POLITICAL FILMS SURVEY
Conducted by the estimable critic Jim Hoberman
Methodology
The New Republic asked each critic to submit a list of at least 10 films, ranked from most to least significant.
For each list, the highest-rated film received 10 points, the second highest received nine points, etc., with the lowest rated receiving one point. For lists that contained more than 10 films, each additional film received just one point. Because 10 ranked films received a total of 55 points, films listed by critics who submitted their choices “unranked” and in no particular order received 5.5 points each. The points for each film were then added together.
Films that tied—that is, when two or more received the same number of total points—were ordered by the number of individual votes.
The Critics (A-Z): 79
A: 4
Sam Adams, Slate; Siddhant Adlakha; David Ansen, Palm Springs Fest; Michael Atkinson, Village Voice;
B: 6
Jami Bernard; Manuel Betancourt; Peter Biskind; Charles Bramesco; Richard Brody, New Yorker; Dwight Brown, News Wire;
C: 5
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times; Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times; Karen Cooper, Film Forum; Jordan Cronk, Film Comment; Gary Crowdus, Cineaste;
D: 5
Gary Dauphin; Peter Debruge, Variety; David Denby; Thomas Doherty, Brandeis University; Alonso Duralde, Film Verdict;
E: 3
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine; David Edelstein; Steve Erickson;
F: 5
David Fear, Rolling Stone; Kathy Fennessy, Video Librarian; Kenji Fujishima, Slant Magazine; Chris Fujiwara; Graham Fuller, Cineaste;
G: 3
Devika Girish, Film Comment; Bruce Goldstein, Film Forum; Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine;
H: 6
A.S. Hamrah, The Baffler; Odie Henderson, Boston Globe; J. Hoberman; Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics; Ann Hornaday, Washington Post; Peter Howell, Toronto Star;
K: 6
Dave Kehr, Museum of Modern Art; Ben Kenigsberg; Lisa Kennedy; Glenn Kenny; Stuart Klawans; Eric Kohn;
L: 5
Nguyên Lê; Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.com; Stuart Liebman, CUNY Graduate Center; Dennis Lim, N.Y. Film Festival; Violet Lucca;
M: 5
Leonard Maltin, LeonardMaltin.com; Ben Mankiewicz, TCM; Mia Mask, Vassar College; Wilson Morales, Black Film and TV; Vikram Murthi, The Nation;
N: 2
Adam Nayman, Cinema Scope; Farran Smith Nehme, Self-Siren;
O: 2
Darragh O’Donoghue, Cineaste; Michał Oleszczyk, Univ. Warsaw;
P: 4
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune; Nick Pinkerton; Claudia Puig; Leonard Quart, Cineaste;
R: 6
Jed Rapfogel, Anthology Film Archives; Rex Reed, Observer; Carrie Rickey; Lupe Rodriguez Haas, CineMovie.TV; Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times; Rosenbaum, JonathanRosenbaum.net;
S: 3
A.O. Scott, New York Times; Gene Seymour, CNN Opinion & The Nation; Jose Solís;
T: 4
José Teodoro, Film Comment; David Thomson; Scott Tobias; Kenneth Turan;
W: 3
Dennis West, Cineaste; Armond White, National Review; Alissa Wilkinson, Vox;
Y: 1
Deborah Young, The Film Verdict;
Z: 1
Stephanie Zacharek, Time
