Top 100 Films for Gorgeous Cinematography

[@wolfcrow]

🔥 Watch this next: *20 Iconic Musical Motifs in Film* kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHOUZod-Z9VmfJY

[@Youngsters_of_india]

I recommend, TARKOVSKY 's solaris and mirror, Come and see, war and peace(1965), chaplin' s the great dictator, Kurosawa's high and low, satyajit ray's charulata, parasite, and many more

[@indradinho88]

Solaris is incredible. The opening scene is very poetic.

[@JamesAvalonPictures]

Totally agree. Does a 100 best list have to be exactly 100, lol.

[@experi-mentalproductions5358]

Just watch all of his films...

[@stofflwoffl3370]

Tengiz Abuladze, Herzog, Bella Tarr, Bunuel...Kalatozov's Soy Cuba or Letter never sent...it's hard to make a Top 100😉

[@ipsurvivor]

Nice list. I’m going to try to order some of these from the library. Some that I like: The Searchers 1956 Cinematography Winton C. Hoch The Apartment 1960 Cinematography Joseph LaShelle The Iron Giant (Animated) Cinematography Steven Wilzbach I Confess 1953 Cinematography Robert Burks Taxi Driver 1976 Cinematography Michael Chapman Treasure Of The Sierra Madre 1948 Cinematography Ted D. McCord

[@FHK1817]

1 russian ark 2 winter sleep 3 beanpole 4 once upon a time in anatolia 5 fight club 6 children of men 7 irreversible 8 the diving bell and the butterfly 9 enter the void 10 snatch

[@stofflwoffl3370]

Nice List! Once upon is great for example!

[@zacharysullivan4522]

Interesting to see Fight Club here. I rewatched it last year remembering it as one of my favorites, only to be surprised to find the cinematography to feel dated and kind of hacky. I didn't like it at all.

[@bulloguin]

The music choice for this video makes it more epic, love it. Also Amadeus belongs in this list.

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

Raise The Red Lantern (1991) Cinematographer: Zhao Fei [Dir. Zhang Yimou] . One can randomly pause on any frame of this film and it is a wonderful photograph that tells a story in of itself.

[@anthonyjamesvasquez]

How did that not make the list?!

Beautiful!! I also would include Suspiria (1977) and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

[@richardstirling5799]

I would like to add "Blowup" by Michelangelo Antonioni, cinematographer Carlo Di Palma - a must see - questions the validity of truth in the photographic image

[@selectyourchoice1321]

Blade runner 2049 and manhattan should've been on this list

[@FragmaTactics]

Seeing as that won an Academy Award for cinematography yes bladerunner 2049 should absolutely be on this list near the top.

[@olivierparent3554]

Manhattan is not on the list. Thats stupid

[@NabilNaidu]

Agreed!

[@alicenestpasmonprenom5784]

Soooo Overrated

[@selectyourchoice1321]

@@alicenestpasmonprenom5784 how?

[@noricd]

Magnificent. Take a bow Sareesh Sudhakaran. I have followed you for years, you are a *remarkable* educator on film appreciation, cinematography and filmmaking technology. Loved Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture as your soundtrack. A personal note as regards your thumbnail from the Sergei Parajanov directed film The Colour of Pomegrants. In 1992 on a month’s mission in Armenia and Georgia researching the life of Parajanov one of the interviews my colleague and I recorded was with Sofiko Chiaureli, the film’s lead actress and woman in the thumbnail. BTW I’m a film and other intellectual property lawyer in Sydney.

[@SILVERSPADES]

I wanna spend a full day or two to just binge all these movies

[@GiveMeAnOKUsername]

100 x 100 mins (average length) = 10,000 mins = 167 hours @ 16 hours of viewing per day = over ten days.

[@deexith9559]

I would suggest you to watch most of the Mani Ratnam films. The cinematography of his films are magnificent!

[@theletterbleeds]

Or Kumar Shahani, Amit Dutta and Mani Kaul

[@Youngsters_of_india]

I suggest him too. Gem from india

[@jv8studios]

Nice ! Which one in particular would you recommend?

[@deexith9559]

@@jv8studios Nayakan,Thalapathi,Iruvar and Ravannan. Mostly I would suggest every films of him but these are more special according to me and I hope that you enjoy it ❤️

[@Youngsters_of_india]

Iruvar

[@jannisbmrt]

I would recommend The Revenant. Not just for the cinematography but also for the general audiovisual experience.

[@priyaagarwal4872]

Yes it's hypnotizing

[@Omnicient.]

A little too much use of wide angle lenses which tend to point to them being wide angle lenses but the above list appears to neglect standout cinematography seen in The Wizard Of Oz (Harold Rosson) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Claudia Miranda).

[@adityaparmar6433]

Never been this early on a video.. Just because your lists are mind blowing!!

[@Joelmaquera]

Barry Lyndon is the best movie I've ever seen by far with the best cinematography

[@FotisAthanasopoulos]

Barry Lyndon really surprised me, the first time I watched it , it was purely because it is a Kubrick film - went in with no expectations at all, ready to be utterly bored from the story, and it blew my mind.... Excellent film!!

[@Pancrasio-it9qd]

😎

[@Omnicient.]

Not for me as it makes all the locations look like locations photographed in the 70s which they were.

[@Menapho]

Bravo!!! Here area few I like Joan Of Arc(1927), The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover and The Element Of Crime. I could go but hope you like these.

[@BassChild77]

I’d like to see a list like this but for editing.

[@jv8studios]

Requiem for a dream and Shaun of the dead will definitely be in there ! Great edits

[@tarasshevchenko8917]

Depends on what you’re looking for. As JVB Studios mentioned Requiem and Shaun are great examples (in fact, all Edgar Wright projects are great studies of editing). I’d also add JFK (especially the whole courtroom sequence), Wal Street, Psycho (famous shower scene of course), 80s & 90s Hong Kong action films (editing is crucial to staging superb action scenes), Errol Morris documentaries, and of course some Sergei Eisenstein and Doug’s Vertov projects. And I live the story about how Star Wars The New Hope was saved in the edit. Anyways, the list would go on and on. Oh, and 60s Leonid Gaidai films like Operation Y, Kavkaz Prisoner, and shorts like The Bootleggers.

[@Jass.Marttz]

The cinematography of "Los Olvidados" film by Luis Buñuel is one of the best I have seen, I was hoping to see it here. But still excellent list.

[@lutzknospe]

The last image from "Raiders of the lost Ark" was actually from "Last Crusade".

[@paolociccone]

What a fantastic list, so inspiring. I'm going to watch many of the titles that you showed and rewatch a few others too. Thank you for putting it together. I would suggest also Casablanca and The Cell, but this is an awesome collection already 😀👍 ps: extra points for including "Profondo Rosso"

[@TrendyShits]

I think Siddharth Diwan’s Bullbul deserve to be in this list BTW I feel low about movies from past some months now I know where I have to go bcoz of this amazing Video. Thanks Mr. Sareesh Sudakran Sir.

[@lexmax08]

Stunning. I am a big fan of Howard’s End and Kill Bill.

[@user-tp9ik9lx2b]

So good, every time I'd wonder if a film would be on the list, there it was. Days of Heaven, In The Mood For Love, The Night of the Hunter. Excellent picks

[@phenomenal14U]

Shindler,s list was the first black and white movie l saw from start to finish it was really good experience I thanks Spielberg for that but after watching persona l was blown away buy how simple yet beautiful and intersting black and white movie can be people should watch black and white movies their something so special about them that we are able to focus more on the characters and the story . By the way you are doing a great job ☺️

[@johnstrawb3521]

@Cinematic As regards superbly filmed black and white movies, allow me to suggest The Big Combo (1955), The Third Man (1949), and T-Men (1947).

[@johnsonctroy]

I was hoping to see Do the Right Thing Full Metal Jacket or the Shinning Kill Bill 1 or 2

[@Menapho]

I’ve been waiting for you to make this one!! Cheers!!!!

[@truefilm6991]

Need to watch the films that you mention many times ASAP. Your channel is a "look no further" reference for me, regarding top notch cinematography. BTW nice seeing not one but two movies shot on Super 16 film on this list. Black Swan and City of God.

[@jahongrmrzo1821]

13:51 is it the definition of m in german)

[@lesurferdargent3662]

Kung Fu Hustle (2004) has a great cinematography too

[@Unus1Mundus]

Thank you for including Raiders of The Lost Ark, I've been saying for years that that movie has amazing cinematography...

[@kaushalkavekar]

Superb list , thanks for the additional suggestions .

[@Silver_Screens]

Just came across this, incredible video man! Defo adding some to my list!

[@doyleeboyzz9608]

ive been waiting for a list like this

[@AIpodcast369]

I fell in love with cinematography when I watched the movie BLADE RUNNER 2049 , And today I watch movies, only for cinematography.

[@Pancrasio-it9qd]

The tree of life

[@BassChild77]

I was surprised to see saving private Ryan so highly on the list . But then I remember the d-day scene...

[@Omnicient.]

I'd add: The Wizard Of Oz (Harold Rosson) Anna Karenina (Seamus McGarvey) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Claudia Miranda).

[@RobDTom]

I know that there are two Kurosawa films on the list, but I think Ran needs to be included.

[@antalkarolyi]

Tetro and Fury Road would definitely be on my top 100 list. Big Lebowski maybe, as well

[@hal9000tube2006]

"Soy Cuba/I Am Cuba" (1964) must to be in it.

[@hardikjp]

MUST! A film way before its time and technically it still amazes me in 2021!

[@parisbreakfast]

First 5 minutes kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4Cvh6CVbrqWiNk

[@VaryingViewpoint]

The Red Shoes and Duel In The Sun should trump Halloween and Jurassic Park.

[@akshaykumar-eo9xh]

Please tell the name of the movie 2:41

[@aliensconfirmed3498]

Probably all the films which I felt had great cinematography are here except one.. which I would like to add.. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

[@SuchetB]

Nice list. I definitely think you should have included something by Brian DePalma in there as he uses amazing cinematography in some of his classics, which look pretty and have function in terms of story and drama as well as sometimes looking impossible. Also James Cameron did some amazing things with his cinematographer in ALIENS and THE ABYSS. Another legendary filmmaker and star is Jackie Chan, if you look at how his classic fight scenes are filmed from 80s movies like WHEELS ON MEALS and ARMOUR OF GOD, they are framed and lit beautifully, but also they are sometimes long single-takes, so some intense planning went into those scenes to account for camera movement and action, and they look beautiful - so definitely I think a Jackie movie should have been in there too.

[@tylerm6747]

"The Return", Zvyagintsev (Director), Krichman (DP)

[@aHarshPundit]

Great list. IMO, Mark Lee Ping Bin's best work is with Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Flowers of Shanghai or The Assassin deserves a mention.

[@inigoloyola1869]

Full Metal Jacket, Braveheart, Last of the Mohicans, Avatar, and (maybe Transformers) are examples of big-budget films (thus more pandering, less artistic) that I thought should make it onto this list. Good list though. Very few people talk about Hero (2002), and it is the most beautifully shot movie in my opinion; thanks of including it.

[@sitaramarajusagi7334]

what a nostalgic journey of great movies...! Thanks a lot..

[@ejaramillo1994]

I feel like "The Searchers" should be here

[@VR-jg3sp]

Check out "The Red Shoes" by "The Archers".

[@alphegedinsijohnmojiun2961]

Came because of the KZbin algorithm, stayed for the really in depth content.

[@r.c.c.10]

I think naturalness, within the artistry, is very underrated when it comes to good cinematography. It's a problem that has only been increased in the most recent years, when films are so enamoured with themselves, so focused on looking good that they end up looking fake, artificial, and they take you out of the film. I also find underrated the overall aesthetic the cinematography provides, beyond the art design. Being visually appealing, despite in principle lacking "depth", is not a much minor art And in the other side, the language cinematography makes when matched to the editing is key for good cinematography. Like good music, advancing, so to say, the narrative.

[@r.c.c.10]

However, for me, innovation is sign of merit not of quality. Then we would still be saying the first film ever is the greatest film to date. For example, Citizen Kane has fabulous cinematography, but in terms of how good the film is, I don't think it's very good. It had merit, I appreciate that, but I won't say it's better because it came before. The same applies to cinematography.

[@plschaitanyakr7038]

there is a lack of contemporaries , I suggest these too Killing them softly by Greg Fraiser and The Favourite by Robbie Ryan

[@alicenestpasmonprenom5784]

i like before watching!😀

[@maxschaeffer3154]

Ran, The Shining, Intolerance and Nosferatu are notable absences. Also Spring Summer Fall Winter, I'd replace any of the Korean movies you mentioned with these.

[@jrr1358]

Thank you sir for listing down films ... :) 🙏

[@generalrambling7035]

I have some stuff to add :) Overall the list is fairly conventional. But how to expect big surprises? Here are some movies I’d add or place differently: Roger Deakins only has two entries at 96 and 97. I actually don’t like The Assassination of Jesse James that much as I often find it rather pretentious instead of beautiful and in support of the story. I’m surprised that from his work with the Coen brothers Fargo isn’t listed for the difficult shots in the snow etc (it’s on most such lists). O Brother, Where Art Thou? is also often named. Afaik it pioneered digital color grading. Personally, I like Barton Fink the most. For the Wes Anderson & Robert D. Yeoman cooperation, I probably like The Life Aquatic the most. I would take it instead of The Grand Budapest Hotel even though that was more successful and thus better known. Btw I recently watched Astroid City and while it was visually pleasing as we are accustomed with above mentioned team. It falls flat on a story level in my eyes. Here we also encounter the question how to treat multiple works of the same person or team. They are often pretty similar. So often I would only list one representative work and add a note to their other works (except when those are vastly different in style so that they earn their own entry). Someone already mentioned Suspiria (1977) in the comments. Overall there is a lot of interesting and good cinematography in the giallo genre. As an oddball closely related to that I would suggest to have a look at Zombie 2 (1979). (I now later notice that Deep Red made the list. Didn’t notice due to the english title) The whole German Expressionism is a question in it’s own again. There are like Sunrise, M, Metropolis, Nosferatu and so on. Generally there is a disbalance in genres. We tend to think of typical cinematography in dramas and especially historical dramas as beautiful. But action movies for example have their own quality regarding cinematography (yes I know the list has some just saying that we all have a bias there) Maybe I missed it but the Technicolor musical era is missing. Think of An American in Paris, Singin’ in the Rain, Kiss Me Kate, … Speaking of musicals during the black and white era the musicals by Busby Berkeley deserve a mention for camera work. On the other hand the Fred Astaire style musicals are less flashy regarding camera work but have their own merit. Edit: I noticed that with Gigi there is a musical in there. It's been a while since I saw it. The Red Shoes (1948) might also be worth mentioning - same team as for Black Narcissus. Otherwise the highest comedy in your list is Network I believe. Comedies are barely on the list. I'm not really surprised but I think it's worth mentioning. Il gattopardo / The Leopard (1963) has great cinematography. I also love the cinematography in Brief Encounter (1945). Krasker has an entry with The Third Man. Also speaking of David Lean movies: Lawrence of Arabia should be further up. Blow-Up (1966) was rightfully mentioned in another comment. Lola rennt / Run Lola Run (1998) is missing. You could also consider some of Michel Gondry’s films. Maybe have a look at music videos in particular. The 90s were on fire… Speaking of 90s not only some of the Coen brothers / Deakin team ups are missing as mentioned above. Pulp Fiction is also missing. Yes, its cinematography is great. Leon: The Professional (1994) is missing. Generally no cinema du look at all as far as i can see. I don’t like Black Swan, Hero, Birdman and Munich that much. They wouldn’t make my list. They didn’t add too much at the time they were released. To conclude my comment: I think rankings are always a bit problematic for art. I prefer unordered lists with groupings like genre/era or persons involved.

[@thatdude7170]

Great list. Also, was that the 1812 Overture (*insert cannon jokes)? Great taste in music as well.

[@VR-jg3sp]

Thoroughly loved this Top 100 list! I'd give the TOP position to "Barry Lyndon", though..

[@sitaramarajusagi7334]

you are compelling me to view again all these great movies..

[@ladymary22]

Thank you I know that it is more than pretty pictures Many great paintings aren't always pretty. I am trying to learn photography as a hobby. This has given me ideas

[@rednamvenkatarao3246]

Excellent information ❤

[@DanielTesla74]

In no particular order we may add 1917, Mother, The Cell, What Dreams May Come, Morvern Callar, Snowpiercer, Inception, Fight Club, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Kill Bill, and of course the list can go on.

[@WillLangston]

Was waiting for Do The Right Thing! 😎

[@timothybrooks6394]

Great list

[@lepofoxford1873]

Halloween has no business being on there, could easily replace that with Three Colors: Red

[@mrwesleyhsk]

Nice may add few ravi varman cinematography also

[@jamesdudfield6149]

Please check out the film Razorback! It doesn't have a great story, but it has some of the most surprisingly breathtaking visuals I've ever seen.

[@kalipadakarmakar1859]

This is the video I requested 🙏😊 thank u sir, thank you

[@triky814]

Beautiful list! I would throw in Solaris and All The President's Men!

[@bokonon88]

What is the name of the movie shown at 1:01?

[@EvrenErlevent]

Kagemusha

[@nilsen5109]

Great 👌👌👌---- thanks for suggesting

[@balaramanand6639]

......thank u very much .......as was said lighting ,timing,composition ,movement , color are the raw materials for this great art form called cinematography

[@joramhartmann7101]

Blade Runner 2049, 1917, Parasyte and The Lighthouse are clearly missing.

[@Lyeon]

What movie is that at 1:37?

[@taraokopie5888]

What movie is 1:43????

[@davidlavalleejr]

Great list thanks for sharing

[@wolfcrow]

You’re welcome!

[@ladymary22]

Cinematography is an art and a science.

[@CarloscFr]

Wonderful list. Mine wouldn't be complete without The Spirit of the Beehive, I am Cuba and Tango

[@jacusounds]

What about Tom Ford movies, "A Single Man", "Nocturnal Animals?"

[@jv8studios]

I have yet to watch these films ! Which is better ?

[@jacusounds]

@@jv8studios „Nocturnal Animals“ is my personal favorite!!

[@James-mk8jp]

What movie is at 0:13?

[@DentargPL]

Wolfcrow makes me a man of culture :).

[@wehatekeith]

Thank you ❤️

[@wolfcrow]

You’re welcome 😊

[@Srimanth438]

I knew Barry Lyndon was going to be in the top 10.

[@Bunny-ch2ul]

L'Année Dernière à Marienbad, Melancholia, The Red Shoes, La Belle et la Bete, (the 1946 Cocteau one) and not including anything from Jacques Demy or Merchant Ivory films are all downright sinful omissions. I also feel like the list needs a wild card or two, like Ciao Manhattan or The Saddest Music in the World.

[@antony_reynolds]

Great job!

[@nicolassdelgadoj]

I'm proud to say I've watched 46 movies of this list and have a lot downloaded to see.

[@vijayadoodle730]

I'm at 45.

[@robabiera733]

Glad to see names like Karl Freund, Geoffrey Unsworth, John Alcott and Greg Toland, but what about Rudolph Mate? Nicholas Musuraca? William Daniels? Oswald Morris?

[@ina00203]

'Yi Yi' - Yang Wei Han The Spirit of The Beehive' - Luis Cuadrado 'Night of The Hunter' - Stanley Cortez Pierrot Le Fou' - Raoul Cotard Singin In The Rain' - Harold Rosson Apocalypse Now' - Vittorio Storraro Ran' - Asakazu Nakai, Takao Saitô, Shôji Ueda 'Kagemusha' -Takao Saitô, Shôji Ueda 'Dreams' - Takao Saitô, Shôji Ueda 'The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover' - Sacha Vierny 'The Holy Mountain' - Rafael Corkidi 'The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova) - Suren Shakhbazyan 'Suspiria' - Luciano Tovoli 'Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters' - John Bailey 'The Red Shoes' - Jack Cardiff 'Daisies' - Jaroslav Kučera 'La Belle et La Bete' - Henri Alekan 'Samsara' - Ron Fricke 'Koyaanisqatsi' - Ron Fricke 'Pina' - Jörg Widmer, Hélène Louvart 'I Am Belfast' - Mark Cousins, Christopher Doyle 'Tabloid' - Robert Chappell 'The Imposter' - Erik Wilson, Lynda Hall 'The Act of Killing' - Lars Skree, Carlos Arango De Montis 'Barry Lyndon' - John Alcott 'The Idiots' - Lars von Trier, Casper Holm, Jesper Jargil, Kristoffer Nyholm 'Julien Donkey-Boy' - Anthony Dod Mantle 'Festen' - Anthony Dod Mantle 'I Am Cuba' - Sergei Urusevsky 'Roma' - Alfonso Cuarón 'The Revenant' - Emmanuel Lubezki 'The Tree of Life' - Emmanuel Lubezki 'Days of Heaven' - Néstor Almendros The Night of The Hunter (Dir: Charles Laughton) Fanny and Alexander (Dir: Ingmar Bergman) The Dark Knight (Dir: Christopher Nolan) The Wire (Creator: David Simon) Monster (Creator: Naoki Urasawa 浦沢 直樹) Nil by Mouth (Dir: Gary Oldman) Psycho (Dir: Alfred Hitchcock) The House That Jack Built (Dir: Lars Von Trier) Benny's Video (Dir: Michael Haneke) We Need To Talk About Kevin (Dir: Lynne Ramsay) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Dir: Stanley Kubrick) Dark Souls (Creator: Hidetaka Miyazaki 宮崎 英高) Batman - The Animated Series (Creator: Eric Radomski & Bruce Timm) Macbeth (Dir: Justin Kurzel) The King of Comedy (Dir: Martin Scorsese) Schindler's List (Dir: Steven Spielberg) The White Ribbon (Dir: Michael Haneke) The Witch (Dir: Robert Eggers) Werckmeister Harmonies (Dir: Béla Tarr) Moonrise Kingdom - Wes Anderson Roma',-Alfonso Cuarón "'The Lighthouse'' - Robert Eggers ''Togo''-Ericson Core

[@Photo90210]

And Giuseppe Rotunno - "Il Gatopardo (1963)" perfect one, Lajos Koltai - "Malena (2000)", Armand Thirard - "Le salaire de la peur (1953)" ...

[@Liljuggbean]

How about midnight cowboy???I thought that film was beautifully shot

[@smellslikeus]

Based

[@leonelsaucedo1218]

check out the work of Gabriel Figueroa (enamorada,maclovia,macario,maria candelaria,los olvidados,night of the iguana)

[@rishikishore378]

Pls put the name of the movies while you showing the scenes

[@picturesbypost]

💐🥺Can anyone tell the name of modern film ...with beautiful shot of a car standing a place with pink color cinematic frame....the lights and colors are mostly of pink color.... it might me a foreign film / modern world cinema

[@HombreDeCalifornia]

I think all my favorite ones were included, but was wondering why no love for Kim Ki-duk's "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring".

[@jordanpiatt4435]

So, great list, but I want to correct a mistake you did. One of the scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark is not from that film but it is from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

[@deardaughter]

some of the best cinnamon tog raffy ive seen in years.

[@davetinoco]

A few missed that I really like: What Dreams May Come Under The Skin Big Fish Mulholland Drive Oh Brother Where Art Thou Enter The Void Requiem for a Dream 8 1/2 Wings of Desire

[@alfiewickham2004]

Where's the thumbnail from? :)

[@mayajones1720]

Sin City

[@uriahkabemba5798]

Can you do one for editors plz

[@minoobhesania8474]

Fiddler on the roof was great.