100 100
The Seven Samurai
(1954)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $367,500
Famous quote: “What’s the use of worrying about your beard when your head’s about to be taken?” — Gisaku
It’s the only Japanese film on the list and later was remade as The Magnificent Seven, a Western with Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson.99 100
Bonnie and Clyde
(1967)
Director: Arthur Penn
Cast: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): No numbers available
Famous quote: “This here’s Miss Bonnie Parker. I’m Clyde Barrow. We rob banks.” — Clyde Barrow
One of the films that buried the Hays Code, though today it looks about as risque as basic cable.
Read THR‘s 1967 review. 98 100
Reservoir Dogs
(1992)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, SteveBuscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation 2014): $5,432,000
Famous quote: “I don’t wanna kill anybody. But if I gotta get out that door, and you’re standing in my way, one way or the other, you’re gettin’ outta my way.” — Mr. Pink
It’s actually not Tarantino’s debut feature; the first film he directed was 1987’s My Best Friend’s Birthday, much of which was destroyed in a lab fire.
97 100
Airplane!
(1980)
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Cast: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation 2014): $246,948,000
Famous quote: “There’s no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?” — Elaine Dickinson
The film that forever changed the way people think about Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Barbara Billingsley and especially Nielsen.
Read THR‘s 1980 review. 96 100
Pan’s Labyrinth
(2006)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi Lopez
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $43,542,400
Famous quote: “Her father, the King, always knew that the Princess’ soul would return, perhaps in another body, in another place, at another time. And he would wait for her, until he drew his last breath, until the world stopped turning…” — Pan
It’s the only Spanish-language movie to make the list.
Read THR‘s 2006 review.95 100
Doctor Zhivago
(1965)
Director: David Lean
Cast: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $988,118,200
Famous quote: “Who are you to refuse my sugar? Who are you to refuse me anything?” — Komarovski
Peter O’Toole turned down the title role, so Lean settled on another Lawrence of Arabia star, which is how Sharif went from playing an Arab prince to a Russian physician.
94 100
The Deer Hunter
(1978)
Director: Michael Cimino
Cast: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, John Savage, Meryl Streep
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $166,613,400
Famous quote: “You have to think about one shot. One shot is what it’s all about. A deer’s gotta be taken with one shot.” — Michael
When John Cazale got sick during filming, the studio wanted to recast, but Streep threatened to walk off the picture if it did.
Read THR‘s 1978 review.93 100
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
(1977)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Francois Truffaut
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $395,943,500
Famous quote: “How come I know so much? What the hell is going on around here? Who the hell are you people?” — Roy Neary
John Williams experimented with hundreds of five-note melodies before hitting on just the right impossible-to-forget theme.
Read THR‘s 1977 review. 92 100
Up
(2009)
Directors: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Cast: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $312,619,300
Famous quote: “Adventure is out there!” — Charles Mutz
Pixar has calculated it would take 26.5 million balloons to actually lift the house in the animated feature.
91 100
Rocky
(1976)
Director: John G. Avildsen
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $438,118,200
Famous quote: “Yo, Adrian! It’s me, Rocky.” — Rocky
Stallone wrote the script’s first draft in just three days, then refused to sell it unless he was cast in the lead role.
Read THR‘s 1976 review. 90 100
Memento
(2000)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $35,925,300
Famous quote: “Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They’re just an interpretation, they’re not a record, and they’re irrelevant if you have the facts.” — Leonard Shelby
Nolan reportedly was going to cast Alec Baldwin in Pearce’s part, but he must have forgotten. 89 100
Braveheart
(1995)
Director: Mel Gibson
Cast: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $138,108,400
Famous quote: “Every man dies, not every man really lives.” — William Wallace
Gibson didn’t want to play the lead — he thought he was too old — but Paramount wouldn’t make the film without him.
88 100
Slumdog Millionaire
(2008)
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $156,672,200
Famous quote: “When somebody asks me a question, I tell them the answer.” — Jamal Malik
It nearly went straight to DVD but ended up sweeping the Oscars after Fox Searchlight gave it a theatrical release.
Read THR‘s 2008 review.87 100
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
(2003)
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $489,843,600
Famous quote: “That still only counts as one.” — Gimli
Only one poll respondent claimed to be over 100 years old, and this was one of his top picks. Nice to know Gandalf likes online polls.
Read THR‘s 2003 review.86 100
Beauty and the Beast
(1991)
Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Cast: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $278,327,100
It was the first animated film ever nominated for best picture.
85 100
Seven
(1995)
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $182,770,700
Famous quote: “What’s in the box?” — David Mills
The studio wasn’t thrilled with the “head in a box” ending, but Pitt and Freeman refused to promote the film if it got changed.84 100
Inception
(2010)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $292,944,200
Famous quote: “You’re waiting for a train. A train that’ll take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you. But you can’t know for sure.” — Cobb
Nolan himself is a lucid dreamer, which he has said inspired much of the film.
Read THR‘s 2010 review.83 100
Die Hard
(1988)
Director: John McTiernan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $160,766,500
Famous quote: “Yippee Ki-Yay, motherf*cker!” — John McClane
The mini-mart on Olympic Boulevard where Reginald VelJohnson bought Twinkies is now a dry cleaners.
82 100
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(2001)
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $433,579,200
Famous quote: “You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!” — Gandalf
There were many failed attempts at a live-action adaptation of LOTR, dating back to the 1960s, when The Beatles asked Stanley Kubrick to direct a version for them to star in.
Read THR‘s 2001 review. 81 100
Amadeus
(1984)
Director: Milos Forman
Cast: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $117,767,500
Famous quote: “Mediocrities everywhere… I absolve you… I absolve you… I absolve you… I absolve you… I absolve you all.” — Salieri
Hulce practiced piano four hours a day for the role, but the music ended up being dubbed in anyway.80 100
On the Waterfront
(1954)
Director: Elia Kazan
Cast: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Eva Marie Saint
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): No numbers available
Famous quote: “I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am…” — Terry Malloy
Contrary to popular belief, Brando’s most famous line — “I coulda been a contender” — was not improvised.
79 100
Wall-E
(2008)
Director: Andrew Stanton
Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $248,121,600
Famous quote: “WALL-E!” — WALL-E
The most engaging silent movie since Chaplin left the screen: There’s no “human” dialogue for the first 40 minutes.
Read THR‘s 2008 review.78 100
12 Angry Men
(1957)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): No numbers available
Famous quote: “Bright? He’s a common, ignorant slob. He don’t even speak good English.” — Juror #10
The last surviving jurist, Jack Klugman, died in 2012.77 100
Ghostbusters
(1984)
Director: Ivan Reitman
Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $541,962,900
Famous quote: “Don’t cross the streams!” — Dr. Egon Spengler
In the original script, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man was just one of 50 monsters, but Reitman estimated it would have cost $300 million to produce them all.
76 100
Brokeback Mountain
(2005)
Director: Ang Lee
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $101,192,600
Famous quote: “I wish I knew how to quit you.” — Jack Twist
Lee won best director, but in one of the biggest Oscar upsets in recent memory, Brokeback lost best picture to … see if you can remember.75 100
The Bridge on the River Kwai
(1957)
Director: David Lean
Cast: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $433,024,000
Famous quote: “Do not speak to me of rules. This is war! This is not a game of cricket!” – Colonel Saito
Pierre Boulle, who wrote the 1952 French novel on which the movie is based, also wrote Planet of the Apes.74 100
Blazing Saddles
(1974)
Director: Mel Brooks
Cast: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $503,291,000
Famous quote: “Gentlemen, please rest your sphincters.” — Hedley Lamarr
Brooks offered John Wayne a part in the film, but the Duke declined.
73 100
All the President’s Men
(1976)
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $263,838,500
Famous quote: “Follow the money.” — Deep Throat
Pakula was so intent on re-creating the Washington Post newsroom, he had the paper’s trash shipped to Hollywood to clutter desks on the set.
Read THR‘s 1976 review. 72 100
Young Frankenstein
(1974)
Director: Mel Brooks
Cast: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $363,352,200
Famous quote: “My grandfather’s work was doodoo! I am not interested in death! The only thing that concerns me is the preservation of life! Class… is… dismissed.” — Dr. Frederick Frankenstein
Wilder suggested the idea for the movie to Brooks while they were filming Blazing Saddles, which is why Wilder’s name is first in the writing credits.
Read THR‘s 1974 review. 71 100
Almost Famous
(2000)
Director: Cameron Crowe
Cast: Billy Crudup, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kate Hudson
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $48,001,900
Famous quote: “I am a Golden God!” — Russell Hammond
One of Hoffman’s most beloved performances — and he delivered the whole thing while suffering from the flu.
70 100
Vertigo
(1958)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $17,046,200
Famous quote: “Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere.” — Madeleine
The No. 1 film in the most recent Sight & Sound critics’ poll (2012) has a ways to go on this list.69 100
Gladiator
(2000)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $277,119,800
Famous quote: “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” — Maximus
It was Crowe’s big entrance as a Hollywood star (he won an Oscar) and Reed’s big exit (he suffered a fatal heart attack during filming).
Read THR‘s 2000 review. 68 100
Monty Python and The Holy Grail
(1975)
Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): No numbers available
Famous quote: “Oh, but you can’t expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.” — Dennis
The original script was set half in the Middle Ages, half in the 20th century until Jones suggested doing the King Arthur story.
67 100
Avatar
(2009)
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $763,396,900
Famous quote: “Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world, and in here is the dream.” — Jake Sully
It’s the highest grosser of all time, which explains the three sequels that will start rolling out in December 2016.
Read THR‘s 2009 review. 66 100
The Lion King
(1994)
Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $594,010,000
Famous quote: “When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connnected in the great Circle of Life.” — Mufasa
It was the top-grossing animated film until Toy Story 3 passed it in 2010 and then Frozen topped them both.
Read THR‘s 1994 review. 65 100
Raging Bull
(1980)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $69,050,600
Famous quote: “If you win, you win. If you lose, you still win.” — Joey La Motta
Scorsese used chocolate as blood in the boxing scenes because it showed up better in black and white. That explains how De Niro gained 70 pounds.
64 100
Mary Poppins
(1964)
Director: Robert Stevenson
Cast: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $265,333,300
Famous quote: “Oh, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, if you say it loud enough, you’ll always sound precocious! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” — Mary Poppins
Andrews did the film because she lost My Fair Lady to Audrey Hepburn. But Andrews got the last laugh: She won the Oscar.63 100
Groundhog Day
(1993)
Director: Harold Ramis
Cast: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $136,333,200
Famous quote: “This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.” — Phil
Murray reportedly was bitten by the groundhog twice during shooting. Why isn’t that on the DVD extras?
Read THR‘s 1993 review. 62 100
North by Northwest
(1959)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): No numbers available
Famous quote: “Now you listen to me, I’m an advertising man, not a red herring. I’ve got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don’t intend to disappoint them all by getting myself “slightly” killed.” — Roger Thornhill
Martin Landau‘s character was secretly gay, at least according to Landau, who claimed it made more sense for the plot.
61 100
West Side Story
(1961)
Directors: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
Cast: Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $445,523,500
Famous quote: “I feel pretty, oh so pretty! I feel pretty, and witty, and gay!” — Maria
“The beautiful thing about the evening was that we went together,” recalls Chakiris of the night he and Moreno picked up Oscars for their performances as Bernardo and Anita in West Side Story. “My category was called first, and I got lucky. And then Rita got lucky. What a perfect night.” Moreno recalls it slightly differently. “By the time my category came up, it was very late. I had to wait a long time. At that point, West Side Story had swept the awards, and I thought, ‘My Puerto Rican luck; I’ll be the only one who doesn’t get an award.’” When her name was called, she walked to the podium and delivered one of the briefest speeches ever for an Oscar. “I don’t believe it. Good Lord. I leave you with that.” Says Moreno: “I was not ready to win. I had nothing planned.”
Read THR‘s 1961 review.60 100
Amelie
(2001)
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Cast: Audrey Tautou
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $46,051,200
Famous quote: “At least you’ll never be a vegetable – even artichokes have hearts.” — Amélie Poulain
The only French film to make it into the top 100, thanks mostly to under-20s (it was that group’s sixth-favorite film).59 100
Thelma & Louise
(1991)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Brad Pitt
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $85,765,500
Famous quote: “In the future, when a woman is crying like that, she isn’t having any fun.” — Louise Sawyer
“I thought of it as a cowboy movie with women instead of guys,” says Sarandon of her role in Ridley Scott’s 1991 groundbreaking female-bonding road movie. “It was pretty shocking that people were so threatened by it. Like somehow we had backed into territory long held only by white heterosexual men of a certain age.” Davis doesn’t disagree — “I don’t think any of us knew it would strike a nerve the way it did,” she says — but savors different memories of making the movie, including getting paired with an unknown young actor during his tryout for a key role. “I read with Brad Pitt,” she recalls. “But I got a little distracted during the scene. I was forgetting my lines. I was like, ‘I’m totally screwing up this kid’s audition.’ ” It didn’t get any easier after Pitt, then 28, got the part. “Ridley is really into the look of things,” says Davis, “so he was spraying Evian on Brad’s stomach during the shots. I was like, ‘Hello!’ ” — Stacy Wilson
58 100
Sunset Blvd.
(1950)
Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: William Holden, Gloria Swanson
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): No numbers available
Famous quote: “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” — Norma Desmond
Directors, editors and writers like it most. Everybody else taking the poll still can’t get over the fact that it’s narrated by a dead guy.57 100
The Dark Knight
(2008)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $591,181,400
Famous quote: “Some people just want to watch the world burn.” — Alfred Pennyworth
Ledger took the Joker very seriously, even applying his own face paint before each shot.56 100
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(2004)
Director: Michel Gondry
Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $44,094,400
Famous quote: “Why do I fall in love with every woman I see who shows me the least bit of attention?” – Joel Barish
The film helped revive Winslet’s career by proving she could do (quirky) comedy. “It took me right away from that English period-film thing and put me in the U.S. market,” she recently told THR.
55 100
Taxi Driver
(1976)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $102,022,500
Famous quote: “You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Then who the hell else are you talking… you talking to me? Well I’m the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” — Travis Bickle
Screenwriter Paul Schrader was inspired by the diaries of Arthur Bremer, who shot George Wallace, and Scorsese turned to Psycho composer Bernard Herrmann, who initially turned down the job (“I don’t write music for car movies”).54 100
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
(1969)
Director: George Roy Hill
Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $561,640,500
Famous quote: “You know, when I was a kid, I always thought I’d grow up to be a hero.” — Butch Cassidy
In real life, Cassidy’s gang was called The Wild Bunch, but Hill changed it to “Hole in the Wall” to avoid confusion with the Sam Peckinpah film.
Read THR‘s 1969 review. 53 100
Good Will Hunting
(1997)
Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $234,953,100
Famous quote: “It’s not your fault…” — Sean Maguire
Terrence Malick suggested the bittersweet ending (in the original version, Damon and Driver drive off into the sunset).
52 100
All About Eve
(1950)
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $626,466 (calculated)
Famous quote: “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!” — Margo Channing
It got 14 Oscar nominations, a record that stood until it was tied by Titanic 47 years later.51 100
The Big Lebowski
(1998)
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $29,619,800
Famous quote: “Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not “Mr. Lebowski”. You’re Mr. Lebowski. I’m the Dude. So that’s what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.” — The Dude
The Dude was inspired by film promoter Jeff Dowd, who helped secure distribution for the Coen brothers’ first film, Blood Simple.50 100
Jurassic Park
(1993)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $686,198,500
Famous quote: “Hold on to your butts.” — Ray Arnold
There was a four-way bidding war for Michael Crichton‘s novel: Warner Bros. wanted it for Tim Burton, Fox liked it for Joe Dante, Columbia chased it for Richard Donner, but Universal won for Spielberg.
49 100
Rear Window
(1954)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $375,542,200
Famous quote: “When two people love each other, they come together – WHAM – like two taxis on Broadway.” — Stella
It’s the only movie in which you can watch Kelly smoke a cigarette — if you’re into that sort of thing.48 100
The Usual Suspects
(1995)
Director: Bryan Singer
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $42,712,400
Famous quote: “After that my guess is that you will never hear from him again. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And like that… he is gone.” — Verbal
“Who is Keyser Soze?” was the question that drove the summer of 1995. Shot on a $6 million budget, Singer’s breakthrough crime thriller would win Oscars for Spacey and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie.47 100
Some Like It Hot
(1959)
Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): No numbers available
Famous quote: “I’m a boy. I’m a boy. I wish I were dead. I’m a boy. Boy, oh boy, am I a boy. Now, what am I gonna do about my engagement present?” — Jerry
“Everybody quotes me as saying kissing Marilyn was like kissing Hitler,” Curtis told a reporter a few years before his death. “I never said that. I said that kissing Marilyn was like f–ing her, the way she would grind against me.”
46 100
Saving Private Ryan
(1998)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $364,146,700
Famous quote: “I just know that every man I kill the farther away from home I feel.” — Captain Miller
Spielberg used real amputees wearing prosthetics to simulate soldiers losing their limbs during the opening Omaha Beach battle scene.45 100
Titanic
(1997)
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $1,021,633,200
Famous quote: “I’ll never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go.” — Rose
Both were the biggest of their day (882 feet for the vessel; $200 million for the film). But the boat sank, while the film went on to become the second-largest grosser in history (after Avatar).44 100
The Matrix
(1999)
Directors: Andy and Lana Wachowski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $268,696,900
Famous quote: “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.” — Morpheus
A virtual-reality prison. Sentient computer programs. Downloadable abilities. Bullet-time. Whoa. No wonder it was the first DVD to sell a million copies.
43 100
Toy Story
(1995)
Director: John Lasseter
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $349,191,900
Famous quote: “To infinity, and beyond!” — Buzz Lightyear
Each CGI frame took from four to 13 hours to render, nearly as long as the last iPhone update.
Read THR‘s 1995 review.42 100
Alien
(1979)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $250,359,100
Famous quote: “You are my lucky star. You… Lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky.” — Ripley
When they shot the film’s most famous scene — the alien bursting through Hurt’s chest — the filmmakers didn’t tell the cast what would happen. The horror on their faces is real.41 100
Psycho
(1960)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $339,626,800
Famous quote: “They’re probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am. I’m not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching… they’ll see. They’ll see and they’ll know, and they’ll say, ‘Why, she wouldn’t even harm a fly…’” — Norman Bates
Hitch’s serial killer thriller was a shocker — but not just because of the shower scene. It was the first film to show a toilet.
40 100
Fight Club
(1999)
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $57,957,800
Famous quote: “Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!” — Tyler Durden
Bonham Carter’s line after her sex scene with Pitt — “That was the best f– I’ve had since grade school” — was a replacement. The original, more offensive line: “I want to have your abortion.”39 100
The Shining
(1980)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $130,252,200
Famous quote: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” — Jack Torrance
Kubrick realized that the shot of Nicholson repeatedly typing “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” would make no sense to European audiences, so he had the line typed in Italian, German and Spanish.38 100
When Harry Met Sally
(1989)
Director: Rob Reiner
Cast: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $186,114,700
Famous quote: “I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” — Harry Burns
Talk about great acting. According to sources on the set, Crystal and Ryan hated each other’s guts. (Although Crystal denies it, saying he and Ryan had a great working relationship.)
37 100
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
(1964)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $78,439,100
Famous quote: “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room.” — President Merkin Muffley
Sellers was the first actor to be nominated for a single Oscar for playing three characters (he lost on all three counts to Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady).36 100
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
(1986)
Director: John Hughes
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey, Alan Ruck
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $150,481,300
Famous quote: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” — Ferris Bueller
Hughes paid homage to his earlier movies via the license plates on the characters’ cars: “VCATION” for National Lampoon’s Vacation, “MMOM” for Mr. Mom and “TBC” for The Breakfast Club.35 100
A Clockwork Orange
(1971)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $124,500,700
Famous quote: “It’s funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.” — Alex
It’s the film that began the debate over violence in cinema. Kubrick was so horrified by a copycat murder in England that he pulled the movie from U.K. theaters.
34 100
American Beauty
(1999)
Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $198,483,000
Famous quote: “Remember those posters that said, ‘Today is the first day of the rest of your life?’ Well, that’s true of every day but one — the day you die.” — Lester Burnham
Chevy Chase, Kevin Costner, and John Travolta all reportedly were considered for the part of Lester Burnham (which, incidentally, is an anagram for “Humbert learns,” one of the film’s many hat tips to Lolita).33 100
Fargo
(1996)
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $43,930,100
Famous quote: “Just keep it still back there, lady, or we’re going to have to, you know, shoot you.” — Carl Showalter
This is one of four films on the list to have inspired hit TV shows that are current Emmy contenders. The other shows are Bonnie and Clyde, Hannibal and Bates Motel.32 100
The Empire Strikes Back
(1980)
Director: Irvin Kershner
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $627,743,400
Famous quote: “No. I am your father.” — Darth Vader
An almost Shakespearean tragedy. The hero loses a hand but gains a father. And his best friend is frozen solid. Try and imagine the second installment of another giant sci-fi franchise that ends on such a downer. Go ahead.
31 100
The Princess Bride
(1987)
Director: Rob Reiner
Cast: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $62,820,500
Famous quote: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” — Inigo Montoya
Hardly anyone saw Rob Reiner‘s adaptation of William Goldman‘s comic-fantasy novel in theaters. But this was back when video could create a cult hit — and that’s precisely what happened.30 100
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
(1975)
Director: Milos Forman
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Will Sampson
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $427,335,400
Famous quote: “What do you think you are, for Chrissake, crazy or somethin’? Well you’re not! You’re not! You’re no crazier than the average asshole out walkin’ around on the streets and that’s it.” — McMurphy
Kirk Douglas optioned Ken Kesey‘s book in the early ’60s but decided he was too old to play McMurphy, so he gave the rights to his son, Michael, who produced it instead.
Read THR‘s 1975 review. 29 100
Blade Runner
(1982)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $74,672,700
Famous quote: “Quite an experience to live in fear, isn’t it? That’s what it is to be a slave.” — Batty
Despite studio tinkering (adding a voiceover, slapping in aerial footage shot for Kubrick’s The Shining to give the ending a sunny feel), it remains the ultimate noir, sci-fi detective movie.
28 100
The Graduate
(1967)
Director: Mike Nichols
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $680,698,700
Famous quote: “For god’s sake, Mrs. Robinson. Here we are. You got me into your house. You give me a drink. You put on music. Now you start opening up your personal life to me and tell me your husband won’t be home for hours … Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me.” — Benjamin
Which of these actresses was not considered for Mrs. Robinson: Deborah Kerr, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Doris Day, Shelley Winters, Ava Gardner, Patricia Neal or Ingrid Bergman? Trick question: All supposedly were up for the part.
Read THR‘s 1967 review.27 100
The Breakfast Club
(1985)
Director: John Hughes
Cast: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Paul Gleason, John Kapelos, Ally Sheedy
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $102,863,800
Famous quote: “We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.” — Andrew
More proof that men and women are different: Hughes’ after-school detention drama was the ninth most-popular film for female respondents, but 75th for males.
Read THR‘s 1985 review.26 100
Singin’ in the Rain
(1952)
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Cast: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $1,741,800
Famous quote: “Lina. She can’t act, she can’t sing, she can’t dance. A triple threat.” — Cosmo Brown
Reynolds once said that making this film and giving birth were the two hardest things she’d ever done. Kelly reportedly was a tyrant on the set.
25 100
The Sound of Music
(1965)
Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $1,133,626,400
Famous quote: “When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.” — Maria
Such a cheery spirit-lifter, during the Cold War the BBC reportedly planned to air the film after a nuclear strike to improve the morale of survivors. “So Long, Farewell” being the perfect post-apocalyptic melody.24 100
Jaws
(1975)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $1,019,507,400
Famous quote: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” — Brody
The original summer blockbuster. It cost only $9 million to make and grossed nearly as much its first weekend alone. And yet … the shark still looks fake.
Read THR‘s 1975 review.23 100
Lawrence of Arabia
(1962)
Director: David Lean
Cast: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $426,376,100
Famous quote: “There may be honor among thieves, but there’s none in politicians.” — Lawrence
Steven Spielberg once estimated that remaking it today would cost close to $300 million. Also, these days, they’d probably need to add some estrogen; the 227-minute movie has not a single line spoken by a woman.
22 100
The Silence of the Lambs
(1991)
Director: Jonathan Demme
Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $247,200,400
Famous quote: “A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” — Hannibal Lecter
The only horror film ever to win best picture. It also won best director, adapted screenplay, actress and actor (for Hopkins’ 25-minute turn, the second-shortest performance to win that trophy behind Peter Finch‘s in Network).21 100
Chinatown
(1974)
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $124,295,200
Famous quote: ” ‘Course I’m respectable. I’m old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.” — Noah Cross
This is the first of three Nicholson films to make the 100. But he’s beaten by Robert Duvall and Robert De Niro (both with four) and by Marlon Brando and Harrison Ford (with five apiece).20 100
It’s a Wonderful Life
(1946)
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): No numbers available
Famous quote: “Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” — Zuzu Bailey
It was Capra’s favorite, and Stewart’s, too, but it bombed when it first was released. Like George Bailey, though, it got a second chance, becoming a holiday classic thanks to endless Christmas TV showings.
19 100
Goodfellas
(1990)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $88,219,800
Famous quote: “For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster. To me that was better than being president of the United States. To be a gangster was to own the world.” — Henry Hill
Scorsese’s first film on this list is remembered for many things (like Pesci’s “You think I’m funny?” riff), but it made the record books by dropping the F-bomb more than any other movie up till then (300 times). It was surpassed last year by The Wolf of Wall Street, which used the F-word 569 times.18 100
Annie Hall
(1977)
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $136,538,700
Famous quote: “A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.” — Alvy Singer
For years there have been rumors of a bootleg cut of an original, much longer version — titled Anhedonia — which supposedly was more of a surreal murder mystery than a love story. Please let THR know if you’ve got a copy.
Read THR‘s 1977 review. 17 100
Apocalypse Now
(1979)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $249,848,900
Famous quote: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” — Kilgore
Harvey Keitel got fired. Brando showed up overweight and unprepared. Sheen had a heart attack and nearly died. And storms destroyed many of the sets. Has a better film ever been made from worse circumstances?
16 100
To Kill a Mockingbird
(1962)
Director: Robert Mulligan
Cast: Gregory Peck, Robert Duvall, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): No numbers available
Famous quote: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” — Atticus Finch
More than 50 years later, this is still a pitch-perfect portrait of race and rural America during the Great Depression. No wonder it’s Superman’s favorite movie (according to Clark Kent’s Wikipedia page, at any rate).15 100
Gone With the Wind
(1939)
Director: Victor Fleming
Cast: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $1,592,000,000
Famous quote: “I can’t think about that right now. If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow.” — Scarlett
It’s still the longest film to win best picture (nearly four hours) and the first to have an African-American cast member win an Oscar (Hattie McDaniel). Ironically, its only surviving star is Olivia de Havilland, 97, whose character was the main one to die.14 100
Forrest Gump
(1994)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $625,223,100
Famous quote: “My momma always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’” — Forrest Gump
The mind-blowing CGI — from the floating feather to removing Sinise’s legs — helped put Gump over the top in one of the most competitive best picture races in memory. The Shawshank Redemption (No. 4) and Pulp Fiction (No. 5) also were nominated that year.13 100
Raiders of the Lost Ark
(1981)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation 2014): $614,823,400
Famous quote: “You want to talk to God? Let’s go see him together, I’ve got nothing better to do.” — Indiana Jones
Dreamed up while George Lucas and Spielberg were vacationing in Hawaii, Raiders indulged Lucas’ desire to make an old-fashioned serial and scratched Spielberg’s itch to make a globe-trotting James Bond film (incredibly, the 007 producers had turned down his services). When Jeff Bridges said no to the role of Indiana Jones (initially named Smith) and Tom Selleck couldn’t get out of his Magnum P.I. contract, Lucas turned to his Han Solo.
Read THR‘s 1981 review. 12 100
Back to the Future
(1985)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $470,043,200
Famous quote: “If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour… you’re gonna see some serious shit.” — Dr. Emmett Brown
Fox was filming Family Ties when Zemeckis tapped the 24-year-old television star to play unwitting time traveler Marty McFly. (He was replacing Eric Stoltz, who had shot a few scenes but proved the wrong fit.) Fox worked nights and weekends, which explains why he looks so exasperated in most of the film.11 100
Star Wars
(1977)
Director: George Lucas
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation 2014): $1,136,162,800
Famous quote: “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” — Han Solo
Star Wars set the bar for lots of things: special effects, box-office receipts, the incorporation of mythological storytelling structure, the number of aliens that can fit comfortably into a bar. But its real legacy is The Deal: Lucas negotiated rights to both the merchandising and the sequels — deemed worthless by Fox in 1977, but today they are worth billions.
Read THR‘s 1977 review. 10 100
Schindler’s List
(1993)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $183,022,100
Famous quote: “Stern, if this factory ever produces a shell that can actually be fired, I’ll be very unhappy.” — Oskar Schindler
The most shocking thing about this emotionally wrenching black-and-white drama isn’t that it’s about an act of heartbreaking kindness during the Holocaust; it’s that Spielberg released it only months after his other big hit of 1993, the one with the dinosaurs. Unlike Jurassic Park, this film took home seven Oscars, including best director and best picture (the first black-and-white movie to win that statuette since 1960’s The Apartment).9 100
2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $344,621,600
Famous quote: “Well, I don’t think there is any question about it. It can only be attributable to human error. This sort of thing has cropped up before, and it has always been due to human error.” — Hal
It was the first outer-space movie to take outer space — and special effects — seriously (so seriously Kubrick had the sets destroyed after production to make sure they didn’t turn up in subsequent inferior sci-fi films). Sure, it creaks beside its successors, including Close Encounters and Star Wars, but 2001 does have one of the most famous match-cuts in movie history (the bone turning into a spaceship). And even though the smooth-talking computer in the film has an operating system that’s 46 years old, people still want to own it: The HAL 9000 app on iTunes has been downloaded an estimated quarter-million times.
Read THR‘s 1968 review. 8 100
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
(1982)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace
Domestic lifetime gross: (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $989,737,100
Famous quote: “Be good.” — E.T.
It’s the first Spielberg film on the list but hardly the last (he has seven). And it totally makes sense that E.T. would be his most popular because it’s basically The Wizard of Oz in reverse. Think about it: A 3-foot-tall munchkin lands on Earth, where he’s befriended by a trio of locals (and their little dog) who help him phone to no-place-like-home until, at the end, where does E.T. go in his spaceship? That’s right — over the rainbow. “I never thought of that before,” said Spielberg a few years ago when the theory was presented to him. “Do you mind if I steal that?”7 100
The Godfather: Part II
(1974)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $202,374,900
Famous quote: “There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” — Michael Corleone
Arguments over which Godfather is greater, the first or second, began as soon as the sequel was released. The first film has the edge among this poll’s respondents, but Part II has die-hard fans as well. “It’s one of those movies,” says producer Albert Berger, “that has every element of cinema working at the highest level. And it’s entertaining, and it says something about our country.”
Read THR‘s 1974 review. 6 100
Casablanca
(1942)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $4,452,100
Famous quote: “Here’s looking at you, kid.” — Rick
Not surprisingly, Rick and Ilsa’s war-torn romance was a big favorite among seasoned poll respondents. Among those in their 60s, it was the third-most-popular picture, while among those in their 20s, it was 37th. Also not a big shocker, men and women had different opinions: Casablanca was males’ third-favorite film and females’ 14th. But then, men always prefer their love stories with Nazis in them.
Read THR‘s 1942 review. 5 100
Pulp Fiction
(1994)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $202,078,200
Famous quote: “If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions.” — Jules
“Quentin has always been a student of film, and after Reservoir Dogs he said to me: ‘The second movie from a filmmaker is almost more important than the first. We’ve got to get it right,'” recalls Lawrence Bender, Tarantino’s longtime producing partner. Tarantino got it right, all right. In fact, Miramax’s Pulp Fiction might be the most influential movie made during the 1990s, inspiring scads of imitators (nicknamed Tarantinies) and dozens of knockoffs. “We didn’t think we were taking a big risk,” says Bender. “We just though we were making something really cool.”
Read THR‘s 1994 review. 4 100
The Shawshank Redemption
(1994)
Director: Frank Darabont
Cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $53,014,600
Famous quote: “Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” – Andy Dufresne [in letter to Red]
Of all the adaptations of Stephen King stories — and they are legion because he is the most-adapted living writer — this is only one of two (along with The Shining) to make the list.
All that Shawshank love apparently came after the film’s unexceptional theatrical release, when it began popping up on cable TV nearly as regularly as Geico commercials. In 2013, 151 hours of basic cable time was devoted to airing the 142-minute movie. That’s about six days of watching Robbins try to escape from prison.
Read THR‘s 1994 review. 3 100
Citizen Kane
(1941)
Director: Orson Welles
Cast: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $2,998,000
Famous quote: “It isn’t enough to tell us what a man did. You’ve got to tell us who he was.” — Rawlson
Critics have hailed this for decades as “the greatest American movie ever made,” making it an all-too-easy pick for anyone’s greatest-movie list. But not all moviegoers, especially younger ones, are enthralled with the story of Charles Foster Kane and his long-lost sled. Among poll respondents in their 20s, for instance, it was only the 26th-favorite film. Among the under-20s, it was 53rd. Among those over 60, though, it was No. 1 or 2.
Read THR‘s 1941 review. 2 100
The Wizard of Oz
(1939)
Director: Victor Fleming
Cast: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $32,950,500
Famous quote: “Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!” — Dorothy
“If I was on a desert island, I’d bring The Wizard of Oz with me,” says Elizabeth Daley, dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. “It always makes me feel alive. I could watch it over and over.” And people have, generation after generation. In fact, it’s the most-watched film of all time, according to the Library of Congress, thanks to regular showings on broadcast television since the mid-1950s (and on cable since the ’90s). That’s not including sequels and prequels, which Hollywood keeps releasing each decade like swarms of flying monkeys. The most recent, Oz the Great and Powerful, starring James Franco as a hunky young wizard, grossed more than $230 million domestically. That yellow brick road clearly is made of gold.1 100
The Godfather
(1972)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire
Domestic lifetime gross (adjusted for inflation, 2014): $626,025,500
Famous quote: “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” — Don Corleone
The Godfather came into this world, in the form of Mario Puzo‘s novel, as pulp. In a feat of creative alchemy arguably unsurpassed before or since, Coppola and his collaborators turned the Mafia melodrama into popular art that satisfies on every possible level — as a family drama, a crime saga, a visual and musical ravishment and an impeccable evocation of a historical period.
Godfather is 42 years old, meaning anyone who saw it when it came out in 1972 is pushing 60 or older. This suggests its narrative power, extraordinary performances and mythic values register as strongly for younger viewers as they did at the time. The film also happens to stand at the precise midpoint between the arrival of sound films and the present. It is both classical and modern, traditional in its storytelling and contemporary in its critical perspective. It’s a film that does it all. — Todd McCarthy
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