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Besides offering one of the greatest color cinematography in modern cinema (cries and whispers, days of heaven, apocalypse now), "the conformist" is also a tremendously intersting character study of a poor soul that was forced to conform due to his personal (internal) struggles and external powers. Bertolucci was able to create a haunted surreality in which sex, Freud, politics and philosophy are juicily mingled together. The lead performance from Jean-Louis Trintignant is truly outstanding, along with a star turn by then the upcoming Dominique Sanda.

I'll never understand those who think "The Conformist" is all style and nothing else

I hope that I didn't make that impression. I never thought of Conformist as all style and nothing else. Have you seen Denis' Beau Travail? I had a slight argument with a guy last night and he complained about this film being all pretty and having no substance. Beau Travail, possibly the most beautifully photographed film of the recent time, has so much substance to chew on that I forgot to eat for days, losing ten pounds.

"The Spider's Stratagem" is a beautiful little film and it looks great, though it seems much simpler to me than "The Conformist" (which is a lot more ambiguous, open to interpretation, and more free to express itself with its style and structure), but "Stratagem" is still a beautiful little story and the Italian country side, the villas, and the dining rooms are treated with that impeccable Bertoluccian passion.

I agree. Spiders brought my mind to the stories told by my grandparents, great aunts and great uncles when I was growing up. I just love the intimacy.. and especially the dining rooms.. the dancing. The opera.. oh so much more. Spiders and Conformist are both beautiful but in different ways. I just prefer Spiders' story more which doesn't make Conformist lesser or bad in any way. In other words, calling films "overrated" has nothing to do with how good or bad they are. I happen to think that Spiders deserves the same respect as Conformist. The fact that Spiders is vastly unknown is disappointing. I didn't know anything about it until it was brought up on this forum some time ago.

I just noticed one glaring omission: Argento's Deep Red. And I must admit I somehow forgot to include it on my own list too!

Arguably the best thriller of the 70's and it didn't even made it to the top 100. That goes to show my dislike of such lists. But that is only my opinion and in the end I'm not sorry I contributed at all.

Now off to make mental notes of those oh-so-hip-oh-so-bad-hair-days of the glorious 80's. Has it really been more than 15 years ago?

I just noticed one glaring omission: Argento's Deep Red. And I must admit I somehow forgot to include it on my own list too!

I was the only one who voted for Deep Red (#43 on my list).

Now off to make mental notes of those oh-so-hip-oh-so-bad-hair-days of the glorious 80's. Has it really been more than 15 years ago?

Just started working on my 80s list. So many to choose from...Blue Velvet, Veronika Voss, Come & See, Law of Desire, A Christmas Story, Polyester, Rumble Fish, Diva, The Shining, 9 to 5.....

Spiders brought my mind to the stories told by my grandparents, great aunts and great uncles when I was growing up. I just love the intimacy.. and especially the dining rooms.. the dancing. The opera.. oh so much more.

Michael,

That's really beautiful (and a connection I didn't have with it, though I certainly loved everything you were describing when I watched it). I'm glad that the film brought that up in you, I don't doubt that Bertolucci's childhood was the same. "Stratagem" is publically more underrated than "The Conformist," but as far as critics go, they both are pretty admired, with auteurists like Rosenbaum tending to prefer "Stratagem," so it's more loved than you think. There's also a good Roger Ebert review of "Stratagem" on his site. I've only seen it once, and sometime last year, so I'll revisit it soon.

I started my 80s list last week. Lynch, without question, takes up the top two spots.

Dylan

I've got a top 50 for the 80s list put together already (no Lynch, suckas!), but it's guaranteed to change as I watch new films and re-watch others over the next month.

Here's the rest of my overlong 70s Darling Defenses....

6. A Grin Without A Cat (Marker, 1977)
Though probably only the fourth or fifth best film Chris Marker made, this elegiac history of the Left in the 1960s and 1970s is nothing short of astonishingly brilliant.

12. Hitler: A Film From Germany (Syberberg, 1977)
Attempting to confront “the oppressive curse of guiltâ€

backstreetsbackalright wrote: 35. The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (Ruiz, 1978)
Under the guise of documentary, Hypothesis investigates the purely fictional mystery of a series of seven canvases painted in the 19th Century by fictional artist Tonnerre. The seventh of these paintings no longer exists (if in fact it ever did) and there are no concrete records of what it depicted. An avid collector provides an exhaustive analysis of the six extant works, focusing on aesthetic peculiarities that, he maintains, connect the paintings in a delicately unified set with implications reaching beyond art history. However, this theory is entirely predicated on the assumed existence of the seventh canvas. The scenario's fascinating Borgesian puzzle is something of a cinematic anomaly, but I consider the film's greatest accomplishment its plunge into the melancholy of uncertainty that looms over the study of aesthetics.

Thanks for your comments: your list includes several films I've wanted to see for a long time. The wonderful Ruiz, however, did make the 100 (since I placed it in my top 10).

I love the tension in this film between the cinematic and the anti-cinematic. Ruiz has figured out a way to portray a seeminglyy irredeemably literary conceit ( the faux art criticism / conspiracy theory at the centre of the film) in filmic terms, and even though the embedded narrative (the uncovered conspiracy) is conveyed entirely in dialogue, the evidence for the interpretation that gives rise to that narrative is almost exclusively visual. The recreation of the various paintings as tableaux vivants is both a glorious visual conceit (and the bread and butter of the film's baroque visuals) and a crucial plot point (as it's the spatial relationship between those tableaux which is being tracked). Ruiz's ingenuity and wit is dazzling. Greenaway has spent the last quarter century trailing in the wake of this film, but he's never achieved anything as smart, funny and persuasive.

zedz wrote:The wonderful Ruiz, however, did make the 100 (since I placed it in my top 10).

D'oh! Now I feel stupid. It was all worth it, however, to coax out your careful reading of the film. Thanks very, very much for your comments!

I just wanted to point out that several of my favorite films from the 70's were missing from the top 100 -

California Split - One of my favorite movies ever, not just from the decade. The audio track in this film is so busy it's possible to take entirely different conversations away from each scene each time you watch it. This film also has my favorite characters of any Altman film.

Minnie & Moskowitz - This, along with Love Streams and AWUTI is one of my favorite Cassavetes films. Ray Carney has read all kinds of things into it: references to 2001: A Space Oddysey among others, but at its heart, it's a screwball comedy.

Mikey and Nicky and The Heartbreak Kid - I love Elaine May and each of these movies is a great example of the ironic brand of humor that she imbues her films with. Both are rough around the edges with knockout endings. I think I might like The Heartbreak Kid just a tad more. Rosenbaum included both of these on his anti-AFI list.

So, obviously people hate John Cassavetes and Elaine May....

I would like to defend Love Streams and (to a lesser extent) Ishtar. I don't know that my defense is really very well thought out or extensive, but Love Streams is my favorite Cassavetes film. I love its humble surrealism. Although I have only seen it on VHS, I often rank it as one of my (Fred Camperesque) top 3 films along with The Beast of Yucca Flats and Commingled Containers.

Ishtar I actually find quite funny and original. Maybe I'm straining to like it because everyone else has written it off as such a collossal mess, but I think it has many of the earmarks of more successful May films, such as Mikey and Nicky and The Heartbreak Kid. I guess you must have to actually enjoy Hoffman and Beatty's songs.

fwiw, I had in my top thirty the following that didn't make the list:

Greenaway, A Zed and Two Noughts - my number 1; two, for me, lesser Greenaways (Cook, Draughtsman's) in the top 100, but not his best work!

Surprised not to see Huston's The Dead and Menges' A World Apart. And probably Klimov's Rasputin would've made it in a month or two.

Some more eastern European cinema should've perhaps made it. I had Wajda's Danton and Szabo's Colonel Redl in my top thirty and Wajda's Dostoyevsky adaptation which probably no one's seen, The Possessed. It's huh-larious.

Thought we might see some Cammell and Roeg. I had White of the Eye and Eureka, both hoots. And a personal favorite, Cimino's Year of the Dragon. Very gutty.

One great doc, Ophul's Hotel Terminus, should've made the list. And one, for me, pretty interesting one, Broomfield's Driving Me Crazy - his first, I think, foray into the self-reflexive style he's now known for. Hard to see, I guess.

My, my. Quite a few on my own list for the 80's that I was probably the only person to vote for. With the possible exception of Repentance, these aren't the easiest films to see, so I'm sure that accounts for some of it.

First and foremost is Otar Iosseliani's And Then There Was Light, a wonderful examination of a (fictional) culture in Africa slowly dying thanks to deforestation, that manages to be endlessly harrowing even as it makes you laugh.

Somewhat thematically linked is Kidlat Tahimik's Turumba, this one more concerned with modern forms of commercial imperialism, Western corporations assimilating the artisans of cultures in developing countries to put them to work creating crap they can sell cheaply at Oktoberfest. Like the Iosseliani film, this one also manages to be extremely entertaining in the process.

I know at least one other person voted for Balance (I'm guessing Dylan) and I would have loved to see it show up on the list. I think it's neck-and-neck with Street of Crocodiles as one of the greatest works of stop-motion animation of the 80's (or ever). It deserves to be more well-known.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if I'm the only one who cared about Kin-Dza-Dza, but I would so love to find more people as taken with it as I. It's definitely my favorite sci-fi comedy, and there's nothing quite like it. Kyu!

The aforementioned Repentance seems to have been considered one of the most important Soviet films of the decade when it was first making the international rounds, but I rarely hear anyone talk about it anymore. I don't know why. I don't think the subject matter is any less relevant, and the film is an absolute joy to watch. I recommend all my darlings, but this one especially since it's readily available from Image/Ruscico.

Santa Sangre - Unquestionably Jodorowsky's best film. A sublime blend of horror and innocence. Stunning acting by everyone, especially Jodorowsky's sons and Blanca Guerra. "Magic Realism" visuals are to die for, especially for those who are fans of Latin/South American/Caribbean literature and art.

Hairspray - Arguably John Waters' last great film. Fun, charming, feel-good. Complete with a beautiful message.

Moonstruck - Being an Italian-American guy (especially from New York), this film strikes very true. One of the extremely few films if not the only one that get the Italian-American family "right". The writing is crisp and clever. Nick Cage as a young, opera-loving, sweaty baker = YUM! Cher pulled out a truly amazing performance - the best of her acting career. A very rare romantic comedy.

Vernon, Florida - You will never look at turkeys in the same way again. A brilliant follow up to the also brilliant Gates of Heaven.

Law of Desire - Almodovar's beautifully realized, personal early work.

The Singing Detective - Did the recent remake with Mel Gibson ruin the ground-breaking British landmark?

Babette's Feast - I haven't seen this film in years but from what I remember, it's so very lovely and moving.

Diva - Undeniably one of the most influential films of the 80s. Inspiring and intoxicating camera works, fashion, editing, soundtrack, etc.

Maurice - I think this is a very important gay film, featuring very humane, complex gay characters... and a very exquisite romance. Keep in mind - the film was made during the Reagan era when AIDS was seen as God's punishment to gay folks. I was 18 and struggling to "come out" at the time of the film's release.. the film was so refreshing and liberating that it helped me to move on and grow. And it gave me hope.

13 of my top 30 films did not make the top 100 list. Well, here they go:

5 Sunday in the country (Tavernier)
8 Landscape in the mist (Angeloupoulus)
12 On the hunting ground (Tian Zhuangzhuang)
16 Pelle the conquerer (August)
17 Good bye, children (Malle)
20 Metadar (Almodovar)
22 Time of the gypsies (Kusturica)
23 Yellow earth (Chen Kaige)
26 Fine snow (Ichikawa)
27 A short film about love (Kieslowski)
28 My brilliant career (Armstrong)
29 A week's vocation (Tavernier)
30 A short film about killing (Kieslowski)

kieslowski_67 wrote:A short film about killing Kieslowski

For a second, I imagined something along the lines of Being John Malkovich.

Hrossa wrote:

kieslowski_67 wrote:A short film about killing Kieslowski

For a second, I imagined something along the lines of Being John Malkovich.

Sorry for the confusion. Error is now fixed.

14 of mine weren't on the final list either. Granted, I have eclectic tastes that actually include Hollywood cinema. Here's a selection of ones that i was truly surprised were missing:

6. A Fish Called Wanda (Crichton, 1989)
This movie breathlessly evokes the Ealing Studios comedies of the 50s, examines USA/UK relations and is damn funny to boot. One of the greatest comedies ever, I thought...

8. Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1986)
I was surprised this was missing too...a great character study and examination of the failure of the flowerpower generation and the destruction wrought by drugs. Maybe missing because it's a comedy?

11. Decline of the American Empire (Denys Arcand, 1986)
Again...another comedy missing. A look at the disintegration of relationships and love in modern n. american society (and the relationship of Quebec to the anglophones).

Other comedies missing: ...say anything, married to the mob, as tears go by, fast times at ridgemont high, how to get ahead in advertising.

I was also surprised that:

30. Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988) was missing. is this not the best action movie ever? I guess Aliens and Wages of Fear are better, now that i think about it. I still think this is the template that action movies will continue to base themselves around for years to come.

35. Blind Chance (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1987) is a fascinating look at The Party in Poland, and how the gradual undermining of communism affected life there. Were people Kieslowski-ed out by the Decalogue?

I think the 80s list is very interesting, nonetheless, (I guess I should actually watch Heaven's Gate!) and I'm looking forward to the 90s list...

Kambei wrote: 8. Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1986)
I was surprised this was missing too...a great character study and examination of the failure of the flowerpower generation and the destruction wrought by drugs. Maybe missing because it's a comedy?

If I'm not mistaken, this very narrowly missed the list. When the list was originally posted, it was one of the very last entries. I agree that it's excellent.

Kambei wrote: 30. Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988) was missing. is this not the best action movie ever? I guess Aliens and Wages of Fear are better, now that i think about it. I still think this is the template that action movies will continue to base themselves around for years to come.

I think you're dead on the money on this one, and actually I think it's well better than Aliens. I voted for this one somewhere in the mid-40s. What I love about this movie is that the physical action is so palpably tough for our hero to endure. I almost can't watch the screen when he crosses through the broken glass, whereas in most other action flicks I wouldn't bat an eyelash.

Here we go again. My orphans and rejects, in order of preference:

2. The Terroriser (Edward Yang, 1986) – This was engaged in a lengthy tussle with Berlin Alexanderplatz for top honours. It's a simply brilliant film both formally (Yang is one of the few modern filmmakers to understand the potential of sound as an independent element, and in this film, visually, he's channelling Antonioni) and in terms of its devious narrative. Like all of his films, the story and characters gain in rigour and depth with multiple viewings to create a quite different viewing experience.

3. City of Pirates (Raul Ruiz, 1984) – A truly nightmarish film that plays even more devious tricks with narrative. Just when you think you've got the story figured out, another false floor opens up beneath you and fall into a darker, more disturbing place. It's a feast of deep-focus both visually and conceptually. As with several treasured Ruiz films, I've only managed to see this once, and though the details fade, the emotional memory of the film's obscurely apocalyptic ending is still intense; the cinematic equivalent of the spiritual vertigo I get from Yeats' The Second Coming.

7. Darkness Light Darkness (Jan Svankmajer, 1989) – His best short, as far as I'm concerned, so a shoo-in for the top ten.

9. Taipei Story (Edward Yang, 1985) – Not quite as magisterial as The Terroriser, but still a phenomenal achievement. I had three Hous on my list, but I don't think he's ever made a film as good as Yang's four masterpieces.

11. The Asthenic Syndrome (Kira Muratova, 1989) – A truly ferocious satire that finds one of the greatest Russian directors at the peak of her powers, and so scabrous that even under glasnost it was banned. It's not surprising that such a prickly film is not better loved (or better known). At least some contemporary filmmakers are aware of it, though, judging by Hong's recent Tale of Cinema.

13. Heimat (Edgar Reitz, 1984) – I'm slightly skeptical about the Stockholm Syndrome aspect of phenomenally long films (which is one reason that it took a while to confirm Fassbinder's place at the top of my list), but I'm pretty sure this 15 hour epic really is as accomplished and moving as I found it one weekend back in the eighties.

14. The Key (Ebrahim Forouzesh, 1987) – In his scripts, Kiarostami often sets himself the kind of puzzles to solve that Hitchcock used to, such as restricting the action to a single, confined place (Lifeboat, Taste of Cherry) or telling the story in real time (Rope, The White Balloon). This is the film where Kiarostami employs Hitchcockian constraints to establish his own credentials as a master of suspense (he wrote and edited the film). Two infants are left alone in a flat (we don't know where the mother has gone). There's a pot boiling on the stove. This turns into one of the greatest suspense films ever made. To be fair, Kiarostami's script is flawlessly executed by Forouzesh, who evokes amazing performances from his very young stars.

15. Elephant (Alan Clarke, 1989) – It's hardly likeable, but it's a phenomenal achievement and must count as one of the most extreme television programmes ever made. Clarke and his relentless steadicam document a series of sectarian killings in Northern Ireland. The film is so pared down it's almost abstract, but within that ‘almost' is a universe of passion, rage and grief.

21. Summer at Grandpa's (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 1984) – I had fond memories of all the 80s Hous I'd seen (except for Daughter of the Nile, which I'm nevertheless keen to revisit), but I was very surprised to find this gentle, meandering film rise to the top when I saw them again. It's hard to quantify what makes this film distinctive (though I suspect it might have something to do with its hidden kinship to My Neighbour Totoro), but I just loved the intensity of its observations. I had three HHH films in my top 50, none of which made the aggregate list, though I don't begrudge A Time to Live and a Time to Die its position.

22. Horse Thief (Tian Zhuangzhuang, 1986) – When Scorsese singled this film out for praise a little while ago some forum members took issue with his choice, but I'm with Marty. For me, this was the most exciting film of the Fifth Generation, and I'd exchange it in a second for any of Zhang's melodramatic eye-candy or Chen's earnest epics, but then I'm a sucker for Paradzhanov, and his descendents are few and far between.

23. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies, 1988) – Has Davies really become cinema's forgotten genius so swiftly? I'm very surprised that this didn't make the list and don't hold out high hopes for The Long Day Closes in the 90s.

24. A Girl's Own Story (Jane Campion, 1984) – My favourite Campion film, which embraces an impressive range of moods – and delivers a lot of rich narrative through the back door - in its brief duration. Yet again, the 80s list is dismally blokey, with the lonely exception of Varda. I guess inclusion in the Criterion boys' club qualifies as a shot of testosterone, but it didn't seem to work for Jane.

26. Freeze, Die, Come to Life (Vitaly Kanevsky, 1989) – It seems to be a given that one title on each of my orphans lists has to be described as “one of the best films about childhood ever made,â€

zedz wrote:7. Darkness Light Darkness (Jan Svankmajer, 1989) – His best short, as far as I'm concerned, so a shoo-in for the top ten.

Damn it. I thought this was 1990, so I didn't even consider it. Should have checked IMDb. It definitely would have been towards the top of my list, too.

zedz wrote:11. The Asthenic Syndrome (Kira Muratova, 1989)

I'm still kicking myself for missing a screening of this in Chicago a couple months ago. I've been dying to see it.

zedz wrote:27. Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies (Quay Brothers, 1988)

I voted for this, too.

zedz wrote:Repentance was on again / off again. Ultimately I felt that I needed to see it again before making a decision, as my recollection of the film is a complex mix of astonishment and exasperation.

I can definitely understand that. It would give you a lot to take in even if it didn't contain all the later-Fellini-esque embellishments. Being on a Georgian cinema kick (like the one I've been on for the past few months) probably helps.

Kirkinson wrote:I know at least one other person voted for Balance (I'm guessing Dylan) and I would have loved to see it show up on the list. I think it's neck-and-neck with Street of Crocodiles as one of the greatest works of stop-motion animation of the 80's (or ever). It deserves to be more well-known.

It was #13 on my list -- remarkable film. It's tragic that the Lauensteins after winning the Academy Award for "Balance" went on to devote their talents to commercials for Coca-Cola, Telekom Communications, MTV and Nike, and other forgettable, commercial rubbish. If they hadn't won the Oscar and (let themselves) become such big commodities, who knows what wonderful things they might have gone on to produce?

Great list zedz!!
I've seen few of these and am now thrilled to go exploring. Too bad our (probably only) two votes for Rehearsal for Extrinct Anatomies (I ranked mine #2) didn't help. Forgot about the marvelous "Creature Comforts." Brilliant. Now to see if I can get my hands on the region 2 version of Heimat (the Facets is unwatchable and has non-removeable subs -- arrrggh!).

Kirkinson wrote:

zedz wrote:Repentance was on again / off again. Ultimately I felt that I needed to see it again before making a decision, as my recollection of the film is a complex mix of astonishment and exasperation.

I can definitely understand that. It would give you a lot to take in even if it didn't contain all the later-Fellini-esque embellishments. Being on a Georgian cinema kick (like the one I've been on for the past few months) probably helps.

It was the Georgian aspect that I loved and the Felliniesque embellishments that made me uneasy. I'm not a big Fellini fan, but I often enjoy equally extravagant stylists. Hence the Ruiz and Ottinger on my list and my loathing (not too strong a word) for Kusturica. My present-day reaction to Repentance would largely depend on where it fell along that continuum of excess, I suspect.

25 of mine on, 25 off. Here are the darlings:

3. Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (Lau, 1984)
My favorite kung fu film of all time, this exhilaratingly intense Gordon Liu revenge tale filmed on incredibly elaborate stylized sets reminds that the genre evolved out of the splendor of Chinese opera.

7. Missile (Wiseman, 1987)
In my opinion the best Frederick Wiseman film is this shockingly hilarious and disturbing inhabitation of the military school that trains the guardians of the United States' nuclear arsenal.

10. Style Wars (Chalfant & Sliver, 1983)
A beautifully poetic yet raw documentary on the original graffiti painters of New York's train system.

15. Dressed to Kill (De Palma, 1980)
Alfred Hitchcock is the air that Brian De Palma breathes, and this film is probably his deepest breath.

16. The Cyclist (Makhmalbaf, 1989)
Absurd cinematic insanity, my favorite film made by a member of the great Iranian filmmaking family.

17. Forbidden Zone (Elfman, 1980)
Another kind of insanity, rated so highly perhaps less on its purely cinematic merits and more as a documentary record of the incredible Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo theatre/musical troupe.

20. Frida, naturaleza viva (Leduc, 1984)
One of my favorite alternative takes on the biopic genre. Almost Paradjanov-ian in its formalist beauty.

23. the Big Red One (Fuller, 1980)
I too was surprised this failed to make the cut on the final list, especially with another Mark Hamill film from 1980 placing so high on what must be nostalgia fumes.

25. Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean (Altman, 1982)
An ode to cinephilia from one of the cine-feeliest directors and and a stellar cast.

26. July (Omirbaev, 1988)
Another movie-loving movie, though in this case a strangely sweet short film from Kazakhstan.

30. Antonio Gaudi (Teshigahara, 1985)
Would make my list if only for Toru Takemitsu's incredible score.

32. A Short Film About Love (Kieslowski, 1988)
I like this so much more than the TV version.

34. Walker (Cox, 1987)
The last great Alex Cox film?

35. The Store (Wiseman, 1983)
Neimann-Marcus infiltrated from top to bottom.

36. Escape From New York (Carpenter, 1981)
Back to the Future and Ghostbusters but not this classic? Really?

37. My Twentieth Century (Enyedi, 1989)
Incredible images, one of my favorite black and white films of the "post black and white" era.

38. Burden of Dreams (Blank, 1982)
I'm not among those who rate this better than Fitzcarraldo but I'm surprised there weren't more of that crowd among the voters.

40. Tales of the Gimli Hospital (Maddin, 1988)
The best Guy Maddin film I've seen is still this, his first feature.

41. Scanners (Cronenberg, 1981)
Second-tier Cronenberg still beats most of everything else out there.

42. How to Kiss (Plympton, 1989)
Balance and Creature Comforts are excellent as others have mentioned, but this is actually my favorite piece of animation from 1989 (though still need to see Darkness Light Darkness).

45. Polyester (Waters, 1981)
You probably didn't vote for it because you've never experienced it in Odorama with an adoring midnight movie crowd of Mink Stole fanatics.

47. the Decline of Western Civilization Part II (Spheeris, 1988)
I tend not to use the term "guilty pleasure" but in this case there's really not anything else that applies.

48. Horse Thief (Tian, 1986)
I probably subconsciously downgraded it because of my lack of confidence in my understanding of mainland Chinese cinema. I do think it's a beautiful film regardless of its historical import though.

49. Days of Eclipse (Sokurov, 1988)
What landscapes! What a soundtrack! How baffling! How intriguing!

50. Porklips Now (Fosselius, 1980)
Silly but pitch-perfect parody, perhaps the best of its type.

In addition to "Balance" (see above) here are some more of mine that did not make the top 100:
A Question of Silence (Marleen Gorris, 1982)
Not only one of the best Dutch films ever made but one of the best films to come out of the 1980s, in my opinion. It's a tense drama with rich subtexts.
Breaker Morant (Bruce Beresford, 1980)
Might be my favorite Australian film and a great courtroom drama showing the profound injustice of "military justice" and imperialism itself.
The Man who Planted Trees (Frederick Back, 1987)
I can't do justice to this beautiful short. If you get a chance, see it.
Salaam Bombay! (Mira Nair, 1988)
Beautiful, gripping film about street children and other people in Bombay. Neorealism lives!
The Cyclist (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1987)
An enthralling film about a man determined to find a way to pay his wife's hospital bills. Mohsen Makhmalbaf is one of the key directors who laid the groundwork for modern Iranian cinema.
Man Facing Southeast (Eliseo Subiela, 1986)
A great science fiction film and a great example of why films from Argentina are well worth paying attention to. It's an excellent take on the well-known story of the appearance of a strange man claiming to be from another planet. The "Ode to Joy" sequence is something I'll never forget.
My Brother's Wedding (Charles Burnett, 1983)
I'm hoping this will appear on DVD reasonably soon so I can refresh my memory of it.
Fertile Memory (Michel Khleifi, 1980)
Outstanding pre-intifada documentary on two Pasestinian women and their lives and ideas.
Missing (Costa-Gavras, 1982)
Outstanding Costa-Gavras film about the disappearance of Charles Horman, a U.S. expatriate in Chile during the U.S.-orchestrated overthrow of Salvatore Allende. A bare-bones DVD of this with a good transfer can be had for less than $7 shipped, so people should really give it a shot.
El Norte (Gregory Nava, 1983)
Devastating but engaging and at times funny, this film captures the experience of many people who fled genocide in Guatemala only to face new challenges in the U.S.
The Times of Harvey Milk (Rob Epstein, 1984)
Very moving and accomplished documentary on the tragic, bizarre story of Milk, widely considered the first openly gay politician in the U.S., and who was gunned down by a cop who ate too many Twinkies.
Powaqatsi (Reggio, 1988)
Some amazing images -- a very effective follow-up. It probably didn't make the list because most people simply put their support behind Koyaanisqatsi.
Salvador (Oliver Stone, 1986)
The only Oliver Stone film that I like enough to return to again and again.
Roger and Me (Moore, 1989)
People are so used to Moore now, I think many have forgotten what an important little film this was (and still is, in my opinion). Not many people could have made such a funny, engaging documentary on the subject of layoffs and poverty in the once-great auto-manufacturing town of Flint during the era of Reagan/Bush.
Barefoot Gen (Mori Masaki, 1983)
I'm guessing not a lot of people have seen this, but it contains many of the same themes as Grave of the Fireflies but in its own way.
Straight, No Chaser (Carlotte Zwerin, 1989)
One of the greatest of all documentaries, this uses extensive archival footage of Thelonious Monk. The music is outstanding and there are plenty of bizarre moments and fascinating stories.
To Live and Die in L.A. (William Friedkin, 1985)
One of the best-made action films of its era, especially for its characterizations and what it has to say about the in some ways symbiotic relationship between criminals and law enforcement.
Castle in the Sky (Miyazaki, 1986)
I liked this one a lot and voted for it along with My Neighbor Totoro. I still have not seen Nausicaa, which made the top 100.
Jean de Florette (Claude Berri, 1986)
Manon of the Spring (Claude Berri, 1986)
This story really drew me in, and both times I've watched the two films one after another without wanting to take a break. It's a rich pastoral fable with great performances all around and consummately adapted by Claude Berri.
The Atomic Café (The Raffertys and Jayne Loader, 1982)
Like Roger and Me, this is a documentary about a deadly serious subject (nuclear bombs and civil defense) that is filled with loads of dark comedy. The propaganda films are hilarious in all the ways they lied to the public about the risks of nuclear radiation.
Secret Honor (Altman, 1984)
Largely because of its great performance by Philip Baker Hall, there's no other film like this one. As a portrait of Nixon and his political career it can only do so much, but it does capture his bizarre depravity in an interesting way.
Lianna (Sayles, 1983)
Not only was this way ahead of its time in terms of putting lesbianism front and center in a realistic and non-judgmental way, it's also a generally good drama on its own terms that explores friendship, marital issues, and so on. However, I think Sayles still had not fully come into his own and I did rate his later Matewan much higher on my '80s list.