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[kerotan_eater]

I thought this survey by critics around the world was a much more interesting and diverse set of films than something like Sight and Sound where they ask critics to define greatness however they wanted, which I think leads some to look at more technically great films, rather than just great films.

What defines an American film? For the purposes of this poll, it is any movie that received funding from a US source. The directors of these films did not have to be born in the United States – in fact, 32 films on the list were directed by film-makers born elsewhere – nor did the films even have to be shot in the US. Each critic who participated submitted a list of 10 films, with their pick for the greatest film receiving 10 points and their number 10 pick receiving one point. The points were added up to produce the final list. Critics were encouraged to submit lists of the 10 films they feel, on an emotional level, are the greatest in American cinema – not necessarily the most important, just the best. These are the results.

This is Top 50 half only. Rest of the poll is here which is actually more interesting than the top 50 I think, they include such modern pop culture classics like E.T., The Dark Knight, The Lion King, Back to The Future, and yes The Empire Strikes Back.

50. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
49. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
48. A Place in the Sun (George Stevens, 1951)
47. Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock, 1964)
46. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
45. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962)
44. Sherlock Jr (Buster Keaton, 1924)
43. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls, 1948)
42. Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
41. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
40. Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943)
39. The Birth of a Nation (DW Griffith, 1915)
38. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
37. Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)
36. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)
35. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
34. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
33. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
32. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
31. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
30. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
29. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
28. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
27. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
26. Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1978)
25. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
24. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
23. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
22. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
21. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
20. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
19. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
17. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
16. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
15. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
14. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
13. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
12. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
11. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
9. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
8. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
7. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
6. Sunrise (FW Murnau, 1927)
5. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
3. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
2. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

 

[Nickle]

I feel like Ant-Man would have got on there if they hadn't made the list before it was released.

 

[tcrunch]

I am shocked at the bold #1 choice.

 

[entremet]

Where's the link?

 

[tim.mbp]

Spoiler tags suck for discussing lists.

 

[Shamrock7r]

ctrl-f Big Trouble in Little China

0 findings

shitty list

 

[oldmario]

Spoiler tags suck for discussing lists.

you just click it once and it shows all of the list

 

[Kathian]

Interesting to see Vertigo quite so high.

 

[TheGreatDirector]

Citizen Kane is the Citizen Kane of films.

 

[entremet]

you just click it once and it shows all of the list

That doesn't work for me. This new system is sucks.

 

[Piecake]

I expected this list to be skewed to older movies and I was right.

 

[Joel Was Right]

Kubrick's 2001 led me to research cinematography and directing. It's such a good film I almost don't want to watch it again in fear I'll use up all its magic.

 

[jwk94]

Vertigo but not The Birds? Why?

 

[Buntabox]

Devin Faraci's follow up article is pretty good. Points out there is no Paul Thomas Anderson, Coen Brothers, or David Fincher. Which is really odd.

Link

 

[Bobby Roberts]

you just click it once and it shows all of the list

Isn't the "Spoiler tagging a list" thing some weird GAF in-joke?

I mean - there's no reason to actually spoiler tag it. It's the whole point of your opening the thread. The title says "there's a list in here." You click the thread because you want to read and discuss the list.

Anyway, I don't know why Ambersons is up as high as it is.

Devin Faraci's follow up article is pretty good. Points out there is no Paul Thomas Anderson, Coen Brothers, or David Fincher. Which is really odd.

Link

"And having The Dark Knight but not having any Michael Mann is sort of like the most ass-backward thing possible. "

This is a pretty good point.

edit: It's weird that everyone - everyone seems to recognize that Empire Strikes Back is a better movie than Star Wars, and it never shows up on these lists. It's always just Star Wars.

 

[maquiladora]

The Searchers really isn't that good.

 

[ShaoranWright]

The lack of animated films (traditional animation or 3D) suggest me that those critics don't have a soul, sure there's the lion king, but only one?, c'mon!.

And it turns out that Citizen kane is the Citizen Kane of the best films, never expected that to be honest.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Ctrl+F "Hawks"
Ctrl+F "Ford"

I AM SUPREMELY PLEASED.

I should watch 25th Hour.
It's strange to see all that Hitchcock on the list and not see Rear Window up there. I imagine it's tough to ask critics to pick out their favorite.

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Way too many old movies on there. Old movies get way more praise than they deserve. Nostalgia is fucking powerful shit.

Then when a modern movie is on there its Dark Knight? Christ.

 

[CountAntonius]

What about the all time top 100 American films of BBC?

 

[Aaronology]

Well. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind made the list so I guess I can't complain too much.

 

[old manatee]

These are all great movies, but why even bother making a list if you are just going to parrot conventional wisdom. 100 slots and every one a safe choice.

 

[joe2187]

I dont see The Third man anywhere on that list.

The fact that it's not on the list, and it should be included in the top 10 anyway makes this list pure garbage.

Edit: I am stupid. AMERICAN FILMS.

 

[Vilix]

Kubrick's 2001 led me to research cinematography and directing. It's such a good film I almost don't want to watch it again in fear I'll use up all its magic.

It inspired me to smoke pot. It all made sense after that.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Welp, guess all you can do is make your own list in comparison. I just made up a top 100 American films, with the main purpose is spreading the wealth. My main pet peeve with this list is how 10 directors own 41 spots. That's crazy. I mean fuckin' Marnie and Eyes Wide Shut, FOH. At MOST, I have guys like Scorsese and Allen with 3 each, and even then was pushing it.

0. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (WITNESS ME HOPE IS A MISTAKE THATS MY JACKET REDEMPTION)
1. Jaws (Spielberg, 1975)
2. Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942)
3. Mulholland Dr. (Lynch, 2001)
4. Raging Bull (Scorsese, 1980)
5. The General (Keaton, 1926)
6. Sunset Blvd (Wilder, 1950)
7. Chinatown (Polanski, 1974)
8. Do the Right Thing (S. Lee, 1989)
9. Singin’ in the Rain (Kelly & Donen, 1952)
10. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Murnau, 1927)
11. The Conversation (Coppola, 1974)
12. All About Eve (Mankiewicz, 1950)
13. The Lady Eve (P. Sturges, 1941)
14. Days of Heaven (Malick, 1978)
15. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (Ford, 1962)
16. Goodfellas (Scorsese, 1990)
17. Blade Runner (Scott, 1982)
18. Short Cuts (Altman, 1993)
19. His Girl Friday (Hawks, 1940)
20. Unforigiven (Eastwood, 1992)
21. Hannah and Her Sisters (Allen, 1986)
22. City Lights (Chaplin, 1931)
23. Barry Lyndon (Kubrick, 1975)
24. Strangers on a Train (Hitchcock, 1951)
25. Heat (Mann, 1995)
26. All That Jazz (Fosse, 1979)
27. The Thing (Carpenter, 1982)
28. The Sweet Smell of Success (Mackendrick, 1957)
29. Miller’s Crossing (Coens, 1990)
30. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004)
31. The Thin Red Line (Malick, 1998)
32. The Adventures of Robin Hood (Curtiz, 1938)
33. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg, 1981)
34. King Kong (Cooper & Schoedsack, 1933)
35. Halloween (Carpenter, 1978)
36. Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994)
37. Modern Times (Chaplin, 1936)
38. Rio Bravo (Hawks, 1959)
39. Blue Velvet (Lynch, 1984)
40. Dawn of the Dead(Romero, 1977)
41. The Godfather (Coppola, 1972)
42. Before Sunset (Linklater, 2004)
43. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (Scorsese, 1974)
44. The Maltese Falcon (Huston, 1941)
45. Dead Man (Jarmusch, 1995)
46. Boogie Nights (PTA, 1997)
47. The Big Lebowski (Coens, 1998)
48. Alien (1979, Scott)
49. Pinocchio (Luske & Sharpsteen, 1940)
50. Manhattan (Allen, 1979)
51. Three Days of the Condor (Pollack, 1975)
52. The Iron Giant (Bird, 1999)
53. The Long Goodbye (Altman, 1973)
54. The Empire Strikes Back (Kershner, 1980)
55. Schlinder’s List (Spielberg, 1993)
56. My Dinner with Andre (Malle, 1981)
57. Back to the Future (Zemeckis, 1985)
58. Die Hard (McTiernan, 1988)
59. Zodiac (Fincher, 2007)
60. Toy Story 2 (Lasseter, 1999)
61. The Right Stuff (Kaufman, 1983)
62. Notorious (Hitchcock, 1946)
63. Brokeback Mountain (A. Lee, 2005)
64. The Last of the Mohicans (Mann, 1992)
65. The Apartment (Wilder, 1960)
66. The Road Warrior (Miller, 1981)
67. Winchester ’73 (A. Mann, 1950)
68. The Graduate (Nichols, 1967)
69. Aliens (Cameron, 1986)
70. The Social Network (Fincher, 2010)
71. Out of the Past (Tourneur, 1947)
72. Touch of Evil (Welles, 1958)
73. The Shop Around the Corner (Lubitsch, 1940)
74. Imitation of Life (Sirk, 1959)
75. Out of Sight (Soderbergh, 1998)
76. You Can Count on Me (Lonergan, 2000)
77. The Terminator (Cameron, 1983)
78. Paper Moon (Bogdanovich, 1973)
79. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014)
80. Blow Out (DePalma, 1981)
81. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (Peckinpah, 1974)
82. 12 Angry Men (Lumet, 1957)
83. Kill Bill (Tarantino, 2004-2005)
84. Johnny Guitar (Ray, 1954)
85. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Zemeckis, 1988)
86. Ed Wood (Burton, 1995)
87. My Own Private Idaho (Van Sant, 1991)
88. Dangerous Liaisons (Frears, 1988)
89. The Shining (Kubrick, 1980)
90. The Lion King (Allers & Minkoff, 1994)
91. Rosemary’s Baby (Polanski, 1968)
92. 12 Years a Slave (McQueen, 2013)
93. Young Frankenstein (M. Brooks, 1974)
94. Point Blank (Boorman, 1967)
95. Top Hat (Sandrich, 1935)
96. L.A. Confidential (Hanson, 1997)
97. Groundhog Day (Landis, 1993)
98. Amadeus (Forman, 1984)
99. All the President’s Men (Pakula, 1976)
100. Evil Dead 2 (Raimi, 1987)

I dont see The Third man anywhere on that list.

The fact that it's not on the list, and it should be included in the top 10 anyway makes this list pure garbage.

The Third Man is 100% British to me. Let them have that classic.

 

[Richard_Venom]

Most uninteresting list ever.

 

[Floridian]

I have never seen Citizen Kane before.

 

[Ridley327]

I dont see The Third man anywhere on that list.

The fact that it's not on the list, and it should be included in the top 10 anyway makes this list pure garbage.

I think the list is limited to American productions. Hence, the top 100 American films title.

Jaws is rightfully ahead of Schindler's List, so this list is OK with me.

 

[maquiladora]

I dont see The Third man anywhere on that list.

The fact that it's not on the list, and it should be included in the top 10 anyway makes this list pure garbage.

Its not an American film.

 

[bounchfx]

Way too many old movies on there. Old movies get way more praise than they deserve. Nostalgia is fucking powerful shit.

Then when a modern movie is on there its Dark Knight? Christ.

12 years a slave is on there too which is very modern.

I do find it funny Dark Knight made the list though

 

[Pachimari]

No "The Shawshank Redemption".
List is invalid.

 

[Gobias]

2 movies from the past 10 years and one of them is the The Dark Knight. Okay. Also Forrest Gump is on there for some reason. 25th Hour is also a weird choice for a pretty forgettable movie. Overall, most of the choices are just the same rehashed movies you'd see on every top 100 list.

 

[stormer]

the matrix??

 

[maquiladora]

Most uninteresting list ever.

Most hyperbolic statement in the world, ever.

 

[OrlanisWorks]

Most of the movies are over 20 years old, and all the movies in the top 10 are at least over 41 years old.

And The Dark Knight?

 

[joe2187]

I think the list is limited to American productions. Hence, the top 100 American films title.

Jaws is rightfully ahead of Schindler's List, so this list is OK with me.

I see..I read the title and the list only. So it confused me.


carry on. dont mind me...i'll over here looking at cuckoo clocks.

 

[Westonian]

I dont see The Third man anywhere on that list.

The fact that it's not on the list, and it should be included in the top 10 anyway makes this list pure garbage.

Third Man is considered a British film, so it wouldn't be on this list.

 

[Jarmel]

Wait no Blade Runner?

 

[Eidan]

Most of the movies are over 20 years old, and all the movies in the top 10 are at least over 41 years old.

And The Dark Knight?

Should be higher.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Wasn't HarSon putting together the GAF equivalent list?

Like, a month ago?

 

[Lothar]

No Terminator 2, Shawshank Redemption, or Rocky.

I don't think this list deserves any more words from me than that.

 

[munchie64]

Should go through and watch anything I haven't.
I also should rewatch Double Indemnity. I feel I was hard on it the first time I watched it because of the class that made me do it.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Wasn't HarSon putting together the GAF equivalent list?

Like, a month ago?

ayy lmao

 

[Gaz Pwnage]

ctrl-f Big Trouble in Little China

0 findings

shitty list

This made me laugh more than it should've.

 

[neogaffer1]

the problem with asking critics what are the best films possible is that they always chose older films that are viewed as "classic" or "immpecable" because they shape the taste and expectations of the critic in the first place. these movies are rated higher and viewed as greater than if they had released today where there is an immediate sneer towards most big blockbuster movies by certain critics and a rejection of more "profound" or art-like movies by others. Star Wars is on there but you wouldn't ever see Fury Road on one of these lists. Jaws rates but `71 doesn't. The Dark Knight barely rates at all, at 96.

I would make more comparisons but many of them do come down to personal preference, but the overall point still stands.

 

[Jarmel]

They have Scott on the list but don't have Alien.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

These are all great movies, but why even bother making a list if you are just going to parrot conventional wisdom. 100 slots and every one a safe choice.

If you read the BBC's selection methodology, they polled a bunch of film critics and tallied up the results, which will by its very nature lead to more famous and widely acclaimed films rising to the top while personal and idiosyncratic picks disappear. I'm sure if we could actually examine the critics' top 10 lists individually, there would be a number of less conventional choices that fail to appear on this composite list.

 

[0OoO0]

seen only 29 out of 100 films...got a lot of catching up to do

 

[Redd]

They got The Godfather was better than the sequel Godfather II. This list is alright with me.

 

[tim.mbp]

Most of the movies are over 20 years old, and all the movies in the top 10 are at least over 41 years old.

And The Dark Knight?

Is that weird? I'd think films that have been held up over the course of decades as great would outshine relative newcomers, especially with each critic only naming 10 films.