Last Sunday, in the Observer special supplement on European cinema, we published a list of 25 films from across the continent that we felt were essential viewing in these tumultuous times.

Compiled by Observer critics Mark Kermode, Simran Hans, Wendy Ide, Guy Lodge and Jonathan Romney, and edited down to the final 25 by me, the list ran in chronological order from 1922 (Nosferatu) to 2017 (On Body and Soul), taking in masterpieces from France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Greece and the UK along the way.

This wasn’t, as Kermode stated in his intro, “an attempt to create a critical canon that singles out the finest achievements in Euro-cinema”. Rather, it was a personal selection of films that we hoped would “give a flavour of the dazzling breadth of European cinema, offering a tiny snapshot of a vast cinematic landscape”.

To say this prompted a lively discussion in the comments section would be an understatement, as our cinephile readers rushed in to praise the list and take it to task. Omissions were decried (“What, no [Krzysztof] Kieślowski?”) and alternative suggestions provided, triggering a cascade of wonderful recommendations that carried us far beyond the initial 25.

We were delighted, too, by the spirited debate it provoked about what constitutes a great European film and what these works tell us about the society we live in. Here are some of the comments that stood out for us.

It’s refreshing to see a list that reflects unashamedly thoughtful, personal choices without banging any particular drum. Nice, too, to see some of the more obvious choices swerved – Jean-Luc Godard especially. Everyone will want to add their contribution – mine would be Kieślowski, whose later work represents the most sustained meditation on the idea of Europe in all of cinema. Agnes Varda, too, seems worth a shout. That said, good to see Agnieszka Holland getting a mention; she’s been unjustly neglected for decades.

Jericho1

The film missing from this very good list is Passport to Pimlico … It looks deep into the history of Europe, asking questions about what we used to be, who we are now, and what we are to become. As a bonus, Passport now reads as an excellent Brexit metaphor. The working classes, struggling under austerity, are tricked by a charlatan into pursuing a ridiculous independence campaign. I challenge anyone to name another film of the era that has so much to say about Europe today.

blearyboy

Pretty good list. My own personal additions: The Rules of the Game; A Man Escaped; Rififi; Ascension to the Scaffold; L’Eclisse; 400 Blows; Pierrot le Fou; Belle de Jour; The Servant; The Entertainer; The Offence; The Conformist; Suspiria; Christiane F; Diva; Red; Les Visiteurs; Man Bites Dog; La Haine; Underground; Leviathan; The Great Beauty; Suburra.

dondi

Very good list with some interesting inclusions (Daisies instead of Knife in the Water). It’s hard to distill European cinema in only 25 films. I’d say that The Double Life of Veronique is essential and so is the Three Colours Trilogy, all made by the late, great Kieslowski. And Stalker instead of Andrei Rublev? That is a surprise. It’s one of the best movies ever made.

SashaMe

Someone pointed out that there’s a major gap between 1981-1999. Some suggestions: La Haine, Dekalog, Baby of Mâcon, My Life as a Dog, The Match Factory Girl, Naked, Satantango

Mikko _

Fabulous list (thank you for l’Atalante), but no Great Expectations or Bridge over the River Kwai? [And] has [Bernardo] Bertolucci so outraged sensible opinion that Il Conformista gets the thumbs down?

SimonLegg

Shame [Andrzej Wajda’s 1958] film Ashes and Diamonds wasn’t included. This portrayal of the largely unspoken psychological trauma of Poland’s re-occupation by Russia and imposition of communism post war gave me goosebumps … even with subtitles.

madapples

An idiosyncratic selection, which includes some films that many (like me) will never have heard of, and all the more interesting for that. Some room could perhaps have been made for [Pier Paolo] Pasolini’s Theorum, Bertolucci’s The Conformist, [Michael] Haneke’s Piano Teacher, [Lars] von Trier’s Melancholia … but really the field is too large to do more than point at the more obvious omissions.

Mrdaydream

What joy to read praise for Ermanno Olmi. He was truly great, and some of his later films (One Hundred Nails among others) were also very good, although The Tree of Wooden Clogs is certainly the best.

theunlikelyviking

In these days of tribalism and isolationism it’s nice to be reminded about why European culture is just so fucking cool.

GonePhishing

Not a single Carry On film, not one! Is this an example of what Brexiteers mean by out of touch elitism?

Popsider1975

As ever, there’s a raised eyebrow or two over things not there, but mainly a kick in the pants for me to watch one or two of these that have passed me by.

avidavid

The Passion of Joan of Arc and Peeping Tom are two of my favourite films, I think Joan is easily the best silent film ever made, Falconetti’s face is transcendental, I’ve never seen another like it, the best piece of acting on film, it leaves me a mess every time.

Colin Christian

What does it say of a civilisation whose “best” filmography consists in reflections of alienation, loneliness and decadence?

Falanx

No Satantango – Doesn’t get more European than 7 hours shot in black and white, set in a post-communist Hungarian village.

cache2

I can’t be bothered with Hollywood trash so it’s great to see a list of Euro films, all except Nosferatu I haven’t seen yet. I would have thought that Bicycle Thieves would have been on this list though…

The Observer’s list

Nosferatu (FW Murnau, 1922, Germany)

The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928, France)

L’Atalante (Jean Vigo, 1934, France)

I Vitelloni (Federico Fellini, 1953, Italy)

Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960, UK)

Rocco and His Brothers (Luchino Visconti, 1960, Italy)

Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966, Sweden)

Daisies (Věra Chytilová, 1966, Czechoslovakia)

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1973, West Germany)

Céline & Julie Go Boating (Jacques Rivette, 1974, France)

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (Werner Herzog, 1974, West Germany)

Swept Away (Lina Wertmüller, 1974, Italy)

Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1975, Belgium/France)

The Travelling Players (Theo Angelopoulos, 1975, Greece)

The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ermanno Olmi, 1978, Italy)

Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979, Soviet Union)

A Lonely Woman (Agnieszka Holland, 1981, Poland)

Beau Travail (Claire Denis, 1999, France)

Songs from the Second Floor (Roy Andersson, 2000, Sweden)

Fat Girl (Catherine Breillat, 2001, France)

Talk to Her (Pedro Almodovár, 2002, Spain)

Uzak (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2002, Turkey)

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, 2007, Romania)

Girlhood (Céline Sciamma, 2014, France)

On Body and Soul (Ildikó Enyedi, 2017, Hungary)