Since 1952, Sight & Sound magazine, published by the British Film Institute, has brought together film experts from around the world every ten years since 1952 to vote for the greatest films of all time. Set in stone for a decade, this list has long been regarded as the best of all the best lists. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert once described it as “the only list the most serious movie people take seriously”.
In the most recent vote, 1,639 critics and other film experts took part – and chose a surprisingly winning film. After Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, which topped the list in 1952, Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, which triumphed five times in a row from 1962 to 2002, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, which started at the top in 2012 and won a title that was only few had previously considered: “Joan Dielman‘, a 1975 slow-cinema drama directed by Chantal Akerman, was named the new greatest film of all time in 2022.
Who Streams “Jeanne Dielman”? Finally there is an answer!
Since then, of course, there has been a huge demand for the film. The problem for all German movie fans: It wasn’t that easy to get hold of “Jeanne Dielman”. It is not available on DVD or Blu-ray in this country, and the imported products were immediately out of stock at well-known retailers. None of the usual streaming services offered it either. Thankfully, it’s finally available somewhere:
The Arsenal cinema in Berlin has also had a small (but nice) VoD department for some time now. And in it “Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” (the long original title of the drama) is now also available. You can rent the 194-minute drama there for five euros and then have 48 hours to watch it.
» “Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” in the streaming service Arsenal
“Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” can only be streamed in the original French version. As far as the author of these lines knows, there is no German dubbing at all. The drama has also been shown on TV in its original so far. Of course there are also subtitles – fortunately not only in German, but also in English.
The best movie of all time for the next 10 years: this is “Jeanne Dielman”
In “Jeanne Dielman”, director Chantal Akerman describes the daily life of the widow of the same name (Delphine Seyrig) during three days in an apartment. She peels potatoes, she previously works as a prostitute, on the third day after she had her first orgasm during commercial sex, she stabs her client with a pair of scissors…
It should be noted: Jeanne Dielman is a drama that is told very slowly. There are very long shots in which the fixed camera simply observes the everyday life of the title character, who also does everyday things. She dusts, prepares food and receives her older suitors. Everything follows a fixed structure with her. The special thing is to see how this structure gradually shakes…
If you’re interested in the full list of 100 films of the ‘Greatest Movies of All Time’ (the official title), you can find it on the British Film Institute website. This movie, which we recommend you here, is also at the top of the list: