AFI Top 100 Films

[sameerrao]

This is the list of Top 100 films as posted by the American Film Institute ... How many have you seen?

RANK FILM YEAR
1 CITIZEN KANE 1941
2 CASABLANCA 1942
3 THE GODFATHER 1972
4 GONE WITH THE WIND 1939
5 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962
6 THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939
7 THE GRADUATE 1967
8 ON THE WATERFRONT 1954
9 SCHINDLER'S LIST 1993
10 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952
11 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946
12 SUNSET BOULEVARD 1950
13 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 1957
14 SOME LIKE IT HOT 1959
15 STAR WARS 1977
16 ALL ABOUT EVE 1950
17 THE AFRICAN QUEEN 1951
18 PSYCHO 1960
19 CHINATOWN 1974
20 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST 1975
21 THE GRAPES OF WRATH 1940
22 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968
23 THE MALTESE FALCON 1941
24 RAGING BULL 1980
25 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 1982
26 DR. STRANGELOVE 1964
27 BONNIE AND CLYDE 1967
28 APOCALYPSE NOW 1979
29 MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON 1939
30 THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE 1948
31 ANNIE HALL 1977
32 THE GODFATHER PART II 1974
33 HIGH NOON 1952
34 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 1962
35 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT 1934
36 MIDNIGHT COWBOY 1969
37 THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES 1946
38 DOUBLE INDEMNITY 1944
39 DOCTOR ZHIVAGO 1965
40 NORTH BY NORTHWEST 1959
41 WEST SIDE STORY 1961
42 REAR WINDOW 1954
43 KING KONG 1933
44 THE BIRTH OF A NATION 1915
45 A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE 1951
46 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE 1971
47 TAXI DRIVER 1976
48 JAWS 1975
49 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS 1937
50 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID 1969
51 THE PHILADELPHIA STORY 1940
52 FROM HERE TO ETERNITY 1953
53 AMADEUS 1984
54 ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT 1930
55 THE SOUND OF MUSIC 1965
56 M+A+S+H 1970
57 THE THIRD MAN 1949
58 FANTASIA 1940
59 REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE 1955
60 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 1981
61 VERTIGO 1958
62 TOOTSIE 1982
63 STAGECOACH 1939
64 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 1977
65 THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS 1991
66 NETWORK 1976
67 THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE 1962
68 AN AMERICAN IN PARIS 1951
69 SHANE 1953
70 THE FRENCH CONNECTION 1971
71 FORREST GUMP 1994
72 BEN-HUR 1959
73 WUTHERING HEIGHTS 1939
74 THE GOLD RUSH 1925
75 DANCES WITH WOLVES 1990
76 CITY LIGHTS 1931
77 AMERICAN GRAFFITI 1973
78 ROCKY 1976
79 THE DEER HUNTER 1978
80 THE WILD BUNCH 1969
81 MODERN TIMES 1936
82 GIANT 1956
83 PLATOON 1986
84 FARGO 1996
85 DUCK SOUP 1933
86 MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY 1935
87 FRANKENSTEIN 1931
88 EASY RIDER 1969
89 PATTON 1970
90 THE JAZZ SINGER 1927
91 MY FAIR LADY 1964
92 A PLACE IN THE SUN 1951
93 THE APARTMENT 1960
94 GOODFELLAS 1990
95 PULP FICTION 1994
96 THE SEARCHERS 1956
97 BRINGING UP BABY 1938
98 UNFORGIVEN 1992
99 GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER 1967
100 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942

[sameerrao]

These are the ones I havent seen

6 THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939
12 SUNSET BOULEVARD 1950
31 ANNIE HALL 1977
49 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS 1937
58 FANTASIA 1940
90 THE JAZZ SINGER 1927
96 THE SEARCHERS 1956
100 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942

Not bad 92/100 8)

Of course there are a lot of movies from UK and elsewhere that have been excluded

[ZfrkS62]

Of course there are a lot of movies from UK and elsewhere that have been excluded

AFI=American Film Institute. Do you really think they'd include foriegn films?

anyway, You aren't missing much by not seeing Fantasia IMO. Just an egotistical mouse that lets a new found power which he doesn't understand get control of him.
I'm surprised that you haven't seen Wizard of Oz though. I still need to get Pink Floyd's Darkside of the Moon and see if that trick really works.

I've only seen:
6 wizard of oz
9 schindlers list
15 star wars (a little disappointed that empire was not listed)
25 ET the extra-terrestrial
28 apocolypse now
34 to kill a mockingbird(didn't want to read the book in 9th grade..passed the test though )
41 west side story (9th grade english...wanted to sleep but couldn't stop mocking it)
48 jaws
49 snow white and the 7 dwarves (disney has re-released this how many times?)
54 all quiet on the western front (10th grade english..kept running metallica's ONE, Harvester of Sorrow and Master of Puppets over and over in my head)
55 the sound of music
58 fantasia
60 raiders of the lost ark
64 close encounters of the 3rd kind
66 silence of the lambs
71 forrest gump
72 ben-hur (since when do roman soldiers wear wrist watches? )
75 dances with wolves
77 american graffiti
78 rocky
83 platoon
89 patton
95 pulp fiction

[sameerrao]

I missed Wiz of Oz as a kid and damned if I am going to see a musical again on my own ... maybe it save it up to when I have kids...

[ZfrkS62]

I missed Wiz of Oz as a kid and damned if I am going to see a musical again on my own ... maybe it save it up to when I have kids...

Wiz/Oz isn't really all that bad song wise, IMO (try the trick i described and use it as your excuse ) Avoid Snow White though..kids are the only excuse you have for watching that

how is clockwork orange? i've been wanting to see that for a long time.

load not of a oldies I the have seen

[sameerrao]

Originally Posted by ZfrkS62 how is clockwork orange? i've been wanting to see that for a long time.

Personally I think it is Stanley Kubrick's best movie ... but I am not sure many people will like it .. the movie is larger than life and goes beyond a mere story ... it has a lot of social commentary in it...

[ZfrkS62]

ZfrkS62, you haven't seen the godfather? wth???

yeah i know. i need to rent the whole trilogy and lock myself in my apartment for a weeend.

load not of a oldies I the have seen

???????

[Toronto]

ssen them all but
100 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942
wtf? never even heard of it.

[sameerrao]

Originally Posted by Toronto ssen them all but 100 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942 wtf? never even heard of it.

8) Maestro!

[chest3r]

The most recent film is FARGO from 1996 !? :shock: :shock: WTF ?!

All of them are pretty old, I've seen just a few :x

[bmwmpower]

citizan kane- its that good?
i never see it but i read many about it, i

[bmwmpower]

72 BEN-HUR 1959

must be in top 10 for me,
i think godfather 2 was better than 1

[sameerrao]

The list was compiled in 1998 with no consideration of movies released after 1996. So the newer ones wont be there...

Okay here's what I could dig about the reasoning behind this list - from the AFI website:

Judging criteria for the selection process of the Top 100 films included:
- Feature-Length Fiction Film - narrative format typically over 60 minutes in length
- American Film - English language film with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States
- Critical Recognition - formal commendation in print
- Popularity Over Time - including figures for box office adjusted for inflation, television broadcasts and syndication, and home video sales and rentals
- Historical Significance - a film's mark on the history of the moving image through technical innovation, visionary narrative devices or other groundbreaking achievements
- Cultural Impact - a film's mark on American society in matters of style and substance
- Major Award Winner - recognition from competitive events including awards from organizations in the film community and major film festivals

Facts about the Films Chosen:

Citizen Kane (1941) was chosen the #1 film of all time.

The films span from 1915 ( The Birth of a Nation at #44) to 1996 (Fargo at #84).

Charlie Chaplin was the most celebrated actor/director on the list, with three films: The Gold Rush (1925) (at #74), City Lights (1931) (at #76), and Modern Times (1936) (at #81).

Steven Spielberg directed five of the 100 greatest American movies: Schindler's List (1993) (at #9), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) (at #25), Jaws (1975) (at #48), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (at #60), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) (at #64).

Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder each directed four films on the list. Ten other directors each directed three (for example, Frank Capra, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, John Huston, William Wyler, John Ford, and Charlie Chaplin, among others). Victor Fleming was the only director with two top ten films, although he shared directing duties with three other uncredited talents for Gone With the Wind (1939). Michael Curtiz was only recognized with two films. Woody Allen had only one film in the list. In total, 13 directors accounted for 43 percent of the top 100 films of all time.

Marlon Brando was the only actor to star in two of the top 10 films, The Godfather (1972) (at #3) and On The Waterfront (1954) (at #8).

James Stewart and Robert De Niro were the most represented actors in a starring role, each with five films in the top 100. Many actors appeared in four films in the list of 100 greatest American films. James Dean was represented by two of his three films. Fred Astaire didn't appear anywhere in the films listed.

Robert Duvall appeared in six, including his minor role in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). And character actor Ward Bond appeared in the most films, seven: It Happened One Night (1934), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gone With the Wind (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Maltese Falcon (1941), It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and The Searchers (1956).

Katharine Hepburn was the most represented leading actress, with four films: The African Queen (1951), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Bringing Up Baby (1938), and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). She was followed by Natalie Wood, Diane Keaton and Faye Dunaway, with three films each. Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis had only one film each. There were no films showcasing Ginger Rogers or Greta Garbo.

A majority of the 100 great films are classifed as dramas. There are 11 comedies (debatable depending upon what's classified as a comedy), 8 musicals, 9 war films, 8 westerns, 4 science fiction films, 4 horror films and 2 animated films. There are only 4 silent films on the list.

The top ten included movies from every decade, from the 1930s to the 1990s, with the exception of the 1980s. The first film on the 100 list from the 1980s was Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980) (at #24).

The 1950s was the most represented decade on the list, with 20 films. And 70 of the films on the list were from 1950 and after. 14 films were made after 1980. More than half of the films (56) were made between 1950 and 1979, thereby ignoring cinema's early years and some of the modern era. Each decade's summary: Silent era: 3 films, 1930s: 15 films, 1940s: 12 films, 1950s: 20 films, 1960s: 18 films, 1970s: 18 films, 1980s: 6 films, and 1990s: 8 films.

The year 1939, which remains the most celebrated year in the history of film, had five films in the top 100: Gone With the Wind (1939) (at #4), The Wizard of Oz (1939) (at #6), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) (at #29), Stagecoach (1939) (at #63), and Wuthering Heights (1939) (at #73). Both 1951 and 1969 have four films each.

The Godfather, Part II (1974) (at #32) was the only sequel represented on the list, although it could be argued that The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (at #65) was a sequel to Manhunter (1986).

Thirty-three of the films (one-third) were Academy Awards' Best Picture Winners. Seventy-five of the films (three-fourths) were Academy Awards' Best Picture Nominees. (Forty-two of the seventy-five nominated films lost the Best Picture race.)

Six of the top 10 films on the AFI list won a Best Picture Oscar: Casablanca (1942) (at #2), The Godfather (1972) (at #3), Gone With The Wind (1939) (at #4), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (at #5), On The Waterfront (1954) (at #8), and Schindler's List (1993) (at #9).

The highest ranking film that won no Oscars was #10, Singin' In The Rain (1952).

[sameerrao]

Originally Posted by bmwmpower citizan kane- its that good? i never see it but i read many about it, i

It is a movie that improves with each viewing. The first time I saw it (at age 13) I thought why the heck is this movie rated the best by critics!

Then I saw it a couple of times later when I was in my 20s and liked it a lot. I think it is a great movie that looks at the craft of movie making - photography, etc. Orson Welles was pure genius.

You need to see it once and judge for yourself.