I am a bit wary of the term “all-time greatest”. It seems presumptuous to say that anything would be considered the best forever. Would it not be better to call them 100 Great Films? Citizen Kane has often been called the greatest movie ever made which has proved more of a curse than a blessing for the film.
Neverless the label goes with the hyperbole, which like film and entertainment news is as American as apple pie (at least as far as this list is concerned. Very few foreign films made the cut). As former Vice President Spiro Agnew is rumored to have said, “The United States, for all its faults, is still the greatest nation in the country.” And certainly that is the greatest quote of all time.
One of my all-time greatest pleasures is discussing films. Both the gent writing as Samurai Frog at Electronic Cerebrectomy and Roger of Ramblin with Roger have reviewed Entertainment Weekly‘s entire list. Following their lead, I will do the same although just the top ten for now. I have no objection to any of the films on the EW list, although certainly some worthy and even excellent films don’t appear and very few non-English films made their “100 All-Time Greatest”. Anyway, here goes:
1. Citizen Kane (1941)
An amazing film, as good as its reputation and a film that uses all the elements of film in imaginative ways. A film whose narrative structure has been repeatedly borrowed by other filmmakers including Welles himself whose Mr. Arkadin/Confidential Report (1955). (A films which is not anywhere near the league of Citizen Kane, but which I find fascinating despite its flaws). Welles would never be as free to explore the potential of Hollywood film making as he was on this, his first film, and it shows his pure joy in experimenting with the medium. The script by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz is based on the life of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst but comes to be a study less of Hearst the man then a potentially great man who fails to fulfill his promise. Wonderful acting from every member of the cast, many of whom had been part of Welles’ Mercury Theatre Company. Standouts include Agnes Moorehead as Mrs. Mary Kane, the newspaper man’s mother, Joseph Cotten as Kane’s best friend Jed Leland, Everett Sloane as Mr. Bernstein (whose recollection of a lady is a highlight of the film), and Dorothy Comingore as Susan Alexander Kane.
The trailer for the film is also fun and innovative in its approach to publicizing the film.
2. The Godfather (1972)
Based on Mario Puzo’s bestselling novel, this is one of the best films of the 1970s. Wonderful cinematography Gordon Willis whose experiments with color, light and shadow in this film earned him the nickname “The Prince of Darkness”. A romantic vision of an “honorable” crime family whose criminal organization comes under attack, a film that looks at the bonds between fathers and sons, family obligations and the nature of crime as a business and the business of crime. Francis Ford Coppola has made some other equally interesting films but never a better film. Puzo, who co-wrote the script, never wrote a more entertaining novel.
3. Casablanca (1942)
The perfect Hollywood studio movie. A great script, not completed at the time of filming and written on the fly but nevertheless filled with great dialogue, fascinating characters, and political themes mixed with adventure, humor and romance. A film about United States isolationism and the need for the US to join the fight against the Nazi’s and Axis powers from Warner Brothers, the most pro-Roosevelt and pro-Allied forces of all the Hollywood studios. Perfect cast directed by the best studio director at Warner Brothers, Michael Curtiz and unforgettable music by Max Steiner, who originally did not want to use the song “As Time Goes By” and then based much of his score around that song.
4. Bonnie And Clyde (1967)
Another terrific selection. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are terrific as the title duo who meet a bad end but have an exciting run in the meantime.
5. Psycho (1960)
One of Alfred Hitchcock’s best, and most shocking films, even if you know the twist at the end. A change of pace for Hitchcock, shot in black and white during a period in which his films were usually shot in color. His previous film had been the equally terrific North by Northwest with Cary Grant in the lead role.
6. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
Frank Capra’s fable is often funny, but its themes are dark and its hero, George Bailey, is one of his most complicated protagonists. James Stewart is terrific as Bailey, as is Donna Reed as his wife Mary. Towards the end of the film George is plunged into a dark, nightmare world in which he is shown how one person can have a great impact on their community and never know it. And how their absence can bring down a happy world like a house of cards.
7. Mean Streets (1973)
I saw this film years ago, and recall thinking that Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and Richard Romanus were good in the film. I cannot recall anything about the film now. Perhaps its time to refresh my memory.
8. The Gold Rush (1925)
I first saw this film on a bill with Buster Keaton’s The General. I had never seen a silent film prior to this and was absolutely floored by how funny and delightful these films were. This was in the days before video or DVD and the audience, college students all, were howling with laughter during these films. Chaplin perfectly balanced tragic scenes (the New Year’s Eve Party) and comedy. Later comedians and Chaplin himself would go overboard in seeking to show the “tears of the clown” but here they truly work in relation to each other to enhance the film. Classic comic sequences include the Oceana Roll scene, Chaplin eating his shoe, and trying to escape a hungry colleague who thinks Chaplin is a giant chicken. Chaplin would later remove the titles and add sound narration to the film…avoid that version at all costs! The original version, without narration, is much better.
9. Nashville (1975)
I have not yet seen this film.
10. Gone With The Wind (1939)
A film with many problems, most of which stem from the source novel. Racism and a romanticizing of life in the pre-Civil War south is not the half of it. And without Vivian Leigh’s electrifying performance as Scarlett O’Hara and Clark Cable’s equally captivating turn as Rhett Butler, this film would have been long forgotten. Good direction, romance, beautiful scenery, and a supporting cast that includes Academy Award winner Hattie McDaniel as “Mammy”, Butterfly McQueen as Prissy and Everett Brown as Big Sam. It’s a testament to their skills as actors that the stereotypical roles they played in the film work at all. Still for a film epic it is never dull and frequently captivating despite its ugly values.
Randm Round Table 
I always thought the shock of PSYCHO was how EARLY the shower scene is, given the movie’s billing.
Absolutely. Nothing quite has the impact of that scene and part of that is where it comes in the story. The killing in the house and the final revelation are good jolts also they can’t match it.
I recently saw Nashville and it’s worth your checking out, but I have come to think it’s overly cynical, which is not unusual for a Seventies film. I also saw Gone With the Wind recently and was shocked at how racist it seemed, so I agree with you there.
Thanks for the recommendation, Gary, I’ll certainly watch it. I usually like Altman’s films (even Popeye) and I’ve heard that Lily Tomlin is quite good in the film.
Oddly enough, while I’ve seen most of Altman’s work, I’ve so far missed watching some of his most talked about films. I’ve not yet seen “McCabe and Mrs. Miller”, “Brewster McCloud” or “Nashville”.