GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #3 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View Raiders of the Lost Ark film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

Archaeologist Indiana Jones races Nazi agents and rival René Belloq to locate the Ark of the Covenant, reuniting with Marion Ravenwood along the way.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Archaeologist Indiana Jones is sent to recover the Ark of the Covenant before Nazi agents can find it. The search reunites him with Marion Ravenwood and pits him against rival archaeologist René Belloq across Nepal, Cairo, and the desert site of Tanis.

Why it belongs

In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spielberg and his collaborators make classical adventure feel newly alive through lucid action, comic tempo, and relentless visual invention.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Spielberg, Lucas, and Kasdan revive adventure serials through clean visual geography, practical stunt work, comic reversals, and set pieces whose cause-and-effect remains readable even at breathless speed.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards5 wins1982 · official ceremony record ↗

Plus 5 additional wins

No headline-category win to name

BAFTA1 win1982 · official BAFTA 1982 Film Awards results ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Date NightFamilyFilm Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound211IMDb Top 25062AFI 10066
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.3
Engagement9.9
Ease9.5

English · PG
Narrative Feature
Mood: Exhilarating & Gripping