09/12/2016

BBCCultureThe100greatestAmericanfilms

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BBC Culture polled lm critics from around the world to determine the best
American movies ever made. The results are surprising Gone With the
Wind appears at 97.

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20July2015

Americasfilmsareamongitsgreatestexports.SinceThomasEdisonsinnovationsinthemedium
inthe1890s,theUnitedStateshasconsistentlybeenapowerhouseinthedevelopmentof
cinemafromthemassivelypopularentertainmentsofHollywoodtoindependentandavant
gardefilm.InrecognitionoftheastoundinginfluenceoftheUSonwhatremainsthemostpopular
artformworldwide,BBCCulturehaspolled62internationalfilmcriticstodeterminethe100
greatestAmericanfilmsofalltime.
Thisisanationalfilmtraditionthathasinfluencedfilmmakingworldwide,sowefeltitwas
important,also,togetaglobalperspectiveonAmericanfilm:thecriticswepolledliveandworkall
overtheworld,fromtheUnitedKingdomandcontinentalEuropetoSouthAmerica,Australia,
IndiaandtheMiddleEastandofcoursetheUnitedStatesaswell.Previousfilmpollsconducted
byotherpublicationsororganisationseitherhaventlookedsolelyatAmericanfilmorhavedrawn
theirpollcontributorsfromwithintheUSfilmindustry,notnecessarilyrelyingjustontheopinionof
critics.Someofthecriticsweinvitedtoparticipatearefilmreviewersatnewspapersor
magazines,othersarebroadcastersandsomewritebooks.
WhatdefinesanAmericanfilm?Forthepurposesofthispoll,itisanymoviethatreceivedfunding
fromaUSsource.ThedirectorsofthesefilmsdidnothavetobebornintheUnitedStatesin
fact,32filmsonthelistweredirectedbyfilmmakersbornelsewherenordidthefilmsevenhave
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tobeshotintheUS.Eachcriticwhoparticipatedsubmittedalistof10films,withtheirpickforthe
greatestfilmreceiving10pointsandtheirnumber10pickreceivingonepoint.Thepointswere
addeduptoproducethefinallist.Criticswereencouragedtosubmitlistsofthe10filmstheyfeel,
onanemotionallevel,arethegreatestinAmericancinemanotnecessarilythemostimportant,
justthebest.Thesearetheresults.

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The100greatestAmericanfilms
100.AceintheHole(BillyWilder,1951)
99.12YearsaSlave(SteveMcQueen,2013)
98.HeavensGate(MichaelCimino,1980)
97.GoneWiththeWind(VictorFleming,1939)
96.TheDarkKnight(ChristopherNolan,2008)
95.DuckSoup(LeoMcCarey,1933)
94.25thHour(SpikeLee,2002)
93.MeanStreets(MartinScorsese,1973)
92.TheNightoftheHunter(CharlesLaughton,1955)
91.ET:TheExtraTerrestrial(StevenSpielberg,1982)
90.ApocalypseNow(FrancisFordCoppola,1979)
89.InaLonelyPlace(NicholasRay,1950)
88.WestSideStory(RobertWiseandJeromeRobbins,1961)
87.EternalSunshineoftheSpotlessMind(MichelGondry,2004)
86.TheLionKing(RogerAllersandRobMinkoff,1994)
85.NightoftheLivingDead(GeorgeARomero,1968)
84.Deliverance(JohnBoorman,1972)
83.BringingUpBaby(HowardHawks,1938)
82.RaidersoftheLostArk(StevenSpielberg,1981)
81.Thelma&Louise(RidleyScott,1991)
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80.MeetMeinStLouis(VincenteMinnelli,1944)
79.TheTreeofLife(TerrenceMalick,2011)
78.SchindlersList(StevenSpielberg,1993)
77.Stagecoach(JohnFord,1939)
76.TheEmpireStrikesBack(IrvinKershner,1980)
75.CloseEncountersoftheThirdKind(StevenSpielberg,1977)
74.ForrestGump(RobertZemeckis,1994)
73.Network(SidneyLumet,1976)
72.TheShanghaiGesture(JosefvonSternberg,1941)
71.GroundhogDay(HaroldRamis,1993)
70.TheBandWagon(VincenteMinnelli,1953)
69.Koyaanisqatsi(GodfreyReggio,1982)
68.Notorious(AlfredHitchcock,1946)
67.ModernTimes(CharlieChaplin,1936)
66.RedRiver(HowardHawks,1948)
65.TheRightStuff(PhilipKaufman,1983)
64.JohnnyGuitar(NicholasRay,1954)
63.LoveStreams(JohnCassavetes,1984)
62.TheShining(StanleyKubrick,1980)
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61.EyesWideShut(StanleyKubrick,1999)
60.BlueVelvet(DavidLynch,1986)
59.OneFlewOvertheCuckoosNest(MiloForman,1975)
58.TheShopAroundtheCorner(ErnstLubitsch,1940)
57.CrimesandMisdemeanors(WoodyAllen,1989)
56.BacktotheFuture(RobertZemeckis,1985)
55.TheGraduate(MikeNichols,1967)
54.SunsetBoulevard(BillyWilder,1950)
53.GreyGardens(AlbertandDavidMaysles,EllenHovdeandMuffieMeyer,1975)
52.TheWildBunch(SamPeckinpah,1969)
51.TouchofEvil(OrsonWelles,1958)
50.HisGirlFriday(HowardHawks,1940)
49.DaysofHeaven(TerrenceMalick,1978)
48.APlaceintheSun(GeorgeStevens,1951)
47.Marnie(AlfredHitchcock,1964)
46.ItsaWonderfulLife(FrankCapra,1946)
45.TheManWhoShotLibertyValance(JohnFord,1962)
44.SherlockJr(BusterKeaton,1924)
43.LetterfromanUnknownWoman(MaxOphls,1948)
42.DrStrangelove(StanleyKubrick,1964)
41.RioBravo(HowardHawks,1959)
40.MeshesoftheAfternoon(MayaDerenandAlexanderHammid,1943)
39.TheBirthofaNation(DWGriffith,1915)
38.Jaws(StevenSpielberg,1975)
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37.ImitationofLife(DouglasSirk,1959)
36.StarWars(GeorgeLucas,1977)
35.DoubleIndemnity(BillyWilder,1944)
34.TheWizardofOz(VictorFleming,1939)
33.TheConversation(FrancisFordCoppola,1974)
32.TheLadyEve(PrestonSturges,1941)
31.AWomanUndertheInfluence(JohnCassavetes,1974)
30.SomeLikeItHot(BillyWilder,1959)
29.RagingBull(MartinScorsese,1980)
28.PulpFiction(QuentinTarantino,1994)
27.BarryLyndon(StanleyKubrick,1975)
26.KillerofSheep(CharlesBurnett,1978)
25.DotheRightThing(SpikeLee,1989)
24.TheApartment(BillyWilder,1960)
23.AnnieHall(WoodyAllen,1977)
22.Greed(ErichvonStroheim,1924)
21.MulhollandDrive(DavidLynch,2001)
20.Goodfellas(MartinScorsese,1990)
19.TaxiDriver(MartinScorsese,1976)
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18.CityLights(CharlieChaplin,1931)
17.TheGoldRush(CharlieChaplin,1925)
16.McCabe&MrsMiller(RobertAltman,1971)
15.TheBestYearsofOurLives(WilliamWyler,1946)
14.Nashville(RobertAltman,1975)
13.NorthbyNorthwest(AlfredHitchcock,1959)
12.Chinatown(RomanPolanski,1974)
11.TheMagnificentAmbersons(OrsonWelles,1942)
10.TheGodfatherPartII(FrancisFordCoppola,1974)
9.Casablanca(MichaelCurtiz,1942)
8.Psycho(AlfredHitchcock,1960)
7.SinginintheRain(StanleyDonenandGeneKelly,1952)
6.Sunrise(FWMurnau,1927)
5.TheSearchers(JohnFord,1956)
4.2001:ASpaceOdyssey(StanleyKubrick,1968)
3.Vertigo(AlfredHitchcock,1958)
2.TheGodfather(FrancisFordCoppola,1972)
1.CitizenKane(OrsonWelles,1941)
Thecriticsweighin:Whythetop25arethebest
IsCitizenKanereallyasgreataseveryonesays?
AnAZofthe100greatestAmericanfilms
Whyarethebestfilmstheoldones?
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