Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Sight and Sound Decadal Film Survey

Episode Date: December 30, 2022

What is the greatest movie ever made? It seems like a highly subjective question that is impossible to answer. However, in 1952 the magazine of the British Film Institute took it upon itself to come up with an answer to the question.  They surveyed an international group of film professionals to ask them what they thought the greatest films of all time were. They have conducted the survey every decade for the last 70 years.  Learn more about the Sight and Sound Decadal Survey and the greatest movies of all time on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Subscribe to the podcast!  https://link.chtbl.com/EverythingEverywhere?sid=ShowNotes -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Peter Bennett & Thor Thomsen   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Update your podcast app at newpodcastapps.com Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/EverythingEverywhere Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the greatest movie ever made? It seems like a highly subjective question that's impossible to answer. However, in 1952, the magazine of the British Film Institute took it upon itself to come up with an answer to the question. They surveyed an international group of film professionals to ask them what they thought the greatest films of all time were. And they have conducted the survey every decade for the last 70 years. Learn more about the sight and sound Decadal Survey and the greatest movies of all time on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. What if your perceptions about the past were wrong? ThruLine is a podcast that takes you back in time to uncover the parts of the story that may have gone unnoticed.

It effectively turned day into night. And how it shaped the world now. Time travel with us every week on the ThruLine podcast from NPR. Whenever you get into discussions of what is the greatest of all time, regardless of the subject, it's going to elicit controversy. The impetus behind the survey conducted by sight and sound magazine was simple enough, tried to determine what is considered by critics to be the greatest film of all time. The methodology that sight and sound used was pretty simple, and with only some minor changes,

it's been the method used for every single survey taken since 1952. For the first survey, they sent it to 85 film critics who lived in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. Each of the critics was given a blank sheet of paper and asked to write down what they considered to be their ten greatest movies of all time, in no particular order. The results were tabulated by simply counting what film was mentioned on the most lists. That's it. There is no weighted ranking system. So the film which they dubbed the greatest was simply the film that was put on the list of the top ten by the most film critics. Of the 85 critics which were sent surveys in 1952, 63 responded.

Some of the films that I'm going to go through you might have heard of, some you might have seen, and I'm guessing for most of you, there are a lot of films you have never heard of. Here are the results of the 1952 poll, with the year the film was released and the director. Tied for 10th, Le Million, a 1931 French comedy by Renee Claire, Rules of the Game, a 1939 French comedy drama by Jean Renoir, and Brief Encounter, a 1945 romantic drama by the British director David Lean. In ninth place, the Passion of Joan of Arc, a 1928 French silent movie by Carl Theodore Dreyer. In eighth place, La Jure-Seleve, a 1939 French film by Marcel Kahn.

In seventh place, Greed, a 1924 silent film by Hollywood director Eric von Stroheim. In sixth place, Louisiana Story, a 1948 fictional documentary by Robert J. Flattery. In fifth place, Intolerance, the 1916 epic silent film by D.W. Griffith. In fourth place is Battleship Potankham, the 1925 silent film by Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein. In third place is The Gold Rush, the 1925 film by Charlie Chaplin. In second place is City Lights, the 1931 film by Charlie Chaplin. In first place, listed on 25 of the 63 ballots, was the 1948 Italian film, The Bicycle Fives, directed by Vittorio De Sica.

It tells the story of a man who looks to recover his stolen bicycle when he needs it for his job defeated. family. The thing to remember for this list is that filmmaking was a really young art form at this time. 1952 was only 40 years removed from some of the first Hollywood films. Ten years later in 1962, they decided to do it again. There was now a new generation of film critics and a decade worth of new films, and a longer perspective to appreciate what came before it. In this survey, number 10 through 6 were La Aetalan, a 1934 film by Jean Vigo, La Terra Tremant, a 1948 film by Lucino Visconti, Ivan the Terrible, a 1944 film by Sergei Eisenstein,

bicycle thieves, and then battleship Potankham. Number five was the 1953 Japanese film Ugettzu by Kenji Mitsugushi. Number four was greed. Number three was Rules of the Game. Number two was the 1960 Italian film La Aventura by Michelangelo Antonini. And number one was Citizen Kane, the 1941 debut film by Orson Wells. I've previously done an entire episode on Citizen Kane, so I won't spend too much time on it,

but this was the start of Citizen Kane becoming known as the greatest film of all time. It just missed the list in 1952 by one vote. You can also start to see a trend in the second poll, with some movies taking decades to become appreciated. In 1972, there were some new films, some old films coming back on the list, and a reshuffling. Tide for 10 was Yugitsu and Wild Strawberries, the 1957 film by Ingmar Bergman. In ninth was the Magnificent Ambersons, the 1942 sophomore released by Orson Welles, and much of the entire second act of the film was purposely destroyed by the film studio.

In eighth was The General, a 1926 silent film by Buster Keaton. Seventh was The Passion of Joan of Arc. Sixth was Persona, a 1966 film by Ingmar Bergman. Fifth, La Ventura. Fourth was eight and a half, the 1963 Italian comedy drama by Federico Fellini. Third, battleship Potankham, second, Rules of the Game, and first again was Citizen Kane. In 1982, there were a few new additions to the list. Tied for 10th was the General and the Searchers, a 1956 film by John Ford. In ninth place, making its debut on the list, was Vertigo,

1958 film by Alfred Hitchcock. Eighth was the Magnificent Ambersons, seventh La Ventura, sixth Battleship Potankum, fifth, eight and a half, fourth, a new entry, singing in the rain, a 1953 musical by Gene Kelly. Third, another new entry was The Seven Samurai, the 1954 Japanese epic by Akira Kurosawa. Second again was Rules of the Game, and first again was Citizen Kane. In 1992, there were only three new additions to the top ten.

In 10th place was 2001 A Space Odyssey, the 1968 science fiction film by Stanley Kubrick. In ninth was Balship Otenkham. Eighth was Pather Panchali, the 1955 drama by the Indian director Satchijit Ray. In seventh was The Passion of Joan of Arc. Six was La Talantz. Fifth was the Searchers. Fourth was Vertigo. Third, making its debut was Tokyo Story, the 1953 Japanese drama directed by Yasujiro Ozu. First and second were for the third survey in a row, Citizen Kane and

Rules of the Game. 1992 also saw a separate survey which was given to film directors, which I'll get to in a bit. In 2002, there were only three new films. Etienne was singing in the rain, the 1952 musical directed by Gene Kelly. At nine was eight and a half. At eight was Sunrise, a song of two humans, the 1927 silent film by F. W. Marno. Seven was Battleship Potankham. Six was 2001 of Space Odyssey. Five was Tokyo Story. Four was the godfather and the godfather Part two, collectively from 1972 and 1974 by Francis Ford Coppola. Third was Rules of the Game. Second was Vertigo. And yet again, Citizen Kane was number one for the the fifth consecutive survey. In 2012, they made a few changes to the voting. First, related films

like the Godfather movies were to be treated as separate films. And second, they sent the survey out to significantly more critics. It increased from 145 critics in 2002 to 846 critics in 2012. Despite increasing the number of voters almost sixfold, there was only one new addition to the top 10, but there was a reshuffling of the results. At number 10 was 8.5. At 9 was the passion of Joan of Arc. At 8 was Man with a Movie Camera. The only new addition to the list, it was a 1929 experimental film by Disha Vertov. Seven was The Searchers. Six, 2001 of Space Odyssey. Five, Sunrise, A Song of Two, Rules of the Game. Three, Tokyo Story. Two, Citizen Kane. The first time in 50 years it wasn't ranked first. And the new number one film was Alfred Hitchcock.

Virtico's Vertigo. The eighth sight and sound survey was conducted in 2022, and the number of film critics was expanded yet again, this time being sent to over 1,600 critics worldwide. I have waited all year for the results of this decade survey to come in just so I could do this episode. As with the results of past surveys, there are a few new films on the list, which is to be expected, and some major reshuffling. The results of the 2022 site and sound survey are, at number 10, singing in the rain. Number nine, man with a movie camera. At number eight, Mulholland Drive, the 2001 mystery film by David Lynch. And number seven was Bo Traveille, the 1995 French film by director Claire Deney. Number six was 2001 in Space Odyssey. Number five, in the mood for love,

a 2000 romantic drama by Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai. Number four was Tokyo Story, number three, Citizen Kane, number two, Vertigo. And the new number one film, and quite frankly, one which shocked me, one which had never appeared in the top ten before, was the 1975 Belgian film. Jean Dillemann, Vontois-Ques de Cormin, Mille, 402, Brussels. The director was Chantal Ackerman, and she was the first woman to direct a film that is at the top of the list. The film, which I am just going to refer to as Jean Delman from here on out, is a very slow-paced depiction of three days in the life of a single mother in Brussels. It has extended scenes of her cooking and doing other mundane tasks.

The reason why it's so surprising is because it was ranked just 36th in 2012. The director's poll, which began in 1992, as many of the same films as the critics poll every year, but with some other films that have never been in the critics' top 10. In the four surveys by director since 1992, the number one films have been Citizen Kane twice, followed by Tokyo Story in 2012, and 2001 a Space Odyssey in 2022. The other films appearing on the director's list include Raging Bull and Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese, Lawrence of Arabia by David Lean, Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola, Mir by Andri Tarkovsky, Dr. Strangelove by Stanley Kubrick, and Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa.

So what can we glean from these lists? The first is that great movies are seldom appreciated when they're first released. I remember when Mahal and Drive first came out and there was a lot of debate in film forums about the movie. and it's taken 20 years for opinions to settle down. The 2012 list only had two films on it from the previous 20 years in the top 100, and the 2022 list only has nine films from the last 20 years in the top 100. The second thing you'll notice is that there have been very few films to make the list in any year which have been huge box office hits.

Star Wars and Marvel of movies might be fun, but they are necessarily groundbreaking examples of filmmaking. And the reason why I've taken such an interest in this search, survey is because I have been a huge film buff for a very long time. Before I started traveling full-time, I actually amassed a collection of over 750 DVDs. A lot of good having that many DVDs does me now. Most of my collection consisted of classic and foreign films, many of the films which have been on the site and sound lists over the years. So I thought I'd end this episode with my own personal top 10 list. So if I was contacted by the folks at site and sound

magazine, and if anyone there is listening and are looking to diversify your voters next time to include podcasters, I am available in 2032. Here is what my ballot would have looked like. My 10 films in no particular order. Number one, Lawrence of Arabia, the 1962 film by David Lean. This is my favorite film and I think the greatest film ever made. And Steven Spielberg agrees with me. The 70 millimeter cinematography is absolutely jaw-dropping. And they recently came out with a 4K transfer, which is absolutely beautiful. I watch this movie at least once a year, and because of it, I actually went to Wadi Rum in Jordan.

And but for the music and fonts on the credits and titles, you would think that this film was made today. Number two is Patton, the 1970 film directed by Franklin Schaffner, starring George C. Scott. This is, I would say, the best biographical study of a person put to film. George Patton was an arrogant, abusive, brilliant general

who got the job done when we needed someone like him. Number three is Citizen King. Yeah, this is a great film, and it's earned its spot on all of the lists. While Orson Wells did make other great films, sadly, he peaked at the age of 25. Number four, The Passion of Joan of Arc. This is, in my opinion, the greatest silent film ever made. Joan is portrayed by Renee Falconetti. It's the only film she ever appeared in, and it's one of the greatest performances in the history of motion pictures.

The film was actually thought to be lost until a copy was found at a Danish insane asylum. True story. The first time I watched this, I just sat in silence for like five minutes after it was over. Number five, Mishima, a life in four chapters, the 1985 film by Paul Schrader. Schrader is better known as the screenwriter for Raging Bull and Taxi Driver. This film is four different depictions of the post-war Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima. Despite an American director and producer, the film has an all-Japanese cast, filmed entirely in Japan, and in Japanese. Mishima will be the subject of a future episode.

as his life story is pretty incredible. Number six, the Red Shoes, the 1948 drama by Michael Powell and Emmerich Pressburger. The film stars Moria Shear, who was an acclaimed Scottish ballerina in her first acting role. It tells the story of a woman who is forced to choose between her art and her fiancé

by a demanding head of a ballet company. Number seven, Amelie, the 2001 French film by Jean-Pierre Junet. Starring Audrey Tutu, who most people probably know from the Da Vinci Code, this is the ultimate feel-good movie. I have actually visited sites in Paris because of this film. Number eight, an American in Paris, the 1951 dance musical by Vincent Minelli.

Starring Gene Kelly and a very young Leslie Carone, it's usually ranked behind singing in the rain as a musical. However, for me, it's the best musical film ever made, and the music was written by George Gershwin. At number nine, 2001 a space odyssey, the greatest science fiction movie hands down. And number 10, a lion in winter. The 1968 film by Anthony Harvey. Catherine Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, Anthony Hopkins, and Timothy Dalton have a dysfunctional royal family get-together for the holidays. It is just a great film. Many honorable mentions go to A Man for All Seasons, Amadeus, Magnolia, Dune, the new version, The Seventh Seal, Coyani, the third man, Barry Lyndon, Once Upon a Time in the West, Goodfellas, Bridge Over the River Kwai, Beckett, and All About Eve.

Many of you listening to this might not have seen any of the films that I've mentioned in this episode. The fact remains that classical films can be hard to find. Hardly any of these films are on Netflix, and they almost never appear on television. However, if you want to engage in your own self-taught film school, there are streaming services that have almost all of these films. In particular, the Criterion Channel. They literally have a section dedicated to the site and sound list, and they are the company that often does the digital transfers for many classic films. A subscription to the Criterion channel is actually cheaper than Netflix, and no, I'm don't have any sort of business relationship with them. They're just the best source for classic films.

And if you want to share your list of the greatest films of all time, just head over to the Facebook group and share it there. And if you like following along with film discussions, sadly, you'll have to wait another decade until the next site and sound survey comes out. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Thor Thompson and Peter Bennett. I have two reviews for you today. The first comes from listener Cy Carbin from Apple Podcasts in Canada. They write, A great dose of general knowledge every day. I learn so much every day with this podcast. Definitely my favorite. Well, thanks, Cy Carman. You spelled favorite with a you, so I definitely know that you

are from Canada. The next review comes from listener GoFish 123 from Apple Podcasts in the UK. They write, so good. Love what you're doing. My favorite episode is the one about your podcast itself. Can you do an episode on karate? And yes, I'm a member of the Completionist Club. Well, thanks, Go Fish. I can certainly put karate on the list, although it might appear in an episode about martial arts generally. Also, I don't know if we've actually opened a British branch of the Completionist Club yet. You might be the first member, or at least the first in the UK who has notified me. Remember, if you leave a review, you two can have it read on the show, and also check out the Facebook group. We now have over

700 members, and 700 people can't be wrong. Well, historically, 700 people can be very wrong, but in this case, they're not.