Emanuel Levy in Los Angeles 

December 13, 2001

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There were few great films in 2001, but enough good ones by new (Todd Field), developing (Peter Jackson, Baz Luhrmann), and veteran (Lynch, Altman) directors, to make the year more agreeable. With most studio releases slipshod and slapdash, the interesting films were easily evident on first viewing. Hence, choosing the best was not difficult, though for the first time in years, most of my personal choices are A- or B+ pictures.

The guiding criteria in constructing the lists below (which are ranked in order of preference) were mostly artistic: the evidence of a singular directorial vision, thematic and/or visual (preferably both), coherent and unified narrative (most Hollywood movies are deficient due to their excessively episodic and shapelessly disjointed structure), overall artistic and emotional impact, command over film grammar, and deft use of the medium's unique properties (framing, editing), not for their own sake, but in congruence and service of their story.

As a point of information, both grades and points are included for the best film lists for the purposes of those around the world that use different criteria of evaluation. The films were chosen among those that were released theatrically in the US – or at least played at a major film festival – during this calendar year.

For a full analysis of the year in film, artistically speaking, read the full story in this week's edition of Screen International.

BEST ENGLISH-SPEAKING FILMS

(US/Int'l distributor in parenthesis)

Grade Points

1. In the Bedroom (Miramax/Good Machine) A 10

2. Shrek (DreamWorks/UIP) A 10

3. Mulholland Drive (Universal Focus/StudioCanal) A- 9

4. The Lord Of The Rings (New Line/New Line Int’l) A- 9

5. Moulin Rouge (Fox) A- 9

6. Gosford Park (USA Films/Capitol Films) A- 9

7. Ali (Columbia/IEG) B+ 8

8. The Others (Dimension/StudioCanal) B+ 8

9. Black Hawk Down (Columbia/Revolution) B+ 8

10. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (Warner) B+ 8

RUNNERS-UP

1. The Believer (Showtime/Fireworks)

2. Last Orders (Sony Classics/Winchester)

3. The Royal Tenenbaums (Buena Vista)

4. The Deep End (Fox Searchlight)

5. Hedwig And The Angry Inch (Fine Line/New Line Int’l)

6. The Man Who Wasn't There (USA Films/Good Machine)

7. Lantana (Lions Gate/Beyond Films)

8. Intimacy (Empire Pictures/StudioCanal)

9. Training Day (Warner/Roadshow)

10. The Shipping News (Miramax/Miramax Int’l)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILMS

Grade Points

1. Va Savoir! (France) A 10

2. In Praise Of Love (France) A 10

3. Baran (Iran) A 10

4. What Time Is It There (Taiwan) A 10

5. Time Out (France) A 10

6. Dog Days (Austria) A- 9

7. Under the Sand (France) A- 9

8. No Man's Land (Bosnia) A- 9

9. Late Marriage (Israel) B+ 8

10. Amelie (France) B+ 8

RUNNERS-UP

1. The Day I Became a Woman (Iran)

2. Nine Queens (Argentina)

3. Italian For Beginners (Denmark)

4. The Lady And The Duke (France)

5. Little Otik (Czech Republic)

6. The Son's Room (Italy)

7. Hi, Tereska (Poland)

8. Y Tu Mama Tambien (Mexico)

9. Dark Blue World (Czech Republic)

10. Lagaan (India)

BEST DIRECTOR

1. David Lynch (Mulholland Drive)

2. Todd Field (In the Bedroom)

3. Peter Jackson (The Lord Of The Rings)

4. Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge)

5. Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson (Shrek)

6. Robert Altman (Gosford Park)

7. Michael Mann (Ali)

8. Alejandro Amenabar (The Others)

9. Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down)

10. Steven Spielberg (A.I.)

BEST ACTRESS:

1. Sissy Spacek (In the Bedroom)

2. Nicole Kidman (The Others)

3. Charlotte Rampling (Under The Sand)

4. Tilda Swinton (The Deep End)

5. Judi Dench (Iris)

6. Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive)

7. Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde)

8. Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones's Diary)

9. Stockard Channing (The Business Of Strangers)

10. Thora Birch (Ghost World)

BEST ACTOR

1. Denzel Washington (Training Day)

2. Billy Bob Thornton (Bandits, The Man Who Wasn't There)

3. Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings)

4. Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast)

5. Guy Pearce (Memento)

6. Gene Hackman (The Royal Tenenbaums)

7. Tom Wilkinson (In the Bedroom)

8. Russell Crowe (Beautiful Mind)

9. Anthony Hopkins (Hearts in Atlantis)

10. Will Smith (Ali)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

1. Kate Winslet (Iris)

2. Maggie Smith (Gosford Park)

3. Marisa Tomei (In the Bedroom)

4. Helen Mirren (Gosford Park, Last Orders)

5. Judi Dench (The Shipping News)

6. Jennifer Connelly (Beautiful Mind)

7. Anjelica Huston (The Royal Tenenbaums)

8. Gwyneth Paltrow (The Royal Tenenbaums)

9. Julia Stiles (The Business Of Strangers)

10. Scarlett Johansson (Ghost World)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

1. Jon Voight (Ali)

2. Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge, Iris)

3. Sean Bean (The Lord Of The Rings)

4. Hayden Christensen (Life As A House)

5. Elliott Gould (Ocean's Eleven)

6. Colin Firth (Bridget Jones's Diary)

7. Ethan Hawke (Training Day)

8. Hugh Grant (Bridget Jones's Diary)

9. Viggo Mortensen (The Lord Of The Rings)

10. Carl Reiner (Ocean's Eleven)

The following films also deserve a citation for the accomplished acting of their entire, huge ensembles, but, alas, we live in a culture (and industry) that favours individual over collective achievements:

The Lord Of The Rings

The Royal Tenenbaums

Gosford Park

Last Orders