Jeanne Dielman Tops Sight & Sound’s 2022 Poll for World Best Movie Ranking

In a seismic shift for film criticism, Chantal Akerman’s groundbreaking 1975 film Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles has been named the greatest film of all time in Sight and Sound magazine’s prestigious 2022 Critics’ Poll. This marks the first time a film directed by a woman has secured the top spot in the poll’s 70-year history, displacing long-standing titans and signalling a potential new era in cinematic canonization. The results of this once-a-decade poll offer a fascinating glimpse into what critics currently consider the world best movie achievements.

The Landmark 2022 Sight & Sound Poll

Sight and Sound magazine’s poll, conducted every ten years since 1952, is widely regarded as the most definitive and anticipated survey of its kind globally. The 2022 edition was its most ambitious yet, involving over 1,600 international film critics, programmers, curators, archivists, and academics – nearly doubling the participation from the 2012 poll. This expanded and diversified electorate was asked to list their top ten greatest films, interpreting ‘greatest’ in their own terms, whether based on historical importance, aesthetic brilliance, or personal impact.

A Historic Shift: Jeanne Dielman Takes the Crown

Akerman’s film made a remarkable leap, ascending from 36th place in the 2012 poll to claim the number one position. Jeanne Dielman, made when Akerman was just 25, offers a meticulously detailed, hypnotic portrayal of three days in the life of a middle-aged widow, played by Delphine Seyrig. Hailed upon its release as “the first masterpiece of the feminine in the history of the cinema” by Le Monde, the experimental film has remained a subject of intense analysis and debate for decades.

Delphine Seyrig as Jeanne Dielman inspecting her hands in Chantal Akerman's landmark 1975 film

“Jeanne Dielman challenged the status quo when it was released in 1975 and continues to do so today,” stated Sight and Sound editor in chief Mike Williams. “It’s a landmark feminist film, and its position at the top of list is emblematic of better representation in the top 100 for women filmmakers.”

How the Top 10 Shaped Up in 2022

The ascent of Jeanne Dielman reshuffled the top order. Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), the winner in 2012, moved to second place. Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941), which held the top spot for half a century before Vertigo, now sits at number three. Yasujiro Ozu’s poignant Tokyo Story (1953) is ranked fourth.

Sight and Sound magazine cover featuring Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, previously ranked number one.

Several other films made significant climbs into the top 10: Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love (2001) jumped to fifth place from 24th, Claire Denis’s Beau travail (1998) landed at seventh from 78th, and David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. (2001) secured the eighth spot, up from 28th. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera (1929), and Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly’s Singin’ in the Rain (1951) complete the top 10.

Expert Reactions to the 2022 Rankings

The results have sparked considerable discussion within the film community. Jason Wood, BFI Executive Director of Public Programmes and Audiences, commented, “Canons should be challenged and interrogated… it’s so satisfying to see a list that feels quite radical in its sense of diversity and inclusion.”

Filmmaker Joanna Hogg reflected on Akerman’s potential reaction: “I’m sure Chantal Akerman would be happy to know the importance of this film has been recognised… it’s been an incredibly influential piece of filmmaking… In a way this film winning represents not just specifically the importance of Jeanne Dielman but the importance of Chantal Akerman as a filmmaker.”

Laura Mulvey, Professor of Film Studies at Birkbeck, University of London, emphasized the film’s radical nature: “Akerman’s unwavering and completely luminous adherence to a female perspective… combined with her uncompromising and completely coherent cinema to produce a film that was both feminist and cinematically radical… It felt as though there was a before and an after Jeanne Dielman, just as there had once been a before and after Citizen Kane.” Mulvey added that the film’s top ranking “signals an amazing shift in critical taste” and will attract new audiences “held enthralled by the extraordinarily daring cinema of a great woman director.”

Increased Diversity Marks the 2022 List

The broader electorate seemingly contributed to a more diverse top 100. In 2012, only two films by women (Jeanne Dielman and Beau Travail) made the list. The 2022 poll features eleven films by female directors in the top 100, including four in the top 20: Akerman’s winner and her second entry News from Home (#52), Agnès Varda’s Cléo from 5 to 7 (#14) and The Gleaners and I (#67), Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon (#16, co-directed), Vera Chytilová’s Daisies (#28), Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire (#30), Barbara Loden’s Wanda (#48), Jane Campion’s The Piano (#50), and Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust (#60).

Representation of Black filmmakers also saw a significant increase. While Djibril Diop Mambéty’s Touki Bouki was the sole entry in 2012 (at #93), the 2022 list includes seven titles. Touki Bouki climbed to #67, joined by newcomers Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (#24), Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep (#43), Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust (joint #60), Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight (joint #60), Jordan Peele’s Get Out (joint #95), and Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl (joint #95).

Mahershala Ali teaching Alex Hibbert to swim in Barry Jenkins' Moonlight (2016), a notable entry in the diverse 2022 list.

Methodology and Trends in the 2022 Poll

The increase in voters from diverse backgrounds and the wider availability of films through streaming, boutique home media releases, and dedicated channels likely influenced the results. The 2022 poll saw voters champion over 4,000 different films.

Nine films from the last two decades made the top 100 (compared to two in 2012), including recent acclaimed works like Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite (#90), Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (#75), and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Tropical Malady (#95), alongside Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Moonlight, and Get Out.

George O'Brien and Margaret Livingston in F.W. Murnau's silent classic Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927).

Silent cinema remains represented, with nine entries in the top 100, including two in the top 20: F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (#11) and Dziga Vertov’s documentary Man with a Movie Camera (#9). However, several classics dropped out of the top 100, including Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull, and Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil.

The Directors’ Perspective: 2022 Poll Results

Alongside the critics’ poll, Sight and Sound also surveyed 480 filmmakers, including prominent names like Martin Scorsese, Barry Jenkins, Sofia Coppola, and Bong Joon Ho. Their collective choice for the greatest film differed: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) topped the Directors’ Poll. Citizen Kane placed second, followed by The Godfather (1972). Interestingly, the critics’ choice, Jeanne Dielman, tied for fourth place with the 2012 Directors’ Poll winner, Tokyo Story. Vertigo and Federico Fellini’s 8½ tied for sixth.

An astronaut drifts near a pod in space in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), voted best by directors.

The Critics’ Top 20 Greatest Films of All Time (2022)

1. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1975)
2. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
3. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
4. Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953)
5. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2001)
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
7. Beau travail (Claire Denis, 1998)
8. Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001)
9. Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov,1929)
10. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1951)
11. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (F.W. Murnau, 1927)
12. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
13. La Règle du jeu (Jean Renoir, 1939)
14. Cléo from 5 to 7 (Agnès Varda, 1962)
15. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
16. Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943)
17. Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1989)
18. Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966)
19. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
20. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)

Conclusion

The crowning of Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles in Sight and Sound’s 2022 Critics’ Poll is more than just a change at the top; it represents a significant moment in film history and criticism. It acknowledges the enduring power and influence of Chantal Akerman’s radical work and reflects a broader, more inclusive perspective taking root among international film experts. While debates about the “greatest” films will always continue, the 2022 poll provides a compelling snapshot of contemporary critical consensus, highlighting increased recognition for female filmmakers and greater diversity overall. For those intrigued by this updated canon, many of the ranked films, including the groundbreaking winner, are available for viewing through BFI Player and upcoming screenings at BFI Southbank.