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.
They 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 compiles since 1952, every 10 years, a list of the best films of all time. In 2002 they produced two lists, receiving contributions from 145 film critics, writers and academics, and 108 film directors. The critics list and the directors list. We've calculated an average 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: November 12, 2008)

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 2 at S&S Directors, so that's 51-2=49 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+48+50+49 = 197 points

The List

- The Godfather (USA, 1972) 197
AFI -> position 2 = 49 points
Empire -> position 1 = 50 points
IMDB -> position 2 = 49 points
S&S Directors -> position 2 = 49 points
- Casablanca (USA, 1942) 153
AFI -> position 3 = 48 points
Empire -> position 18 = 33 points
IMDB -> position 11 = 40 points
S&S Directors -> position 19 = 32 points
- The Godfather 2 (USA, 1974) 148
AFI -> position 32 = 19 points
Empire -> position 19 = 32 points
IMDB -> position 3 = 48 points
S&S Directors -> position 2 = 49 points
- Citizen Kane (USA, 1941) 146
AFI -> position 1 = 50 points
Empire -> position 28 = 23 points
IMDB -> position 29 = 23 points
S&S Directors -> position 1 = 50 points
- Raging bull (USA, 1980) 132
AFI -> position 4 = 47 points
Empire -> position 11 = 40 points
IMDB -> position 70 = 0 points
S&S Directors -> position 6 = 45 points
- Singing in the rain (USA, 1952) 130
AFI -> position 5 = 46 points
Empire -> position 8 = 43 points
IMDB -> position 77 = 0 points
S&S Critics -> position 10 = 41 points
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (UK, 1968) 116
AFI -> position 15 = 36 points
Empire -> position 16 = 35 points
S&S Critics -> position 6 = 45 points
- Apocalypse now (USA, 1979) 112
AFI -> position 30 = 21 points
Empire -> position 7 = 44 points
IMDB -> position 36 = 15 points
S&S Directors -> position 19 = 32 points
- Vertigo (USA, 1958) 112
AFI -> position 9 = 42 points
Empire -> position 40 = 11 points
IMDB -> position 41 = 10 points
S&S Critics -> position 2 = 49 points
- Dr. Strangelove (UK, 1964) 109
AFI -> position 39 = 12 points
Empire -> position 26 = 25 points
IMDB -> position 25 = 26 points
S&S Directors -> position 5 = 46 points
- Lawrence of Arabia (UK, 1962) 107
AFI -> position 7 = 44 points
IMDB -> position 35 = 16 points
S&S Directors -> position 4 = 47 points
- Psycho (USA, 1960) 107
AFI -> position 14 = 37 points
Empire -> position 45 = 6 points
IMDB -> position 22 = 29 points
S&S Directors -> position 16 = 35 points
- Star wars (USA, 1977) 106
AFI -> position 13 = 38 points
Empire -> position 22 = 29 points
IMDB -> position 12 = 39 points
- Sunset boulevard (USA, 1950) 99
AFI -> position 16 = 35 points
IMDB -> position 26 = 25 points
S&S Directors -> position 12 = 39 points
- The Shawshank redemption (USA, 1994) 97
Empire -> position 4 = 47 points
IMDB -> position 1 = 50 points
- Chinatown (USA, 1974) 95
AFI -> position 21 = 30 points
Empire -> position 13 = 38 points
IMDB -> position 52 = 0 points
S&S Directors -> position 24 = 27 points
- Schindlers list (USA, 1993) 94
AFI -> position 8 = 43 points
Empire -> position 44 = 7 points
IMDB -> position 7 = 44 points
- The empire strikes back (USA, 1980) 90
Empire -> position 3 = 48 points
IMDB -> position 9 = 42 points
- Pulp fiction (USA, 1994) 87
Empire -> position 9 = 42 points
IMDB -> position 6 = 45 points
- The dark knight (USA, 2008) 83
Empire -> position 15 = 36 points
IMDB -> position 4 = 47 points
- Raiders of the lost ark (USA, 1981) 83
Empire -> position 2 = 49 points
IMDB -> position 17 = 34 points
- Goodfellas (USA, 1990) 81
Empire -> position 6 = 45 points
IMDB -> position 15 = 36 points
- The seven samurai (Japan, 1954) 81
Empire -> position 50 = 1 points
IMDB -> position 13 = 38 points
S&S Directors -> position 9 = 42 points
- Some like it hot (USA, 1959) 80
AFI -> position 22 = 29 points
Empire -> position 27 = 24 points
S&S Directors -> position 24 = 27 points
- Once upon a time in the west (USA, 1969) 79
Empire -> position 14 = 37 points
IMDB -> position 19 = 32 points
S&S Directors -> position 41 = 10 points
- The apartment (USA, 1960) 76
Empire -> position 12 = 39 points
S&S Directors -> position 14 = 37 points
- City lights (USA, 1931) 72
AFI -> position 11 = 40 points
S&S Directors -> position 19 = 32 points
- The good, the bad and the ugly (Italy, 1966) 72
Empire -> position 25 = 26 points
IMDB -> position 5 = 46 points
- The searchers (USA, 1956) 72
AFI -> position 12 = 39 points
S&S Critics -> position 18 = 33 points
- Fight club (USA, 1999) 69
Empire -> position 10 = 41 points
IMDB -> position 23 = 28 points
- The General (USA, 1927) 69
AFI -> position 18 = 33 points
S&S Critics -> position 15 = 36 points
- Taxi driver (USA, 1976) 67
AFI -> position 52 = 0 points
Empire -> position 17 = 34 points
IMDB -> position 38 = 13 points
S&S Directors -> position 31 = 20 points
- Gone with the wind (USA, 1939) 65
AFI -> position 6 = 45 points
Empire -> position 31 = 20 points
- One flew over the cuckoo’s nest (USA, 1975) 61
AFI -> position 33 = 18 points
IMDB -> position 8 = 43 points
- The fellowship of the ring (USA, 2001) 59
AFI -> position 50 = 1 points
Empire -> position 24 = 27 points
IMDB -> position 20 = 31 points
- On the waterfront (USA, 1954) 57
AFI -> position 19 = 32 points
Empire -> position 46 = 5 points
S&S Directors -> position 31 = 20 points
- The return of the king (USA, 2003) 54
Empire -> position 34 = 17 points
IMDB -> position 14 = 37 points
- The wizard of Oz (USA, 1939) 51
AFI -> position 10 = 41 points
S&S Directors -> position 41 = 10 points
- It’s a wonderful life (USA, 1946) 49
AFI -> position 20 = 31 points
IMDB -> position 33 = 18 points
- 8½ (Italy, 1963) 48
S&S Directors -> position 3 = 48 points
- The rules of the game (France, 1939) 48
S&S Critics -> position 3 = 48 points
- Jaws (USA, 1975) 46
AFI -> position 56 = 0 points
Empire -> position 5 = 46 points
- The third man (UK, 1949) 46
Empire -> position 21 = 30 points
IMDB -> position 54 = 0 points
S&S Critics -> position 35 = 16 points
- Tokyo story (Japan, 1953) 46
S&S Critics -> position 5 = 46 points
- The bicycle thief (Italy, 1948) 45
S&S Directors -> position 6 = 45 points
- Battleship Potemkin (USSR, 1925) 44
S&S Critics -> position 7 = 44 points
- Sunrise (USA, 1927) 44
S&S Critics -> position 7 = 44 points
- Rashomon (Japan, 1950) 42
S&S Directors -> position 9 = 42 points
- 12 Angry Men (USA, 1957) 41
IMDB -> position 10 = 41 points
- Rear window (USA, 1954) 38
AFI -> position 48 = 3 points
IMDB -> position 16 = 35 points

GoneMovie.com