Beyond the Sight & Sound Canon
A supplement to the 2022 Sight & Sound poll
Conducted and compiled by Ángel González
Introduction by Bill Georgaris
Published on April 8, 2024
A supplement to the 2022 Sight & Sound poll
Conducted and compiled by Ángel González
Introduction by Bill Georgaris
Published on April 8, 2024
Once per decade Sight & Sound asks critics and filmmakers to select The Greatest Films of All Time. The Sight & Sound poll is widely regarded (probably indisputably) as the most trusted guide there is to the canon of cinema greats. The 2022 poll reached a wider and more diverse group than ever before, and incorporated the top 10 lists of over 2,100 participants from all corners of the globe - who, overall, voted for 4,366 unique titles. But there are more, many more, great films. And thanks to Ángel González's curiosity and drive, the Beyond the Sight & Sound Canon poll was hatched. Well, what is it exactly? The Beyond the Sight & Sound Canon poll is essentially a greatest films' poll, only without those 4,366 films that received at least one mention in the 2022 Sight & Sound poll (courtesy of Brett, here are those 4,366 films).
Back in August last year we invited critics and cinephiles to submit their ballots (numbering up to 100 titles) of their favourite feature-length films (we worked on the basis of running times of greater than 58 minutes) that didn't register a single vote in 2022's Sight & Sound poll. Willing participants were given four months (entries closed at the end of December) to come up with their ballots. Thank you very much to everyone that contributed. In the end, we received 839 ballots (including from 75 critics who also participated in the 2022 Sight & Sound poll). They were dutifully assembled and compiled by Ángel. In the end, a remarkable total of 14,560 films received at least one vote, and they have been split into four categories.
1) The A-List - comprises 1,030 films, compiled from all the 839 ballots. They are essentially the most voted-for films from each year and each country. For a deeper explanation, please view the A-List here.
2) 2+ Votes - These 5,736 films all received at least two votes, but didn't make the cut for the A-List.
3) Orphans - These 7,783 films each received one vote.
4) The B-List - These 11 films met the A-List criteria, but were excluded as they premiered after August 2022 (in other words, after Sight & Sound voting had got under way).
The A-List, as mentioned, can be viewed here, but you can refer to the resources below (EXCEL spreadsheets) to view the remaining films. Please note, for this project, it was agreed that it would be a ranking-free enterprise. If you wish, however, you can derive rankings from the resources provided below, as we have included each film's vote totals.
1) The A-List - comprises 1,030 films, compiled from all the 839 ballots. They are essentially the most voted-for films from each year and each country. For a deeper explanation, please view the A-List here.
2) 2+ Votes - These 5,736 films all received at least two votes, but didn't make the cut for the A-List.
3) Orphans - These 7,783 films each received one vote.
4) The B-List - These 11 films met the A-List criteria, but were excluded as they premiered after August 2022 (in other words, after Sight & Sound voting had got under way).
The A-List, as mentioned, can be viewed here, but you can refer to the resources below (EXCEL spreadsheets) to view the remaining films. Please note, for this project, it was agreed that it would be a ranking-free enterprise. If you wish, however, you can derive rankings from the resources provided below, as we have included each film's vote totals.
We have published 273 (labelled as critics' ballots) of the 839 individual ballots for online viewing. They commence here. Down the track, further ballots may be added.
This poll was designed as a supplement to 2022's Sight & Sound poll, aiming to highlight those films that were (in many cases, sadly) overlooked. We hope that you will consider it a worthwhile resource to further broaden your own viewing experiences. At the end of the day, if you watch (or rewatch) at least one great film thanks to this poll, then all our efforts (especially Ángel's!) will have been worth it.
Resources (EXCEL spreadsheets)
The A-List (1,030 films) (updated on 10/4/24)
Master List (all films) (updated on 10/4/24)
Critics' Ballots (updated on 10/4/24)
The A-List (1,030 films) (updated on 10/4/24)
Master List (all films) (updated on 10/4/24)
Critics' Ballots (updated on 10/4/24)
Thank you to Brett, Jorge and Iain for their kind assistance to this project. And, if you haven't already, please delve into Iain's past inspirational polls: Beyond the Canon, The Obscure, the Forgotten and the Unloved, and 100 Evenings Illuminated. These polls greatly influenced this one.
For all your enquiries and feedback, please contact us at beyondtheSScanon@gmail.com.
Some Beyond the Sight & Sound Canon-related links -: Sight & Sound (Twitter), The Film Stage, World of Reel, Flick Filosopher, The Film Experience, Mark Bould, Bruno Andrade, Letterboxd, IMDb.
Some Beyond the Sight & Sound Canon-related links -: Sight & Sound (Twitter), The Film Stage, World of Reel, Flick Filosopher, The Film Experience, Mark Bould, Bruno Andrade, Letterboxd, IMDb.
Corrections
9/4/24 a - The overall film total has increased from 14,558 to 14,559, and the Orphans total from 7,783 to 7,784. This was due to an error within Johnathan Tsuria's ballot.
9/4/24 b - We did the dirty on Ken Russell - even if it was for just one day! Altered States (1980) was mysteriously absent from the initial Master List spreadsheet (2+ Votes category). It has now been added back in. The overall film total increases to 14,560 and the 2+ Votes films to 5,735.
9/4/24 c - The number of 2+ Votes films total has increased from 5,735 to 5,736, and the Orphans total has decreased from 7,784 to 7,783. This was due to an error within Ofer Liebergall's ballot.
10/4/24 a - The previously labelled "Anonymous" ballot was contributed by Tynan Yanaga.
10/4/24 b - Lé Baltar's ballot has been corrected. There is no change to the film totals.
Any further corrections or changes to film totals, ballots, etc. will also be documented here.
9/4/24 a - The overall film total has increased from 14,558 to 14,559, and the Orphans total from 7,783 to 7,784. This was due to an error within Johnathan Tsuria's ballot.
9/4/24 b - We did the dirty on Ken Russell - even if it was for just one day! Altered States (1980) was mysteriously absent from the initial Master List spreadsheet (2+ Votes category). It has now been added back in. The overall film total increases to 14,560 and the 2+ Votes films to 5,735.
9/4/24 c - The number of 2+ Votes films total has increased from 5,735 to 5,736, and the Orphans total has decreased from 7,784 to 7,783. This was due to an error within Ofer Liebergall's ballot.
10/4/24 a - The previously labelled "Anonymous" ballot was contributed by Tynan Yanaga.
10/4/24 b - Lé Baltar's ballot has been corrected. There is no change to the film totals.
Any further corrections or changes to film totals, ballots, etc. will also be documented here.