Film Comment year-end poll 2016 #2

  51. 51
    Platoon1986 · Oliver Stone · United States / Philippines · war, drama, action
    4.09

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1986 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1987 #2 · Ebert's annual top 10 1986 #1

  52. 52
    Ordet1955 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · Denmark · drama
    4.06

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1955 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1955 #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #30

  53. 53
    The 400 Blows1959 · François Truffaut · France · drama, crime
    4.04

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #33 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #50 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1959 #5

  54. 54
    Taste of Cherry1997 · Abbas Kiarostami · Iran · drama
    4.03

    Palme d'Or winner 1997 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #93 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #243

  55. 55
    Psycho1960 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · thriller, horror, mystery
    4.01

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #31 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · AFI 100 (2007) #14

  56. 56
    Breathless1960 · Jean-Luc Godard · France · drama, crime
    3.95

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #14 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #38 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1960 #3

  57. 57
    The Hurt Locker2008 · Kathryn Bigelow · United States · action, thriller, war
    3.95

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2009 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2010 · Film Comment year-end poll 2009 #1

  58. 58
    Barry Lyndon1975 · Stanley Kubrick · United States / United Kingdom · drama, war, adventure
    3.95

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #12 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #45 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975

  59. 59
    The Last Emperor1987 · Bernardo Bertolucci · China / France / United Kingdom · drama, biography
    3.94

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1987 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1989 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1988 #1

  60. 60
    Blowup1966 · Michelangelo Antonioni · United Kingdom / Italy · mystery, thriller, drama
    3.93

    Palme d'Or winner 1967 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1967 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1966 #1

  61. 61
    The Graduate1967 · Mike Nichols · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    3.92

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1969 · AFI 100 (1998) #7 · AFI 100 (2007) #17

  62. 62
    Paris, Texas1984 · Wim Wenders · France / Germany · drama
    3.89

    Palme d'Or winner 1984 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #185 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1985 #6

  63. 63
    The Pianist2002 · Roman Polanski · France / Germany / United Kingdom · musical, drama, biography
    3.86

    Palme d'Or winner 2002 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2003 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2003 #1

  64. 64
    Bonnie and Clyde1967 · Arthur Penn · United States · drama, crime, biography
    3.82

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1968 #1 · Ebert's annual top 10 1967 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1967

  65. 65
    Ikiru1952 · Akira Kurosawa · Japan · drama
    3.78

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1952 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157

  66. 66
    Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans1927 · F. W. Murnau · United States · drama, silent, romance
    3.77

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1928 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #11 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #33

  67. 67
    Shakespeare in Love1998 · John Madden · United Kingdom / United States · comedy, romance, drama
    3.77

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1998 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1999 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1999 #1

  68. 68
    The Conversation1974 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · thriller, drama, mystery
    3.76

    Palme d'Or winner 1974 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1974

  69. 69
    Titanic1997 · James Cameron · United States · drama, romance
    3.72

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1997 · Kehr's annual top 10 1997 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1998 #4

  70. 70
    Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives2010 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul · Thailand / France · comedy, drama, fantasy
    3.69

    Palme d'Or winner 2010 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2010 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2011 #2

  71. 71
    Gone with the Wind1939 · Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood · United States · romance, drama, war
    3.68

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1939 · AFI 100 (2007) #6 · AFI 100 (1998) #4

  72. 72
    Boyhood2014 · Richard Linklater · United States · drama
    3.66

    BAFTA Best Film winner 2015 · Film Comment year-end poll 2014 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2014 #2

  73. 73
    Rocky1976 · John G. Avildsen · United States · drama, action
    3.65

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1976 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1977 #1 · AFI 100 (2007) #57

  74. 74
    The Wages of Fear1953 · Henri-Georges Clouzot · France / Italy · drama, adventure
    3.63

    Palme d'Or winner 1953 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1955 · Berlin Golden Bear winner 1953

  75. 75
    A Separation2011 · Asghar Farhadi · Iran · drama
    3.62

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 2011 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2012 #2 · Ebert's annual top 10 2011 #1

  76. 76
    Ben-Hur1959 · William Wyler · United States · drama, action
    3.61

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1959 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1960 · AFI 100 (2007) #100

  77. 77
    Pather Panchali1955 · Satyajit Ray · India · drama
    3.61

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1966 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #22 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #35

  78. 78
    Seven Samurai1954 · Akira Kurosawa · Japan · drama, action, adventure
    3.60

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #14 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #20 · Letterboxd Top 250 #5

  79. 79
    Dances with Wolves1990 · Kevin Costner · United States · drama, war, western
    3.59

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1990 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1991 #1 · Ebert's annual top 10 1990 #3

  80. 80
    Viridiana1961 · Luis Buñuel · Mexico / Spain · comedy, drama
    3.59

    Palme d'Or winner 1961 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1962 #4

  81. 81
    The Seventh Seal1957 · Ingmar Bergman · Sweden · fantasy, drama
    3.58

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1958 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1958 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72

  82. 82
    Shoplifters2018 · Hirokazu Koreeda · Japan · drama
    3.56

    Palme d'Or winner 2018 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 2018 #1 · Japan Academy Prize winner 2019

  83. 83
    Yi Yi2000 · Edward Yang · Taiwan, China / Japan · drama
    3.56

    Film Comment year-end poll 2000 #3 · Sarris's annual top 10 2000 #1 · Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #8

  84. 84
    Chariots of Fire1981 · Hugh Hudson · United Kingdom / Australia · biography, drama
    3.55

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1981 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1982 · TIFF People's Choice winner 1981

  85. 85
    The Shawshank Redemption1994 · Frank Darabont · United States · drama, crime
    3.55

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1995 #1 · Empire 500 (2008) #4 · Letterboxd Top 250 #7

  86. 86
    It's a Wonderful Life1946 · Frank Capra · United States · comedy, romance, fantasy
    3.52

    AFI 100 (2007) #20 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1946 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #133

  87. 87
    A Man for All Seasons1966 · Fred Zinnemann · United Kingdom · biography, drama
    3.51

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1966 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1968 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1967 #4

  88. 88
    One Battle After Another2025 · Paul Thomas Anderson · United States · drama, thriller, action
    3.50

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2025 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2026 · Film Comment year-end poll 2025 #1

  89. 89
    Brokeback Mountain2005 · Ang Lee · United States · romance, drama
    3.49

    BAFTA Best Film winner 2006 · Venice Golden Lion winner 2005 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2005

  90. 90
    Some Like It Hot1959 · Billy Wilder · United States · comedy, romance, crime
    3.47

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #38 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #62 · AFI 100 (2007) #22

  91. 91
    Forbidden Games1952 · René Clément · France · war, drama
    3.46

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1954 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1953 #1 · Venice Golden Lion winner 1952

  92. 92
    The Thin Red Line1998 · Terrence Malick · United States · war, drama
    3.46

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1999 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1999 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1998

  93. 93
    Forrest Gump1994 · Robert Zemeckis · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    3.45

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1994 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1995 #4 · AFI 100 (2007) #76

  94. 94
    The French Connection1971 · William Friedkin · United States · crime, action, thriller
    3.44

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1971 · AFI 100 (2007) #93 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1972 #10

  95. 95
    Nashville1975 · Robert Altman · United States · comedy, drama, musical
    3.41

    Ebert's annual top 10 1975 #1 · Siskel's annual top 10 1975 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975

  96. 96
    The Red Shoes1948 · Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell · United Kingdom · romance, drama, musical
    3.41

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #67 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · BFI Top 100 British films #9

  97. 97
    The Departed2006 · Martin Scorsese · United States / Hong Kong, China · drama, thriller, crime
    3.41

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2006 · Film Comment year-end poll 2006 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 2006 #1

  98. 98
    City Lights1931 · Charlie Chaplin · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    3.40

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #36 · AFI 100 (2007) #11 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52

  99. 99
    Network1976 · Sidney Lumet · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    3.39

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1977 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1976 · AFI 100 (2007) #64

  100. 100
    Amour2012 · Michael Haneke · France / Germany / Austria · drama
    3.39

    Palme d'Or winner 2012 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2013 #1 · César Best Film winner 2013

Every genre page in this library is a room; drama is the building. The hundred films below occupy ranks 1 through 107 of the entire library — from The Godfather (1972), the highest-scoring film we track, down to Amour (2012) — meaning only seven of the library's hundred-odd best-scored films fail to carry the drama tag. Any honest ranking of the best drama movies has to begin by admitting it is very nearly a ranking of the best movies, full stop.

The genre that isn't one

The standard definition — narrative fiction "intended to be more serious than humorous in tone," driven by conflict, emotional or social, and its resolution — describes nearly everything the canon values. The Screenwriters Taxonomy goes further and argues that drama is too broad to count as a genre at all: it is a register, a tone that attaches itself to real genres, which is why the industry speaks of crime dramas, legal dramas, historical dramas. The theatrical ancestor was narrower — a drama was the play that was neither comedy nor tragedy — but cinema kept the wide reading. The tag measures tone, not territory, which is how Spirited Away (2001), an animated fantasy, and Vertigo (1958), Alfred Hitchcock's thriller, both qualify for this page.

Where the reputations were made

Diffuse as the tag is, the list's centre of gravity is unmistakable: character under pressure, choices with consequences, no monster or gunfight to hide behind — and it is the arena where directing reputations get built. Francis Ford Coppola places four films here, from The Godfather (1972) at #1 down to The Conversation (1974); Martin Scorsese matches him, from Taxi Driver (1976) to The Departed (2006). David Lean shows the genre's two faces at once — the desert epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962) at #4, and the tea-room heartbreak of Brief Encounter (1945). Billy Wilder lands three, William Wyler has twenty library dramas to his name, and Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries (1957) stands for the chamber tradition that proved two faces and a room are spectacle enough. Citizen Kane (1941), at #2, needs no introduction from anyone.

How to read our list

Membership is carried by data, not by our taste: a film enters this page when the genre labels our pipeline inherits from Wikidata file it under drama, and the order is our composite score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls — never any single critic's ranking. Because the tag is near-universal, the page behaves less like a genre shelf than like the library's master ranking with the purest genre exercises filtered out; it is also, predictably, thick with awards cinema, since most Best Picture winners are dramas. That breadth is the point. Read the top of this list as cinema's consensus centre — The Godfather leading at a score of 9.75, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite the highest of its newcomers at #12 — and read the narrower rooms, the crime and noir and war pages, as the places where a genre tag starts to mean something sharper.