The 100 Best Films of All Time

It is so ridiculously hard to make a list of the best films of all time. No matter what you decide to include, most people will disagree with a majority of the list. Should one choose nothing but personal favorites? Should one place emphasis on films that have had influence and importance in the world of cinema? For me, the term 'best' should be a combination of every factor you can think of. So I present this list as an amalgam of the aforementioned criteria coupled with a little whimsy and guesswork. The list is an ever changing one and will be updated three or four times a year.

To give a little insight as to some of my reasoning... Citizen Kane is easily the most influential film in history, but, although I like it a great deal, it doesn't happen to be one that I enjoy watching time and time again. There are some films that are undeniably re-watchable but may not carry enough substance to scale the elite list to the top... Die Hard might be a fitting example of that. Can a silent film crack the list? Buster Keaton's The General is arguably one of the best from the silent era, but I am unconvinced that a great silent film can reach the lofty heights of a great talkie. Should slapstick comedies be given leeway in spite of their lack of depth? Airplane would make many top comedy lists... but very few critics would include it in an all time Top 100. Apocalypse Now is a film I just cannot bring myself to like... can I justify a spot in the Top 100 for a film I don't like? What about a brand new film? Should movies that have just been released be allowed on to the list immediately or would a waiting period be prudent? Irreversible made my list immediately... it was too good to omit just because it was released in 2003.

The decennial Sight & Sound Poll doesn't typically include films from the 1980's or 1990's & the AFI list of the 100 greatest films is a veritable showcase of black and white. Now, I can understand the exclusion of most movies from the 80's because that decade was a baron wasteland of cinema! However, since 1993 we have seen a renaissance in cinematic art, due to the spectacular influence of independent filmmakers, the likes of which I don't think we have ever seen before. I truly believe that history will prove that the past decade (1993-2004) has been a 'golden age' of movies. I have seen over 3000 films in my life and about 1800 of them are post 1990. It would seem logical to presume that the same percentage would apply to the Top 100 list. However, that is not the case. The median year seems to be 1980. About half of the list is comprised of films from 1925-1980. The rest are 'contemporary' films. My list is definitely more contemporary than the AFI list or that of an older critic... I think that is only to be expected.

All this taken in to account, I will try to present the films that have had the greatest impact on my life and the ones I cherish the most. I have also given weight to longevity and historical influence. These lists are not to be agreed or disagreed with... this list is factual in that my opinion holds that these are the best films of all time. Feel free to email me your own lists, but don't bother criticizing mine or anybody else's for that matter... You won't get anywhere! Just try to have fun with the list and come up with your own. So without further ado, here we go...

The Top 100 of All Time
It Just Doesn't Get Much Better Than This...

Compiled by TC Candler

INTERESTING STATISTICS ABOUT THE LIST

• There are approx. 20 shared films on this list and the AFI Top 100 List.

• There are approx. 30 shared films on this list and the IMDB Top 100.

• There are approx. 32 shared films on this list and Ebert's list of Great Movies.

• There are approx. 25 shared films on this list and James Berardinelli's Top 100.

• There are only 2 films on this list among the 100 highest grossing films ever.

• There are 28 foreign language films on the list.

• The oldest film on the list is from 1925.

• The newest is from 2007.

• There are 12 Best Picture Oscar Winners on the list.

• Titanic is the most nominated films in the list. (13)

• Titanic won the most Oscars on this list. (11)

• There are 31 Black & White films on the list.

• There are 2 'silent' films represented.

• 40 of the films are pre-1980 and 60 are post-1980 

• There are 2 musicals on the list.

The accuracy of these stats can vary as new films come and go!

100 RUNNERS-UP
In Alphabetical Order

Affair of Love, An
Almost Famous
Apocalypto
Apollo 13
Being John Malkovich
Birthday Girl
Blair Witch Project
Blazing Saddles
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Bourne Identity, The
Bridge on the River Kwai
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Cabinet of Dr Caligari, The
Casino Royale
Cincinnati Kid, The
City Slickers
Count of Monte Cristo, The
Dangerous Liaisons
Dark City
Day the Earth Stood Still, The
Dead Calm
Descent, The
Dirty Dozen, The
Dog Day Afternoon
Dogville
Donnie Brasco
Dr. Strangelove
Dreamers, The
Dumb & Dumber
Edge, The
End of the Affair, The
Fahrenheit 9/11
Falling Down
Far From Heaven
Firefox
Fly, The
Fountain, The
Fugitive, The
Full Metal Jacket
Garden State
Gattaca
Gilda
Gladiator
Good Will Hunting
Grand Illusion
Groundhog Day
Heaven
In the Company of Men
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Jacob's Ladder
Jaws
Jean de Florette
Joe Versus the Volcano
Jude
Kill Bill: Volume 1 & 2
Killing Fields, The
King Kong (1933)
Kramer vs. Kramer
Last Tango in Paris
Lifeboat
LolliLove
Love & Sex
Maltese Falcon, The
Mansfield Park
Marie Antoinette
Mission: Impossible
Moulin Rouge
My Life
Myth of Fingerprints, The
Nixon
North by Northwest
Oasis
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Pan's Labyrinth
Passion of the Christ, The
Pickpocket
Player, The
Pleasantville
Ponette
Punch-Drunk Love
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raise the Red Lantern
Rebecca
Remains of the Day, The
Reservoir Dogs
Roger & Me
Ronin
Rosetta
Runaway Train
Secretary
Shape of Things, The
Signs
Sixth Sense, The
Sliding Doors
Squid and the Whale, The
Syriana
Threesome
Tombstone
Tommy Boy
Top Secret!
Truman Show, The
Usual Suspects, The
Vanilla Sky
Vertigo
Very Long Engagement, A
Where Eagles Dare