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At the turn of the century, I was enamored with all the best-of lists floating around. Being particularly interested in music, I created a database to accumulate as many music-focused lists as I could find. I ended up aggregating hundreds of lists to make “definitive” lists of the best songs, albums, and acts of all time – and more. I created a website – DavesMusicDatabase.com – to gather and publish those lists.
This endeavor is based on the same concept. Gather and aggregate multiple lists focused on the best movies of all time. The anchor list is this one – The Top 100 Movies of All Time. It was created by aggregating more than 50 lists (see those lists here) along with box office figures (sources here), ratings (sources here), and awards (sources here).
Note to Members of the Film Fanatics Movie Club: Titles which we have discussed in our group or are scheduled to discuss as of 10/23/2023 have been highlighted.
Here’s the list:
1. The Godfather (1972)
2. Gone with the Wind (1939)
3. Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
4. Citizen Kane (1941)
5. Schindler’s List (1993)
6. Casablanca (1942)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
9. Jaws (1975)
10. Apocalypse Now (1979)
11. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
12. Psycho (1960)
13. Vertigo (1958)
14. The Godfather Part II (1974)
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
16. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
17. Pulp Fiction (1994)
18. Titanic (1997)
19. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
20. Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
21. Raging Bull (1980)
22. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
23. Taxi Driver (1976)
24. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
25. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
26. Goodfellas (1990)
27. Some Like It Hot (1959)
28. Chinatown (1974)
29. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
30. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
31. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
32. Rear Window (1954)
33. Annie Hall (1977)
34. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
35. The Seven Samurai (Schichinin no Samurai) (1954)
36. North by Northwest (1959)
37. Forrest Gump (1994)
38. The Searchers (1956)
39. All About Eve (1950)
40. The Sound of Music (1965)
41. The Graduate (1967)
42. On the Waterfront (1954)
43. The Dark Knight (2008)
44. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
45. The Third Man (1949)
46. Double Indemnity (1944)
47. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
48. Ben-Hur (1959)
49. Alien (1979)
50. Avatar (2009)
51. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
52. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
53. Blade Runner (1982)
54. Jurassic Park (1993)
55. The Apartment (1960)
56. City Lights (1931)
57. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
58. West Side Story (1961)
59. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
60. Toy Story (1995)
61. Back to the Future (1985)
62. Gladiator (2000)
63. Modern Times (1936)
64. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
65. Fargo (1996)
66. The Lion King (1994)
67. King Kong (1933)
68. Rocky (1976)
69. Metropolis (1927)
70. The Exorcist (1973)
71. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
72. 8 ½ (Otto e Mezzo) (1963)
73. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
74. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
75. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
76. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
77. Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di Biciclette) (1948)
78. Tokyo Story (Tôkyô Monogatari) (1953)
79. American Beauty (1999)
80. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
81. The Deer Hunter (1978)
82. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
83. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
84. The Matrix (1999)
85. 12 Angry Men (1957)
86. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) (2001)
87. Touch of Evil (1958)
88. L.A. Confidential (1997)
89. It Happened One Night (1934)
90. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
91. Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
92. The Wild Bunch (1969)
93. Unforgiven (1992)
94. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
95. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
96. Mary Poppins (1964)
97. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
98. The Avengers (2012)
99. The General (1927)
100. My Fair Lady (1964)
Resources:
Originally posted 7/18/2019; last updated 10/23/2023. | 
I learned about you through your Music Database, which was one of my favorite websites, but now I have another favorite!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Thanks for the great feedback.
DeleteEven though this is a movie database, there should also be lists for the top TV-Shows/Series.
ReplyDeleteNow I may have yet another website to start!
DeleteYou have one for Music, Movies, & Books. The only other one I can think of would be Games. Either way, these websites are definitely some of my favorites.
DeleteAround 75% of the movies on your top 100 movies list are also on my top 100 list, and most of the rest are on my second 100 movies list: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls050184468
ReplyDelete(I used to list my top 100 in order of preference, but when I revised it recently I put it in chronological sequence. I decided that putting it in order of preference was too difficult.)
But here is my top 10:
1. The Godfather
2. Citizen Kane
3. Casablanca
4. Gone With The Wind
5. The Wizard Of Oz
6. Lawrence Of Arabia
7. The Godfather Part II
8. To Kill A Mockingbird
9. Star Wars
10. Psycho
P.S. These are the differences between our lists.
DeleteMine includes:
All Quiet On The Western Front
Duck Soup
Bride Of Frankenstein
A Night At The Opera
Bringing Up Baby
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Stagecoach
Fantasia
The Grapes Of Wrath
Rebecca
The Maltese Falcon
Children Of Paradise
Red River
The Red Shoes
The African Queen
A Streetcar Named Desire
High Noon
Shane
Paths Of Glory
The Seventh Seal
The World Of Apu
La Dolce Vita
To Kill A Mockingbird
Nashville
The Shining
Fight Club
Mulholland Drive
Inception
Joker
Instead of:
The General *
Sunrise
Bicycle Thieves *
Tokyo Story *
The Night Of The Hunter *
Touch Of Evil *
8 1/2 *
Mary Poppins
My Fair Lady *
The Exorcist *
The Deer Hunter *
Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi
Back To The Future *
Beauty And The Beast
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Unforgiven *
Jurassic Park
The Lion King
L.A. Confidential *
Titanic *
Saving Private Ryan *
The Matrix *
Spirited Away *
LOTR: The Two Towers
LOTR: The Return Of The King *
The Dark Knight *
Avatar
The Avengers
Avengers: Endgame
(* = On my Second 100 list.
Many of these have been on my Top 100 in the past.
"Terminator 2" just missed my Second 100.)
Perhaps we could see a Top 1000 Movies?
ReplyDeleteGood to see this site being updated with new lists, hopefully we can see an update the Top 100 if it has changed
ReplyDeleteWhat about short films? I've been longing for an authoritative list for short films.
ReplyDeleteI have to say... It is odd to me how people can ever speak confidently of what's obviously, in essence, an American, male estimation of the greatest films ever as if it were a list of definitely the greatest films ever. I mean, they honestly think the rest of the world (with a few minor exceptions) has done pretty much nothing quality-film-wise?? I feel a little outraged, to be honest, and a little pittying.
ReplyDeleteI think Dave's lists do a better job than most at reaching outside american influence. Besides he has a whole list of the best foreign films, his incorporates box-office from around the world. I've liked Dave's lists because the feel like what any random person might say on the street, whereas other lists don't, and I don't think they use the amount of sources he does. (Most negate whole metric's like box-office or sales)
DeleteDave, do you have a list of best movies by genre? I looking for Comedies now but it would be good to have others like Sci Fi and Drama.
ReplyDelete