Directors’ Favorite Movies

Directors’ Lists: Favorite Movies

These are lists of favorite films by some of the film industry’s most-acclaimed directors. Woody Allen Francis Ford Coppola Guillermo del Toro Lena Dunham Rian Johnson Stanley Kubrick Christopher Nolan Paul Schrader Martin Scorsese Steven Spielberg Quentin Tarantino Orson Welles Edgar Wright Woody Allen Allen submitted this unranked list to the 2012 Sight and Sound poll: Amarcord (1972) The Bicycle Thief (Ladri di Biciclette) (1947) Citizen Kane (1941) The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise (Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie) (1972) 8 ½ (Otto e Mezzo) (1963) The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups) (1959) Grand Illusion (La Grande Illusion) (1937) Paths of Glory (1957) Rashômon (1950) The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet) (1957) Source: OpenCulture.com (8/2/2013). “Woody Allen Lists the Greatest Films of All Time…” Francis Ford Coppola Coppola submitted this unranked list to the 2012 Sight and Sound poll: The Apartment (1960) Ashes and Diamonds (Popiól I Diament) (1958) The Bad Sleep Well (1960) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) I Vitelloni (1953) The King of Comedy (1983) Raging Bull (1980) Singin’ in the Rain (1951) Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) Yojimbo (1961) Source: Flavorwire.com (7/31/2013). “10 Great Filmmakers’ Top 10 Favorite Movies: Francis Ford Coppola” Guillermo del Toro Del Toro submitted this unranked list to the Sight and Sound poll: Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bette) (1946) 8 ½ (Otto e Mezzo) (1963) Frankenstein (1931) Freaks (1932) Goodfellas (1990) Greed (1925) The Young and the Damned (Los Olvidados) (1950) Modern Times (1936) Nosferatu, a Symphony of Terror (aka “Nosferatu, the Vampire”) (Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens) (1922) Shadow of a Doubt (1943) Source: Flavorwire.com (7/31/2013). “10 Great Filmmakers’ Top 10 Favorite Movies: Guillermo del Toro” Lena Dunham Dunham selected 14 titles for a 2008 Criterion poll: Fish Tank (2009) Days of Heaven (1978) Broadcast News (1987) Weekend (2011) La Pointe Coure (1955) Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) Le Bonheur (1965) Vagabond (1985) The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978) Fear Eats the Soul (Angst Essen Seele Auf) (1974) Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) Straw Dogs (1971) Dead Ringers (1988) Through a Glass Darkly (1961) The War Room (1993) Source: Criterion.com (6/25/2013). “Lena Dunham’s Top 10” Rian Johnson Johnson put this list together for Criterion: 8 ½ (Otto e Mezzo) (1963) Brazil (1985) F for Fake (1973) Amarcord (1972) Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander) (1982) Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot’s) (1953) Scenes from a Marriage (1973) The Third Man (1949) The Bad Sleep Well (1960) Down by Law (1986) Source: Criterion.com (11/20/2008). “Rian Johnson’s Top 10” Stanley Kubrick In 1963, Kubrick submitted this top 10 list to Cinema magazine: I Vitelloni (1953) Wild Strawberries (1957) Citizen Kane (1941) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) City Lights (1931) Henry V (1944) La Notte (1961) The Bank Dick (1940) Roxie Hart (1942) Hell’s Angels (1930) Source: OpenCulture.com (7/30/2013). “Stanley Kubrick’s List of Top 10 Films…” Christopher Nolan The Hit (1984) 12 Angry Men (1957) The Thin Red Line (1998) The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) Bad Timing (1980) Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) For All Mankind (1989) Koyaanisqatsi (1983) The Complete Mr. Arkadin (1955) Greed (1924) Source: Criterion.com (1/29/2013). “Christopher Nolan’s Top 10” Paul Schrader Director, screenwriter, and film critic Paul Schrader submitted this unranked list to the 2012 Sight and Sound poll: Citizen Kane (1941) The Conformist (Il Conformista) (1970) In the Mood for Love (Dut Yeung Nin Wa) (2000) The Lady Eve (1941) Orpheus (Orphée) (1950) Pickpocket (1959) The Rules of the Game (La Règle du Jeu) (1939) Tokyo Story (Tôkyô Monogatari) (1953) Vertigo (1958) The Wild Bunch (1969) Source: The PendragonSociety.com (7/7/2019). “Paul Schrader’s Top Ten Favourite Films” Martin Scorsese Scorsese put this unranked list of his 12 favorite movies together for the 2012 Sight and Sound poll: Ashes and Diamonds (Popiól I Diament) (1958) Citizen Kane (1941) 8 ½ (Otto e Mezzo) (1963) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) (1963) Paisan (1946) The Red Shoes (1948) The River (1951) Salvatore Giuliano (1962) The Searchers (1956) Ugetsu (aka “Ugetsu Mongatari” or “Tales of a Pale Moon After the Rain”) (1953) Vertigo (1958) Source: OpenCulture.com (7/31/2013). “Martin Scorsese Reveals His 12 Favorite Movies” Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg created this list of his 20 favorite movies, as published in Far Out magazine: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) The Godfather (1972) Fantasia (1940) A Guy Named Joe (1943) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) War of the Worlds (1953) Psycho (1960) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Untouchable (2011) The Dark Knight The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups) (1959) Day for Night (La Nuit Américaine) (1973) Citizen Kane (1941) Captain Courageous (1937) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) The Searchers (1956) Tootsie (1982) The Seven Samurai (Schichinin no Samurai) (1954) Dumbo (1941) Source: Far Out Magazine (10/31/2022). “Steven Spielberg named his 20 favourite movies of all time” by Lee Thomas-Mason Quentin Taratino These are the 12 films Tarantino selected for the 2012 Sight and Sound poll: Apocalypse Now (1979) The Bad News Bears (1976) Carrie (1976) Dazed and Confused (1993) The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) The Great Escape (1963) His Girl Friday (1939) Jaws (1975) Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) Rolling Thunder (1977) Sorcerer (1977) Taxi Driver (1976) Source: Flavorwire.com (7/31/2013). “10 Great Filmmakers’ Top 10 Favorite Movies: Quentin Tarantino” Orson Welles Director and actor Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) selected these as his top 10 favorite movies. There is no indication when this list was created. City Lights (1931) Greed (1924) Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916) Nanook of the North (1922) Shoe Shine (1946) Battleship Potemkin (Bronenosets Potyomkin) (1925) The Baker’s Wife (La Femme du Boulanger) (1938) Grand Illusion (La Grande Illusion) (1937) Stagecoach (1939) Our Daily Bread (1934) Source: The PendragonSociety.com (8/3/2018). “Orson Welles’s Favourite Films” Edgar Wright An American Werewolf in London (1981) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Carrie (1976) Dames (1934) Don’t Look Now (1973) Duck Soup (1933) Psycho (1960) Raising Arizona (1987) Taxi Driver (1976) The Wild Bunch (1969) Source: Flavorwire.com (7/31/2013). “10 Great Filmmakers’ Top 10 Favorite Movies: Edgar Wright” Resources: Dave’s Movie Database: Movie Lists Dave’s Movie Database: “Critics’ Lists of Favorites” Originally posted 7/27/2019; last updated 6/9/2023.

Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's magnum opus fairy-tale for adults, released

Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) Released: October 11, 2006 Studio: Warner Bros. Genre: fantasy/monster/foreign Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 37.63 Worldwide: 83.85 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Guillermo del Toro Screenwriting: Guillermo del Toro Starring: Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo Review: Pan’s Labyrinth is director/screenwriter Guillermo del Toro’s “magnum opus,” SF “the essence of the filmmaker distilled down to a single film.” SF It is a “fairy tale for grown-ups, as pull-no-punches brutal as it is gorgeously, baroquely fantastical.” E18 “There’s an earthy, primal feel to his fairy-world here, alien and threatening rather than gasp-inducing and ‘magical.’” E18 It is a “poignant, visually stunning dark fantasy about the loss of innocence set during the Spanish Civil War.” SF The story “follows a young girl who escapes her grim and death-filled reality by entering a world of magical creatures and wood fairies. del Toro doesn't sugarcoat or hide anything, paying as much attention to crafting a stunning magical world with stunning creature designs as he does to portraying the grim and violent reality of fascist Spain. Tying the fantasy to real-life horrors is the core of what makes this such a brilliant film, as it grounds both storylines, making reality feel fantastical, and fantasy feel real.” SF “This is in no small part thanks to the gorgeous visuals that realize del Toro’s vision to life, particularly the titular faun and the repulsive Pale Man, creating two memorable characters that will forever haunt your dreams — while the haunting score helps realize a world that is as beautiful as it is eerie.” SF Sources: E18 Empire (3/20/2018). “The 100 Greatest Movies” SF SlashFilm.com (5/23/2023). “Top 100 Movies of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Oscars: Wins: 3 – Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup Nominations: 6 – including Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Film, Best Original Score Lists: Hall of Fames: Experts’ Picks: Genre Lists: First posted 6/10/2023; last updated 3/5/2025.