Top 100 Movies

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 1:52 pm
By Shane Rivers

Everyone has a different opinion when it comes to the top 100 movies ever made. Some lean towards older films, while others only include recent hits at the box office. But whatever the case may be, looking at lists of the top 100 movies can be a great way to expand your knowledge of film and get ideas for the next time you invite friends over.

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AFI Top 100 Movies

The American Film Institute originally released their list entitled “100 Years…100 Movies” in 1998. The top 100 movies were selected by culling the list down to 400 and then distributing ballots to 1,500 various critics, actors, directors, historians and screenwriters. Here’s the 1998 list:

      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. The 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 or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
      27. Bonnie and Clyde
      28. Apocalypse Now
      29. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
      30. The 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. rom Here to Eternity
      53. Amadeus
      54. All Quiet on the Western Front
      55. The Sound of Music
      56. MASH
      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. Goodfellas
      95. Pulp Fiction
      96. The Searchers
      97. Bringing Up Baby
      98. Unforgiven
      99. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
      100. Yankee Doodle Dandy

A decade later, the AFI released their updated list. Every ten years, an updated version of the list will be unveiled in order to keep up with changing trends in cinema. Here’s the list from 2007:

      1. Citizen Kane
      2. The Godfather
      3. Casablanca
      4. Raging Bull
      5. Singin’ in the Rain
      6. Gone with the Wind
      7. Lawrence of Arabia
      8. Schindler’s List
      9. Vertigo
      10. The Wizard of Oz
      11. City Lights
      12. The Searchers
      13. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
      14. Psycho
      15. 2001: A Space Odyssey
      16. Sunset Boulevard
      17. The Graduate
      18. The General
      19. On the Waterfront
      20. It’s a Wonderful Life
      21. Chinatown
      22. Some Like It Hot
      23. The Grapes of Wrath
      24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
      25. To Kill a Mockingbird
      26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
      27. High Noon
      28. All About Eve
      29. Double Indemnity
      30. Apocalypse Now
      31. The Maltese Falcon
      32. The Godfather Part II
      33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
      34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
      35. Annie Hall
      36. The Bridge on the River Kwai
      37. The Best Years of Our Lives
      38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
      39. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
      40. The Sound of Music
      41. King Kong
      42. Bonnie and Clyde
      43. Midnight Cowboy
      44. The Philadelphia Story
      45. Shane
      46. It Happened One Night
      47. A Streetcar Named Desire
      48. Rear Window
      49. Intolerance
      50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
      51. West Side Story
      52. Taxi Driver
      53. The Deer Hunter
      54. MASH
      55. North by Northwest
      56. Jaws
      57. Rocky
      58. The Gold Rush
      59. Nashville
      60. Duck Soup
      61. Sullivan’s Travels
      62. American Graffiti
      63. Cabaret
      64. Network
      65. The African Queen
      66. Raiders of the Lost Ark
      67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
      68. Unforgiven
      69. Tootsie
      70. A Clockwork Orange
      71. Saving Private Ryan
      72. The Shawshank Redemption
      73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
      74. The Silence of the Lambs
      75. In the Heat of the Night
      76. Forrest Gump
      77. All the President’s Men
      78. Modern Times
      79. The Wild Bunch
      80. The Apartment
      81. Spartacus
      82. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
      83. Titanic
      84. Easy Rider
      85. A Night at the Opera
      86. Platoon
      87. 12 Angry Men
      88. Bringing Up Baby
      89. The Sixth Sense
      90. Swing Time
      91. Sophie’s Choice
      92. Goodfellas
      93. The French Connection
      94. Pulp Fiction
      95. The Last Picture Show
      96. Do the Right Thing
      97. Blade Runner
      98. Yankee Doodle Dandy
      99. Toy Story
      100. Ben-Hur

Here are some interesting facts and comparisons from the two lists:

      • Doctor Zhivago, ranked #39 on the 1998 list, was excluded from the updated list.
      • The General, not included on the 1998 list, debuted at #18 on the 2007 list.
      • The Searchers improved 84 spots from 1998 to 2007.
      • The African Queen suffered the biggest drop, falling 48 spots to #65.
      • In the 2007 list, The Graduate and On the Waterfront were knocked out of the top 10 in favor of Vertigo and Raging Bull.
      • Citizen Kane remained #1 on both lists.
      • The most represented decade on the lists is the 1970s.
      • The earliest film included is Intolerance (1916). The newest film included is The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
      • Five science-fiction films are included on the 2007 list.
      • Steven Spielberg leads all directors with five films on the latest list.
      • For lead actors, James Stewart leads all other with five films.
      • Katharine Hepburn and Faye Dunaway each appear as the lead actress in three films. Hepburn appeared in a total of seven films on the list.
      • Six silent films are included on the 2007 list.
      • Two animated films are on the 2007 list.
      • Eighteen comedies are on the 2007 list.
      • Six musicals are on the 2007 list.
      • Six westerns are on the 2007 list.
      • On the 2007 list, 73 of the top 100 movies were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Of that number, 30 won the award.

AFI’s Ten Top 10

In 2008, the American Film Institute unveiled a list of Top 10 films in 10 different genres. While it’s not exactly a list of Top 100 movies, I still felt it was important enough to warrant inclusion in this article.

10 Best Animation Movies

      1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
      2. Pinocchio
      3. Bambi
      4. The Lion King
      5. Fantasia
      6. Toy Story
      7. Beauty and the Beast
      8. Shrek
      9. Cinderella
      10. Finding Nemo

This is a solid enough list. Glad to see timeless classics like Snow White and Pinocchio get their due.

10 Best Romantic Comedies

      1. City Lights
      2. Annie Hall
      3. It Happened One Night
      4. Roman Holiday
      5. The Philadelphia Story
      6. When Harry Met Sally…
      7. Adam’s Rib
      8. Moonstruck
      9. Harold and Maude
      10. Sleepless in Seattle

Harold and Maude never seemed like a romantic comedy to me. In fact, I always figured it was more of a black comedy. I’d prefer to see some other film at the #1 spot.

10 Best Westerns

      1. The Searchers
      2. High Noon
      3. Shane
      4. Unforgiven
      5. Red River
      6. The Wild Bunch
      7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
      8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
      9. Stagecoach
      10. Cat Ballou

I’d put The Wild Bunch and Unforgiven ahead of Shane. Cat Ballou wouldn’t even make my Top 20.

10 Best Sports Movies

      1. Raging Bull
      2. Rocky
      3. The Pride of the Yankees
      4. Hoosiers
      5. Bull Durham
      6. The Hustler
      7. Caddyshack
      8. Breaking Away
      9. National Velvet
      10. Jerry Maguire

I’d flip Hoosiers and The Pride of the Yankees. I would also replace Jerry Maguire with Field of Dreams.

10 Best Mystery Movies

      1. Vertigo 1958
      2. Chinatown 1974
      3. Rear Window 1954
      4. Laura 1944
      5. The Third Man 1949
      6. The Maltese Falcon 1941
      7. North by Northwest 1959
      8. Blue Velvet 1986
      9. Dial M for Murder 1954
      10. The Usual Suspects 1995

Either Chinatown or Rear Widow would make for a better #1. Drop Vertigo to #3. I’m amazed that The Usual Suspects made the Top 10.

10 Best Fantasy Movies

      1. The Wizard of Oz 1939
      2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001
      3. It’s a Wonderful Life 1946
      4. King Kong 1933
      5. Miracle on 34th Street 1947
      6. Field of Dreams 1989
      7. Harvey 1950
      8. Groundhog Day 1993
      9. The Thief of Bagdad 1924
      10. Big 1988

I never considered Big a fantasy movie (or Groundhog Day, for that matter). I guess this list explains why Field of Dreams didn’t make the Top 10 sports movies. The Wizard of Oz is still the king, and I really can’t dispute that logic.

10 Best Science Fiction Movies

      1. 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968
      2. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 1977
      3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982
      4. A Clockwork Orange 1971
      5. The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951
      6. Blade Runner 1982
      7. Alien 1979
      8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991
      9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956
      10. Back to the Future 1985

Alien should be ahead of The Day the Earth Stood Still, in my opinion. Any of the movies on the list are more deserving of the #1 spot than the uber-pretentious 2001: A Space Odyssey.

10 Best Gangster Movies

      1. The Godfather 1972
      2. Goodfellas 1990
      3. The Godfather Part II 1974
      4. White Heat 1949
      5. Bonnie and Clyde 1967
      6. Scarface 1932
      7. Pulp Fiction 1994
      8. The Public Enemy 1931
      9. Little Caesar 1931
      10. Scarface 1983

Where’s Reservoir Dogs? GoodFellas is the top gangster movie in my book, although the first two films in the Godfather trilogy certainly merit a high ranking.

10 Best Courtroom Movies

      1. To Kill a Mockingbird 1962
      2. 12 Angry Men 1957
      3. Kramer vs. Kramer 1979
      4. The Verdict 1982
      5. A Few Good Men 1992
      6. Witness for the Prosecution 1957
      7. Anatomy of a Murder 1959
      8. In Cold Blood 1967
      9. A Cry in the Dark 1988
      10. Judgment at Nuremberg 1961

No complaints with this list. After all these years, To Kill a Mockingbird still stands the test of time.

10 Best Epic Movies

      1. Lawrence of Arabia 1962
      2. Ben-Hur 1959
      3. Schindler’s List 1993
      4. Gone with the Wind 1939
      5. Spartacus 1960
      6. Titanic 1997
      7. All Quiet on the Western Front 1930
      8. Saving Private Ryan 1998
      9. Reds 1981
      10. The Ten Commandments 1956

It doesn’t get any more epic than Lawrence of Arabia, so I agree with the first two entries. I wouldn’t consider Schindler’s List to be an epic, although I’d also say the same thing about Saving Private Ryan and Titanic. Does being really long instantly make it an epic these days?

Top 100 Movies from TIME Magazine

This list of the top 100 movies was put together by Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel, both film critics for TIME magazine. The films are arranged in alphabetical order.

      1. 8 1/2
      2. The 400 Blows
      3. Aguirre: The Wrath of God
      4. Aparajito
      5. The Awful Truth
      6. Baby Face
      7. Band of Outsiders
      8. Barry Lyndon
      9. Berlin Alexanderplatz
      10. Blade Runner
      11. Bonnie and Clyde
      12. Brazil
      13. Camille
      14. Casablanca
      15. Charade
      16. Children of Paradise
      17. Chinatown
      18. Chungking Express
      19. Citizen Kane
      20. City Lights
      21. City of God
      22. Closely Watched Trains
      23. Le Crime de Monsieur Lange
      24. The Crowd
      25. Day for Night
      26. The Decalogue (3-film series)
      27. Detour
      28. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
      29. Dodsworth
      30. Double Indemnity
      31. Dr. Strangelove
      32. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
      33. Farewell My Concubine
      34. Finding Nemo
      35. The Fly / The Fly 2
      36. Frankenstein / Bride of Frankenstein:
      37. The Godfather
      38. The Godfather: Part II
      39. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
      40. GoodFellas
      41. A Hard Day’s Night
      42. His Girl Friday
      43. Ikiru
      44. In a Lonely Place
      45. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
      46. It’s a Gift
      47. It’s a Wonderful Life
      48. Kandahar
      49. Kind Hearts and Coronets
      50. King Kong
      51. The Lady Eve
      52. The Last Command
      53. Lawrence of Arabia
      54. The Legend of Drunken Master
      55. Leolo
      56. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
      57. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
      58. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
      59. Man with the Movie Camera
      60. The Manchurian Candidate
      61. Meet Me in St. Louis
      62. Metropolis
      63. Miller’s Crossing
      64. Mon Oncle D’Amerique
      65. Mouchette
      66. Nayagan
      67. Ninotchka
      68. Notorious
      69. Olympia
      70. On the Waterfront
      71. Once Upon a Time in the West
      72. Out of the Past
      73. Pather Panchali
      74. Persona
      75. Pinocchio
      76. Psycho
      77. Pulp Fiction
      78. The Purple Rose of Cairo
      79. Pyaasa
      80. Raging Bull
      81. Schindler’s List
      82. The Searchers
      83. Our Hospitality / Sherlock Jr.
      84. The Shop Around the Corner
      85. Singin’ in the Rain
      86. The Singing Detective
      87. Smiles of a Summer Night
      88. Some Like It Hot
      89. Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
      90. A Streetcar Named Desire
      91. Sunrise
      92. Sweet Smell of Success
      93. Swing Time
      94. Talk to Her
      95. Taxi Driver
      96. Tokyo Story
      97. A Touch of Zen
      98. Ugetsu
      99. Ulysses’ Gaze
      100. Umberto D.
      101. Unforgiven
      102. White Heat
      103. Wings of Desire
      104. The World of Apu
      105. Yojimbo

I didn’t expect all three Lord of the Rings films to make the Top 100. While I enjoyed them all, I felt there was a major drop in quality following the first film.

Chungking Express and City of God are both modern films which have more than earned their way onto the list. As far as The Singing Detective goes, I’m uncertain whether they’re talking about the Robert Downey film or the more critically lauded BBC miniseries starring Michael Gambon.

My Top 100 Movies

If I’m going to offer commentary, I might as well have the courage to submit my own list of the Top 100 movies of all-time. Some of the entries below I consider to be high works of art, while others are nothing more than trashy popcorn movies which have won me over through the years. But either way, these are the 100 films which have left the greatest impression on my mind. Listed in no particular order, they are:

      1. Glengarry GlenRoss
      2. The Shawshank Redemption
      3. Oldboy
      4. House of Games
      5. Raging Bull
      6. Platoon
      7. Pulp Fiction
      8. Lawrence of Arabia
      9. The Road Warrior
      10. John Carpenter’s The Thing
      11. Reservoir Dogs
      12. Lethal Weapon
      13. Die Hard
      14. Se7en
      15. Jaws
      16. Alien
      17. Taxi Driver
      18. Saving Private Ryan
      19. Dr. Strangelove
      20. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
      21. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
      22. Braveheart
      23. The Quick and the Dead
      24. Return of the Living Dead
      25. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
      26. Angel Heart
      27. Exorcist III
      28. Big Trouble in Little China
      29. Road House
      30. Psycho
      31. Spider-Man
      32. Unforgiven
      33. Singin’ in the Rain
      34. The Rundown
      35. American Beauty
      36. Battle Royale
      37. Frankenstein
      38. The Best of Times
      39. The Big Picture
      40. The Cable Guy
      41. Blade
      42. City of God
      43. Dirty Harry
      44. Dances with Wolves
      45. Drugstore Cowboy
      46. Places in the Heart
      47. Evil Dead II
      48. A Fish Called Wanda
      49. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
      50. GoodFellas
      51. Heathers
      52. Hud
      53. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
      54. Raiders of the Lost Ark
      55. L.A. Confidential
      56. The Lives of Others
      57. Lolita
      58. A Mighty Wind
      59. Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life
      60. Once Upon a Time in the West
      61. Predator
      62. The Princess Bride
      63. Shaun of the Dead
      64. The Shootist
      65. A Shock to the System
      66. The Silence of the Lambs
      67. Tombstone
      68. Tremors
      69. The Untouchables
      70. The Last Action Hero
      71. White Hunter, Black Heart
      72. Apocalypse Now
      73. Sergeant York
      74. Raising Arizona
      75. JFK
      76. Rebel Without a Cause
      77. Network
      78. Star Wars
      79. The Empire Strikes Back
      80. Fight Club
      81. The Matrix
      82. A Clockwork Orange
      83. Chinatown
      84. Aguirre: the Wrath of God
      85. Brotherhood of the Wolf
      86. An American Werewolf in London
      87. High Noon
      88. The Color of Money
      89. Gallipoli
      90. Rain Man
      91. The Dirty Dozen
      92. The Great Escape
      93. Bob Roberts
      94. Field of Dreams
      95. Escape from New York
      96. Misery
      97. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
      98. Cool Hand Luke
      99. Rocky
      100. Citizen Kane

Not much commentary to offer on this one. I realize not all of my selection will be popular, and I fully expect to be pulled from my home and stoned to death for having the temerity to select Road House to any manner of Top 100 movies list.

IMDB Top 100 Movies

Constantly revised and updated, this list represents the current highest-rated films from the Internet Movie Database. The Shawshank Redemption has been sitting at #1 for as long as I remember, and deservedly so.

I’m a little surprised that Raiders of the Lost Ark isn’t higher than #18, but I was always a sucker for those films. It’s downright criminal that Raging Bull only ranks at #74.

      1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
      2. The Godfather (1972)
      3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
      4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
      5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
      6. The Dark Knight (2008)
      7. Schindler’s List (1993)
      8. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
      9. 12 Angry Men (1957)
      10. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
      11. Casablanca (1942)
      12. Star Wars (1977)
      13. Seven Samurai (1954)
      14. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
      15. Goodfellas (1990)
      16. Rear Window (1954)
      17. City of God (2002)
      18. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
      19. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
      20. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
      21. Fight Club (1999)
      22. The Usual Suspects (1995)
      23. Psycho (1960)
      24. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
      25. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
      26. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
      27. Memento (2000)
      28. North by Northwest (1959)
      29. The Matrix (1999)
      30. Citizen Kane (1941)
      31. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
      32. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
      33. Se7en (1995)
      34. Léon (1994)
      35. Apocalypse Now (1979)
      36. American Beauty (1999)
      37. Taxi Driver (1976)
      38. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
      39. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
      40. American History X (1998)
      41. WALL·E (2008)
      42. Vertigo (1958)
      43. Paths of Glory (1957)
      44. Forrest Gump (1994)
      45. Amelie (2001)
      46. M (1931)
      47. Double Indemnity (1944)
      48. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
      49. The Departed (2006)
      50. Alien (1979)
      51. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
      52. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
      53. The Lives of Others (2006)
      54. The Third Man (1949)
      55. The Shining (1980)
      56. Chinatown (1974)
      57. The Pianist (2002)
      58. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
      59. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
      60. Spirited Away (2001)
      61. The Wrestler (2008)
      62. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
      63. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
      64. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
      65. L.A. Confidential (1997)
      66. Aliens (1986)
      67. Das Boot (1981)
      68. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
      69. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
      70. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
      71. City Lights (1931)
      72. Rashômon (1950)
      73. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
      74. Raging Bull (1980)
      75. All About Eve (1950)
      76. Modern Times (1936)
      77. Downfall (2004)
      78. Metropolis (1927)
      79. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
      80. Rebecca (1940)
      81. Some Like It Hot (1959)
      82. Gran Torino (2008)
      83. The Prestige (2006)
      84. Amadeus (1984)
      85. Life is Beautiful (1997)
      86. The Elephant Man (1980)
      87. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
      88. The Apartment (1960)
      89. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
      90. The Great Escape (1963)
      91. Sin City (2005)
      92. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
      93. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
      94. The Great Dictator (1940)
      95. The Sting (1973)
      96. Touch of Evil (1958)
      97. The Seventh Seal (1957)
      98. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
      99. The Bicycle Thief (1948)
      100. On the Waterfront (1954)

Roger Ebert’s Great Movies

Ebert didn’t put together a Top 100 list, opting instead to select a huge batch of films and label them “great movies.” But how great are they, really? Read on and find out.

      1. 12 Angry Men (1957)
      2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
      3. The 400 Blows (1959)
      4. 8 1/2 (1963)
      5. Ace in the Hole (1951)
      6. Adaptation. (2002)
      7. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1939)
      8. After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
      9. After Hours (1985)
      10. The Age of Innocence (1993)
      11. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
      12. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
      13. Alien (1979)
      14. All About Eve (1950)
      15. Amadeus (1984)
      16. Amarcord (1974)
      17. Annie Hall (1977)
      18. The Apartment (1960)
      19. Apocalypse Now (1979)
      20. The Apu Trilogy (1959)
      21. Army of Shadows (1969)
      22. Atlantic City (1980)
      23. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
      24. Au Revoir, les Enfants (1987)
      25. Babel (2006)
      26. The Band Wagon (1953)
      27. The Bank Dick (1940)
      28. Baraka (1992)
      29. The Battle of Algiers (1967)
      30. The Battleship Potemkin (1925)
      31. Beat the Devil (1954)
      32. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
      33. Being There (1979)
      34. Belle de Jour (1967)
      35. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
      36. The Bicycle Thief (1949)
      37. The Big Heat (1953)
      38. The Big Red One (1980)
      39. The Big Sleep (1946)
      40. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
      41. Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)
      42. Blow-Up (1966)
      43. The Blue Kite (1993)
      44. Bob le Flambeur (1955)
      45. Body Heat (1981)
      46. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
      47. Breathless (1960)
      48. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
      49. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
      50. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
      51. Broken Blossoms (1919)
      52. Cabiria (1914)
      53. Casablanca (1942)
      54. Cat People (1942)
      55. Children of Paradise (1945)
      56. Chimes at Midnight (1965)
      57. Chinatown (1974)
      58. A Christmas Story (1983)
      59. Chuck Jones: Three Cartoons (1953-1957)
      60. Citizen Kane (1941)
      61. City Lights (1931)
      62. The Color Purple (1985)
      63. The Conversation (1974)
      64. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
      65. Cries and Whispers (1972)
      66. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
      67. Crumb (1994)
      68. Dark City (2005)
      69. Day for Night (1973)
      70. Days of Heaven (1978)
      71. The Dead (1987)
      72. The Decalogue (1988)
      73. Detour (1945)
      74. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
      75. Diva (2008)
      76. Do the Right Thing (1989)
      77. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
      78. Don’t Look Now (1974)
      79. Double Indemnity (1944)
      80. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
      81. Dracula (1931)
      82. Duck Soup (1933)
      83. E.T. — The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
      84. The Earrings of Madame de… (1953)
      85. Easy Rider (1969)
      86. El Norte (1983)
      87. El Topo (1970)
      88. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
      89. The Exterminating Angel (1962)
      90. The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
      91. Fanny and Alexander (1983)
      92. Fargo (1996)
      93. Faust (1926)
      94. The Films of Buster Keaton (1923)
      95. The Firemen’s Ball (1968)
      96. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
      97. Five Easy Pieces (1970)
      98. Floating Weeds (1959)
      99. Forbidden Games (1952)
      100. Gates of Heaven (1978)
      101. The General (1927)
      102. The Godfather (1972)
      103. The Godfather, Part II (1974)
      104. Goldfinger (1964)
      105. Gone With the Wind (1939)
      106. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1968)
      107. GoodFellas (1991)
      108. Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)
      109. Grand Illusion (1937)
      110. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
      111. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
      112. The Great Dictator (1940)
      113. Great Expectations (1946)
      114. Greed (1925)
      115. Groundhog Day (1993)
      116. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
      117. Hoop Dreams (1994)
      118. House of Games (1987)
      119. Howards End (1992)
      120. The Hustler (1961)
      121. Ikiru (1952)
      122. In Cold Blood (1967)
      123. Inherit the Wind (1960)
      124. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
      125. Jaws (1975)
      126. JFK (1991)
      127. Johnny Guitar (1954)
      128. Jules and Jim (1961)
      129. Juliet of the Spirits (1965)
      130. Killer of Sheep (1977)
      131. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
      132. King Kong (1933)
      133. L’Atalante (1934)
      134. L’Avventura (1960)
      135. L.A. Confidential (1997)
      136. La Dolce Vita (1960)
      137. The Lady Eve (1941)
      138. The Last Laugh (1924)
      139. The Last Picture Show (1971)
      140. Last Tango in Paris (1972)
      141. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
      142. Last Year at Marienbad (1961)
      143. Late Spring (1972)
      144. Laura (1944)
      145. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
      146. Le Boucher / The Butcher (2003)
      147. Le Samourai (1967)
      148. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
      149. Leolo (1993)
      150. The Leopard (1963)
      151. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
      152. The River (Le Fleuve) (1951)
      153. The Long Goodbye (1973)
      154. M (1931)
      155. Magnolia (1999)
      156. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
      157. The Man Who Laughs (1928)
      158. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
      159. Manhattan (1979)
      160. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
      161. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
      162. Mean Streets (1973)
      163. Mephisto (1981)
      164. Metropolis (1926)
      165. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
      166. Mon Oncle (1958)
      167. Mon Oncle Antoine (1971)
      168. Moolaade (2007)
      169. Moonstruck (1987)
      170. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
      171. The Music Room (1958)
      172. My Darling Clementine (1946)
      173. My Dinner With Andre (1981)
      174. My Fair Lady (1964)
      175. My Life to Live / Vivre sa Vie (1963)
      176. My Man Godfrey (1936)
      177. My Neighbor Totoro (1993)
      178. Nanook of the North (1922)
      179. Nashville (1975)
      180. Network (1976)
      181. Night Moves (1975)
      182. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
      183. Nights of Cabiria (1957)
      184. Nosferatu (1922)
      185. Notorious (1946)
      186. On the Waterfront (1954)
      187. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
      188. Ordet (1955)
      189. Orpheus (1949)
      190. Out of the Past (1947)
      191. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
      192. Pandora’s Box (1928)
      193. Paris, Texas (1984)
      194. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
      195. Paths of Glory (1957)
      196. Patton (1970)
      197. Peeping Tom (1960)
      198. Persona (1966)
      199. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
      200. Pickpocket (1959)
      201. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
      202. Pinocchio (1940)
      203. Pixote (1981)
      204. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
      205. Playtime (1967)
      206. A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
      207. The Producers (1968)
      208. Psycho (1960)
      209. Pulp Fiction (1994)
      210. Raging Bull (1980)
      211. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
      212. Raise the Red Lantern (1990101)
      213. Ran (1985)
      214. Rashomon (1950101)
      215. Rear Window (1954)
      216. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
      217. Red River (1948)
      218. The Red Shoes (1948)
      219. Rififi (1954)
      220. The Right Stuff (1983)
      221. Ripley’s Game (2002)
      222. Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
      223. Romeo and Juliet (1968)
      224. The Rules of the Game (1939)
      225. Safety Last (1923)
      226. Samurai Rebellion (1967)
      227. Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
      228. Santa Sangre (1989)
      229. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
      230. Say Anything (1989)
      231. Scarface (1983)
      232. The Scarlet Empress (1934)
      233. Schindler’s List (1993)
      234. The Searchers (1956)
      235. Secrets & Lies (1996)
      236. The Seven Samurai (1954)
      237. The Seventh Seal (1957)
      238. Shane (1953)
      239. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
      240. The Shining (1980)
      241. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
      242. The Silence (1963)
      243. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
      244. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
      245. Solaris (1972)
      246. Some Like It Hot (1959)
      247. Star Wars (1977)
      248. Strangers on a Train (1951)
      249. Stroszek (1977)
      250. A Sunday in the Country (1984)
      251. Sunrise (1928)
      252. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
      253. The Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
      254. Swing Time (1936)
      255. A Tale of Winter (1992)
      256. Taxi Driver (1976)
      257. The Terrorist (2000)
      258. The Thin Man (1934)
      259. The Third Man (1949)
      260. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
      261. Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red (1993-1994)
      262. 3 Women (1977)
      263. Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
      264. Tokyo Story (1953)
      265. Top Hat (1935)
      266. Touch of Evil (1958)
      267. Touchez Pas au Grisbi (1954)
      268. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
      269. Triumph of the Will (1935)
      270. Trouble in Paradise (1932)
      271. Ugetsu (1953)
      272. Umberto D (1952)
      273. Un Chien Andalou (1928)
      274. Unforgiven (1992)
      275. The Up Documentaries (1985)
      276. Vengeance Is Mine (2008)
      277. Vertigo (1958)
      278. Victim (1961)
      279. Waking Life (2001)
      280. Walkabout (1971)
      281. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)
      282. West Side Story (1961)
      283. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
      284. The Wild Bunch (1969)
      285. Wings of Desire (1988)
      286. Winter Light (1962)
      287. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
      288. Woman in the Dunes (1964)
      289. A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
      290. A Woman’s Tale (1992)
      291. Woodstock (1970)
      292. WR — Mysteries of the Organism (1971)
      293. Written on the Wind (1956)
      294. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
      295. A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984)
      296. Yellow Submarine (1968)
      297. Yojimbo (1961)

As usual, Ebert comes through with an eclectic list of movie classics. While I expected to see The Wizard of Oz, In Cold Blood and Citizen Kane on any list of Top 100 movies, I didn’t anticipate gems like Dark City and Pan’s Labyrinth making the final cut.

Top Grossing Films Before Inflation

Now let’s take a look at the highest-grossing films in terms of global box-office performance. As you may notice, no films before 1977 appear on this list. That is primarily due to inflation and the growth in population.

      1. Titanic
      2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
      3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
      4. The Dark Knight
      5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
      6. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
      7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
      8. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
      9. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
      10. Shrek 2
      11. Jurassic Park
      12. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
      13. Spider-Man 3
      14. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
      15. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
      16. Finding Nemo
      17. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
      18. Spider-Man
      19. Independence Day
      20. Shrek the Third
      21. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
      22. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
      23. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
      24. The Lion King
      25. Spider-Man 2
      26. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
      27. The Da Vinci Code
      28. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
      29. The Matrix Reloaded
      30. Transformers
      31. Forrest Gump
      32. The Sixth Sense
      33. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
      34. Ice Age: The Meltdown
      35. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
      36. Kung Fu Panda
      37. The Incredibles
      38. Hancock
      39. Ratatouille
      40. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
      41. The Passion of the Christ
      42. Casino Royale
      43. War of the Worlds
      44. Mamma Mia!
      45. Men in Black
      46. I Am Legend
      47. Iron Man
      48. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
      49. Night at the Museum
      50. Quantum of Solace

It still saddens me that Titanic is #1. Three hours long, and that damned ship couldn’t sing fast enough in my book. I did, however, enjoy Billy Zane in one of his most sniveling roles to date.

Highest – Grossing Films Adjusted for Inflation

Finally, let’s look at the all-time results for the U.S. and Canadian box office with inflation factored in. You should quickly notice a big difference between these two lists.

      1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
      2. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
      3. The Sound of Music (1965)
      4. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
      5. The Ten Commandments (1956)
      6. Titanic (1997)
      7. Jaws (1975)
      8. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
      9. The Exorcist (1973)
      10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
      11. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
      12. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
      13. Ben-Hur (1959)
      14. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
      15. The Sting (1973)
      16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Indiana Jones) (1981)
      17. Jurassic Park (1993)
      18. The Graduate (1967)
      19. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
      20. Fantasia (1941)
      21. The Godfather (1972)
      22. Forrest Gump (1994)
      23. Mary Poppins (1964)
      24. The Lion King (1994)
      25. Grease (1978)
      26. Thunderball (1965)
      27. The Dark Knight (2008)
      28. The Jungle Book (1967)
      29. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
      30. Shrek 2 (2004)
      31. Ghostbusters (1984)
      32. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
      33. Love Story (1970)
      34. Spider-Man (2002)
      35. Independence Day (1996)
      36. Home Alone (1990)
      37. Pinocchio (1940)
      38. Cleopatra (1963)
      39. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
      40. Goldfinger (1964)
      41. Airport (1970)
      42. American Graffiti (1973)
      43. The Robe (1953)
      44. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
      45. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
      46. Bambi (1942)
      47. Blazing Saddles (1974)
      48. Batman (1989)
      49. The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
      50. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

On this list, Gone with the Wind is #1, while it didn’t even crack the Top 50 on the previous list. It’s also amazing at how high The Exorcist ranks.

But the biggest shocker in my book is Thunderball at #26. Adjusted for 2008 currency, Thunderball would have made $966.4 million at the box office. Wow!

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