Citizen Kane Still No. 1 on List of Best Movies

[Nesacat]

Citizen Kane Still No. 1 on List of Best Movies

Citizen Kane topped the list of the American Film Institute's top 100 movies, holding on to the lead spot 10 years after the list was first compiled.

The 1941 movie, written, directed and produced by Orson Welles when he was 25 years old, tells the story of newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane and his final word, 'Rosebud'. Welles also starred in the title role.

The American Film Institute, based in Los Angeles, updated its '100 Years...100 Movies' list issued in 1997, the 100th anniversary of the first motion picture. A jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians evaluated the movies based on their critical recognition, awards, lasting popularity, and historical and cultural significance, the institute said.

The Godfather, the first of Francis Ford Coppola's Mafia trilogy, ranked second, and Casablanca, the World War II drama starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, took third place. Raging Bull and Singin' in the Rain were voted into the top five after ranking No. 24 and 10 on the 1997 list.

The Searchers, a John Wayne western, climbed the most, to No. 12 from 96 in 1997, while The African Queen, one of Katharine Hepburn's three films on the list, fell to 65 from 17.

The film institute's rankings include four silent films: Buster Keaton's The General at No. 18, 1916's Intolerance at No. 49, and two Charlie Chaplin films, The Gold Rush at No. 58 and Modern Times at 78. Walt Disney Co's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Toy Story, are the only animated movies.

Among movies made in the last 10 years, only four made the list: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring took the No. 50 spot; Saving Private Ryan came in at 71, Titanic ranked 83rd; and The Sixth Sense, made No. 89.

Nineteen other pictures were added to the list, bumping films such as Dr. Zhivago, The Birth of a Nation, The Jazz Singer, and Frankenstein.

Director Stephen Spielberg has the most films on the list, with five, including Saving Private Ryan. Actors Robert DeNiro and James Stewart star in the most films on the list, with five each, while actresses Hepburn, Faye Dunaway and Diane Keaton have three movies apiece. - Bloomberg

[Connavar]

Casbalanca is the best ever to me.

I dont see what is the fuss about Saving Private Ryan. It isnt even the best WWII movie.


Sixth Sense deserves its place.

Good to see Charlie Chaplin movies in there, he was true comedy genius.

[tangaloomababe]

I loved Dr Zhivago so I am a little sad its not there. I have not seen Citizen Kane, mind you I keep meaning to to just havn't gotten around to it. I am suprised that The Searchers is so high, its ok but I dont think it deserves the rating.
I agree with you Connavar I dont think Saving Private Ryan is much at all, not that I am into war movies anyway but in comparing that to others I have seen, I wouldnt have rated it in the top 100.

I am wondering if Ben Hur made the grade. This is a fine movie made on a huge scale both in man power and sets and has stood the test of time as an excellent movies, nearly all actors were well cast in their roles with good old Charlton Heston doing a brilliant job as Ben Hur.
I personally cannot see humor in Charlie Chaplin, but this is strictly a personal view and there are many others who enjoy his work.
This will always be a debatable list as to what should or shouldn't be on because it is a personal choice thing.

[Tillane]

Titanic? In the top 100? What on earth were they thinking?

Hope The Third Man was up there somewhere. Fabulous movie.

[steve12553]

I read through the list in the paper (I use the term loosely) and counted the films I'd seen. If my memory hasn't failed me I've seen 52 of the 100 movies on the list. I guess, statistically that make me average. It also means I wasted a few minutes counting titles on a list that doesn't reflect anything but the collective opinions of a group of people associated with that medium. I guess it's human nature to try to gauge one's self. At least they told me I was human.



I'd always wondered about the feathers.

[littlemissattitude]

I feel about Citizen Kane about like how I feel about Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: they're both groundbreaking as works of art in their respective fields, but neither one of them is "the best" in their categories.

I would have put The Godfather first, and not just because it is one of my favorite films of all time. It gives the feeling that Coppola and the cast jumped in a time machine and actually went on location back in time to make it, rather than having recreated the era of history in which it takes place.

I saw most of the show that presented the list last night, but I was doing some other things while I was watching, so I'd have to take a look at the list to see what sorts of changes I'd make. I'm a bit disappointed that The African Queen dropped so far on the list and that Frankenstein was booted off the list, while Titanic was given a place.

The most interesting thing about the show itself? Especially in light of the main subject matter of this forum, I was very intersted to hear Richard Dreyfuss describe himself as an "alternate history freak"...but it does explain the book he co-authored (however that worked) with Harry Turtledove a while back.

I think I'm going to have to go have a look at that list.

[Quokka]

I still havent seen Citizen Kane but I will get around to it one day. As with Some Like It Hot as best comedy I think they have topped the lists for so long they're not likely to change any time soon. Hopefully 12 Angry Men is still in the top 10 or 20 as its a great movie.

I think the two animated movies are a fair representation of the genre, although Mononoke-hime would have been a nice addition. I really shudder that Titanic is in the list at all, its one movie I really can't stand. Was thinking about what other recent movies deserved to be on the list and IMDB has these as the top 9 from the 90's

The Shawshank Redemption
Pulp Fiction
Schindler's List
Goodfellers
The Usual Suspects
The Silence of the Lambs
Fight Club
The Matrix
American Beauty
I'd add Apollo 13 (1995)

Any of which I would have been happy to take Titanics place.

[GOLLUM]

What about The Crow or Blade Runner, did it get a guernsey or how about Jesus Of Montreal?

[littlemissattitude]

Originally Posted by steve12553

If my memory hasn't failed me I've seen 52 of the 100 movies on the list. I guess, statistically that make me average.

I went and looked, and I've seen exactly half the films on the list. If my memory serves, anyway. Of the half of the list I haven't seen, there are two (Psycho and Rocky) that I refuse to see. I've see eight of the top ten (the ones I haven't seen are Lawrence of Arabia and Vertigo), and 26 of the top 50. So I guess I'm pretty average, as well. This means that I've wasted time seeing some pretty poor films when I could have been watching classics. I suppose.

I guess the biggest question I have is, why in the name of all that is holy is Chinatown
rated behind It's A Wonderful Life? That's just nuts.

[iansales]

Why would you refuse to see Psycho? It's a classic film.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by tangaloomababe

I am wondering if Ben Hur made the grade.

Just. It scraped in at number 100.

2007 AFI list of top 100 movies - USATODAY.com

[littlemissattitude]

Originally Posted by iansales

Why would you refuse to see Psycho? It's a classic film.

Because just seeing short clips from it freaked me out so much that I wouldn't take a shower without locking the door for awhile when I first saw a bit of the shower scene. Same reason why I will never, ever watch the original Night of the Living Dead. I was freaked out for two weeks after just seeing the previews at the theatre.

[dustinzgirl]

I don't like most of those movies. Except, Casablanca, Dr. Zhivago, Raging Bull, Frankenstein, the original Snow White, and that's about it. Saving Private Ryan was boring as hell. African Queen and Kane take so loooong to watch....its not that they are long movies, they just take a long time to watch.

By not like, I mean I have seen them a few times but wouldn't choose to watch them over and over again.

Why didn't An Officer and a Gentleman make this list? I love that movie. The Deer Hunter, definetly a classic favorite of mine. Apocolypse Now should definetly be in the top 20. In The Year of The Pig is an excellent movie I caught on Bravo, but haven't seen or heard of it since.

Another great movie I caught on Bravo was about women in a japanese war camp....Three Came Home...absolutely beatiful movie that will leave you crying. Which reminds me of Paradise Road, both great flicks about the often forgotten part of history and women in japanese war camps during WW 2, those should be in the top 50 because they show a part of history that is often forgotten and the women who faught to keep thier children and each other safe in war camps.

[Connavar]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Just. It scraped in at number 100.

2007 AFI list of top 100 movies - USATODAY.com

It shows what crappy list it is.

Ben Hur is one of the best but movies like Titanic,Saving private Ryan and even Toy Story is before it.


Toy Story is the worst animated movie i have seen.

[dustinzgirl]

Originally Posted by Connavar of Rigante

It shows what crappy list it is.

Ben Hur is one of the best but movies like Titanic,Saving private Ryan and even Toy Story is before it.


Toy Story is the worst animated movie i have seen.

I like toy story, but not that much! ben hur totally owns those three flicks. We should make our own top 100 list.