3 GREAT DIRECTORS PICK THE BEST FILMS OF ALL TIME. In the late 70's, I was a big fan of both "The Book of Lists" and "The People's Almanac" series of books by the Wallace family. While perusing over the 1st Book of Lists paperback I've had since 1977, I came across an interesting list of the "greatest movies" selected by 3 great directors and I thought I'd share them with you. The source for the first two directors is a 1952 Brussels Film Festival poll while the third was an exclusive for the Book of Lists. Here they are:

ORSON WELLES' 12 BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME

1. CITY LIGHTS (dir. Charles Chaplin)
2. GREED (dir. Erich von Stroheim)
3. INTOLERANCE (dir. D.W. Griffith)
4. NANOOK OF THE NORTH (dir. Robert Flaherty)
5. SHOESHINE (dir. Vittorio de Sica)
6. THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (dir. Sergei Eisenstein)
7. THE BAKER'S WIFE (dir. Marcel Pagnol)
8. GRAND ILLUSION (dir. Jean Renoir)
9. STAGECOACH (dir. John Ford)
10. NINOTCHKA (dir. Ernst Lubitsch)
11. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (dir. William Wyler)
12. THE BICYCLE THIEF (dir. Vittorio de Sica)

LUIS BUNUEL'S 9 BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME

1. UNDERWORLD (dir. Josef von Sternberg)
2. THE GOLD RUSH (dir. Charles Chaplin)
3. THE BICYCLE THIEF (dir. Vittorio de Sica)
4. THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (dir. Sergei Eisenstein)
5. PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (dir. William Dieterle)
6. CAVALCADE (dir. Frank Lloyd)
7. WHITE SHADOWS IN THE SOUTH SEAS (dir. Robert Flaherty and W.S. Van Dyke)
8. L'AGE D'OR (dir. Luis Bunuel)
9. I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (dir. Mervyn Le Roy)

WILLIAM WYLER'S BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME

1. THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
2. THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN
3. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
4. Several Charlie Chaplin Films
5. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
6. Marcel Pagnol's FANNY (not the musical)
7. LA DOLCE VITA
8. TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE
9. DR. STRANGELOVE
10. and (with apologies) THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES