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The New York Times' Best 1,000 Movies, Ranked

The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made — the paper's critics' century-spanning canon, last revised in 2004 and published as an unranked alphabetical guide. Here is the Times' thousand given an order: ranked by our composite score across 20+ lists, awards and polls.

968 films from this list are in our library; the top 100 by composite score are shown — the ranking is ours, not the list's own order.

  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
    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

  4. 4
    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

  5. 5
    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

  6. 6
    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

  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
    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

  12. 12
    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

  13. 13
    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

  14. 14
    Casablanca1942 · Michael Curtiz · United States · romance, war, drama
    5.29

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

  15. 15
    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

  16. 16
    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

  17. 17
    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

  18. 18
    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

  19. 19
    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

  20. 20
    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

  21. 21
    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

  22. 22
    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

  23. 23
    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

  24. 24
    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

  25. 25
    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

  26. 26
    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

  27. 27
    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

  28. 28
    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

  29. 29
    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

  30. 30
    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

  31. 31
    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

  32. 32
    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

  33. 33
    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

  34. 34
    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

  35. 35
    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

  36. 36
    Singin' in the Rain1952 · Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen · United States · comedy, romance, musical
    4.30

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #10 · AFI 100 (2007) #5 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52

  37. 37
    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

  38. 38
    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

  39. 39
    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

  40. 40
    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

  41. 41
    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

  42. 42
    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

  43. 43
    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

  44. 44
    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

  45. 45
    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

  46. 46
    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

  47. 47
    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

  48. 48
    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

  49. 49
    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

  50. 50
    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

  51. 51
    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

  52. 52
    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

  53. 53
    The Graduate1967 · Mike Nichols · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    3.92

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

  54. 54
    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

  55. 55
    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

  56. 56
    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

  57. 57
    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

  58. 58
    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

  59. 59
    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

  60. 60
    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

  61. 61
    Ben-Hur1959 · William Wyler · United States · drama, action
    3.61

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

  62. 62
    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

  63. 63
    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

  64. 64
    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

  65. 65
    Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope1977 · George Lucas · United States · sci-fi, action, adventure
    3.58

    AFI 100 (2007) #13 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1977 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #225

  66. 66
    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

  67. 67
    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

  68. 68
    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

  69. 69
    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

  70. 70
    Jaws1975 · Steven Spielberg · United States · thriller, horror, adventure
    3.52

    Empire 500 (2008) #5 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #62 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975

  71. 71
    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

  72. 72
    Raiders of the Lost Ark1981 · Steven Spielberg · United States · action
    3.47

    Empire 500 (2008) #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1981 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #211

  73. 73
    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

  74. 74
    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

  75. 75
    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

  76. 76
    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

  77. 77
    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

  78. 78
    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

  79. 79
    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

  80. 80
    Farewell My Concubine1993 · Chen Kaige · China · drama, romance
    3.39

    Palme d'Or winner 1993 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1994 #2 · TIME All-TIME 100

  81. 81
    Rashomon1950 · Akira Kurosawa · Japan · drama, crime
    3.38

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1951 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #20 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #41

  82. 82
    The English Patient1996 · Anthony Minghella · United Kingdom / United States · romance, war, drama
    3.38

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1996 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1997 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1997 #5

  83. 83
    Gandhi1982 · Richard Attenborough · United Kingdom / India · biography, drama
    3.37

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1982 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1983 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1983 #3

  84. 84
    The Last Picture Show1971 · Peter Bogdanovich · United States · drama
    3.35

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1972 #1 · Ebert's annual top 10 1971 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1971

  85. 85
    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

  86. 86
    Fanny and Alexander1982 · Ingmar Bergman · France / Germany / Sweden · drama
    3.30

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1985 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #129

  87. 87
    It Happened One Night1934 · Frank Capra · United States · comedy, romance
    3.27

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1934 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1934 #5 · AFI 100 (2007) #46

  88. 88
    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

  89. 89
    All Quiet on the Western Front1930 · Lewis Milestone · United States · war, drama
    3.26

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1929 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1930 #1 · AFI 100 (1998) #54

  90. 90
    Day for Night1973 · François Truffaut · France / Italy · drama, comedy
    3.25

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1974 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1974 #3 · Siskel's annual top 10 1974 #1

  91. 91
    Kagemusha1980 · Akira Kurosawa · Japan · drama, war
    3.23

    Palme d'Or winner 1980 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1980 #2 · Ebert's annual top 10 1980 #3

  92. 92
    Ugetsu1953 · Kenji Mizoguchi · Japan · fantasy, drama
    3.22

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1959 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1953 #3 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #90

  93. 93
    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

  94. 94
    The Searchers1956 · John Ford · United States · western, drama, war
    3.22

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #15 · AFI 100 (2007) #12 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72

  95. 95
    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

  96. 96
    Shoah1985 · Claude Lanzmann · France · documentary
    3.18

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #27 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1985 #1 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1989 #1

  97. 97
    The Wizard of Oz1939 · Victor Fleming, King Vidor · United States · fantasy, musical, adventure
    3.17

    AFI 100 (2007) #10 · AFI 100 (1998) #6 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1939

  98. 98
    Kramer vs. Kramer1979 · Robert Benton · United States · drama
    3.17

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1979 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1980 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1979 #1

  99. 99
    Blue Velvet1986 · David Lynch · United States · mystery, thriller, drama
    3.13

    Hoberman's annual top 10 1986 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #85

  100. 100
    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

Most canons here are assembled by committee ballot or reader poll; the New York Times' thousand is assembled by archive. It is the only list on the site drawn from a single newspaper's own criticism — the reviews its staff filed on deadline, the night each film opened, gathered decades later into one volume. That provenance gives the guide a texture no vote can match: it preserves not a verdict handed down from on high but a paper trail.

The guide and its method

The book — The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, edited by Vincent Canby, Janet Maslin and Peter M. Nichols — first appeared in 1999 and was revised in 2004. Its picks lean heavily on the Times critics' year-end "Ten Best" choices, culled from an archive of reviews reaching back to the early 1930s. Maslin's introduction frames a collection that keeps each notice exactly as it ran, so the volume doubles as a history of the paper's taste — including the films it first dismissed and later, in printed postscripts, took back. The list runs alphabetically and carries no ranking whatsoever; the Times ordered its thousand only by title.

How to read our list

That absence of order is exactly what our page supplies. Every film here belongs because it sits in the guide; the sequence is ours, computed by composite score across more than twenty lists, awards and polls, and it is not the Times' own preference. Of the thousand titles, 968 have a match in our library. The Godfather (1972) leads them at a composite of 9.75, ahead of Citizen Kane (1941) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) — a top three that reads as canon-orthodox even though the guide filed all three as alphabetical equals. The revealing entries sit lower. Henri-Georges Clouzot's French thriller The Wages of Fear (1953) holds a strong 3.63, and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (2001) surfaces at 4.98 — proof that a canon built from one American paper's reviews still reached well past Hollywood.