BBC 100 Greatest American Movies

A few days ago, BBC released a 100 Greatest American Movies List with votes from critics from around the world.

Thoughts?

The List

A lot of people (outside this forum) seem to hate every "Best 100 of X" list but I personally don't mind. Its a poll made by people of varying opinions and I don't care what the results are. There are wonderful movies there like It's A Wonderful Life, Psycho, Sunrise and Singin in the Rain but also awful movies like The Night of the Hunter. Every list will have films I agree and don't agree should be on there and films I think are too high (The Searchers) and films I think are too low (It's A Wonderful Life). I just think they are nice to look at and for film bluffs to watch them all.

PS- Sane will be happy that Letter From An Unknown Woman is at 43. I'm also happy because I love that movie as well.

PSS- 12 Years a Slave and The Dark Knight made the list at 99 and 96 respectively.

List Challenges Version

First impressions are it looks pretty great. Like the AFI but better. More recognition for Altman, Ford, Hawks and Welles. Maya Deren in the top 50 too. Charles Burnett, von Stronheim are interesting names that I need to get to too. A good mix of conventional and artistic movies. The top ten is fantastic.

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Seen 61/100. I do prefer the AFI list however.

I've seen all but six of these films. Nice to see some of these films make the list that I normally never see ranked that high.

*opens link*

*looks at list*

*sees 12 Years a Slave at #99*

*stops reading and closes link*

*sees 12 Years a Slave at #99*

Too low? or Too high?

Overall looks much better than the AFI version.

6. Sunrise (FW Murnau, 1927)
BOOOORING and done much much better by geroge stevens a place in the sun
5. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
BOOOORING
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
Not a bad flick but SLOW AND BOOOOORRRING
3. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
Nowhere near as good as psycho, and pretty bOOOORING
2. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
I'll never understand why so may people like this BOOOORING movie
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
Yeah it's great by the end but the average american is going to find this movie unwatchably slow and BOOORING



great to see the lady eve on the list

In comparison to higher ranked movies on this list....just a smidge too low.

agreed

I think there's a big anti-recency bias with these lists. There are 0 non-Scorsese top 20 films that came out after 1975, and it's not because the 80s were a significantly worse decade than the 20s.

THANK YOU! I think "Sunrise" shouldn't even be considered for these lists, and I cannot understand why it is THAT high!

Sometimes these lists annoy me because they seem so generic. You always see so many of the same movies. I know one could argue that they are on so many lists because they are good enough to be so. But, in reality, some of them aren't. I get a feeling sometimes that people will list some movies just because they feel they must rather than thinking they are worthy of being listed. Or, even, just picking movies that they really like (since this was done as a poll, correct?) and putting them on the list. That is best way to do it, most of all, because those are people's honest opinions then.

Having said that, I was surprised, and pleased, with some of them. And others I am always happy if they make a list.

I looked the list over at least 5 times just to make sure. And yes, I do not see a particular movie on there, which satisfies me. I think it is completely overrated. What is it? Well, you will find out when it makes an appearance on the 60's list.

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Sorry, but Sunrise is a terrific movie. Not everyone has bad tastes in film.

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My ratings, trying to be strict, but I think it's pretty accurate.

100. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
99. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
98. Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980)
97. Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
96. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
95. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
94. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)
93. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
92. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
91. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
90. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
89. In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
88. West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961)
87. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
86. The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)
85. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)
84. Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972)
83. Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
82. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
81. Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)
80. Meet Me in St Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
79. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
78. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
77. Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
76. The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
75. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
74. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
73. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
72. The Shanghai Gesture (Josef von Sternberg, 1941)
71. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
70. The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli, 1953)
69. Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 1982)
68. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
67. Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936)
66. Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948)
65. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1983)
64. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)
63. Love Streams (John Cassavetes, 1984)
62. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
61. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
60. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
59. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
58. The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
57. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
56. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
55. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
54. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
53. Grey Gardens (Albert and David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, 1975)
52. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
51. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
50. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
49. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
48. A Place in the Sun (George Stevens, 1951)
47. Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock, 1964)
46. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
45. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962)
44. Sherlock Jr (Buster Keaton, 1924)
43. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls, 1948)
42. Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
41. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
40. Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943)
39. The Birth of a Nation (DW Griffith, 1915)
38. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
37. Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)
36. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)
35. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
34. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
33. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
32. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
31. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
30. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
29. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
28. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
27. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
26. Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1978)
25. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
24. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
23. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
22. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
21. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
20. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
19. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
17. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
16. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
15. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
14. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
13. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
12. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
11. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
9. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
8. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
7. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
6. Sunrise (FW Murnau, 1927)
5. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
3. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
2. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

Some of the modern films are questionable choices. And Do the right thing at #25?

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Wow, I feel sorry for you people if you honestly think so many of these classics are boring. I can understand exceptions, but really, all these films are boring? This list is generic? Compare it to the AFI list and you'll notice differences and more appreciation for artistic artists that were under appreciated during their time. I think the fact it's decided by international film critics has resulted in a more diverse and artistic list, not just focussing on mainstream Hollywood films (even though some are fantastic).

What other post 1975 deserve to be in the top 20?

Who cares about what the "average american" will think of it? Is this the Top 100 Average American Movies List?

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Mubi

I was completely joking with my post if you were referring to me

It seems that these lists are often hedged to preserve credibility. Kinda take risks below 40-50, then copy and paste.

I am far from a critic, but 12 years ranked 20+ plus spots below Groundhog Day. Sure.

The only Top 100 List 12 Years a Slave should be on is "Most Overrated Films" - and I rarely use the word "overrated".

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