Since the 100 Greatest polls don't seem to get the best reaction on here, I wondered what you'd make of a list where critics (not the public) get to decide.

So here's Halliwell's (who's Film Guide I get for Christmas every year) Top 100 Films of all time:

1. Tokyo Story
Japan, 1953, Yasujiro Ozu

2. La Règle du Jeu
France, 1939, Jean Renoir

3. Lawrence of Arabia
GB, 1962, David Lean

4. The Godfather Trilogy
US, 1972, 1974, 1990, Francis Ford Coppola

5. The Seven Samurai
Japan, 1954, Akira Kurosawa

6. Citizen Kane
US, 1941, Orson Welles

7. Raging Bull
US, 1980, Martin Scorsese

8. Vertigo
US, 1958, Alfred Hitchcock

9. Some Like It Hot
US, 1959, Billy Wilder

10. 8½
Italy, 1963, Federico Fellini

11. Doctor Strangelove
GB, 1963, Kubrick

12. Singin’ in the Rain
US, 1952, Kelly

13. Taxi Driver
US, 1976, Scorsese

14. The Searchers
US, 1956, Ford

15. The Seventh Seal
Sweden, 1957, Bergman

16. Sweet Smell of Success
US, 1957, Mackendrick

17. Sunset Boulevard
US, 1950, Wilder

18. The Third Man
GB, 1949, Reed

19. The Apu Trilogy
India, 1955, 1956, 1959, Ray

20. Les Enfants du Paradis
France, 1945, Carné

21. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
France/Spain/Italy, 1972, Buñuel

22. Andrei Rublev
USSR, 1966, Tarkovsky

23. The Passion of Joan of Arc
France, 1928, Dreyer

24. Viridiana
Spain/Mexico, 1961, Buñuel

25. Toy Story
US, 1995, Lasseter

26. Rashomon
Japan, 1951, Kurosawa

27. Wild Strawberries
Sweden, 1957, Bergman

28. To Be or Not to Be
US, 1942, Lubitsch

29. Sunrise
US, 1927, Murnau

30. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
US/New Zealand, 2001-3, Jackson

31. 2001: A Space Odyssey
GB, 1968, Kubrick

32. The Battle of Algiers
Algeria/Italy, 1965, Pontecorvo

33. Alexander Nevsky
USSR, 1938, Eisenstein

34. Belle de Jour
France/Italy, 1967, Buñuel

35. Casablanca
US, 1942, Curtiz

36. GoodFellas
US, 1990, Scorsese

37. Tristana
Spain/Italy/France, 1970, Buñuel

38. The Magnificent Ambersons
US, 1942, Welles

39. Breaking the Waves
Denmark/Sweden/ France/Netherlands, 1996, Von Trier

40. Sullivan’s Travels
US, 1941, Sturges

41. Frankenstein
US, 1931, Whale

42. The Battleship Potemkin
USSR, 1925, Eisenstein

43. Double Indemnity
US, 1944, Wilder

44. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
US, 1975, Forman

45. Weekend
France/Italy, 1968, Godard

46. Jules et Jim
France, 1962, Truffaut

47. À Bout de Souffle
France, 1960, Godard

48. Bonnie and Clyde
US, 1967, Arthur Penn

49. Wings of Desire
France/West Germany, 1987, Wenders

50. Fitzcarraldo
West Germany, 1982, Herzog

51. If . . .
GB, 1968, Anderson

52. The Wild Bunch
US, 1969, Peckinpah

53. The Red Shoes
GB, 1948, Powell, Pressburger

54. Annie Hall
US, 1977, Allen

55. Tom Jones
GB, 1963, Richardson

56. On the Waterfront
US, 1954, Kazan

57. West Side Story
US, 1961, Wise

58. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
GB, 1960, Reisz

59. The Grapes of Wrath
US, 1940, Ford

60. Great Expectations
GB, 1946, Lean

61. The Leopard
US/Italy, 1963, Visconti

62. Schindler’s List
US, 1993, Spielberg

63. Ashes and Diamonds
Poland, 1958, Wajda

64. A Nous la Liberté
France, 1931, Clair

65. Antoine Doinel Tetralogy
France/Italy, 1959-79, Truffaut

66. Mr Smith Goes to Washington
US, 1939, Capra

67. Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday
France, 1953, Tati

68. Laurel and Hardy Shorts
US, 1928-38, Parrott/Horne/Kennedy/Marshall/French/Blystone

69. Chinatown
US, 1974, Polanski

70. Star Wars Trilogy
US, 1977/80/83, Lucas/Kershner/Marquand

71. Gosford Park
US/GB, 2001, Altman

72. Rear Window
US, 1954, Hitchcock

73. Aguirre, Wrath of God
West Germany, 1972, Herzog

74. A Short Film About Killing
Poland, 1988, Kieslowski

75. M*A*S*H
US, 1970, Altman

76. Viskningar och Rop
Sweden, 1972, Bergman

77. All the President’s Men
US, 1976, Pakula

78. Cabiria
Italy/France, 1957, Fellini

79. King Kong
US, 1933, Cooper

80. Gone with the Wind
US, 1939, Fleming, Cukor, Wood

81. All Quiet on the Western Front
US, 1930, Milestone

82. Fanny and Alexander
Sweden/France/West Germany, 1982, Bergman

83. North by Northwest
US, 1959, Hitchcock

84. The Band Wagon
US, 1953, Minnelli

85. Yojimbo
Japan, 1961, Kurosawa

86. Brief Encounter
GB, 1945, Lean

87. Deliverance
US, 1972, Boorman

88. Fargo
US, 1996, Coen

89. Cabaret
US, 1972, Fosse

90. Once Upon a Time in America
US, 1984, Leone

91. Days of Heaven
US, 1978, Malick

92. The Adventures of Robin Hood
US, 1938, Keighley/Curtiz

93. High Noon
US, 1952, Zinnemann

94. His Girl Friday
US 1940, Hawks

95. Manhattan
US, 1979 Allen

96. Duck Soup
US, 1933, McCarey

97. Henry V
GB, 1944, Olivier

98. This is Spinal Tap
US, 1984, Reiner

99. Bad Day at Black Rock
US, 1955, Sturges

100. The Graduate
US, 1967, Nichols

Pretty bloody brilliant, although another Lean film; Dark Narcissus wasn't on there. I liked that alot.

-m0r

I've only seen 40 of those. Shameful. I was surprised (and gratified) to see Spinal Tap there.

You know, I've never really understood why Some Like It Hot is always rated so highly.

19.The Apu trilogy. Sound brilliant.

No top films list should include "2001: A Space Odyssey" - it's shit. Why does no-one ever agree with me?

HAL is a scary mo-fo, up there with Vader and Walken

-m0r

It's shit.

I agree with you.

People only ever remember the 40 minutes or so that are good and forget the incredible dullness of the 2 hours surrounding it.

The original draft was just 2 hours of Kubrick sticking his head up his own arse. It would have been much more entertaining.

The bit with Hal is fun no question; but people forget scenes like them going out to fix the ship in essentially real time. It's about half an hour of no dialogue. Impressive in 1969 when people we're amazed to see people floating as if in space, but dull as shit now.

Don't get me started on the monkey suits...

It would have been at least entertaining if they'd been... human about it. You know... normal dialogue and that.




"Oh shit I've dropped my spanner. Oh maaan, it's just floating away. Hey Gary, you got a spare five and three-quarters?"

"Hang on, let me have a look. No, just a five and a half."

"Bollocks. I can't put this panel back on then."

"Crap, what does it do?"

"Dunno. Just covers over these electric switch thingies here."

"You reckon we can cope without it?"

and so on

Talking of directors with heads up arses - what's that Godard's Weekend all about, eh? Pile of wank as far as I'm concerned.

No Coens
No Leigh
No Loach
No Anderson

Having said that - I guess all of the films in that list are 'good', so to sepak - beyond that it's down to personal taste. And there's always the element of the people that decide these lists being even bigger cultural snobs than some of us.

I always find it reassuring to discover that there are bigger snobs in the world than me.

It's nice to see Toy Story there, although i'm a bit surpised it's so high up.

Im surprised the Weekend at Bernies isnt rated......

Fargo and If... are in there.

I think he means Paul Thomas Anderson.

Or Wes Anderson?

P.T. and Wes are both in my top five.

Now you see my top 100 would have contained both South Park and Beavis and Butthead Do America - both cutting satires at the state of the USA but overlooked by the critics. I suppose they think they're immature or something.

31: 2001
88: Fargo

I rest my case

I agree with you. Extremely over rated in my opinion.

I missed Fargo cos I'm tired and I wanna go home.

I did indeed mean Wes, although Magnolia would be in my top 100.

I think Chapman was being a smartarse.

Winkie.

Because it's not!

I always wondering about Singing In The Rain. Is that really that good? I prefer On The Town.

Not deliberately, but it's nice to know I can be a smartarse without even trying.

I'm with rabbit on the merits of 2001 - I think it's great. I can see why you might think otherwise, though.

It takes years of practice - you are doing well, my son - soon there will be your initiation.

Before this, you must face your final task of joining the Chortle forums - there you will truly see smartarsery in all it's glory.

It's not a bad list..at least those that voted have probably seen most if not all the films there, and many more to boot. Though I really hate that they put trilogies, a load of short films and a series of 10 (!) films, as one choice each.




Do you mean "Black Narcissus" by Pressburger/Powell (who were surprisingly under-represented in the list)...the one about the nuns?

Because it's not only brilliant, it's flawless. Can't say that about too many films.
Heavy list. Granted some overrated guff on there but isn't there always? And as much as I can see the artistry in Ozu's work they are really difficult to get through in one sitting. I guess the Everybody Must Love Japan Now craze has hit all brows.

2001 is far from shit but also quite a way from being Kubrick's best.

Oh yes..it really is. Other than the amazing opening number I never thought On The Town ever came to close to Singin In The Rain. But then its not just the film itself that I like, its the feeling of absolute joy I get watching it that makes me love it so much.

As for its appearance on the list, well for some reason critics always seem to love films about Hollywood.

Spot on. Along with North By Northwest and Toy Story, I'd say that it is one of the most perfect American films ever made. Doesn't necessarily make them my favourites, but they are in there.

I'd say the same about Bullitt but nobody's ever with me on that one.

Nah! Your on your own there mate Actually, its one of those "classics" I've never sat down and watched properly..along with Third Man, African Queen and Mr Smith Goes To Washington. Should really get my arse in gear.

Bullitt always cops a raw deal. All anybody mentions about it is the (continuity nightmare) car chase which is brilliant, but to only focus on that is an insult to the 104 minutes of film surrounding it.

I thought it was an alright film. I just wasn't terribly impressed with it & wonder what all the hoopla is about. And the car chase is really nothing special these days. And the continuity problems are just so glaring!

I tried to even watch it with a different frame of mind ie 1970s, and I still didn't see it. And I'm a huge McQueen fan.

Wheres the Big Leboswski?

probably down the bowling alley. dude.

well i'm a snob but not a film snob having only ever watched about ten movies in my life. so i'll talk about what i know. ( for a change )

2001 is a great film for many reasons, the main one being the total immersion experience. i don't know if you've ever seen it in a cinema but watching on the big screen is about as exciting as film watching gets especially when nothing is happening. its poetic and balletic.

sostie - i'm surprised at you not having seen 'the third man', my all time favourite film of all time. i won't start going on about it, suffice to say it was ranked no1 in the bfi list of best british films. watch it and love it.

'singing in the rain' is the most joyful explosion of dance and music, a love letter to itself from hollywood and the film industry, the pinnacle of the studio musical factory line. if you aren't moved by this film you must be made of cardboard. i still cry everytime i see it, but at different scenes on every viewing.

The Third Man - yes I know I'm missing out, just never got round to seeing it..I shall dig out my copy..if I can find it.

As for Singin' In The Rain - couldn't (and didn't) put it better myself

It reads like a list of films that people with no actual interest in cinema would make. There's virtually nothing in there that suggests any thought has gone into it.

Wonderfully put.



Well, I am going to have to have a good sit down and watch it properly.

yes, do. your happy muscles will love you for it.

Heh - I just snorted with laughter. Thanks, pots. Thots.

I read the title of this thread and the first thing I asked myself was can Geri Halliwell count to 100?

In that case didn't you also wonder how she came to be associated with the word 'respectable'?

It reads to me like a list of films made by people who think there's hardly been any decent films made from about 1980 onwards... That list is absolute utter toss imho.

You're right, it reads like that too.

Tokyo Story sound very dull indeed.

I was very glad to see All the Presidents Men there, it's an absolutely fantastic film that a suprising amount of people haven't seen, I only watched it quite recently due to Goldman's writing credits.
Redford and Hoffman have a real chemistry, not quite that of Butch and Sundance but the dynamic is still very interesting. I adore the way much of the story is told using jottings on the writers notepad, you just feel so involved in the action, as though your uncovering the mystery along side Woodward and Bernstein. Goldman's on top form with the witty banter:

Harry Rosenfeld: Bernstein, why don't you finish one story before trying to get on another?
Carl Bernstein: I finished it.
Harry Rosenfeld: The Virginia legislature story?
Carl Bernstein: I finished it.
Harry Rosenfeld: All right, give it to me.
Carl Bernstein: I'm just polishing it.

Anyway enough rambling, this film's a must see

These things are always rubbish, yet I always look at them. No Chaplin or Keaton? That's just wrong.

As for Billy Wilder, I'd rate The Seven Year Itch and The Apartment above Some Like It Hot and I'd certainly have The Lost Weekend in there too. He did well in the list though (Some Like It Hot, Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard).