Classic Movie Top 50



    Top 50

    Which are the best movies of all time? It's a difficult question. There are many, many movies and many, many movie lovers in this world. But with the help of some movie authorities, we were able to compile a Classic Movie Hit parade.

    The Movie Authorities

  • The American Film Institute (AFI) is, in their words, an American institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media.
    AFI produced in 2007 their Hit parade called AFI's 100 YEARS...100 MOVIES . It contains the first 100 years of American (mostly) movies by making a definitive selection of the 100 greatest American movies of all time, as determined by more than 1,500 leaders from the American film community.

  • British magazine Sight and Sound has compiled since 1952, every 10 years, a list of the best films of all time. In 2012 they produced two lists, receiving contributions from 846 film critics, writers and academics, and 350 film directors. The critics list and the directors list. We use the highest ranking.

  • The Internet Movie DataBase (IMDB) is the worlds largest movie web site. Visitors can vote for their favorite movie and in this way, a Top 250 is compiled. This list changes every week, although the top 50 is pretty steady. (Our calculation: August 2012)

  • Empire magazine had an online poll asking readers to name (in order) their top 10 favorite films of all-time. Over 10,000 readers, 150 film makers and 50 film critics send in their lists. They published their 500 Greatest Movies list in September 2008.

Calculation

We take from each list the top 50 to form our own hit parade. It's a simple calculation, number 1 gets 50 points (51-1), nr 2 gets 49 points (51-2) and so on.
Let's look at our number 1, The Godfather.
It ranks number 2 at AFI, so that's 51-2 = 49 points
It ranks number 7 at S&S Directors, so that's 51-7=44 points
It ranks number 1 at Empire, so that's 51-1=50 points
It ranks number 2 at IMDB, so that's 51-2=49 points
Total = 49+44+50+49 = 192 points

The List

  1. - The Godfather (USA, 1972) 192
    IMDB -> position 2 = 49 points
    Empire -> position 1 = 50 points
    AFI -> position 2 = 49 points
    S&S Directors -> position 7 = 44 points

  2. - Citizen Kane (USA, 1941) 135
    S&S Critics -> position 2 = 49 points
    IMDB -> position 38 = 13 points
    AFI -> position 1 = 50 points
    Empire -> position 28 = 23 points

  3. - Apocalypse now (USA, 1979) 126
    AFI -> position 30 = 21 points
    S&S Directors -> position 6 = 45 points
    Empire -> position 7 = 44 points
    IMDB -> position 35 = 16 points

  4. - 2001: A Space Odyssey (UK, 1968) 120
    S&S Directors -> position 2 = 49 points
    Empire -> position 16 = 35 points
    AFI -> position 15 = 36 points

  5. - Singing in the rain (USA, 1952) 120
    Empire -> position 8 = 43 points
    AFI -> position 5 = 46 points
    S&S Critics -> position 20 = 31 points
    IMDB -> position 80 = 0 points

  6. - The Godfather 2 (USA, 1974) 119
    IMDB -> position 3 = 48 points
    S&S Critics -> position 31 = 20 points
    Empire -> position 19 = 32 points
    AFI -> position 32 = 19 points

  7. - Casablanca (USA, 1942) 109
    AFI -> position 3 = 48 points
    S&S Critics -> position 84 = 0 points
    IMDB -> position 23 = 28 points
    Empire -> position 18 = 33 points

  8. - Vertigo (USA, 1958) 109
    S&S Critics -> position 1 = 50 points
    IMDB -> position 45 = 6 points
    Empire -> position 40 = 11 points
    AFI -> position 9 = 42 points

  9. - Star wars (USA, 1977) 101
    AFI -> position 13 = 38 points
    Empire -> position 22 = 29 points
    IMDB -> position 17 = 34 points

  10. - The Shawshank redemption (USA, 1994) 97
    IMDB -> position 1 = 50 points
    Empire -> position 4 = 47 points

  11. - Schindlers list (USA, 1993) 94
    Empire -> position 44 = 7 points
    IMDB -> position 7 = 44 points
    AFI -> position 8 = 43 points

  12. - The empire strikes back (USA, 1980) 89
    IMDB -> position 10 = 41 points
    Empire -> position 3 = 48 points

  13. - Pulp fiction (USA, 1994) 89
    Empire -> position 9 = 42 points
    IMDB -> position 4 = 47 points

  14. - Taxi driver (USA, 1976) 89
    S&S Directors -> position 5 = 46 points
    IMDB -> position 42 = 9 points
    Empire -> position 17 = 34 points
    AFI -> position 52 = 0 points

  15. - Raging bull (USA, 1980) 87
    S&S Critics -> position 53 = 0 points
    Empire -> position 11 = 40 points
    AFI -> position 4 = 47 points

  16. - The searchers (USA, 1956) 83
    S&S Critics -> position 7 = 44 points
    AFI -> position 12 = 39 points

  17. - Fight club (USA, 1999) 81
    Empire -> position 10 = 41 points
    IMDB -> position 11 = 40 points

  18. - Psycho (USA, 1960) 81
    S&S Critics -> position 34 = 17 points
    AFI -> position 14 = 37 points
    Empire -> position 45 = 6 points
    IMDB -> position 30 = 21 points

  19. - Goodfellas (USA, 1990) 80
    IMDB -> position 16 = 35 points
    Empire -> position 6 = 45 points

  20. - The dark knight (USA, 2008) 79
    IMDB -> position 8 = 43 points
    Empire -> position 15 = 36 points

  21. - Raiders of the lost ark (USA, 1981) 73
    IMDB -> position 27 = 24 points
    Empire -> position 2 = 49 points

  22. - The good, the bad and the ugly (Italy, 1966) 72
    Empire -> position 25 = 26 points
    IMDB -> position 5 = 46 points

  23. - Chinatown (USA, 1974) 68
    AFI -> position 21 = 30 points
    IMDB -> position 62 = 0 points
    Empire -> position 13 = 38 points
    S&S Critics -> position 78 = 0 points

  24. - The seven samurai (Japan, 1954) 68
    S&S Critics -> position 17 = 34 points
    IMDB -> position 18 = 33 points
    Empire -> position 50 = 1 points

  25. - Once upon a time in the west (USA, 1969) 66
    S&S Critics -> position 78 = 0 points
    IMDB -> position 22 = 29 points
    Empire -> position 14 = 37 points

  26. - The fellowship of the ring (USA, 2001) 65
    Empire -> position 24 = 27 points
    IMDB -> position 14 = 37 points
    AFI -> position 50 = 1 points

  27. - Gone with the wind (USA, 1939) 65
    AFI -> position 6 = 45 points
    Empire -> position 31 = 20 points

  28. - Some like it hot (USA, 1959) 61
    S&S Critics -> position 43 = 8 points
    AFI -> position 22 = 29 points
    Empire -> position 27 = 24 points

  29. - The return of the king (USA, 2003) 59
    Empire -> position 34 = 17 points
    IMDB -> position 9 = 42 points

  30. - One flew over the cuckoo’s nest (USA, 1975) 57
    IMDB -> position 12 = 39 points
    AFI -> position 33 = 18 points

  31. - Dr. Strangelove (UK, 1964) 54
    AFI -> position 39 = 12 points
    Empire -> position 26 = 25 points
    S&S Critics -> position 117 = 0 points
    IMDB -> position 34 = 17 points

  32. - Sunset boulevard (USA, 1950) 54
    AFI -> position 16 = 35 points
    IMDB -> position 32 = 19 points
    S&S Critics -> position 63 = 0 points

  33. - It’s a wonderful life (USA, 1946) 51
    IMDB -> position 31 = 20 points
    AFI -> position 20 = 31 points

  34. - The General (USA, 1927) 50
    S&S Critics -> position 34 = 17 points
    AFI -> position 18 = 33 points

  35. - Tokyo story (Japan, 1953) 50
    S&S Directors -> position 1 = 50 points

  36. - Lawrence of Arabia (UK, 1962) 49
    S&S Critics -> position 81 = 0 points
    AFI -> position 7 = 44 points
    IMDB -> position 55 = 5 points

  37. - The rules of the game (France, 1939) 48
    S&S Critics -> position 3 = 48 points

  38. - Jaws (USA, 1975) 46
    AFI -> position 56 = 0 points
    Empire -> position 5 = 46 points

  39. - Sunrise (USA, 1927) 46
    S&S Critics -> position 5 = 46 points

  40. - 12 Angry Men (USA, 1957) 45
    IMDB -> position 6 = 45 points

  41. - The Passion of Joan of Arc (France, 1928) 42
    S&S Critics -> position 9 = 42 points

  42. - The bicycle thief (Italy, 1948) 41
    S&S Directors -> position 10 = 41 points

  43. - City lights (USA, 1931) 41
    AFI -> position 11 = 40 points
    S&S Critics -> position 50 = 1 points

  44. - The wizard of Oz (USA, 1939) 41
    S&S Critics -> position 144 = 0 points
    AFI -> position 10 = 41 points

  45. - Battleship Potemkin (USSR, 1925) 40
    S&S Critics -> position 11 = 40 points

  46. - The apartment (USA, 1960) 39
    S&S Critics -> position 127 = 0 points
    Empire -> position 12 = 39 points

  47. - L`Atalante (France, 1934) 39
    S&S Critics -> position 12 = 39 points

  48. - Breathless (France, 1960) 38
    S&S Critics -> position 13 = 38 points

  49. - On the waterfront (USA, 1954) 37
    Empire -> position 46 = 5 points
    S&S Critics -> position 0 = 0 points
    AFI -> position 19 = 32 points

  50. - Inception (USA, 2010) 36
    IMDB -> position 15 = 36 points