Back to CinePad home base Jeeem's CinePad presents
The 100 Most Acclaimed
Movies of All Time
Source lists & details:
Academy Awards
AFI 100 (and AFI 400)
Los Angeles Film Critics Assoc.
National Film Registry
National Society of Film Critics
New York Film Critics Circle
Sight & Sound critics poll

1-50        51-100       101+

Text only view:    by title       by year        by director        by rank       complete list (400+ titles)

AFI 100 & 400

Limited to: American feature films
Type of honor: one-time poll/list/network TV special
Selected by: 1,500 "leaders across the film community, including artists from in front of and behind the camera, critics, historians, movie executives, exhibitors, and other leaders of the American film community."  (Quoth the AFI.)
Sponsored by: The American Film Institute
Announced:
June 16, 1998
Web sites: The American Film Institute (afionline.org); 100 Years, 100 Movies

The American Film Institute's heavily hyped and controversial "AFI 100" list of the best (and/or most "important"?) American films made a big splash and apparently  accomplished its purpose:  It got a reams of publicity; provided a plethora of marketing hooks for the AFI, the press, and video retailers; and got a lot of people talking, arguing, and complaining about it.  

The idea was to "commemorate the first 100 years of American moviemaking" with a star-splattered 3-hour TV special, unveiling the results of the AFI's ballotting.  As with any endeavor of this sort, there are many peculiarities that make the results fairly shameful to anyone who really values American movies.  No Buster Keaton, for one thing.  And no Nashville, for another.  No Sunrise?!?!?  And dreck like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and The Jazz Singer (c'mon, how many of these voters have actually seen it?)...  Well, I could go on and on.

The "AFI 400" is the pre-selected list (organized by decade) that was sent out for the voters to choose from.  It's actually a pretty smart list; something quite wonderful and respectable could have been carved out of this (even though they did inexcusably leave out Miller's Crossing).  The "AFI 100" is a list of the eventual winners.

AFI 400
* denotes AFI 100 selections
(preceded by numerical ranking)

1910s

Richard III, 1912
44. The Birth of a Nation, 1915 *
The Cheat, 1915
Intolerance, 1916
The Poor Little Rich Girl, 1917

1920s

Within Our Gates, 1920
The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, 1921
The Kid, 1921
Safety Last, 1923
The Thief of Bagdad, 1924
The Big Parade, 1925
74. The Gold Rush, 1925 *
Greed, 1925
The Phantom of the Opera, 1925
Ben-Hur, 1926
The General, 1927
90. The Jazz Singer, 1927 *
Sunrise, 1927
Wings, 1927
The Crowd, 1928
The Wind, 1928
The Broadway Melody, 1929

1930s

54. All Quiet on the Western Front, 1930 *
Little Caesar, 1930
Morocco, 1930
Cimarron, 1931
76. City Lights, 1931 *
87. Frankenstein, 1931 *
The Public Enemy, 1931
Freaks, 1932
Grand Hotel, 1932
I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, 1932
Scarface: The Shame of a Nation, 1932
Trouble in Paradise, 1932
Cavalcade, 1933
85. Duck Soup, 1933 *
42nd Street, 1933
43. King Kong, 1933 *
She Done Him Wrong, 1933
Sons of the Desert, 1933
35. It Happened One Night, 1934 *
The Scarlet Express, 1934
The Thin Man, 1934
David Copperfield, 1935
The Little Colonel, 1935
86. Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935 *
A Night at the Opera, 1935
Top Hat, 1935
Dodsworth, 1936
Fury, 1936
The Great Ziegfeld, 1936
Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, 1936
81. Modern Times, 1936 *
My Man Godfrey, 1936
Swing Time, 1936
The Awful Truth, 1937
Camille, 1937
The Life of Emile Zola, 1937
Lost Horizon, 1937
49. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937 *
A Star is Born, 1937
The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938
Boys Town, 1938
97. Bringing Up Baby, 1938 *
You Can't Take It With You, 1938
Babes In Arms, 1939
Beau Geste, 1939
Destry Rides Again, 1939
4. Gone With The Wind, 1939 *
Goodbye Mr. Chips, 1939
Gunga Din, 1939
29. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, 1939 *
Ninotchka, 1939
Only Angels Have Wings, 1939
63. Stagecoach, 1939 *
6. The Wizard of Oz, 1939 *
73. Wuthering Heights, 1939 *
Young Mr. Lincoln, 1939

1940s

The Bank Dick, 1940
58. Fantasia, 1940 *
21. The Grapes of Wrath, 1940 *
His Girl Friday, 1940
The Mark Of Zorro, 1940
51. The Philadelphia Story, 1940 *
Pinocchio, 1940
Rebecca, 1940
1. Citizen Kane, 1941 *
How Green Was My Valley, 1941
The Lady Eve, 1941
The Little Foxes, 1941
23. The Maltese Falcon, 1941 *
Sergeant York, 1941
Sullivan's Travels, 1941
Bambi, 1942
2. Casablanca, 1942 *
Cat People, 1942
The Magnificent Andersons, 1942
Mrs. Miniver, 1942
Now, Voyager, 1942
The Pride of the Yankees, 1942
Road To Morocco, 1942
To Be Or Not To Be, 1942
Woman of the Year, 1942
100. Yankee Doodle Dandy, 1942 *
Bataan, 1942
Cabin in the Sky, 1943
The Ox-Bow Incident, 1943
Shadow of a Doubt, 1943
38. Double Indemnity, 1944 *
Going My Way, 1944
Hail the Conquering Hero, 1944
Laura, 1944
Meet Me In St. Louis, 1944
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, 1944
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, 1944
To Have and Have Not, 1944
The Lost Weekend, 1945
37. The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946 *
The Big Sleep, 1946
Gilda, 1946
11. It's A Wonderful Life, 1946 *
My Darling Clementine, 1946
Notorious, 1946
The Yearling, 1946
Gentleman's Agreement, 1946
Miracle on 34th Street, 1947
Out of the Past, 1947
Force of Evil, 1948
Red River, 1948
30. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948 *
Adam's Rib, 1948
All The King's Men, 1949
The Heiress, 1949
Intruder In The Dust, 1949
A Letter To Three Wives, 1949
Sands of Iwo Jima, 1949
57. The Third Man, 1949 *
Twelve O'Clock High, 1949
White Heat, 1949

1950s

16. All About Eve, 1950 *
Cinderella, 1950
Gun Crazy, 1950
The Gunfighter, 1950
12. Sunset Blvd., 1950 *
Winchester '73, 1950
17. The African Queen, 1951 *
68. An American in Paris, 1951 *
The Day The Earth Stood Still, 1951
92. A Place in the Sun, 1951 *
Strangers on a Train, 1951
45. A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951 *
The Greatest Show On Earth, 1952
33. High Noon, 1952 *
The Quiet Man, 1952
10. Singin' In The Rain, 1952 *
The Band Wagon, 1953
52. From Here To Eternity, 1953 *
Gentleman Prefer Blondes, 1953
69. Shane, 1953 *
Stalag 17, 1953
The War of the Worlds, 1953
The Caine Mutiny, 1954
Carmen Jones, 1954
8. On The Waterfront, 1954 *
42. Rear Window, 1954 *
Salt of the Earth, 1954
A Star is Born, 1954
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, 1954
The Blackboard Jungle, 1955
East of Eden, 1955
Lady and the Tramp, 1955
Marty, 1955
Mister Roberts, 1955
The Night of the Hunter, 1955
Oklahoma, 1955
59. Rebel Without A Cause, 1955 *
The Seven Year Itch, 1955
Around the World In 80 Days, 1956
82. Giant, 1956 *
Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956
96. The Searchers, 1956 *
The Ten Commandments, 1956
An Affair To Remember, 1957
13. The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957 *
Paths of Glory, 1957
12 Angry Men, 1957
The Defiant Ones, 1958
Gigi, 1958
Run Silent, Run Deep, 1958
Touch of Evil, 1958
61. Vertigo, 1958 *
Anatomy of a Murder, 1958
72. Ben-Hur, 1959 *
The Diary of Anne Frank, 1959
Imitation of Life, 1959
40. North by Northwest, 1959 *
On The Beach, 1959
Pillow Beach, 1959
Shadows, 1959
14. Some Like It Hot, 1959 *

1960s

93. The Apartment, 1960 *
Elmer Gantry, 1960
18. Psycho, 1960 *
Spartacus, 1960
Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961
El Cid, 1961
The Hustler, 1961
Judgment at Nuremburg, 1961
One Hundred and One Dalmations, 1961
A Raisin in the Sun, 1961
Splendor in the Grass, 1961
41. West Side Story, 1961 *
Days of Wine and Roses, 1962
5. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962 *
The Longest Day, 1962
67. The Manchurian Candidate, 1962 *
34. To Kill A Mockingbird, 1962 *
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, 1962
The Birds, 1963
Cleopatra, 1963
From Russia With Love, 1963
Hud, 1963
It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, 1963
The Pink Panther, 1963
Tom Jones, 1963
The Americanization of Emily, 1964
26. Dr. Strangelove, 1964 *
Goldfinger, 1964
Mary Poppins, 1964
91. My Fair Lady, 1964 *
Cat Ballou, 1965
39. Doctor Zhivago, 1965 *
55. The Sound Of Music, 1965 *
Fantastic Voyage, 1966
A Man For All Seasons, 1966
Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, 1966
Barefoot in the Park, 1967
27. Bonnie and Clyde, 1967 *
Cool Hand Luke, 1967
7. The Graduate, 1967 *
99. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, 1967 *
In Cold Blood, 1967
In The Heat of the Night, 1967
The Jungle Book, 1967
The Producers, 1967
Two For The Road, 1967
Bullitt, 1968
Funny Girl, 1968
Night of the Living Dead, 1968
Oliver!, 1968
Planet of the Apes, 1968
Rosemary's Baby, 1968
22. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968 *
50. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969 *
88. Easy Rider, 1969 *
Medium Cool, 1969
36. Midnight Cowboy, 1969 *
80. The Wild Bunch, 1969 *

1970s

Five Easy Pieces, 1970
Little Big Man, 1970
Love Story, 1970
56. M*A*S*H, 1970 *
89. Patton, 1970 *
46. A Clockwork Orange, 1971 *
Dirty Harry, 1971
Fiddler on the Roof, 1971
70. The French Connection, 1971 *
The Last Picture Show, 1971
McCabe and Mrs. Miller, 1971
Cabaret, 1972
Deliverance, 1972
3. The Godfather, 1972 *
Sounder, 1972
77. American Graffiti, 1973 *
Badlands, 1973
The Exorcist, 1973
Last Tango in Paris, 1973
Mean Streets, 1973
The Sting, 1973
The Way We Were, 1973
Blazing Saddles, 1974
19. Chinatown, 1974 *
The Conversation, 1974
32. The Godfather, Part II, 1974 *
Dog Day Afternoon, 1975
48. Jaws, 1975 *
The Man Who Would Be King, 1975
Nashville, 1975
20. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, 1975 *
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975
All The President's Men, 1976
Carrie, 1976
66. Network, 1976 *
The Outlaw Josey Wales, 1976
78. Rocky, 1976 *
47. Taxi Driver, 1976 *
31. Annie Hall, 1977 *
64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977 *
The Goodbye Girl, 1977
Saturday Night Fever, 1977
15. Star Wars, 1977 *
Coming Home, 1978
Days of Heaven, 1978
79. The Deer Hunter, 1978 *
Grease, 1978
National Lampoon's Animal House, 1978
Alien, 1979
All That Jazz, 1979
28. Apocalypse Now, 1979 *
Breaking Away, 1979
Kramer Vs. Kramer, 1979
Manhattan, 1979

1980s

Atlantic City, 1980
The Empire Strikes Back, 1980
Melvin and Howard, 1980
Ordinary People, 1980
24. Raging Bull, 1980 *
Return of the Secaucus 7, 1980
Chariots of Fire, 1981
On Golden Pond, 1981
60. Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981 *
Reds, 1981
Blade Runner, 1982
25. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, 1982 *
Fast Times At Ridgemont High, 1982
Gandhi, 1982
Missing, 1982
Sophie's Choice, 1982
62. Tootsie, 1982 *
The Big Chill, 1983
Local Hero, 1983
El Norte, 1983
Return of the Jedi, 1983
The Right Stuff, 1983
Risky Business, 1983
Terms of Endearment, 1983
53. Amadeus, 1984 *
Beverly Hills Cop, 1984
Ghostbusters, 1984
The Killing Fields, 1984
Stranger Than Paradise, 1984
Back To the Future, 1985
Brazil, 1985
The Color Purple, 1985
Out Of Africa, 1985
Witness, 1985
Children Of A Lesser God, 1986
Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 1986
Hannah and Her Sisters, 1986
83. Platoon, 1986 *
Broadcast News, 1987
Fatal Attraction, 1987
The Last Emperor, 1987
Lethal Weapon, 1987
Moonstruck, 1987
The Untouchables, 1987
Big, 1988
Dangerous Liaisons, 1988
Die Hard, 1988
The Last Temptation of Christ, 1988
Rain Man, 1988
Batman, 1989
Born On The Fourth Of July, 1989
Dead Poets Society, 1989
Do The Right Thing, 1989
Driving Miss Daisy, 1989
Field of Dreams, 1989
Glory, 1989
Sex, Lies and Videotape, 1989

1990s

75. Dances With Wolves, 1990 *
94. Goodfellas, 1990 *
Pretty Woman, 1990
Beauty and the Beast, 1991
Rambling Rose, 1991
65. The Silence of the Lambs, 1991 *
Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 1991
Thelma & Louise, 1991
The Player, 1992
98. Unforgiven, 1992 *
The Fugitive, 1993
The Joy Luck Club, 1993
Jurassic Park, 1993
Philadelphia, 1993
9. Schindler's List, 1993 *
Sleepless In Seattle, 1993
71. Forrest Gump, 1994 *
The Lion King, 1994
95. Pulp Fiction, 1994 *
The Shawshank Redemption, 1994
Apollo 13, 1995
Babe, 1995
Braveheart, 1995
Casino, 1995
Leaving Las Vegas, 1995
Sense and Sensibility, 1995
Toy Story, 1995
The English Patient, 1996
84. Fargo, 1996 *
Jerry Maguire, 1996

AFI 100
 

1. Citizen Kane, 1941

2. Casablanca, 1942

3. The Godfather, 1972

4. Gone With The Wind, 1939

5. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962

6. The Wizard of Oz, 1939

7. The Graduate, 1967

8. On The Waterfront, 1954

9. Schindler's List, 1993

10. Singin' In The Rain, 1952

11. It's A Wonderful Life, 1946

12. Sunset Blvd., 1950

13. The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957

14. Some Like It Hot, 1959

15. Star Wars, 1977

16. All About Eve, 1950

17. The African Queen, 1951

18. Psycho, 1960

19. Chinatown, 1974

20. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, 1975

21. The Grapes of Wrath, 1940

22. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968

23. The Maltese Falcon, 1941

24. Raging Bull, 1980

25. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, 1982

26. Dr. Strangelove, 1964

27. Bonnie and Clyde, 1967

28. Apocalypse Now, 1979

29. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, 1939

30. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948

31. Annie Hall, 1977

32. The Godfather, Part II, 1974

33. High Noon, 1952

34. To Kill A Mockingbird, 1962

35. It Happened One Night, 1934

36. Midnight Cowboy, 1969

37. The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946

38. Double Indemnity, 1944

39. Doctor Zhivago, 1965

40. North by Northwest, 1959

41. West Side Story, 1961

42. Rear Window, 1954

43. King Kong, 1933

44. The Birth of a Nation, 1915

45. A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951

46. A Clockwork Orange, 1971

47. Taxi Driver, 1976

48. Jaws, 1975

49. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937

50. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969

51. The Philadelphia Story, 1940

52. From Here To Eternity, 1953

53. Amadeus, 1984

54. All Quiet on the Western Front, 1930

55. The Sound Of Music, 1965

56. M*A*S*H, 1970

57. The Third Man, 1949

58. Fantasia, 1940

59. Rebel Without A Cause, 1955

60. Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981

61. Vertigo, 1958

62. Tootsie, 1982

63. Stagecoach, 1939

64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977

65. The Silence of the Lambs, 1991

66. Network, 1976

67. The Manchurian Candidate, 1962

68. An American in Paris, 1951

69. Shane, 1953

70. The French Connection, 1971

71. Forrest Gump, 1994

72. Ben-Hur, 1959

73. Wuthering Heights, 1939

74. The Gold Rush, 1925

75. Dances With Wolves, 1990

76. City Lights, 1931

77. American Graffiti, 1973

78. Rocky, 1976

79. The Deer Hunter, 1978

80. The Wild Bunch, 1969

81. Modern Times, 1936

82. Giant, 1956

83. Platoon, 1986

84. Fargo, 1996

85. Duck Soup, 1933

86. Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935

87. Frankenstein, 1931

88. Easy Rider, 1969

89. Patton, 1970

90. The Jazz Singer, 1927

91. My Fair Lady, 1964

92. A Place in the Sun, 1951

93. The Apartment, 1960

94. Goodfellas, 1990

95. Pulp Fiction, 1994

96. The Searchers, 1956

97. Bringing Up Baby, 1938

98. Unforgiven, 1992

99. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, 1967

100. Yankee Doodle Dandy, 1942


Other swell movie awards & lists:

30 Lieblingsfilme (a poll of favorite films)

Best films of the 1970s
The Vatican movie list (the Pope's picks)
Jeeem's Pantheon (personal favorite directors)
Jeeem's 120 Most Beloved Movies


 
 

1-50        51-100       101+

Text only view:    by title       by year        by director        by rank       complete list (400+ titles)

 

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