GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
Menu

The Essential 713, made interactive

Find your next
great film.

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 #512 on its own—not above the ranking.
Refine this collection

Your canon

Back up / restore my film dataLoading your progress…Saved only in this browser
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.

Director:
Cast:
View Through a Glass Darkly film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

A family gathers on a remote island as a young woman’s fragile mental state tests their relationships.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Recently hospitalized Karin vacations on a Baltic island with husband Martin, father David, and younger brother Minus. Her returning psychosis, David's emotional distance, Martin's helplessness, and Minus's need for attention strain the family's attempted retreat.

Why it belongs

Through four exposed performances, Through a Glass Darkly makes one island house a chamber of faith, illness, artistic exploitation, and failed care.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Harriet Andersson gives fear and lucidity equal force. A wrecked ship, wallpaper, diary, attic room, sea, Bach, and Sven Nykvist's stark light make Karin's perception physically near without treating it as revelation.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards1 win1962 · official ceremony record ↗

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
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.0
Engagement8.2
Ease7.4

Swedish · Not Rated
Narrative Feature
Mood: Absorbing & Reflective