To make Bill's Top 25, a movie has to have three things going for it:

Most of these films do not display all three traits in equal measure. The Third Man, for example, was not a powerfully influential film, but it was outstanding in the other two categories. The General is not as profound a film as, say, Roshomon, but it is a consummate expression of all that was great about the silent era, and it is wildly inventive.

I don't believe in limiting yourself to a prescribed list of rated movies. So why a "top 25"? For people who haven't spent a lot of time looking into the history of cinema or reading reviews but who would like to make sure they've seen all of the most important ones. Even if you disagree with some of my selections, I don't think you could dispute the fact that these are among the most important films ever made. More importantly, they are worth seeing.

(c) Copyright 1997 Bill Van Dyk

 "Virtue that sleeps awakes refreshed". Nietzche