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: August 2009)

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) 139
AFI -> position 1 = 50 points
Empire -> position 28 = 23 points
IMDB -> position 35 = 16 points
S&S Directors -> position 1 = 50 points
- Raging bull (USA, 1980) 132
AFI -> position 4 = 47 points
Empire -> position 11 = 40 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 79 = 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
- 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
- Apocalypse now (USA, 1979) 111
AFI -> position 30 = 21 points
Empire -> position 7 = 44 points
IMDB -> position 37 = 14 points
S&S Directors -> position 19 = 32 points
- Dr. Strangelove (UK, 1964) 106
AFI -> position 39 = 12 points
Empire -> position 26 = 25 points
IMDB -> position 28 = 23 points
S&S Directors -> position 5 = 46 points
- Psycho (USA, 1960) 106
AFI -> position 14 = 37 points
Empire -> position 45 = 6 points
IMDB -> position 23 = 28 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
- Lawrence of Arabia (UK, 1962) 100
AFI -> position 7 = 44 points
IMDB -> position 42 = 9 points
S&S Directors -> position 4 = 47 points
- Sunset boulevard (USA, 1950) 100
AFI -> position 16 = 35 points
IMDB -> position 25 = 26 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 56 = 0 points
S&S Directors -> position 24 = 27 points
- Schindlers list (USA, 1993) 95
AFI -> position 8 = 43 points
Empire -> position 44 = 7 points
IMDB -> position 6 = 45 points
- The empire strikes back (USA, 1980) 89
Empire -> position 3 = 48 points
IMDB -> position 10 = 41 points
- Pulp fiction (USA, 1994) 88
Empire -> position 9 = 42 points
IMDB -> position 5 = 46 points
- Raiders of the lost ark (USA, 1981) 82
Empire -> position 2 = 49 points
IMDB -> position 18 = 33 points
- Goodfellas (USA, 1990) 81
Empire -> position 6 = 45 points
IMDB -> position 15 = 36 points
- The seven samurai (Japan, 1954) 80
Empire -> position 50 = 1 points
IMDB -> position 14 = 37 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
- The dark knight (USA, 2008) 79
Empire -> position 15 = 36 points
IMDB -> position 8 = 43 points
- Once upon a time in the west (USA, 1969) 78
Empire -> position 14 = 37 points
IMDB -> position 20 = 31 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
- Fight club (USA, 1999) 73
Empire -> position 10 = 41 points
IMDB -> position 19 = 32 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
- Taxi driver (USA, 1976) 66
AFI -> position 52 = 0 points
Empire -> position 17 = 34 points
IMDB -> position 39 = 12 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) 60
AFI -> position 33 = 18 points
IMDB -> position 9 = 42 points
- The fellowship of the ring (USA, 2001) 58
AFI -> position 50 = 1 points
Empire -> position 24 = 27 points
IMDB -> position 21 = 30 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) 55
Empire -> position 34 = 17 points
IMDB -> position 13 = 38 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) 50
AFI -> position 20 = 31 points
IMDB -> position 32 = 19 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
- 12 Angry Men (USA, 1957) 44
IMDB -> position 7 = 44 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
- Rear window (USA, 1954) 38
AFI -> position 48 = 3 points
IMDB -> position 16 = 35 points

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