All-TIME 100 Movies [Time Magazine's 100 Greatest Movies]

Yawn. These lists are getting so tiresome. I respect the fact that some critics try to mix things up, pick films which aren't normally picked, but The Purple Rose of Cairo is the only Woody Allen film to make the list? Great film, but Annie Hall, Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors , and Bullets Over Broadway are all much more worthy choices for greatest 100 from Woody Allen.

I'm stunned to see that Leolo is on a best 100 list.

I'm not complaining, I LOVE that movie...it's about time that someone else noticed this amazing film!

I'm also thrilled to see The Singing Detective there, that's another fav of mine that never gets listed...though that's probably because it's a TV mini-series rather than a film.

Another from me.

Where the hell is Seven Samurai?

There's no such thing as a perfect top 100 list, but this one, although it has many great films on it, is pretty pathetic, in what's missing:

The Apartment
Rear Window
Raiders of the Lost Ark
North By Northwest
Vertigo
2001

etc.

I mean c'mon. What's with the lack of love for Hitchcock.

Barry Lyndon, but no 2001?!?

The Fly (1986) but no Jaws?!?

Smiles of a Summer Night but no Seventh Seal?!?

That fact that there are some great films on their list, doesn't make it a good list. I usually take these types of lists, and look for films I haven't seen and add them to my to watch list. But given the nature of this list, I think I'll pass.

I just read their choices for the top films of each decade.

Dodsworth the best film of the 30's?!?!?!?

I'm hard pressed to think of anything I've read about film that I disagree more with. The 30's. A decade with films like:

Bringing Up Baby
The Thin Man
Frankenstein
The Bride of Frankenstein
The Lady Vanishes
The 39 Steps
Gone with the Wind
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
City Lights
Modern Times
It Happened One Night
My Man Godfrey
Alexander Nevsky
Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs
The Wizard of Oz
Trouble in Paradise
You Can't Take it With You
The Awful Truth
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Duck Soup
M
Gunga Din
Twentieth Century
The Blue Angel
Little Caeser
All Quiet on the Western Front
A Nous La Liberte
The Public Enemy
I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang
Top Hat
It's A Gift
Holiday
Ninotchka
The Prisoner of Zenda
Scarface
King Kong
Captain Blood
The Grand Illusion
Angels with Dirty Faces
Stagecoach
Only Angels Have Wings
The Rules of the Game

and tons more, and you give the best film of the decade to Dodsworth?

Now that's pathetic.

An interesting list but this should be called "Richard Schickel and Richard Corliss's 100 FAVORITE films"

I certainly appreciate the effort in selecting non-mainstream films, but then this list should have a different title, like Jonathan Rosenbaum's alternate top 100 American films.

I tend to agree with George about the missing titles, and especially about the inclusion of Dodsworth. I've watched approximately 140 films from the 1930s in the past 3 years, and Dodsworth won't even make my top 100 from that decade let alone Top 100 of all time.

...and the lack of "Wizard of Oz" & "Sunset Boulevard" is absolutely alarming.

Whoa the biggest surprise considering how snooty this list is, is the non-appearance of 2001-A Space Odyssey, Seven Samurai and Vertigo. Jackie Chan's Drunken Master II takes the place of Seven Samurai, there's a first, and why not? I shouldn't complain my personal 100 greatest movies list would have been a lot worse than this, where's Lynch's Dune for chrissakes? It would have been in my 100.

I quite liked Dodsworth, but it would not make my top 100 or the best film of the 30s.

All-in-all, not really that bad a list, even though there is plenty with which to take issue. On the plus side, there is representation from the 20s to current films, there is a wide representation of film styles and genres (though no documentaries or westerns) and the list contains a selection of well-known and not so recognized films from a wide selection of directors.

To disagree with Steve just a bit, I actually consider this an anti-snooty list: for me at least, a common theme is the watchability of all of these movies, The Man with a Camera being the only entry that I find less than enjoyable to just watch (of course I recognize that films like The World of Apu don't appeal to everyone, but for me, still very watchable).

I'll go along with RAIDERS and 2001....

Seth--L,

I'd like to know why the Time editors didn't include Woody Allen's better-known works such as Annie Hall and Sleeper, both of which was superior to Time's choice.

Mind you, that list has (in my opinion!) a lot of New York City 'elitist' mentality, and that often doesn't match what most Americans like.

If you look at the initial time reviews a lot of the movies received poor reviews, such as:

Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Once Upon a Time in the West

I thought that was neat how they included the initial reviews, regardless of whether the movie was reviewed well.

I'm happy that BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN made it onto the list. But I'm equally disappointed that THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD didn't.

Agreed!
I think it's a pretty good list also...I choose to focus on what's on the list rather than what's not on it.

Most of my favorites are missing too, so what...it isn't my list!

I´m another fan of The Singing Detective and I too was surprised and pleased to note its inclusion.

The Purple Rose of Cairo is in my own top 20, so I'm thrilled to see it here, it's a movie that seems to creep a little higher up the list every time I watch it. The Fly is also in my top 100, it's nice to see it get some respect in a mainstream magazine. Also, any list that has The Bride of Frankenstein, my personal #1, is going to seem OK to me.

Wow, 'Blade Runner' made the list. Who would've thought of that!

No The Third Man?

I'm getting sick of these lists too. They always leave out some great movies.

Drunken Master II?

But I do agree that Pulp Fiction should be considered the best film of the 90's.

They will always leave out more great movies than they include, unless you believe that there are only 100 great movies.

If you are of the opinion that there are many, many great movies from which to choose, it follows that some great ones will be left off the list--at least I've never made a list that was not subject to valid criticism even by myself, much less than when subjected to such diverse critiques as Brook, George and Jim, to name only three of many forum members who have well thought out views.

Time readers' top movies:

Rating Title
4.59 Schindler's List
4.53 It's A Wonderful Life
4.52 The Lord of the Rings
4.44 Goodfellas
4.44 Star Wars
4.42 Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
4.4 The Godfather, Parts I and II
4.39 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
4.2 Taxi Driver
4.1 Pulp Fiction
4.07 Singin' in the Rain
4.07 Metropolis
4.07 Notorious
4.03 Brazil
4 A Hard Day's Night
4 Blade Runner
3.98 Finding Nemo
3.79 Nayakan
3.7 Drunken Master II
3.29 The Fly


~T

You will never get a 100 list that is spot on. No way in hell.

I say every stop posting now, this can only lead to disgruntled movie goers lol.

I think that's obvious. They are just making the statement that Allen made other films besides Annie Hall, which I'm fine with, but if you're looking for an alternate, then it should be Manhattan or Hannah and Her Sisters.



So what? This list isn't trying to show what "most Americans like."

I think it was bad enough they named the best of each decade... thank God they didn't number them from best to least!

As others have said, since it's basically two people's list, this would qualify more as a favorites list than "grestest" list, despite the title. Looked at that way, the list is just fine. I'm not sure snobbery can be attributed to the list either, with Drunken Master 2 (I'm not ashamed to name this as one of my favorites) and A Touch of Zen on the list.

Maybe it was for no other reason than they think Purple Rose of Cairo is Allen's best film?

After hearing Schickel drone on and on in his many deadly dull commentaries (could you please choose someone else as your "go to" film historian/critic Warner?), I wouldn't put much stock in a list by him anyway, though this one isn't necessarily worse than many others I've seen.

If the lsit gets at least a few people to check out some of the more obscure titles then it's well worth the effort.

My only quibble is with the title, otherwise it's a very interesting list. Call me elitist, but I'm glad they didn't pander to the those who dislike watching foreign films and any movie that doesn't have feel-good ending.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

The Searchers (1956)

Unforgiven (1992)

Aren't Westerns?

I would have thought there would have been a few more, though, & very much agree that I would like to see docs included in the list. Not a bad list, will have to do a search someday & find out if there is a favorite best movie list poll...maybe someone can come up with a top ten list of best film lists...

Tim