Well that might be a good thing regarding Pasolini, I've found nearly all of his films flawed in some way (Gospel being the closest to a masterpiece imo). Yes, I have seen Paisa, and I didn't find it any more subtle than Open City or Germany Year Zero. De Seca is characteristically a little more sentimental, perhaps why his films were more popular here (or at least with the Academy). I think Rossellini is a far better director and filmmaker, but I preferred his later, more introspective films. Perhaps he can be excused but his first few films were all obsessed with WWII, and perhaps I've just seen too damn many films about the war.

As for that comment, I was saying that top ten lists are limited by nature. Perhaps a list of the top ten Iranian films you've seen might be accurate, or a top ten for a specific year, but when you try and list all the international films made in all years and narrow it to ten choices, it can't possibly express your tastes accurately. Hell I wonder if even 100 films can.