AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions

In a CBS telecast that aired a few hours ago, the American Film Institute revealed their list of what they considered to be the hundred greatest romantic films of the 20th century. Here is the complete list:

1. "Casablanca," 1942

2. "Gone With the Wind," 1939

3. "West Side Story," 1961

4. "Roman Holiday," 1953

5. "An Affair to Remember," 1957

6. "The Way We Were, 1973

7. "Doctor Zhivago," 1965

8. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946

9. "Love Story," 1970

10. "City Lights," 1931

11. "Annie Hall," 1977

12. "My Fair Lady," 1964

13. "Out of Africa," 1985

14. "The African Queen," 1951

15. "Wuthering Heights," 1939

16. "Singin' in the Rain," 1952

17. "Moonstruck," 1987

18. "Vertigo," 1958

19. "Ghost," 1990

20. "From Here to Eternity," 1953

21. "Pretty Woman," 1990

22. "On Golden Pond," 1981

23. "Now, Voyager, 1942

24. "King Kong," 1933

25. "When Harry Met Sally...," 1989

26. "The Lady Eve," 1941

27. "The Sound of Music," 1965

28. "The Shop Around the Corner," 1940

29. "An Officer and a Gentleman," 1982

30. "Swing Time," 1936

31. "The King and I," 1956

32. "Dark Victory," 1939

33. "Camille," 1937

34. "Beauty and the Beast," 1991

35. "Gigi," 1958

36. "Random Harvest," 1942

37. "Titanic," 1997

38. "It Happened One Night," 1934

39. "An American in Paris," 1951

40. "Ninotchka," 1939

41. "Funny Girl," 1968

42. "Anna Karenina," 1935

43. "A Star Is Born," 1954

44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940

45. "Sleepless in Seattle," 1993

46. "To Catch a Thief," 1955

47. "Splendor in the Grass," 1961

48. "Last Tango in Paris," 1972

49. "The Postman Always Rings Twice, 1946

50. "Shakespeare in Love," 1998

51. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938

52. "The Graduate," 1967

53. "A Place in the Sun," 1951

54. "Sabrina," 1954

55. "Reds," 1981

56. "The English Patient," 1996

57. "Two for the Road," 1967

58. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," 1967

59. "Picnic," 1955

60. "To Have and Have Not," 1944

61. "Breakfast at Tiffany's," 1961

62. "The Apartment," 1960

63. "Sunrise," 1927

64. "Marty," 1955

65. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967

66. "Manhattan," 1979

67. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951

68. "What's Up, Doc?," 1972

69. "Harold and Maude," 1971

70. "Sense and Sensibility," 1995

71. "Way Down East," 1920

72. "Roxanne," 1987

73. "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," 1947

74. "Woman of the Year," 1942

75. "The American President," 1995

76. "The Quiet Man," 1952

77. "The Awful Truth," 1937

78. "Coming Home," 1978

79. "Jezebel," 1939

80. "The Sheik," 1921

81. "The Goodbye Girl," 1977

82. "Witness," 1985

83. "Morocco," 1930

84. "Double Indemnity," 1944

85. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," 1955

86. "Notorious," 1946

87. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," 1988

88. "The Princess Bride," 1987

89. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," 1966

90. "The Bridges of Madison County," 1995

91. "Working Girl," 1988

92. "Porgy and Bess," 1959

93. "Dirty Dancing," 1987

94. "Body Heat," 1981

95. "Lady and the Tramp," 1955

96. "Barefoot in the Park," 1967

97. "Grease," 1978

98. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," 1939

99. "Pillow Talk," 1959

100. "Jerry Maguire," 1996

Now that the list has been revealed, what do you all think of it? Were there any major omissions? Are there films that made it that shouldn't have? How many of the films listed are you familiar with? How did you find the telecast? And finally, what is your favorite romantic film?


I have to admit, I'm only familiar with a few of the films listed above, so I can't really form an opinion on the list as a whole. But that's the good thing about these lists; they make you aware of the films that you haven't seen.

As far as glaring omissions go, I think Chasing Amy, The Little Mermaid, Say Anything and Snow White and the Seven

 

Glad to see someone else who likes Beauty and the Beast . I'll have to study the list and form my own opinions on it. Lots of interesting films on it.

 

Titanic? Someone gag me with a lightsaber! And where the Hell is Star Wars!


GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..........

Specs

 

Titanic belongs on there, and high up at that.

 

Yes, King Kong being ranked high was definitely stretching it. And I agree that Snow White and the Seven Dwarves needed to be on there somewhere.

 

Say what you will about Titanic, but it didn't make all that money because of the special FX. The love story was very strong, IMHO.

And Star Wars: A New Hope is not a love story by any means, SPECTOR.

 

Hmm, I can't think of any glaring omissions, but I think Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a little strange of an inclusion - the couple barely touched in that film, let a lone kissed. The whole film was more of a political statement than a romance. *shrugs*

I was pleasantly suprised by The Sheik, though. It's a great film, but, because of it's age, quite forgotten by time.

 

Such as it is, two of my favorite film love stories are not on the list. The dual romances in Braveheart have always struck a chord in me, as did the love story in American Beauty.

 

A Streetcar Named Desire!? That's romantic?

 

1stAD, have you either read or seen Streetcar?

 

1stAD, have you either read or seen Streetcar?

I'd like to know, too.

And I could be missing it, but I didn't see another Tennessee Williams play, On the Waterfront, on the list. That was pretty passionate.

 

Yes, Stanley abuses his wife, rapes Blanche, I've read the play and seen the film. I'd categorize the film more along the lines of social commentary on the state of gender relations, not a romance.

I also think On the Waterfront would have been a more suitable choice than Streetcar.

 

Umm, just to be sure, when did On The Waterfront become one of Tennesse Williams' plays? I don't think you can find many bigger fans of the movie in the JC, but I'm glad it's not on the list. Streetcar, on the otherhand, is just exploding with passion every minute on screen. I think you have to look past romance to understand why it's on the list, but this thing is steaming.

I somewhat agree on Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, it does seem more about a debate than the romance itself. Not so sure on King Kong and Bonnie and Clyde, the genre might not seem like it, but you could explain the plot by its passions. Of course, these are tearjerkers like An Affair to Remember, and I do see the stretch, but I think it's better than AFI's stretching on the thrillers list. That was bad.

 

It was "passionate" films, not "romantic" films, wasn't it? I think all of these have different levels of passion, but I generally agree with their list.

Streetcar is all about passion - passion for someone else, passion for your own needs, passion for life, etc.

King Kong was stretching it, but The Quiet Man was right on. That movie is all about passion.

One glaring omission for me was Zeferelli's Romeo and Juliet. That should have most definitely been on the list. Lust, passion, secret marriage, sex, death. It's all there!

 

I see where you're coming from cbjedi. But if you look at the example they gave from It's A Wonderful Life, the scene where they are sharing the phone is incredibly romantic and passionate. I also think that in general, the passion in that film is about his passion for life and the people he loves.

 

The love story from Wonderful Life has always seemed pretty neat to me.

Personally, I'm glad that the following films made it as romances:


Sleepless In Seattle
Casablanca
Princess Bride
Witness
Roman Holiday
Roxanne
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Philadelphia Story
Quiet Man
When Harry met Sally . . .
West Side Story

Those are the best off the list in my opinion for sheer romance. Great love stories. That said I don't think they should be tied down to that genre exclusively. They all work as excellent story telling ventures and are either funny or suspenseful along with the romance. In my opinion, that's what makes a good romance film. Good storytelling. Just like any other film.

Others perhaps stretch it a bit.

King Kong isn't a love story by any means.

Bonnie and Clyde and Vertigo are iffy, but since it's about passion, I'll let them slide since they're both such great films.

Annie Hall shouldn't be here either. I kind of thought the point of that film is that there was no real love involved in any of the relationships.

City Lights isn't really a great love story either in my opinion. I've never seen the poignancy in that film that others do.

Wuthering Heights is not a love story, but it is a story about passion, I guess.

As far as From Here to Eternity goes, it's one of my favorite films, but the love stories in that film never work quite as well as the personal conflicts in my opinion. It's obviously only here because of Lancastar and Kerr on the beach as the tide rolls in.

I'd agree with cbjedi. Most of these films are great, but the genre is weird. This crazy stuff started with the Thrillers list which was such a wacky mismash of all kinds of films it was ludicrous. The AFI seems to be continuing the trend of picking a genre and then applying ever film ever made to that genre.

 

Umm, just to be sure, when did On The Waterfront become one of Tennesse Williams' plays?

Sorry, I meant to mention Elia Kazan instead of Williams.

 

Say Anything... was a big omission, imho. I still like it better than Cameron Crowe's movie which did make the list (barely), Jerry Maguire.

But Casablanca at number 1? Great choice.

Did anyone else notice that in many of the top 10 movies on this list, the primary couple doesn't end up together?

 

So if King Kong is considered a love story... would it be beastiality? Actually, Kong did love the girl, even if she didn't love him.

And I love Kevin Smith's films, but Chasing Amy is in a class by itself, light years ahead of his other stuff. It should have been in their somewhere. I guess the voters don't like exsessive swearing, and probably deem the gay aspects of 'Amy' as wrong.

And I don't agree that Snow White should be on the list. A guy comes out of nowhere and kisses her, and that's love? Please. Maybe Cinderella, but not Snow White. And the previously mentioned Romeo and Julliette should be on their as well.

 

"And I don't agree that Snow White should be on the list. A guy comes out of nowhere and kisses her, and that's love? Please."

Yes, it's an overwhelmingly simple and implausible romance, but I've always found the film as a whole to be very romantic. But in the context of the rest of the list, I'd have to say that the two animated films chosen fit better.

 

The important thing about the AFI list was that it was NOT the 100 greatest romances and love stories of all time, it was the greatest PASSIONS. Therefore, many of the films which are in debate are, in respect, suitably placed.

While at first thought I didn't understand how It's a Wonderful Life (one of my favorite films) was listed so high, it is a very passionate film, though the relationship between George and Mary isn't necessarily centerpiece. George is passionate about everything he does, even considering suicide. While the rose background and "La Vie En Rose" playing in the background, it makes us think the list is for the greatest romances, while it's actually about the passions.

King Kong, yes, that was a little awkward, but....the gorilla was passionate for Faye Raye. But Vertigo was most definately a passionate film, if a little twisted, as were many of the films that ranked high yet seemed to lack romance.

Overall, I was just happy Casablanca was #1, one of the most truly passionate films of all time with such a memorable ending.

 

Here's the criteria for the list, from the AFI web site:

*Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes in length.

* American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.

* Love Story: Regardless of genre, a romantic bond between two or more characters, whose actions and/or intentions provide the heart of the film?s narrative.

* Legacy: Films whose "passion" have enriched America?s film and cultural heritage while continuing to inspire contemporary artists and audiences.

 

"*Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes in length."

I assume that this is why "Boys Don't Cry" wasn't on the list. I finally got around to seeing it last night. I've never cried like that while watching a movie... In fact, I can only remember one other time when I actually did cry like that. (Getting choked up now as a matter of fact.)

Hey wait a second! Titanic wasn't fiction!!!

 

The tragedy was real, the love story was ficticious (except for the blah blah blah disclaimer about how it does not intentionally resemble any events or characters). Therefore, Titanic's "passion" counts as fiction.

 

Ironically, Titanic's 'passion' was the worst thing about that movie!