Why some films endure as classics while others fade into obscurity
In short: For decades, a specific group of critics has decided which movies define our cultural history. This lecture explores the mechanics of 'the canon' and why certain masterpieces—like Vertigo—eventually dethrone long-standing icons.
The BFI’s Sight & Sound publication has hosted an international poll every decade for nearly seventy years to determine the world's greatest films. This process establishes a formal 'canon' of cinema, though the criteria for what makes a film truly 'classic' remains a subject of academic scrutiny.
Ian Christie examines the shifting nature of these rankings, specifically highlighting how Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo managed to end Citizen Kane’s fifty-year reign as the top-ranked film in 2012. The lecture provides context on how artistic merit and critical consensus intersect over time.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: What Makes A Film Classic?
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