Anghus Houvouras on Sight & Sound’s Top 100, Jeanne Dielman, and the internet’s obsession with ranking movies…
A few weeks back, Sight & Sound magazine released its most recent list of the top 100 films. An honor bestowed upon cinematic works once every decade, voted on by 1169 filmmakers who were asked to rank their favorite films. Like any curated list, it could be a great reference for anyone interested in finding new works they may have not been exposed to and to create a dialogue between film fans as they discuss great works of art and the filmmakers responsible for their existence.
But this is the internet, so instead, it becomes a massive point of contention and everyone loses their mind over the films that were or weren’t on the list and the associated rankings. Within an hour of release, I saw no less than a hundred different posts on twitter with film critics and columnists screaming bloody murder over the placement of certain movies. The most glaring being Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles at the number one spot.
Like many of you, this was a movie I’d never heard of. Its existence was a mystery until I saw Sight & Sound’s decennial list. And I would think the natural instinct of any cinephile would be curiosity and the need to explore and engage with an undiscovered work. Unfortunately, film lists bring out the worst in so-called film fans and things devolve into arguments over placement and hyperbolic grandstanding from film columnists and fans alike.
The utter vacuousness of “greatest #movie” lists has never been clearer when Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Moonlight, and Get Out make the top 100, but not these. It’s pure, unabashed ideology, end of story. Disastrous for art.🤡#woke #movies #filmhttps://t.co/WUBdc2RJpF pic.twitter.com/Xjy3JWWqFE
— japecake (@japecake) December 2, 2022
People getting hyperbolic over ‘Best of lists’ that don’t include their favorite movie are both very telling & embarrassing. Outbursts from overgrown children throwing a tantrum, declaring “Why isn’t the film I like on this list” or “Why isn’t the movie I think is best ranked higher?”, like this tweet from Head Twit Elon Musk reacting to New York Times critic AO Scott’s ‘Best of 2022’ list:
Top Gun Maverick was great!
NYTimes has gone “full woke”.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2022
Where does this crippling sense of entitlement come from? Why do people look at a list of subjectively chosen artistic endeavors and become enraged because a movie they enjoyed didn’t make the cut? Does a critic who doesn’t put Top Gun: Maverick on their ‘Best of’ list owe the reader anything other than their honest opinion? Of course not.
At some point, cinematic rankings and lists have become less about starting a conversation and more about starting a flame war. This moment probably occurred within ten minutes of the first Sight & Sound list being released in 1952. No doubt when the film community found out about the list via telegram or carrier pigeon, someone ran to their typewriter to furiously hammered away at the keys to vent about the tragedy of omitting Gone With the Wind and that ranking Le Jour Se Leve above Birth of a Nation was a slight that could never be forgiven.
To those who obsess over ‘Best of’ lists; stop trying to turn cinema into a competitive sport. Forget the numbers next to those films and explore the ones you haven’t yet scene. School yourself in quality cinema recommended by those who have spent their lives studying it as an art. No, you are not expected to agree with every choice and no doubt there are films you love that might not be included.
Of my ten favorite movies of all time, only one made the Sight & Sound Top 100 list. That doesn’t mean my taste in cinema is deficient, nor should my knee-jerk reaction be to start arguing over why the movies I personally love should make a list. It is simply a collection of diverse opinions which could help new people become exposed to great art.
The internet has allowed hyperbolic cinephiles to amplify their anger to a wide audience. But the sad reality is that sulking and seething about any subjective list of artistic achievements will always be sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Anghus Houvouras
