AFI's Top 100 Films

[Gemini Cricket]

I guess they revised their list from 1998.

Here it is:

1. "Citizen Kane," 1941.
2. "The Godfather," 1972.
3. "Casablanca," 1942.
4. "Raging Bull," 1980.
5. "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.
6. "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.
8. "Schindler's List," 1993.
9. "Vertigo," 1958.
10. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
11. "City Lights," 1931.
12. "The Searchers," 1956.
13. "Star Wars," 1977.
14. "Psycho," 1960.
15. "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.
16. "Sunset Blvd.", 1950.
17. "The Graduate," 1967.
18. "The General," 1927.
19. "On the Waterfront," 1954.
20. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.
21. "Chinatown," 1974.
22. "Some Like It Hot," 1959.
23. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940.
24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.
25. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.
26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939.
27. "High Noon," 1952.
28. "All About Eve," 1950.
29. "Double Indemnity," 1944.
30. "Apocalypse Now," 1979.
31. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.
32. "The Godfather Part II," 1974.
33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975.
34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.
35. "Annie Hall," 1977.
36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957.
37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946.
38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.
39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.
40. "The Sound of Music," 1965.
41. "King Kong," 1933.
42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.
43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.
44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.
45. "Shane," 1953.
46. "It Happened One Night," 1934.
47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.
48. "Rear Window," 1954.
49. "Intolerance," 1916.
50. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.
51. "West Side Story," 1961.
52. "Taxi Driver," 1976.
53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978.
54. "M-A-S-H," 1970.
55. "North by Northwest," 1959.
56. "Jaws," 1975.
57. "Rocky," 1976.
58. "The Gold Rush," 1925.
59. "Nashville," 1975.
60. "Duck Soup," 1933.
61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941.
62. "American Graffiti," 1973.
63. "Cabaret," 1972.
64. "Network," 1976.
65. "The African Queen," 1951.
66. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981.
67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966.
68. "Unforgiven," 1992.
69. "Tootsie," 1982.
70. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.
71. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.
72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994.
73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.
74. "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.
75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.
76. "Forrest Gump," 1994.
77. "All the President's Men," 1976.
78. "Modern Times," 1936.
79. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.
80. "The Apartment, 1960.
81. "Spartacus," 1960.
82. "Sunrise," 1927.
83. "Titanic," 1997.
84. "Easy Rider," 1969.
85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935.
86. "Platoon," 1986.
87. "12 Angry Men," 1957.
88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938.
89. "The Sixth Sense," 1999.
90. "Swing Time," 1936.
91. "Sophie's Choice," 1982.
92. "Goodfellas," 1990.
93. "The French Connection," 1971.
94. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.
95. "The Last Picture Show," 1971.
96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989.
97. "Blade Runner," 1982.
98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.
99. "Toy Story," 1995.
100. "Ben-Hur," 1959.

[cirquelover]

Well I've seen almost all of them anyway! The one from 1916 I've never heard of and a few from the 30's.

[Strangler Lewis]

Toy Story 2 was better than Toy Story. Otherwise, the list is perfect.

[Gemini Cricket]

Comparing the 2 lists:
On June 20, 2007, a new list was released by AFI to update for the new generation of films. Twenty-three films were removed from the original list:
39. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
44. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
52. From Here to Eternity (1953)
53. Amadeus (1984)
54. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
57. The Third Man (1949)
58. Fantasia (1940)
59. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
63. Stagecoach (1939)
64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
67. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
68. An American in Paris (1951)
73. Wuthering Heights (1939)
75. Dances With Wolves (1990)
82. Giant (1956)
84. Fargo (1996)
86. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
87. Frankenstein (1931)
89. Patton (1970)
90. The Jazz Singer (1927)
91. My Fair Lady (1964)
92. A Place in the Sun (1951)
99. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Four films released between 1997-2006 were added:
50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
83. Titanic (1997)
89. The Sixth Sense (1999)

Nineteen films made between 1916-1995 were also added:
18. The General (1927)
49. Intolerance (1916)
59. Nashville (1975)
61. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
63. Cabaret (1972)
67. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
75. In The Heat Of The Night (1967)
77. All The President's Men (1976)
81. Spartacus (1960)
82. Sunrise (1927)
85. A Night At The Opera (1935)
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
90. Swing Time (1936)
91. Sophie's Choice (1982)
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
96. Do The Right Thing (1989)
97. Blade Runner (1982)
99. Toy Story (1995)

[Alex]

Those are not the four movies I would pick as the top films of the last decade. And one of them was actually bad (in my opinion).

[Capt Jack]

IMO....ET does not belong on any list talking about 'good movies'

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

I think since they've started releasing films from the Silent era on DVD and are more available to view, that more like "The General", "Intollerance" and the such will be showing up more on this lists.

I'm fairly happy with it. Star Wars should be higher on the list IMHO and Wizard of Oz should be dropped. :)

[Alex]

My opinions

1. "Citizen Kane," 1941. - Well qualified for this spot.
2. "The Godfather," 1972. - Well qualified for this spot.
3. "Casablanca," 1942. - Well qualified for this spot.
4. "Raging Bull," 1980. - Way overrated, I probably wouldn't put it on the list at all.
5. "Singin' in the Rain," 1952. - Way overrated but near the top of musicals.
6. "Gone With the Wind," 1939. - Way overrated. I simply don't care for this movie.
7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962. - Move it up.
8. "Schindler's List," 1993. - Never seen it.
9. "Vertigo," 1958. - Not my favorite Hitchcock, I'd put a different movie this high up for him.
10. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939. - Belongs on the list somewhere.
11. "City Lights," 1931. - Eh.
12. "The Searchers," 1956. - Super way overrated. Shouldn't be on list.
13. "Star Wars," 1977. - Super way overrated, should be on list because of its cultural impact but not this high.
14. "Psycho," 1960. - Better candidate for the top Hitchcock spot.
15. "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968. - Ok.
16. "Sunset Blvd.", 1950. - Ok.
17. "The Graduate," 1967. - Eh, move it down a couple dozen.
18. "The General," 1927. - Ok.
19. "On the Waterfront," 1954. - Move it up.
20. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946. - Take it off the list. There is much good Capra, but for me this isn't.
21. "Chinatown," 1974. - Move it up.
22. "Some Like It Hot," 1959. Ok, not my cup of tea but I understand why it is loved.
23. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940. - Only seen have and it was great. So ok.
24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982. - Best movie ever when I was eight. I was stupid when I was eight. If Spielberg doesn't respect the movie enough to leave it alone then I don't respect it enough to want it on the list.
25. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962. - Never seen it.
26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939. - Much better Capra than IaWL
27. "High Noon," 1952. - Move it up.
28. "All About Eve," 1950. - Move it up to the second spot.
29. "Double Indemnity," 1944. - Way up.
30. "Apocalypse Now," 1979. - Off the list.
31. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941. - Ok
32. "The Godfather Part II," 1974. - Ok
33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975. - Ok
34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937. - Off the list. Not even among the top ten Disney animated movies, unless you're just looking at cultural and industry impact
35. "Annie Hall," 1977. - Ok
36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957. - Move it up. Put it right after Lawrence and give David Lean the listual blowjob he deserves.
37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946. - Are you kidding me?
38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948. - Ok.
39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964. - Move it up.
40. "The Sound of Music," 1965. - Ok.
41. "King Kong," 1933. - Ok, but only on cultural impact.
42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967. - Ok
43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969. - Off the list.
44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940. - Move it up.
45. "Shane," 1953. - Ok.
46. "It Happened One Night," 1934. - Higher please.
47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951. - Higher please.
48. "Rear Window," 1954. - Another much better candidate for Hitchcock.
49. "Intolerance," 1916. - Never seen it.
50. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001. - Off the list.
51. "West Side Story," 1961. - Ok.
52. "Taxi Driver," 1976. - Ok, I'd be fine with switching this and Raging Bull.
53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978. - Off the list just because of the horrible nine-hour realtime recreation of Polish wedding.
54. "M-A-S-H," 1970. - Ok
55. "North by Northwest," 1959. - Ok
56. "Jaws," 1975. - Ok
57. "Rocky," 1976. - Ok
58. "The Gold Rush," 1925. - Never seen it.
59. "Nashville," 1975. - Oh god no. Off the list, find another Altman.
60. "Duck Soup," 1933. - Ok.
61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941. - Way higher please.
62. "American Graffiti," 1973. - I'm more ok with this than Star Wars but I would be ok with pretending Lucas had never made any movies.
63. "Cabaret," 1972. - Never seen it.
64. "Network," 1976. - Higher please.
65. "The African Queen," 1951. - Ok
66. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981. - Ok.
67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966. - Wonderful play, not a great movie.
68. "Unforgiven," 1992. - Ok
69. "Tootsie," 1982. - Ok
70. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971. - Ok
71. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998. - Not just not a good movie, it is a bad movie with compelling imagery. Remove it from the list then burn the prints.
72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994. - Way, way, way fricking higher. I believe CP would like this to be in the #2 spot.
73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969. - Ok.
74. "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991. - Ok, but I don't think the movie has aged well.
75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967. - Higher.
76. "Forrest Gump," 1994. - See Saving Private Ryan
77. "All the President's Men," 1976. - Ok
78. "Modern Times," 1936. - Ok
79. "The Wild Bunch," 1969. - Higher please, should be above Unforgiven
80. "The Apartment, 1960. - Ok
81. "Spartacus," 1960. - Ok
82. "Sunrise," 1927. - Haven't seen
83. "Titanic," 1997. - I'd put this higher.
84. "Easy Rider," 1969. - Sure, why not.
85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935. - Off the list.
86. "Platoon," 1986. - Off the list.
87. "12 Angry Men," 1957. - Higher.
88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938. - Way higher, somewhere up with The Philadelphia Story
89. "The Sixth Sense," 1999. - Ok
90. "Swing Time," 1936. - Ok
91. "Sophie's Choice," 1982. - Off the list. I actually sent this back to Netflix after watching 30 minutes.
92. "Goodfellas," 1990. - Way higher.
93. "The French Connection," 1971. - Ok
94. "Pulp Fiction," 1994. - Ok, but mostly because of cultural impact
95. "The Last Picture Show," 1971. - Should be in the middle of the list, too bad Bodganovich faded.
96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989. - Ok
97. "Blade Runner," 1982. - Off the list. Not a good movie made worse by being supplanted by an excrutiating director's cut.
98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942. - Ok
99. "Toy Story," 1995. - Fun movie but no.
100. "Ben-Hur," 1959. - Ok.

[Ponine]

Wow.

I obviously need to consult Alex more on films.

I'll read that again when I am not at work, but thank you.

[AllyOops!]

Frankenhooker didn't make the cut? :p

I was about to get all huffy that Goodfellas didn't make the cut but whew! It clocked in at #92. I agree with Alex. It should be listed way higher.

I'll probably sound like some uncultured or uneducated hillbilly, but I fell asleep during Citizen Kane. It just couldn't hold my interest. :( Of course, I saw it when I was much, much younger. I should give it another shot!

[Gemini Cricket]

It's weird seeing ET higher on the list than some movies that are way way better. I liked Close Encounters better...

And I know Toy Story is on the list because of its technical merits but it wasn't that great of a movie.

I'd also like to see All About Eve higher than that. It's a fabulous fim.

Shawshank is on the list. ;)

Citizen Kane is an awesome film. It deserves to be #1.

[Capt Jack]

I liked Blade Runner, not to mention I liked it far better in the directors cut, but then, the only taste I have is in my mouth.

/shrug

(ok, I'll admit it. I always wanted a Sean Young bot)

[Gemini Cricket]

I liked Blade Runner, not to mention I liked it far better in the directors cut, but then, the only taste I have is in my mouth.

/shrug

(ok, I'll admit it. I always wanted a Sean Young bot)
I really want to like Bladerunner. I love Ford, I love the screenplay, I love the short story it came from, but every time I watch it I fall asleep. And I don't do that in movies, I really don't. (It seems rude to me.)
I think it's the score and how dark it is and maybe Ford's monotone voice...

[Ghoulish Delight]

I haven't seen enough of them to bother doing a point-by-point a la Alex, but of the ones I have seen, I disagree quite a bit with Alex.

[JWBear]

...The one from 1916 I've never heard of ...

That's a shame. It's an historic film by one of the greatest directors in movie history. The huge Babylon set from the movie inspired the design of the Hollywood & Highland Center.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0006864/

[Kevy Baby]

Blazing Saddles isn't on that list, so that list sucks.

[Ponine]

Blazing Saddles isn't on that list, so that list sucks.

My mother is applauding you.

(I on the other hand am shaking my head at the both of you)

[Strangler Lewis]

The one movie I would move up about 60 or so places is The Apartment. I think Citizen Kane and Star Wars belong where they are because of inventiveness and impact, not because of entertainment value. I love It's a Wonderful Life.

[Prudence]

Why is Titanic on the list? Seriously. Why?

And I hated Bladerunner.

[Gemini Cricket]

Why is Titanic on the list? Seriously. Why?

Probably because it's the highest grossing movie of all time.
:shrug:

[Betty]

#2 on the list...ha ha.

I was just thinking 72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994. - see it IS a good movie. ;)

[Not Afraid]

Here are my boring comments on the additions.

Four films released between 1997-2006 were added:
50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - UMmmmm, ok. Not a HUGE fan, but I can see why.
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998) I never saw it because I don't think I can stomach it.
83. Titanic (1997) You've got to frilling kidding me!
89. The Sixth Sense (1999) I knew the spoiler about 15 minutes into the film so I didn't enjoy it all that much.

Nineteen films made between 1916-1995 were also added:
18. The General (1927) Haven't seen it
49. Intolerance (1916) Classic fil, but I haven't seen it id decades.
59. Nashville (1975) Something I also have seen in decades.
61. Sullivan's Travels (1941) YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!
63. Cabaret (1972) AGAIN YEAH!
67. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966) TRIPLE YEAH!
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Who's got the erasure?
75. In The Heat Of The Night (1967) I forgot this film existed. It might deserve another veiwing.
77. All The President's Men (1976) Decades comment applies
81. Spartacus (1960) Cool!
82. Sunrise (1927) No knowledge whatsoever.
85. A Night At The Opera (1935)
87. 12 Angry Men (1957) YES!
90. Swing Time (1936) I remember loving this one.
91. Sophie's Choice (1982) I LOVE this film!
95. The Last Picture Show (1971) I missed it at the Cemetery and it has been ages since I've seen it.
96. Do The Right Thing (1989) Never been a Spike Lee fan
97. Blade Runner (1982) I LOVE Blade runner. Love it!
99. Toy Story (1995) There are better Pixar.

[innerSpaceman]

Any revision that drops Fantasia and Close Encounters from the running is totally effed up (imo)


Also imo, Toy Story is infinitely better than its completely sequelish sequel.

[innerSpaceman]

I haven't seen enough of them to bother doing a point-by-point a la Alex, but of the ones I have seen, I disagree quite a bit with Alex.
Hmmm, I have seen most of them, also disagree quite a bit with Alex, and am tempted to do a counterpoint-by-point ... but what's the point?

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Blazzing Sadles is the Citizen Kane of Comedy - It is surely missed.

[Alex]

and am tempted to do a counterpoint-by-point ... but what's the point?

None, as I wasn't try to give any objective absolute opinion. Just mine.

I wouldn't mind, though, seeing your opinions. They need not be in the context of responding to mine.

[€uroMeinke]

I'm happy about Cabaret.
I still like Bladerunner, though it's suffered overtime so I'm not sure it's Listworthy.
Titanic still baffles me as to why it makes these lists.
Sad to see Third Man and Rebel without a Cause get bumped

[innerSpaceman]

I think the list is very heavy on "cultural impact" - and I've no problem with that, since this list is simply a popularity contest and not a good measure of "good."

To me, that explains why Snow White is there, when so many Disneys are better ... and why Toy Story is there when so many Pixars are better.

Titanic is there for this reason, as is The Sixth Sense. Say what you will about their quality, they were public phenomena in their time that spilled out of the movie house.

I'm baffled about some of the additions, and moreso about the deletions. I think I'm much more in agreement with the previous list.

Perhaps I'll go thru a point-by-point of the changes, if I get a chance.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Probably because it's the highest grossing movie of all time.
:shrug:
I'd allow it on my list for that reason, but I'd barely let it squeak in at 100th.

[€uroMeinke]

Yeah how many of these films would you be willing to see more than once?

[innerSpaceman]

Oh, I've seen almost all of them more than once.





ETA: Specifically, there are 25 films on the "new" list that I've seen only once ... and I'd gladly see roughly half of those at least once more.


There are about 6 films I've never seen ... and have an interest in seeing only 2 of those.

[Alex]

Based on cultural impact Stagecoach needs to go back on the list. A pretty good movie and it began the phenomenon that was John Wayne (whether you consider that a good thing or not).

[Gemini Cricket]

Yeah how many of these films would you be willing to see more than once?
1. "Citizen Kane," 1941.
2. "The Godfather," 1972.
3. "Casablanca," 1942.
4. "Raging Bull," 1980.
5. "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.
6. "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.
8. "Schindler's List," 1993.
9. "Vertigo," 1958.
10. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
11. "City Lights," 1931.
12. "The Searchers," 1956.
13. "Star Wars," 1977.
14. "Psycho," 1960.
16. "Sunset Blvd.", 1950.
17. "The Graduate," 1967.
18. "The General," 1927.
19. "On the Waterfront," 1954.
20. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.
21. "Chinatown," 1974.
22. "Some Like It Hot," 1959.
23. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940.
24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.
25. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.
26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939.
27. "High Noon," 1952.
28. "All About Eve," 1950.
29. "Double Indemnity," 1944.
30. "Apocalypse Now," 1979.
31. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.
32. "The Godfather Part II," 1974.
33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975.
34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.
35. "Annie Hall," 1977.
36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957.
37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946.
38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.
39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.
40. "The Sound of Music," 1965.
41. "King Kong," 1933.
42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.
43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.
44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.
45. "Shane," 1953.
46. "It Happened One Night," 1934.
47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.
48. "Rear Window," 1954.
49. "Intolerance," 1916.
50. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.
51. "West Side Story," 1961.
52. "Taxi Driver," 1976.
53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978.
54. "M-A-S-H," 1970.
55. "North by Northwest," 1959.
56. "Jaws," 1975.
57. "Rocky," 1976.
58. "The Gold Rush," 1925.
60. "Duck Soup," 1933.
61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941.
62. "American Graffiti," 1973.
63. "Cabaret," 1972.
64. "Network," 1976.
65. "The African Queen," 1951.
66. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981.
67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966.
68. "Unforgiven," 1992.
69. "Tootsie," 1982.
70. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.
71. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.
72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994.
73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.
74. "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.
75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.
76. "Forrest Gump," 1994.
77. "All the President's Men," 1976.
78. "Modern Times," 1936.
79. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.
80. "The Apartment, 1960.
82. "Sunrise," 1927.
84. "Easy Rider," 1969.
85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935.
86. "Platoon," 1986.
87. "12 Angry Men," 1957.
88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938.
89. "The Sixth Sense," 1999.
90. "Swing Time," 1936.
92. "Goodfellas," 1990.
93. "The French Connection," 1971.
94. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.
96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989.
98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.
100. "Ben-Hur," 1959.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Toy Story is better than Ben Hur! Bwahahaha! That just strikes me as a wonderful absurdist example of why this list, and all best-of lists, are ridiculous.

'Cause seriously, if you put the chariot race up against the part where Woody and Buzz ride the remote control car...

[cirquelover]

Wow GC likes the whole list. Wait maybe he made the list, hmm;)

[innerSpaceman]

Um, Toy Story is better than Ben-Hur.


Watched Ben-Hur lately? It hasn't aged well. Bloated, soap-opera, cheesy melodrama. Shouldn't even be on the list.



Toy Story is likely the best buddy movie ever made, or up there with the best of that venerable genre. It's got brilliant story construction (which its sequel lacks completely), great characters, wonderful art direction, and a clever comedic script brought to life by great performances throughout.


It's not the best Pixar ... but as the first, and certainly one of the best, it tips the Cultural Impact meter in favor of being on the list.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I have a soft spot for epics of all eras. Ben Hur, Spartacus, Towering Inferno, Poseidon Adventure - these were fed to me with a bottle (along with 1/4 mile drag racing and National Geographic specials).

Which is why I liked Titanic, though I completely understand why others didn't.

[innerSpaceman]

Oh, I like 'em, too. I just don't consider any of them "best" material.



(Unlikely as it might seem ... I gave the original Poseidon Adventure a recentish viewing - after its retarded remake came out - - and it's actually a very good movie, easily the best of the bloated epics and far and away the best "disaster" movie.)

[blueerica]

I need to take some time later and go through the list. Maybe.

[Alex]

I don't consider The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure to be "epics." At least not in the same way that Ben-Hur, Spartacus, Lawrence of Arabia are.

In fact, I'd view them as the opposite of epic. One narrow event in one narrow slice of time involving one small group of people. However, as early disaster movies, they are way better than most that followed.

[Strangler Lewis]

I have a soft spot in my heart for "The Poseidon Adventure" because it was one of the two movies that when it came out, my parents refused to let me even though most of my friends were going. "The Getaway" was the other.

I rank The Poseidon Adventure highly in the genre of 70s movies where men shout at each other a lot.

[AllyOops!]

(Unlikely as it might seem ... I gave the original Poseidon Adventure a recentish viewing - after its retarded remake came out - - and it's actually a very good movie, easily the best of the bloated epics and far and away the best "disaster" movie.)

Amen! I love Irwin Allen disaster flicks (although I loathe any other disaster flick- they wig me out)!

I love the Poseidon Adventure & have seen it many a time. Great movie! The sequel? My boyfriend loved it (he's never seen the original). I wanted to puke. It literally made my stomach turn. Zero storyline, but lots of gruesome special effects sequences. It just sucked harder then, well, me on my boyfriend & I's anniversary night. :p

The Towering Inferno was also awesome. I have both that & Poseidon on DVD. Inferno scared me, though (I've always feared fire since I was a little girl). The one low point? It stars O.J. as the loveable security guard who, in the end, rescues a baby kitten. Yay for rescuing the kitten, nay for being a cold-blooded murderer, you a*hole. Notice all angry roads lead to O.J. for me?

In the end, it's all nothing more then opinion. Have I seen most of the movies on that list? Nope. But then, I'm a TV freak who also loves to read. I'm not too big on goin' to the movies.

[Babette]

I saw this was going to be on and missed it. I love to watch the AFI show because it brings up so many emotions and memories as I watch all of the clips. I don't always agree with these lists, but I think many movies are chosen based on their cultural impact as much as (or more than) the quality of the film/story.
I Star Wars should be higher on the list IMHO and Wizard of Oz should be dropped. :)Agreed - anything with flying monkeys (except Wicked) should be banned from our society!

I'll probably sound like some uncultured or uneducated hillbilly, but I fell asleep during Citizen Kane. It just couldn't hold my interest.I don't get the hoopla over that one either. I think it is like Sixth Sense where everyone most people were shocked by the revelation at the end.

'Cause seriously, if you put the chariot race up against the part where Woody and Buzz ride the remote control car...I would love to see that!

I will have to dissect the list later when I have more time. I have seen exactly 50% of the new list (that I recall), but 57% of the old list. I am sure I saw about 10 more as a child, and have no memory of the films. Many of them are on my Netflix list as "films I've heard they're great and want to see".

[Alex]

Anybody who doesn't get the brilliance of Citizen Kane (and even if you don't think it is great shakes now it was brilliant in 1941) and want to at least understand, I strongly recommend getting the DVD and listening to the two commentary tracks (by Peter Bogdanovich and Roger Ebert).

Personally, I think it holds up incredibly well and I do think it may be the best made film of all time (so I am fine with the story though my personal favorite for entertainment is All About Eve) but if you are interested in film history watching those commentaries will provide the context.

[Boss Radio]

I disagree with these omissions:

Stagecoach (1939)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Frankenstein (1931)
My Fair Lady (1964)

And where, I ask you, is The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, one of John Ford's greatest films? Where is Harold and Maude? The Day the Earth Stood Still? The Lost Weekend?

AFI should break the list into pre-1950 and post-1950. Then they get two specials and everyone is happy.

[blueerica]

While I still haven't thoroughly scanned the list, one must consider ground-breaking films, even if they don't hold up as well today. Then again, they missed such ground-breaking robot films as The Day the Earth Stood Still in favor of other movies.

The Searchers really stands as one of my least favorite movies of all time, but mostly due to my beliefs. Though it was a departure for Ford with the blurred lines, and especially for John Wayne (that is, I think, his first "bad-guy" role, except, he can't just be a bad guy, he's still glorified and not in a way that's meaningful, it's like they try to make him out like he's a good guy, which I think is pretty crappy). I still don't know why it's so high on the list. I just have to think it's even on there because it was such a departure for Wayne, in particular. (Crappy movie - makes me want to read Cormac McCarthy for that super gritty bloody stuff in which the bad are bad, even when they're good, and there isn't any fluff over it.)

Ugh, OK, I really do need to go through the list more.

[blueerica]

YAY for Boss - The Day the Earth Stood Still!

I really can't see how that's miss-able, especially given today's political climate.

[Boss Radio]

It worked for Gaza and the West Bank.
Kind of.

[Alex]

I agree on The Searchers and wonder what changed in the last decade that it moved from 96 on the list to 12. Is it just the recent publicity of the big DVD release that got so much press?

[Boss Radio]

Anybody who doesn't get the brilliance of Citizen Kane (and even if you don't think it is great shakes now it was brilliant in 1941) and want to at least understand, I strongly recommend getting the DVD and listening to the two commentary tracks (by Peter Bogdanovich and Roger Ebert).

Personally, I think it holds up incredibly well and I do think it may be the best made film of all time (so I am fine with the story though my personal favorite for entertainment is All About Eve) but if you are interested in film history watching those commentaries will provide the context.

Hear, hear. It is every bit as good as its craft.

[Boss Radio]

While I still haven't thoroughly scanned the list, one must consider ground-breaking films, even if they don't hold up as well today. Then again, they missed such ground-breaking robot films as The Day the Earth Stood Still in favor of other movies.

The Searchers really stands as one of my least favorite movies of all time, but mostly due to my beliefs. Though it was a departure for Ford with the blurred lines, and especially for John Wayne (that is, I think, his first "bad-guy" role, except, he can't just be a bad guy, he's still glorified and not in a way that's meaningful, it's like they try to make him out like he's a good guy, which I think is pretty crappy). I still don't know why it's so high on the list. I just have to think it's even on there because it was such a departure for Wayne, in particular. (Crappy movie - makes me want to read Cormac McCarthy for that super gritty bloody stuff in which the bad are bad, even when they're good, and there isn't any fluff over it.)

Ugh, OK, I really do need to go through the list more.

The Searchers is more regarded for its technique - its craft - than its story. It is the Velvet Underground of modern cinema - a work that is at least as significant for its great influence on a generation of filmmakers.

And yes, big departure for Ford and Wayne. And that redemption scene is one of the most resonant in all of cinema.

[Alex]

Not for me. Just feels phony. Now if he'd killed her, that would resonate.

[blueerica]

Bleh... but I can see that.

The least SAG could have done for The Searchers would be to find more real Injuns... ;)

I should stop now.

[mousepod]

I generally like this list, but I don't take it any more seriously than the kind of lists that appear over and over in places like Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone. First of all, by its very definition, it omits non-American movies. In recent years, Rules of the Game has beaten Citizen Kane in many international lists. Secondly, a list like this will have absolutely no impact on my movie watching (or rewatching) except to perhaps remind me that I haven't seen Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in a zillion years, and might be a worthwhile way to kill a couple of hours.

One thing that I do find interesting about the list is that there are many directors who make multiple appearances. Almost half of my DVD collection is organized by director, and it strikes me that there are surprisingly few great artists out there.

[Gemini Cricket]

Wow GC likes the whole list. Wait maybe he made the list, hmm;)
Ha. To clarify, I'd watch those films over and over. Not all are on my list. ;)

[Snowflake]

Overall a decent list, but I'm in the camp of splitting out the list, pre-1960 and post-1960.

I'm with Alex, All About Eve, needs to be higher, I'd rank it in the top 5.

Besides, splitting the list up, I agree with the addition of foreign films, they are under-represented. I always ask myself, WHO is the AFI polling among the people in the business?

Anyway, it's a fun bit of fluff to mull over, but this harkens back to thread about popular=good, and I see a lot of popular on this list (and much of it good) at least in my august opinion.;)

[Not Afraid]

I'd like to see a similar list of just non-American films. Or, a combo top 100.

[Alex]

I'd be more interested in seeing the same list (top 100 American films) compiled by a foreign electorate. It would be interesting to see how the list might vary between a German group of compilers vs. Italian vs. Japanese, etc.

[Gemini Cricket]

I'd like to see a similar list of just non-American films. Or, a combo top 100.
I was thinking the same thing.
:)

[Strangler Lewis]

How about the top 100 underrated movies? Is such a thing conceptually possible?

[innerSpaceman]

Yes, as a matter of fact it is. And I LOVE the thought of rating the underrated movies!

[Alex]

What does underrated mean?

The general consensus of how good a movie is is less than it actually is? (e.g.: Legally Blonde is generally dismissed as fluff but it is actually a pretty good movie!)

The number of people who have seen a movie is disproportionately low compared to how well regarded it is by those who have seen it?
(e.g.: A Simple Plan was one of the best movies of the 1990s but only 4,000 people ever saw it)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Just as the AFI list uses actual film-making quality (as much as such a subjective term can be pinned down with the word "actual") AND cultural/industry impact AND commercial success as ranking factors, I think both of those two definitions would be viably used in compiling such a list.

[mousepod]

Sight & Sound has been doing an international critics poll every ten years since 1952. The latest list (from 2002), which can be found here (http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics-long.html), shakes out like this (this is the list, in order, of all movies which received more than four votes):

1. Citizen Kane (Welles)
2. Vertigo (Hitchcock)
3. La Régle du jeu (Renoir)
4. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II (Coppola)
5. Tokyo Story (Ozu)
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick)
7. Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein)
7. Sunrise (Murnau)
9. 8 1/2 (Fellini)
10. Singin' in the Rain (Kelly, Donen)
11. Seven Samurai (Kurosawa)
11. The Searchers (Ford)
13. Rashomon (Kurosawa)
14. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer)
15. A bout de souffle (Godard)
15. L'Atalante (Vigo)
15. The General (Keaton)
15. Touch of Evil (Welles)
19. Au hasard Balthazar (Bresson)
19. Jules et Jim (Truffaut)
19. L'avventura (Antonioni)
22. Le Mépris (Godard)
22. Pather Panchali (Ray)
24. La dolce vita (Fellini)
24. M (Lang)
24. The Story of the Late Chrysanthemums (Mizoguchi)
27. Barry Lyndon (Kubrick)
27. Les Enfants du paradis (Carné)
27. Ivan the Terrible (Eisenstein)
27. Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov)
27. Metropolis (Lang)
27. Some Like It Hot (Wilder)
27. Ugetsu Monogatari (Mizoguchi)
27. Wild Strawberries (Bergman)
35. Andrei Roublev (Tarkovsky)
35. The 400 Blows (Truffaut)
35. Fanny and Alexander (Bergman)
35. La Grande Illusion (Renoir)
35. The Magnificent Ambersons (Welles)
35. Modern Times (Chaplin)
35. Psycho (Hitchcock)
35. The Seventh Seal (Bergman)
35. Taxi Driver (Scorsese)
35. The Third Man (Reed)
45. Bicycle Thieves (De Sica)
45. Blade Runner (Scott)
45. City Lights (Chaplin)
45. Greed (von Stroheim)
45. Intolerance (Griffith)
45. Lawrence of Arabia (Lean)
45. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Ophuls)
45. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Ford)
45. Mirror (Tarkovsky)
45. Ordet (Dreyer)
45. Pierrot le fou (Godard)
45. Rio Bravo (Hawks)
45. Sansho Dayu (Mizoguchi)
45. Shoah (Lanzmann)
45. The Travelling Players (Angelopoulos)
45. Two or Three Things I Know about Her (Godard)

[innerSpaceman]

Hmmm, I skimmed that, but I sensed a definite trend towards ignorning everything after 1975.

[Strangler Lewis]

What does underrated mean?

The general consensus of how good a movie is is less than it actually is? (e.g.: Legally Blonde is generally dismissed as fluff but it is actually a pretty good movie!)

The number of people who have seen a movie is disproportionately low compared to how well regarded it is by those who have seen it?
(e.g.: A Simple Plan was one of the best movies of the 1990s but only 4,000 people ever saw it)

I would think more the latter than the former. And I loved "A Simple Plan."
I'll throw out two favorite underrated (or under radar) movies: "Five Corners," and "Once Around." For a "bigger" picture that I don't think got anywhere near the recognition it deserved, I'll go with "Everybody's All American."

[Not Afraid]

I like this Sight and Sound list! There are a few I haven't seen and probably should.

[Gemini Cricket]

I love The Magnificent Ambersons.
Is it on DVD yet?

[mousepod]

I love The Magnificent Ambersons.
Is it on DVD yet?

I hear it's coming soon in the US - I have a decent French DVD.

http://www.wellesnet.com/magamfrdvd.jpg

[Gemini Cricket]

I hear it's coming soon in the US - I have a decent French DVD.

http://www.wellesnet.com/magamfrdvd.jpg

Oooooh!

:)

[€uroMeinke]

The Cemetery needs a Fellini night

[Sub la Goon]

They need a couple of Indie films thrown in - like Stranger Than Paradise or Reservoir Dogs (so much more of an impact on the culture and industry than Pulp Fiction, IMHO).

These are the ones that opened up the medium to the sleeper, low budget hits like The Blair Witch Project, Little Miss Sunshine, et al.

This is Spinal Tap should also be there somewhere and (to vaporize any credibility I may have gained) a Bond film just for good measure.

[blueerica]

Hmm... Rating the underrated movies... Wouldn't that cancel out their underratedness?

[Not Afraid]

3. La Régle du jeu (Renoir)
4. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II (Coppola)
5. Tokyo Story (Ozu)
7. Sunrise (Murnau)
9. 8 1/2 (Fellini)
11. The Searchers (Ford)
13. Rashomon (Kurosawa)
14. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer)
15. A bout de souffle (Godard)
15. L'Atalante (Vigo)
15. The General (Keaton)
15. Touch of Evil (Welles)
19. Au hasard Balthazar (Bresson)
19. Jules et Jim (Truffaut)
19. L'avventura (Antonioni)
22. Le Mépris (Godard)
22. Pather Panchali (Ray)
24. La dolce vita (Fellini)
24. M (Lang)
24. The Story of the Late Chrysanthemums (Mizoguchi)
27. Barry Lyndon (Kubrick)
27. Les Enfants du paradis (Carné)
27. Ivan the Terrible (Eisenstein)
27. Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov)
27. Ugetsu Monogatari (Mizoguchi)
27. Wild Strawberries (Bergman)
35. Andrei Roublev (Tarkovsky)
35. The 400 Blows (Truffaut)
35. Fanny and Alexander (Bergman) A top 10 for me, and I don't own it.
35. La Grande Illusion (Renoir)
35. The Magnificent Ambersons (Welles)
35. Modern Times (Chaplin)
35. The Seventh Seal (Bergman)
45. Bicycle Thieves (De Sica)
45. City Lights (Chaplin)
45. Greed (von Stroheim)
45. Intolerance (Griffith)
45. Lawrence of Arabia (Lean)
45. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Ophuls)
45. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Ford)
45. Mirror (Tarkovsky)
45. Ordet (Dreyer)
45. Pierrot le fou (Godard)
45. Rio Bravo (Hawks)
45. Sansho Dayu (Mizoguchi)
45. Shoah (Lanzmann)
45. The Travelling Players (Angelopoulos)
45. Two or Three Things I Know about Her (Godard)



Can I just add this list to my Amazon Wish List? Or, can MousePod move down here this evening?

There are many on this list I SHOULD own and don't and other I need to see.

[Not Afraid]

Here's a short list of films I really like that don't seem to "make lists".

The Professional
La Lectrice
La Femme Nikita
Antonia's Line
Sheltering Sky
Lolita
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Until The End of the World
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover
Blue Velvet
Fargo
Hannah and Her Sisters
Interiors
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
The Dreamers
Cinema Paradiso
Persona
Dangerous Liaisons

[Gemini Cricket]

Good list, NA! :)
Jean Du Florette and Manon of Spring Are Great, too.
I also enjoyed Central Station, City of Lost Children and My Father's Glory. I also have a soft spot for Enchanted April.

[blueerica]

I remember the first time I watched Blue Velvet - a truly unforgettable experience!

[Not Afraid]

I think we should come up with the LoT 100 in no apparent order.

[blueerica]

Oooh, that might be fun...

Now, who would compile it?

[Alex]

NA, Fargo was on the AFI list the first time around.

I've been meaning to give The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover another go for years. I saw it when I was 19 or so and absolutely hated it.

[€uroMeinke]

Oooh, that might be fun...

Now, who would compile it?

wiki?

[Ghoulish Delight]

I remember the first time I watched Blue Velvet - a truly unforgettable experience!Wish I could say the same. I was apparently waaay to loaded the first time around. When I saw it again recently, most of it was familiar to me, but I would never have been able to recall any of it spontaneously.

re: Pulp Fiction vs. Resevoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, no contest. Not that I don't love RD, but to me, Pulp Fiction upped the ante. And for at least 5 years afterwards I felt like I hardly saw a movie that didn't have some fingerprint of PF in it.

[innerSpaceman]

Ditto that exactly, re RD v. PF and 1st time BV.

[flippyshark]

I'm afraid Reservoir Dogs annoyed me on first viewing. I just couldn't understand why all my (mostly guy) friends were so crazy for it. But then, Pulp Fiction rocked my world, so I went back and gave RD another try. I liked it a lot better the second time around. Since then, I've liked everything I've seen from Tarentino, with the recent (and strong) exception of Death Proof.

As much as I've appreciated what Quentin has brought to the cultural picnic table, I've found most of the imitators irritating, and have occasionally rued the influence QT has had on his peers.

Oh, and I loved Blue Velvet so much, I've been afraid to revisit it, lest it turn out not to hold up.

[mousepod]

I like Tarantino, too. In the context of this discussion of great films, I wonder where Tarantino fits, though? Is he an innovator, a thief of greatness, or something in between?

There are a couple of interesting short films that show some of Tarantino's filmic inspirations. Who Do You Think You're Fooling? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScR6_l2-Fmk)and You're Still Not Fooling Anybody (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVd_oxuAuQc). Worth checking out.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I like Tarantino, too. In the context of this discussion of great films, I wonder where Tarantino fits, though? Is he an innovator, a thief of greatness, or something in between? I'll defer to my more filmgeeky friends on this, but I figure Tarantino is a lot like Lucas in that regard. Lucas is a thief on many levels, but the innovation comes in putting the influences together in a new package that the current generation connects with. I have no problem calling both Tarantino and Lucas innovators. The film world would be far different without them.

[mousepod]

I just found this site: They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (http://www.theyshootpictures.com/gf1000.htm)

Simply put, it's a list of the 1,000 greatest films "As voted by 1,320 critics, reviewers, scholars, filmmakers and other likely film types."

It was updated last December.

Get watching!

[Not Afraid]

This is going to take some perusing. However, the "In" list alone has some things on it that I haven't seen.

[Not Afraid]

So, I downloaded the list to Excel, added columns for Chris and myself, and now we're going through the list checking off what we've seen. This is my kind of list!

[flippyshark]

Woo hoo, my favorite film is number 4 on the list! (2001)
Jaws, however, is back at number 136 or so.

My man Stanley scores four titles in the top 100. (2001, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon and A Clockwork Orange) Lyndon's high ranking is a bit of a surprise to me, as I've always thought it an underappreciated film, but there it is.

[innerSpaceman]

Is there some sort of direct link to the thousand list??

I was so "oh, of course" about 90% of the "In" list, and only sad about 1% of the "Out" list ..... so I'd sure like to see the whole list.

[mousepod]

Here's the link to the thousand movies (http://www.theyshootpictures.com/gf1000_rankingorder.htm). The "In" and "Out" lists just represent movies that were added or dropped from the 1000 between the March 2006 compilation and the one put together nine months later.

[innerSpaceman]

Yeah, but since I was very supportive of the additions and none too sorry about the deletions, I got the impression the full list would meet with my important approval.


Now to find out if that's actually true...

[Not Afraid]

It's a fantastic list! I could stay at home for several weeks and watch things that I probably should have seen already. It's come to my attention that there are more than a few directors that I need to have a more complete understanding of; Cassavetes, Ray, Antonioni, and Hawks as well as a few other than need expanded viewing ; Fellini, Truffaut, Goddard, Buneul,. Rossellini, Roeg and Kurosawa. I found it interesting which directors I'm pretty "schooled" on. Who knew?

[€uroMeinke]

So Mousepod, will you and Heather play Scheherazade and entertain us with a 1001 nights of fabulous cinema?

[Strangler Lewis]

So Mousepod, will you and Heather play Scheherazade and entertain us with a 1001 nights of fabulous cinema?

You have to threaten to kill them first.

[mousepod]

Well, once the movers show up with the TV, we should get down to some serious movie watching. Do we start at the top and work our way down, start at the bottom and work our way up, or have GD build us a simple random number generator and work our way through...?

[BarTopDancer]

Does this mean you are all moved?

[mousepod]

Not moved yet. I just came back from Amoeba - sold about 80% of my heavy heavy laserdiscs - still sorting through all our stuff...

H is flying down on Sunday for her first week at work. I stay behind to deal with the movers, who are coming next Tues-Thurs. On Friday (the 31st), Heather flies back to SF after work, and we drive down to LA at the crack of dawn on Saturday.

Now, to underail (re-rail?): I'm planning on using my Amoeba credit to start filling in the gaps in my collection from this new list... so many movies, so little time!

[RStar]

Well, once the movers show up with the TV, we should get down to some serious movie watching.

Does this mean you are all moved?

Does this mean you still have a TV? I thought you sold everything before the move? ;)