# Top Ten movies of all-time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874 "2002-08-21T05:59:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/1 "2002-08-21T05:59:47Z")
[http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/index.html](http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/index.html) The once a decade poll of critics and directors is out with relatively few surprises. Here is the critics top ten: [http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics.html](http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics.html). You can both comment on the poll results and give your top 10. I have seen six of the critics top 10 and of those three : 2001, Rules of the Game and Singin in the Rain left me underwhelmed. My top 10 (in no particular order) Casablanca His Girl Friday Annie Hall Third Man Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Maltese Falcon Princess Mononoke Kind Hearts and Coronets North by Northwest The Apartment ---
**Author:** ![Genseric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Genseric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genseric)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/2 "2002-08-21T07:16:05Z")
Hamburger: The Motion Picture Man’s Best Friend Beastmaster II Who’s That Girl? Housesitter Red Dawn Up The Academy Dungeons And Dragons Back To School Citizen Kane ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/3 "2002-08-21T08:11:54Z")
I’ve seen nine of the critics’ top 10 and think they are all wonderful movies. _Vertigo_ seems to grow more and more in critical appraisal as time goes by, though personally, I’d rank it behind _Notorious_ among Hitch’s films. At first, I made a list consisting of films taking into account their importance, criticial and popular appeal, my own estimation of their artistic merit, etc., but then decided to go back and just make a personal list of movies that have had the greatest effect on me as a moviegoer. Thus, my (very personal) top 10 movies of all time are as follows: After Life The Bicycle Thief The Bridge on the River Kwai Gates of Heaven Grave of the Fireflies Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring The Joy Luck Club The Killer The Shawshank Redemption Shindler’s List ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/4 "2002-08-21T09:41:57Z")
My top 10 are (in reverse order); A Clockwork Orange Bonnie and Clyde Schindlers List E.T. Raiders of the Lost Ark Network Buch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Star Wars The Third Man Citizen Kane ---
**Author:** ![Zorro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ad7895/32.png) [@Zorro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zorro)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/5 "2002-08-21T10:09:20Z")
Why has nobody mentionned the 1938 “Adventures of Robin Hood”, with Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone? You silly, misguided fools. ---
**Author:** ![Jaystercom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Jaystercom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaystercom)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/6 "2002-08-21T10:19:03Z")
\_\_\_\_\_\_Top 10 of mine !!! Silence of the Lambs Red Dawn Shindler’s List The Green Mile Shawshank Redemption Forest Gump Rainman What Dreams May Come Dead Poets Society Dead Zone ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/7 "2002-08-21T15:25:16Z")
**Jayster,** are you for real??? - Rainman? Green Mile? Dead Poets Society? You must be taking the piss. They wouldn’t even make a top 1000 film list. Sorry for the personal attack, just had to get that out of my system…Ahh. I’m ok now. My top 10, in no discernable order: Raging Bull One flew over the Cuckoos Nest The Godfather (1 & 2) The Deer Hunter Fight Club Drowning by Numbers Apocalypse Now Star Wars The Shawshank Redemption Pulp Fiction ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/8 "2002-08-21T15:41:04Z")
Green Mile and Dead Poet’s Society are in IMDB’s top 250 (which I think is a pretty good list of films, with some exceptions). Genseric, I think you unintentionally excluded Drowing Mona! 🙂 I have seen only half of the films on that list. Kane is well made but kind of boring. It held my attention somewhat, but the movie overall was better than the story. I thought the same thing about Raging Bull. Beautifully shot but it was so boring that I was trying to saw through my wrists with the sharpest end of the remote control! I know I’ll take heat for admitting that. My top ten (sequels/series only counting once): 1 Raiders of the Lost Ark Series 2 Shawshank Redemption 3 LA Confidential 4 Goodfellas 5 Godfather Series (not 3) 6 Star Wars Series 7 High Noon 8 The Untouchables 9 Donnie Brasco 10 Election ---
**Author:** ![Bindlestiff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bindlestiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bindlestiff)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/9 "2002-08-21T17:42:50Z")
My top ten favorites - based on enjoyment, not claims of literary or cinematic merit: 1. Robin And Marian 2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark 3. The L.A. Story 4. Conan The Barbarian 5. Star Wars 6. Dragon Slayer 7. Demolition Man 8. Predator 9. The Terminator 10. Oscar 11. You’ve Got Mail (or almost any romantic comedy with Meg Ryan’s face in it.) This was harder to do than I thought. My TOP TEN is actually about 30 items long. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/10 "2002-08-21T19:51:39Z")
To echo **Bindlestiff** , I was surprised to find fully _twelve_ of my top-ten films on those two lists, and at least another four mentioned by **Cyberpundit**. Obviously, ten is not enough. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/11 "2002-08-21T20:15:38Z")
1. Shawshank Redemption 2. To Sir, With Love 3. It’s A Wonderful Life 4. Casablanca 5. Blazing Saddles 6. A Star Is Born (Remake) 7. Homeward Bound 8. Brian’s Song 9. Gone With The Wind 10. On Golden Pond ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/12 "2002-08-21T20:40:41Z")
I’m not too crazy about the critics’ Top 10–some of the choices, like **Rules of the Game** are too self-consciously arty, or like **Citizen Kane** and **Battleship Potemkin** , are movies that one admires but doesn’t love. IMO, a movie ought to engage the senses and emotions as well as the intellect. My favorite movies have witty, quotable dialogue, deep emotioanl power, and intellectual depth, like **Porky’s**. Kidding, kidding My Own Top 10: 1. **Seven Samurai** Akira Kurosawa’s bleak vision of warriors trapped bhy their own heroism is just enthralling to watch, especially the last stand against the bandits in pouring rain. Actually, you could make a whole top 10 list of nothing but Kurosawa. 2. **Jackie Brown**. Not as quotable as Tarantino’s other movies, this is a wonderfully understated romance/crime drama with an emotional wallop at the end. 3. **All About Eve**. Bitchy, funny, knowing. 4. **A Clockwork Orange**. I was cured all right. 5. **Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring**. A new classic that will be the **Star Wars/Wizard of Oz** of this generation. 6. **King of Hearts**. It’s a gentle fable of war and madness, marred only by Alan Bates’s flabby backside at the end. 7. **Casablanca**. There’s not one ounce of wasted effort in this movie–the dialogue, the acting, the direction–absolutely perfect. 8. **Children of Paradise** A three-hour love story set in Balzac’s Paris, it’s a wonderful film to savor over and over. 9. **Amarcord**. IMO, this bit of childhood nostalgia is Fellini’s greatest film, not **8 1/2**. 10. **Frenzy**. Really, you could insert any Hitchcock film, but this has always been one of my favorites. It has what it IMO the single scariest shot of all time. We see a man we know to be a serial killer enter a woman’s room and close the door. The camera pans slowly out, down the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door, where we see people walking along the sidewalk, oblivious to a woman being raped and murdered inside. Top 5 Just Plain Fun Movies 1. **Army of Darkness**. 2. **Cabaret** 3. **Hair** 4. **Blazing Saddles** 5. **Monty Python and the Holy Grail** ---
**Author:** ![Jaystercom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Jaystercom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaystercom)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/13 "2002-08-22T00:49:26Z")
Well sorry Aro - but that proves my point that if we all showered with Zesmy dog wouldn’t be able to tell me from you. Also, I’m a FEMALE !!! Ha, bet you didn’t know that did 'ya? I really don’t feel that I have to justify my choices, but I’ll say this much: I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the following people and I have faith in their acting ability. Dustin Hoffman ( who was fantastic in Tootsie), David Morse (who stole my heart in St. Elsewhere and recaptured it in the Green Mile), Tom Hanks who has gone from dressing like a female to battling a stupid volcano to a superb performance in Forest Gump, Robin Williams who is not only the funniest improv in the world, but he REALLY can act, and last but certainly not least, the little girl who graduated from Yale and began reading at the age of 3. Jodie Foster is also known for being very picky about the roles she accepts. Oh, I almost forgot Morgan Freeman and Christopher Walken. As they say in the PGA circle “THESE GUYS ARE GOOD” So you see Aro, I don’t just go and watch a movie, I research the actors so I see depth in them. Hell, if I just wanted to watch a movie, I’d take the easy way out and rent something Disney Animated, so I could just veg and NOT have to think. Not to mention, didn’t your mother teach you that it is extremely rude to attack another persons OPINIONS? This is America ya know and we do enjoy the freedom of speech. But its OK cuz in America it’s OK to disagree with anyone and/or everyone. God Bless You and Old Glory, Dee ---
**Author:** ![Jaystercom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Jaystercom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaystercom)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/14 "2002-08-22T00:54:00Z")
Well sorry Aro - but that proves my point that if we all showered with Zest my dog wouldn’t be able to tell me from you. Also, I’m a FEMALE !!! Ha, bet you didn’t know that did 'ya? I really don’t feel that I have to justify my choices, but I’ll say this much: I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the following people and I have faith in their acting ability. Dustin Hoffman ( who was fantastic in Tootsie), David Morse (who stole my heart in St. Elsewhere and recaptured it in the Green Mile), Tom Hanks who has gone from dressing like a female to battling a stupid volcano to a superb performance in Forest Gump, Robin Williams who is not only the funniest improv in the world, but he REALLY can act, and last but certainly not least, the little girl who graduated from Yale and began reading at the age of 3. Jodie Foster is also known for being very picky about the roles she accepts. Oh, I almost forgot Morgan Freeman and Christopher Walken. As they say in the PGA circle “THESE GUYS ARE GOOD” So you see Aro, I don’t just go and watch a movie, I research the actors so I see depth in them. Hell, if I just wanted to watch a movie, I’d take the easy way out and rent something Disney Animated, so I could just veg and NOT have to think. Not to mention, didn’t your mother teach you that it is extremely rude to attack another persons OPINIONS? This is America ya know and we do enjoy the freedom of speech. But its OK cuz in America it’s OK to disagree with anyone and/or everyone. God Bless You and Old Glory, Dee ---
**Author:** ![Genseric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Genseric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genseric)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/15 "2002-08-22T01:51:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by watsonwil \* > \*\* > Genseric, I think you unintentionally excluded Drowing Mona! 🙂 > > \*\* Actually, I’ve never seen it. If it’s worthy I might have to replace one on my list. Um, maybe Citizen Kane? (Unfortunately it’s true that I have in fact seen every film on my list (which I hope it is clear to everyone that it is tongue-in-cheek)). My real, personal, completely subjective top ten would be as follows. Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back The Terminator Dr. Strangelove Highlander 2001: A Space Odyssey Raising Arizona Raiders Of The Lost Ark Ghostbusters Life Of Brian ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/16 "2002-08-22T02:49:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aro \* > \*\ ***Jayster,** are you for real??? - Rainman? Green Mile? Dead Poets Society? > You must be taking the piss. They wouldn’t even make a top 1000 film list. > > Sorry for the personal attack, just had to get that out of my system…Ahh. I’m ok now. \*\* \ You know, it’s things like this that make me hate top ## lists. They are primarily an act of pretension on the part of the lists creators, and those who agree with them, " Look at me, I’ve seen all these critically acclaimed movies, so I shall say they’re my favorites too to sound worldly, even though I actually liked Wayne’s World better." To be perfectly honest, I haven’t seen a single movie from the OP’s link. I have seen six of Jayster’s though, and while I don’t agree that they’re wonderful, I’d probably watch them all again before watching a movie that people only watch because critics tell them they’re great. If I believed some of the critics, I would have liked **Storytelling** when I saw it last night and thought it was wonderful, not the disjointed trainwreck it is: a mundane movie by an otherwise sensationally subversive writer/director. \ ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/17 "2002-08-22T05:24:54Z")
I stand by my selections on the second page of [this old thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23271). Because I realize some of y’all won’t follow the link, here they are, with my reasons for selecting each, in no particular order: > [@](#): > > 1. _Citizen Kane_. The storyline, the dialogue, the camera work, all superb. The movie is nigh-flawless. > > 2. _Schindler’s List_. No movie has emotionally affected me so strongly. > > 3. _Seven Samurai_. Again, nearly flawless, in every setting, performance, edit, and angle. > > 4. _Alien_. Ridley Scott’s finest. Introduced a new era of sci-fi, where the future wasn’t necessarily a pretty, sterile, wonderland. Also, a fine example of horror rule #1: If you want to scare people, don’t show them something that should scare them. Show people who are themselves scared. > > 5. _The Usual Suspects_. Crime drama and mystery at its finest, with excellent performances by all. And most amazing, it’s a complicated story that’s completely followable. The best screenplay ever, in my book. > > 6. _Some Like It Hot_. Narrowly edges out Chaplin and the Marx Brothers as the best comedy ever. > > 7. _Psycho_. Top marks to both Hitchcock and Perkins. Perkins’s final look at the camera is absolutely chilling. > > 8. _Star Wars_. I once read that the definition of ‘sci-fi’ is any film that, without the science, would have no story. By that measure, _Star Wars_ is not sci-fi; it’s a very primal story of the young hero, the old master, the evil ruler, the comical sidekick, and rescuing the girl and saving the kingdom, all wrapped in outer-space trappings. It’s the one film I never get tired of, no matter how often I see it. > > 9. _Fiddler On The Roof_. The list deserves a musical, and _Fiddler_, in my book, edges out the rest. And yes, I include _The Wizard Of Oz_ in that statement. “If I were a rich man…” > > 10. _Unforgiven_. The list deserves a Western, and Clint’s masterpiece is the best of 'em. I love that there are no genuinely “good” characters; it’s an ugly story about ugly topics, and probably the most realistic Western ever made. ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/18 "2002-08-22T05:31:36Z")
“They are primarily an act of pretension on the part of the lists creators, and those who agree with them, " Look at me, I’ve seen all these critically acclaimed movies, so I shall say they’re my favorites too to sound worldly…” Well speak for yourself; each one of the movies on my top ten list I have hugely enjoyed and that’s why they are there. I suspect it’s the same with everyone else. There are many critically acclaimed movies I haven’t much enjoyed. Having said that I agree we should lay off the “your list sucks” posts. (although I have to admit a few of Jayster’s choices were like waving a red flag at a bull;) ) I think Aro’s comments weren’t meant to be taken too seriously anyway. ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/19 "2002-08-22T07:17:26Z")
I should have done it in my first post but better late than never. Let me follow gobear and max torque and offer comments on my top ten. Casablanca: Hollywood craft at its best. Near perfect performances by both the main and supporting cast and a dramatic plot which leaves you guessing till the end. His Girl Friday: The ultimate example of screen “chemistry” between the leads. I can’t think of another film where the lead pair match the energy and wit of Russell and Grant. A terrific satirical look at the press and politics as well. Annie Hall: Another great romantic comedy and my top Woody film. I just love the cinematic inventiveness of the film; all those famous tricks which Allen uses to draw laughs. Third Man:Great thriller in a post-war Vienna setting, a superb musical score and a terrific perfomance by Orson Welles. The Last Crusade: A great adventure film. What sets it apart from the other Indiana Jones is relationship between Indiana and his dad which provides some great comic relief and a surprsing amount of emotion as well. Maltese Falcon: Great film noir with excellent performanaces by Bogart,Astor and Greenstreet and some terrific dialogue. Princess Mononoke: Great anime by the master Miyazaki. A complex fantasy epic with some beautiful animation and in Lady Eboshi a fascinating and charimatic heroine/villain. Kind Hearts and Coronets:Great black comedy and a wicked look at class distinctions in Edwardian England.Terrific perfomances by Dennis Price andAlec Guiness in multiple roles. North by Northwest: . All the familiar Hitchcock themes: the innocent man on the run, the train scenes, the cliff hanger climax but superbly executed. The Apartment: Bitter-sweet romantic comedy with superb, touching perfomances by McClaine and Lemmon. ---
**Author:** ![Jaystercom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Jaystercom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaystercom)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874/20 "2002-08-22T10:58:10Z")
Hey Cyberpundit - I really didn’t take Aros comments that seriously (only the research part). This is all in fun and it amazes me how there can be so many opinions. It sometimes makes me wonder if we all saw the same movies :-))))) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-ten-movies-of-all-time/124874.md?page=2)