Voted the number one movie was CITIZEN KANE, Orson Welles' 1941
classic, which he directed, produced, wrote and starred in at the age of
25. The rest of the top ten, in order, are: CASABLANCA (#2), THE
GODFATHER (#3), GONE WITH THE WIND (#4), LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
(#5), THE WIZARD OF OZ (#6), THE GRADUATE (#7), ON THE
WATERFRONT (#8), SCHINDLER'S LIST (#9) and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (#10).
A list of the top 100 is at the bottom of this page.
classic, which he directed, produced, wrote and starred in at the age of
25. The rest of the top ten, in order, are: CASABLANCA (#2), THE
GODFATHER (#3), GONE WITH THE WIND (#4), LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
(#5), THE WIZARD OF OZ (#6), THE GRADUATE (#7), ON THE
WATERFRONT (#8), SCHINDLER'S LIST (#9) and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (#10).
A list of the top 100 is at the bottom of this page.
1. CITIZEN KANE
Arguably the greatest of American films, Orson Welles's 1941 masterpiece, made
when he was only 26, still unfurls like a dream and carries the viewer along the
mysterious currents of time and memory to reach a mature (if ambiguous) conclusion:
people are the sum of their contradictions, and can't be known easily. Welles plays
newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane, taken from his mother as a boy and made
the ward of a rich industrialist. The result is that every well-meaning or tyrannical or
self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a
reaction to that deeply wounding event. Written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz,
and photographed by Gregg Toland, the film is the sum of Welles's awesome
ambitions as an artist in Hollywood. He pushes the limits of then-available technology
to create a true magic show, a visual and aural feast that almost seems to be rising
up from a viewer's subconsciousness. As Kane, Welles even ushers in the influence
of Bertolt Brecht on film acting. This is truly a one-of-a-kind work, and in many ways is
still the most modern of modern films from the 20th century.
Arguably the greatest of American films, Orson Welles's 1941 masterpiece, made
when he was only 26, still unfurls like a dream and carries the viewer along the
mysterious currents of time and memory to reach a mature (if ambiguous) conclusion:
people are the sum of their contradictions, and can't be known easily. Welles plays
newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane, taken from his mother as a boy and made
the ward of a rich industrialist. The result is that every well-meaning or tyrannical or
self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a
reaction to that deeply wounding event. Written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz,
and photographed by Gregg Toland, the film is the sum of Welles's awesome
ambitions as an artist in Hollywood. He pushes the limits of then-available technology
to create a true magic show, a visual and aural feast that almost seems to be rising
up from a viewer's subconsciousness. As Kane, Welles even ushers in the influence
of Bertolt Brecht on film acting. This is truly a one-of-a-kind work, and in many ways is
still the most modern of modern films from the 20th century.
2. CASABLANCA
A truly perfect movie, the 1942 Casablanca still wows viewers today, and for good
reason. Its unique story of a love triangle set against terribly high stakes in the war
against a monster is sophisticated instead of outlandish, intriguing instead of garish.
Humphrey Bogart plays the allegedly apolitical club owner in unoccupied French
territory that is nevertheless crawling with Nazis; Ingrid Bergman is the lover who
mysteriously deserted him in Paris; and Paul Heinreid is her heroic, slightly
bewildered husband. Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Conrad
Veidt are among what may be the best supporting cast in the history of Hollywood
films. This is certainly among the most spirited and ennobling movies ever made. -
A truly perfect movie, the 1942 Casablanca still wows viewers today, and for good
reason. Its unique story of a love triangle set against terribly high stakes in the war
against a monster is sophisticated instead of outlandish, intriguing instead of garish.
Humphrey Bogart plays the allegedly apolitical club owner in unoccupied French
territory that is nevertheless crawling with Nazis; Ingrid Bergman is the lover who
mysteriously deserted him in Paris; and Paul Heinreid is her heroic, slightly
bewildered husband. Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Conrad
Veidt are among what may be the best supporting cast in the history of Hollywood
films. This is certainly among the most spirited and ennobling movies ever made. -
3. GODFATHER
Generally acknowledged as a bona fide classic, this Francis Ford Coppola film is one
of those rare experiences that feels perfectly right from beginning to end--almost as if
everyone involved had been born to participate in it. Based on Mario Puzo's
bestselling novel about a Mafia dynasty, Coppola's Godfather extracted and
enhanced the most universal themes of immigrant experience in America: the
plotting-out of hopes and dreams for one's successors, the raising of children to carry
on the good work, etc. In the midst of generational strife during the Vietnam years, the
film somehow struck a chord with a nation fascinated by the metamorphosis of a
rebellious son (Al Pacino) into the keeper of his father's dream. Marlon Brando played
against Puzo's own conception of patriarch Vito Corleone, and time has certainly
proven the actor correct. The rest of the cast, particularly James Caan, John Cazale,
and Robert Duvall as the rest of Vito's male brood--all coping with how to take the
mantle of responsibility from their father--is seamless and wonderful.
Generally acknowledged as a bona fide classic, this Francis Ford Coppola film is one
of those rare experiences that feels perfectly right from beginning to end--almost as if
everyone involved had been born to participate in it. Based on Mario Puzo's
bestselling novel about a Mafia dynasty, Coppola's Godfather extracted and
enhanced the most universal themes of immigrant experience in America: the
plotting-out of hopes and dreams for one's successors, the raising of children to carry
on the good work, etc. In the midst of generational strife during the Vietnam years, the
film somehow struck a chord with a nation fascinated by the metamorphosis of a
rebellious son (Al Pacino) into the keeper of his father's dream. Marlon Brando played
against Puzo's own conception of patriarch Vito Corleone, and time has certainly
proven the actor correct. The rest of the cast, particularly James Caan, John Cazale,
and Robert Duvall as the rest of Vito's male brood--all coping with how to take the
mantle of responsibility from their father--is seamless and wonderful.
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
There's no getting around a simple, basic truth: watching Lawrence of Arabia in any
home-video format represents a compromise. There's no better way to appreciate
this epic biographical adventure than to see it projected in 70 millimeter onto a huge
theater screen. That caveat aside, David Lean's masterful "desert classic" is still
enjoyable on the small screen, especially if viewed in widescreen format. (If your only
option is to view a "pan & scan" version, it's best not to bother; this is a film for which
the widescreen format is utterly mandatory.) Peter O'Toole gives a star-making
performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer who united the desert
tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean orchestrates sweeping
battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures
and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the desert. Lean traces
this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other movie has
captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally important
is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his
identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that
Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical
and emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly
drawn to another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal
measure.
There's no getting around a simple, basic truth: watching Lawrence of Arabia in any
home-video format represents a compromise. There's no better way to appreciate
this epic biographical adventure than to see it projected in 70 millimeter onto a huge
theater screen. That caveat aside, David Lean's masterful "desert classic" is still
enjoyable on the small screen, especially if viewed in widescreen format. (If your only
option is to view a "pan & scan" version, it's best not to bother; this is a film for which
the widescreen format is utterly mandatory.) Peter O'Toole gives a star-making
performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer who united the desert
tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean orchestrates sweeping
battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures
and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the desert. Lean traces
this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other movie has
captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally important
is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his
identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that
Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical
and emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly
drawn to another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal
measure.
4. GONE WITH THE WIND
Vivien Leigh is Scarlett to Clark Gable's Rhett in cinema's greatest epic of passion and
adventure. With its immortal cast, magnificent cinematography and sweeping score, this
cherished classic continues to thrill audiences today. Year: 1939
David O. Selznick wanted Gone with the Wind to be somehow more than a movie, a film
that would broaden the very idea of what a film could be and do and look like. In many
respects he got what he worked so hard to achieve in this 1939 epic (and all-time
box-office champ in terms of tickets sold), and in some respects he fell far short of the
goal. While the first half of this Civil War drama is taut and suspenseful and nostalgic, the
second is ramshackle and arbitrary. But there's no question that the film is an enormous
achievement in terms of its every resource--art direction, color, sound,
cinematography--being pushed to new limits for the greater glory of telling an American
story as fully as possible. Vivien Leigh is still magnificently narcissistic, Olivia de Havilland
angelic and lovely, Leslie Howard reckless and aristocratic. As for Clark Gable: we're
talking one of the most vital, masculine performances ever committed to film.
Vivien Leigh is Scarlett to Clark Gable's Rhett in cinema's greatest epic of passion and
adventure. With its immortal cast, magnificent cinematography and sweeping score, this
cherished classic continues to thrill audiences today. Year: 1939
David O. Selznick wanted Gone with the Wind to be somehow more than a movie, a film
that would broaden the very idea of what a film could be and do and look like. In many
respects he got what he worked so hard to achieve in this 1939 epic (and all-time
box-office champ in terms of tickets sold), and in some respects he fell far short of the
goal. While the first half of this Civil War drama is taut and suspenseful and nostalgic, the
second is ramshackle and arbitrary. But there's no question that the film is an enormous
achievement in terms of its every resource--art direction, color, sound,
cinematography--being pushed to new limits for the greater glory of telling an American
story as fully as possible. Vivien Leigh is still magnificently narcissistic, Olivia de Havilland
angelic and lovely, Leslie Howard reckless and aristocratic. As for Clark Gable: we're
talking one of the most vital, masculine performances ever committed to film.
6. WIZARD OF OZ
When it was released during Hollywood's golden year of 1939, The Wizard of Oz
didn't start out as the perennial classic it has since become. The film did respectable
business, but it wasn't until its debut on television that this family favorite saw its
popularity soar. And while Oz's TV broadcasts are now controlled by media mogul
Ted Turner (who owns the rights), the advent of home video has made this lively
musical a mainstay in the staple diet of great American films. Young Dorothy Gale
(Judy Garland), her dog, Toto, and her three companions on the yellow brick road to
Oz--the Tin Man (Jack Haley), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and the Scarecrow
(Ray Bolger)--have become pop-culture icons and central figures in the legacy of
fantasy for children. As the Wicked Witch who covets Dorothy's enchanted ruby
slippers, Margaret Hamilton has had the singular honor of scaring the wits out of
children for more than six decades. The film's still as fresh, frightening, and funny as
it was when first released. It may take some liberal detours from the original story by
L. Frank Baum, but it's loyal to the Baum legacy while charting its own course as a
spectacular film. Shot in glorious Technicolor, befitting its dynamic production design
(Munchkinland alone is a psychedelic explosion of color and decor), The Wizard of
Oz may not appeal to every taste as the years go by, but it's required viewing for kids
of all ages.
When it was released during Hollywood's golden year of 1939, The Wizard of Oz
didn't start out as the perennial classic it has since become. The film did respectable
business, but it wasn't until its debut on television that this family favorite saw its
popularity soar. And while Oz's TV broadcasts are now controlled by media mogul
Ted Turner (who owns the rights), the advent of home video has made this lively
musical a mainstay in the staple diet of great American films. Young Dorothy Gale
(Judy Garland), her dog, Toto, and her three companions on the yellow brick road to
Oz--the Tin Man (Jack Haley), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and the Scarecrow
(Ray Bolger)--have become pop-culture icons and central figures in the legacy of
fantasy for children. As the Wicked Witch who covets Dorothy's enchanted ruby
slippers, Margaret Hamilton has had the singular honor of scaring the wits out of
children for more than six decades. The film's still as fresh, frightening, and funny as
it was when first released. It may take some liberal detours from the original story by
L. Frank Baum, but it's loyal to the Baum legacy while charting its own course as a
spectacular film. Shot in glorious Technicolor, befitting its dynamic production design
(Munchkinland alone is a psychedelic explosion of color and decor), The Wizard of
Oz may not appeal to every taste as the years go by, but it's required viewing for kids
of all ages.
7. THE GRADUATE
Few films have defined a generation as The Graduate did. The alienation, the
nonconformity, the intergenerational romance, the blissful Simon and Garfunkel
soundtrack--they all served to lob a cultural grenade smack into the middle of
1967 America, ultimately making the film the third most profitable up to that time.
Seen from a later perspective, its radical chicness has dimmed a bit, yet it's still
a joy to see Dustin Hoffman's bemused Benjamin and Anne Bancroft's
deliciously decadent, sardonic Mrs. Robinson. The script by Buck Henry and
Calder Willingham is still offbeat and dryly funny, and Mike Nichols, who won an
Oscar for his direction, has just the right, light touch.
Few films have defined a generation as The Graduate did. The alienation, the
nonconformity, the intergenerational romance, the blissful Simon and Garfunkel
soundtrack--they all served to lob a cultural grenade smack into the middle of
1967 America, ultimately making the film the third most profitable up to that time.
Seen from a later perspective, its radical chicness has dimmed a bit, yet it's still
a joy to see Dustin Hoffman's bemused Benjamin and Anne Bancroft's
deliciously decadent, sardonic Mrs. Robinson. The script by Buck Henry and
Calder Willingham is still offbeat and dryly funny, and Mike Nichols, who won an
Oscar for his direction, has just the right, light touch.
8. ON THE WATERFRONT
Marlon Brando's famous "I coulda been a contenda" speech is such a warhorse by
now that a lot of people probably feel they've seen this picture already, even if they
haven't. And many of those who have seen it may have forgotten how flat-out thrilling
it is. For all its great dramatic and cinematic qualities, and its fiery social criticism, Elia
Kazan's On the Waterfront is also one of the most gripping melodramas of political
corruption and individual heroism ever made in the United States, a five-star
gut-grabber. Shot on location around the docks of Hoboken, New Jersey, in the
mid-1950s, it tells the fact-based story of a longshoreman (Brando's Terry Malloy)
who is blackballed and savagely beaten for informing against the mobsters who have
taken over his union and sold it out to the bosses. (Karl Malden has a more
conventional stalwart-hero role, as an idealistic priest who nurtures Terry's pangs of
conscience.) Lee J. Cobb, who created the role of Willy Loman in Death of Salesman
under Kazan's direction on Broadway, makes a formidable foe as a greedy union
leader.
Marlon Brando's famous "I coulda been a contenda" speech is such a warhorse by
now that a lot of people probably feel they've seen this picture already, even if they
haven't. And many of those who have seen it may have forgotten how flat-out thrilling
it is. For all its great dramatic and cinematic qualities, and its fiery social criticism, Elia
Kazan's On the Waterfront is also one of the most gripping melodramas of political
corruption and individual heroism ever made in the United States, a five-star
gut-grabber. Shot on location around the docks of Hoboken, New Jersey, in the
mid-1950s, it tells the fact-based story of a longshoreman (Brando's Terry Malloy)
who is blackballed and savagely beaten for informing against the mobsters who have
taken over his union and sold it out to the bosses. (Karl Malden has a more
conventional stalwart-hero role, as an idealistic priest who nurtures Terry's pangs of
conscience.) Lee J. Cobb, who created the role of Willy Loman in Death of Salesman
under Kazan's direction on Broadway, makes a formidable foe as a greedy union
leader.
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST
Steven Spielberg had a banner year in 1993. He scored one of his biggest commercial hits
that summer with the mega-hit Jurassic Park, but it was the artistic and critical triumph of
Schindler's List that Spielberg called "the most satisfying experience of my career." Adapted
from the best-selling book by Thomas Keneally and filmed in Poland with an emphasis on
absolute authenticity, Spielberg's masterpiece ranks among the greatest films ever made
about the Holocaust during World War II. It's a film about heroism with an unlikely hero at its
center--Catholic war profiteer Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who risked his life and went
bankrupt to save more than 1,000 Jews from certain death in concentration camps.
By employing Jews in his crockery factory manufacturing goods for the German army,
Schindler ensures their survival against terrifying odds. At the same time, he must remain
solvent with the help of a Jewish accountant (Ben Kingsley) and negotiate business with a
vicious, obstinate Nazi commandant (Ralph Fiennes) who enjoys shooting Jews as target
practice from the balcony of his villa overlooking a prison camp. Schindler's List gains much
of its power not by trying to explain Schindler's motivations, but by dramatizing the delicate
diplomacy and determination with which he carried out his generous deeds.
As a drinker and womanizer who thought nothing of associating with Nazis, Schindler was
hardly a model of decency; the film is largely about his transformation in response to the
horror around him. Spielberg doesn't flinch from that horror, and the result is a film that
combines remarkable humanity with abhorrent inhumanity--a film that functions as a powerful
history lesson and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the context of a living
nightmare.
Description
Schindler's List, a Steven Spielberg film, is a cinematic masterpiece that has become one of
the most honored films of all time. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture
and Best Director, it also won every major Best Picture award and an exceptional number of
additional honors. Among them were seven British Academy Awards; the Best Picture Awards
from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, the National Board
of Review, the Producers Guild, the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago, Boston and Dallas
Film Critics; a Christopher Award; and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden
Globe Awards. Steven Spielberg was further honored with the Directors Guild of America
Award. The film presents the indelible true story of the enigmatic Oskar Schindler, a member
of the Nazi party, womanizer, and war profiteer who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews
during the Holocaust. It is the triumph of one man who made a difference, and the drama of
those who survived one of the darkest chapters in human history because of what he did.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film, which also won Academy Awards for Screenplay,
Cinematography, Music, Editing and Art Direction, stars an acclaimed cast headed by Liam
Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle and Embeth
Davidtz.
Steven Spielberg had a banner year in 1993. He scored one of his biggest commercial hits
that summer with the mega-hit Jurassic Park, but it was the artistic and critical triumph of
Schindler's List that Spielberg called "the most satisfying experience of my career." Adapted
from the best-selling book by Thomas Keneally and filmed in Poland with an emphasis on
absolute authenticity, Spielberg's masterpiece ranks among the greatest films ever made
about the Holocaust during World War II. It's a film about heroism with an unlikely hero at its
center--Catholic war profiteer Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who risked his life and went
bankrupt to save more than 1,000 Jews from certain death in concentration camps.
By employing Jews in his crockery factory manufacturing goods for the German army,
Schindler ensures their survival against terrifying odds. At the same time, he must remain
solvent with the help of a Jewish accountant (Ben Kingsley) and negotiate business with a
vicious, obstinate Nazi commandant (Ralph Fiennes) who enjoys shooting Jews as target
practice from the balcony of his villa overlooking a prison camp. Schindler's List gains much
of its power not by trying to explain Schindler's motivations, but by dramatizing the delicate
diplomacy and determination with which he carried out his generous deeds.
As a drinker and womanizer who thought nothing of associating with Nazis, Schindler was
hardly a model of decency; the film is largely about his transformation in response to the
horror around him. Spielberg doesn't flinch from that horror, and the result is a film that
combines remarkable humanity with abhorrent inhumanity--a film that functions as a powerful
history lesson and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the context of a living
nightmare.
Description
Schindler's List, a Steven Spielberg film, is a cinematic masterpiece that has become one of
the most honored films of all time. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture
and Best Director, it also won every major Best Picture award and an exceptional number of
additional honors. Among them were seven British Academy Awards; the Best Picture Awards
from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, the National Board
of Review, the Producers Guild, the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago, Boston and Dallas
Film Critics; a Christopher Award; and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden
Globe Awards. Steven Spielberg was further honored with the Directors Guild of America
Award. The film presents the indelible true story of the enigmatic Oskar Schindler, a member
of the Nazi party, womanizer, and war profiteer who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews
during the Holocaust. It is the triumph of one man who made a difference, and the drama of
those who survived one of the darkest chapters in human history because of what he did.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film, which also won Academy Awards for Screenplay,
Cinematography, Music, Editing and Art Direction, stars an acclaimed cast headed by Liam
Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle and Embeth
Davidtz.
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
For those of you who don't know the story, this is an interesting movie that revolves
around the transition from silent films to talking films. A previous reviewer noted that the
possibly best thing about this movie is that it makes fun of the silent film era, but at the
same time shows respect for it and nostalgia towards it. Gene Kelly seems to have made
an art out of covering his coincidental rise to fame with a single word: "Dignity." Gene Kelly
works with Lena Lamont who is beautiful enough for silent films. But her unrefined voice
makes us aware that she will have problems if films go to sound. Gene Kelly later runs into
Debby Reynolds. Their first meeting ends in a major (but still funny argument). If we know
romances, we can see that they will eventually end up together. Debby Reynolds
apparently thinks she is far above Kelly. In a later meeting, they run into each other, and
Kelly sees that Reynolds is NOT so far above him. But he is moved with compassion.
(Perhaps at seeing traits of his own difficult past.) Later we see that movies are going to go
sound. While this presents some difficulties to some, Lena will have the most problems if
she wants to keep her job. The one weak link in this movie is that I do not like how Lena is
made the object of scorn by several parties. I especially found Cosmo's treatment of her to
be cruel and uncalled for. Lena is no saint to be sure, but she just basically wants to keep
her job. As someone who works in a church, it is hard for me to find this funny. But moving
on, Reynolds and Kelly meet again, and they begin working on the project together. We
can see that the transition from silent to sound is NOT so easy. An especially hilarious
moment is the miserable failure of the screen test topped off by the sound timing going off.
But Reynolds and Kelly (former enemies) work together to find a way to save the movie.
One thing that makes this movie great is that there is a harmonious transition from the
dialogue and acting parts, to the song and dance scenes. Some songs seem unrelated,
but they are still pleasant. One comical character worth mentioning is the politician R.F. At
first he laughs off the possibility of talking films: "Trust me...They'll lose their shirts." But
when they become big, he says: "I told you talking pictures were a menace, but no one
would listen." He's a nice person, but he is still a tad hypocritical. "Yes. I'm the head of this
studio. Seldon you're hired....Uh...just don't let Lena know she's on the lot." In many ways,
this film is a great treasure.
For those of you who don't know the story, this is an interesting movie that revolves
around the transition from silent films to talking films. A previous reviewer noted that the
possibly best thing about this movie is that it makes fun of the silent film era, but at the
same time shows respect for it and nostalgia towards it. Gene Kelly seems to have made
an art out of covering his coincidental rise to fame with a single word: "Dignity." Gene Kelly
works with Lena Lamont who is beautiful enough for silent films. But her unrefined voice
makes us aware that she will have problems if films go to sound. Gene Kelly later runs into
Debby Reynolds. Their first meeting ends in a major (but still funny argument). If we know
romances, we can see that they will eventually end up together. Debby Reynolds
apparently thinks she is far above Kelly. In a later meeting, they run into each other, and
Kelly sees that Reynolds is NOT so far above him. But he is moved with compassion.
(Perhaps at seeing traits of his own difficult past.) Later we see that movies are going to go
sound. While this presents some difficulties to some, Lena will have the most problems if
she wants to keep her job. The one weak link in this movie is that I do not like how Lena is
made the object of scorn by several parties. I especially found Cosmo's treatment of her to
be cruel and uncalled for. Lena is no saint to be sure, but she just basically wants to keep
her job. As someone who works in a church, it is hard for me to find this funny. But moving
on, Reynolds and Kelly meet again, and they begin working on the project together. We
can see that the transition from silent to sound is NOT so easy. An especially hilarious
moment is the miserable failure of the screen test topped off by the sound timing going off.
But Reynolds and Kelly (former enemies) work together to find a way to save the movie.
One thing that makes this movie great is that there is a harmonious transition from the
dialogue and acting parts, to the song and dance scenes. Some songs seem unrelated,
but they are still pleasant. One comical character worth mentioning is the politician R.F. At
first he laughs off the possibility of talking films: "Trust me...They'll lose their shirts." But
when they become big, he says: "I told you talking pictures were a menace, but no one
would listen." He's a nice person, but he is still a tad hypocritical. "Yes. I'm the head of this
studio. Seldon you're hired....Uh...just don't let Lena know she's on the lot." In many ways,
this film is a great treasure.
This is the complete list of the classic
movies on the top 100 American Films as
picked in 1998 by the American Film
Institute.
1. Citizen Kane
2. Casablanca
3. The Godfather
4. Gone with the Wind
5. Lawrence of Arabia
6. The Wizard of Oz
7. The Graduate
8. On the Waterfront
9. Schindler's List
10. Singin' in the Rain
11. It's a Wonderful Life
12. Sunset Boulevard
13. Bridge on the River Kwai
14. Some Like It Hot
15. Star Wars
16. All About Eve
17. The African Queen
18. Psycho
19. Chinatown
20. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
21. The Grapes of Wrath
22. 2001: A Space Odyssey
23. The Maltese Falcon
24. Raging Bull
25. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
26. Dr. Strangelove
27. Bonnie and Clyde
28. Apocalypse Now
29. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
30. Treasure of the Sierra Madre
31. Annie Hall
32. The Godfather, Part II
33. High Noon
34. To Kill a Mockingbird
35. It Happened One Night
36. Midnight Cowboy
37. The Best Years of Our Lives
38. Double Indemnity
39. Doctor Zhivago
40. North by Northwest
41. West Side Story
42. Rear Window
43. King Kong
44. The Birth of a Nation
45. A Streetcar Named Desire
46. A Clockwork Orange
47. Taxi Driver
48. Jaws
49. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
50. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
51. The Philadelphia Story
52. From Here to Eternity
53. Amadeus
54. All Quiet on the Western Front
55. The Sound of Music
56. M*A*S*H
57. The Third Man
58. Fantasia
59. Rebel Without a Cause
60. Raiders of the Lost Ark
61. Vertigo
62. Tootsie
63. Stagecoach
64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
65. The Silence of the Lambs
66. Network
67. The Manchurian Candidate
68. An American in Paris
69. Shane
70. The French Connection
71. Forrest Gump
72. Ben-Hur
73. Wuthering Heights
74. The Gold Rush
75. Dances with Wolves
76. City Lights
77. American Graffiti
78. Rocky
79. The Deer Hunter
80. The Wild Bunch
81. Modern Times
82. Giant
83. Platoon
84. Fargo
85. Duck Soup
86. Mutiny on the Bounty
87. Frankenstein
88. Easy Rider
89. Patton
90. The Jazz Singer
91. My Fair Lady
92. A Place in the Sun
93. The Apartment
94. Good Fellas
95. Pulp Fiction
96. The Searchers
97. Bringing Up Baby
98. Unforgiven
99. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
100. Yankee Doodle Dandy
movies on the top 100 American Films as
picked in 1998 by the American Film
Institute.
1. Citizen Kane
2. Casablanca
3. The Godfather
4. Gone with the Wind
5. Lawrence of Arabia
6. The Wizard of Oz
7. The Graduate
8. On the Waterfront
9. Schindler's List
10. Singin' in the Rain
11. It's a Wonderful Life
12. Sunset Boulevard
13. Bridge on the River Kwai
14. Some Like It Hot
15. Star Wars
16. All About Eve
17. The African Queen
18. Psycho
19. Chinatown
20. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
21. The Grapes of Wrath
22. 2001: A Space Odyssey
23. The Maltese Falcon
24. Raging Bull
25. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
26. Dr. Strangelove
27. Bonnie and Clyde
28. Apocalypse Now
29. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
30. Treasure of the Sierra Madre
31. Annie Hall
32. The Godfather, Part II
33. High Noon
34. To Kill a Mockingbird
35. It Happened One Night
36. Midnight Cowboy
37. The Best Years of Our Lives
38. Double Indemnity
39. Doctor Zhivago
40. North by Northwest
41. West Side Story
42. Rear Window
43. King Kong
44. The Birth of a Nation
45. A Streetcar Named Desire
46. A Clockwork Orange
47. Taxi Driver
48. Jaws
49. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
50. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
51. The Philadelphia Story
52. From Here to Eternity
53. Amadeus
54. All Quiet on the Western Front
55. The Sound of Music
56. M*A*S*H
57. The Third Man
58. Fantasia
59. Rebel Without a Cause
60. Raiders of the Lost Ark
61. Vertigo
62. Tootsie
63. Stagecoach
64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
65. The Silence of the Lambs
66. Network
67. The Manchurian Candidate
68. An American in Paris
69. Shane
70. The French Connection
71. Forrest Gump
72. Ben-Hur
73. Wuthering Heights
74. The Gold Rush
75. Dances with Wolves
76. City Lights
77. American Graffiti
78. Rocky
79. The Deer Hunter
80. The Wild Bunch
81. Modern Times
82. Giant
83. Platoon
84. Fargo
85. Duck Soup
86. Mutiny on the Bounty
87. Frankenstein
88. Easy Rider
89. Patton
90. The Jazz Singer
91. My Fair Lady
92. A Place in the Sun
93. The Apartment
94. Good Fellas
95. Pulp Fiction
96. The Searchers
97. Bringing Up Baby
98. Unforgiven
99. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
100. Yankee Doodle Dandy
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