Friday, April 2, 2010

The AFI Film Challenge


Because I love a good challenge (See my post over at Asleep Under My Desk for an example) and because I love movies, I have decided to watch all of the Top 100 AFI Films, in order, and blog about them.

Why?

Because it's easier than reading the top 100 greatest novels ever written.

So tomorrow, the first movie shows up (thanks NetFlix!) and I will start my quest.

Here are the films, in order* (I am starting at the bottom and working my way up)


1.CITIZEN KANE (1941) 
2.CASABLANCA (1942) 
3.GODFATHER, THE (1972) 
4.GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) 
5.LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) 
6.WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939) 
7.GRADUATE, THE (1967) 
8.ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) 
9.SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993) 
10.SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) 
11.IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) 
12.SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) 
13.BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE (1957) 
14.SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) 
15.STAR WARS (1977) 
16.ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) 
17.AFRICAN QUEEN, THE (1951) 
18.PSYCHO (1960) 
19.CHINATOWN (1974) 
20.ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975) 
21.GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (1940) 
22.2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) 
23.MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941) 
24.RAGING BULL (1980) 
25.E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982) 
26.DR. STRANGELOVE (1964) 
27.BONNIE & CLYDE (1967) 
28.APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) 
29.MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) 
30.TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) 
31.ANNIE HALL (1977) 
32.GODFATHER PART
33.HIGH NOON (1952) 
34.TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) 
35.IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) 
36.MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969) 
37.BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE (1946) 
38.DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) 
39.DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965) 
40.NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) 
41.WEST SIDE STORY (1961) 
42.REAR WINDOW (1954) 
43.KING KONG (1933) 
44.BIRTH OF A NATION, THE (1915) 
45.STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (1951) 
46.CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971) 
47.TAXI DRIVER (1976) 
48.JAWS (1975) 
49.SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937) 
50.BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) 
51.PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE(1940) 
52.FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) 
53.AMADEUS (1984) 
54.ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) 
55.SOUND OF MUSIC, THE (1965) 
56.M*A*S*H(1970) 
57.THIRD MAN, THE (1949) 
58.FANTASIA (1940) 
59.REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) 
60.RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) 
61.VERTIGO (1958) 
62.TOOTSIE (1982) 
63.STAGECOACH (1939) 
64.CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) 
65.SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE (1991) 
66.NETWORK (1976) 
67.MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE (1962) 
68.AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN (1951) 
69.SHANE (1953) 
70.FRENCH CONNECTION, THE (1971) 
71.FORREST GUMP (1994) 
72.BEN-HUR (1959) 
73.WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939) 
74.GOLD RUSH, THE (1925) 
75.DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) 
76.CITY LIGHTS (1931) 
77.AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) 
78.ROCKY (1976) 
79.DEER HUNTER, THE (1978) 
80.WILD BUNCH, THE (1969) 
81.MODERN TIMES (1936) 
82.GIANT (1956) 
83.PLATOON (1986) 
84.FARGO (1996) 
85.DUCK SOUP (1933) 
86.MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935) 
87.FRANKENSTEIN (1931) 
88.EASY RIDER (1969) 
89.PATTON (1970) 
90.JAZZ SINGER, THE (1927) 
91.MY FAIR LADY (1964) 
92.PLACE IN THE SUN, A(1951) 
93.APARTMENT, THE (1960) 
94.GOODFELLAS (1990) 
95.PULP FICTION (1994) 
96.SEARCHERS, THE (1956) 
97.BRINGING UP BABY (1938) 
98.UNFORGIVEN (1992) 
99.GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967) 
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)



* This list came out in 1998.  10 years later, AFI revamped the list.  Here are the movies that weren't on the original list which I will be watching also, as close to their spot on the list as possible.


18. GENERAL, THE (1927) 
49. INTOLERANCE (1916) 
50. LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE (2001) 
59. NASHVILLE (1975) 
63. CABARET (1972) 
67. WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966) 
71. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998) 
72. SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE (1994) 
75. IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967) 
77 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976) 
81 SPARTACUS (1960) 
82. SUNRISE (1927) 
83 TITANIC (1997) 
85 NIGHT AT THE OPERA, A (1935) 
87 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) 
89. SIXTH SENSE, THE (1999) 
90. SWING TIME (1936) 
91. SOPHIE'S CHOICE (1982) 
95 LAST PICTURE SHOW, THE (1971) 
96 DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) 
97. BLADE RUNNER (1982) 
99 TOY STORY (1995) 

I don't know how long it will take but I feel like this is a worthy task.  Plus, it will be a great ice breaker when I need something to talk about with people in bars.

~ The Office Scribe

1 comment:

  1. What a wonderful idea! I am tempted to do it with you, but my husband would have an absolute fit if I hijacked the Netflix queue for that length of time. You wouldn't happen to know if TCM and AMC might be planning on conspiring to show all of these movie, in order, anytime in the near future would you?, because that would help out a lot. I am going to here with you all the way though - very interesting endeavor.

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