The 100 Best American Movies of All Time

Opinions are fun, but they tend to alienate people and

 make them feel less good about the opinion they have.

 Which is why "Top X" lists tend to be so polarizing and

 addicting to read. We love getting a glimpse into how

 other people are wrong. Or right, depending on what's 

chosen.

This is why BBC Culture decided to cultivate their "Top 

American Movies" list in a different way. Normally, a 

team of editors will collaborate on such things, but 

BBCinstead polled film critics from around the world to 

create the following list.

Think of it like the Oscars meets SurveyMonkey meets
 MailChimp. Minus that last one. Let's take a look at
where BBC landed on the "The 100 Greatest American
Films" along with some of my commentary and general
takeaways.

Note: The original article states that an American film is 
defined as such if it is funded by a U.S. source. It does 
not mean the film had to be directed by an American. 
The film doesn't even have to be shot in the U.S. for it 
to fit this category.

A few things you'll notice on this list:

• There is only one animated film that made the cut.
• The most recent film on this list is from 2013.
• Only one superhero film made the list.
• The oldest film on this list is from 1915.
• Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Billy Wilder, and
•  Alfred Hitchcock all tie as the director with the most
•  films on this list. They all have five movies on here.
• No Wes Anderson movies made this list, which is...                                       

just...I don't even know how  that happened.

100. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)

99. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)

The most recent film to make the cut, 12 Years a Slave is
 certainly a film you need to see before you die. Just make
 sure your favorable opinion of Michael Fassbender is solid
 before jumping into this one.

98. Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980)

97. Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)

Though Gone with the Wind is one of the most successful
and iconic films of all time, it's quite low on this list.

96. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)

Widely regarded as the greatest superhero film of all time,
The Dark Knight just barely makes this list to prove that.

95. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)

This Marx Brothers classic is another iconic film that edges
 into the rankings.

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)

Jim Carrey's arguably best "serious" movie happens to be American
gold as well. "Spotless Mind" is his only film on here.

86. The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)

Lion King is the first film I remember seeing in theaters, and
 it's cultural impact can't be understated. Apparently, film
critics agree because it is the only animated film on this list.

85. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)

The zombie film from before zombies were "cool" is here, proving
that Romero nailed it on the first try.

84. Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972)

83. Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)

82. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)

This is the only Indiana Jones to make this list, but certainly not
 the only Spielberg blockbuster.

81. Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)

This is Ridley Scott's only film to make the list, strangely. Not
 even Alien managed to get on here. Another snubbed director,
as you'll notice, is Michael Mann.

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)

Unlike many comprehensive "Top" lists, this one doesn't lump
 franchise movies in with each other.

75. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)

74. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)

This is the only Tom Hanks movie on this list, which is strange
 since it's not even his best one. Still, Forrest Gump is an
 achievement that goes beyond the sum of its parts.

73. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)

72. The Shanghai Gesture (Josef von Sternberg, 1941)

71. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)

This is Bill Murray's only film to make the cut, but if we only
get one, I'm glad it's this.

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, 1965)

64. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)

63. Love Streams (John Cassavetes, 1984)

62. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

The Stanley Kubrick classic based on a Stephen King classic
still terrifies audiences to this day and serves as one of Jack
Nicholson's best performances of all time, if not the best.

61. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)

Thanks to Kubrick, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise manage
 to make this list (just barely).

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)

In recent news, Michael J. Fox has refused to be part of any
attempt to reboot the classic '80s franchise.

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)

The oldest film on this list came out nearly 10 years before the
second oldest would emerge.

38. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)

The world's first true blockbuster paved the way for pretty much
 every event movie you've ever seen.

37. Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)

36. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)

To some, it's not the best Star Wars movie. But it's certainly the
most important.

35. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)

Until very recently, I was completely unaware of this classic noir
 film, which essentially crafted the genre as we know it.

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)

Arguably Robert De Niro's most critical role, this film is a far
cry from his most recent boxing movie, Grudge Match.

28. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

Tarantino's sophomore effort is considered by many to be his
best film yet, which is certainly saying something. This is also
the only Tarantino film to make this list, at the expense of
Reservoir Dogs if you ask me.

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)

The movie that introduced New York as a "character."

22. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)

21. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)

20. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)

19. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

If you haven't seen Taxi Driver or Goodfellas yet, prepare to
have your opinion of De Niro forever changed.

• 
  

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)

This marks The Godfather Part II as the greatest American
sequel of all time, and I have a hard time disagreeing with that.

9. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)

The most quotable film of all time lands in the top 10.

8. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

Keep going. There's still one more Hitchock film on this list if
you can believe it.

7. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)

Home to not one, but two of my favorite dance-song numbers
 of all time, Singin' in the Rain inspired a bustling genre of
movies about making movies.

6. Sunrise (FW Murnau, 1927)

This marks Sunrise as the greatest American love story on film,
and for good reason.

5. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)

Unsurprisingly, this John Wayne classic nabs the "greatest
western" slot on this list.

4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)

Also unsurprising, Kubrick's science fiction movie is the definitive
American sci-fi (and beyond if you ask me).

3. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

More thriller than love story, Vertigo grabs the title for best
 Hitchcock film.

2. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

To be clear, The Godfather not only created the mafia genre.
 It defined how the mafia would be perceived and operated for
decades to come. This is a film that literally changed reality
and inspired true events, rather than the other way around.

1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

Yeah, alright. Though it's become a cliche to consider Citizen Kane
 the best movie of all time (American or otherwise), film critics
continue to herald the film as the unchallenged paragon for movies.

To explore more of the process and reasoning behind how this
list was formed,click here to view the original article on BBC Culture.

Source by...http://moviepilot.com/posts/3400267