AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies
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The first of the AFI 100 Years... series of cinematic milestones, AFI's 100 Years... 100 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 was unveiled in 1998.
It was released in video in two versions: a 145-minute version, which aired on CBS, and a 460-minute version available only on video. It was hosted by Jodie Foster, among others. (However, the following note is found on the AFI website, "NOTE: Due to licensing restrictions, the telecasts of the AFI 100...100 Series are not available for distribution or purchase on DVD or VHS." This apparent discrepancy may result from unclear use of the the phrase "...released in video...", implying that the performance may be available for public purchase. AFI seems to clearly indicate this is not possible.)
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.
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100 Movies – (1998) |
Contents |
[edit] Criteria
Films were judged according to the following criteria.
- Feature-length: Narrative format, at least 40 minutes in length.
- American film: English language, with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.
- Critical Recognition: Formal commendation in print.
- Major Award Winner: Recognition from competitive events including awards from organizations in the film community and major film festivals.
- Popularity Over Time: Including figures for box office adjusted for inflation, television broadcasts and syndication, and home video sales and rentals.
- Historical Significance: A film's mark on the history of the moving image through technical innovation, visionary narrative devices or other groundbreaking achievements.
- Cultural Impact: A film's mark on American society in matters of style and substance.
[edit] 1998 List
[edit] 2007 List comparison
On June 20, 2007, a new list was released by AFI to update for the new generation of films.
Twenty-three films were removed from the original list of the 100 best movies (80 were removed from the nomination list of 400):
39. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
44. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
52. From Here to Eternity (1953)
53. Amadeus (1984)
54. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
57. The Third Man (1949)
58. Fantasia (1940)
59. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
63. Stagecoach (1939)
64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
67. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
68. An American in Paris (1951)
73. Wuthering Heights (1939)
75. Dances with Wolves (1990)
82. Giant (1956)
84. Fargo (1996)
86. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
87. Frankenstein (1931)
89. Patton (1970)
90. The Jazz Singer (1927)
91. My Fair Lady (1964)
92. A Place in the Sun (1951)
99. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Four films released between 1997-2006 were added:
50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
83. Titanic (1997)
89. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Nineteen films made between 1916-1995 were also added:
18. The General (1927)
49. Intolerance (1916)
59. Nashville (1975)
61. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
63. Cabaret (1972)
67. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
77. All the President's Men (1976)
81. Spartacus (1960)
82. Sunrise (1927)
85. A Night at the Opera (1935)
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
90. Swing Time (1936)
91. Sophie's Choice (1982)
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
96. Do the Right Thing (1989)
97. Blade Runner (1982)
99. Toy Story (1995)
[edit] Criticisms
As with the Academy Awards, the list of those who vote and the final vote tally is not released to the public.
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, repeated elsewhere, of the AFI's appropriation of British films, such as Lawrence of Arabia and The Third Man. Rosenbaum also produced an alternate list of 100 American movies that he felt had been overlooked by the AFI.[1] 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, and the accompanying promotional poster lists the titles in alphabetical order.
Among other criticisms were that: more than half of the films were from years between 1950 to 1979 leaving the silent era and "modern era" virtually ignored. Critic Mick LaSalle accused the AFI of promoting "moronic consensus."[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (June 26, 1998). "List-o-Mania: Or, How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love American Movies". Chicago Reader. http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/100best.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
- ^ "List of Top 100 Films a "Scandal"". BBC News. June 23, 1998. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/entertainment/115896.stm/. Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
[edit] See also
- AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)
- BFI Top 100 British films
- Films considered the greatest ever
