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Edgar Wright’s 1,000 Favorite Movies

Posted on Sunday, March 15, 2020

This list of personal favorites was assembled by Edgar Wright and Sam DiSalle in July 2016, and is semi-regularly updated. Films are ordered by year, and alphabetized within each year (our list matches MUBI’s source list order, but some films are listed under alternative names). Note from Edgar, August 2026: Ten years ago, I discovered a 700-strong list on MUBI entitled ‘Edgar Wright’s Favorite Movies’, which came as something of a surprise, as I hadn’t written it. Though the American spelling of ‘favourite’ was a clue. The list had been created by Sam DiSalle, so I reached out to ask how he had compiled it. He explained that it included every film I had ever said I liked in interviews, articles and polls. I asked if I could edit it and, over the next few months, after much addition and subtraction, gave him enough further suggestions to bring the grand total up to a round 1,000 films. Every now and then I update it and thought I would do so ten years on. It is a very personal and entirely subjective selection of favourites from more than 100 years of cinema. Some people get extremely riled up about films they perceive to be ‘missing’, so please be warned: any comments along the lines of “What, no…?” will be deleted. It’s only one person’s list, and the great news is you can absolutely make your own. In fact, I encourage you to! I enjoy keeping the list fluid for my own pleasure, amusement and reference. I’m sharing a recently updated version in the hope that you’ll have fun poring over it and diving into some films you haven’t seen, or perhaps haven’t even heard of. I should also apologise to my friends at @1000filmsblog for adding and removing titles. I really don’t mean to increase your workload! Anything that has ever appeared on the list remains valid; I simply like to cycle films in and out according to rewatches and new discoveries. And, of course, enormous thanks to Sam DiSalle for helping me put it all together and maintain it over the years. Links to his MUBI and Letterboxd versions of the list are below. Film-watching is a lifetime pursuit, and there are still so many others out there for me to see. I hope these two lists are a great place to for you to start. Please give my regards to your eyeballs! Note from Edgar, August 2016: “This is a personal and subjective list of 1,000 favourite movies from 100 years of cinema. It’s not a set text or intended as any bible of ‘greatest’ films. I decided to put this together as a fluid list for my own enjoyment, amusement and reference. I hope it’s fun for you to pore over and dive into some of the films you haven’t seen or haven’t heard of. Don’t get all riled up about omissions or which movies you think should be favourites of mine, the truth is I may very well like / not like or not have seen the movies you think are missing. In fact, I like way more than 1,000 movies, but any longer and this list would be really insane. Thanks to Sam DiSalle for helping me put it together. If you feel so inspired, make your own list. Film watching is a life-time pursuit and there’s many more films out there for me to see. This site is a great place to start.” Last updated in August 2026. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Nosferatu Safety Last! Sherlock Jr. The Gold Rush Faust The General Metropolis Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Steamboat Bill, Jr. ...plus 990 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

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