Best Movies of 1965 by Rank
71
1
Gillo Pontecorvo
Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi, Samia Kerbash, Ugo Paletti
Drama / War
Algeria / Italy
French
194
2
Robert Wise
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Musical / Family / Drama / Romance / Cult
USA
English
232
3
Roman Polanski
Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser, Yvonne Furneaux, Patrick Wymark
Thriller / Horror / Drama
UK
English
242
4
David Lean
Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness
Drama / Romance / Epic / History / Period Film
USA
English
281
5
Milos Forman
Hana Brejchová, Vladimír Pucholt
Comedy / Romance / Drama
Czechoslovakia
Czech
288
6
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, Graziella Galvani
Drama / Crime / Experimental / Romance
France / Italy
French
545
7
Sergei Parajanov
Ivan Mikolajchuk, Larisa Kadochnikova, Tatyana Bestayeva
Drama / Romance / Period Film
Soviet Union
Ukrainian
624
9
Orson Welles
Orson Welles, Keith Baxter, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud
Comedy / Drama / War
Spain / Switzerland
English
631
10
Federico Fellini
Giulietta Masina, Sandra Milo
Comedy / Drama / Fantasy / Romance
Italy / France / West Germany
Italian
812
12
Ján Kadár, Elmar Klos
Ida Kaminska, Jozef Kroner, Hana Slivková
Drama / War
Czechoslovakia
Slovak
906
13
Sidney J. Furie
Michael Caine, Nigel Green, Guy Doleman, Sue Lloyd
Thriller / Spy
UK
English
925
14
Richard Lester
Rita Tushingham, Ray Brooks II, Michael Crawford
Comedy / Romance
UK
English
927
15
Jean-Luc Godard
Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff
Mystery / Sci-Fi / Drama / Romance / Thriller
France / Italy
French
1094
16
Martin Ritt
Richard Burton, Oskar Werner, Claire Bloom, Sam Wanamaker
Thriller / Spy
UK
English
1244
17
Peter Watkins
Michael Aspel, Peter Graham
Drama / Sci-Fi / War / Documentary
UK
English
1287
18
Fred Coe
Jason Robards, Barbara Harris
Comedy / Drama / Romance
USA
English
1449
19
Marco Bellocchio
Lou Castel, Paola Pitagora, Marino Masé, Liliana Gerace
Drama
Italy
Italian
1561
20
Sidney Lumet
Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Alfred Lynch
Drama / War
UK
English
1584
21
Blake Edwards
Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk
Action / Comedy / Adventure / Family
USA
English
1658
22
Norman Jewison
Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margret, Karl Malden, Tuesday Weld
Drama / Period Film / Romance
USA
English
1699
23
Kon Ichikawa
Abebe Bikila, Jack Douglas, Hirohito
Documentary / Sports / History
Japan
Japanese
1774
24
Ken Annakin
Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, Terry-Thomas, James Fox
Adventure / Comedy / Action / Romance
UK
English
1823
25
Michael Anderson
Sophia Loren, George Peppard, Trevor Howard, John Mills
Drama / War / Action / Spy / Adventure
UK
English
1908
26
Russ Meyer
Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams, Sue Bernard
Action / Drama / Comedy / Crime / Cult
USA
English
1923
27
Akira Kurosawa
Toshirô Mifune, Yuzo Kayama, Tsutomu Yamazaki
Drama / Period Film
Japan
Japanese
1958
28
Elliot Silverstein
Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman
Comedy / Western / Musical / Family
USA
English
1958
28
Tony Richardson
Robert Morse, Jonathan Winters, Anjanette Comer, Dana Andrews, Milton Berle
Comedy
USA
English
2004
29
Agnès Varda
Jean-Claude Drouot, Claire Drouot, Olivier Drouot, Sandrine Drouot
Drama / Romance
France
French
2025
30
Sam Peckinpah
Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, James Coburn, Michael Anderson Jr.
Adventure / War / Western
USA
English
2042
31
Andy Warhol
Tosh Carillo, Larry Latrae, Gerard Malanga, J.D. McDermott
Sci-Fi / Experimental
USA
English
2057
32
Robert Aldrich
James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger
Action / Adventure / Drama
USA
English
2098
33
Ritwik Ghatak
Abhi Bhattacharya, Madhabi Mukherjee, Satindra Bhattacharya, Bijon Bhattacharya
Drama
India
Bengali
2221
34
William Wyler
Terence Stamp, Samantha Eggar, Mona Washbourne, Maurice Dallimore
Drama / Horror / Thriller
UK / USA
English
2229
35
Richard Kaplan
Frances Cole, Archibald Macleish, Eric Sevareid
Documentary / History / Biography
USA
English
2247
36
Pietro Germi
Virna Lisi, Gastone Moschin, Nora Ricci, Alberto Lionello
Comedy
France / Italy
Italian
2247
36
Sergio Leone
Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Mara Krupp
Action / Western / Drama / Thriller
Italy / Spain / West Germany / Monaco
Italian
2261
37
Luis Buñuel
Claudio Brook, Silvia Pinal, Hortensia Santoveña
Short / Drama / History / Comedy / Religion
Mexico
Spanish
2266
38
Richard Lester
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Leo McKern
Comedy / Musical / Fantasy / Mystery / Adventure / Cult
UK
English
2266
38
Louis Malle
Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau, Paulette Dubost, Claudio Brook, George Hamilton
Adventure / Comedy / Western / Action
France / Italy
French
2311
39
André Delvaux
Senne Rouffaer, Beata Tyszkiewicz, Hector Camerlynck, Hilde Uitterlinden
Drama
Belgium
Dutch
2311
39
Wojciech Has
Zbigniew Cybulski, Franciszek Pieczka, Leon Niemczyk, Elzbieta Czyzewska
Drama / Fantasy / Adventure
Poland
Polish
2312
40
James B. Harris
Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, James MacArthur, Martin Balsam, Wally Cox
Thriller / Drama / War
UK / USA
English
2323
41
Stuart Burge, John Dexter
Laurence Olivier, Frank Finlay, Maggie Smith, Joyce Redman
Drama / Period Film
UK
English
2325
42
Arthur Penn
Warren Beatty, Alexandra Stewart, Hurd Hatfield, Franchot Tone
Crime / Drama / Gangster
USA
English
2332
43
Richard Brooks
Peter O'Toole, James Mason, Curd Jürgens, Eli Wallach, Jack Hawkins
Adventure / Drama
UK / USA
English
2341
44
Carol Reed
Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews
Drama / Epic / History / Biography
USA
English
2341
44
George Stevens, David Lean, Jean Negulesco
Max von Sydow, Charlton Heston, Dorothy McGuire, Robert Loggia
Drama / Religion / Epic
USA
English
2341
44
René Allio
Sylvie, Victor Lanoux, Malka Ribowska, François Maistre
Drama / Comedy / Adventure
France
French
2352
45
Miklós Jancsó
János Görbe, Zoltán Latinovits
Drama / War / Period Film
Hungary
Hungarian
2360
46
Terence Young
Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van Nutter
Action / Adventure / Thriller / Spy / Family / Cult
UK / USA
English
2434
47
Guy Green
Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters, Elizabeth Hartman, Wallace Ford
Drama / Romance
USA
English
2450
48
Clive Donner
Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Romy Schneider, Capucine, Paula Prentiss
Comedy / Romance
France / USA
English
2456
49
Ken Annakin
Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews, George Montgomery
War / Action / Drama / Epic
USA
English
2456
49
Andrew V. McLaglen
James Stewart, Doug McClure, Glenn Corbett, Patrick Wayne, Rosemary Forsyth
Drama / War / Epic
USA
English
2591
51
Robert Youngson
Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Anita Garvin, Edgar Kennedy
Comedy / Family
USA
English (Silent Scenes)
2591
51
John Sturges
George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews, John Larkin
Sci-Fi / Thriller / Action
USA
English
2605
52
Costa-Gavras
Catherine Allégret, Jacques Perrin, Simone Signoret
Mystery / Thriller / Detective / Post-Noir
France
French
2606
53
Aleksandar Petrovic
Velimir 'Bata' Zivojinovic, Ali Raner, Senka Veletanlic-Petrovic
Drama / War
Yugoslavia
Serbo-Croatian
2615
54
Marlen Khutsiyev
Valentin Popov, Nikolai Gubenko, Stanislav Lyubshin
Drama
Soviet Union
Russian
2628
55
Alex Segal
Carol Lynley, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Ginger Rogers, Barry Sullivan, Hurd Hatfield
Drama / Biography
USA
English
2628
55
Bryan Forbes
George Segal, Tom Courtenay, James Fox, Patrick O'Neal, Denholm Elliott
War / Drama
USA
English
2628
55
Vincente Minnelli
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Eva Marie Saint, Charles Bronson, Robert Webber
Drama / Romance
USA
English
2628
55
Henry Hathaway
John Wayne, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer, Michael Anderson Jr., Earl Holliman
Western
USA
English
2628
55
Robert Stevenson
Hayley Mills, Dean Jones, Dorothy Provine, Roddy McDowall, Neville Brand
Family / Comedy / Thriller / Detective / Caper
USA
English
2628
55
Mark Robson
Frank Sinatra, Trevor Howard, Raffaella Carrà, Brad Dexter, Sergio Fantoni
Action / Drama / Adventure / War
USA
English
2645
56
Franco Zeffirelli
Mirella Freni, Adriana Martino, Gianni Raimondi, Rolando Panerai
Musical / Drama
West Germany
Italian
2645
56
Miguel Picazo
Aurora Bautista, Carlos Estrada, José María Prada
Drama / Romance
Spain
Spanish
2645
56
James Ivory
Shashi Kapoor, Felicity Kendal, Geoffrey Kendal, Laura Liddell
Drama / Romance
India
English
2657
57
Seth Holt
Bette Davis, Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett, James Villiers, William Dix
Drama / Horror / Thriller
UK
English
2661
58
Ray Manzarek
Hank Olguin, Dorothy Manzarek
Short / Drama / Music / Romance
USA
English
2678
59
Luchino Visconti
Claudia Cardinale, Jean Sorel, Michael Craig, Renzo Ricci
Drama
Italy
Italian
2688
60
Leif Krantz
Roland Grönros, Gunnar Ahlström, Ulla Melin, Ulla Carle
Family
Sweden
Swedish
2693
61
Yngve Gamlin
Halvar Björk, Leif Hedberg, Lars Passgård, Curt Broberg, Curt Ericson
Drama / Crime / Detective
Sweden
Swedish
2699
62
Satyajit Ray
Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Haradhan Bannerjee
Drama / Romance
India
Bengali
2699
62
Andrei Konchalovsky
Bolot Bejshenaliyev, Natalya Arinbasarova, Idris Nogajbayev
Drama
Soviet Union
Russian
2699
62
Marcel Carné
Annie Girardot, Maurice Ronet, O.E. Hasse, Roland Lesaffre
Drama / Romance
France
French
2700
63
Alex Joffé
Robert Hirsch, Dalia Friedland, Misha Asherov, Teddy Bilis
Comedy / Drama
Italy / Israel / France
French
2700
63
Jirí Weiss
James Booth, Anne Heywood, Rudolf Hrusínský
Crime / Drama / Thriller / Romance
Czechoslovakia / UK
English
2700
63
Luis Alcoriza
Ignacio López Tarso, Jaime Fernández, Aurora Clavel
Drama
Mexico
Spanish
2719
64
Chuck Jones, Maurice Noble
Robert Morley
Animation / Family / Short / Comedy / Romance
USA
English
2719
64
Alan Schneider
Buster Keaton, Nell Harrison, James Karen, Susan Reed
Short / Drama
USA
English (Silent)
2719
64
Philip Kaufman, Benjamin Manaster
Lou Gilbert, Ellen Madison, Severn Darden, Anthony Holland, Nelson Algren
Comedy / Religion / Drama
USA
English
2719
64
Gerald Potterton, Buster Keaton, John Spotton
Buster Keaton
Comedy / Short
Canada
English (Silent)
2719
64
Norman Tokar
Brian Keith, Vera Miles, Brandon De Wilde, Walter Brennan, Ed Wynn
Drama / Family
USA
English
2751
65
Ebrahim Golestan
Parviz Fanizadeh, Manuchehr Farid, Zackaria Hashemi
Drama / Comedy
Iran
Persian
2751
65
Yuliya Solntseva
Boris Andreyev, Yevgeni Bondarenko, Vladimir Goncharov
Fantasy
Soviet Union
Russian
2751
65
Jean-Marie Straub
Heinrich Hargesheimer, Carlheinz Hargesheimer, Martha Staendner
Drama
West Germany
German
2751
65
Howard Hawks
James Caan, Laura Devon, Gail Hire, Charlene Holt
Action / Drama / Sports
USA
English
2756
66
John Ford
Anne Bancroft, Sue Lyon, Margaret Leighton, Flora Robson, Mildred Dunnock
Drama / History / Period Film
USA
English
2776
68
William Conrad
Jeffrey Hunter, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews, Viveca Lindfors
Thriller / Drama / Crime
USA
English
2776
68
Ken Loach
Geraldine Sherman, Carol White, Vickery Turner, Michael Standing
Drama / Documentary
UK
English
