newcritics

The AFI updated—by repolling—its 100 Greatest American Films list on the 10th anniversary of when they first did it (and following all the sub-lists that the original spawned: best lines, best romances, best heroes/villains.)

It’s a list that is institutional and MOTR by nature, and as such, has limited value. But what is fascinating are the changes in the list between the original and its 21-century incarnation.

There are many, but the Top 10 are the most fun to look at.

#10
2007: Wizard of Oz. Down from #6. A little slippage, but nothing significant.
1997: Singing in the Rain

#9
2007: Vertigo. Up from #61!!!. Now that’s a re-appreciation. In the Vertigo vs. Rear Window debate, I’m firmly in the Rear Window camp. So if I were going to bump Hitchcock into the Top Ten, it wouldn’t include Kim Novak.
1997: Schindler’s List

#8
2007: Schindler’s List. Moved up one rung.
1997: On the Waterfront. Didn’t make the 2007 Top Ten. Ended up at #19.

#7
2007: Lawrence of Arabia. Was #5 in 1997. I hate to see it lose ground.
1997: The Graduate. Didn’t make Top Ten, came in at #17. The newer generation just doesn’t understand the significance of plastics.

#6
2007: Gone With the Wind. Was #4 in 1997. Slipped a little. I liked Cameron Crowe’s comment: “Clark Gable did all the heavy lifting.” And for me, it is always #1 (I am a simple woman at heart.)

It did come in #1 in the AFI’s Best Line of 100 Films. But what was so disappointing there is that not one of the talking heads understood the actual history and context of “I don’t give a damn.” In 1939 it was beyond shocking to curse in a film. Our sensibilities toward language have been desensitized in general—and most certainly to the quaint “damn”—to the point that we can’t imagine it as shocking. But my grandfather once explained this to me so cogently that I really understand why the line was emblazoned on the collective filmgoers consciousness. But that understanding has been lost to the ages (and for you Lincoln-philes, I don’t mean angels.)
1997: The Wizard of Oz

#5
2007: Singing in the Rain. I am very surprised that this has moved up 5 whole slots within the Top Ten. Personally I find myself further and further cut off from its charm, and that’s after I account for the fact in the Kelly vs. Astaire debate, I’m on the Astaire team. Can Stanley Donen have that much pull in Hollywood?
1997: Lawrence of Arabia

#4
2007: Raging Bull. Up from #24 in 1997. This move makes sense.
1997: Gone with the Wind

#3
2007: Casablanca. Was #2 in 1997. One of the most painful moments of the whole AFI special was William Friedkin comparing the love story in Titanic to Casablanca. Saying that for all the action of the wet saga, what draws people in is the love story, just like Casablanca does. Mentioning these two films in the same breath—IS HE CRAZY??? Titanic has, hands down, the worst script in Hollywood history. Casablanca’s is the most sublime. If you care about language, you don’t play around with a glib comparison like that. It’s like people who compared Titanic to Gone With the Wind, because they are both really long movies. Some days I don’t know how to share the planet with people who think like this . . . .
1997: The Godfather

#2
2007: The Godfather. Moved up one rung. Godfather, Part II, still referred to as the best “sequel” in movie history. Will that film ever be considered on its own?
1997: Casablanca

#1
2007: Citizen Kane
1997: Citizen Kane
The only Top Ten to hold its position over the ten-year span. It is a great film, but I wonder if there is a little lack of imagination that we can’t collectively see another film in that #1 position.

Edward Copeland on Film has the full 100 title lists up from both years, and notes some of the bigger changes.