AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they updated the Top 100 ... I guess because they ran out of lists.
Frankly I think all of these lists are a little silly, but they do spark a lot of movie discussion and therefore I'm all for 'em. Seems a bit unnecessary to update a list that's barely ten years old, but hey, you do what you have to do to get the viewers interested. I'll post the new list below, but if you'd like to compare it to the original Top 100, you can check our source below.
And definitely feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and outrage regarding the big list. There's a lot of movies out there, so please do toss your lists out, too. (The one below came from a list of 1,500 filmmakers, writers, actors, critics, and "others.")
At the very least, this list should give you a good idea of how to fill up your Netflix queue.
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.
Grr. I'm annoyed that neither of my all-time favorites (those would be "Alien" and "Young Frankenstein") made the list. Oh well.
Be honest: How many of 'em have you seen?
Source: SeattlePI.com
Frankly I think all of these lists are a little silly, but they do spark a lot of movie discussion and therefore I'm all for 'em. Seems a bit unnecessary to update a list that's barely ten years old, but hey, you do what you have to do to get the viewers interested. I'll post the new list below, but if you'd like to compare it to the original Top 100, you can check our source below.
And definitely feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and outrage regarding the big list. There's a lot of movies out there, so please do toss your lists out, too. (The one below came from a list of 1,500 filmmakers, writers, actors, critics, and "others.")
At the very least, this list should give you a good idea of how to fill up your Netflix queue.
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.
Grr. I'm annoyed that neither of my all-time favorites (those would be "Alien" and "Young Frankenstein") made the list. Oh well.
Be honest: How many of 'em have you seen?
Source: SeattlePI.com
Related Items
(1-20 of 103 posts) | Reply
 on Jun 22 2007 07:41 AM I never did "get" all the raves for Citizen Kane. Then again I was forced to watch it over and over for a film class. As for GWTW, someone should have edited it a bit shorter! (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 07:46 AM [b]So they redid the list just to add Fellowship[/b] lame Can we wait until the decade is over where they add a couple of more movies (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 07:51 AM Still disagree with "Citizen Kane" being No. 1. It should have been "The Godfather." Liked to see "Raging Bull" as No. 4, but I don't know if that truly is a No. 4. "Goodfellas" at 92?!?! What's worse than that, both "Titanic" and "The Sixth Sense" both rank above both that AND "Pulp Fiction." My personal top 10 would go something like this: 1. The Godfather 2. Taxi Driver 3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 4. The Godfather Pt. II 5. Pulp Fiction 6. Goodfellas 7. Rocky 8. Apocalypse Now 9. Fight Club 10. Savig Private Ryan Maybe not the most original list, but those are just the movies I believe are some of the best overall and most original (even though six are based at least partly on novels...). I'm sure others will have lists, but as far as overall entertainment, I think my list is all right. Beats the hell outta AFI to me... (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 07:52 AM [b]i've seen 73 of 'em...[/b] got to catch that "Cabaret," I've heard it's good. I've seen 73 of 'em. Obviously i've seen some of them 20 times. American Film Institute is pretty awesome in www (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 08:31 AM Requiem For a Dream is, in my opinion one of the greatest scores of all time and deserves to be on that best score list somewhere. -MIKE (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 08:41 AM HERE IT GOES – MY TOP 10: 1) The Godfather; 2) Citizen Kane; 3) Gone with the Wind; 4) Casablanca; 5) To Kill a Mockingbird; 6) The Wizard of Oz; 7) On the Waterfront; 8) Singin’ in the Rain; 9) It’s a Wonderful Life; and 10) Schindler’s List. No apologies – each is ground breaking and has lasted the test of time. Lots of bullets and blood, some dancing, and all have enormous energy generated by great acting and this thing called pace or rhythm (seamlessly structured by the director) that once you get caught in the stream, it doesn’t let you go and you’re swept into this plane that forces you to look at life or the human condition in a different way. That’s a great movie. The ’97 list was not perfect, but better than the ’07 list. Twenty-three films were dismissed from the original top 100, and though some from the lower 50 were on shaky ground from the start (Fargo, The Third Man, Dances with Wolves, etc.), I can’t grasp the rationale of dismissing Doctor Zhivago, Birth of a Nation, From Here to Eternity, Fantasia, Stagecoach, Mutiny on the Bounty or Patton. I can accept the trade-off between Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner for In the Heat of the Night, or My Fair Lady for Cabaret. But as much as I like Toy Story, there’s no trade-off with Fantasia – this movie is a standard for all animation movies. I understand that ballots decide the list, but I hope the list doesn’t become a carousel for the flavor of the day. Also, how does The Searchers move up 84 spots (good movie, but not #12 or better than Stagecoach). The love affair with James Dean is gone with the exist of both Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. Only one film remains of teenage angst: American Graffiti (and I hope Saturday Night Fever joins the list). Some films in the current list will not last the test of time, but I guess I’ll have to wait 10 years to find out. On a side note: I have always thought that Deliverance should be on the top 100 – the struggle between right and wrong, man and nature; intellect versus brawn; and that MUSIC! Some of the best lines in movie history! Check it out for yourself – the movie holds up. (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 09:39 AM The Sixth Sense ahead of Pulp Fiction?? and the Sixth Sense on the list?? (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 09:40 AM Having just watched Raging Bull yesterday, I have no idea how it leaped up the list like that. I mean, it's an excellent movie - but no better than other excellent movies like Ray, if comparing to biopics, or Million Dollar Baby, if comparing to fight films, or Shawshank or American Beauty or Amadeus or any other excellent movie that doesn't belong in the top 10. (Reply to this) |
 on Jun 22 2007 10:17 AM Not the best top ten list, just my favourites: 1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. (Okay sue me; three movies, but really only one story) 2. The Godfather 3. Citizen Kane 4. Casablanca 5. Gone With The Wind 6. Patton 7. To Kill a Mockingbird 8. Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 9. Pulp Fiction 10. Star Wars Most over rated movie on the AFI list: 'Wizard of Oz' (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 10:56 AM I'd like to have seen Galaxy Quest in at LEAST the top 30. (Reply to this) |
 on Jun 22 2007 11:32 AM I saw Citizen Kane and I didn't like it so, I instantly disagree with the list. Where is Patton, Amadeus, Doctor Zhivago, All Quiet on the Western Front?. And I'm mad as hell because Ben Hur was ranked 100. The list sucks. (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 11:46 AM Raiders of the Lost Ark still the best blend of art and entertainment and the most enjoyable film I've ever seen bar none. (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 11:50 AM In reply to this comment (#870702) Gotta agree with you on Raging Bull. Saw it again recenetly. Great, great movie. Not a number 4 of all time though. Not even close. (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 11:54 AM In reply to this comment (#870709) Haha are you kidding me? (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 11:57 AM In reply to this comment (#870706) Ditto. It was pretty damn good the first time you see it, but it doesn't really hold up THAT well on repeat viewing. Also, a Rotten Tomatoes guy getting annoyed by a group constantly adding and updating top movie lists. Anyone else see something wrong with that? (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 12:04 PM In reply to this comment (#870704) You faux-intellectual film student pin-head (because what good is a message board without some personal attacks?). [i]Requiem For a Dream[/i] is the trendy, "hip" score for young film geeks to love (the movie too), but people with a broad knowledge of movie music know better. It's obviously got a strong motif, but it's underdeveloped. If you like Requiem, I suggest you check out some music by Carter Burwell - particularly [i]Fargo[/i] and [i]Adaptation[/i]. Kronos Quartet also did a fine job with the Philip Glas [i]Dracula[/i] score. (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 12:14 PM In reply to this comment (#870716) Since we're on the subject, you come off a tad bit pretentious yourself. (Reply to this) |
 on Jun 22 2007 12:14 PM Are you telling me only 1 movie made after 1990 is in the top 50???????!!??! Thats ridiculous! (Reply to this) |
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on Jun 22 2007 12:22 PM I personally enjoy these sorts of lists since they provide a great way to start seeking out new movies to see. Always keep copies of such lists to check off in my own records. Of course I enjoy the debates as to the rankings of certain films. However, I notice that especially in such discussion, many people overlook some of the significant information surrounding the production, audience, and historical context surrounding the film. I think this has to do a great deal with the rise of "Raging Bull" to No. 4 on the list, since it remained true to the autuer style of film making in an era where the blockbuster was gripping the movie economy. For a better understanding of the film's significance check out the documentary and book "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" a great survey of 60s and 70s autuer film making. As for those complaints about "The Sixth Sense," remember the cultural frenzy the film whipped up - before we had a number of other Shamalayn films repeating the same formula repeatedly. And if you really have issues, just wait another 10 years and see what happens! (Reply to this) |
 on Jun 22 2007 01:16 PM Blade Runner is #97. That's cool, but it probably won't be in the top 100 10 years from now. I swear I thought Star Wars moved up from 15 to 13. Maybe it's always been 13. (Reply to this) |
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