The Sight and Sound Poll and Eastern European Cinema

The Sight and Sound polls for the Best Films of all times, conducted from 1952 every decade, are an important barometer of changes in the cinematic tastes of broadly understood specialists: film critics and, in due course, filmmakers. Such judgement is not entirely subjective and neither does it reflect an objective aesthetic value of films. It is shaped by changes in cinema itself; resulting, for example, from evolutions in technology and film distribution, and many extra-cinematic factors, such as political events, as well as age, gender, race and national and regional loyalties of the judges, or their lack thereof, to list only some of the factors. The latest Sight and Sound poll for the Best 100 Films of all times, published in December 2022, attracted much attention, at least online, with commentators highlighting the difference in results from previous polls. The most revolutionary change was the de-crowning of Vertigo (1958) by Alfred Hitchcock, which is now number 2 on the list, by Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) by Chantal Akerman. This is the first time a female filmmaker has taken the number one spot since the poll’s inception. Jeanne Dielman appeared on the previous poll, but its jump of 35 places from the 2012 poll is remarkable. Another difference across the poll is the large proportion – in comparison with previous polls – of films made by women. Apart from two films by Akerman – the second being News from Home (1976) – we also find films by Claire Denis, Maya Deren, Agnès Varda, Julie Dash, and Věra Chytilová. Relatively new films also found their way into the first 100 rankings, including Parasite (2019), directed by Bong Joon-ho in 90th position, Moonlight (2016), directed by Barry Jenkins (60th) and Portrait of A Lady on Fire (2019), directed by Céline Sciamma (30th). Films made by Black and Asian directors also did well, as exemplified by the successes of Bong Joon-ho and Jenkins, in addition to Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. The last poll also stablished two directors at the forefront of what can be regarded as classics of postmodern cinema: David Lynch and Wong Kar-Wai. Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001) reached 8th place and Wong’s In the Mood For Love (2000), entering the top 10 in 5th, and each of these two directors also have a second film on the list. Their films are gaining in (critical) significance. On the other hand, a notable difference from earlier incarnations of the poll is the departure of many classics, such as Lawrence of Arabia, Raging Bull, Rio Bravo alongside the disappearance of films from such directors as Nicholas Ray, Ernst Lubitsch, Luis Buñuel, or Robert Altman. Equally, films from many important younger directors, such as Pedro Almodóvar, Lars von Trier or Paul Thomas Anderson, also failed to reach the first hundred best films. By and large, the dominance of films made by white European and American male directors in such ‘best of ’ tables is coming to its end. This is reflected not only by Jeanne Dielman being promoted to the top position, but the demotion of the work of many giants