THE CURRICULUM:
See DISCLAIMER at the bottom for new details
1. 12 Angry Men Sidney Lumet Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda 2. 2001 Stanley Kubrick Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood 3. 400 Blows Francios Truffaut Jean-Pierre Leaud 4. 8 1/2 Federico Fellini Marcello Mastroianni 5. Adam's Rib George Cukor Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy 6. Alfie Lewis Gilbert Michael Caine, Shelley Winters 7. Al Capone Richard Wilson Rod Steiger 8. All About Eve Joseph Mankiewicz Anne Baxter, Bette Davis 9. All That Jazz Bob Fosse Jessica Lange, Roy Scheider 10. American In Paris Vincent Minnelli Gene Kelly 11. And Justice For All Norman Jewison Al Pacino, Lee Strasberg 12. Annie Hall Woody Allen Woody Allen, Diane Keaton 13. Apartment, The Billy Wilder Jack Lemmon, Shirley McLaine 14. Apocalypse Now Francis Coppola Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen 15. All/Presidents Men Alan Pakula Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford 16. Baby Doll Elia Kazan Carroll Baker, Karl Malden 17. Bang/Drum Slowly John Hancock Robert DeNiro, Michael Moriarty 18. Barefoot In/Park Gene Saks Jane Fonda, Robert Redford 19. Battleship Potemkin Sergei Eisenstein Vladimir Barsky 20. Belle De Jour Luis Bunuel Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel 21. Best Years/Lives William Wyler Fredric March, Harold Russell 22. Big Sleep, The Howard Hawks Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall 23. Bicycle Thief Vittorio de Sica Lamberto Maggiorani 24. Big Chill, The Lawrence Kasdan Goldblum, Hurt, Kline, Close 25. Birds, The Alfred Hitchcock Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor 26. Body Heat Lawrence Kasdan William Hurt, Kathleen Turner 27. Bonnie & Clyde Arthur Penn Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway 28. Breakfast/Tiffany's Blake Edwards Audrey Hepburn, Mickey Rooney 29. Breathless Jean Luc Goddard Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Segal 30. Bridge/River Kwai David Lean Alec Guiness, William Holden 31. Brief Encounter David Lean Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson 32. Bringing Up Baby Howard Hawks Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn 33. Bullitt Peter Yates Steve McQueen 34. Butch/Sundance George Roy Hill Paul Newman, Robert Redford 35. Cape Fear J. Lee Thompson Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck 36. Casablanca Michael Curtiz Bergman, Bogart 37. Celebration, The Thomas Vinterberg 38. Champ, The Franco Zeffirelli Jon Voight 39. Charade Stanley Donen Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn 40. Chase, The Arthur Penn Brando, Duvall, Redford 41. Children/Paradise Marcel Came Etienne Decroux, Arletty 42. Chinatown Roman Polanski Faye Dunaway, Jack Nicholson 43. Citizen Kane Orson Welles Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles 44. Clockwork Orange Stanley Kubrick Malcolm McDowell 45. Close Encounters Steven Spielberg Richard Dreyfuss, Ted Garr 46. Come Back/Sheba Daniel Mann Shirley Booth, Burt Lancaster 47. Cool Hand Luke Stuart Rosenberg Paul Newman 48. Conversation, The Francis Coppola Gene Hackman 49. Day/Earth/Still Robert Wise Billy Gray, Hugh Marlowe 50. Days/Wine & Roses Blake Edwards Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick 51. Deer Hunter, The Michael Cimino DeNiro, Walken, Streep 52. Dog Day Afternoon Sidney Lumet John Cazale, Al Pacino 53. Double Indemnity Billy Wilder Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck 54. Doctor Zhivago David Lean Julie Christie, Omar Sharif 55. East of Eden Elia Kazan James Dean, Jo Harris 56. Exorcist,The William Friedkin Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller 57. Face In The Crowd Elia Kazan Andy Griffith, Walter Matthau 58. Five Easy Pieces Bob Rafelson Karen Black, Jack Nicholson 59. Fly, The David Cronenberg Jeff Goldblum 60. French Connection William Friedkin Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider 61. French Conn. 2 John Frankenheimer Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey 62. From Here/Eternity Fred Zinneman Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster 63. Fugitive Kind, The Sidney Lumet Marlon Brando 64. Gaslight George Cukor Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten 65. General, The Buster Keaton Buster Keaton 66. Gntlmn’s Agrmnt Elia Kazan John Garfield, Gregory Peck 67. Giant George Stevens Dean, Hudson, Taylor 68. Gone With/Wind Victor Fleming Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh 69. Grand Illusion Jean Renoir Erich Von Stroheim 70. Great Escape, The John Sturges Steve McQueen 71. Godfather, The Francis Coppola Marlon Brando, Al Pacino 72. Godfatherr II, The Francis Coppola Al Pacino, Robert De Niro 73. Godfather III, The Francis Coppola Al Pacino, Andy Garcia 74. Graduate, The Mike Nichols Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman 75. Grapes Of Wrath John Ford Jane Darwell, Henry Fonda 76. Great Santini, The Lewis John Carlino Robert Duvall 77. Guess Who's… Stanley Kramer Sidney Poitier 78. Guns Of Navaronne J. Lee Thompson Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn 79. Heiress, The William Wyler Montgomery Clift, Olivia/Havilland 80. High Noon Fred Zinneman Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly 81. Hud Martin Ritt Patricia Neal, Paul Newman 82. Hunter, The Buzz Kulik Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach 83. Hustler, The Robert Rossen Jackie Gleason, Paul Newman 84. His Girl Friday Howard Hawks Cary Grant 85. Holiday George Cukor Cary Grant Katherine Hepburn 86. I Confess Alfred Hitchcock Montgomery Clift, Karl Malden 87. Immigrant, The Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin 88. In A Lonely Place Nicolas Ray Humphrey Bogart 89. In/Heat Of/Night Norman Jewison Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger 90. Indiscretion/Wife Vittorio de Sica Montgomery Clift Jennifer Jones 91. It Happened/Night Frank Capra Claudette Colbert Clark Gable 92. It's A Wonderful Life Frank Capra Jimmy Stewart 93. Jdgmnt/Nuremberg Stanley Kramer Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster 94. Julius Caesar Joseph Mankiewicz Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston 95. Kramer Vs. Kramer Robert Benton Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep 96. Last Detail, The Hal Ashby Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid 97. Last Picture Show Peter Bogdanovich Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shephard 98. Last Tango In Paris Bernardo Bertolucci Marlon Brando 99. Lawrence Of Arabia David Lean Peter O'Toole 100. Little Foxes, The William Wyler Bette Davis, Teresa Wright 101. Lolita Stanley Kubrick James Mason, Peter Sellers 102. Lonelyhearts Vincent J. Donahue Montgomery Clift 103. Long Day's Journey Sidney Lumet Katherine Hepburn, Jason Robards 104. Long Hot Summer Martin Ritt Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward 105. Lost In America Albert Brooks Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty 106. Lost Weekend Billy Wilder Ray Milland 107. Love Story Arthur Hiller Ali McGraw, Ryan O'Neal 108. M Fritz Lang Peter Lorre 109. Magnif. Ambersons Orson Welles Tim Holt, Orson Welles 110. Magnificent Seven John Sturges Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen 111. Man/Shot Liberty… John Ford Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne 112. Manchurian Cand. John Frankenheimer Angela Lansbury, Frank Sinatra 113. Marathon Man John Schlesinger Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier 114. Marty Delbert Mann Ernest Borgnine 115. Mean Streets Martin Scorsese Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel 116. Men, The Fred Zinneman Marlon Brando 117. Metropolis Fritz Lang Brigitte Heim, Theodore Loos 118. Midnight Cowboy John Schlesinger Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voiqht 119. Miracle/Morgan's… Preston Sturges Bobby Watson 120. Misfits, The John Huston Clift, Gable, Monroe 121. Mississippi Burning Alan Parker Willem Defoe, Gene Hackman 122. Missouri Breaks Arthur Penn Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson 123. Modern Romance Albert Brooks Albert Brooks, Bruno Kirby 124. Modern Times Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin 125. Mr. Smith Goes To… Frank Capra Jimmy Stewart, Claude Rains 126. Mutiny/Bounty Frank Lloyd Marlon Brando 127. My Fair Lady George Cukor Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn 128. Nashville Robert Altman Ned Beatty, Jeff Goldblum 129. National Velvet Clarence Brown Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor 130. Network Sidney Lumet Faye Dunaway, William Holden 131. North By Northwest Alfred Hitchcock Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint 132. Notorious Alfred Hitchcock Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant 133. No Way To Treat… Jack Smight Rod Steiger 134. Odd Couple, The Gene Saks Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau 135. On the Waterfront Elia Kazan Brando, Malden, Steiger 136. One/Cuckoo's Nest Milos Foreman Jack Nicholson, Danny Divito 137. One-Eyed Jacks Marlon Brando Marlon Brando, Karl Malden 138. Ordinary People Robert Redford Mary Moore, Donald Sutherland 139. Panic/Needle Park Jerry Schatzberg Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino 140. Papillion Franklin Schaffner Dustin Hoffman, Steve McQueen 141. Party, The Blake Edwards Peter Sellers 142. Parallax View Alan Pakula Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn 143. Patton Franklin Schaffner Karl Malden, George C. Scott 144. Pawnbroker, The Sidney Lumet Rod Steiger 145. Philadelphia Story Georqe Cukor Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn 146. Public Enemy, The William Wellman James Cagney 147. Psycho Alfred Hitchcock Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins 148. Quiet Man, The John Ford John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara 149. Raging Bull Martin Scorsese Robert DeNiro 150. Rain People, The Francis Coppola James Caan, Robert Duvall 151. Raintree County Edward Dmytryk Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor 152. Ramblin' Rose Martha Coolidge Laura Dern, Robert Duvall 153. Real Life Albert Brooks Albert Brooks, Charles Grodin 154. Rear Window Alfred Hitchcock Gace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart 155. Rebel W/out Cause Nicholas Ray James Dean, Natalie Wood 156. Red River Howard Hawks Montgomery Clift, John Wayne 157. Reflections in a… John Huston Marlon Brando, Julie Harris 158. Requiem for a… Ralph Nelson Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason 159. Rosemary's Baby Roman Polanski Mia Farrow, Ruth Gordon 160. Runaway Train Andrei Konchalovsky Eric Roberts, Jon Voight 161. Safety Last Harold Lloyd Harold Lloyd 162. Sand Pebbles Robert Wise Steve McQueen 163. Saturday Night Fever John Badham John Travolta 164. Sayonara Joshua Logan Marlon Brando 165. Scarecrow Jerry Schatzberg Gene Hackman, Al Pacino 166. Scarface Brian De Palma Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer 167. Scent Of A Woman Martin Brest Al Pacino 168. Searchers, The John Ford John Wayne, Natalie Wood 169. Serpico Sidney Lumet Al Pacino 170. Seven Samurai Akira Kurosawa Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune 171. Seventh Seal Ingmar Bergman Max Von Sydow 172. Signal 7 173. Singin' In the Rain Stanley Donen Gene Kelly, Rita Moreno 174. Smiles of a… Ingmar Bergman Jarl Kulle 175. Soldier In The Rain Ralph Nelson Jackie Gleason, Steve McQueen 176. Some Like It Hot Billy Wilder Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe 177. Sound Of Music Robert Wise Julie Andrews 178. Splendor/Grass Elia Kazan Warren Beatty, Natalie Wood 179. Stagecoach John Ford James Mason, John Wayne 180. Star Is Born William Wellman Janet Gaynor, Fredric March 181. Star Wars George Lucas Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford 182. Streetcar/Desire Elia Kazan Marlon Brando, Vivian Leigh 183. Suddenly Last… Joseph Mankiewicz Clift, Hepburn, Taylor 184. Sullivan's Travels Preston Sturges Veronica Lake, Joel McCrea 185. Sunset Boulevard Billy Wilder William Holden, Gloria Swanson 186. Sweet Bird of Youth Richard Brooks Paul Newman, Geraldine Page 187. Taxi Driver Martin Scorsese Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel 188. Teahouse of the… Daniel Mann Marlon Brando 189. Tender Mercies Bruce Beresford Robert Duvall 190. Third Man, The Carol Reed Orson Welles 191. Three Days/Condor Sidney Pollack Faye Dunaway, Robert Redford 192. To Kill/Mockingbird Robert Mulligan Gregory Peck 193. Tootsie Sidney Pollack Dustin Hoffman 194. Tree Grows in… Elia Kazan James Dunn, Peg 195. Trip To Bountiful, A Peter Masterson Geraldine Page 196. Two Rode Together John Ford Jimmy Stewart 197. Verdict, The Sidney Lumet Paul Newman, George Mason 198. Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock Kim Novak, Jimmy Stewart 199. Viva Zapata Elia Kazan Marlon Brando, Karl Malden 200. Wait Until Dark Terence Young Alan Arkin, Audrey Hepburn 201. West Side Story Jerome Robbins Rita Moreno, Natalie Wood 202. White Christmas Michael Curtiz Bing Crosby 203. Who's Afraid… Mike Nichols Richard Burton 204. Wild One, The Laszlo Benedek Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin 205. Wild River Elia Kazan Montgomery Clift 206. Young Lions, The Edward Dmytryk Brando, Clift
DISCLAIMER: This document was once known as “Spielberg’s Curriculum,” but Edgar Wright (co-writer of Spielberg’s upcoming film The Adventures of Tintin, as well as modern classics Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) debunked it on Twitter. If this list was a fake, it was not our doing: the list was found with that title in place, and described as coming from the Man himself. Regardless, we maintain that this list is a fantastic slice of 20th Century film history that nobody should hesitate to use, but we welcome Spielberg or anyone on his behalf setting this curriculum for aspiring filmmakers to rights. We aren’t trying to use his name, benefit from his hinted-at presence, or make this about anything other watching good movies.
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