Noticed in the ‘net news that the BBC webpage published a
feature on what they thought to be the 100 Best Movies made in America. Interesting gambit by the Brits because the
hit list has generated exactly what BBC wanted: a bit of cheeky controversy at
the expense of the Yanks. And, it heaped
attention on BBC’s news website.
_____________
Editor’s
Note:
At
the end of this post, Pillar to Post lists BBC’s Top 100 List of American Made Movies, plus the American
Film Institute’s Top 100 and Time Magazine’s 2011 opus to top 100 films
worldwide.
_____________
As a career long city magazine writer/editor, many of my
editorial colleagues will agree with me that conducting readers’ polls and
publishing the results is simply a gimmick to attract readership. It’s media
making news rather than media reacting to the news events of the day.
For example, “The City’s Most Eligible Bachelors/Bachelorettes”
was a poll feature that generated way too much attention every time we ran with
it when I was at the helm of San
Francisco Magazine and San Diego
Magazine. In San Diego, when the
magazine ran its most eligible article, the local daily newspaper ran an entire
full-page feature on the results. Of
course, when one is a brash to a fault, 25-year-old editor in chief, the
attention we received was relished, plus our circulation department appreciated
the huge increase in copy sales for that issue.
In San Francisco, a month after publishing San Francisco’s “Most
Eligible Bachelors,” I was served a subpoena.
It seems one of our bachelors, who posed for our photo next to his
Aston-Martin, wasn’t quite single. Years
later, I will confess, our due diligence on determining eligibility to appear
in the article was simply asking: “...do you want to be in the story?” If they
said yes, we took them at their word that they were not married.
 |
| October 1982 |
Alas, the owner of the exotic imported car had fibbed. He was in the throes divorce proceedings and wasn’t quite foot loose and fancy free. His about to be ex-wife had her lawyer press the magazine for information on the sports car. She accused him of hiding assets because he never had an Aston-Martin when they were married. You think?
When I was served the subpoena along with my fried calamari, I
was dining with buddies at what was then a popular media restaurant, the
Washington Square Bar & Grill. The
legal notice was greeted with mock importance.
By the end of the evening, we were all howling with outrage.
Because the publication could not afford an attorney to fight
(quash) the subpoena on the grounds a journalist is protected by California law
from revealing his or her news sources, I was able to convince a lawyer friend
to defend us pro bono. It remains high
sport in San Francisco to “stick it to the legal system.”
We immediately called a press conference. Because our offices at the magazine were
small, I asked a friend, who owned Mumms, a popular night club of the day if we
could borrow his space to hold the press conference.
We sent our media alerts for our 11 am announcement that we were
going to fight the subpoena and not reveal our sources.
Same day, back at the office, I received a call from the local
bureau chief of a prestigious East Coast daily newspaper. He snorted, “The New York Times does not attend press conferences held in a night
club.”
Undeterred, the press conference went on as planned. I delivered the magazine’s plan of action to
the room filled with the staff of San Francisco Magazine, and the lawyers of
both parties, plus only one other member of the media who bothered to attend: a
reporter with the Los Angeles Times.
Our adventure with the subpoena was of interest at the LA Times because at the time one of
their reporters, William Farr, was in jail for refusing to divulge his sources. I was told off the record that the LA Times felt it was compelled to offer
coverage to other shield law happenings.
The Eligible Bachelor press conference drew front page
news. The LA Times, In a small block down at the bottom of the page a small
story gave the bare bones of the case and it quoted the newspaper as saying
(and I paraphrase from memory) that “this is perhaps the most silly reason to
ask for protection of the California Shield Law, but nonetheless the quashing
of the subpoena must be granted.”
Within a week, the subpoena was lifted much to the delight of
our publisher. The judge stated that the
offended party could obtain the same information by other means outside of the
judicial process.
The world was now safe for more most eligible bachelor articles.
CINEMA TOP 100 FILMS OF ALL TIME
(according to:)
BBC’S
100 GREATEST AMERICAN FILMS
In recognition of the astounding influence of the US on what
remains the most popular art-form worldwide, BBC Culture has polled 62
international film critics to determine the 100 greatest American films of all
time.
100. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
99. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
98. Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980)
97. Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
96. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
95. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
94. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)
93. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
92. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
91. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
90. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
89. In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
88. West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961)
87. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
86. The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)
85. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)
84. Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972)
83. Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
82. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
81. Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)
80. Meet Me in St Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
79. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
78. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
77. Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
76. The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
75. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
74. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
73. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
72. The Shanghai Gesture (Josef von Sternberg, 1941)
71. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
70. The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli, 1953)
69. Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 1982)
68. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
67. Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936)
66. Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948)
65. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1983)
64. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)
63. Love Streams (John Cassavetes, 1984)
62. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
61. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
60. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
59. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
58. The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
57. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
56. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
55. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
54. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
53. Grey Gardens (Albert and David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and
Muffie Meyer, 1975)
52. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
51. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
50. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
49. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
48. A Place in the Sun (George Stevens, 1951)
47. Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock, 1964)
46. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
45. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962)
44. Sherlock Jr (Buster Keaton, 1924)
43. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls, 1948)
42. Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
41. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
40. Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid,
1943)
39. The Birth of a Nation (DW Griffith, 1915)
38. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
37. Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)
36. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)
35. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
34. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
33. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
32. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
31. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
30. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
29. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
28. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
27. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
26. Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1978)
25. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
24. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
23. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
22. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
21. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
20. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
19. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
17. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
16. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
15. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
14. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
13. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
12. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
11. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
9. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
8. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
7. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
6. Sunrise (FW Murnau, 1927)
5. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
3. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
2. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
TIME MAGAZINE’S
TOP 100 WORLDWIDE (as of 2011)
Back in 2011, Richard Schickel and Richard Corliss, two of Time
Magazine’s long-time movie critics compiled a top 100 all-time list. The two Richard’s compilation (with a nod to
the Time webpage staff) put together a fascinating review. Each movie is given a mini-biography, which
makes this list so compelling.
http://entertainment.time.com/2005/02/12/all-time-100-movies/
Aguirre: The Wrath of God Werner
Herzog 1972
The Apu Trilogy Satyajit
Ray 1955
The Awful Truth Leo
McCarey 1937
Baby Face Alfred
E. Green 1933
Bande à part Jean-Luc
Godard 1964
Barry Lyndon Stanley
Kubrick 1975
Berlin Alexanderplatz Rainer
Fassbinder 1980
Blade Runner Ridley
Scott 1982
Bonnie and Clyde Arthur
Penn 1967
Brazil Terry
Gilliam 1985
Bride of Frankenstein James
Whale 1935
Camille George
Cukor 1936
Casablanca Michael
Curtiz 1942
Charade Stanley
Donen 1963
Children of Paradise Marcel
Carne 1945
Chinatown Roman
Polanski 1974
Chungking Express Wong
Kar Wai 1994
Citizen Kane Orson
Welles 1941
City Lights Charles
Chaplin 1931
City of God Fernando
Meirelles 2002
Katia
Lund
Closely Watched Trains Jiri
Menzel 1966
The Crime of Monsieur Lange Jean
Renoir 1936
The Crowd King
Vidor 1928
D - F
Day for Night Francois
Truffaut 1973
The Decalogue Krzysztof
Kieslowski 1989
Detour Edgar
G. Ulmer 1945
Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Luis Bunuel 1972
Dodsworth (1936) William
Wyler 1936
Double Indemnity Billy
Wilder 1944
Dr. Strangelove Stanley
Kubrick 1964
Drunken Master II Chia-Liang
Liu 1994
Jackie
Chan
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial Steven
Spielberg 1982
8 ½ Federico
Fellini 1963
The 400 Blows Francois
Truffaut 1959
Farewell My Concubine Kaige
Chen 1993
Finding Nemo Andrew
Stanton 2003
Lee
Unkrich
The Fly David
Cronenberg 1986
G - J
The Godfather, Parts I and II Francis
Ford Coppola 1972, 1974
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Sergio
Leone 1966
Goodfellas (1990) Martin
Scorsese 1990
A Hard Day’s Night Richard
Lester 1964
His Girl Friday Howard
Hawks 1940
Ikiru Akira
Kurosawa 1952
In A Lonely Place Nicholas
Ray 1950
Invasion of the Body Snatchers Don
Siegel 1956
It’s A Gift Norman
Z. McLeod 1934
It’s a Wonderful Life Frank
Capra 1946
K - M
Kandahar Mohsen
Makmalbaf 2001
Kind Hearts and Coronets Robert
Hamer 1949
King Kong Merian
C. Cooper 1933
Ernest
B. Schoedsack
The Lady Eve Preston
Sturges 1941
The Last Command Josef
Von Sternberg 1928
Lawrence of Arabia David
Lean 1962
Léolo Jean-Claude
Lauzon 1992
The Lord of the Rings Peter
Jackson 2001
The Man with a Movie Camera Dziga
Vertov 1929
The Manchurian Candidate John
Frankenheimer 1962
Meet Me in St. Louis Vincent
Minelli 1944
Metropolis Fritz
Lang 1927
Miller’s Crossing Coen
Brothers 1990
Mon oncle d’Amérique Alain
Resnais 1980
Mouchette Robert
Bresson 1967
N - P
Nayakan Mani
Ratnam 1987
Ninotchka Ernst
Lubitsch 1939
Notorious Alfred
Hitchcock 1946
Olympia, Parts 1 and 2 Leni
Riefenstahl 1938
On the Waterfront Elia
Kazan 1954
Once Upon a Time in the West Sergio
Leone 1968
Out of the Past Jacques
Tourneur 1947
Persona Ingmar
Bergman 1966
Pinocchio Hamilton
Luske 1940
Ben
Sharpsteen
Psycho Alfred
Hitchcock 1960
Pulp Fiction Quentin
Tarantino 1994
Purple Rose of Cairo Woody
Allen 1985
Pyaasa Guru
Dutt 1957
Q - S
Raging Bull Martin
Scorsese 1980
Schindler’s List Steven
Spielberg 1993
The Searchers John
Ford 1956
Sherlock, Jr. Buster
Keaton 1924
The Shop Around the Corner Ernst
Lubitsch 1940
Singin’ in the Rain Stanley
Donen, Gene Kelly 1952
The Singing Detective Jon
Amiel 1986
Smiles of a Summer Night Ingmar
Bergman 1955
Some Like It Hot Billy
Wilder 1959
Star Wars George
Lucas 1977
A Streetcar Named Desire Elia
Kazan 1951
Sunrise F.W.
Murnau 1927
Sweet Smell of Success Alexander
Mackendrick 1957
Swing Time George
Stevens 1936
T - Z
Taxi Driver Martin
Scorsese 1976
Tokyo Story Yasujiro
Ozu 1953
A Touch of Zen King
Hu 1971
Ugetsu Kenji
Mizoguchi 1953
Talk to Her Pedro
Almodovar 2002
Ulysses’ Gaze Theo
Angelopoulos 1985
Umberto D Vittorio
De Sica 1952
Unforgiven Clint
Eastwood 1992
White Heat Raoul
Walsh 1949
Wings of Desire Wim
Wenders 1987
Yojimbo Akira
Kurosawa 1961
AMERICAN
FILM INSTITUTE’S TOP 100 AMERICAN LIST (as of 2007).
In 2007, the American Film Institute updated its original 1998
compilation of the Greatest American Films of all time. More than 1,500 leaders
from across the American film community – screenwriters, directors, actors,
producers, cinematographers, editors, executives, film historians and critics were
tasked to choose from a list of 400 nominated films compiled by AFI to select
the 100 greatest American films. Here’s
the list in order of greatness: http://www.afi.com/100years/movies10.aspx
1. Citizen Kane 1941
2. Casablanca 1942
3. Godfather 1 1972
4. Gone with the Wind 1939
5. Lawrence of Arabia 1962
6. The Wizard of Oz 1939
7. The Graduate 1967
8. On the Waterfront 1954
9. Schindler’s List 1993
10. Singin’ in the Rain 1952
11. It’s a Wonderful Life 1946
12. Sunset Boulevard 1950
13. The Bridge River Kwai 1957
14. Some Like it Hot 1959
15. Star Wars 1977
16. All About Eve 1950
17. The African Queen 1951
18. Psycho 1960
19. Chinatown 1974
20. One Flew/Cuckoo’s Nest 1975
21. Grapes of Wrath 1940
22. 2001: Space Odyssey 1968
23. Maltese Falcon 1941
24. Raging Bull 1980
25. E.T. 1982
26. Dr. Strangelove 1964
27. Bonnie and Clyde 1967
28. Apocalypse Now 1979
29. Mr. Smith Wash DC 1939
30. Treasure/Sierra Madre 1948
31. Annie Hall 1977
32. Godfather 2 1974
33. High Noon 1952
34. To Kill a Mockingbird 1962
35. It Happened One Night 1934
36. Midnight Cowboy 1969
37. Best Years of Our Lives 1946
38. Double Indemnity 1944
39. Dr. Zhivago 1965
40. North By Northwest 1959
41. West Side Story 1961
42. Rear Window 1954
43. King Kong 1933
44. Birth of a Nation 1915
45. Streetcar Named Desire 1951
46. A Clockwork Orange 1971
47. Taxi Driver 1976
48. Jaws 1975
49. Snow White 1937
50. Butch Cassidy 1969
51. Philadelphia Story 1940
52. From Here to Eternity 1953
53. Amadeus 1984
54. All Quiet Western Front 1930
55. Sound of Music 1965
56. MASH 1970
57. Third Man 1949
58. Fantasia 1940
59. Rebel Without a Cause 1955
60. Raiders Lost Ark 1981
61. Vertigo 1958
62. Tootsie 1982
63. Stagecoach 1939
64. Close Encounters 1977
65. Silence of the Lambs 1991
66. Network 1976
67. Manchurian Candidate 1962
68. American in Paris 1951
69. Shane 1953
70. French Connection 1971
71. Forrest Gump 1994
72. Ben-Hur 1959
73. Wuthering Heights 1939
74. Gold Rush 1925
75. Dances with Wolves 1990
76. City Lights 1931
77. American Graffiti 1973
78. Rocky 1976
79. Deer Hunter 1978
80. Wild Bunch 1969
81. Modern Times 1936
82. Giant 1956
83. Platoon 1986
84. Fargo 1996
85. Duck Soup 1933
86. Mutiny on the Bounty 1935
87. Frankenstein 1931
88. Easy Rider 1969
89. Patton 1970
90. Jazz Singer 1927
91. My Fair Lady 1964
92. A Place in the Sun 1951
93. The Apartment 1960
94. Goodfellas 1990
95. Pulp Fiction 1994
96. The Searchers 1956
97. Bringing up Baby 1938
98. Unforgiven 1992
99. Guess/Coming to Dinner 1967
100. Yankee Doodle Dandy 1942
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