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The Criterion Collection, Ranked

Since 1984 the Criterion Collection has assembled a living library of important cinema, spine number by spine number. Here are the collection's films in our library ranked by our composite score — where the canon of publishers meets the canon of polls and awards.

1221 films from this list are in our library; the top 50 by composite score are shown — the ranking is ours, not the list's own order.

  1. 1
    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

  2. 2
    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

  3. 3
    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

  4. 4
    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

  5. 5
    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

  6. 6
    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

  7. 7
    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

  8. 8
    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

  9. 9
    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

  10. 10
    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

  11. 11
    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

  12. 12
    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

  13. 13
    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

  14. 14
    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

  15. 15
    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

  16. 16
    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

  17. 17
    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

  18. 18
    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

  19. 19
    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

  20. 20
    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

  21. 21
    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

  22. 22
    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

  23. 23
    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

  24. 24
    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

  25. 25
    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

  26. 26
    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

  27. 27
    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

  28. 28
    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

  29. 29
    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

  30. 30
    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

  31. 31
    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

  32. 32
    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

  33. 33
    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

  34. 34
    The Graduate1967 · Mike Nichols · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    3.92

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

  35. 35
    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

  36. 36
    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

  37. 37
    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

  38. 38
    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

  39. 39
    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

  40. 40
    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

  41. 41
    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

  42. 42
    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

  43. 43
    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

  44. 44
    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

  45. 45
    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

  46. 46
    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

  47. 47
    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

  48. 48
    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

  49. 49
    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

  50. 50
    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

The Criterion Collection is the home-video label that turned curation into an argument. Founded in 1984 by Robert Stein, Aleen Stein and Joe Medjuck, it set out to license, restore and publish what it calls "important classic and contemporary films," and in doing so it built the closest thing home video has to a canon — one whose taste a generation of cinephiles learned to trust the way earlier readers trusted a good publisher's imprint. The list above is every Criterion title our library also tracks, but the order is ours, not theirs.

A publisher's canon

Criterion's authority was earned on craft before taste. The label pioneered the innovations that made serious home viewing possible — letterboxing to preserve a widescreen frame, and the audio commentary track, which it introduced in 1984 — and it carried that restorer's ethic across four formats, from LaserDisc through the DVD era it defined after 1998, into Blu-ray in 2008, 4K in 2021 and the Criterion Channel that launched streaming for it in 2019. The catalog now spans work by roughly 600 directors from more than fifty countries, a spread wide enough that the collection reads less like one editor's shelf than like a working map of world cinema. In May 2024 the label passed to Steven Rales's Indian Paintbrush, a change of owner but not of mission.

Why the spine is not a ranking

Every Criterion release carries a spine number, and it is tempting to read those numbers as a verdict. They are not: a spine number records only the order in which a title entered the catalog, a librarian's index rather than a judgment of worth. That is precisely the gap this page exists to fill. A film appears here because Criterion published it; where it sits is decided by our composite score, computed across 20-plus authoritative lists, awards and polls — so the collection's own chronology of acquisition is replaced by the accumulated weight of the wider canon.

How to read our list

Read down, not across: the ranking is by composite score, and it scrambles Criterion's catalog into an order the label never proposed. Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941) tops the page at 9.21, with Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949) at 6.08 close behind — and Bong Joon-ho's Parasite (2019), one of the collection's most recent inductions, already sitting among its most venerable. The spread is the point: a label that shelves Anora (2024) beside All About Eve (1950) and The Wages of Fear (1953) is making a claim about continuity across eight decades, and our score lets you test that claim film by film — every row cites the lists, polls and awards that put it where it is, so you can see exactly where Criterion's judgment and the world's coincide.