"Top 100 movies of all time" list

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by modrevolve, Sep 9, 2019.

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  1. modrevolve

    modrevolve Forum Resident Thread Starter

    My gf and I feel like there are so many classic movies that we missed out on. So we have decided to work through one of those top 100 movies of all time lists. The question is which one? Do we go with the American Film Institute list or is there another guide we should consider?
     
  2. Hyacinth House

    Hyacinth House Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I can’t think of a specific list to recommend, but I wouldn’t use one that excluded foreign films.
     
  3. Avenging Robot

    Avenging Robot Senior Member

    I did that a while back and quickly realized that if you went with primarily English language films you were missing out on so much.

    Having said that, I discovered my favourite film was a silent film.
     
  4. Miriam

    Miriam Forum Resident

    Location:
    -
    Last edited: Sep 9, 2019
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  5. fabre

    fabre Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
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  6. Veltri

    Veltri ♪♫♫♪♪♫♫♪

    Location:
    Canada
    I have been going through what I consider a good international list since 1995 that was prepared for the Montreal International Film Festival that year.
    I started at about 20 seen and I'm now at 97/100.

    The thing to keep in mind is that these lists are a good guide but you will not agree that all films belong and that all are ranked like you would have.
    You will probably struggle through some of these films like I did.
    The best way to approach it is to note what you like and go off and view other films by that director that are not on the list. Also see other unrelated films.
    That will make getting through it like less of a task and will be more enjoyable when you happen to knock one off the list.

    If you like I will post a scan of that list.
     
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  7. fabre

    fabre Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    I'd be interested in that list as well.

    I never really did such a project. I went through different phases in life and my choice in movies have been influenced by these. I always liked films and at certain times I watched a lot of French movies (I still do) and then I watched a lot of Asian movies (and even tv series) and then I watched Spanish movies followed by Iranian movies and so on. Back then, when there was no streaming, getting those movies was as exciting as watching them. I was eagerly awaiting every new title from the Criterion Collection and the reviews from dvdbeaver. Jonathan Rosenbaums column "Global Discoveries on DVD" was always a great read and I bought a lot of DVDs because of him.
    Then I started watching silent movies and I also got to see a few in the cinema with live music. That was a great experience.
    And so, little by little i filled in the blanks at my own speed and desire. I still want to see a few classics that any film lover should have seen (you simply can't watch everything) but when I look at most of these top 100 lists I can say that I have seen a good share of any of those.

    I also buy a lot of books about cinema, films, actors & actresses, directors and everything to do with film. This started when I was young and it never stopped.
     
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  8. LeBon Bush

    LeBon Bush Hound of Love

    Location:
    Austria
    I'm not the OP, but yes, a scan would be awesome :) I've been renting out movies from the library like mad the past few months and I'd love to see what I'm still missing from this list :wave:
     
  9. modrevolve

    modrevolve Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thank would be very helpful..thanks!
     
  10. Veltri

    Veltri ♪♫♫♪♪♫♫♪

    Location:
    Canada
    Here it is.
    It was done for the 1995 Montreal World Film Festival where they showed each film.
    It was compiled from a hundred or so lists from people in the film industry such as critics, writers and teachers.
    The number of times a film showed up on a list was the basis for its inclusion.
    The participants used their own criteria to make their lists so no specific focus.

    I think it's a very good list and am happy I followed it. It did take 25 years, so was not a singular focus. Also some were harder to find.
    It introduced me to some great directors and got me to see related films that I am richer to have experienced.

    The image may not show so I have added a link to the imgur image.

    Imgur

    [​IMG]
     
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  11. Miriam

    Miriam Forum Resident

    Location:
    -
    Thank you! I've seen 57 out of 100.
     
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  12. nopedals

    nopedals Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbia SC
    I would suggest that a tour of "best directors" rather than "best films" might be more rewarding. You'll end up seeing many of the same films, but perhaps learn more. Even after 50 years, Sarris' American Cinema remains an excellent guide. I suggest starting with Renoir, someone worth knowing well in these ungentle times.
     
  13. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    The Sight and Sound 100 that is mentioned above by fabre is a great list which really covers the whole world and the entire history of film. I would recommend that if you are serious about film, rather than just wanting Hollywood films in colour type of thing. There are a couple of Goddard films on that list which I think are hugely overated but apart from that it's pretty solid.

    I think a great supplement to that list, as many of the films are quite old, is the BBC's list of the best films of the 21st Century BBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century - Wikipedia

    So perhaps you can swap between the two and have some old and some modern watching.

    High on both lists is In The Mood For Love which you should see first if you haven't :)
     
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  14. PhilBorder

    PhilBorder Senior Member

    Location:
    Sheboygan, WI
    With reservation I'd suggest: Great Movies | Roger Ebert
    He likes some films only a critic could or would love, he overrates others, sometimes he gets it exactly right. But I often respect his reasoning, even when I disagree with him. And he does offer a very broad scope of suggestions from aorund the world.
     
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  15. spherical

    spherical Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, is a fun book. Includes Foreign films as well.
     
  16. stepeanut

    stepeanut The gloves are off

    I always find these lists rather frustrating, even the good ones, like Sight & Sound’s. Better for the curious cinephile to follow his or her own nose, I think; read plenty, and take a chance on whatever floats your boat. You’ll inevitably find yourself drawn to certain directors, genres, eras, or countries. Form your own opinions then cross-reference against the critics’ lists, if you feel the need for self-validation.

    These lists tend to include token entries that are “important” in the history of cinema, or that represent a certain agenda, or films that are simply considered the most accessible by a certain director who is too important to be left out.

    Un Chien Andalou is certainly important, but it’s going to disappoint a couple snuggling up on the couch on a Saturday night, thinking that they’re about to tick a “classic” off their list. Especially as it only runs for 20 minutes. Likewise, Shoah, but for entirely opposite reasons.

    Others, like The Colour of Pomegranates or Tarkovsky’s Mirror, are brilliant works of art, and rightly deserve their place on any list, but require heavy contextualisation to get the most out of them. They are not for the casual viewer.

    Intolerance is a bloated guilt trip, but, if you want something to represent pre-Civil Rights racial progression then this is it, I suppose. Don’t forget the popcorn.

    Fear Eats the Soul is another film that tackles race, and it is often thrown into these lists as the token Fassbinder film. But Fassbinder is so much more expansive than that, and you’d be doing him, as well as yourself, a disservice by not exploring his other work. Personally, I’d place at least half a dozen other Fassbinder films above this one, good as FETS is. Same with Peckinpah (always The Wild Bunch, never anything else), etc.

    [​IMG]
     
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  17. budwhite

    budwhite Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

    Location:
    Götaland, Sverige
    Yes, Eberts list is very nice.
     
  18. Frangelico

    Frangelico Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I prefer the Cahiers list - it’s a bit more fun and a little less academic than Sight & Sound and some others.
     
  19. fabre

    fabre Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    One of my favourite movies on all aspects I can think of. I've seen it over and over and I am not getting tired of it. I've bought the soundtracks, several editions on DVD and a few books back then. This was one of the few movies (sadly true) that really sparked my interest in the work of cinematographers. I read about and followed the work of Christopher Doyle and I also read books about Wong kar-wai. I then bought and watched most of Wong kar-wai's other films and so, like some of you have already been saying, one thing lead to another and a whole new world of cinema opened up.

    I had several experiences like this with directors from all over the world. In Spain the movies of Victor Erice (Spirit of the Beehive), Julio Medem and of course Pedro Almodovar kept me busy. The more I had seen the more I knew what I was looking for. The Imdb boards were a great source for looking for "films like...". (A shame all the information was lost!) I adore "In the city of Sylvia". I knew Pilar López de Ayala from her early movies and so I discovered this one and Argentinian films like "Medianeras".

    This way I got to know films from all over the world, often off the beaten track, lesser known films and countries that aren't especially known for their film industry. Of course, there are still several blank areas on the map (e.g. I don't know many films from Africa) but it still is fun to explore these areas and see what happens.

    I always liked lists as a means of inspiration. Looking at these lists today most of the time I can say I've seen at least 2/3 or even 80% of the films mentioned because for a film canon there are more than a handful of films that "must-be-on-the-list". You won't find small and quirky films like "Delicatessen" or strangely haunting movies like the films of Peter Weir on those lists. Or film adaptations like "The man who sleeps" and "Le feu follet" which kept me thinking for a long time.

    The number of surprises is limited and so I guess I agree with you to take your time and stray from the lists and follow your instincts.
     
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  20. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Instincts, list?
    Definitely!!!!!
     
  21. HaileyMcComet

    HaileyMcComet Forum Resident

    Location:
    中華民國
    Looking at the best directors is a good way to see a lot of great films, but you also miss too much. Some of the best movies were made by directors whose filmography is not all that impressive. Gandhi is probably on more than a few lists, but Richard Attenborough is hit and miss. Terms of Endearment is loaded with amazing performances, but I don't think James L Brooks is on anyone's list of great directors.
     
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  22. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Yes! Good observation.
     
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  23. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Ha! No forum members lists yet?
     
  24. jlocke08

    jlocke08 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington
    not top 100 of all time by any means but 100 favorite. i know it's a boring list, mainly american, mainly since 1960, yeh, yeh but here's one member's list for you. be kind. :-popcorn:

    The Hustler

    Lawrence Of Arabia

    Bridge On The River Kwai

    The Great Escape

    12 Angry Men

    The Magnificent 7

    Jaws

    The Man Who Would Be King

    Die Hard

    Silence Of The Lambs

    The Usual Suspects

    My Favorite Year

    Do The Right Thing

    Princess Bride

    The Shawshank Redemption

    Shakespeare In Love

    Pulp Fiction

    Hoop Dreams

    When We Were Kings

    Grizzly Man**

    Unforgiven

    Glory

    My Left Foot

    Rear Window

    Memento

    Philadelphia

    Papillion

    Four Weddings And A Funeral

    Schindler’s List

    Slumdog Millionaire***

    Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

    Star Wars-Original trilogy

    Terminator II

    Seven

    Shine

    Life Of Pi

    The Namesake

    The Stunt Man

    LA Confidential

    American Beauty

    Rocky

    The Sting

    Traffic

    The Sixth Sense

    Godfather I/II

    Raging Bull/Taxi Driver

    Goodfellas/Casino

    Milk

    Manhunter

    JFK/13 Days

    Glengarry Glen Ross

    Rain Man

    Good Will Hunting

    Scent Of A Woman

    Castaway

    Hard Boiled

    A Better Tomorrow

    Battle Royale

    Fitzcarraldo

    Aguirre, The Wrath Of God

    The Seven Samurai

    The Lives Of Others

    Life Is Beautiful

    Das Boot

    Saving Private Ryan

    Full Metal Jacket

    Apocalypse Now

    The Nutty Professor-original

    Broadcast News

    Local Hero

    As Good As It Gets

    Stripes

    Slap Shot

    Trading Places

    Beverly Hills Cop

    Grosse Pointe Blank

    Bull Durham

    Caddyshack

    When Harry Met Sally

    Some Like It Hot

    Educating Rita

    Mr Roberts

    Roger & Me

    The UP series

    Brothers Keeper

    Jiro Dreams Of Sushi

    A Great Day In Harlem

    Twenty Feet From Stardom

    Music Man

    West Side Story

    Singing In The Rain

    Reservoir Dogs

    Wages Of Fear/Sorcerer

    Runaway Train

    Scarface

    48 Hours

    The Incredibles

    Mary Poppins

    Wall-E

    Finding Nemo

    Toy Story I/II
     
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  25. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    great list ( above )
    I’d choose these !!!!!
    The Hustler

    Lawrence Of Arabia

    Bridge On The River Kwai

    The Great Escape

    12 Angry Men

    The Magnificent 7

    Silence Of The Lambs

    The Shawshank Redemption

    Pulp Fiction

    Unforgiven

    Glory

    Rear Window

    Papillion

    Terminator II

    LA Confidential

    Rocky

    The Sixth Sense

    Godfather I/II

    Goodfellas/ Casino

    The Seven Samurai

    Saving Private Ryan

    Some Like It Hot

    West Side Story

    Singing In The Rain

    Scarface ...al
     
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