Few filmmakers working today have an aesthetic that’s as instantly recognizable as Wes Anderson’s. His filmography has taken viewers from roadside motels in Texas to lavish European resorts and on the occasional detour to animated worlds where dogs and foxes can talk. But no matter where Anderson sets a movie, you can always tell you’re watching one of his films from the attention to detail, twee color palettes, and impeccable interior design: an effect so inviting it’s been mimicked by countless professional copycats and emulated by fans in a surprisingly sweet TikTok trend.
Anderson’s indie film superstardom has prompted critics and audiences to inquire about his influences for years. And while Anderson isn’t as outspoken about his cinephilia as some of his fellow auteurs, he has been known to occasionally opine about his favorite movies when asked — and tends to surprise when he does.
Interestingly, Anderson’s list of films that shaped him isn’t filled with the kind of whimsical movies that you might expect him to like. In some cases (Quentin Tarantino), it’s easy to connect the dots and reverse engineer a filmmaker’s aesthetic based on the films that they love. But Anderson’s interests are extremely well-rounded, to the point where it almost seems like his visual panache and his taste in films were completely separate developments. That doesn’t change the fact that Anderson makes excellent recommendations, of course.
From classic films by legendary directors to relatively obscure recent works, Anderson’s favorite movies are clearly the picks of somebody who takes cinema seriously. Fans got a deeper look at Anderson’s taste last year when he submitted a ballot for Sight & Sound’s once-a-decade Best Films of All Time Poll. Rather than choosing his 10 favorite movies, he decided to focus on films made in France. He accompanied his picks with the kind of adorable note that his characters have written out on vintage stationary on countless occasions.
“Like most of us (I think?), I don’t actually have ten favorite movies,” Anderson wrote. “I thought I would pick ten favorite French ones (because I am listing this list in France).”
Rather than representing Anderson’s definitive ranking of history’s top films, this living list tracks the films that he has singled out as noteworthy for one reason or another. In preparation for the upcoming release of “Asteroid City” — and the expected Netflix release of “The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar” — take a look at 38 cinematic faves from the auteur. Selections are listed in chronological order.
With editorial contributions by William Earl and Zack Sharf.
“Trouble in Paradise” (1932)
In a 2012 interview with Rotton Tomatoes about his favorite films, Anderson spoke about his love for Ernst Lubitsch’s “Trouble in Paradise”: a 1932 romantic comedy starring Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins as a thief and pickpocket who fall in love and team up to target a wealthy heiress.
“I don’t know if anybody can make a movie like that anymore — that perfect tone, like a ‘soufflé’-type of movie,” Anderson said. “A confection, I guess.” —WC
“Toni” (1935)
Anderson is an admirer of many films of Jean Renoir, the French master behind classics like “La Grande Illusion” and “The Rules of the Game.” In his Rotton Tomatoes interview, he cited “Toni,” Renoir’s film about a group of immigrants working in southern France. Although not one of the director’s better known works, its on-location shoots and cast of amateur actors are considered precursors to works from the French New Wave and Italian Neorealism movements.
“It’s very beautiful, kind of lyrical and very sad; a great Renoir movie,” Anderson said. “I don’t know if it’s seen that much anymore. It’s great.” —WC
“Grand Illusion” (1937)
Jean Renoir’s World War I drama is one of the cornerstones of global cinema: the kind of film that’s mandatory viewing for anyone attempting to understand the art form. The class conscious story about prisoners of war plotting an escape has been cited as a classic by everyone from Orson Welles to Martin Scorsese, and Anderson joined the chorus of supporters when he added the film to his France-centric Sight & Sound ballot in 2022. —CZ
“Quai des Orfevres” (1947)
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s story about a jealous husband who finds himself roped into a convoluted murder triangle after attempting to kill his wife’s lover is one of France’s greatest contributions to the film noir genre, so it’s fitting that Anderson included it on his Sight & Sound ballot for 2022. Clouzot famously adapted the film from a crime novel that had gone out of print, so he was forced to rely on his hazy memory of reading the book five years earlier to write the script. —CZ
“Drunken Angel” (1948)
Akira Kurosawa is one of Anderson’s all-time favorite directors. Not only was the filmmaker quite vocal about Kurosawa being the driving influence behind “Isle of Dogs,” but to celebrate the release of his stop-motion film Anderson guest curated a program of Kurosawa films at New York City’s Metrograph theater. “To people who love movies, Japan immediately conjures up the work of Akira Kurosawa: a cinematic sensei to generations of directors,” Anderson said in his introduction. “If ‘Isle of Dogs’ permits me an opportunity to present a few of the master’s masterpieces in 35mm, I am grateful for it.” —ZS
“Stray Dog” (1949)
Anderson’s curated series of Akira Kurosawa favorites at New York City’s Metrograph theater includes the Japanese filmmaker’s 1949 crime drama “Stray Dog.” Kurosawa’s script, co-written with Ryūzō Kikushima, is often credited as a predecessor of the detective genre as we know it today. The old Metrograph synopsis read: “A harrowing masterwork of postwar Nipponese noir, ‘Stray Dog’ has a young Toshiro Mifune as a rookie detective disgraced after having his pistol nabbed on a Tokyo bus, driven into the city’s lower depths in order to seek clues to its recovery, the urgency of his mission increasing as the weapon is implicated in a crime spree, his composure unraveling as he draws closer to a culprit who comes to appear increasingly as a Dostoevskian double.” —ZS
“The Earrings of Madame De…” (1953)
Anderson once told The Criterion Collection that Max Ophüls’ 1953 drama “The Earrings of Madame de…” is a “perfect film.” The Criterion synopsis reads: “When an aristocratic woman known only as Madame de (Danielle Darrieux) sells a pair of earrings given to her by her husband (Charles Boyer) in order to pay some debts, she sets off a chain reaction of financial and carnal consequences that can end only in despair.” —ZS
“Sweet Smell of Success” (1957)
Here’s a classic staple of New York movies,” Anderson told the New York Daily News about Alexander Mackendrick’s 1957 film noir classic “Sweet Smell of Success.” “The look of it is this distilled black-and-white New York and Clifford Odets writes great dialogue.” Despite being a box office bomb at the time of release, “Sweet Smell of Success” has risen in stature over the years and is often cited as one of the best movies ever made during the film noir golden age. The film stars Burt Lancaster as an unethical Broadway columnist hellbent on ensuring his sister does not have a romantic relationship with a jazz musician. —ZS
“The 400 Blows” (1959)
Like many of the best working directors, Anderson cites François Truffaut’s French New Wave masterpiece “The 400 Blows” as one of his favorite movies. At an event for the New York Public Library in 2015 (h/t Mental Floss) citing the influences behind his film “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Anderson said of “The 400 Blows,” “This movie in particular I think was one of the reasons I started thinking I would like to try to make movies.” —ZS
“The Apartment” (1960)
“I love this movie very much,” Anderson once told the New York Daily News about Billy Wilder’s 1960 classic “The Apartment.” “My girlfriend had never seen it before and we just watched it two nights ago. It’s such a good Billy Wilder movie.” The movie stars Jack Lemmon as an insurance clerk who tries to climb the corporate ladder by agreeing to let his higher-seniority co-workers use his apartment to carry out extramarital affairs. The plan gets complicated when the clerk falls for his apartment building’s elevator operator (Shirley MacLaine), who just happens to be sleeping with his boss. —ZS
“Classe Tous Risques” (1960)
“‘Classe Tous Risques’ is very good,” Anderson told The Criterion Collection about Claude Sautet’s 1960 gangster movie. “I am a great fan of Claude Sautet, especially ‘Un coeur en hiver.’ Who is our Lino Ventura?” “Classe Tous Risques” stars Ventura as a French mobster trying to evade police capture while making his way from Italy through Marseille to Paris. —ZS
“My Life to Live” (1962)
Jean-Luc Godard’s portrait of a woman who leaves her family to pursue an acting career before gradually turning into a full-time sex worker is one of the quintessential works of the French New Wave. The film is notable for its episodic structure, abrupt and unsentimental ending, and verite-influenced realism. It was the only Godard film that Anderson included on his all-French Sight & Sound ballot in 2022. —CZ
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1965)
Another choice from Anderson’s Rotton Tomatoes interview, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” is Mike Nichols’ classic adaptation of Edward Albee’s stage play examination of marital dysfunction. Featuring acclaimed performances from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as sparring couple Martha and George, the movie received 13 Oscar nominations, with Taylor winning for her turn.
“When I first saw that movie it made me feel bad. I didn’t fall in love with it,” Anderson said. “But when I watched it more recently I thought it was the most beautiful, inspired, exciting movie. Mike Nichols is one of the most inventive directors that we’ve had.” —WC
“The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” (1965)
Anderson raved to Criterion about “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” Martin Ritt’s 1965 adaptation of John le Carré’s spy novel of the same name. The author thought Ritt’s movie was “something of a classic,” an assessment Anderson agrees with in his interview with Criterion. The movie stars Richard Burton as British agent Alec Leamas, whose decision to carry out one final mission during the Cold War has unexpected consequences. —ZS
“Au hasard Balthazar” (1966)
“We watched ‘Au Hasard Balthazar’ last night and loved it,” Anderson told The Criterion Collection when naming his favorite films in the library. “You hate to see that poor donkey die. He takes a beating and presses on, and your heart goes out to him.” Directed by Robert Bresson, the 1966 French drama follows a donkey and his various owners over the years. Anderson says he is also a fan of Bresson’s “terrific” companion film “Mouchette,” released in 1967. —ZS
“The Taking of Power by Louis XIV” (1966)
“This is a wonderful and very strange movie,” Anderson told The Criterion Collection about Roberto Rossellini’s French television drama film “The Taking of Power by Louis XIV.” “The man who plays Louis cannot give a convincing line reading, even to the ears of someone who can’t speak French — and yet he is fascinating. I was in his corner from start to finish (which comes unexpectedly — I thought there had to be at least another hour and a half to go when ‘Fin’ came up). Mainly, he just walks in and out of rooms and dresses and undresses. I want to watch it again! What does good acting actually mean?” —ZS
“The Graduate” (1967)
An admitted Mike Nichols fanatic, Wes Anderson has referenced “The Graduate” on many occasions when discussing his influences, even going so far as to say he “overtly stole” a couple of shots from the film for his second movie, “Rushmore.” The lonely underwater scene of Dustin Hoffman’s Benjamin Braddock in scuba gear at the bottom of his parents’ pool inspired the shot in “Rushmore” where Bill Murray’s Herman Blume does a cannonball into a pool at his sons’ birthday party to get away from the crowd. There are also shots where both Hoffman and Schwartzman appear behind fish tanks, the dimensions of which match perfectly with the frame of the camera. Anderson told Rotten Tomatoes that he ”loved” the movie when he first saw it, adding, “Mike Nichols is one of the most inventive directors that we’ve had, and that’s one of the great, you know, it’s a great movie, and a stunning first film.” (Though technically “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” was Nichols’ first film.) —ZS
“Rosemary’s Baby” (1968)
“One movie that I often find myself going back to is ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’” Anderson once told Rotten Tomatoes about Roman Polanski’s 1968 horror classic, starring Mia Farrow as a woman who psychologically unravels after becoming convinced a cult is planning to steal her unborn child. “This has always been a big influence on me, or a source of ideas; and it’s always been one of my favorites. Mia Farrow gives a great, big performance in it, and I’ve read the script and it’s a terrific script.” —ZS
“A Clockwork Orange” (1971)
Stanley Kubrick inspired nearly every major director who followed in his footsteps, and Wes Anderson is no exception. The director singled out “A Clockwork Orange” as one of his favorite movies ever made during an interview with Rotten Tomatoes. “A fully-formed Stanley Kubrick,” Anderson said of “Clockwork.” “It’s a movie that’s very particularly designed and, you know, conjures up this world that you’ve never seen quite this way in a movie before, but at the same time there’s a great sort of spontaneity to it, and a tremendous energy. And both of those are very well adapted, good books.” —ZS
“The Last Detail” (1973)
“To me, they are some of the best movies ever made,” Wes Anderson once told GOOD about Hal Ashby’s run of movies from 1970 to 1979. This period of Ashby’s career includes “Harold and Maude,” “The Last Detail,” “Being There,” and “Shampoo,” all of which have had an influence on Anderson’s movies. Before starting production on “The Darjeeling Limited,” for instance, Anderson revisited “The Last Detail” and “was struck by its stark sadness, and by the desperation of its characters to snap out of the monotony and repression of their gloomy lives.”
“This movie is always captivating, but it does not have a terrific plot, and maybe it might not have one at all…and that was encouraging to us because we didn’t have one either,” Anderson added. “Ashby’s movies are far beyond worth seeing…Sometimes, like the opening scene and much of ‘Coming Home,’ they almost resemble documentaries. Sometimes, for instance in the cases of ‘Harold and Maude’ and ‘Being There,’ they are quite surreal. There is a great range, and they contain great performances by some of the best actors of their time. They are authentic and original and very moving.” —ZS
“The Friends of Eddie Coyle” (1973)
Anderson cited Peter Yates’ 1973 crime drama “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” as one of his favorite entries on The Criterion Collection. The library’s official synopsis reads: “World-weary and living hand to mouth, Eddie Coyle (Robert Mitchum) works on the sidelines of the seedy Boston underworld just to make ends meet. But when he finds himself facing a second stretch of hard time, he’s forced to weigh loyalty to his criminal colleagues against snitching to stay free.” —ZS
“The Tenant” (1976)
Speaking to BAFTA about his biggest filmmaking inspirations, Wes Anderson once said, “The way I think about shooting scenes and staging scenes is influenced by Roman Polanski. It’s very particular. Martin Scorsese, when I first started making films he was my favorite director. Orson Welles is a favorite of mine.” In addition to “Rosemary’s Baby” (see below), another Polanski favorite for Anderson is the 1976 drama “The Tenant,” which is one of the films Anderson suggested the cast and crew of “The French Dispatch” watch before production. Polanski stars in the film as an Eastern European man who rents an apartment in a spooky old building whose inhabitants regard him with suspicion and even outright hostility. —ZS
“Next Stop, Greenwich Village” (1976)
Writer-director Paul Mazursky’s 1976 comedy-drama “Next Stop, Greenwich Village” follows a 22-year-old from Brooklyn who comes to the eponymous Manhattan neighborhood in order to see his dreams of stardom come true. “I saw the movie many years ago and I don’t really remember much other than loving it,” Anderson told the New York Daily News. “I love Paul Mazursky’s films.” —ZS
“The Man Who Loved Women” (1977)
Another late period work from a French New Wave auteur, Francois Truffaut’s 1977 satire “The Man Who Loved Women,” also made its way onto Anderson’s Sight & Sound list. One of the funnier entries in Truffaut’s filmography, the film takes place at a promiscuous man’s funeral as many of his former lovers pay their respects and recall past romances with him. It’s more “Shoot the Piano Player” than “The 400 Blows,” but it’s yet another reminder of Truffaut’s incredible range as a filmmaker. Anderson’s opinion on the maligned American remake starring Burt Reynolds remains tragically unknown. —CZ
“From the Life of the Marionettes” (1980)
In a Goop story where directors spoke about their favorite movies, Anderson offered up “From the Life of the Marionettes,” one of director Ingmar Bergman’s lesser-known works. Made for German television while Bergman was in exile from Sweden due to tax issues, the movie focuses on the marriage between Peter and Katrina (played in this film by Robert Atzorn and Christine Buchegger), two minor characters from Bergman’s better known “Scenes From a Marriage.” —WC
“Loulou” (1980)
Nobody makes movies about marital infidelity like the French, so Anderson’s Sight & Sound list had to include a few good cheating stories. He singled out “Loulou,” Maurice Pialat’s 1980 story of a young woman who throws her stability away to pursue an irresistibly charming deadbeat, as one of his favorites. —CZ
“Missing” (1982)
Another film Anderson selected as a favorite in his Goop interview is “Missing,” the 1982 film from Costa-Gavras. The biopic stars Jack Lemmon as Charles Horman, an American journalist executived in 1973 following the U.S.-backed coup of Chile’s socialist government. The movie nabbed the Palme d’Or and an acting prize for Lemmon at Cannes Film Festival, and received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. —WC
“Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” (1985)
“What a great ‘Mishima’ DVD — and the commentary track,” Anderson told Criterion when naming Paul Schrader’s 1985 biographical drama one of his favorite movies. “Immediately started the movie again and watched it all the way through with Paul Schrader. This has always been one of my favorites of his, along with ‘Blue Collar.” Schrader’s acclaimed drama stars Ken Ogata as esteemed Japanese poet and author Yukio Mishima. —ZS
“Vagabond” (1985)
One of the most refreshing aspects of Anderson’s Sight & Sound ballot is his appreciation for the work that French New Wave directors did well beyond their 1960s heydays. He paid tribute to Agnes Varda by selecting her 1985 drama “Vagabond,” which stars Sandrine Bonnaire as a woman who spends a winter wandering the French countryside. The film is notable for its stylized approach that combines conventional narrative scenes with documentary-style interviews with its fictional characters in its attempt to paint a nuanced portrait of its protagonist. —CZ
“Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986)
Anderson minced few words when raving about this classic dramedy, telling the New York Daily News it’s “easily my favorite Woody Allen movie.” —WE
“Moonstruck” (1987)
Norman Jewison’s romantic comedy was an ’80s Oscar darling that won Anderson over, as he told the New York Daily News.
“I’ve always loved this script,” the filmmaker said. “It’s a very well-done Hollywood take on New York. Nicolas Cage, John Mahoney, Cher, Olympia Dukakis and Vincent Gardenia are great in it.” —WE
“My Neighbor Totoro” (1988)
Anderson has long championed the animated features of Japanese legend Hayao Miyazaki. During the Berlin Film Festival press conference for his stop-motion film “Isle of Dogs,” Anderson was vocal in naming Miyazaki’s movies a big inspiration on his movie. The director later told Vanity Fair his love of Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro” was a driving force behind “Isle of Dogs.” “There’s a giant monster and a number of [soot] sprites, but two-thirds of the movie is spent cleaning the house, wandering the property, getting to know the neighbors, taking a bath,” Anderson said of his admiration for the movie. “And there’s a lot of nature. There’s a different kind of rhythm and emphasis than you’d find in American movies.” —ZS
“New York Stories” (1989)
The 1989 anthology movie “New York Stories” consists of three short films directed by Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Francis Ford Coppola. Anderson has often cited Scorsese’s entry, “Life Lessons,” as his favorite of the bunch. “I love the Martin Scorsese section of this movie, which is about a painter played by Nick Nolte,” Anderson told the New York Daily News. “The setting is this wonderful sunny Tribeca/SoHo loft where he’s this abstract expressionist, and it’s written by Richard Price, who is a New York voice.” —ZS
“Olivier, Olivier” (1992)
“Olivier, Olivier” is one of Agnieszka Holland’s lesser known works, but the story about a young boy who disappears only to reemerge in Paris as a teenager charmed Anderson enough for him to include it on his Sight & Sound ballot. —CZ
“Neon Genesis Evangelion” (1995-1996)
In his Goop interview, Anderson recommended an anime series. Hideaki Anno’s “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” a 1995 series about a boy forced to pilot a giant mech in a war against extraterristrial “Angels,” is one of the mediums most acclaimed works, famous for its dark tone, intensely psychological storytelling, and polarizing ending. For Anderson, the series inspires near religious devotion.
“This is a Japanese cartoon that is very difficult to describe and might not sound that great if I tried anyway,” Anderson said. “We watched them all in less than a week because you start to want to believe it’s real. This could spawn something like Scientology.” —WC
“It All Starts Today” (1999)
When Anderson listed his favorite French films for Sight & Sound, the list was understandably heavy on French New Wave classics. But he also found room to include a couple of modern selections, including this 1999 drama about a principal trying to obtain funding for the elementary school in his poor rural community. —CZ
“Kings and Queen” (2004)
The lone film from the 21st century to crack Anderson’s Sight & Sound list is “Kings and Queen,” Arnaud Desplechin’s 2004 drama about a woman who tries to balance caring for her dying father with her hidden desire to reunite with her ex-husband. It’s a bleak portrait of the ways that elder care and child care can often conflict and lead to a midlife crisis, and a fitting conclusion to Anderson’s eclectic ballot. —CZ
“Terror’s Advocate” (2007)
Another film Anderson recommended for the Goop story is “Terror’s Advocate,” a 2007 documentary from French filmmaker Barbet Schroeder. The film, which premiered at Cannes and received a César Award, focuses on the career of Jacques Vergès, a French lawyer known for serving as the defense in a variety of high-profile legal cases and for his anti-colonial activism. —WC