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100 Greatest American Films

created by slappyjack

(idea) by slappyjack (4.2 mon) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Sat Apr 29 2000 at 2:49:31

This is the list of them 100 Greatest American Films that was chosen a year or so ago.

Feel free to start playing, praising, and bitching.

  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. 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 & CLYDE (1967)
  28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
  29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
  30. 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. 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 & THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
  50. BUTCH CASSIDY & 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)
I by the way, have only seen 47 of these films. i know. i suck

(thing) by Xamot (10.6 mon) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Fri May 05 2000 at 4:57:08

This list was created by the AFI (American Film Institute) in 1998. 1998 was the 100 year aniversery of the first American film. So in honor of this great occasion the AFI picked the 100 greatest films of the first 100 years of movies. I have this list hanging on my wall. I try to rent something off it that I haven't seen every now and then. I've probably seen half the movies on it.

This list caused much controversy at the time it was released (and by the other writeups here it still does). As some people's favorite movies were not included or something they hated was.

Really this is just one group's opinion of what the greatest movies were. You are still free to have your own opinion nobody is stoping you. Greatest is such a subjective word.

(thing) by ximenez (2.2 mon) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Mon Jul 17 2000 at 20:05:23

For comparison, here's the analagous list taken from the Internet Movie Database as it stood in July 1998, when the AFI list was released. I took out all the foreign movies and any movie made after 1997, so that only movies eligible for the AFI list are included. This obviously leaves out some current favorites like The Matrix and Lord of the Rings. For what it's worth, it seems to me that a "greatest ever" movie has to show lasting influence, and there are very few movies made in the 90's that are obviously going to stand the test of time. If someone wanted to post the list as it's changed since 1998, that might be an interesting exercise.

  1. Godfather, The (1972)
  2. Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
  3. Schindler's List (1993)
  4. Casablanca (1942)
  5. Citizen Kane (1941)
  6. Star Wars (1977)
  7. Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
  8. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
  9. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
  10. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  11. Rear Window (1954)
  12. Usual Suspects, The (1995)
  13. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  14. Psycho (1960)
  15. Pulp Fiction (1994)
  16. Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
  17. North by Northwest (1959)
  18. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
  19. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
  20. 12 Angry Men (1957)
  21. Goodfellas (1990)
  22. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
  23. Vertigo (1958)
  24. L.A. Confidential (1997)
  25. Paths of Glory (1957)
  26. Taxi Driver (1976)
  27. Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
  28. Third Man, The (1949)
  29. Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
  30. Apocalypse Now (1979)
  31. Raging Bull (1980)
  32. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
  33. Chinatown (1974)
  34. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
  35. All About Eve (1950)
  36. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
  37. Some Like It Hot (1959)
  38. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
  39. Double Indemnity (1944)
  40. Clockwork Orange, A (1971)
  41. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
  42. Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
  43. Braveheart (1995)
  44. Alien (1979)
  45. Fargo (1996)
  46. Blade Runner (1982)
  47. Sting, The (1973)
  48. Amadeus (1984)
  49. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
  50. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
  51. Touch of Evil (1958)
  52. Ran (1985)
  53. Jaws (1975)
  54. Modern Times (1936)
  55. On the Waterfront (1954)
  56. City Lights (1931)
  57. Annie Hall (1977)
  58. Aliens (1986)
  59. Duck Soup (1933)
  60. Sling Blade (1996)
  61. General, The (1927)
  62. African Queen, The (1951)
  63. Princess Bride, The (1987)
  64. Glory (1989)
  65. Great Escape, The (1963)
  66. Graduate, The (1967)
  67. C'era una volta il West (1969)
  68. Strangers on a Train (1951)
  69. Se7en (1995)
  70. High Noon (1952)
  71. Deer Hunter, The (1978)
  72. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
  73. Ben-Hur (1959)
  74. Philadelphia Story, The (1940)
  75. Great Dictator, The (1940)
  76. Shining, The (1980)
  77. Rebecca (1940)
  78. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
  79. Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946)
  80. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
  81. Notorious (1946)
  82. Gone with the Wind (1939)
  83. It Happened One Night (1934)
  84. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  85. Searchers, The (1956)
  86. Grapes of Wrath, The (1940)
  87. Manhattan (1979)
  88. Big Sleep, The (1946)
  89. Apartment, The (1960)
  90. Night of the Hunter, The (1955)
  91. Patton (1970)
  92. Gold Rush, The (1925)
  93. Christmas Story, A (1983)
  94. Good Will Hunting (1997)
  95. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
  96. Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)
  97. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
  98. Die Hard (1988)
  99. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
  100. Toy Story (1995)
A number of other movies are listed as having the same rating as the bottom bunch of this top 100 (7.8, in case you're curious). I've included them in the "honorable mention" category.

printable version
chaos

Citizen Kane The Princess Bride Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb An Artistic Analysis of 2001: A Space Odyssey
Pulp Fiction The Graduate On the Waterfront Casablanca
Modern Library's 100 Best Books: Fiction The Bridge on the River Kwai movie Lawrence of Arabia
2001: A Space Odyssey One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The Godfather The Shawshank Redemption
A Clockwork Orange M*A*S*H Orson Welles Unforgiven
The Maltese Falcon Taxi Driver Raging Bull Schindler's List
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