Its That Darn Tv Guide Again
(on TV and VIDEO) by Television set GUIDE Magazine
Television set Guide Magazine (the August 8-xiv, 1998 issue) offered their picks for the perfect flicks to grab on telly or to watch on one'southward VCR (or DVD histrion). From hundreds of the mag's 4-star titles, they chose the movies that played peculiarly well on the small-scale screen and held up to repeated viewings. Their one golden standard was how much fun they were to scout. These were the films -- from Chaplin to Hanks, Kane to Vader -- that represented the Hollywood dream machine at its about inspired. They included monster films, heroes, villains, gangsters, and more than.
A spark of existent wit surges through this classic, easily the best of the Universal monster movies. Director James Whale, one of Hollywood's founding eccentrics, used his sophisticated humor to expand the boundaries of the chiller genre, and a fright-wigged Elsa Lanchester turned a few minutes of screen fourth dimension into one of the most enduring images in horror. But information technology's the exquisitely weird histrion Ernest Thesiger's performance as the effete Dr. Pretorius that secures a place for "Bride" among that rare group of Hollywood films: sequels better than the originals.
49. Dingy Harry (1971) 102 minutes, Rated R, Letterbox
Originally rebuked past critics equally a fascist fantasy, "Dingy Harry" nevertheless gave Clint Eastwood his best role as Harry Callahan, a renegade cop whose .44 Magnum could accident a hole in the ozone. This superbly made thriller stands as one of the most influential films in the criminal offense genre, inspiring four sequels and countless rip-offs. Directed with common cold-blooded expertise by Eastwood's mentor, Don Siegel, "Dirty Harry" eschews traditional cops-and-robbers histrionics for a morally complex and disturbing study of evil and contains several vivid action scenes and a complicated championship graphic symbol who could play good cop/bad cop all by himself.
48. The Tranquility Man (1952) 129 minutes, NR
Perhaps the most enjoyable of the numerous collaborations betwixt director John Ford and star John Wayne, "The Tranquility Human being" is full of characters as colorful as its Irish vistas. Wayne plays an Irish-American boxer seeking refuge in Erin after accidentally killing an opponent in the ring. Merely instead of peace, he finds culture shock, love with a peppery colleen (Maureen O'Hara) and fisticuffs with her "big, bellowing bully" of a brother (Victor McLaglen). All in all, a grand bit of the blarney.
47. Cabaret (1972) 128 minutes, Rated PG
In the year of "The Godfather," "Cabaret" managed to win eight Oscars, including Best Managing director, Actress and Supporting Actor. Nether Bob Fosse'southward ultrastylized management, "Cabaret" also dragged the Hollywood musical into the mod era. Liza Minnelli, in her outset filmed singing role, is a thrill every bit the starry-eyed Sally Bowles, an American in 1931 Berlin performing at the tawdry Kit Kat Klub, where the divinely decadent entertainment parallels the rise of Nazism outside. Integrating social satire with smashing production numbers (including "The Money Song" and the showstopping title number), Fosse created a landmark film from a genre most idea dead.
46. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) 112 minutes, Rated PG
One of the screen'due south great buddy teams was born when Paul Newman and Robert Redford saddled up for this rollicking comic western well-nigh two legendary outlaws. With a gleam in his baby blues, Newman dazzles equally Butch, while Redford became a superstar with his self-deprecating portrayal of the dashing, trigger-happy Sundance. Burt Bacharach'south bouncy score includes "Raindrops Continue Fallin' on My Caput."
45. Top Hat (1935) 99 minutes, NR, BW
Ginger Rogers. Fred Astaire. Irving Berlin. Y'all want more? OK, a supporting cast topped past Edward Everett Horton and some of the fanciest footwork ever committed to film. The 4th of the 10 Astaire-Rogers matchups, this is the ane with Fred'south tour de force choreography for the title vocal and the two stars dancing "Cheek to Cheek" -- as breathy and beautiful an case of dance-as-sex every bit e'er graced a musical. And look for Lucille Ball in the bit role of a flower-shop girl. Released by RKO a few years subsequently, she got the terminal laugh past ownership the entire studio in 1958.
44. Babe (1995) 92 minutes, Rated Yard
This charming fable about a plucky pig with "an unprejudiced middle" is a delightful children's movie that'due south just as fallacious for adults. The Oscar-winning visual effects (combining real animals, animatronic wizardry and calculator graphics) and dazzling fairy-tale sets bring to life the touching and tender tale of an orphaned Yorkshire piglet who goes to alive on a farm and trains to be an good sheepdog.
43. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 115 minutes, Rated PG, Letterbox
This thrill ride kicks off with a booby-trap sequence that any other movie would have considered a climax: For "Raiders," the beginning is merely the beginning. When 2 of the screen's mod masters, producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg, teamed up with star Harrison Ford, the consequence was the ultimate action picture show with the ultimate action hero -- Indiana Jones, the asp-kicking charlatan with quip and whip at the gear up. Far better than either of its ii sequels, "Raiders" is the definitive homage to Saturday-matinee serials, and includes the best ophidian scene since Genesis.
42. Modern Times (1936) 87 minutes, NR, BW
A generally silent pic, Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times'' is a comic nightmare of mass production, delinquent capitalism, the constabulary state -- all of which helped get the film (and its star) labeled Carmine. At times sentimental, the moving picture nonetheless includes some utterly stunning sequences: Chaplin under attack past the automated feeding motorcar, and his trip through the cogs of a factory. "Modern Times" perfectly captures Chaplin: naive, but ever so heartfelt.
41. Saturday Night Fever (1977) 119 minutes, Rated R (108-minute version Rated PG)
When John Travolta staged his comeback in 1994's "Lurid Fiction," this is what he was coming back to. Every bit Tony Manero, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn's answer to Fred Astaire, Travolta strutted and swiveled through a defining picture of the 1970s. His big-man-in-a-fiddling-disco bravado remains as poignant and pathetic as always. His costars might exist klutzy, but Travolta never misses a step.
twoscore. On the Waterfront (1954) 108 minutes, NR, BW
The theatrical trailer promised "a story that's every bit warm and moving as 'Going My Way' (but with brass knuckles!)" -- as good a clarification every bit any for this Oscar-winning morality tale. The characters struggling with pier pressure include an ex-boxer with a soft spot for pigeons, a luscious nun-in-training and a priest with a mean punch. And Marlon Brando'south "contenduh" oral communication is even so a knockout.
39. Laura (1944) 85 minutes, NR, BW
Otto Preminger'south deliciously sleek Manhattan murder mystery is a grabber from its first line -- "I shall never forget the weekend Laura died" -- and keeps its hold through a shocking mid-moving picture twist and shattering climax. With a cigarette dangling from his lip, Dana Andrews plays a tough cop investigating the murder of a beautiful woman (played by the dreamy Cistron Tierney in flashbacks) who finds himself obsessed with her portrait. Among the suspects: a shifty fiancé (Vincent Price) and Laura's big-headed mentor (unforgettably played by Clifton Webb). Add a theme vocal that virtually defines haunting and the elements conspire to make "Laura" one of film noir's nifty cases.
38. Jaws (1975) 124 minutes, Rated PG, Letterbox
The movie that emptied beaches and created the modernistic blockbuster, "Jaws" holds up today non so much for its jolts -- there aren't as many every bit you call up you think -- merely because of something missing from the movies it inspired: real characters. Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw are more than fish bait, and the conversation about the USS Indianapolis is worth all the dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park."
37. American Graffiti (1973) 110 minutes, Rated PG, Letterbox
George Lucas was a 28-year-old unknown when he made this autobiographical teen motion-picture show for less than $800,000. The result was a 18-carat pop classic that became an audition favorite and brought accolades to Lucas and his bandage (including Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss and Harrison Ford). With its drag races, sock hops, doo-wop and Mel's Drive-In, "Graffiti" makes pop-culture myth out of nostalgic reverie.
36. The Graduate (1967) 105 minutes, Rated PG, Letterbox
"The rules don't make whatever sense to me," says a babe-faced Dustin Hoffman every bit recent higher grad Benjamin Braddock. "They're being made upward past all the incorrect people." And then goes a rallying cry for the 1960s in Mike Nichols's comic masterpiece. The gap of ages is hilariously and poignantly evoked in the soulless thing betwixt Ben and Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson, the embodiment of middle-aged resignation.
35. The African Queen (1951) 105 minutes, NR
Humphrey Bogart bagged his only Oscar anchoring John Huston's rumbling take a chance gear up in WWI German Due east Africa. Bogie's gin-guzzling skipper of the floating junk heap called the African Queen meets his lucifer in Katharine Hepburn's "psalm-singing, skinny old maid." The duo embarks on a suicide mission to torpedo one of the Kaiser's gunships, en route making film history. Bogie and Kate were made for each other.
34. Apollo 13 (1995) 139 minutes, Rated PG, Letterbox
"Houston, we have a problem." With that, Tom Hanks gave liftoff to a great summer amusement -- riveting drama and thrilling special effects. The true story of astronaut Jim Lovell (Hanks) and his crew's long-awaited moon mission is nostalgically captured past director Ron Howard. Who cares that Lovell's actual words were "Houston, we've had a problem"?
33. Schindler's List (1993) 195 minutes, Rated R, BW with color segments, Letterbox
An emotional obstacle form of a moving-picture show, Steven Spielberg'due south Holocaust movie tells the story of Oskar Schindler, the enigmatic industrialist who saved more than i,000 Polish Jews from the Nazi gas chambers. As painful as information technology is powerful, "Schindler's List" is enobled by Spielberg'south vision, Janusz Kaminski's cinematography, and 2 Olympian performances: Liam Neeson as the self-made hero Schindler and Ralph Fiennes as the astonishingly demonic Nazi officer.
32. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 93 minutes, NR, BW
Blasted and praised when it was released, Stanley Kubrick's black comedy virtually nuclear annihilation remains unchallenged as movie theatre's almost devastating attack on the military heed. The brilliant bandage is headed by an inspired Peter Sellers playing 3 roles -- the eggheaded U.Due south. president, a stiff-upper-lip RAF captain and the wheelchair-bound ex-Nazi scientist Dr. Strangelove.
31. Insubordinate Without a Cause (1955) 93 minutes, NR, BW 111 minutes, NR, Letterbox
The archetypal juvenile malversation movie has everything it takes to be, well, the archetypal juvenile delinquency movie: Teen angst, switchblades, blue jeans, hot rods and James Dean. "Rebel" stands as director Nicholas Ray'south enduring ode to disaffected youth. Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo. Who would take pegged Dennis Hopper as a survivor?
xxx. The Palm Embankment Story (1942) 90 minutes, NR, BW
His fame hasn't kept up with that of Frank Capra or Baton Wilder, but writer/director Preston Sturges is responsible for a serial of comedic fables nearly the American dream that are some of Hollywood's funniest films. His "The Lady Eve" has the composure, "Sullivan'due south Travels" the satirical bite, but for pure laughs it's hard to trounce "The Palm Beach Story." The fun begins when Claudette Colbert dumps husband Joel McCrea and heads to Palm Beach to land a rich beau. Accept a deep breath before viewing -- the antic step doesn't permit upward in this swish, sexy satire.
29. The Lion Rex (1994) 88 minutes, Rated G, Animated
Disney's 32nd animated musical was its highest-grossing and, at least among the studio'due south mail service-1970 features, its best. The story -- a sort of "Bambi" meets "Hamlet" -- tin can by now exist recited word for discussion by whatever parent with a VCR, only the songs, lush colors and sly inside jokes brand "Lion" worth another rewind.
28. Gone With the Current of air (1939) 222 minutes, NR, Letterbox
The epic past which every other is measured. David O. Selznick's one thousand Technicolor version of Margaret Mitchell'due south novel is, quite but, a glorious soap opera. Even on television set, "GWTW" is hard to resist: The burning of Atlanta might be less spectacular on the pocket-sized screen, but nothing can snuff the sparks between Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, not to mention the fire in Scarlett'southward eyes.
27. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 124 minutes, Rated PG, Letterbox
"Star Wars" was the outset, but real fans of George Lucas's scientific discipline fiction trilogy know "Empire" is the best installment. While Lucas focused on the technical wizardry, Irvin Kershner handled the direction. The result is a smashing display of action, special furnishings and drama, all tied together past the darkest and best-written script of the series. The plot soars to unpredictable places and includes some of the nearly breathless flights in Lucas'southward galaxy: Yoda'south education of Luke Skywalker (Marker Hamill), the burgeoning honey of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) for Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Best of all is Darth Vader'southward pivotal revelation to Luke, 1 of the neatest twists in ane of the top sequels e'er made.
26. The Exorcist (1973) 121 minutes, Rated R
Take it on faith: "The Exorcist" is the scariest motion moving-picture show e'er. The ultimate showdown of good and evil pits a soul-searching priest (Jason Miller) against a demon inhabiting the body of a 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair). Managing director William Friedkin's shocks are as center-stopping as e'er, and the excellent cast is assisted past the most frightening noises ever recorded. Rent this one -- the edited broadcast version is a desecration.
25. A Streetcar Named Want (1951) 122 minutes, NR, BW
The performances in Elia Kazan'due south landmark adaptation of Tennessee Williams's play remain amongst the most electric in American picture show. The brutish Stanley Kowalski reminds united states of america how Marlon Brando became Marlon Brando. And Vivien Leigh's Blanche DuBois is a heartbreak, and not simply because she evokes an aging Scarlett O'Hara. Of all the screen actresses who played i of Williams's doomed heroines, Leigh best personified the fate that befalls fragile souls in a world of Stanleys. Censors forced Williams to modify the play's ending, but "Streetcar" is still a steamy hothouse of a pic.
24. Double Indemnity (1944) 106 minutes, NR, BW
"How could I take known that murder sometimes smells like honeysuckle?" That line lone, courtesy of screenwriters Baton Wilder and Raymond Chandler, would earn this lusty tale of murder a place amidst film noir classics. Only with Wilder'due south masterful direction and that venetian-bullheaded lighting, nosotros have a moody masterpiece. Barbara Stanwyck is the very fatale femme and Fred MacMurray (forget My Three Sons) plays her sap. Deadly fun, even without the original ending that had MacMurray snuffed out in a gas bedchamber.
23. All About Eve (1950) 138 minutes, NR, BW
A shine sip of champagne with a sprinkle of arsenic, "All Well-nigh Eve" remains Hollywood's definitive backstage drama and the loftier point of Bette Davis'southward long career. Joseph L. Mankiewicz'due south marvelously nasty tale of surly, aging Broadway actress Margo Channing (Davis) and her ultra-ambitious fan Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) says trunkloads almost show business concern, human being beliefs and the direct correlation between talent and utter viciousness. Sit down back, fasten your seatbelts and bask the most literate catfight ever filmed.
22. Ninotchka (1939) 110 minutes, NR, BW
Sly glances. Slamming doors. Innuendo. Lots of innuendo. Such was the stuff of the famed "Lubitsch bear upon," with which the manager Ernst Lubitsch (who deserves Hollywood canonization) summoned a bewitching aura of mischievous eroticism. Some of the screen's most effervescent comedies came from Lubitsch (his "The Shop Around the Corner" is beingness remade with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan), but "Ninotchka" may be his most sparkling, thanks to a very witty screenplay and, of course, the divine Greta Garbo.
21. Annie Hall (1977) 93 minutes, Rated PG
La-de-da. It's hard to believe that Woody Allen'due south Oscar winner is more than ii decades old; "Annie Hall" nonetheless seems every bit fresh and funny as ever. A semiautobiographical romantic one-act about a neurotic Jewish comedian and his kooky WASP girlfriend, Woody'southward breakthrough film made a star of his erstwhile real-life love Diane Keaton, whose amorphous pants, belong, hat and tie look started a '70s mode craze. Employing fantasy flashbacks, direct-to-camera monologues, subtitles and fifty-fifty a cartoon sequence, the movie ranks amidst the all-time comedies ever filmed. It's certainly Allen'southward sweetest.
twenty. Raging Bull (1980) 128 minutes, Rated R, BW
The anti-Rocky. Though no contender at the box office, managing director Martin Scorsese's powerful delineation of boxer Jake La Motta is the most beautifully brutal sports film always made, and 1 of the best movies of the 1980s regardless of genre. The breathtaking ringtime scenes, the unflinching depiction of a deeply agonizing "hero," and one of the standout performances of Robert De Niro'due south career brand "Raging Bull" a must for whatever fan of cinematic bloodsport. Or movie house, for that affair.
19. Duck Soup (1933) 70 minutes, NR, BW
The Marx Brothers' glorious lunacy reached its zenith in this inspired blend of slapstick and satire. A flop in its day (let'southward blame the Depression), "Duck Soup" is at present considered the boys' masterpiece. Groucho becomes prime minister of Freedonia, firing off more zingers than international law should let. Is there a more than satisfying sight than Margaret Dumont'south reactions to such shots as "I'm fighting for this woman'south honor...which is more than she e'er did."?
18. The Searchers (1956) 119 minutes, NR, Letterbox
Nobody made westerns ameliorate than John Ford, and he never made one meliorate than this. The saga of a cowboy'due south long quest to find a niece kidnapped by Comanche, "Searchers" is by turns explosive and melancholy, a pilgrimage into the dark center of an outsider. Equally the flawed hero, John Wayne turns in a deceptively simple performance that would forever define his swaggering manlike mode.
17. Some Like Information technology Hot (1959) 121 minutes, NR, BW
Billy Wilder was at the height of his powers when he made this uproarious sex activity farce about 2 musicians (Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis) who witness the 1929 St. Valentine'southward Twenty-four hour period Massacre and abscond by disguising themselves as women in an all-female band. As the 2 bust buddies become cozy with the ring's voluptuous singer (a never amend Marilyn Monroe), the laughs come equally fast as bullets from a tommy-gun. Among the movie'southward treats: Curtis's dead-on lampoon of Cary Grant.
16. Sunset Blvd. (1950) 110 minutes, NR, BW
"All About Eve" might exist Hollywood'southward greatest look at Broadway, but "Sunset Blvd." remains Tinseltown'south best gaze into its own fun-house reflection. Gloria Swanson is smashing as demented silent-screen queen Norma Desmond, and William Holden makes for a terrific pre-Richard Gere gigolo. From the moment Holden's floating corpse begins the narration, through Norma'southward deranged final shut-upward, the stunning "Sunset" is the standard against which all movies about movies must be viewed.
fifteen. The Philadelphia Story (1940) 112 minutes, NR, BW
Hollywood's great comedy of manors, "The Philadelphia Story" was the perfect antidote to Katharine Hepburn's 2-year stint as "box part poison." As a moneyed ice princess fending off the affections of costars Cary Grant and James Stewart, Hepburn, under the practiced guidance of managing director George Cukor, gives one of the performances of her life, while Grant and Stewart keep pace. "At that place's a magnificence in you, Tracy," Stewart's character tells Hepburn's. Same can be said about this classic.
14. Bringing Upwards Baby (1938) 102 minutes, NR, BW
Director Howard Hawks said "Bringing Up Infant" had but i flaw: "There were no normal people in it. Everyone you lot met was a screwball." Every one-act should be so flawed. Lamentable, Howard, but "Babe" is the perfect screwball one-act. The leopard-quick dialogue, Katharine Hepburn'due south loopy heiress, Cary Grant's hapless zoologist and a keen menagerie of secondary characters couldn't exist better.
13. Pinocchio (1940) 88 minutes, NR, Animated
Arguably the greatest animated characteristic of all time (with all due respect and apologies to Snow White), Disney's richly fatigued version of the Italian fairy tale is a perfect synthesis of wonderful music (including the Oscar-winning "When You Wish Upon a Star"), indelible characters and the studio's most exquisitely detailed blitheness: No computer has always spit out anything this beautiful. The Rembrandt tones survive the trip to Tv set, and even today's activity-fond kids will honey the terrifying trip to Pleasure Isle and the exciting climax in the belly of Monstro the whale. All that and Jiminy Cricket, besides.
12. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 129 minutes, NR, BW
Until recently, this Frank Capra classic was aired and so often throughout the holiday season that even die-hard fans took information technology for granted. Big mistake. "It's a Wonderful Life" is a terrific pic, and it contains at least one truthful celluloid phenomenon: James Stewart's engrossing performance every bit George Bailey, one of Hollywood's nearly honorable, memorable and troubled American dreamers.
11. Vertigo (1958) 128 minutes, Rated PG, Letterbox
Audiences and critics of the twenty-four hour period were underwhelmed by this unconventional thriller upon its release, just now most everyone agrees that "Vertigo" is not only amongst Alfred Hitchcock's finest movies, only one of Hollywood'southward. It'southward certainly the managing director's most personal, idiosyncratic work -- OK, it'southward downright strange -- and Hitchcock himself described it as being well-nigh "a man who wants to sleep with a dead woman." Never before (nor later on) would Hitch display his erotic, neurotic fetishes so blatantly (or hypnotically) every bit in this ofttimes-imitated dreamlike masterpiece. James Stewart stars, of form, as the acrophobic detective fatigued into a circuitous murder plot past a cool, mysterious blonde (Kim Novak). Bernard Herrmann'due south score and the superb photography further the mood of this trance of a movie. And every bit adept as the cast is, no i, not fifty-fifty Stewart, can upstage the wonders of the setting:San Francisco, looking gorgeous.
10. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 111 minutes, NR
The Dust Bowl panoramas and cloud-shaded wheat fields lose some of their sweep on the tv screen, but the wit, excitement and star chemistry of Arthur Penn's landmark film remain as bright every bit a hail of bullets. The notorious advert slogan for "Bonnie and Clyde" ("They're young. They're in love. And they impale people") should have included "And they await admittedly marvelous." Inside minutes of the film's opening credits (and what great opening credits they are), an audacious shut-up of a young, ravishing Faye Dunaway all but screams "a star is born." Beatty is just as comely and never more mannerly. Gene Hackman, Oscar-winning Estelle Parsons and Michael J. Pollard round out the unforgettable core, and if the innovative blend of humor and violence isn't every bit shocking equally it was in '67, "Bonnie and Clyde" holds its own amid the all-time films of its decade. Rent this one over again, if only for some other chance to meet that odd, lyrical sequence of the doomed Bonnie'due south family unit reunion. And look for Gene Wilder in a cursory comic operation, making his debut as an undertaker kidnapped by the gang.
9. Chinatown (1974) 131 minutes, Rated R, Letterbox
Screenwriter Robert Towne based his wonderfully intricate tale of Los Angeles corruption on historical fact, only the brilliance of "Chinatown" springs from tradition of a different sort: Director Roman Polanski, at the peak of his considerable powers, dipped from the well of classic movie noir to create a film that was at once an homage to and an improvement over its forebears. Jack Nicholson became a superstar, Faye Dunaway continued the winning streak she began with "Bonnie and Clyde," and John Huston about personified political and personal rot in this fetid reservoir of murder, incest and country evolution. Polanski has an effective cameo as the sadistic hoodlum who gives Nicholson the most famous nose chore in Hollywood pic history.
8. Psycho (1960) 109 minutes, NR, BW, Letterbox
Alfred Hitchcock considered information technology a black comedy, just "Psycho" laughs simply at its stunned audience. Poor Anthony Perkins was so disturbing in his role he never really escaped the shadow of the ultimate mama'south boy Norman Bates, merely equally anyone who's seen the movie won't e'er completely shake those behind-the-shower-mantle tingles. Janet Leigh's watery demise has been deconstructed by flick scholars and stolen by other directors besides many times to count, withal remains a remarkable piece of work. More than a not bad horror film (though it'south certainly that), "Psycho" is a nightmare of fractured images, symbols and angles that closes in on its characters -- and the viewer. Bernard Herrmann's slashing violin score has become audible shorthand for terror, and even though the killer-in-elevate has outlasted its shock value, "Psycho" remains an unsettling, fascinating descent into the dark side. A shot-for-shot color remake, to be directed by Gus Van Sant ("Good Will Hunting"), sounds about as crazy as the doings at Chez Bates.
seven. The Godfather (1972) 175 minutes, Rated R, Letterbox
Mario Puzo's pulp fiction became, in the hands of director Francis Ford Coppola, a truly groovy American gangster moving-picture show. Not fifty-fifty the minor screen tin can reduce the scope of this sepia-toned Sicilian saga or its career-launching performances. Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and James Caan became household names, John Cazale should have, and Marlon Brando made the most startling comeback Hollywood had ever -- make that has always -- seen. Debating the comparative merits of "The Godfather" and its remarkable 1974 sequel, 
"The Godfather Part II" will keep film buffs battling long into the side by side century, but Brando'due south performance lone would give "The Godfather" a secure identify on whatever ten All-time list.
half-dozen. Singin' In the Rain (1952) 102 minutes, NR
If in that location's a stretch of celluloid more joyous than Gene Kelly's triumphant splash through the title vocal, we haven't seen it, and Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Express joy" is pure choreographed delirium. Codirected by Kelly and recent Lifetime Achievement Oscar-winner Stanley Donen, this musical paean to Hollywood'due south transition from silents to talkies also boasts a terrific Arthur Freed/Nacio Herb Brownish songbook, a very funny script by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and Jean Hagen's delightfully shrill operation as the silent-screen triple threat ("She can't act, she can't sing and she can't trip the light fantastic toe"). As Hagen's character would say, all their "hard work ain't been in vain for nothing."
v. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) 129 minutes, NR, BW, Letterbox
"Hey, Boo," says young "Picket" Finch to the town'south bogeyman, Arthur "Boo" Radley, and never has and then much tolerance and compassion been packed into two small words. Robert Mulligan directed Horton Foote'southward true-blue adaptation of Harper Lee'south Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, a rare example of a picture being as skillful as -- some would say ameliorate than -- the book, and the film's wistful nostalgia makes its condemnation of racial bigotry and needless cruelty all the more potent. Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his elegantly restrained performance equally the upright lawyer Atticus Finch, Robert Duvall made his debut in the brief but unforgettable office of Boo, and the three children -- Mary Badham as Scout, Philip Alford equally Jem and John Megna as Dill -- are equally fine every bit whatever cast of kids ever assembled. Finally, though, it's the evocation of small-town past and childhood gone that keeps "Mockingbird" lingering in memory. The moving-picture show as well boasts ane of the prettiest musical scores of its (or whatsoever other) era.
4. The Wizard of Oz (1939) 101 minutes, NR, color/BW
The Technicolor brilliance of Munchkinland, the spectacle of the Emerald Metropolis, the performances of a perfect cast and a tornado worth more than all the hot air in "Twister" would seem to make this most love chip of Hollywood history containable only on the large screen, but generations of television viewers long ago disproved that notion. A legend of the cinema, a tradition of Telly and a national treasure trove of songs, "The Wizard of Oz" might not exist the most sophisticated of the MGM musicals, merely information technology'south certainly the sentimental favorite, and Judy Garland's career-making operation of "Over the Rainbow" still, after all these decades, has a poignancy few moments on motion picture can match. And you just gotta love those flying monkeys.
3. Denizen Kane (1941) 119 minutes, NR, BW, Letterbox
The 2 hours betwixt the whispered "Rosebud" and the burning sled take inspired more than intellectual pontificating than just about anything else e'er put on pic, but what'south almost always overlooked in all the reverence is just how much fun this moving picture is. Yes, the debut of the 25-year-old Orson Welles really merits the overused description of cinematic genius, and Gregg Toland's deep-focus cinematography remains as boggling (even on television) as fable has information technology. But "Denizen Kane" is also a damn skillful yarn, a rollicking, electrifying entertainment that includes some of the most dazzling imagery ever shot. Call information technology a classic -- in fact, telephone call information technology the classic -- but don't for a second think that "Kane" is a musty, petrified museum piece. The rich black-and-white tones wait as vibrant equally today's headlines, and not fifty-fifty a mod-day Kane tin alter that: Attempts to colorize the film in the 1980s were thwarted when it was discovered that Welles's 1939 contract with RKO gave him control over any hereafter revisions. Weeks earlier his death, Welles told a friend, "Keep Ted Turner and his goddamned Crayolas away from my pic."
2. Casablanca (1942) 102 minutes, NR, BW
What began as an unproduced play called "Everybody Comes to Rick's" would somewhen become the best-loved wartime romance in Hollywood history. But start there were rewrites -- lots of them. "Casablanca" was shot sequentially considering the script changed continually throughout filming. You'd never know it now: Every word seems as inviolable every bit sacred text. Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and, of form, Dooley Wilson singing the heart-tugger "As Fourth dimension Goes Past" are the incomparable supporting cast, while only Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in "Gone With the Wind" could rival Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as movie house's greatest pair of star-crossed lovers. And tin anyone imagine a amend closing line than Bogie'due south to Rains? The offset of a beautiful friendship indeed: Nearly 60 years after its release, Michael Curtiz'due south "Casablanca" remains the definitive romantic picture of Hollywood'south Golden Age.
1. The Godfather Part II (1974) 200 minutes, Rated R, Letterbox
The simply sequel ever to win an Oscar for best picture, "The Godfather Role II" also made Hollywood history past actually topping the pretty amazing standard set by the groundbreaking 1972 original. Aside from establishing its bandage (Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall, to name a few) as the premier actors of their generation -- and of i of Hollywood's richest eras -- Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece is the cinematic equivalent of an un-put-downable book: Just try watching for only a few minutes. Incommunicable. You're hooked until the amazingly poignant concluding shot of a contemplative, spiritually cleaved Pacino. Coppola and cowriter Mario Puzo weave a hypnotic multigenerational saga, cutting between the turn-of-the-century immigrant life of Vito Corleone (De Niro, in a remarkable, uncommonly subtle operation) and the later years of his disillusioned son, godfather Michael Corleone (Pacino, staggeringly skillful). Along the way are some of the most memorable, disturbing and affecting scenes in all of movie theater: Vito's first vision of the Statue of Liberty, his first murder, the assault on Michael'southward Lake Tahoe manor, his repose ruthlessness equally he shuts the door on his estranged wife (Diane Keaton). So at that place'due south the solitary execution of Michael'southward pathetic brother (John Cazale) as he fishes on a lake, a sequence so elegantly photographed and perfectly timed that every moving-picture show school should offering a course on it. Merely perchance the real success of this opus is the way Coppola achieves what so few epic directors have achieved: "The Godfather Part Two," in its meditations on family, the past and the corruption of America's soul, melds historical sweep with searing personal intimacy, a feat that makes Hollywood's best sequel our selection for all-time movie. Period.
Facts and Commentary Almost The List:
- The TV Guide list ranged from their # 50 pick, the best of the Universal monster movies by James Whale titled Bride of Frankenstein (1935), to their # 1 choice - Francis Ford Coppola's mobster sequel The Godfather Part 2 (1974)
- The films were broken down by decade, as follows: the 1930's: 8 films, the 1940's: 8 films, the 1950's: 11 films, the 1960's: 6 films, the 1970's: x films, the 1980's: 3 films, and the 1990'southward: 4 films. The decade with the almost films was the 1950'south. The earliest motion-picture show was: Duck Soup (1933) (# 19), and the well-nigh recent film was Babe (1995) (# 44) and Apollo 13 (1995) (# 34)
- Musicals or dance films were represented by: Cabaret (1972) (# 47), Superlative Lid (1935) (# 45), Sat Night Fever (1977) (# 41), the soundtrack of American Graffiti (1973) (# 37), The Panthera leo King (1994) (# 29), Singin' In the Rain (1952) (# half dozen), and The Magician of Oz (1939) (# four)
- Westerns were represented by only two films: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) (# 46), and John Ford'due south The Searchers (1956) (# xviii)
- Archetype dramas were represented by: On the Waterfront (1954) (# 40), Insubordinate Without a Cause (1955) (# 31), Gone With the Wind (1939) (# 28), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) (# 25), All About Eve (1950) (# 23), Raging Bull (1980) (# xx), To Impale a Mockingbird (1962) (# v), and Casablanca (1942) (# 2)
- Horror films (and mystery/suspense films) included: Helpmate of Frankenstein (1935) (# 50), Otto Preminger's murder mystery Laura (1944) (# 39), the scary The Exorcist (1973) (# 26), Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) (# eleven), Chinatown (1974) (# 9), and Psycho (1960) (# eight)
- Gangster/cop films included: Muddy Harry (1971) (# 49), The Godfather (1972) (# 7), and The Godfather Role II (1974) (# 1)
- Entertaining action-adventure films included: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (# 43), The African Queen (1951) (# 35), and The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (# 27)
- Only a few picture show noirs were represented: Double Indemnity (1944) (# 24) and Sunset Blvd. (1950) (# 16)
- Epics or Biopics included: Apollo 13 (1995) (# 34), Schindler's Listing (1993) (# 33), Gone With the Wind (1939) (# 28), Raging Bull (1980) (# xx), The Godfather (1972) (# seven), Denizen Kane (1941) (# 3), and The Godfather Office II (1974) (# 1)
- Family films or children'southward films included: Babe (1995) (# 44), The Lion King (1994) (# 29), Pinocchio (1940) (# xiii), Frank Capra'south Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946) (# 12), and The Wizard of Oz (1939) (# iv)
- Comedies were well-represented by: Modern Times (1936) (# 42), The Graduate (1967) (# 36), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Cease Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) (# 32), writer/director Preston Sturges' The Palm Beach Story (1942) (# thirty), Ernst Lubitsch'due south Ninotchka (1939) (# 22), with Greta Garbo, Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977) (# 21), the Marx Brothers' lunatic anti-war comedy Duck Soup (1933) (# nineteen), Baton Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959) (# 17) with Marilyn Monroe, The Philadelphia Story (1940) (# 15) with Katharine Hepburn, and Howard Hawks' classic screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby (1938) (# xiv)
- Films with Romance included: The Tranquility Human being (1952) (# 48), The Graduate (1967) (# 36), The Palm Embankment Story (1942) (# 30), Gone With the Air current (1939) (# 28), Ninotchka (1939) (# 22), Annie Hall (1977) (# 21), Some Like It Hot (1959) (# 17), The Philadelphia Story (1940) (# 15), Bringing Up Baby (1938) (# 14), and Casablanca (1942) (# 2)
- There were simply a few animations in the Television set Guide list: The Lion Male monarch (1994) (# 29), and Pinocchio (1940) (# xiii), and there were some animatronics in Baby (1995) (# 44)
- The top ten films in the Telly Guide selections were all films that Filmsite.org had selected for its superlative 100 list, including Arthur Penn'southward landmark film Bonnie and Clyde (1967) (# 10), director Roman Polanski's modern-twenty-four hours noir Chinatown (1974) (# ix), Alfred Hitchcock's archetype slasher Psycho (1960) (# 8), Coppola's first gangster film The Godfather (1972) (# vii), the archetype Gene Kelly musical Singin' In the Rain (1952) (# 6), the courtroom-related drama To Impale a Mockingbird (1962) (# v), the family unit favorite The Sorcerer of Oz (1939) (# 4), Orson Welles' masterpiece Citizen Kane (1941) (# 3), the perennial romance Casablanca (1942) (# 2), and The Godfather Function II (1974) (# one)
- Films that Filmsite.org has also selected for its top 100 list included these films in their bottom 25: Bride of Frankenstein (1935) (# 50), John Ford'due south Irish gaelic archetype with John Wayne The Quiet Human (1952) (# 48), the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers archetype Superlative Hat (1935) (# 45), Charlie Chaplin's Mod Times (1936) (# 42), Marlon Brando's powerhouse performance in On the Waterfront (1954) (# forty), the first modern blockbuster Jaws (1975) (# 38), director Mike Nichols' generational comedy The Graduate (1967) (# 36), Humphrey Bogart's Oscar-winning performance in John Huston's The African Queen (1951) (# 35), Steven Spielberg's Holocaust ballsy Schindler's List (1993) (# 33), Stanley Kubrick's classic black comedy Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to End Worrying and Dear the Flop (1964) (# 32), rebel James Dean in Nicholas Ray's Insubordinate Without a Cause (1955) (# 31), and the yard Ceremonious War epic Gone With the Wind (1939) (# xxx) with Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable
Besides run across another list of TV Guide'due south picks from their March 24-30, 2001 event - they offered their list of cinematic greatness - the 50 Greatest Moving-picture show Moments of All Time.
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Source: https://www.filmsite.org/tvguide.html
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