Citizen Kane Stands the Test of Time
10 Years Later, Orson Welles' Classic Remains Atop AFI's List of 100 Greatest Movies of All Time
Raging Bull and Vertigo Crack the Top 10 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Saving Private Ryan, The Sixth Sense and Titanic Among Films to Make List for the First Time
The American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the 100 greatest movies of all time in AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies -- 10th Anniversary Edition, a three-hour special television event on CBS hosted by Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman. A jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians determined that CITIZEN KANE -- which Orson Welles directed, produced, wrote and starred in at the age of 25 -- remains the greatest movie of all time.
Films that also made the top 10 include THE GODFATHER (#2), CASABLANCA (#3), RAGING BULL (#4), SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (#5), GONE WITH THE WIND (#6), LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (#7), SCHINDLER'S LIST (#8), VERTIGO (#9) and THE WIZARD OF OZ (#10).
"American film has always reflected and, in many respects, defined who we are," said AFI President and CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg. "But like all art forms, our perceptions of the movies change over time. AFI is proud to conduct this poll every 10 years to mark these changing cultural perspectives -- and to continue to drive new generations to the classics of American film."
Other interesting facts about the 2007 list include:
-- This is the first year that RAGING BULL and VERTIGO have made the
top 10. They were ranked #24 and #61 respectively when the original
AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies poll was conducted in 1997.
-- Out of the 43 newly eligible films released from 1996 to 2006, only THE
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (#50), SAVING PRIVATE
RYAN (#71), TITANIC (#83) and THE SIXTH SENSE (#89) made the cut.
-- Other new additions to the list include: THE GENERAL (#18), INTOLERANCE
(#49), NASHVILLE (#59), SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (#61), CABARET (#63), WHO'S
AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (#67), THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (#72), IN THE
HEAT OF THE NIGHT (#75), ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (#77), SPARTACUS
(#81), SUNRISE (#82), A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (#85), 12 ANGRY MEN (#87),
SWING TIME (#90), SOPHIE'S CHOICE (#91), THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (#95),
DO THE RIGHT THING (#96), BLADE RUNNER (#97) and TOY STORY (#99).
-- John Ford's epic Western THE SEARCHERS moved up the list the most of
any film -- rising 84 spots to a new position at #12. CITY LIGHTS,
VERTIGO and UNFORGIVEN also rose prominently, moving from #76 to #11
(CITY LIGHTS); #61 TO #9 (VERTIGO) and #98 to #68 (UNFORGIVEN).
-- Steven Spielberg is the most represented director with five films: ET,
JAWS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, SCHINDLER'S LIST.
Spielberg was the most represented director on AFI's original list --
also with five films. (CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND has been
replaced by SAVING PRIVATE RYAN as the fifth entry.) Directors Alfred
Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Billy Wilder each have four films on the
list. Frank Capra, Charles Chaplin, Francis Ford Coppola, John Huston
and Martin Scorsese each have three.
-- Robert De Niro and James Stewart are the most represented actors with
five films each. Faye Dunaway, Katharine Hepburn and Diane Keaton are
the most represented actresses with three films each.
The complete list of honorees is:
1 CITIZEN KANE 1941
2 THE GODFATHER 1972
3 CASABLANCA 1942
4 RAGING BULL 1980
5 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952
6 GONE WITH THE WIND 1939
7 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962
8 SCHINDLER'S LIST 1993
9 VERTIGO 1958
10 THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939
11 CITY LIGHTS 1931
12 THE SEARCHERS 1956
13 STAR WARS 1977
14 PSYCHO 1960
15 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968
16 SUNSET BLVD. 1950
17 THE GRADUATE 1967
18 THE GENERAL 1927
19 ON THE WATERFRONT 1954
20 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946
21 CHINATOWN 1974
22 SOME LIKE IT HOT 1959
23 THE GRAPES OF WRATH 1940
24 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 1982
25 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 1962
26 MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON 1939
27 HIGH NOON 1952
28 ALL ABOUT EVE 1950
29 DOUBLE INDEMNITY 1944
30 APOCALYPSE NOW 1979
31 THE MALTESE FALCON 1941
32 THE GODFATHER PART II 1974
33 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST 1975
34 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS 1937
35 ANNIE HALL 1977
36 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 1957
37 THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES 1946
38 THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE 1948
39 DR. STRANGELOVE 1964
40 THE SOUND OF MUSIC 1965
41 KING KONG 1933
42 BONNIE AND CLYDE 1967
43 MIDNIGHT COWBOY 1969
44 THE PHILADELPHIA STORY 1940
45 SHANE 1953
46 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT 1934
47 A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE 1951
48 REAR WINDOW 1954
49 INTOLERANCE 1916
50 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING 2001
51 WEST SIDE STORY 1961
52 TAXI DRIVER 1976
53 THE DEER HUNTER 1978
54 M*A*S*H 1970
55 NORTH BY NORTHWEST 1959
56 JAWS 1975
57 ROCKY 1976
58 THE GOLD RUSH 1925
59 NASHVILLE 1975
60 DUCK SOUP 1933
61 SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS 1941
62 AMERICAN GRAFFITI 1973
63 CABARET 1972
64 NETWORK 1976
65 THE AFRICAN QUEEN 1951
66 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 1981
67 WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? 1966
68 UNFORGIVEN 1992
69 TOOTSIE 1982
70 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE 1971
71 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN 1998
72 THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION 1994
73 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID 1969
74 THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS 1991
75 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT 1967
76 FORREST GUMP 1994
77 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN 1976
78 MODERN TIMES 1936
79 THE WILD BUNCH 1969
80 THE APARTMENT 1960
81 SPARTACUS 1960
82 SUNRISE 1927
83 TITANIC 1997
84 EASY RIDER 1969
85 A NIGHT AT THE OPERA 1935
86 PLATOON 1986
87 12 ANGRY MEN 1957
88 BRINGING UP BABY 1938
89 THE SIXTH SENSE 1999
90 SWING TIME 1936
91 SOPHIE'S CHOICE 1982
92 GOODFELLAS 1990
93 THE FRENCH CONNECTION 1971
94 PULP FICTION 1994
95 THE LAST PICTURE SHOW 1971
96 DO THE RIGHT THING 1989
97 BLADE RUNNER 1982
98 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942
99 TOY STORY 1995
100 BEN-HUR 1959
To compile the final list, AFI distributed a ballot with 400 nominated movies to a jury of over 1,500 leaders from the creative community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, and cinematographers), critics and historians.
AFI asks jurors to consider the following criteria in their selection process:
-- Feature-Length Fiction Film: Narrative format, typically over 60
minutes in length.
-- American Film: Motion picture 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 airings, and DVD/VHS sales and rentals.
-- Historical Significance: A film's mark on the history of the moving
image through visionary narrative devices, technical innovation or
other groundbreaking achievements.
-- Cultural Impact: A film's mark on American society in matters of style
and substance.
-- AFI also allowed five write-in votes per ballot.
This year's broadcast breaks new ground by expanding the national debate on film online. Movie fans can visit http://www.afi.com/ to debate the list and make their case for what is the greatest movie of all time and why. Additionally, they can visit http://www.youtube.com/AFI to not only view clips of Hollywood's hottest stars talking about their favorite movies, but also to post their own video replies. Major studios are also partnering with AOL and Best Buy to promote AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies -- 10th Anniversary Edition with a special Web site on Moviefone, http://www.afi.aol.com/. The site features a "Guess the AFI Top 10" sweepstakes, movie trivia and much more.
Immediately after the broadcast of the program, visitors can go to http://www.afi.com/ to download an enhanced version of AFI's complete 10th Anniversary list to keep track of the movies they want to see, and to reference the original 1997 list of top 100 movies. Additionally for the first time, millions of TiVo subscribers can set up an AFI "Guru Guide" which will automatically record any movie from AFI's list when scheduled by any channel tracked by TiVo.
For the 10th consecutive year, the primetime special was executive produced and directed by Gary Smith; executive produced for AFI by former AFI Board Chair Emeritus Frederick S. Pierce; and produced by Dann Netter and Bob Gazzale. SFM Entertainment LLC is the distributor of the program. Major sponsors include Best Buy, Colgate Total, GM, The Home Depot, Paramount, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Sony, Warner Bros. and all major motion picture companies.
About the American Film Institute
AFI celebrates its 40th Anniversary in 2007.
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world- renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through the AFI Digital Content Lab and K-12 Screen Education Center. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival -- as well as year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, including SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. AFI AWARDS, the annual almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, while AFI's 100 Years . . . series has ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. And, during the past 35 years, AFI's Life Achievement Award has become the highest honor for a career in film. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.
Source: American Film Institute
Web site:
http://www.afi.com/
http://www.youtube.com/AFI
http://www.afi.aol.com/
