>if you could be so kind, from the ones in this post, could
>you narrow down the possible List worthy ones to about 10?

Okay, I'll try. But remember not every film I recommended is necessarily "top 10" material. But if I had to pick 10 especially noteworthy/listworthy films from my replies in this post I would go with:

Metropolis
M
You Only Live Once
Fury
The Big Heat

all by Fritz Lang. As I've mentioned before, Fritz Lang is one of my absolute favorite directors and these represent what I think are some of his best works. You shouldn't complete your list without looking into at least some of these. These are "top 10" material in my book.

After that, the best of what I mentioned here might include:

Mildred Pierce - by Michael Curtiz (who is most famous for directing Casablanca). It's got Joan Crawford in a great performance, a strong and dark visual atmosphere and an insightful social message to go with it. Michael Curtiz was a great talent. This film ranks high on any list.

Stromboli - by Roberto Rossellini. This film features what I personally think of as Ingrid Bergman's very best performance. That's reason enough for being listworthy. But it's got plenty more to be proud of too.

Force Of Evil - by Abraham Polonsky. Polonsky was a brilliant screenwrtier and was about to become a brilliant director. Shortly after this film, he was blacklisted for being a socialist. It ruined his career. This is one of his few films, and one of the best of its time. It's about the mob and the numbers racket, but it's actually Polonsky's giant metaphor (and harsh criticism) of the capitalist system. Stars John Garfield (you can't beat that).

Blood Of A Poet - by Jean Cocteau. This is a silent surrealist masterpiece by the great poet and filmmaker. It's kind of hard to put into words, but think of it as an attempt at documenting the working mind of a poet. It's wild.

since I'm about to hit number 10, I'll pick an underrated one (because you already know to look at Fellini films and Nicholas Ray films and Howard Hawks).

The Gunfighter - directed by Henry King. King was a great talent. This is my favorite of his films, and it stars Gregory Peck in one of his best performances. If someone asks you why Gregory Peck was a great actor, tell them to see this movie. It's about a gunfighter trying to give up the outlaw life, but his reputation follows him everywhere and no one seems willing to let him change or be anything except for what he's always been. Strong acting, a very strong social-political message, and brilliant photography and direction that's never flashy but always precise. . . it serves the story perfectly. See this film.

That should do it I guess. But don't overlook the other ones either.

>and should these take precedent over those you've suggested
>before (Le Mystère Picasso and such)?

No. See those first. . . the Fassbinder films, Tarkovsky's The Mirror, all that.

But I would put the Fritz Lang films on a high priority if I were you.

So there.