the meme at which I lose

[salinea]

Below are the greatest 100 American films of the 20th century according to the AFI. Bold the ones you have scene, strikethrough the ones you saw and hated, italicize those you've seen part of and put a star next to the ones you love.
gacked from rexluscus



1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)*
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) or maybe I did see all through it, can't remember for sure, I was young
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) I think that was the one. It was a long time ago.
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) I liked the serie better
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)


An awful lot of these movies are "meh" to me ^_^

Comments

[indigestible.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, I am really not sure what criteria the AFI was using such that Birth of a Nation showed up as one of the "greatest" films of the last century, rather than "racist dreck."

I mean, I agree with you that a lot of these movies are kind of "meh," but that's the stand-out the hell were they smoking? pick.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what that movie is

urgh racist movie x_x

[darksumomo.livejournal.com]

It's a movie about the Civil War and Reconstruction from the South's point of view. It was one of the first epic feature films ever. My summary of it is that it was not only an ugly racist movie, but, worse yet, an extremely well-done racist movie. I put it in the same category as "Triumph of the Will"--brilliantly produced racist propaganda and therefore effective at spreading its evil message.

Here's the Wikipedia link for D.W. Griffith, its director.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._W._Griffith

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Haha, I see, thanks for the information.

[azure-empress.livejournal.com]

Which kinda sparks the question, why is Triumph of the Will not on the list?

That movie set the standard for every epic movie since. A few of the items on the list even quote heavily from it.
Which is a bit sad, considering what Triumph is propaganda for.

Leni Riefenstahl was a genius in visuals. I truly wonder what movies she would have made if she had not been a Nazi. Say, a Why We Fight made by her.

[darksumomo.livejournal.com]

Because this is a list of American films, not all films. I can think of two other German films that would belong in a top 100--Nosferatu and Metropolis. I can think of at least one British film that would belong here--Chariots of Fire. And then there are all the great French, Italian, and Japanese films that I couldn't possibly name, but which would belong in a top 100.

[azure-empress.livejournal.com]

True.

I only noticed the American thing later. That should teach me to read the instructions before opening the package, eh. :p

[indigestible.livejournal.com]

It's pretty much the glorification of the KKK and how they saved the South from the evil and lecherous ex-slaves. I wouldn't be surprised if it's never been shown outside the US.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

That'd make sense though

Though, you don't live in the US, do you?

[indigestible.livejournal.com]

No, I totally live in the US. Right in the middle of its capital with a view of congress from my apartment, actually. XD Out of curiosity, what made you think I didn't?

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I thought you lived in Australia XD

[rexluscus.livejournal.com]

Its content is horrible, of course, but most film narrative techniques used now can be traced back to that film. So it was hugely, hugely influential. I don't know how I feel about the separating of a piece of art's content from its form...it's certainly not a simple ethical question...but if you're compiling a list of "films that moved the art form forward" (I'm not sure if this list qualifies as that or not) then that film has to be on it.

[indigestible.livejournal.com]

True, but my intuitive definition of "greatest films" isn't "technically masterful" or "influential." If someone tells me a film is "great" I assume that means something closer to "highly recommended" or "a good way to spend two hours." The AFI may well be using a definition more like the former, but it might be less confusing if they said so. (Especially since if the list is made in terms of influence, Birth of a Nation should probably be HIGHER on the list.)

[rexluscus.livejournal.com]

That's a good point. "Casablanca" is great, but not necessarily innovative. Maybe they were trying to for a balance of a bunch of different criteria. I mean, really - why else would "Forrest Gump" be on the list. ;-)

[darksumomo.livejournal.com]

I'm going to win at this meme. My girlfriend and I were engaged in a long term project to see every single film that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. We even saw the very first winner, Wings, in a theater with an orchestral accompaniment! We still haven't finished that project.

FWIW, the ones I'd recommend to you, science fiction fan, are 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Frankenstein, in about that order. I'm not sure I'd recommend the original King Kong over the most recent version, but I haven't seen the original in about 20 years.

[maidenform.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to do this meme because I haven't seen most of these films. I hate old movies. *g*

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

why do you hate them ? Some are good. I'm hardly a movie connoisseur, but a nice Hitchcock or old Musicals are fun.

[maidenform.livejournal.com]

I don't like the whole style. I like modern movies the best. And besides, there aren't a whole lot of my favourite genres of film from the old movies. Namely, the psychological thriller and the absurdist artsy film. *g*

[isildurs-babe.livejournal.com]

A star for Raiders of the Lost Ark :D