10. "the strategic herding is always interesting" In response to In response to 0
If you're an Ozu fan, you feel pressured to vote for Tokyo Story to get him high on the list even if you rank it as your 9th or 10th favorite Ozu. One of the Godfathers would probably have cracked the top 5 in 2012 if its voters decided on I vs II to pool their votes.
This has led to some less ideal, I think, "definitive" titles for directors that have emerged from the S&S list over the years. I love Bergman but would never recommend Seventh Seal as a first watch, etc.
I'm not sure there's a better way to do it, but I do think it can lead to a more narrow range of directors' works than is ideal.