Recommendations you can check.
French director, screenwriter and former Cahiers du cinéma critic; his films include Irma Vep (1996), Summer Hours (2008), Carlos (2010), Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) and Personal Shopper (2016).
12 things
The LeopardOther Luchino Visconti
The Leopard, his most translucent, towering achievement, embodies everything the best filmmaking can be, grand, profound, entertaining, physical and metaphysical, sharp as a blade and melodramatic.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for The Leopard.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
NashvilleOther Robert Altman
Between 1971 and 1975, Robert Altman could do no wrong, and Nashville is the culmination of that streak.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Nashville.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
Heaven’s GateOther Michael Cimino
I have always admired Michael Cimino, and I loved Heaven’s Gate when it was released—with some quibbles.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Heaven’s Gate.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
Army of ShadowsOther Jean-Pierre Melville
Army of Shadows is not only one of the most important French films, it is also a national treasure.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Army of Shadows.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
La dolce vitaOther Federico Fellini
But La dolce vita is an amazing film, summing up an era, a culture, a city; in its own way it is of historical importance.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Army of Shadows.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
Topsy-TurvyOther Mike Leigh
I had to fit Topsy-Turvy into this list. It is also a period piece. This misunderstood, underrated biography of Gilbert and Sullivan must be one of the most touching, funniest—and cruelest—depictions of show business, split between art and commerce.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Topsy-Turvy.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
Fanny and AlexanderOther Ingmar Bergman
The television cut of Fanny and Alexander, of course, which is the one and only version Bergman approved of. It is called the television version because that’s how it was financed, but this is meant to be seen on a big screen with one intermission. It is Bergman’s final masterpiece.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Topsy-Turvy.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
DésiréOther Sacha Guitry
Désiré is a remarkable film.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Judex.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
ThiefOther Michael Mann
In Thief, his first feature, you have echoes of Melville (it goes full circle), a sharp eye for realism, but also profound human characters with precisely drawn relationships, and great acting.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Thief.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
Night and the CityOther Jules Dassin
Jules Dassin’s previous film, made in London five years earlier, Night and the City, is his masterpiece.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Thief.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
RififiOther Jules Dassin
Rififi is a strange animal, based on a novel by a typically French crime writer, Auguste Le Breton, and shot in Paris as the first foreign-language film by a great American filmmaker at the height of his powers, whose career had been broken by McCarthyism. Jules Dassin’s previous film, made in London five years earlier, Night and the City, is his masterpiece. This inspired hybrid of French and American noir—which I discovered as a child on French TV—has constantly impressed me with its violence, its despair, its darkness, and its beauty.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Thief.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
CheOther Steven Soderbergh
Che, the one movie ever made that seriously deals with military strategy, helped me imagine Carlos on a scale that otherwise would have intimidated me.
Criterion Collection Top 10 list by Olivier Assayas, the entry for Che.
2015-05-29·criterion.com ↗
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