Acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve recently revealed his four all-time favorite films, spanning sci-fi masterpieces to psychological drama. Topping the list is Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey, which Villeneuve deemed “a perfect movie for many reasons.” As Dune 2 is soon to be released, Villeneuve his idea of the best movies of all time.
Denis Villeneuve Names His All-Time Favorite Films
While talking to Letterboxd about his top 4 favorite movies, Denis Villeneuve said:
“My four favorite films, to be honest, that list can change every morning. There’s one of my favorites of all time that’s at top there that stayed there after many years – 2001: A Space Odyssey – for me, a perfect movie for many reasons. Apocalypse Now from Coppola is probably the movie I watch the most in my life; it’s a movie that I absolutely adore.”
Also making the cut are Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War classic Apocalypse Now, Ingmar Bergman’s dreamlike Persona, and a tie between Ridley Scott’s dystopian thriller Blade Runner and Steven Spielberg’s alien encounter film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Of discovering Ingmar Bergman’s filmography, Villeneuve said, “It was like an earthquake in my life.” The Swedish auteur’s 1966 psychological drama Persona profoundly impacted him.
Will Dune Part Two Cement Denis Villeneuve’s Place Among Favorite Directors?
Villeneuve’s own sci-fi epic Dune won six Oscars earlier this year, cementing his status as an elite contemporary director. This year sees the release of Dune: Part Two, continuing Paul Atreides’ story as he wages war for control of the desert planet Arrakis.
Given the first film’s critical and commercial success, the sequel has high expectations to deliver a satisfying conclusion. If Villeneuve sticks the landing, Dune could potentially join the hallowed ranks of his personal all-time favorites.
What Draws Denis Villeneuve to Kubrick, Coppola, and Bergman Masterpieces?
Villeneuve praised Kubrick’s pioneering 2001 as “perfect” for its revolutionary visual effects and an enigmatic ending that discussed humanity’s evolution. Coppola’s Vietnam epic Apocalypse Now floored him with its surreal imagery and themes of madness, war, and morality.
“Then it becomes tricky. I will say that a movie that absolutely floored me when I discovered Bergman in my 20s – it was like an earthquake in my life – and I have to put a Bergman movie there, and it will definitely be Persona for the psychological exploration of this relationship between two women. To this day, one of my favorite films of all time. And the fourth one – my God, you’re tough! I will cheat: I will put Blade Runner and Close Encounters of the Third Kind together,” he said.
He highlighted Bergman’s Persona for its psychological depth in exploring identity via the relationship of two women. Scott’s noir Blade Runner along with Spielberg’s Close Encounters incorporated elements of mystery and wonder surrounding extraterrestrial life that have long fascinated Villeneuve.
The director has never been shy about his reverence for film history, and his own sci-fi work channels the atmospheric quality of Scott and Kubrick while exploring profound philosophical questions about communication, free will, and empathy.
If Dune: Part Two succeeds both critically and commercially on the level of the first installment, it may well cement a spot among Villeneuve’s personal pantheon of all-time favorites. At the very least, it continues his streak of groundbreaking, cerebral blockbusters that aim to advance the sci-fi genre.
