AFI's 100 Top American Films, Part II

My personal pick is too personal. No way folks would agree with me.

"Glen or Glenda" ?

I really don't like the AFI's list. I don't believe that the movies are picked based on merit at all.

It is only by some perverted sense of loyalty to the classics that these old movies continue to stay on the pedestals they no longer deserve.

You can pick any arbitrarily good movie, it doesn't matter how good it is, and if you wait long enough eventually some day an overall better movie will be made.

The fact that we still have movies from the 1940's on this list is, in my opinion, a significant red flag that indicates just how stubbornly the critics have continue to cling to these original big hitters without giving the credit that is due to new masterpieces.

No Alfred Hitchcock movies??

There's only a small percentage of actual film critics in AFI -- if anything, the voting body nearly matches the Oscars, which is why the top ten films of the international film critics doesn't come close to matching AFI. Of course, there's several foreign films on that list which aren't qualified on the AFI list.
The sad fact the decade of the 1980's, or the Reagan Era, was probably Hollywood's worst and it hasn't fully recovered. We get copy-cat blockbusters, some wanna-be blockbusters, a lot of teeny-booper level crap (that's who seems to haunt the multiplexes these days) and this makes the classics through the 1940's look even better. On both the critic's list and the AFI list, however, there is a significant match -- "Citizen Kane" as number one.

"Vertigo" is number 2 directly behind "Citizen Kane" on the international critics top ten films. It was, I believe, in the original list in the top twenty. but I'd have to review it.

The list from ten years ago:

"Psycho" was in the top twenty, "Vertigo" nearly a third of the way down.

The Complete List:

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)



The question is which films would you remove and what films are missing?

REmove
Godfather
Lawrence of Arabia
One Flew ove Cuckoos Nest
2001 Space Odyssey
Apocalypse Now
Godfather II
Dr Zhivago
North by Northwest
Butch Cassidy and Sundance
The Sound of Music
Tootsie
Forrest Gump
The Deer Hunter

Why?

My personal judgement they are flawed in ways that make me not want to see them so honored.

You've picked some great movies.
How is "Tootsie" flawed?

No Hitchcock or Betty Davis movies on the top 10?

The BFI Sight and Sound poll from 2002 with "Vertigo" as number two. No Bette Davis on that poll either -- but you might find one in the extended list link on the site:


http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics.html


No fair listing what should be taken out with a list of what should be in the list. No film is perfect, but those which some perceived as flawed often contain a visceral epiphany that is timeless. It's all, of course, subjective with film being a collaborative effort. What made the voters vote for the film. The BFI link has a list of the critics who voted for each of their top ten. The director's top ten varies from the critic's top ten. I don't believe that AFI, and I could be biased as being a member, vote classics back on the list because they don't recognize there's some better films made since then. Unfortunately, there haven't been a lot of **** films or films which can be called masterpieces since 1980. Like "Crash," which has virtually sunk into oblivion and is already in the $ 7.95 bargain bin.

New masterpieces? What new masterpieces? Maybe you're just disappointed that no Adam Sandler movies made it on the list.

Exactly -- the handful of new nominations for the final 100 on June 20th found slim pickings in newer films. I can agree with that. The qualification AFI has on the list is that the film was pivotal in film history, so naturally a lot of old classic are going to be there. What film in the last thirty or so years could be dubbed pivotal? Not many. Lot's of remakes, special effects copy-cat action films, teeny-bopper drek, et al.

All the films voted for by the critics which the top ten was gleaned from based on most voted for:



The films voted for by all voters in the top ten poll were:

Title Director

À bout de souffle Godard
A.I. Artificial Intelligence Spielberg
Accattone Pasolini
Ace in the Hole Wilder
The Addiction Ferrara
The African Queen Huston
L'Age d'or Buñuel
The Age of Innocence Scorsese
Aguirre, Wrath of God Herzog
Ai no corrida Oshima
Alexander Nevsky Eisenstein
Alice in the Cities Wenders
All about Eve Mankiewicz
All about My Mother Almodóvar
All Quiet on the Western Front Milestone
All That Heaven Allows Sirk
Alphaville Godard
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf Carax
Amarcord Fellini
America America Kazan
American Graffiti Lucas
The American Soldier Fassbinder
Amores perros González Iñárritu
An Angel at My Table Campion
An Autumn Afternoon Ozu
Anatomy of a Murder Preminger
And Life Goes On... Kiarostami
And the Ship Sails On Fellini
Andaz Khan
Andrei Roublev Tarkovsky
Angel Lubitsch
Angels with Dirty Faces Curtiz
Annie Hall Allen
Antonia's Line Gorris
Antonio das Mortes Rocha
Aparajito S. Ray
The Apartment Wilder
Apocalypse Now Coppola
The Apple S. Makhmalbaf
The Apu Trilogy S. Ray
Arabian Nights Pasolini
L'Argent Bresson
L'Argent L'Herbier
Artists and Models Tashlin
Ashes and Diamonds Wajda
Ashes of Time Wong
L'Atalante Vigo
Atanarjuat The Fast Runner Kunuk
Au hasard Balthazar Bresson
L'avventura Antonioni
Awara Kapoor
The Awful Truth McCarey
Baby Doll Kazan
Back to the Future Zemeckis
Bad Day at Black Rock J. Sturges
Badlands Malick
Baiju Bawra Bhatt
Ballad of Little Jo Greenwald
Bande à part Godard
Barry Lyndon Kubrick
Barton Fink Coen
Bashu, The Little Stranger Beyzaï
The Battle of Algiers Pontecorvo
Battleship Potemkin Eisenstein
Becky Sharp Mamoulian
Behind the Green Door Mitchell
The Bellboy Lewis
Belle de jour Buñuel
La Belle et la Bête Cocteau
La Belle Noiseuse Rivette
Berlin Alexanderplatz Fassbinder
Berlin, Symphony of a City Ruttmann
Besieged Bertolucci
The Best Years of Our Lives Wyler
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Lang
Bicycle Thieves De Sica
The Big Heat Lang
The Big Sleep Hawks
Bigger Than Life N. Ray
The Birds Hitchcock
The Birth of a Nation Griffith
Bitter Coffee Karya
Black God, White Devil Rocha
Black Hawk Down Scott
Black Narcissus Powell, Pressburger
Blade Runner Scott
Blind Chance Kieslowski
Block-Heads Blystone
A Blonde in Love Forman
Blowup Antonioni
Blue Jarman
Blue Velvet Lynch
Bob le flambeur Melville
Bogeyman Aravindan
Bonnie and Clyde Penn
Boom! Losey
Boy Oshima
The Boy with Green Hair Losey
Boys Don't Cry Peirce
Brainstorm Conrad
Branded to Kill Suzuki
Brazil Gilliam
Breaking the Waves von Trier
Bride of Frankenstein Whale
The Bridge on the River Kwai Lean
Brief Encounter Lean
A Brighter Summer Day Yang
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Peckinpah
Bringing Up Baby Hawks
Brink of Life Bergman
Broadway Danny Rose Allen
Broken Blossoms Griffith
Brother Kitano
The Brothers Karamazov Brooks
Burnt by the Sun Mikhalkov
Butterflies and Flowers Mukdasanit
By the Bluest of Seas Barnet
Cabeza de vaca Echevarria
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Wiene
Cairo Station Chahine
The Cameraman Sedgwick
A Canterbury Tale Powell, Pressburger
Captain Blood Curtiz
Car Wash Schultz
Careful Maddin
Carmen Jones Preminger
Carrie De Palma
Casablanca Curtiz
Casanova Fellini
Casino Scorsese
Casque d'or Becker
Cat People Tourneur
Cattle Queen of Montana Dwan
Ceddo Sembéne
Celine and Julie Go Boating Rivette
The Celluloid Closet Epstein
Central Station Salles
Charulata S. Ray
The Chelsea Girls Warhol
Un Chien andalou Buñuel
Chimes at Midnight Welles
Chinatown Polanski
Chungking Express Wong
Chunhyang Im
El Cid A. Mann
Cinema Paradiso Tornatore
The Circus Chaplin
Citizen Kane Welles
City Lights Chaplin
A City of Sadness Hou
Claire's Knee Rohmer
Cleo from 5 to 7 Varda
A Clockwork Orange Kubrick
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Spielberg
Close-up Kiarostami
Closely Observed Trains Menzel
Clouds of May Ceylan
The Clowns Fellini
Un Coeur en hiver Sautet
Coffy Hill
Come and See Klimov
The Conformist Bertolucci
The Conversation Coppola
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover Greenaway
Cries and Whispers Bergman
Le Crime de Monsieur Lange Renoir
Crimes and Misdemeanors Allen
Crows and Sparrows Zheng
Cul-de-Sac Polanski
Culloden Watkins
Daisies Chytilová
Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne Bresson
The Damned Visconti
Dangerous Liaisons Frears
Dawn of the Dead Romero
Day of the Beast Iglesia
Day of the Dead Romero
Day of Wrath Dreyer
Daybreak Sun Yu
Days of Eclipse Sokurov
Days of Heaven Malick
Dazed and Confused Linklater
The Dead Brakhage
Dead Man Jarmusch
Dead Ringers Cronenberg
Death in Venice Visconti
Death of the President Kawalerowicz
Deep Throat Gerard
The Deer Hunter Cimino
Dekalog Kieslowski
Deliverance Boorman
Les Demoiselles de Rochefort Demy
Dersu Uzala Kurosawa
Detour Ulmer
Le Deuxième Souffle Melville
The Devil and the Nun Kawalerowicz
The Devil in Miss Jones Damiano
The Devils K. Russell
Diaries, Notes & Sketches: Walden Mekas
Diary of a Country Priest Bresson
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Buñuel
Distant Voices Still Lives Davies
Do the Right Thing Lee
Do You Remember Dolly Bell? Kusturica
La dolce vita Fellini
Don't Look Back Pennebaker
Don't Look Now Roeg
Double Indemnity Wilder
The Double Life of Véronique Kieslowski
Dr. Strangelove Kubrick
Drifting Clouds Kaurismäki
Duck Soup McCarey
Dune Lynch
Dushi Fengguang Muzhi
Dust Hänsel
8 1/2 Fellini
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Spielberg
Earth Dovzhenko
L'eclisse Antonioni
Édouard et Caroline Becker
Eijanaika Imamura
El Buñuel
Éloge de l'amour Godard
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On Hara
The Empress Yang Kwei-Fei Mizoguchi
L'Enfance nue Pialat
L'Enfant secret Garrel
Les Enfants du paradis Carné
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser Herzog
Eternity and a Day Angelopoulos
Europa von Trier
Europa '51 Rossellini
Exodus McQueen
The Exorcist Friedkin
The Exterminating Angel Buñuel
Eyes Wide Shut Kubrick
Eyes without a Face Franju
F for Fake Welles
Faces Cassavetes
The Fallen Idol Reed
Fanny and Alexander Bergman
Fantasia Sharpsteen, Armstrong et al
Le Fantôme de la liberté Buñuel
Farewell My Concubine Chen
Fargo Coen
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Meyer
Faust Murnau
Fear Eats the Soul Fassbinder
La Femme d'à côté Truffaut
Ferocious Saint Lord of Gobi Nyamgavaa
Ferris Bueller's Day Off Hughes
Fireman's Ball Forman
Fires Were Started Jennings
Fitzcarraldo Herzog
Five Easy Pieces Rafelson
Five Fingers of Death Chang
Flaming Creatures J. Smith
Floating Clouds Naruse
Floating Life Law
Floating Weeds Ozu
Flowers of Shanghai Hou
Forever Amber Preminger
Forrest Gump Zemeckis
The Fountainhead Vidor
The 400 Blows Truffaut
Four Nights of a Dreamer Bresson
Francisca Oliveira
French Cancan Renoir
From Saturday to Sunday Machaty
Full Metal Jacket Kubrick
The General Keaton
Gentleman Jim Walsh
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Hawks
Germany Year Zero Rossellini
Germany, Pale Mother Sanders-Brahms
Gertrud Dreyer
Get Shorty Sonnenfeld
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Mankiewicz
Giant Stevens
Gion Bayashi Mizoguchi
The Girl from Chicago Micheaux
God Told Me To Cohen
The Godfather Coppola
The Godfather and The Godfather Part II Coppola
The Godfather Part II Coppola
The Godfather Trilogy Coppola
Going My Way McCarey
Gold Diggers of 1933 LeRoy
The Gold Rush Chaplin
The Golden Coach Renoir
Goldfinger Hamilton
Gone with the Wind Fleming
Good Morning, Boys! Varnel
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Leone
GoodFellas Scorsese
The Gospel According to St. Matthew Pasolini
Le Goût des autres Jaoui
The Graduate Nichols
La Grande Illusion Renoir
The Grapes of Wrath Ford
Grease Kleiser
The Great Dictator Chaplin
The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner Herzog
The Great Escape J. Sturges
Great Expectations Lean
Greed von Stroheim
The Grissom Gang Aldrich
Groundhog Day Ramis
Gummo Korine
Gunga Din Stevens
Guys and Dolls Mankiewicz
La Haine Kassovitz
Hana-Bi Kitano
The Happiest Days of Your Life Launder
Happiness Medvedkin
Happiness Solondz
Happy Together Wong
Harold and Maude Ashby
The Hawks and the Sparrows Pasolini
He Who Gets Slapped Sjöström
Heaven's Gate Cimino
Heimat Reitz
The Heiress Wyler
Hellzapoppin' Potter
Hi Diddle Diddle Stone
The Hidden Fortress Kurosawa
High and Low Kurosawa
High Noon Zinnemann
The Highway Sun Yu
The Hill Lumet
Hiroshima mon amour Resnais
His Girl Friday Hawks
Hitler: A Film from Germany Syberberg
Holiday Cukor
Hope and Glory Boorman
A hora da estrela Amaral
L'Horloger de Saint-Paul Tavernier
Hôtel du Nord Carné
Hotel Terminus: Klaus Barbie, His Life and Times Ophüls
Hour of the Furnaces Solanas
Hour of the Wolf Bergman
The House Is Black Farokhzad
How Green Was My Valley Ford
Hue and Cry Crichton
Human Desire Lang
I Am Curious, Yellow Sjöman
I vitelloni Fellini
I Walked with a Zombie Tourneur
I Was Born, But... Ozu
I, the Executioner Kato Tai
A idade maior Villaverde
If... Anderson
Ikiru Kurosawa
Il bidone Fellini
Il deserto rosso Antonioni
Il general Della Rovere Rossellini
Il postino Radford
Imitation of Life Sirk
In a Year with Thirteen Moons Fassbinder
In Cold Blood Brooks
In Girum imus nocte et consumimur igni Debord
In the Company of Men LaBute
In the Mood for Love Wong
India Song Duras
Inferno Argento
Ingeborg Holm Sjöström
The Insect Woman Imamura
Intolerance Griffith
It Happened One Night Capra
It's a Wonderful Life Capra
Ivan the Terrible Eisenstein
Ivan the Terrible, Part II Eisenstein
Ivan's Childhood Tarkovsky
J'accuse Gance
Jacob's Ladder Lyne
Jane Campion shorts [Peel/Passionless Moments/A Girl's Own Story] Campion
Jane Eyre Stevenson
Jaws Spielberg
Je, tu, il, elle Akerman
Jeanne Dielman... Akerman
Jerry Maguire Crowe
La Jetée Marker
Jeux interdits Clément
Jimmy Hollywood Levinson
JLG/JLG Godard
Johnny Guitar N. Ray
Jour de fête Tati
Le Jour se lève Carné
Journey to the Lost City Lang
Journeys from Berlin Rainer
Ju Dou Zhang
Jules et Jim Truffaut
Juliet of the Spirits Fellini
Jungle Fever Lee
Kaagaz ke phool Dutt
Kadosh Gitai
Kawachiyama shunso Yamanaka
Kes Loach
Khalnayak Ghai
The Kid Chaplin
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Cassavetes
Kind Hearts and Coronets Hamer
King Kong Cooper, Schoedsack
King Lear Brook
The King of Comedy Scorsese
King Size Canary Avery
King Solomon's Mines Bennett
Kings of the Road Wenders
The Knack... and How to Get It Lester
Komal Gandhar Ghatak
Lacombe Lucien Malle
The Lady Eve P. Sturges
The Lady from Shanghai Welles
The Lady Vanishes Hitchcock
Lamerica Amelio
Lancelot du Lac Bresson
The Land beyond the Sunset Shaw
Land of Silence and Darkness Herzog
The Last Laugh Murnau
The Last Picture Show Bogdanovich
Last Year at Marienbad Resnais
Late Spring Ozu
Laura Preminger
Lawrence of Arabia Lean
Lawrence of Arabia [the recent, expanded version] Lean
The Leopard Visconti
Let's Scare Jessica to Death Hancock
Letter from an Unknown Woman Ophuls
La ley de Herodes Estrada
Liebelei Ophuls
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp Powell, Pressburger
A Life for a Life Bauer
The Life of Oharu Mizoguchi
Light Sleeper Schrader
Limelight Chaplin
Listen to Britain Jennings
Local Hero Forsyth
The Lodger Hitchcock
Lola Demy
Lolita Kubrick
Lolita Lyne
Lone Star Sayles
The Long Day's Dying Collinson
Long Farewells Muratova
Los Olvidados Buñuel
Los Traidores Gleyzer
Lost Highway Lynch
Love Affair McCarey
Love and Death Allen
Love Me Tonight Mamoulian
Love Streams Cassavetes
Loving Couples Zetterling
The Lower Depths Kurosawa
Lucía Solas
Ludwig Visconti
M Lang
Ma nuit chez Maud Rohmer
Maciste all'inferno Freda
Madame de... Ophuls
The Magnificent Ambersons Welles
The Magnificent Seven J. Sturges
Make Way for Tomorrow McCarey
Malcolm X Lee
The Maltese Falcon Huston
La Maman et la putain Eustache
Man Bites Dog Belvaux, Poelvoorde
Man by the Shore Peck
A Man Escaped Bresson
The Man in the White Suit Mackendrick
Man of the West A. Mann
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Ford
Man with a Movie Camera Vertov
Manhattan Allen
Manila by Night; City after Dark Bernal
Markéta Lazarová Vlácil
Marnie Hitchcock
Mary Poppins Stevenson
Masculin féminin Godard
The Matrix Wachowskis
The Mattei Affair Rosi
A Matter of Life and Death Powell, Pressburger
McCabe & Mrs. Miller Altman
Mean Streets Scorsese
Meantime Leigh
Méditerranée Pollet
Meet Me in St. Louis Minnelli
Meghe dhaka tara Ghatak
Le Mélomane Méliès
Memories of Underdevelopment Gutiérrez Alea
Le Mépris Godard
Mercedes Nasrallah
Meshes of the Afternoon Deren
Metropolis Lang
Midnight Cowboy Schlesinger
Mildred Pierce Curtiz
Minamata Tsuchimoto
Miracle in Milan De Sica
Mirror Tarkovsky
The Misfits Huston
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters Schrader
Miss Oyu Mizoguchi
Modern Times Chaplin
A Moment of Innocence M. Makhmalbaf
Mon oncle Tati
Mon père avait raison Guitry
Monsieur Verdoux Chaplin
Monsoon Wedding Nair
Monty Python's Life of Brian Jones
Mother India Mehboob
The Mothering Heart Griffith
Mouchette Bresson
Moulin Rouge Luhrmann
Mughal-e-Azam Asif
Mulholland Dr. Lynch
Muna Moto Dikongue-Pipa
The Music Room S. Ray
My Apprenticeship Donskoi
My Brilliant Career Armstrong
My Darling Clementine Ford
My Life as a Dog Hallström
My Love Has Been Burning Mizoguchi
My Man Godfrey La Cava
My Neighbour Totoro Miyazaki
Mädchen in Uniforme Sagan
1900 Bertolucci
Naked Dawn Ulmer
Nanook of the North Flaherty
Napoléon Gance
Nashville Altman
The Navigator Keaton
Network Lumet
Night and the City Dassin
Night Cries - A Rural Tragedy Moffatt
Night of the Hunter Greene
The Night of the Hunter Laughton
Nights of Cabiria Fellini
Ninotchka Lubitsch
No End Kieslowski
No. 12 [aka Heaven and Earth Magic] Harry Smith
El norte Nava
North by Northwest Hitchcock
Nosferatu Murnau
Nostalgia Tarkovsky
Not Wanted Clifton
Notorious Hitchcock
La notte Antonioni
La notte di San Lorenzo Tavianis
Now, Voyager Rapper
La Nuit américaine Truffaut
La Nuit du carrefour Renoir
The Nun's Story Zinnemann
O Lucky Man! Anderson
October Eisenstein
Odd Man Out Reed
Oedipus Rex Pasolini
The Official Story Puenzo
Okraina Barnet
The Old Actor Griffith
Olympiad Berlin 1936 Riefenstahl
On the Waterfront Kazan
Once upon a Time in America Leone
Once upon a Time in the West Leone
A One and a Two... Yang
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Forman
One, Two, Three Wilder
Only Angels Have Wings Hawks
Opening Night Cassavetes
The Opening of Misty Beethoven Metzger
Opfergang Harlan
The Opposite of Sex Roos
Ordet Dreyer
The Organiser Monicelli
Orlando Potter
Orphée Cocteau
Our Daily Bread Vidor
Our Hospitality Keaton
Out of the Past Tourneur
Out One Rivette
The Outlaw Josey Wales Eastwood
Padre padrone Tavianis
Paisà Rossellini
Pakeezah Amrohi
The Palm Beach Story P. Sturges
Pandora's Box Pabst
The Parallax View Pakula
Les Parapluies de Cherbourg Demy
Paris, Texas Wenders
Partie de campagne Renoir
The Party Edwards
The Passenger Antonioni
La Passion Godard
The Passion of Joan of Arc Dreyer
Pather Panchali S. Ray
Pathfinder Salkow
Paths of Glory Kubrick
Pépé le Moko Duvivier
Perceval Rohmer
Performance Cammell, Roeg
Persona Bergman
Peter Ibbetson Hathaway
The Philadelphia Story Cukor
The Piano Campion
Pickpocket Bresson
Pierrot le fou Godard
The Pillow Book Greenaway
The Pink Panther Strikes Again Edwards
A Place in the Sun Stevens
Le Plaisir Ophuls
The Player Altman
Playtime Tati
Poetic Justice Frampton
A Pot Worth a Million Ryo Sadao
The Producers Brooks
Providence Resnais
Psycho Hitchcock
Pulp Fiction Tarantino
The Puppetmaster Hou
Purab Aur Pachim Kumar
The Purple Rose of Cairo Allen
Pursued Walsh
Pyaasa Dutt
Quadrophenia Roddam
Que Viva Mexico! Eisenstein
Quemada! Pontecorvo
The Quiet Man Ford
The Quince Tree Sun Erice
Rachel, Rachel Newman
Raging Bull Scorsese
Raiders of the Lost Ark Spielberg
Rain Man Levinson
Raining Stones Loach
Rally 'round the Flag, Boys! McCarey
Ran Kurosawa
Random Harvest LeRoy
Rashomon Kurosawa
Rear Window Hitchcock
Rebecca Hitchcock
The Reckless Moment Ophuls
Red Persimmon Wang
Red River Hawks
The Red Shoes Powell, Pressburger
Red Sorghum Zhang
Reds Beatty
La Région centrale Snow
La Règle du jeu Renoir
The Remains of the Day Ivory
Repulsion Polanski
Requiem for a Dream Aronofsky
Reservoir Dogs Tarantino
Richard III Olivier
Ride the High Country Peckinpah
Riff-Raff Loach
Rio Bravo Hawks
Rio Grande Ford
The Rise to Power of Louis XIV Rossellini
Rocco and His Brothers Visconti
Rocky Avildsen
Rolling Thunder Flynn
Roma Fellini
Rome, Open City Rossellini
La Ronde Ophuls
Rope Hitchcock
Rose Hobart Cornell
Rosemary's Baby Polanski
La Roue Gance
The Round Up Jancsó
La Rue Cases-Nègres Palcy
The Runner Naderi
Russian Ark Sokurov
Sacrifice Tarkovsky
The Saga of Anatahan von Sternberg
Salò Pasolini
Salt of the Earth Biberman
Salvatore Giuliano Rosi
Le Samouraï Melville
Sans Soleil Marker
Sansho Dayu Mizoguchi
Sant Tukaram Fattelal, Damle
Sátántangó Tarr
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Reisz
Satyricon Fellini
Sauve qui peut (la vie) Godard
Sawdust and Tinsel Bergman
The Scarlet Empress von Sternberg
Scenes from a Marriage Bergman
Scenes from under Childhood Brakhage
Schindler's List Spielberg
Screen Tests Warhol
The Searchers Ford
Secrets & Lies Leigh
Senso Visconti
The Servant Losey
Seven Samurai Kurosawa
The Seventh Seal Bergman
Shadow of a Doubt Hitchcock
Shadows Cassavetes
Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors Paradjanov
Shane Stevens
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Ford
Sherlock Jr. Keaton
The Shining Kubrick
Shoah Lanzmann
Sholay Sippy
The Shop around the Corner Lubitsch
Short Cuts Altman
A Short Film about Killing Kieslowski
The Silence Bergman
Les Silences du palais Tlatli
Sin of Nora Moran Goldstone
Singin' in the Rain Kelly, Donen
Snatch Ritchie
Solaris Tarkovsky
Some Came Running Minnelli
Some Like It Hot Wilder
Song of Exile Hui On-Wah
Songs from the Second Floor Andersson
The Sound of Music Wise
Sounds from the Mountains Naruse
Spartacus Kubrick
Spider Cronenberg
The Spider's Stratagem Bertolucci
The Spirit of the Beehive Erice
Spirited Away Miyazaki
Spring in a Small Town Fei
Stagecoach Ford
Stalker Tarkovsky
A Star Is Born Cukor
Star Wars Lucas
Steamboat Bill, Jr. Riesner
Still Life Saless
The Story of a Cheat Guitry
The Story of Qiu Ju Zhang
The Story of the Late Chrysanthemums Mizoguchi
La strada Fellini
Straight Story Lynch
Straits of Love and Hate Mizoguchi
Stranger Than Paradise Jarmusch
Strangers on a Train Hitchcock
Straw Dogs Peckinpah
Strawberry and Chocolate Gutiérrez Alea
Stray Dog Kurosawa
Street of Crocodiles Brothers Quay
Strike Eisenstein
Subete ga kurutteru Suzuki
Sullivan's Travels P. Sturges
Summer with Monika Bergman
Sunrise Murnau
Sunset Blvd. Wilder
Superman Donner
Surprise, Surprise British Airways
Suzaki Paradise Kawashima
Sweet Dreams Avildsen
The Sweet Hereafter Egoyan
Sweet Smell of Success Mackendrick
Swing Time Stevens
Sylvester Pick
2001: A Space Odyssey Kubrick
3:10 to Yuma Daves
Tabu Murnau
Taipei Story Yang
A Tale of Tales Norstein
A Tale of the Wind Ivens
The Tales of Hoffmann Powell, Pressburger
A Taste of Cherry... Kiarostami
Taxi Driver Scorsese
Ten Kiarostami
The Ten Commandments DeMille
The Tenant Polanski
The Terminator Cameron
That Obscure Object of Desire Buñuel
Thelma & Louise Scott
There's Always Tomorrow Sirk
They All Laughed Bogdanovich
They Live by Night N. Ray
They Were Expendable Ford
The Thief of Bagdad Berger, Powell, Whelan et al
Thieves Like Us Altman
The Thin Blue Line Morris
The Thing from Another World Nyby
The Third Man Reed
The 39 Steps Hitchcock
Thirty-two Short Films about Glenn Gould Girard
Three Colours Blue Kieslowski
Three Colours Red Kieslowski
Three Colours Trilogy Kieslowski
Three Colours White Kieslowski
The Three Crowns of the Sailor Ruiz
Three Kings D. Russell
Throne of Blood Kurosawa
Through the Olive Trees Kiarostami
Tih Minh Feuillade
A Time for Drunken Horses Ghobadi
Time of the Gypsies Kusturica
The Time to Live and the Time to Die Hou
The Tin Drum Schlöndorff
The Tingler W. Castle
Tirez sur le pianiste Truffaut
Titicut Follies Wiseman
To Be or Not to Be Lubitsch
To Have and Have Not Hawks
To Kill a Mockingbird Mulligan
To Live Zhang
To Sleep with Anger Burnett
Tobacco Road Ford
Toby Dammit Fellini
Tokyo Story Ozu
Topsy-Turvy Leigh
Touch of Evil Welles
A Touch of Zen Hu
Touki-Bouki Diop Mambéty
Trainspotting Boyle
The Travelling Players Angelopoulos
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Huston
The Tree of the Wooden Clogs Olmi
The Trial Welles
Tristana Buñuel
Triumph of the Will Riefenstahl
Trouble in Paradise Lubitsch
The Trouble with Harry Hitchcock
Two or Three Things I Know about Her Godard
Ugetsu Monogatari Mizoguchi
Umberto D. De Sica
Un(c)ut Greyson
Underground Kusturica
Unforgiven Eastwood
The Unseen Janek
Up the Junction Loach
Urga Mikhalkov
The Usual Suspects Singer
Les Vacances de M. Hulot Tati
Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa Visconti
Les Vampires Feuillade
Vampyr Dreyer
Van Gogh Pialat
Vengeance Is Mine Imamura
Le Vent d'est Godard
The Verdict Lumet
Vertigo Hitchcock
Vidas Secas Dos Santos
Viridiana Buñuel
Vive l'Amour Tsai
Vivre sa vie Godard
Voyage to Italy Rossellini
The Wages of Fear Clouzot
Wagon Master Ford
Waiting for Guffman Guest
War and Peace Vidor
The War Game Watkins
A Wedding in Galilee Khleifi
The Wedding March von Stroheim
Weekend Godard
West Side Story Wise
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs Naruse
When Harry Met Sally... Reiner
When It Rains Burnett
Where Is My Friend's House? Kiarostami
While the City Sleeps Lang
Whispering Pages Sokurov
Whistle down the Wind Forbes
White Heat Walsh
The White Nights Visconti
Who's Singing over There? Sijan
The Wild Bunch Peckinpah
Wild Strawberries Bergman
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet Luhrmann
The Wind Sjöström
The Wind Will Carry Us Kiarostami
Wings of Desire Wenders
Winter Light Bergman
Without Anaesthetic Wajda
The Wizard of Oz Fleming
A Woman under the Influence Cassavetes
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Almodóvar
The Wonderful Lie of Nina Petrowna Schwarz
World of Apu S. Ray
Written on the Wind Sirk
Xala Sembéne
Ya - Cuba Kalatozov
Yeelen Cissé
Yellow Earth Chen
Yol Gören
You Are Weighed but Found Lacking Brocka
Young Mr. Lincoln Ford
Zéro de conduite Vigo
Zvenigora Dovzhenky



Quite a difference with internationl films qualifying for the list.

I've seen every movie on that list except three (Giant, Shane and The Jazz Singer), so I have opinions on practically all of these movies. Some that I'd drop:

Some Like it Hot: Frankly, I've never quite understood the adulation heaped on this film. It's funny, but not as good as other comedies of that era (Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three, for instance).

Vertigo: I really, really don't understand why people think this is one of the greatest films of all time. It must have something to do with film school teachers who just loooooove Hitchcock. I think the movie is deeply flawed.

The Searchers: Another movie whose popularity with film critics is absolutely baffling to me. Unforgiven (ranked two notches below in the AFI list) is ten times better than The Searchers.

Bringing Up Baby: Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, a leopard. What's not to like? Everything. I really dislike this film.

It's a Wonderful Life: This film was entirely forgotten until they started broadcasting it on PBS stations once its copyright apparently lapsed. Now everyone thinks it's a great film? What was it for those forty years when nobody watched it? It's average Capra-corn. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Meet John Doe are both better.

The Birth of a Nation: If the list is for landmark films, then there should be a place for Birth of a Nation. But it's not Griffith's best film. Intolerance is superior, and has held up much better over the years than has Birth.

Both of the Griffin are in the critic's choice list.

I, of course, completely disagree that Hitchcock's "Vertigo" is deeply flawed. You'd have to explain that one. If it's nitpicking at the coincidental plot elements, those are answered by the metaphysical layers of the film. It's about, after all, Scotty's obsession and his fears. It's succeeds -- when I first saw it and anytime I've put it in the DVD player. Any friends or relatives who haven't seen it and I sit a watch it with them have been bowled over. Not a film that one can approach intellectually -- Hitchcock's skills as a director are all honed to perfection in this film.

Night of the Hunter needs to be in that top 100 list. IMO. Amazing film.

"New" masterpiece?

Pulp Fiction deserves a place too I think.