The American Film Institute Crowns TOP 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres

The American Film Institute Crowns TOP 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, CITY LIGHTS, THE GODFATHER, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, RAGING BULL, THE SEARCHERS, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, VERTIGO and THE WIZARD OF OZ All Named #1 in Their Genre

LOS ANGELES, June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Film Institute (AFI) tonight revealed the 10 greatest movies in 10 classic American film genres in AFI's 10 TOP 10, a three-hour special television event on the CBS Television Network. A jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians named the following films as the very best in the following genres: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Science Fiction), CITY LIGHTS (Romantic Comedy), THE GODFATHER (Gangster), LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (Epic), RAGING BULL (Sports), THE SEARCHERS (Western), SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (Animation), TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Courtroom Drama), VERTIGO (Mystery) and THE WIZARD OF OZ (Fantasy).

AFI's 10 TOP 10 enlisted hosts for each genre including: Jessica Alba for Romantic Comedy; Sean Astin for Fantasy; Gabriel Byrne for Mystery; Kirk Douglas for Epic; Clint Eastwood for Westerns; Cuba Gooding, Jr. for Sports; Jennifer Love Hewitt for Animation; Quentin Tarantino for Gangster; Sigourney Weaver for Sci-Fi; and James Woods for Courtroom Drama.

"This year's celebration of the art form is ten times the fun for movie lovers," said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale. "And another chapter in our mandate to drive audiences to discover and rediscover the classics of American film."

   AFI's 10 TOP 10 honorees are:    ANIMATION    1   SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS                             1937   2   PINOCCHIO                                                   1940   3   BAMBI                                                       1942   4   THE LION KING                                               1994   5   FANTASIA                                                    1940   6   TOY STORY                                                   1995   7   BEAUTY AND THE BEAST                                        1991   8   SHREK                                                       2001   9   CINDERELLA                                                  1950   10  FINDING NEMO                                                2003     FANTASY    1   THE WIZARD OF OZ                                            1939   2   THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING           2001   3   IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE                                       1946   4   KING KONG                                                   1933   5   MIRACLE ON 34th STREET                                      1947   6   FIELD OF DREAMS                                             1989   7   HARVEY                                                      1950   8   GROUNDHOG DAY                                               1993   9   THE THIEF OF BAGDAD                                         1924   10  BIG                                                         1988     GANGSTER    1   THE GODFATHER                                               1972   2   GOODFELLAS                                                  1990   3   THE GODFATHER PART II                                       1974   4   WHITE HEAT                                                  1949   5   BONNIE AND CLYDE                                            1967   6   SCARFACE: THE SHAME OF A NATION                             1932   7   PULP FICTION                                                1994   8   THE PUBLIC ENEMY                                            1931   9   LITTLE CAESAR                                               1930   10  SCARFACE                                                    1983     SCIENCE FICTION    1   2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY                                       1968   2   STAR WARS: EPISODE IV - A NEW HOPE                          1977   3   E.T. - THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL                                1982   4   A CLOCKWORK ORANGE                                          1971   5   THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL                               1951   6   BLADE RUNNER                                                1982   7   ALIEN                                                       1979   8   TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY                                  1991   9   INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS                              1956   10  BACK TO THE FUTURE                                          1985     WESTERN    1   THE SEARCHERS                                               1956   2   HIGH NOON                                                   1952   3   SHANE                                                       1953   4   UNFORGIVEN                                                  1992   5   RED RIVER                                                   1948   6   THE WILD BUNCH                                              1969   7   BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID                          1969   8   McCABE & MRS. MILLER                                        1971   9   STAGECOACH                                                  1939   10  CAT BALLOU                                                  1965     SPORTS    1   RAGING BULL                                                 1980   2   ROCKY                                                       1976   3   THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES                                    1942   4   HOOSIERS                                                    1986   5   BULL DURHAM                                                 1988   6   THE HUSTLER                                                 1961   7   CADDYSHACK                                                  1980   8   BREAKING AWAY                                               1979   9   NATIONAL VELVET                                             1944   10  JERRY MAGUIRE                                               1996     MYSTERY    1   VERTIGO                                                     1958   2   CHINATOWN                                                   1974   3   REAR WINDOW                                                 1954   4   LAURA                                                       1944   5   THE THIRD MAN                                               1949   6   THE MALTESE FALCON                                          1941   7   NORTH BY NORTHWEST                                          1959   8   BLUE VELVET                                                 1986   9   DIAL M FOR MURDER                                           1954   10  THE USUAL SUSPECTS                                          1995     ROMANTIC COMEDY    1   CITY LIGHTS                                                 1931   2   ANNIE HALL                                                  1977   3   IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT                                       1934   4   ROMAN HOLIDAY                                               1953   5   THE PHILADELPHIA STORY                                      1940   6   WHEN HARRY MET SALLY ...                                    1989   7   ADAM'S RIB                                                  1949   8   MOONSTRUCK                                                  1987   9   HAROLD AND MAUDE                                            1971   10  SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE                                        1993     COURTROOM DRAMA    1   TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD                                       1962   2   12 ANGRY MEN                                                1957   3   KRAMER VS. KRAMER                                           1979   4   THE VERDICT                                                 1982   5   A FEW GOOD MEN                                              1992   6   WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION                                 1957   7   ANATOMY OF A MURDER                                         1959   8   IN COLD BLOOD                                               1967   9   A CRY IN THE DARK                                           1988   10  JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG                                       1961     EPIC    1   LAWRENCE OF ARABIA                                          1962   2   BEN-HUR                                                     1959   3   SCHINDLER'S LIST                                            1993   4   GONE WITH THE WIND                                          1939   5   SPARTACUS                                                   1960   6   TITANIC                                                     1997   7   ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT                              1930   8   SAVING PRIVATE RYAN                                         1998   9   REDS                                                        1981   10  THE TEN COMMANDMENTS                                        1956     Interesting facts about the list include:  

-- The earliest entry on the list is THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (Fantasy) from 1924; with the most recent being FINDING NEMO (Animated) from 2003.

-- Alfred Hitchcock is the most represented director with 4 films; Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick follow with 3 entries each.

-- James Stewart is the most represented actor with 6 entries; Tom Hanks is next with 4; Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, James Earl Jones, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino and John Wayne all have 3 films each.

-- Diane Keaton is the most represented actress with 4 films on the list; Grace Kelly and Talia Shire each have 3 entries.

To compile the final list, AFI distributed a ballot with 500 nominated movies (50 per genre) to a jury of over 1,500 leaders from the creative community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers), critics and historians.

AFI asks jurors to consider the following criteria in their selection process:

   FEATURE-LENGTH FICTION FILMS   Narrative format, typically over 60 minutes in length.    AMERICAN FILM  

English-language film with significant creative and/or production elements from the United States. Additionally, only films released before January 1, 2008 will be considered.

   GENRE:    ANIMATED  

AFI defines "animated" as a genre in which the film's images are primarily created by computer or hand and the characters are voiced by actors.

FANTASY

AFI defines "fantasy" as a genre where live-action characters inhabit imagined settings and/or experience situations that transcend the rules of the natural world.

GANGSTER

AFI defines the "gangster film" as a genre that centers on organized crime or maverick criminals in a twentieth century setting.

SCIENCE FICTION

AFI defines "science fiction" as a genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation.

WESTERN

AFI defines "western" as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier.

SPORTS

AFI defines "sports" as a genre of films with protagonists who play athletics or other games of competition.

MYSTERY

AFI defines "mystery" as a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime.

ROMANTIC COMEDY

AFI defines "romantic comedy" as a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.

COURTROOM DRAMA

AFI defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film's narrative.

EPIC

AFI defines "epic" as a genre of large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past. Their scope defies and demands-either in the mode in which they are presented or their range across time.

   CRITICAL RECOGNITION   Formal commendation in print, television and digital media.    MAJOR AWARD WINNER  

Recognition from competitive events including awards from peer groups, critics, guilds and major film festivals.

POPULARITY OVER TIME

Including success at the box office, television and cable airing, and DVD/VHS sales and rentals.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

A film's mark on the history of moving images through visionary narrative devices, technical innovation, or other ground breaking achievements.

   CULTURAL IMPACT   A film's mark on American society in matters of style and substance.    AFI allows one write-in vote per genre.   

At the conclusion of AFI's 10 TOP 10 special at 11:00 p.m. EDT, AFI will premiere a companion web site at http://www.afi.com/ that will feature over 400 video clips about all 100 movies within the 10 genres. The site will also feature movie trailers and interview clips, AFI Catalog entries, movie stills and posters. Users can also download all of AFI's popular movie lists, and can comment about their favorite movies on the site. The site will also feature a new edition of 'AFI's 10 TOP 10 Movie Quiz' that tests players' knowledge of the movies from the 10 genres.

The primetime special was executive produced and directed by Gary Smith; executive produced for AFI by former AFI Board Chair Emeritus Frederick S. Pierce; and produced by Dann Netter. SFM Entertainment LLC is the distributor of the program. Sponsors of the series have included Pepsi, Best Buy, Breyers, ConAgra, Procter & Gamble, Anheuser-Busch, Colgate-Palmolive, Sony and all major motion picture companies.

About the American Film Institute

AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: American Film Institute

CONTACT: Alison Deknatel of American Film Institute, +1-323-856-7896,
adeknatel@AFI.com; or Matt Lifson, +1-323-202-1047,
matthew.lifson@edelman.com, or Grace Chang, +1-323-202-1422,
grace.chang@edelman.com, both of Edelman for AFI; or Diane Ekeblad,
+1-323-575-2029, diane.ekeblad@tvc.cbs.com, or Kelli Raftery, +1-212-975-3163,
kraftery@cbs.com, both of CBS

Web site: http://www.afi.com/

---

Profile: International Entertainment