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AFI's 100 Years 100 Movies Greatest American films of all time |
PreambleThe very first edition of AFI’s 100 Years...100 Movies is a list of the 100 greatest American films of all time. In 1998, AFI invited more than 1,500 leaders from across the American film community - screenwriters, directors, actors, producers, cinematographers, editors, executives, film historians and critics among them - to choose from a list of 400 nominated films compiled by AFI and select the 100 greatest American movies. |
The AFI’s 100 Years...100 Movies CBS television special originally aired on June 16, 1998. Selection criteriaFEATURE-LENGTH FICTION FILMS: Narrative format, typically over 60 minutes in length. AMERICAN FILM: English-language film with significant creative and/or production elements from the United States. CRITICAL RECOGNITION: Formal commendation in print, television and digital media. MAJOR AWARD WINNER: Recognition from competitive events including awards from peer groups, critics, guilds and major film festivals. POPULARITY OVER TIME: Including success at the box office, television and cable airing, and DVD/VHS sales and rentals. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A film’s mark on the history of the moving images through visionary narrative devices, technical innovation, or other ground breaking achievements. CULT URAL IMPACT: A film’s mark on American society in matters of style and substance. |
ListThis is the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Movies, selected by AFI's blue-ribbon panel of more than 1,500 leaders of the American movie community. |
Rank | Film | Year | Director | Producer | Production company |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | CITIZEN KANE | 1941 | Orson Welles | Orson Welles | Mercury Productions |
2 | CASABLANCA | 1942 | Michael Curtiz | Hal B. Wallis | Warner Bros. Pictures |
3 | GODFATHER, THE | 1972 | Francis Ford Coppola | Albert S. Ruddy | Paramount Pictures Alfran Productions, Inc. |
4 | GONE WITH THE WIND | 1939 | Victor Fleming | David O. Selznick | Selznick International Pictures, Inc. |
5 | LAWRENCE OF ARABIA | 1962 | David Lean | Sam Spiegel | Horizon Pictures |
6 | WIZARD OF OZ, THE | 1939 | Victor Fleming | Mervyn LeRoy | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
7 | GRADUATE, THE | 1967 | Mike Nichols | Lawrence Turman | Lawrence Turman Productions |
8 | ON THE WATERFRONT | 1954 | Elia Kazan | Sam Spiegel | Horizon Pictures |
9 | SCHINDLER'S LIST | 1993 | Steven Spielberg | Steven Spielberg Gerald R. Molen Branko Lustig | Amblin Entertainment |
10 | SINGIN' IN THE RAIN | 1952 | Gene Kelly Stanley Donen | Arthur Freed | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
11 | IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE | 1946 | Frank Capra | Frank Capra | Liberty Films |
12 | SUNSET BOULEVARD | 1950 | Billy Wilder | Charles Brackett | Paramount Pictures |
13 | BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE | 1957 | David Lean | Sam Spiegel | Horizon Pictures |
14 | SOME LIKE IT HOT | 1959 | Billy Wilder | Billy Wilder | Mirisch Company |
15 | STAR WARS | 1977 | George Lucas | Gary Kurtz | Lucasfilm Ltd. |
16 | ALL ABOUT EVE | 1950 | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Darryl F. Zanuck | 20th Century Fox |
17 | AFRICAN QUEEN, THE | 1951 | John Huston | Sam Spiegel | Horizon Pictures Romulus Films |
18 | PSYCHO | 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock | Alfred Hitchcock | Shamley Productions |
19 | CHINATOWN | 1974 | Roman Polanski | Robert Evans | Penthouse Long Road Productions Robert Evans Company |
20 | ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST | 1975 | Miloš Forman | Saul Zaentz Michael Douglas | Fantasy Films |
21 | GRAPES OF WRATH, THE | 1940 | John Ford | Darryl F. Zanuck Nunnally Johnson | 20th Century Fox |
22 | 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY | 1968 | Stanley Kubrick | Stanley Kubrick | Stanley Kubrick Productions |
23 | MALTESE FALCON, THE | 1941 | John Huston | Hal B. Wallis | Warner Bros. |
24 | RAGING BULL | 1980 | Martin Scorsese | Irwin Winkler Robert Chartoff | United Artists |
25 | E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL | 1982 | Steven Spielberg | Steven Spielberg Kathleen Kennedy | Amblin Productions |
26 | DR. STRANGELOVE | 1964 | Stanley Kubrick | Stanley Kubrick | Hawk Films |
27 | BONNIE & CLYDE | 1967 | Arthur Penn | Warren Beatty | Warner Bros. Pictures |
28 | APOCALYPSE NOW | 1979 | Francis Ford Coppola | Francis Coppola | Omni Zoetrope |
29 | MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON | 1939 | Frank Capra | Frank Capra | Columbia Pictures |
30 | TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE | 1948 | John Huston | Henry Blanke | Warner Bros.-First National |
31 | ANNIE HALL | 1977 | Woody Allen | Charles H. Joffe | Jack Rollins and Charles H. Joffe Production |
32 | GODFATHER PART II, THE | 1974 | Francis Ford Coppola | Francis Ford Coppola | Paramount Pictures The Coppola Company |
33 | HIGH NOON | 1952 | Fred Zinnemann | Stanley Kramer | Stanley Kramer Productions |
34 | TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD | 1962 | Robert Mulligan | Alan J. Pakula | Brentwood Productions Pakula-Mulligan |
35 | IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT | 1934 | Frank Capra | Frank Capra Harry Cohn | Columbia Pictures |
36 | MIDNIGHT COWBOY | 1969 | John Schlesinger | Jerome Hellman | Jerome Hellman Productions Mist Entertainment |
37 | BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE | 1946 | William Wyler | Samuel Goldwyn | Samuel Goldwyn Productions |
38 | DOUBLE INDEMNITY | 1944 | Billy Wilder | Joseph Sistrom | Paramount Pictures |
39 | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO | 1965 | David Lean | Carlo Ponti | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Carlo Ponti Production Sostar S.A. |
40 | NORTH BY NORTHWEST | 1959 | Alfred Hitchcock | Alfred Hitchcock | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
41 | WEST SIDE STORY | 1961 | Robert Wise Jerome Robbins | Robert Wise | Mirisch Pictures Seven Arts Productions |
42 | REAR WINDOW | 1954 | Alfred Hitchcock | Alfred Hitchcock | Patron Inc. |
43 | KING KONG | 1933 | Merian C. Cooper Ernest B. Schoedsack | Merian C. Cooper Ernest B. Schoedsack | Radio Pictures |
44 | BIRTH OF A NATION, THE | 1915 | D. W. Griffith | D. W. Griffith Harry Aitken | David W. Griffith Corp. |
45 | STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A | 1951 | Elia Kazan | Charles K. Feldman | Warner Bros. |
46 | CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A | 1971 | Stanley Kubrick | Stanley Kubrick | Polaris Productions Hawk Films |
47 | TAXI DRIVER | 1976 | Martin Scorsese | Julia Phillips Michael Phillips | Bill/Phillips Productions Italo/Judeo Productions |
48 | JAWS | 1975 | Steven Spielberg | Richard D. Zanuck David Brown | Zanuck/Brown Company Universal Pictures |
49 | SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS | 1937 | Walt Disney | Walt Disney | Walt Disney Productions |
50 | BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID | 1969 | George Roy Hill | John Foreman | Campanile Productions Newman-Foreman Company |
51 | PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE | 1940 | George Cukor | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
52 | FROM HERE TO ETERNITY | 1953 | Fred Zinnemann | Buddy Adler | Columbia Pictures |
53 | AMADEUS | 1984 | Miloš Forman | Saul Zaentz | The Saul Zaentz Company |
54 | ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT | 1930 | Lewis Milestone | Carl Laemmle Jr. | Universal Studios |
55 | SOUND OF MUSIC, THE | 1965 | Robert Wise | Robert Wise | Argyle Enterprises, Inc |
56 | M*A*S*H | 1970 | Robert Altman | Ingo Preminger | Aspen Productions Ingo Preminger Productions |
57 | THIRD MAN, THE | 1949 | Carol Reed | Carol Reed Alexander Korda David O. Selznick | London Films |
58 | FANTASIA | 1940 | Walt Disney | Walt Disney Ben Sharpsteen | Walt Disney Productions |
59 | REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE | 1955 | Nicholas Ray | David Weisbart | Warner Bros. |
60 | RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK | 1981 | Steven Spielberg | Frank Marshall | Lucasfilm Ltd. |
61 | VERTIGO | 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock | Alfred Hitchcock | Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions |
62 | TOOTSIE | 1982 | Sydney Pollack | Sydney Pollack Dick Richards Ronald L. Schwary | Mirage Enterprises |
63 | STAGECOACH | 1939 | John Ford | Walter Wanger | Walter Wanger Productions |
64 | CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND | 1977 | Steven Spielberg | Julia Phillips Michael Phillips | EMI Films |
65 | SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE | 1991 | Jonathan Demme | Kenneth Utt Edward Saxon Ron Bozman | Strong Heart Productions |
66 | NETWORK | 1976 | Sidney Lumet | Howard Gottfried Fred C. Caruso | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
67 | MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE | 1962 | John Frankenheimer | George Axelrod John Frankenheimer | M.C. Productions |
68 | AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN | 1951 | Vincente Minnelli | Arthur Freed | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
69 | SHANE | 1953 | George Stevens | George Stevens | Paramount Pictures |
70 | FRENCH CONNECTION, THE | 1971 | William Friedkin | Philip D'Antoni | Philip D'Antoni Productions |
71 | FORREST GUMP | 1994 | Robert Zemeckis | Wendy Finerman Steve Tisch Steve Starkey | The Tisch Company |
72 | BEN-HUR | 1959 | William Wyler | Sam Zimbalist | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
73 | WUTHERING HEIGHTS | 1939 | William Wyler | Samuel Goldwyn | Samuel Goldwyn Productions |
74 | GOLD RUSH, THE | 1925 | Charlie Chaplin | Charlie Chaplin | United Artists |
75 | DANCES WITH WOLVES | 1990 | Kevin Costner | Jim Wilson Kevin Costner | Tig Productions |
76 | CITY LIGHTS | 1931 | Charlie Chaplin | Charlie Chaplin | United Artists |
77 | AMERICAN GRAFFITI | 1973 | George Lucas | Francis Ford Coppola | Lucasfilm |
78 | ROCKY | 1976 | John G. Avildsen | Irwin Winkler Robert Chartoff | Chartoff-Winkler Productions |
79 | DEER HUNTER, THE | 1978 | Michael Cimino | Barry Spikings Michael Deeley Michael Cimino John Peverall | EMI |
80 | WILD BUNCH, THE | 1969 | Sam Peckinpah | Phil Feldman | Warner Bros.-Seven Arts |
81 | MODERN TIMES | 1936 | Charlie Chaplin | Charlie Chaplin | United Artists |
82 | GIANT | 1956 | George Stevens | George Stevens Henry Ginsberg | Warner Bros. |
83 | PLATOON | 1986 | Oliver Stone | Arnold Kopelson | Hemdale Film Corporation |
84 | FARGO | 1996 | Joel Coen | Ethan Coen | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Working Title Films |
85 | DUCK SOUP | 1933 | Leo McCarey | Herman J. Mankiewicz | Paramount Pictures |
86 | MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY | 1935 | Frank Lloyd | Frank Lloyd Irving Thalberg | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
87 | FRANKENSTEIN | 1931 | James Whale | Carl Laemmle Jr. | Universal Pictures |
88 | EASY RIDER | 1969 | Dennis Hopper | Peter Fonda | Pando Company Inc. Raybert Productions |
89 | PATTON | 1970 | Franklin J. Schaffner | Frank McCarthy | 20th Century Fox |
90 | JAZZ SINGER, THE | 1927 | Alan Crosland | Darryl F. Zanuck | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
91 | MY FAIR LADY | 1964 | George Cukor | Jack L. Warner | Warner Bros. |
92 | PLACE IN THE SUN, A | 1951 | George Stevens | George Stevens | Paramount Pictures |
93 | APARTMENT, THE | 1960 | Billy Wilder | Billy Wilder | The Mirisch Company |
94 | GOODFELLAS | 1990 | Martin Scorsese | Irwin Winkler | Warner Bros. |
95 | PULP FICTION | 1994 | Quentin Tarantino | Lawrence Bender | A Band Apart Jersey Films |
96 | SEARCHERS, THE | 1956 | John Ford | Frank S. Nugent | C.V. Whitney Pictures |
97 | BRINGING UP BABY | 1938 | Howard Hawks | Cliff Reid Howard Hawks | RKO Radio Pictures |
98 | UNFORGIVEN | 1992 | Clint Eastwood | Clint Eastwood | Malpaso Productions |
99 | GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER | 1967 | Stanley Kramer | Stanley Kramer | Columbia Pictures |
100 | YANKEE DOODLE DANDY | 1942 | Michael Curtiz | Hal B. Wallis Jack L. Warner William Cagney | Warner Bros. |
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NO.1 CITIZEN KANE (1941)
Cast: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins Director: Orson Welles Producer: Orson Welles Writer: Herman J. Mankiewicz Composer: Bernard Herrmann Cinematographer: Gregg Toland Editor: Robert Wise Production Company: Mercury Productions |
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NO.2 CASABLANCA (1942)
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre. Director: Michael Curtiz Producers: Hal B. Wallis, Jack L. Warner Writers: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch Composer: Max Steiner Cinematographer: Arthur Edeson Editor: Owen Marks Production Company: Warner Bros. - First National Pictures |
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NO.3 THE GODFATHER (1972)
Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden Director: Francis Ford Coppola Producer: Albert S. Ruddy Writer: Mario Puzo Composer: Nino Rota Cinematographer: Gordon Willis Editors: William Reynolds, Peter Zinner Production Company: Paramount Pictures Corp., Alfran Productions, Inc. |
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NO.4 GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
Cast: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard Director: Victor Fleming Writer: Sidney Howard Based on the Novel: Margaret Mitchell Producer: David O. Selznick Composer: Max Steiner Cinematographer: Ernest Haller Editor: Hal C. Kern Production Company: Selznick International Pictures, Inc. |
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NO.5 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy, Omar Sharif Director: David Lean Producer: Sam Spiegel Writers: Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson Based on Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence Composer: Maurice Jarre Cinematographer: F.A. Young Editor: Anne V. Coates Production Company: Horizon Pictures |