AFI's Top 100: Count Down the Films (1)

[D] Citizen Kane | Orson Welles was only 25 when he revolutionized cinema with this newspaper magnate saga. That final whispered word refers to his childhood sled.

[B] The Godfather | Coppola cast Brando against studio wishes. Oranges appearing in scenes became an omen predicting death would follow shortly after.

[B] Casablanca | Writers rewrote daily during production. Nobody knew the ending until shooting wrapped. The piano tune became immortal despite initial doubts.

[C] Raging Bull | De Niro gained sixty pounds between filming sequences. Scorsese shot boxing matches like religious rituals, emphasizing the brutal choreography beautifully.

[B] Singin' in the Rain | Kelly insisted on authentic rain, refusing fake Hollywood tricks. The iconic umbrella dance required perfect timing despite water complications.

[C] Gone With the Wind | Vivien Leigh won her role just weeks before filming began. Burning Atlanta used old movie sets as fuel for spectacular pyrotechnics.

[B] Lawrence of Arabia | Director Lean filmed entirely on location across Jordan's genuine deserts. O'Toole's striking blue eyes captivated audiences without special effects needed.

[A] Schindler's List | Spielberg shot in black and white deliberately. The little girl's red coat provides the only color, symbolizing lost innocence powerfully.

[C] Vertigo | Hitchcock created the famous dolly zoom technique here. The spiraling visuals matched Stewart's character descending into obsessive madness perfectly.

[C] The Wizard of Oz | Judy Garland wore uncomfortable blue gingham throughout. The ruby slippers were actually silver in Baum's original novel version.

[D] City Lights | Chaplin stubbornly created silent films when talkies dominated. His flower girl recognition scene remains emotionally devastating after ninety years.

[D] The Searchers | Ford filmed in Monument Valley, establishing its iconic Western status. Wayne's final doorway framing symbolizes his character's permanent outsider nature.

[C] Star Wars | Lucas borrowed heavily from samurai films and mythological structures. Williams' orchestral score elevated space opera into something genuinely epic.

[A] Psycho | Hitchcock killed his leading lady halfway through, shocking audiences completely. The infamous shower scene took seven days filming meticulously.

[D] 2001: A Space Odyssey | Kubrick avoided dialogue extensively, preferring visual storytelling. That bone transitioning into a spaceship represents humanity's entire evolutionary journey.

[B] Sunset Blvd. | Silent star Gloria Swanson played a faded actress brilliantly. Wilder's narrator speaks from a swimming pool as a corpse.

[B] The Graduate | Nichols used negative space cinematically, isolating Benjamin visually. That church escape was improvised when Hoffman actually banged the glass frantically.

[D] The General | Keaton crashed real locomotives for authenticity. His stone-faced expressions during dangerous stunts became legendary for their perfect comic timing.

[A] On the Waterfront | Brando improvised the taxi speech with Steiger. Kazan's gritty docks exposed union corruption through Method acting techniques powerfully.

[A] It's a Wonderful Life | Initially flopped commercially but gained Christmas classic status decades later. Stewart's desperate prayer scene remains heartbreakingly raw.

[D] Chinatown | Polanski's ending refused Hollywood's required happy conclusions. Towne's script exposed California's dark water wars through noir conventions brilliantly.

[B] Some Like It Hot | Monroe, Curtis, and Lemmon created comedy gold through gender disguise. That final punchline became cinema's most perfect closing line.

[C] The Grapes of Wrath | Ford transformed Steinbeck's Depression novel cinematically. Cinematographer Gregg Toland made poverty look hauntingly beautiful through dramatic lighting.

[C] E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial | Spielberg filmed children at their eye level throughout. That bicycle flying silhouette became Universal Studios' iconic logo forever.

[B] To Kill a Mockingbird | Peck's gentle righteousness defined Atticus Finch perfectly. The film taught American children about justice through Scout's innocent perspective.

[D] Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Stewart filibustered for hours onscreen, collapsing authentically exhausted. Capra celebrated idealism when cynicism was fashionable politically.

[A] High Noon | The film unfolds in real time, building unbearable tension. Cooper's marshal faces evil alone when his entire town abandons him.

[A] All About Eve | Bette Davis delivered bitingly sharp dialogue as an aging actress. Mankiewicz wrote Hollywood's backstage ambitions with surgical wit.

[C] Double Indemnity | Stanwyck's ankle bracelet became noir's sexiest murder weapon. Chandler and Wilder crafted dialogue so sharp it still cuts deeply.

[A] Apocalypse Now | Coppola mortgaged everything to finish his war nightmare. Sheen's actual breakdown during the mirror scene made it disturbingly authentic.