British magazine Sight & Sound, owner of the most prestigious list of the best films in history, published by the BFI, the British Film Institute, has for the first time voted a woman to the top of the list. Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman was announced Thursday as number one in the collection of 100 films voted as cinema’s greatest.
The change represents a jump of 34 spots for the 1950 drama, which was already on the 2012 list. Issued once a decade, the Sight & Sound ranking is defined by critics, academics, programmers, distributors, curators and archivists who have voted on their preferences since 1952. This year there were 1,639 participants.
Akerman, who accompanies a housewife who leads a life without many emotions in Jeanne Dielman, dethroned Alfred Hitchcock, who topped the ranking ten years ago with A Body That Falls.
Before him, Vittorio De Sica’s “Bicycle Thieves” in 1952 and Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” in 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992 and 2002 had occupied the top position.
In the newly released update, “A Body That Falls” landed at number two and “Citizen Kane” landed at number three. Rounding out the top are “Once Upon a Time in Tokyo” by Yasujirô Ozu, “Love Under the Skin” by Wong KarWai, “2001: A Space Odyssey” by Stanley Kubrick, “Good Job” by Claire Denis, “City of Dreams by David Lynch, A Man with a Camera by Dziga Vertov and Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, in that order. There are no Brazilian or Latin American representatives.
Aside from being the first version of The Greatest Films of All Time to be helmed by a woman, this was also the one where the most female filmmakers were chosen.
Akerman, who also placed “Notícias de Casa” at number 52, and Denis join Agnès Vardas, with “Cléo das 5 às 7” (14th) and “Os Catadores e Eu” (67th), Maya Deren, with “Tramas do Evening”. (16th), Vera Chytilová, with “Little Daisies” (28th), Céline Sciamma, with “Portrait of a Girl on Fire” (30th), Barbara Loden, with “Wanda” (48th), Jane Campion, with “The Piano” (50th) and Julie Dash with “Daughters of Dust” (60th).
There are 9 women in total, compared to just 2 on the list ten years ago, on which Good Work was already number 78 alongside Jeanne Dielman.
Such a sudden change, whether it’s in the number of women or the jump from 35th to first place for the champion, is certainly a reflection of an industry today trying to be more diverse, less tied to the profile of straight white men , which has always dominated the management chairs.
“One of the most important elements of this list is that it shakes up the established order. Canons need to be challenged and questioned, and as part of the BFI’s goal of not just reimagining cinema but also reimagining its history, it’s very gratifying to see a roster that differs in terms of diversity and inclusion feels so radical,” Jason Wood, executive director of the British Film Institute, told The Hollywood Reporter, reiterating an attempt to adapt the selection to an era that calls for pluralism.
However, this does not mean that the list has necessarily included the new times. Only four movies released from 2012 appear in the update. Closest to the top was “Portrait of a Young Woman on Fire,” followed by Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” (60th), Bong JoonHo’s “Parasite” (90th), and Jordan Peele’s “Run!” (95th). .).
Visit the British Film Institute website for the full list.