Read this site's Commentary on AFI's Greatest American Movies () With a crackling script and the classic song, "As Time Goes By. Visually beautiful images of times and locales contrast with the film's graphic violence. This musical set in Hollywood has Kelly singing, dancing and splashing in puddles.
Table of contents
- AFI's 100 YEARS OF MUSICALS
- The 100 best British films
- List of films considered the best
- CHECK OFF ALL OF THE FILMS YOU'VE SEEN...
- American Film Institute
Memorable drunk scenes between Stewart and Hepburn, and Stewart and Grant. Stewart won an Academy Award for Best Actor, among others. From Here to Eternity - Columbia Director: The image of waves crashing over the passionately embracing Kerr and Lancaster is one of the most sensual and much-imitated ever filmed. The bombing of Pearl Harbor interrupts the two love affairs in the film. Amadeus - Orion Director: Salieri declares war against the heavens for speaking through the genius of Mozart in this study of the excesses of talent and jealousy.
Flashbacks illuminate the mad, energetic brilliance of Mozart, and Salieri's struggle with his own mediocrity. Powerful adaptation of the Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war dramatic novel about the experiences and lives of a group of fresh-faced German students who join the Army and become soldiers during World War I. Phenomenally popular film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical about the singing Von Trapp family and their escape from the Nazis.
Andrews is Maria, a nun who becomes governess to the von Trapp family. Maria falls in love with the children and their handsome widowed father just as Austria is being annexed by the Nazis. Sutherland's Hawkeye, Gould's Trapper John and Kellerman's Hotlips push the boundaries of irreverence and inject humor into the daily horrors they encounter behind the lines.
The film's episodic narrative concludes with a football game that pits the surgeons, who have much in their bag of tricks, against the general's team. Established Altman as major iconoclastic director and helped usher in a decade of US film experimentation. It also inspired a long-running television series. The search for Harry Lime Welles is the center of this lithe mystery notable for its Academy Award-winning cinematography and distinctive, recurring zither music.
A giant ferris wheel and a spectacular late-in-the film appearance by Welles as the mysterious "Harry Lime" highlight this tale of intrigue in post-World War II Vienna. Disney's groundbreaking union and mixture of classical music and animated images is a visual feast for young and old. Presented in a dazzling, eight-part imaginative journey. Musical selections include Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," with Mickey Mouse as the apprentice in one of the film's most indelible images, and Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring. Rebel Without a Cause - Warner Bros. Definitive film of s teen disaffection memorable for Dean's defining role as a tortured high-school student.
It seemed to define a generation of s teenagers who felt lonely and isolated from their parents and sought solace with friends and authority-defying drag racing. Also notable are performances by Mineo as Dean's troubled friend and Backus as Dean's pitiable father. Raiders of the Lost Ark - Paramount Director: Rollicking yarn about archeologist Indiana Jones Ford with a flair for dramatic situations that follow his quest from the Amazon, through Egypt and on to the lost Ark of the Covenant.
Poison darts, a giant rolling ball, pits full of snakes and an army of Nazis are just a few of the obstacles in his quest. Simultaneously paid homage to the tradition of movie serials and reinvented the adventure film. Followed by two sequels. Vertigo - Paramount Director: Obsession and suspense combine in this eerie drama about retired San Francisco police detective "Scottie" Ferguson Stewart. His fear of heights and boredom in retirement make him the foil in an elaborate murder plot. Novak is the mysterious woman with whom he falls in love. Hitchcock's mastery made the city and surrounding locations central to the plot.
Tense score by Bernard Herrmann, memorable credits by Saul Bass. Considered by many film writers and scholars as Hitchcock's most ambitious film. Tootsie - Columbia Director: Hilarious comedy about a temperamental out of work actor Michael Dorsey Hoffman who puts on a dress, lands the role of a lifetime in a TV soap opera, and becomes a national phenomenon as straight-shooting female soap opera star Dorothy Michaels.
AFI's 100 YEARS OF MUSICALS
Absorbing character study of eventful stagecoach trip elevated the western in dramatic importance. Wayne as Ringo Kid was also propelled to stardom in this film as a vengeance-seeking fugitive whose outlook on life is transformed after he boards a stagecoach bound for Lordsville. One of a new style of big budget Westerns, the film is notable for Ford's first use of Monument Valley and its sensitive character studies. Stunning showcase of stuntwork by Yakima Canutt. Spectacular, hopeful mystery that celebrates the possibility of friendly extraterrestrial life.
Spielberg's science fiction fantasy is the story of an average man Dreyfuss who finds himself called by an otherworldly source, culminating in his rendezvous with alien creatures. Groundbreaking special effects and inviting John Williams score. The Silence of the Lambs - Orion Director: Engrossing adaptation of Thomas Harris' crime novel and character study. Notable for the complex relationship between the agent and cannibalistic criminal Hannibal.
Biting satire of a television network's shameless search for ratings. Memorable for its prophetic screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky and the performances of Dunaway and Finch. Finch is the news anchor on the brink of madness, Dunaway the aggressive producer on the climb and Holden the network head who upholds a moral code Chayefsky and Lumet's satire on television had the nation yelling: Suspense thriller about a veteran Sinatra , a brain-washed former POW from the Korean War, who suspects that a fellow soldier, hailed as a hero, is actually something else.
Harvey is the "hero" who has been trained or programmed by the Communists as an assassin, and a Queen of Hearts is the key to his personality. Notable for its political satire, visual inventiveness, and Lansbury's performance as a scheming mother.
The 100 best British films
A showcase for dazzling scenes built around George and Ira Gershwin's lush score. The music and the dancing of Kelly and Caron are at the center of this fluid, visually beautiful love story set in post-war Paris. The ballet sequence, filmed in the style of Impressionist paintings, is legendary. Shane - Paramount Director: Elemental, landmark western about lone, former gunslinger Ladd who helps a family of settlers defend and protect themselves against some murdering cattlemen, including Palance. Ladd's stoic Shane, who is idolized by the settlers' son, is the archetypal Western hero.
De Wilde's closing call to Shane caps the film. Gritty action drama about unconventional "Popeye" Doyle Hackman , a brash New York City detective who tracks international heroin smugglers and uncovers a major drug operation. The spectacular car chase under the elevated train tracks is movie legend. Forrest Gump - Paramount Director: Poignant drama of a simple, kind man named Forrest Gump Hanks , who despite being mentally challenged, tries hard, is honest and places his trust in luck.
He tells his life story to anyone who sits next to him at a bus stop, and the flashbacks follow Forrest and his good heart through some of the highlights of modern American history. He becomes central to the major events of the late 20th century and finds true love with Wright along the way. Through the use of seamless digital visual imagery, Forrest appears to interact in scenes with John F.
Kennedy, John Lennon and George Wallace. This epic, character-driven adaptation of Lew Wallace's religious novel set in the time of Christ, a remake of the film, features Heston as the title character, a wealthy Jew whose former childhood friend, a Roman, causes him to lose everything. He eventually gets his revenge in the film's most impressive and legendary action scene - the spectacular chariot race. Wuthering Heights - United Artists Director: Gregg Toland's moody, stunning Academy Award-winning cinematography infuses the film adaptation of the Emily Bronte novel with a haunting atmosphere.
Features Olivier and Oberon as the doomed romantic couple, with Olivier as the brooding master of Wuthering Heights who roams the English moors in search of his lost love, Oberon. In one of Chaplin's most famous films, a poignant comedy that defines Chaplin's silent work, a lone Alaskan prospector Chaplin , the Little Tramp, battles the elements in search of gold, adventure, love and a girl in the Yukon. He attempts to stave off hunger by dining on his shoe, much to the consternation of cabin mate Swain, who imagines that Charlie is a giant chicken.
The film's many memorable scenes include the meal he makes of his boiled leather boot, a famished Swain's vision of Chaplin as a giant chicken, and the dance of the rolls. Chaplin also wrote the score and screenplay. Dances With Wolves - Orion Director: Costner directs and stars in this epic vision of the old West, where as a disillusioned soldier, he leaves the Civil War and strikes out to the prairie on his own.
After a difficult start, he learns to live, love and respect the land when the Sioux Indians welcome him into their tribe. Memorable for its atmospheric location cinematography and feeling portrayal of Native American life. Perhaps best remembered for the dramatic ending when she first sees the face that helped her regain her sight, the film is grounded in classic Chaplin comedy. Among the most memorable laughs has Chaplin trying to raise money for the girl's operation by entering the boxing ring in a bout that he thinks has been fixed. Notable as an exquisite Chaplinesque blend of drama, passion, self-sacrifice and true love.
List of films considered the best
American Graffiti - Universal Director: This funny, melancholy film brought the director to prominence, featured a grown-up Howard, and made stars of newcomers Ford and Dreyfuss; use of early rock hits influenced soundtracks for years. Rocky - United Artists Director: Crowd-pleasing Cinderella drama of small-time boxer Rocky Balboa Stallone , an underclassed boxer from Philadelphia, whose dream is to fight for the championship belt. He gets his last chance to prove himself in a championship match against Apollo Creed Weathers. With the help of his new love Adrian Shire , and his wily and irascible boxing coach Meredith , he steps into the ring against Creed and exits an American film icon.
An Academy Award winner, the film made Stallone a star and sparked four sequels. The Deer Hunter - Warner Bros. Cimino's epic film, an intense drama about friendship and the effects of Vietnam War service on a group of three steelworker friends and their western Pennsylvania community, whose lives are irrevocably changed by a tour of duty in Vietnam. The film is renowned for the Russian roulette scenes. The Wild Bunch - Warner Bros.
Anti-heroic western about a group of aging desperados who plan one last and final heist before retiring. Holden is the leader of the band of outlaws in Texas. Peckinpah's use of slow motion and Lou Lombardo's editing are considered milestones in the Western genre. Notable for its grittiness and lyrical representation of violence.
Modern Times - United Artists Director: Poignant comedy-drama about the dehumanization of the machine age. Chaplin ended the silent era with this film, his last silent film, about a little man working on an assembly line, who is literally caught in the hub and cogs of an industrialized society, and after several trips to the hospital and jail, ultimately finds happiness with a kindred soul.
Giant - Warner Bros. Generational epic based on Edna Ferber's saga of wealth and prejudice during twenty-five years in the life of a Texas ranching family. It boasts the sprawling Texas countryside, co-stars Taylor, Hudson and Dean, and features a fistfight in a diner fought to the strains of "The Yellow Rose of Texas. Platoon - Orion Director: Intense drama about the Vietnam War depicts harshness and cruelties through the eyes of a soldier played by Sheen, a young man from a privileged background who volunteers to serve in Vietnam and experiences the horror of war first-hand.
He tries to make sense of the madness through the leadership provided by Dafoe's sensitive Sergeant Elias and Berenger's scarred and unfeeling Sergeant Barnes.
Frances McDormand; William H. Macy; Steve Buscemi Synopsis: Dark, jaunty, but grisly crime drama about a Minnesota gruesome multiple murder case intertwined with a botched kidnapping job hatched by Macy in a frigid and snowy landscape under the able investigation of pregnant police chief Marge McDormand. She reconstructs the crime with a style all her own.
Wood-chipper scene and blinding white exterior shots are notable. Duck Soup - Paramount Director: Firefly Groucho , and his war on another fictional country, Sylvania, with the help of Chico's peanut salesman and his sidekick, Harpo. Released at the height of the Depression, this Marx Brothers comedy is a satirical attack on politics and the absurdity of war. At the height of battle, Groucho says to his brothers of Dumont, "Remember, we're fighting for this woman's honor, which is probably more than she ever did. Other timeless gags involve a street vendor and a sidecar. Bracing adaptation of the adventure novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall about 18th-century sea justice based on an historical incident, with meaty performances by Laughton as Captain William Bligh, an excellent seaman whose lack of humanity and rigid adherence to regulations forces Gable's noble Fletcher Christian to lead a mutiny against him.
Won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Frankenstein - Universal Director: The original sound version of Mary Shelley's classic horror novel is notable for its Gothic atmosphere and haunting makeup and the poignant performance by Karloff as the Monster brought to life by the scientist Frankenstein Clive. Whale ushered in a new era of horror films, and Karloff was never quite able to shake his image as the frightening, yet often sympathetic "monster" of Dr. Easy Rider - Columbia Director: Definitive countercultural road movie follows motorcycle-riding duo Hopper and Fonda across America to find America.
Nicholson gained notice for his supporting role as a lawyer, leading to stardom in the s. The film became an anthem for the s' cultural dialogue on freedom, individualism and patriotism. Patton - 20th Century-Fox Director: Intelligent epic biography of "Blood and Guts" World War II general, notable for its riveting opening sequence of Scott as Patton speaking in front of an American flag that fills the screen, and Scott's commanding title performance. The Jazz Singer - Warner Bros. Pioneering silent film with sound portions about a cantor's son Jolson who enters show business.
It wasn't really the first "talkie," but its release marked the death knell for silent pictures and helped launch the sound era. Jolson, as the rabbi's son who wants to be a Broadway star, tells the audience "You ain't heard nothin' yet. My Fair Lady - Warner Bros. Lush adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe musical, an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, that features Harrison reprising his stage role as Henry Higgins, who takes a bet that he can transform the young spirited cockney Eliza Doolittle Hepburn into a proper lady.
A Place in the Sun - Paramount Director: Features a smoldering performance from Clift as he pursues the gorgeous, elusive, and rich Taylor. When the brooding Clift meets beautiful socialite Taylor, he has to do something about his pregnant girlfriend Winters. Whether or not Winters' drowning death is accidental, Clift must pay the ultimate price. The Apartment - United Artists Director: In this sparkling office comedy, a career-climbing insurance clerk Lemmon advances his career when he offers his boss MacMurray the use of his apartment as an evening love nest for an extra-marital fling.
He soon gets tangled up with the boss's flighty and fragile girlfriend MacLaine , the insurance building's elevator operator, and his career gets dangerously close to plummeting back down to the lobby.
CHECK OFF ALL OF THE FILMS YOU'VE SEEN...
GoodFellas - Warner Bros. Based on a true story in Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy , this is a violent, unromanticized drama about modern-day New York City Mafia underworld life, as seen through the eyes of former member Henry Hill Liotta. Hill dreamed as a kid of becoming a member of the glamorous mob who ran his New York neighborhood.
De Niro and Pesci are members of the family he ascends to, until he breaks the code and eventually falls from grace. John Travolta; Samuel L. Tarantino weaves together multiple stories that juggle plot lines, time frames and characters that inhabit the seamy side of Los Angeles, including Travolta and Jackson as hit-men with strong moral codes, Willis as a low-life boxer and, of course, The Gimp.
The stories form a frenetic meditation on underworld honor. The Travolta-Thurman dance scene and metaphysical discussions between Travolta and Jackson are memorable. The Searchers - Warner Bros. Haunting western, Ford's masterpiece, about Ethan Edwards Wayne , an Indian-hating ex-soldier, who spends years in an obsessive and relentless search for his niece Debbie Wood , who was abducted and captured in childhood during a Comanche Indian raid.
Indelible closing shot shows the eternal divide between Edwards and his family, and between the frontier and civilization. Archetypal, fast-paced screwball comedy about madcap heiress Hepburn , with the help of her pet leopard Baby and a wire-haired terrier named George, who wreaks havoc and derails the staid life of a paleontologist Grant.
Meditative western about a reformed killer Eastwood called to one last gunfight. Eastwood directs and stars as a formerly notorious gunslinger who is forced to return to his murderous ways after his wife dies and his family needs money. The film was noted for challenging the morality of Western stereotypes created by American film. Timely drama about parents Tracy and Hepburn sharing the screen for the last time who learn of inter-racial romance between their daughter Houghton and an erudite, well-spoken African-American Poitier.
She brings him home for dinner and tests the family's socially liberal resolve.
American Film Institute
Tracy's last film, especially poignant for a scene in which he and Hepburn reflect on the power of love. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress. Yankee Doodle Dandy - Warner Bros. Patriotic musical biography of song-and-dance man George M. Cohan, energetically portrayed by Cagney. The film covers the earliest days of vaudeville to the development of the American musical stage play. Cagney sings and dances memorably in the title role, for which he won an Academy Award.
Orson Welles' masterpiece Citizen Kane was chosen the 1 film of all time. The films spanned from D. Charlie Chaplin was the most celebrated actor and director on the list, with three films: Directors of the Films: Steven Spielberg directed five of the greatest American movies: Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder each directed four films on the list. Victor Fleming was the only director with two top ten films Gone With The Wind 4 and The Wizard of Oz 6 , although he shared directing duties with three other uncredited talents for Gone With the Wind Michael Curtiz and Elia Kazan were both recognized with only two films: Woody Allen had only one film in the list: Annie Hall 31 as did Howard Hawks: Bringing Up Baby Marlon Brando was the only actor to star in two of the top 10 films: James Stewart and Robert De Niro were the most represented actors in a starring role, each with five films in the top Many actors appeared in four films in the list of greatest American films.
James Dean was represented by two of his three films. Fred Astaire didn't appear anywhere in the films listed. Robert Duvall appeared in six films, including his minor role in To Kill a Mockingbird And character actor Ward Bond appeared in the most films, seven: Katharine Hepburn was the most represented leading actress, with four films: There were no films showcasing Ginger Rogers or Greta Garbo.
A majority of the great films could be classifed as dramas. The following genre types were also included although each classification was sometimes debatable: The top ten included movies from every decade, from the s to the s, with the exception of the s. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
List of Bosnia and Herzegovina films. Cinema of the Czech Republic and List of Czech films considered the best. Cinema of Hong Kong. Cinema of the Netherlands. Cinema of New Zealand. Cinema of the Philippines. Cinema of South Korea. Cinema of the Soviet Union. Cinema of Sri Lanka. Cinema of the United Kingdom. Cinema of the United States. Retrieved 27 November Retrieved 1 January Retrieved 10 December Archived from the original on 30 July Archived from the original on 6 April Archived from the original on 7 April Archived from the original on 10 August Retrieved 14 January Retrieved 18 January Archived from the original on 1 May Retrieved 3 July Retrieved November 7, Archived from the original PDF on 14 June Retrieved 13 July Archived from the original on 28 December Retrieved 13 February Retrieved 23 January Retrieved 4 August Retrieved November 10, Archived from the original on 11 July Archived from the original on 3 August Archived from the original on 23 April Kabel 1 presented top 20 feature films and international stars].
Retrieved 30 November Time Out New York. Archived from the original on 6 November Retrieved 16 January Archived from the original on 7 November The 50 Greatest Cartoons, as selected by 1, animation professionals. An Interview With Fini Littlejohn". Yuri Norstein and Tale of Tales: Online Film Critics Society.
- ERs Simple Division Flash Cards.
- The Lawyer’s Guide to Social Networking: Understanding Social Media’s Impact on the Law?
- The 50 greatest film soundtracks.
- The Three Keys to Self-Empowerment.
- The 50 greatest film soundtracks | Music | The Guardian.
- Top 100 Greatest Musicals.
- A Kingsbury Collection: Three Novels in One: Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Came to Stay, On Every ;
Retrieved 8 August The 25 Funniest Movies of All Time". Retrieved 2 May Retrieved 3 April The 15 Greatest Superhero Movies". Retrieved 13 June Retrieved 27 February Retrieved 17 January Retrieved 28 November Retrieved 18 September Archived from the original on 20 January Archived from the original on 18 January Breaking down our Ultimate Horror Movie Poll". Retrieved 22 November Retrieved 11 August Archived from the original on 22 February Archived from the original on 25 April Archived from the original on 26 April Archived from the original on 21 July Archived from the original on 29 July Top Sci-Fi Films".
Archived from the original on 22 July The 10 Best Science Fiction Movies". Your all-time favourite science fiction". Reed Business Information Retrieved 26 August Vote for the greatest ever sports movie — poll". Archived from the original on 25 July Archived from the original on The Six-Gun Mystique Sequel.
Retrieved 16 May Archived from the original on 7 March Retrieved 15 July Archived from the original on 27 May Retrieved 8 June Archived from the original on 27 December Retrieved 17 March