'Vertigo' Trumps 'Citizen Kane' in Critics Poll

NEW YORK (AP) — Alfred Hitchcock has finally usurped Orson Welles.

Hitchcock's "Vertigo" took the top spot in the 10 greatest-movies-ever list compiled by Sight & Sound, ending the 50-year run for Welles' "Citizen Kane." The magazine, published by the British Film Institute, surveys international film critics every decade.

"Citizen Kane" slid to second, making way for Hitchcock's 1958 psychological drama starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. "Vertigo" edged "Citizen Kane" by 34 votes in the poll, which gathered lists from 846 critics, programmers, academics and distributors.

"Vertigo" has gradually inched up the poll in recent decades, as Hitchcock's thriller has steadily grown in stature since its initial mixed reception.

The list also includes a new addition: Dziga Vertov's "Man With a Movie Camera," coming in at eighth place. It's the first documentary to make the list since it was founded in 1952.

Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story" ranked third, followed by Jean Renoir's "The Rules of the Game"; F.W. Murnau's "Sunrise"; Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey"; and John Ford's "The Searchers." Carl Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc" ranks ninth followed by Federico Fellini's "8 1/2."

All of the top 10 were made more than 40 years ago.

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Online:

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/