GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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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 #595 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 A City of Sadness film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

A Taiwanese family navigates business, crime, disability, and political repression during the island's postwar transition and White Terror.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

After Japan's 1945 surrender, the Lin family in Jiufen faces a changing Taiwan: eldest brother Wen-heung runs a restaurant, others become entangled in crime, and deaf photographer Wen-ching witnesses the 228 Incident and emerging state repression.

Why it belongs

A City of Sadness makes history present through fixed rooms, offscreen violence, family ritual, and Tony Leung's silent Wen-ching observing what power erases.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Family meals, photographs, written notes, mountain railways, hospital rooms, radio announcements, and long static views let political change enter indirectly—ellipses make disappearance and missing knowledge part of historical experience.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Venice1 win1989 · official Venice 1989 awards ↗
Golden Lion1989 · Hou Hsiao-hsienofficial Venice 1989 awards ↗

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 & Sound157IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.3
Engagement7.7
Ease5.6

Mandarin · Not Rated
Narrative Feature
Mood: Reflective & Challenging