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The Best Movies of the 1960s

The 1960s ranked by our composite score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls — not one critic's opinion, but the weight of the whole canon.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) leads with a composite score of 7.43. Top 100 of 697 films in our library.

  1. 1
    2001: A Space Odyssey1968 · Stanley Kubrick · United States / United Kingdom · adventure, mystery, sci-fi
    7.43

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #6 · AFI 100 (2007) #15

  2. 2
    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

  3. 3
    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

  4. 4
    Dr. Strangelove1964 · Stanley Kubrick · United States / United Kingdom · comedy, war
    4.66

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1965 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1964

  5. 5
    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

  6. 6
    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

  7. 7
    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

  8. 8
    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

  9. 9
    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

  10. 10
    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

  11. 11
    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

  12. 12
    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

  13. 13
    The Graduate1967 · Mike Nichols · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    3.92

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

  14. 14
    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

  15. 15
    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

  16. 16
    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

  17. 17
    L'Avventura1960 · Michelangelo Antonioni · France / Italy · drama
    3.35

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1960 #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #38 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #72

  18. 18
    Au Hasard Balthazar1966 · Robert Bresson · Sweden / France · drama, crime
    3.29

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1966 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #25 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #37

  19. 19
    Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid1969 · George Roy Hill · United States · comedy, drama, western
    3.27

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1971 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1969 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1970 #4

  20. 20
    If....1968 · Lindsay Anderson · United Kingdom · drama
    3.22

    Palme d'Or winner 1969 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1969 #3 · BFI Top 100 British films #12

  21. 21
    West Side Story1961 · Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins · United States · musical, romance, drama
    3.20

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1961 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1961 #4 · AFI 100 (2007) #51

  22. 22
    In the Heat of the Night1967 · Norman Jewison · United States · crime, drama, mystery
    3.12

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1967 · AFI 100 (2007) #75 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1967 #8

  23. 23
    The Sound of Music1965 · Robert Wise · United States · musical, biography, drama
    3.02

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1965 · AFI 100 (2007) #40 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1965 #9

  24. 24
    Contempt1963 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · drama
    3.00

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1963 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #54

  25. 25
    The Leopard1963 · Luchino Visconti · France / Italy · drama
    2.94

    Palme d'Or winner 1963 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #90 · Vatican film list

  26. 26
    Last Year at Marienbad1961 · Alain Resnais · France / Italy / Germany · drama
    2.91

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1961 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #169

  27. 27
    Tom Jones1963 · Tony Richardson · United Kingdom · comedy, adventure, drama
    2.91

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1963 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1964 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #8

  28. 28
    Red Desert1964 · Michelangelo Antonioni · France / Italy · drama, romance
    2.83

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1964 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #169 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1964 #6

  29. 29
    Belle de Jour1967 · Luis Buñuel · France / Italy · drama
    2.82

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1967 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1968 #1

  30. 30
    My Fair Lady1964 · George Cukor · United States · musical, romance, drama
    2.76

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1964 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1966 · AFI 100 (1998) #91

  31. 31
    The Hustler1961 · Robert Rossen · United States · drama
    2.72

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1962 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1961 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1962 #9

  32. 32
    Z1969 · Costa-Gavras · France · drama, thriller
    2.72

    Ebert's annual top 10 1969 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1970 #3 · Siskel's annual top 10 1969 #1

  33. 33
    The Long Absence1961 · Henri Colpi · France · drama
    2.68

    Palme d'Or winner 1961 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #1 · Kurosawa's 100 favorite films

  34. 34
    La Notte1961 · Michelangelo Antonioni · France / Italy · drama
    2.65

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1961 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1961 #7

  35. 35
    The Birds1963 · Alfred Hitchcock · United States · adventure, horror, mystery
    2.58

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1963 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1963 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1963 #4

  36. 36
    Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?1966 · Mike Nichols · United States · drama
    2.54

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1967 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1966 · AFI 100 (2007) #67

  37. 37
    Once Upon a Time in the West1968 · Sergio Leone · Italy / United States · western, drama, action
    2.37

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #95 · Empire 500 (2008) #14

  38. 38
    Easy Rider1969 · Dennis Hopper · United States · drama, action
    2.34

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1970 #1 · AFI 100 (2007) #84 · AFI 100 (1998) #88

  39. 39
    My Life to Live1962 · Jean-Luc Godard · France · drama
    2.32

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1962 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1963 #5

  40. 40
    America America1963 · Elia Kazan · United States · drama
    2.31

    San Sebastián Golden Shell winner 1964 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1963 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #5

  41. 41
    Andrei Rublev1966 · Andrei Tarkovsky · Soviet Union · biography
    2.30

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #26 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #67 · Empire 500 (2008) #36

  42. 42
    The Wild Bunch1969 · Sam Peckinpah · United States · crime, western
    2.30

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #136 · AFI 100 (2007) #79 · AFI 100 (1998) #80

  43. 43
    Harakiri1962 · Masaki Kobayashi · Japan · action, drama
    2.29

    Letterboxd Top 250 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1962 #3 · Criterion Collection spine #302

  44. 44
    Playtime1967 · Jacques Tati · France / Italy · comedy, drama
    2.28

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #23 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #41 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #5

  45. 45
    Army of Shadows1969 · Jean-Pierre Melville · France / Italy · drama, war
    2.21

    Film Comment year-end poll 2006 #3 · Sarris's annual top 10 2006 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #211

  46. 46
    The Umbrellas of Cherbourg1964 · Jacques Demy · France / West Germany · musical, romance, drama
    2.21

    Palme d'Or winner 1964 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #122 · Criterion Collection spine #716

  47. 47
    Pierrot le Fou1965 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · romance, drama, comedy
    2.13

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #85 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1967 #5

  48. 48
    Bande à part1964 · Jean-Luc Godard · France · crime, romance, drama
    2.05

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1964 #1 · TIME All-TIME 100 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films

  49. 49
    The Color of Pomegranates1969 · Sergei Parajanov · Soviet Union · biography, drama
    2.05

    Hoberman's annual top 10 1980 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #93 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #122

  50. 50
    A Man and a Woman1966 · Claude Lelouch · France · drama, romance
    2.05

    Palme d'Or winner 1966 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1966 #5 · Criterion Collection spine #1304

  51. 51
    Jules and Jim1962 · François Truffaut · France · romance, drama
    2.01

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1962 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #2 · Empire 500 (2008) #338

  52. 52
    High and Low1963 · Akira Kurosawa · Japan · drama, film-noir, crime
    2.01

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1963 #2 · Letterboxd Top 250 #6 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films

  53. 53
    Weekend1967 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · comedy, drama
    1.96

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #3 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1969 #4 · Ebert's annual top 10 1969 #3

  54. 54
    Oliver!1968 · Carol Reed · United Kingdom · musical, drama, crime
    1.91

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1968 · BFI Top 100 British films #77 · Ebert's annual top 10 1968 #7

  55. 55
    Yojimbo1961 · Akira Kurosawa · Japan · drama
    1.90

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1961 #2 · TIME All-TIME 100 · Empire 500 (2008) #95

  56. 56
    The Woman in the Dunes1964 · Hiroshi Teshigahara · Japan · drama
    1.88

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1964 #1 · Letterboxd Top 250 #28 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  57. 57
    Cléo from 5 to 71962 · Agnès Varda · France / Italy · drama
    1.81

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #14 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · Criterion Collection spine #73

  58. 58
    To Kill a Mockingbird1962 · Robert Mulligan · United States · drama, crime
    1.76

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1962 · AFI 100 (2007) #25 · AFI 100 (1998) #34

  59. 59
    The Exterminating Angel1962 · Luis Buñuel · Mexico · fantasy, comedy, drama
    1.75

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1963 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #169 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  60. 60
    The Good, the Bad and the Ugly1966 · Sergio Leone · Italy / Spain / Germany · western, war, drama
    1.74

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #169 · Letterboxd Top 250 #20 · Empire 500 (2008) #25

  61. 61
    The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance1962 · John Ford · United States · western, drama
    1.73

    Sarris's annual top 10 1962 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #108 · National Film Registry (inducted 2007)

  62. 62
    Shoot the Piano Player1960 · François Truffaut · France · film-noir, drama, crime
    1.70

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1960 #4 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1963 #9 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films

  63. 63
    Judgment at Nuremberg1961 · Stanley Kramer · United States · drama
    1.70

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1962 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1961 · Letterboxd Top 250 #99

  64. 64
    Romeo and Juliet1968 · Franco Zeffirelli · United Kingdom / Italy · romance, drama
    1.69

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1968 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1968 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  65. 65
    The Servant1963 · Joseph Losey · United Kingdom · drama
    1.67

    BFI Top 100 British films #22 · Sarris's annual top 10 1964 #2 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1964 #10

  66. 66
    Alphaville1965 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · sci-fi, drama, crime
    1.66

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1965 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #5 · Criterion Collection spine #25

  67. 67
    Gertrud1964 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · Denmark · drama
    1.64

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1964 #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #136 · Sarris's annual top 10 1966 #2

  68. 68
    Sandra1965 · Luchino Visconti · Italy · drama
    1.63

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1965 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #2

  69. 69
    Spartacus1960 · Stanley Kubrick · United States · drama, romance, war
    1.63

    AFI 100 (2007) #81 · BAFTA Best Film nominee 1961 · Empire 500 (2008) #77

  70. 70
    The Knack ...and How to Get It1965 · Richard Lester · United Kingdom · comedy, romance
    1.61

    Palme d'Or winner 1965 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  71. 71
    Red Beard1965 · Akira Kurosawa · Japan · drama
    1.56

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1965 #1 · Letterboxd Top 250 #52 · Criterion Collection spine #159

  72. 72
    Doctor Zhivago1965 · David Lean · United States / Italy / United Kingdom · romance, drama, war
    1.51

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1965 · BFI Top 100 British films #27 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1966 #9

  73. 73
    A Hard Day's Night1964 · Richard Lester · United Kingdom · comedy, musical
    1.50

    TIME All-TIME 100 · BFI Top 100 British films #88 · Empire 500 (2008) #410

  74. 74
    O Pagador de Promessas1962 · Anselmo Duarte · Brazil · drama
    1.50

    Palme d'Or winner 1962

  75. 75
    The Birds, the Bees and the Italians1966 · Pietro Germi · Italy / France · comedy
    1.50

    Palme d'Or winner 1966

  76. 76
    The Gospel According to St. Matthew1964 · Pier Paolo Pasolini · Italy / France · drama
    1.49

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1966 #4 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #9

  77. 77
    Rocco and His Brothers1960 · Luchino Visconti · France / Italy · drama, crime
    1.47

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1961 #4 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films · Letterboxd Top 250 #129

  78. 78
    Kes1969 · Ken Loach · United Kingdom · comedy, drama
    1.45

    BFI Top 100 British films #7 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Letterboxd Top 250 #222

  79. 79
    My Night at Maud's1969 · Éric Rohmer · France · drama
    1.43

    Siskel's annual top 10 1970 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1970 #2 · Ebert's annual top 10 1970 #6

  80. 80
    The Virgin Spring1960 · Ingmar Bergman · Sweden · drama
    1.43

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1961 #1 · Criterion Collection spine #321 · Sarris's annual top 10 1960 #8

  81. 81
    The Manchurian Candidate1962 · John Frankenheimer · United States · film-noir, thriller, drama
    1.42

    TIME All-TIME 100 · AFI 100 (1998) #67 · National Film Registry (inducted 1994)

  82. 82
    Rosemary's Baby1968 · Roman Polanski · United States · horror, drama, thriller
    1.40

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1969 #5 · Empire 500 (2008) #78 · National Film Registry (inducted 2014)

  83. 83
    Tomorrow Is My Turn1960 · André Cayatte · France / Germany / Italy · romance, drama
    1.39

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1960 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1961 #5

  84. 84
    Bushido, Samurai Saga1963 · Tadashi Imai · Japan · action, drama
    1.39

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1963 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1963 #5

  85. 85
    Lola1961 · Jacques Demy · France / Italy · drama, romance
    1.38

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1961 #1 · Criterion Collection spine #714 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  86. 86
    The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer1961 · Masaki Kobayashi · Japan · war
    1.38

    Letterboxd Top 250 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1961 #4

  87. 87
    Happiness1965 · Agnès Varda · France · drama
    1.36

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1966 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #152 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #10

  88. 88
    Family Diary1962 · Valerio Zurlini · Italy / France · drama
    1.36

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1962 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #6

  89. 89
    Daisies1966 · Věra Chytilová, Rudolf Jaroš · Czechoslovakia · comedy, drama, romance
    1.34

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #28 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #7 · Criterion Collection spine #1157

  90. 90
    Darling1965 · John Schlesinger · United Kingdom · romance, drama
    1.30

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1965 · BFI Top 100 British films #83 · Empire 500 (2008) #251

  91. 91
    Samurai Rebellion1967 · Masaki Kobayashi · Japan · drama
    1.29

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1967 #1 · Criterion Collection spine #310 · Roger Ebert's Great Movies

  92. 92
    Soleil Ô1967 · Med Hondo · France / Mauritania · documentary, drama
    1.29

    Locarno Golden Leopard winner 1970 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #243 · Criterion Collection spine #1049

  93. 93
    Shock Corridor1963 · Samuel Fuller · United States · film-noir, drama
    1.28

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #7 · National Film Registry (inducted 1996) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  94. 94
    Cul-de-sac1966 · Roman Polanski · United Kingdom · comedy, thriller, drama
    1.27

    Berlin Golden Bear winner 1966 · Criterion Collection spine #577 · Edgar Wright's 1,000 favorite movies

  95. 95
    Mary Poppins1964 · Robert Stevenson · United States · fantasy, musical, comedy
    1.23

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1964 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1965 #5 · National Film Registry (inducted 2013)

  96. 96
    Accident1967 · Joseph Losey · United Kingdom · drama
    1.23

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 1967 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1969 #7 · Sarris's annual top 10 1967 #10

  97. 97
    Masculin Féminin1966 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Sweden · comedy, drama
    1.19

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1966 #4 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1968 #7 · Criterion Collection spine #308

  98. 98
    La Jetée1962 · Chris Marker · France · sci-fi
    1.18

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #35 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #67 · Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

  99. 99
    Her Brother1960 · Kon Ichikawa · Japan · drama
    1.18

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1960 #1 · Kurosawa's 100 favorite films

  100. 100
    The Miracle Worker1962 · Arthur Penn · United States · biography, drama
    1.17

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1963 #2 · National Film Registry (inducted 2024) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

Old system, new waves

The 1960s is the hinge decade of film history: it opens inside the old studio order — big roadshow musicals, epics shot on 70mm — and closes with that order in ruins. The French New Wave detonated first: between 1959 and 1962, Truffaut, Godard, Varda, Resnais and Demy proved you could make world-class cinema with handheld cameras, natural light, jump cuts and borrowed apartments. The shockwave was global. Britain got its kitchen-sink realists, Italy pushed into modernism with Fellini and Antonioni, Japan and Eastern Europe produced their own new waves, and by mid-decade "art cinema" was a parallel industry with its own stars, festivals and economics.

Hollywood spent the decade caught between the two worlds, and the tension shows in the canon. The early years belong to the last flowering of classical craft — Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is arguably the studio epic's perfection — and to blockbuster musicals like West Side Story and The Sound of Music, which won Best Pictures and broke box-office records even as the culture shifted under them. The Production Code, unenforceable after a decade of erosion, was formally replaced by the ratings system in 1968. That same year Kubrick released 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film financed by a major studio that behaves like an avant-garde installation — the clearest possible signal that the audience, and the definition of a "big" film, had changed for good.

What the lists remember

Cross-referencing the canon-making sources shows an interesting split personality for this decade. The critics' polls are dominated by the European modernists — 8½, the New Wave films, late Buñuel — while the awards record and the institutional canons preserve the big English-language productions. Both memories are accurate; they simply measure different rooms of the same decade. Our composite score holds them in one frame: Kubrick and Fellini, Demy's candy-colored musical tragedy and Leone's dust-blown Westerns (Italian-made, and the decade's most influential export to Hollywood's own genre).

If you want one path through the sixties, follow the collapse of certainty: start with the confident craftsmanship of 1962, detour through the New Wave's cheerful demolition of film grammar, and end at 1968–69, when the failures of expensive musicals and the success of cheap, personal films convinced the studios to hand the keys to a new generation. The 1970s were signed into existence by the 1960s' account books.