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 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 have 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: July 2011)

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
Empire -> position 1 = 50 points
S&S Directors -> position 2 = 49 points
IMDB -> position 2 = 49 points
AFI -> position 2 = 49 points

- The Godfather 2 (USA, 1974) 148
Empire -> position 19 = 32 points
AFI -> position 32 = 19 points
S&S Directors -> position 2 = 49 points
IMDB -> position 3 = 48 points

- Casablanca (USA, 1942) 146
Empire -> position 18 = 33 points
S&S Directors -> position 19 = 32 points
IMDB -> position 18 = 33 points
AFI -> position 3 = 48 points

- Citizen Kane (USA, 1941) 136
AFI -> position 1 = 50 points
S&S Directors -> position 1 = 50 points
Empire -> position 28 = 23 points
IMDB -> position 38 = 13 points

- Raging bull (USA, 1980) 132
Empire -> position 11 = 40 points
S&S Directors -> position 6 = 45 points
AFI -> position 4 = 47 points

- Singing in the rain (USA, 1952) 130
AFI -> position 5 = 46 points
Empire -> position 8 = 43 points
S&S Critics -> position 10 = 41 points
IMDB -> position 80 = 0 points

2001: A Space Odyssey (UK, 1968) 116
Empire -> position 16 = 35 points
S&S Critics -> position 6 = 45 points
AFI -> position 15 = 36 points

- Apocalypse now (USA, 1979) 113
S&S Directors -> position 19 = 32 points
IMDB -> position 35 = 16 points
AFI -> position 30 = 21 points
Empire -> position 7 = 44 points

- Vertigo (USA, 1958) 108
Empire -> position 40 = 11 points
IMDB -> position 45 = 6 points
AFI -> position 9 = 42 points
S&S Critics -> position 2 = 49 points

- Psycho (USA, 1960) 104
Empire -> position 45 = 6 points
S&S Directors -> position 16 = 35 points
IMDB -> position 25 = 26 points
AFI -> position 14 = 37 points

- Star wars (USA, 1977) 102
IMDB -> position 16 = 35 points
Empire -> position 22 = 29 points
AFI -> position 13 = 38 points

- Dr. Strangelove (UK, 1964) 100
S&S Directors -> position 5 = 46 points
IMDB -> position 34 = 17 points
AFI -> position 39 = 12 points
Empire -> position 26 = 25 points

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

- Lawrence of Arabia (UK, 1962) 96
IMDB -> position 55 = 5 points
S&S Directors -> position 4 = 47 points
AFI -> position 7 = 44 points

- Chinatown (USA, 1974) 95
Empire -> position 13 = 38 points
S&S Directors -> position 24 = 27 points
AFI -> position 21 = 30 points
IMDB -> position 62 = 0 points

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

- Sunset boulevard (USA, 1950) 93
IMDB -> position 32 = 19 points
S&S Directors -> position 12 = 39 points
AFI -> position 16 = 35 points

- Pulp fiction (USA, 1994) 88
Empire -> position 9 = 42 points
IMDB -> position 5 = 46 points

- The empire strikes back (USA, 1980) 87
Empire -> position 3 = 48 points
IMDB -> position 12 = 39 points

- Goodfellas (USA, 1990) 81
IMDB -> position 15 = 36 points
Empire -> position 6 = 45 points

- The seven samurai (Japan, 1954) 81
IMDB -> position 13 = 38 points
S&S Directors -> position 9 = 42 points
Empire -> position 50 = 1 points

- Some like it hot (USA, 1959) 80
S&S Directors -> position 24 = 27 points
Empire -> position 27 = 24 points
AFI -> position 22 = 29 points

- Fight club (USA, 1999) 78
IMDB -> position 14 = 37 points
Empire -> position 10 = 41 points

- Once upon a time in the west (USA, 1969) 78
IMDB -> position 20 = 31 points
Empire -> position 14 = 37 points
S&S Directors -> position 41 = 10 points

- The dark knight (USA, 2008) 77
IMDB -> position 10 = 41 points
Empire -> position 15 = 36 points

- Raiders of the lost ark (USA, 1981) 77
IMDB -> position 23 = 28 points
Empire -> position 2 = 49 points

- The apartment (USA, 1960) 76
S&S Directors -> position 14 = 37 points
Empire -> position 12 = 39 points

- The good, the bad and the ugly (Italy, 1966) 73
Empire -> position 25 = 26 points
IMDB -> position 4 = 47 points

- City lights (USA, 1931) 72
AFI -> position 11 = 40 points
S&S Directors -> position 19 = 32 points

- The searchers (USA, 1956) 72
AFI -> position 12 = 39 points
S&S Critics -> position 18 = 33 points

- The General (USA, 1927) 69
AFI -> position 18 = 33 points
S&S Critics -> position 15 = 36 points

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

- Taxi driver (USA, 1976) 63
Empire -> position 17 = 34 points
AFI -> position 52 = 0 points
S&S Directors -> position 31 = 20 points
IMDB -> position 42 = 9 points

- The fellowship of the ring (USA, 2001) 62
IMDB -> position 17 = 34 points
Empire -> position 24 = 27 points
AFI -> position 50 = 1 points

- One flew over the cuckoo’s nest (USA, 1975) 61
AFI -> position 33 = 18 points
IMDB -> position 8 = 43 points

- On the waterfront (USA, 1954) 57
AFI -> position 19 = 32 points
S&S Directors -> position 31 = 20 points
Empire -> position 46 = 5 points

- The return of the king (USA, 2003) 57
Empire -> position 34 = 17 points
IMDB -> position 11 = 40 points

- It’s a wonderful life (USA, 1946) 54
AFI -> position 20 = 31 points
IMDB -> position 28 = 23 points

- The wizard of Oz (USA, 1939) 51
S&S Directors -> position 41 = 10 points
AFI -> position 10 = 41 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 65 = 0 points
S&S Critics -> position 35 = 16 points

- Tokyo story (Japan, 1953) 46
S&S Critics -> position 5 = 46 points

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

- Inception (USA, 2010) 42
IMDB -> position 9 = 42 points

- Rashomon (Japan, 1950) 42
S&S Directors -> position 9 = 42 points

- Bladerunner (USA, 1982) 37
S&S Critics -> position 45 = 6 points
Empire -> position 20 = 31 points

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