We've made some changes
to The Sunday Times
You may be suffering from list exhaustion. There are so many about, and especially on film. But this one is different. Yes, of course we’d say that. But having read endless Top 100 film lists, we felt short-changed. Sure, they’re definitive in their way, but they don’t have many surprises. This one aims to be all-encompassing, certainly, and authoritative. But it is also intended to cause debate and maybe consternation.
None of us — myself, my fellow critics at The Times and my editor Tim Teeman — realised how contentious this list would be to compile. We didn’t want simply to rearrange the furniture as other lists do. Nor to kow-tow to monolithic critical masterpieces routinely crowned year on year.
There are some spectacular casualties. Citizen Kane (1941) failed to cut the mustard. The genius of Orson Welles was not to be denied. But it was felt that his sour and seedy thriller Touch of Evil (1958) was not only equally audacious in terms of pure film-making, but also had greater resonance than Kane.
Some omissions are too painful to talk about: Groundhog Day, The Servant, The Lives of Others, Psycho, The English Patient. (All my choices naturally.) Tastes vary dramatically, and you would be amazed how few critics will fall on their swords when it comes to such a fraught subject. That said, the list looks far fresher and younger than any of us dared hope. The number of recent releases vying for places near the summit is a surprise. I shall be horrified if anyone agrees with every one of our choices. The point of The Times Top 100 Films of All Time is to stimulate argument, and sharpen your own thoughts about the ingredients that make great movies.
Debate our list online (timesonline.co.uk/top100films) and see a clutch of the films on the big screen in The Times/Warner Movies that Matter season (for details see pages 20-21).
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Dersu Uzala is not Russian but Japanese (Akira Kurosawa). But still an excellent movie ...
JAG, Lausanne,
no time bandits? just who do you think you are?
Samuel Honywill, Bath, UK
The Russian film Dersu Uzala should at least be in the top ten, more like the top five. The Third Man should be in the top 20.
Rod Smith, Mission, Canada
The list is refreshing. The iconoclastic selections supports my view that movies are ephemeral pleasures, and the films are designed to entertain. Most of the movies I see are forgettable, to be enjoyed once, like Iron Man. It's hard to believe an adult would rate ET so highly.
mike williams, NY, USA
This list is an absolute joke. How can The Breakfast Club be the 22nd best film ever made, when The Seventh Seal, A Matter of Life, Citizen Kane and Death and the Seven Samurai (to name but a few) did not even make the top 100?!
Robert Wilson, Darlington, UK
The list has opened up some debate amongst friends and there are some surprising omissions- The Pianist should be in the top 10.
Julie Wing, Aylesbury,
It achieved exactly what it was set out to achieve, Order and priority have given way for a need to generate posts.
If employment or bonuses are defined by the controversy and number of post, well, be assured that employment for the next week is assured but any longer is very dubious.
Jaxs, Croydon, UK
"[T]his one is different . . . This one aims to be all-encompassing, certainly, and authoritative."
Surely you jest.
This is just another highly conventional and unsurprising list, but with a few shockers to stimulate baffled responses like this one.
James, Melbourne,
Shallow, amateurish, ad hoc jumble of what appears to be someone's personal favorites with no indication of having gone through any form of process of formal assessment against a set of criteria re: what makes a truly great film. Disappointing to see an alleged professional create this.
Robin McCubbin, Etobicoke, Canada
Yeah, putting There Will Be Blood at the #2 slot is very indicative of the (dubious) quality of this list. I understand you want to spice things up, but we all saw the movie less than half a year ago. Classics, like it or not, are proven by time. Just a handful of critics' personal favorites.
Michael, NYC, USA
Ok, a list by the critics for the critics. Well done.
How about a list by the people for the people?
Mark, Southampton, UK
This list does not read like a well-debated result by film afficionados, but rather someone's personal favourites with dubious taste.
To exclude Citizen Kane, 7 Samurai and Shawshank and yet include There Will Be Blood at number 2 immediately makes this list redundant. Go back and try again!
Martin, Leeds, UK
Point Break!? No, really. Point Break!?
Rob , La Mesa, CA, USA
this list is far too shmaltzy for me,Casablanca,ET ican feel the tears welling. Unfortunately the tears are for the great films left out.
1.hitchcocks 39 steps,surely the first of the english thrillers
2.arsenic and old lace,you cry here but of laughter
3the 7 samurai,must be a top 5 film
barry yuill, hawkesbury upton, england
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - 33. What?? Possibly 3 would be closer to where it deserves. Yes, no Se7en, Fight Club or anything. What is going on? Picnic at Hanging Rock is a good movie, but how does it squeeze into the top quarter, ahead of the likes of Silence of the Lambs and One Flew.....??
Luke, Sydney, Australia
Glad to see Chunking express, Toy story & matrix but NO SE7EN or Citizen Kane or It's a wonderful Life,or even Fight club, Infernal affairs & Carlito's way. what pills have you been popping?For me Se7en & Citizen Kane can't be beat for their perfect combination of style & substance.
Vishal Kotecha, Harrow, United kingdom
This is the worst list I've ever seen.
Sal, Miami, US
I had a quick look and stopped at number 21 - where whatever credibility your list might have had flew out the window. Dumb.
george, melbourne,
"This one aims to be all-encompassing, certainly, and authoritative."
A list without "Se7en", "Fight Club" and "Adaptation" is none of the above.
Stimulate argument? Sure, but do not claim the other stuff.
What on earth are your justifications and reasonings, anyway?
D. Lindberg, Ballerup, Denmark
No Lawrence of Arabia? Sorry, can't take the list seriously for that reason alone. I'd love to hear the arguement for its exclusion. Glad Kane is not No 1, but it should be on the list even though I hate the ending with a passion.
Paul V, London, UK
All of these commenst just go to show how subjective any list is. I would not inlcude many, if any of this top 100 in my list, but I have a predilection for black and white movies (but NOT Citizen Kane), plus Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
David Leslie, Perth, Scotland
NETWORK is a better film than half of the pictures on this list. And now more timely than ever. An unforgivable omission.
Todd Carpenter, Conroe, U.S.A.
How could they omit THE THIRD MAN>>>? ? ?
That film has long been recognized as possibly the greatest British film ever made...and certainly one of the world's best!
Garth Rex, Glendale Heights, USA
addmittedly, we have different tastes. Critics' choices are, IMO, often 'affected' by prevailing film biz consensus. 'No Country for Old Men' was a ghastly experience and I will never watch it again. Amercian Beauty & English Patient were forgettable for me. Sixth Sense was pretty clever wasn't it?
Colin, Shaftesbury , UK
High Society on a Top 100 list? Now, that is a new Low! Honestly, your list looks lready dated.
bisvas, Oslo,
A Touch Of Evil? Like A Touch Of Frost? A touch of anything else?
bisvas, Oslo,
As one film fan who has always been admittedly blase about "Citizen Kane," I think all my personal "essentials" have been included: "Gone With the Wind," "Singin' in the Rain," "North By Northwest," "The Lady Eve" and a big hand for remembering "A Star is Born," one of my personal favorites.
Sean, Muncie, USA
Thank you for ending the mindless worship of Citizen Kane, a movie I have never seen because I fall asleep in the middle.
But leaving off Schindler's List is inexplicable, and nearly unforgiveable. And why Empire Strikes Back, when Star Wars was the one that mattered?
Rachel, Austin, US
By the way: It is "À bout de souffle" not "A bout de soffle"....
Michael, Berlin, Germany
I just can't believe the small number of non-English language films!
Gesine Oppitz-Trotman, Norwich,
I do commend you for taking on the arduous task of compiling this list. A few questions though. Why did Singin' In the Rain not make the list? and why There Will Be Blood and not No Country for Old Men?
just wondering what you focused on when viewing these films.
Meg, SF,
It is hard to believe anyone that makes a "best in film" list that does not represent Buster Keaton [despite his influence on the Marx Brothers], or Chaplin. Very disappointing...and I concur with Michael from Cambridge on the absurdity of having There Will Be Blood that high on the list.
Marc, Lansing, USA
I cannot believe that 'heat' didn't make it! why is this one of the most brilliant and yet criminally overlooked films of all time? What? you don't like Michael Mann films? You think Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are already in the list, so why bother when 2 of cinema's titans share some screen time
Greg, croydon, england
No Citizen Kane in 100 movies? How can you be taken seriously?
tom, Palatine, USA
I'm not sure what is more frustrating, that There Will Be Blood is #2 or that Pulp Fiction is #59
marty, Chicago,
I would include Gladiator, Blood Diamond, Life is Beautiful, Midnight Express, Layer Cake and on a lighter note, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins in my list.
Lucy, Henley-on-Thames, England
The inclusion of THERE WILL BE BLOOD on an "All Time Top 100" list when the film has been in release less than six months is utterly absurd. Otherwise, a surprisingly interesting and rather fresh take. Seeing THE SOUND OF MUSIC ranked so highly (#11) made my heart spin and sing.
Michaël, Cambridge, MA, USA
THE TOWERING INFERNO?!? And, please, no, not THE MATRIX, I beg you. These entries alone call into question the entire enterprise, but, really, this is quite the most bizarre list of it's kind I've ever seen in a reputable publication. Where is A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, THE GENERAL and, yes, 7 SAMURAI?
Stephen Russell, Wellfleet, United States
Interesting choices, but all it proves is that top 100 lists are not to be trusted. I don't disagree with your list any more or less than I do with AFI's. It's pretty much the same thing with a couple foreign films and a couple Keanu Reeves (?) films thrown in, anyway.
Pat , Champaign, USA
Of course, this list could never be definitive. You are right, and indeed brave to exclude the normally untouchable Shawshank.
On the other hand, there are more than 100 films better than "The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
We could all go on. That's the beauty of it.
Andrew Forbes, Thames Ditton, Surrey
Shadowlands not there? Brilliant witty script, great acting, wonderful setting, moving true story. Should be in the top ten!
I think also Lawrence of Arabia, 'And a River Runs Through It, From Here to Eternity, and Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources are omissions.
Bill Culshaw, Worcester, Engl
Bill Culshaw, Worcester, England
I agree with E. Wimbury. The Third man...not in the list!!?? Other great ones too are not given a mention.. A Michael Powell/ Emeric Pressburger masterpiece, BLACK NARCISSUS. (U.K. 1946) The colour photography..Acting..Direction..the lot ! All magnificent . . Roland R. Peach
Roland R Peach, Kingston vale, England
I could almost allow Dr. Strangelove not to make the top 50, but not there at all? No Lord of the Rings? No Henry Fonda's 12 Angry Men? Film critic street cred gone, the lot of you!!
Bruce Dawson, Royton, Lancs, United Kingdom
Very suprised that The Shawshank Redemption didn't feature in your list. Believe this is recognised by all film critics as being one of the Top 10 of all time. Real life, brilliant acting/narration by Morgan Freeman, gut-wrenching 40years worth, lived through it with them. Seen it 5 times.
Brian Townson, Bognor Regis, England
What about The Third Man. Atmosphere. Gripping story. One only has to hear that zither and one sees Vienna in ruins at the end of the War and the brooding figure of Harry Lime..For me It has everything. Some of the films in your List are minnows compared with it.
E,Wimbury, Doncaster,
More re-ordering! Films to stand the test of time' !! If you really new anything about film, then Brakhage's Dogstar Man would be listed, as would Len Lye's Particles in Space. Brakhage is the Picasso of film. He was so far ahead of his Time, no one as yet has taken in the real dimension of his art.
Steve Lightfoot, Sheffield, uk
I agree with the majority of the films mentioned in the top 100 films of all time. I was surprised though to see that there was no mention of The Lord of the Rings, Double Indemnity, and the Star Wars Trilogy Part IV to VI. Also on Film 34 it was Lee Marvin not Lee Van Cleef who was shot by Doniphon
Mike Ferris, Swansea, Wales