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AFI's 100 Years 100 Passions America’s Greatest Love Stories |
![]() PreambleAFI’s 100 Years... 100 Passions is a list of the 100 greatest love stories of all time. Regardless of genre, in these films, a romantic bond between two or more characters, whose actions and/or intentions provide the heart of the film's narrative. These movies possess a "passion" which has enriched America's film and cultural heritage while continuing to inspire contemporary artists and audiences. The AFI’s 100 Years... 100 Passions television special, hosted by Candice Bergen, originally aired on June 11, 2002. Selection criteriaThe jurors were asked to consider the following criteria while making their selections:Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes in length. American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States. MAJOR AWARD WINNER: Recognition from competitive events including awards from peer groups, critics, guilds and major film festivals. Legacy: Films whose “passion” has enriched America’s film and cultural heritage while continuing to inspire contemporary artists and audiences. ![]() 100 PASSIONS chart of seats per decades |
List |
Rank | Film | Year | He | She | Director |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | CASABLANCA | 1942 | Humphrey Bogart | Ingrid Bergman | Michael Curtiz |
2 | GONE WITH THE WIND | 1939 | Clark Gable | Vivien Leigh | Victor Fleming |
3 | WEST SIDE STORY | 1961 | Richard Beymer | Natalie Wood | Jerome Robbins Robert Wise |
4 | ROMAN HOLIDAY | 1953 | Gregory Peck | Audrey Hepburn | William Wyler |
5 | AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, AN | 1957 | Cary Grant | Deborah Kerr | Leo McCarey |
6 | WAY WE WERE, THE | 1973 | Robert Redford | Barbra Streisand | Sydney Pollack |
7 | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO | 1965 | Omar Sharif | Julie Christie Geraldine Chaplin | David Lean |
8 | IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE | 1946 | James Stewart | Donna Reed | Frank Capra |
9 | LOVE STORY | 1970 | Ryan O'Neal | Ali MacGraw | Arthur Hiller |
10 | CITY LIGHTS | 1931 | Charlie Chaplin | Virginia Cherrill | Charlie Chaplin |
11 | ANNIE HALL | 1977 | Woody Allen | Diane Keaton | Woody Allen |
12 | MY FAIR LADY | 1964 | Rex Harrison | Audrey Hepburn | George Cukor |
13 | OUT OF AFRICA | 1985 | Robert Redford | Meryl Streep | Sydney Pollack |
14 | AFRICAN QUEEN, THE | 1951 | Humphrey Bogart | Katharine Hepburn | John Huston |
15 | WUTHERING HEIGHTS | 1939 | Laurence Olivier | Merle Oberon | William Wyler |
16 | SINGIN' IN THE RAIN | 1952 | Gene Kelly | Debbie Reynolds | Stanley Donen Gene Kelly |
17 | MOONSTRUCK | 1987 | Nicolas Cage | Cher | Norman Jewison |
18 | VERTIGO | 1958 | James Stewart | Kim Novak | Alfred Hitchcock |
19 | GHOST | 1990 | Patrick Swayze | Demi Moore | Jerry Zucker |
20 | FROM HERE TO ETERNITY | 1953 | Burt Lancaster Montgomery Clift | Deborah Kerr Donna Reed | Fred Zinnemann |
21 | PRETTY WOMAN | 1990 | Richard Gere | Julia Roberts | Garry Marshall |
22 | ON GOLDEN POND | 1981 | Henry Fonda | Katharine Hepburn | Mark Rydell |
23 | NOW, VOYAGER | 1942 | Paul Henreid | Bette Davis | Irving Rapper |
24 | KING KONG | 1933 | Bruce Cabot | Fay Wray | Merian C. Cooper Ernest B. Schoedsack |
25 | WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... | 1989 | Billy Crystal | Meg Ryan | Rob Reiner |
26 | LADY EVE, THE | 1941 | Henry Fonda | Barbara Stanwyck | Preston Sturges |
27 | SOUND OF MUSIC, THE | 1965 | Christopher Plummer | Julie Andrews | Robert Wise |
28 | SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, THE | 1940 | James Stewart | Margaret Sullavan | Ernst Lubitsch |
29 | OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, AN | 1982 | Richard Gere | Debra Winger | Taylor Hackford |
30 | SWING TIME | 1936 | Fred Astaire | Ginger Rogers | George Stevens |
31 | KING AND I, THE | 1956 | Yul Brynner | Deborah Kerr | Walter Lang |
32 | DARK VICTORY | 1939 | George Brent Humphrey Bogart | Bette Davis | Edmund Goulding |
33 | CAMILLE | 1937 | Robert Taylor | Greta Garbo | George Cukor |
34 | BEAUTY AND THE BEAST | 1991 | Robby Benson | Paige O'Hara | Gary Trousdale Kirk Wise |
35 | GIGI | 1958 | Louis Jourdan | Leslie Caron | Vincente Minnelli |
36 | RANDOM HARVEST | 1942 | Ronald Colman | Greer Garson | Mervyn LeRoy |
37 | TITANIC | 1997 | Leonardo DiCaprio | Kate Winslet | James Cameron |
38 | IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT | 1934 | Clark Gable | Claudette Colbert | Frank Capra |
39 | AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN | 1951 | Gene Kelly | Leslie Caron | Vincente Minnelli |
40 | NINOTCHKA | 1939 | Melvyn Douglas | Greta Garbo | Ernst Lubitsch |
41 | FUNNY GIRL | 1968 | Omar Sharif | Barbra Streisand | William Wyler |
42 | ANNA KARENINA | 1935 | Fredric March | Greta Garbo | Clarence Brown |
43 | STAR IS BORN, A | 1954 | James Mason | Judy Garland | George Cukor |
44 | PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE | 1940 | Cary Grant James Stewart | Katharine Hepburn | George Cukor |
45 | SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE | 1993 | Tom Hanks | Meg Ryan | Nora Ephron |
46 | TO CATCH A THIEF | 1955 | Cary Grant | Grace Kelly | Alfred Hitchcock |
47 | SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS | 1961 | Warren Beatty | Natalie Wood | Elia Kazan |
48 | LAST TANGO IN PARIS | 1972 | Marlon Brando | Maria Schneider | Bernardo Bertolucci |
49 | POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, THE | 1946 | John Garfield | Lana Turner | Tay Garnett |
50 | SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE | 1998 | Joseph Fiennes | Gwyneth Paltrow | John Madden |
51 | BRINGING UP BABY | 1938 | Cary Grant | Katharine Hepburn | Howard Hawks |
52 | GRADUATE, THE | 1967 | Dustin Hoffman | Katharine Ross | Mike Nichols |
53 | PLACE IN THE SUN, A | 1951 | Montgomery Clift | Elizabeth Taylor | George Stevens |
54 | SABRINA | 1954 | Humphrey Bogart | Audrey Hepburn | Billy Wilder |
55 | REDS | 1981 | Warren Beatty | Diane Keaton | Warren Beatty |
56 | ENGLISH PATIENT, THE | 1996 | Naveen Andrews Ralph Fiennes | Juliette Binoche Kristin Scott Thomas | Anthony Minghella |
57 | TWO FOR THE ROAD | 1967 | Albert Finney | Audrey Hepburn | Stanley Donen |
58 | GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER | 1967 | Spencer Tracy Sidney Poitier | Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton | Stanley Kramer |
59 | PICNIC | 1955 | William Holden | Kim Novak | Joshua Logan |
60 | TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT | 1944 | Humphrey Bogart | Lauren Bacall | Howard Hawks |
61 | BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S | 1961 | George Peppard | Audrey Hepburn | Blake Edwards |
62 | APARTMENT, THE | 1960 | Jack Lemmon | Shirley MacLaine | Billy Wilder |
63 | SUNRISE | 1927 | George O'Brien | Janet Gaynor Margaret Livingston | F. W. Murnau |
64 | MARTY | 1955 | Ernest Borgnine | Betsy Blair | Delbert Mann |
65 | BONNIE AND CLYDE | 1967 | Warren Beatty | Faye Dunaway | Arthur Penn |
66 | MANHATTAN | 1979 | Woody Allen | Diane Keaton | Woody Allen |
67 | STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A | 1951 | Marlon Brando | Vivien Leigh | Elia Kazan |
68 | WHAT'S UP, DOC? | 1972 | Ryan O'Neal | Barbra Streisand | Peter Bogdanovich |
69 | HAROLD AND MAUDE | 1971 | Bud Cort | Ruth Gordon | Hal Ashby |
70 | SENSE AND SENSIBILITY | 1995 | Hugh Grant | Emma Thompson | Ang Lee |
71 | WAY DOWN EAST | 1920 | Richard Barthelmess | Lillian Gish | D. W. Griffith |
72 | ROXANNE | 1987 | Steve Martin | Daryl Hannah | Fred Schepisi |
73 | GHOST AND MRS. MUIR, THE | 1947 | Rex Harrison | Gene Tierney | Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
74 | WOMAN OF THE YEAR | 1942 | Spencer Tracy | Katharine Hepburn | George Stevens |
75 | AMERICAN PRESIDENT, THE | 1995 | Michael Douglas | Annette Bening | Rob Reiner |
76 | QUIET MAN, THE | 1952 | John Wayne | Maureen O'Hara | John Ford |
77 | AWFUL TRUTH, THE | 1937 | Cary Grant | Irene Dunne | Leo McCarey |
78 | COMING HOME | 1978 | Jon Voight | Jane Fonda | Hal Ashby |
79 | JEZEBEL | 1939 | Henry Fonda | Bette Davis | William Wyler |
80 | SHEIK, THE | 1921 | Rudolph Valentino | Agnes Ayres | George Melford |
81 | GOODBYE GIRL, THE | 1977 | Richard Dreyfuss | Marsha Mason | Herbert Ross |
82 | WITNESS | 1985 | Harrison Ford | Kelly McGillis | Peter Weir |
83 | MOROCCO | 1930 | Gary Cooper | Marlene Dietrich | Josef von Sternberg |
84 | DOUBLE INDEMNITY | 1944 | Fred MacMurray | Barbara Stanwyck | Billy Wilder |
85 | LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING | 1955 | William Holden | Jennifer Jones | Henry King |
86 | NOTORIOUS | 1946 | Cary Grant | Ingrid Bergman | Alfred Hitchcock |
87 | UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, THE | 1988 | Daniel Day-Lewis | Juliette Binoche | Philip Kaufman |
88 | PRINCESS BRIDE, THE | 1987 | Cary Elwes | Robin Wright | Rob Reiner |
89 | WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? | 1966 | Richard Burton | Elizabeth Taylor | Mike Nichols |
90 | BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, THE | 1995 | Clint Eastwood | Meryl Streep | Clint Eastwood |
91 | WORKING GIRL | 1988 | Harrison Ford | Melanie Griffith | Mike Nichols |
92 | PORGY AND BESS | 1959 | Sidney Poitier | Dorothy Dandridge | Otto Preminger |
93 | DIRTY DANCING | 1987 | Patrick Swayze | Jennifer Grey | Emile Ardolino |
94 | BODY HEAT | 1981 | William Hurt | Kathleen Turner | Lawrence Kasdan |
95 | LADY AND THE TRAMP | 1955 | Larry Roberts | Barbara Luddy | Clyde Geronimi Wilfred Jackson Hamilton Luske |
96 | BAREFOOT IN THE PARK | 1967 | Robert Redford | Jane Fonda | Gene Saks |
97 | GREASE | 1978 | John Travolta | Olivia Newton-John | Randal Kleiser |
98 | HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, THE | 1939 | Charles Laughton | Maureen O'Hara | William Dieterle |
99 | PILLOW TALK | 1959 | Rock Hudson | Doris Day | Michael Gordon |
100 | JERRY MAGUIRE | 1996 | Tom Cruise | Renée Zellweger | Cameron Crowe |
N | AS GOOD AS IT GETS | 1997 | Jack Nicholson | Helen Hunt | James Brooks |
N | SOMEWHERE IN TIME | 1980 | Christopher Reeve | Jane Seymour | Richard Matheson |
N | YOU'VE GOT MAIL | 1998 | Tom Hanks | Meg Ryan | Nora Ephron |
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NO.1 CASABLANCA (1942)
Starred by Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre. Directed by Michael Curtiz Screenplay by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch. Produced by Hal B. Wallis, Jack L. Warner Music by Max Steiner Cinematography by Arthur Edeson Film editing by Owen Marks. |
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NO.2 GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
Starred by Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard. Directed by Victor Fleming Screenplay by Sidney Howard Based on the Novel by Margaret Mitchell Produced by David O. Selznick Music by Max Steiner Cinematography by Ernest Haller Film editing by Hal C. Kern. |
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NO.3 WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
Starred by Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno. Directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise Screenplay by Ernest Lehman Based on the book of musical play by Arthur Laurents Produced by Robert Wise Music by Leonard Bernstein Cinematography by Daniel L. Fapp Film editing by Thomas Stanford. |
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No. 4 ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953)
Starred by Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn Directed by William Wyler Screenplay by Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton. Based on the story by Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter. Produced by William Wyler Music by Georges Auric Cinematography by Henri Alekan, Franz Planer Film editing by Robert Swink |
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NO.5 AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (1957)
Starred by Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr. Directed by Leo McCarey. Screenplay by Delmer Daves, Leo McCarey Story by Leo McCarey, Mildred Cram. Produced by Jerry Wald Music by Hugo Friedhofer. Cinematography by Milton R. Krasner Film editing by James B. Clark. |
Most celebrated (passion) actor/actressCary Grant - 6 movies (AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, THE AWFUL TRUTH, BRINGING UP BABY, NOTORIOUS, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, TO CATCH A THIEF) Katharine Hepburns - 6 movies (THE AFRICAN QUEENGUESS, WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, ON GOLDEN POND, BRINGING UP BABY, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, WOMAN OF THE YEAR) Audrey Hepburns - 5 movies (TWO FOR THE ROAD, ROMAN HOLIDAY, SABRINA, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, MY FAIR LADY) Humphrey Bogart - 5 movies (CASABLANCA, DARK VICTORY, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, SABRINA, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT) Interesting factsWilliam Wyler (ROMAN HOLIDAY, FUNNY GIRL, JEZEBEL, WUTHERING HEIGHTS) and George Cukor (A STAR IS BORN, MY FAIR LADY, CAMILLE, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY) were the most represented directors. Mike Nichols, Rob Reiner, George Stevens and Billy Wilder helmed three love stories respectively. Marni Nixon’s singing voice sang for Eliza Doolittle in MY FAIR LADY, Maria in WEST SIDE STORY, Terry McKay in AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER and Anna in THE KING AND I. Marni accompanies her voice while playing Sister Sophia in THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Seven of AFI’s top 10 greatest love stories feature couples that do not end up together in the end. Movies seats per decadesStatistically speaking, in terms of decades with most movies in top 100, the situation is as follows:1st 1950-59 with 21 seats (THE AFRICAN QUEEN, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, A PLACE IN THE SUN, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, THE QUIET MAN, ROMAN HOLIDAY, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, A STAR IS BORN, SABRINA, TO CATCH A THIEF, PICNIC, MARTY, LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING, LADY AND THE TRAMP, THE KING AND I, AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, VERTIGO, GIGI, PORGY AND BESS, PILLOW TALK); 2nd 1930-39 with 15 seats (MOROCCO, CITY LIGHTS, KING KONG, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, ANNA KARENINA, SWING TIME, CAMILLE, THE AWFUL TRUTH, BRINGING UP BABY, GONE WITH THE WIND, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, DARK VICTORY, NINOTCHKA, JEZEBEL, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME); 3rd 1960-69 with 14 seats (THE APARTMENT, WEST SIDE STORY, SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, MY FAIR LADY, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, THE GRADUATE, TWO FOR THE ROAD, GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, BONNIE AND CLYDE, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, FUNNY GIRL); 4th: 1940-49 with 13 seats (THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE LADY EVE, CASABLANCA, NOW, VOYAGER, RANDOM HARVEST, WOMAN OF THE YEAR, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, NOTORIOUS, THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR); 4th 1980-89 with 13 seats (ON GOLDEN POND, REDS, BODY HEAT, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, OUT OF AFRICA, WITNESS, MOONSTRUCK, ROXANNE, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, DIRTY DANCING, THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, WORKING GIRL, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY); 6th 1990-99 with 11 seats (GHOST, PRETTY WOMAN, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, JERRY MAGUIRE, TITANIC, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE); 7th 1970-79 with 10 seats (LOVE STORY, HAROLD AND MAUDE, LAST TANGO IN PARIS, WHAT'S UP, DOC?, THE WAY WE WERE, ANNIE HALL, THE GOODBYE GIRL, COMING HOME, GREASE, MANHATTAN); 8th 1920-29 with 3 seats (WAY DOWN EAST, THE SHEIK, SUNRISE); List of the 100 winning movies List of the 400 nominated films |