AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies

The first of the AFI 100 Years... series of cinematic milestones, AFI's 100 Years... 100 American Movies is a list of the 100 best American movies, as determined by the American Film Institute from a poll of more than 1,500 artists and leaders in the film industry who chose from a list of 400 nominated movies. The 100-best list American films was unveiled in 1998. AFI released an updated list in 2007.

AFI 100 Years... series
1998100 Movies
1999100 Stars
2000100 Laughs
2001100 Thrills
2002100 Passions
2003100 Heroes & Villains
2004100 Songs
2005100 Movie Quotes
200525 Scores
2006100 Cheers
200625 Musicals
2007100 Movies (Updated)
2008AFI's 10 Top 10

Criteria

Films were judged according to the following criteria:

  1. Feature length: Narrative format, at least 60 minutes long.
  2. American film: English language, with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States. (Certain films, notably The Bridge on the River Kwai, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Lawrence of Arabia, were British-made but funded and distributed by American studios. The Lord of the Rings was New Zealand-made with American funding.)
  3. Critical recognition: Formal commendation in print.
  4. Major award winner: Recognition from competitive events including awards from organizations in the film community and major film festivals.
  5. Popularity over time: Including figures for box office adjusted for inflation, television broadcasts and syndication, and home video sales and rentals.
  6. Historical significance: A film's mark on the history of the moving image through technical innovation, visionary narrative devices or other groundbreaking achievements.
  7. Cultural impact: A film's mark on American society in matters of style and substance.

[1]

List
FilmRelease yearDirectorStudio1998 rank2007 rankChange
Citizen Kane1941Orson WellesRKO Radio Pictures11 0
Casablanca1942Michael CurtizWarner Bros. Pictures23 1
The Godfather1972Francis Ford CoppolaParamount Pictures32 1
Gone with the Wind1939Victor FlemingMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Selznick International Pictures46 2
Lawrence of Arabia1962David LeanColumbia Pictures57 2
The Wizard of Oz1939Victor FlemingMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer610 4
The Graduate1967Mike NicholsEmbassy Pictures, United Artists717 10
On the Waterfront1954Elia KazanColumbia Pictures819 11
Schindler's List1993Steven SpielbergUniversal Pictures98 1
Singin' in the Rain1952Gene Kelly, Stanley DonenMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer105 5
It's a Wonderful Life1946Frank CapraRKO Radio Pictures1120 9
Sunset Boulevard1950Billy WilderParamount Pictures1216 4
The Bridge on the River Kwai1957David LeanColumbia Pictures1336 23
Some Like It Hot1959Billy WilderUnited Artists1422 8
Star Wars1977George Lucas20th Century Fox1513 2
All About Eve1950Joseph L. Mankiewicz20th Century Fox1628 12
The African Queen1951John HustonUnited Artists, Independent Film Distributors1765 48
Psycho1960Alfred HitchcockParamount Pictures1814 4
The General1926Buster KeatonUnited Artists—18—
Chinatown1974Roman PolanskiParamount Pictures1921 2
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest1975Miloš FormanUnited Artists2033 13
The Grapes of Wrath1940John Ford20th Century Fox2123 2
2001: A Space Odyssey1968Stanley KubrickMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer2215 7
The Maltese Falcon1941John HustonWarner Bros. Pictures2331 8
Raging Bull1980Martin ScorseseUnited Artists244 20
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial1982Steven SpielbergUniversal Pictures2524 1
Dr. Strangelove1964Stanley KubrickColumbia Pictures2639 13
Bonnie and Clyde1967Arthur PennWarner Bros-Seven Arts2742 15
Apocalypse Now1979Francis Ford CoppolaUnited Artists2830 2
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington1939Frank CapraColumbia Pictures2926 3
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre1948John HustonWarner Bros. Pictures3038 8
Annie Hall1977Woody AllenUnited Artists3135 4
The Godfather Part II1974Francis Ford CoppolaParamount Pictures3232 0
High Noon1952Fred ZinnemannUnited Artists3327 6
To Kill a Mockingbird1962Robert MulliganUniversal-International3425 9
It Happened One Night1934Frank CapraColumbia Pictures3546 11
Midnight Cowboy1969John SchlesingerUnited Artists3643 7
The Best Years of Our Lives1946William WylerSamuel Goldwyn Productions, RKO Radio Pictures3737 0
Double Indemnity1944Billy WilderParamount Pictures3829 9
Doctor Zhivago1965David LeanMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer39——
North by Northwest1959Alfred HitchcockMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer4055 15
West Side Story1961Robert Wise, Jerome RobbinsUnited Artists4151 10
Rear Window1954Alfred HitchcockParamount Pictures4248 6
King Kong1933Merian C. CooperRKO Radio Pictures4341 2
The Birth of a Nation1915D. W. GriffithEnoch Producing Co.44——
A Streetcar Named Desire1951Elia KazanWarner Bros. Pictures4547 2
A Clockwork Orange1971Stanley KubrickWarner Bros. Pictures4670 24
Taxi Driver1976Martin ScorseseColumbia Pictures4752 5
Jaws1975Steven SpielbergUniversal Pictures4856 8
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs1937David Hand, et al.Walt Disney Productions, RKO Radio Pictures4934 15
Intolerance1916D. W. GriffithTriangle Film Corporation—49—
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid1969George Roy Hill20th Century Fox5073 23
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring2001Peter JacksonNew Line Cinema—50—
The Philadelphia Story1940George CukorMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer5144 7
From Here to Eternity1953Fred ZinnemannColumbia Pictures52——
Amadeus1984Miloš FormanOrion Pictures53——
All Quiet on the Western Front1930Lewis MilestoneUniversal Pictures54——
The Sound of Music1965Robert Wise20th Century Fox5540 15
M*A*S*H1970Robert Altman20th Century Fox5654 2
The Third Man1949Carol ReedBritish Lion Films, Selznick Releasing Corporation57——
Fantasia1940Walt DisneyWalt Disney Productions, RKO Radio Pictures58——
Rebel Without a Cause1955Nicholas RayWarner Bros. Pictures59——
Nashville1975Robert AltmanParamount Pictures—59—
Raiders of the Lost Ark1981Steven SpielbergParamount Pictures6066 6
Vertigo1958Alfred HitchcockParamount Pictures619 52
Sullivan's Travels1941Preston SturgesParamount Pictures—61—
Tootsie1982Sydney PollackColumbia Pictures6269 7
Stagecoach1939John FordUnited Artists63——
Cabaret1972Bob FosseAllied Artists—63—
Close Encounters of the Third Kind1977Steven SpielbergColumbia Pictures64——
The Silence of the Lambs1991Jonathan DemmeOrion Pictures6574 9
Network1976Sidney LumetMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists6664 2
The Manchurian Candidate1962John FrankenheimerUnited Artists67——
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?1966Mike NicholsWarner Bros. Pictures—67—
An American in Paris1951Vincente MinnelliMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer68——
Shane1953George StevensParamount Pictures6945 24
The French Connection1971William Friedkin20th Century Fox7093 23
Forrest Gump1994Robert ZemeckisParamount Pictures7176 5
Saving Private Ryan1998Steven SpielbergDreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures—71—
Ben-Hur1959William WylerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer72100 28
The Shawshank Redemption1994Frank DarabontCastle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures—72—
Wuthering Heights1939William WylerSamuel Goldwyn Productions, United Artists73——
The Gold Rush1925Charlie ChaplinUnited Artists7458 16
Dances with Wolves1990Kevin CostnerOrion Pictures75——
In the Heat of the Night1967Norman JewisonUnited Artists—75—
City Lights1931Charlie ChaplinUnited Artists7611 65
American Graffiti1973George LucasUniversal Pictures7762 15
All the President's Men1976Alan J. PakulaWarner Bros. Pictures—77—
Rocky1976John G. AvildsenUnited Artists7857 21
The Deer Hunter1978Michael CiminoEMI Films, Universal Pictures7953 26
The Wild Bunch1969Sam PeckinpahWarner Bros-Seven Arts8079 1
Modern Times1936Charlie ChaplinUnited Artists8178 3
Spartacus1960Stanley KubrickUniversal-International—81—
Giant1956George StevensWarner Bros. Pictures82——
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans1927F. W. MurnauFox Film Corporation—82—
Platoon1986Oliver StoneOrion Pictures8386 3
Titanic1997James CameronParamount Pictures, 20th Century Fox—83—
Fargo1996Coen brothersPolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Gramercy Pictures84——
Duck Soup1933Leo McCareyParamount Pictures8560 25
A Night at the Opera1935Sam WoodMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer—85—
Mutiny on the Bounty1935Frank LloydMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer86——
Frankenstein1931James WhaleUniversal Pictures87——
12 Angry Men1957Sidney LumetUnited Artists—87—
Easy Rider1969Dennis HopperColumbia Pictures8884 4
Patton1970Franklin J. Schaffner20th Century Fox89——
The Sixth Sense1999M. Night ShyamalanHollywood Pictures—89—
The Jazz Singer1927Alan CroslandWarner Bros. Pictures90——
Swing Time1936George StevensRKO Radio Pictures—90—
My Fair Lady1964George CukorWarner Bros. Pictures91——
Sophie's Choice1982Alan J. PakulaUniversal Pictures, Associated Film Distribution—91—
A Place in the Sun1951George StevensParamount Pictures92——
The Apartment1960Billy WilderUnited Artists9380 13
Goodfellas1990Martin ScorseseWarner Bros. Pictures9492 2
Pulp Fiction1994Quentin TarantinoMiramax Films9594 1
The Last Picture Show1971Peter BogdanovichColumbia Pictures—95—
The Searchers1956John FordWarner Bros. Pictures9612 84
Do the Right Thing1989Spike LeeUniversal Pictures—96—
Bringing Up Baby1938Howard HawksRKO Radio Pictures9788 9
Blade Runner1982Ridley ScottWarner Bros. Pictures—97—
Unforgiven1992Clint EastwoodWarner Bros. Pictures9868 30
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner1967Stanley KramerColumbia Pictures99——
Toy Story1995John LasseterWalt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios—99—
Yankee Doodle Dandy1942Michael CurtizWarner Bros. Pictures10098 2

2007 update notes

Twenty-three films from the original top 100 films list were removed in 2007:

Four films released between 1996 and 2006 were added:

Nineteen films made before 1996 were also added:

Broadcast history

Presentation broadcast on CBS

A 145-minute presentation of the 100 films aired on CBS on June 16, 1998.

Presentation broadcast on TNT

A 460-minute version aired as a 10-part series on TNT, narrated by James Woods and hosted by American talents as follows:

Presentation broadcast on TNT UK

Another version of the same 460-minute program was produced by Monique De Villiers and John Heyman from A World Production company to British television and market featuring different interviews and each segment being hosted by British talents in the following order:

10th anniversary broadcast

An updated version of the list, billed as a 10th Anniversary edition, aired on CBS on June 20, 2007, and was hosted by Morgan Freeman.

Criticisms

As with awards, the list of those who vote and the final vote tally are not released to the public, nor the criteria for how the 400 nominated films have been selected.

On June 26, 1998, the Chicago Reader published an article by film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum which offers a detailed response to the movies in the AFI list, as well as criticism of the AFI's appropriation of British films, such as Lawrence of Arabia (albeit with aforementioned American funding) and The Third Man. Rosenbaum also produced an alternative list of 100 American movies that he felt had been overlooked by the AFI.[2] Rosenbaum chose to present this alternative list alphabetically since to rank them according to merit would be "tantamount to ranking oranges over apples or declaring cherries superior to grapes."

The AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) list includes five titles from Rosenbaum's list (including Do the Right Thing),[3] and the accompanying promotional poster lists the titles in alphabetical order.

See also

References
  1. "100 Greatest American Movies by AFI - Film Series". www.filmsite.org.
  2. Rosenbaum, Jonathan (June 26, 1998). "List-o-Mania: Or, How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love American Movies". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  3. "What Are the AFI Top 100 Movies of All Time?". No Film School. July 13, 2020.
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