100 Cheers-America's Most Inspiring Movies

[rain Bard]

Since when is Babe an American film?

Didn't you get the memo? Best Picture nominees automatically become honorary American films.

I'm surprised they didn't put LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL on this list.

[rudeboy]

Since when is Babe an American film?

There are a number of movies on there that inspire vomiting more than anything else. Most of the expected suspects show up, although its refreshing (I guess) that The Shawshank Redemption, perhaps the most overrated good movie in the world these days, doesn't crack the top twenty.

Glad to see the always under-appreciated Breaking Away so high.

[Eric]

I have about as much use for this list as any of AFI's previous lists (which is to say, pretty much none at all except for an easy target to bitch about), but I will say this is the best match-up between a list topic and its #1 slot-holder since Citizen Kane on the first list.

[Big Magilla]

I guess you had to watch the TV show to get why these films were included. The Karate Kid was a favorite of Jessica Alba and Milla Jovovich growing up. They both had crushes on Ralph Macchio. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was inspirational because of the Native American character's breaking out. I don't think they explained why Saving Private Ryan was inspirational. They merely interviewed Spielberg on his motivation for the film.

I think the idea this time around was to focus on minority representation, which has been lacking in previous compilations. So, we not only get generous clips of Will Sampson in Cuckoo's Nest, but various Indians in Dances With Wolves, Pat Morita in The Karate Kid, Haing S. Ngor in The Killing Fields, Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, Sessue Hayakawa in The Bridge on the River Kwai, Sam Jaffe in Gunga Din, Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips in Stand and Deliver, Brock Peters in To Kill a Mockingbird, Carl Weathers in Rocky, Denzel Washington in Philadelphia and Glory, Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy, Glory and The Shawshank Redemption, Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield in Sounder, Louis Gossett, Jr. in An Officer and a Gentleman, Angela Bassett in What's Love Got to Do With It, Laurence Fishburne in What's Love Got to Do With It and Searching for Bobby Fischer, Danny Glover in Places in the Heart and The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Puprle, James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams and Star Wars, Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda, Jamie Foxx in Ray and of course Sidney Poitier in In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Lilies of the Field, A Raisin in the Sun and The Defiant Ones. Somehow they manged to leave out clips of Hattie McDaniel and Butterlfy McQueen in Gone With the Wind and Dooley Wilson in Casablanca.

The AFI was so wrapped up in its dutiful ode to minorities that president Jane Pickens Falkenburg (I think that's her name) payed tribute to Sidney Poitier as the most represented actor on the list completely ignoring Gary Cooper whose own representation of five films was remarkable for an actor who has been dead for 45 years.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's a fine thing to recognize the inspiration provided by these minority characters, but does anyone really think Stand and Deliver is more inspirational than Goodbye, Mr. Chips or the aliens in E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Day the Earth Stood Still more inspirational than the clerygmen played by Gregory Peck in The Keys of the Kingdom and Richard Todd in A Man Called Peter? Madame Curie may have been an inspiration to many women, but so was Audrey Hepburn's Sister Luke in The Nun's Story, a far more satisfying portrait of the lives of nuns than The Sound of Music.

Is Mickey Rooney the only representative of the Golden Age of Hollywood they could find? I had no problem with him talking about Captains Courageous, after all he was in it, but Madame Curie?



Edited By Big Magilla on 1150413952

[The Original BJ]

I, too, was shocked when the show began with Chariots of Fire, a film I thought would place much higher.

But I completely disagree about the foreign language film thing (not that they should be included among American films, but that there should be a separate list of the greatest foreign lingo pics.) If the AFI's knowledge of American film history is so spotty, I shudder to think of what foreign films would comprise such a list.

[Penelope]

I personally think it would be interesting if the AFI started recognizing foreign language films. They have a branch devoted to foreign language films (AFI International), so why not 100 Years... 100 Languages

I love this idea! I was just thinking how a movie like Amélie woulda been perfect for this Cheers list (certainly a better choice than the ones MovieWes singled out), or that (albeit in English, they weren't eligible cuz they're not American) Outrageous, The Adventures of Priscilla or Beautiful Thing woulda been a better choice than Philadelphia.

[MovieWes]

What a stupid list... Saving Private Ryan is inspirational? In what way is the most graphic war film in history inspirational? Is it because Private Ryan gets saved? One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? How is a movie in which Jack Nicholson's character gets a lobotomy and is smothered in his sleep, or that Brad Dourif slits his wrists at the end inspirational? I also don't understand the inclusion of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's an awesome movie and should be included in any top 100 movies of all-time list, but is it really an inspiring movie (other than inspiring to young filmmakers)? And I love Lawrence of Arabia to death, but I certainly don't find it to be inspirational in the context of this list.

And any list in which The Karate Kid is included should be discounted immediately.

I personally think it would be interesting if the AFI started recognizing foreign language films. They have a branch devoted to foreign language films (AFI International), so why not 100 Years... 100 Languages or something like that? It would be a nice companion piece to 100 Years... 100 Movies. Or maybe a new updated list of 100 Movies, since a lot of great films have come out since 1996 (and a lot of perspectives have changed as well... after all, Sight & Sound updates their list every ten years).

[OscarGuy]

They can include the depressing-as-hell Schindler's List and Hotel Rwanda but they exclude movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King a significantly more hopeful film than others on the list.

And, I was right. This list was just another execuse to include Casablanca and To Kill a Mockingbird...I'm surprised they didn't put Mockingbird on top but that would have been too much expected. They need to do some lists that Mockingbird and Casablanca cannot participate in...I think 100 Years...100 Scares would be great but I don't want to see 100 Years...100 War Films or 100 Years...100 Court Room Dramas...

They need to do something that doesn't feature the same-ol'-same-ol'. Maybe 100 Years...100 Visions (for sci-fi).

[Penelope]

I was surprised by the exclusion of not only Goodbye, Mr. Chips but also Now, Voyager. Additionally, I was absolutely flabbergasted when the show started out and there was Chariots of Fire at #100--I was positive it would be a top 20 film!

[Big Magilla]

The one film, however, whose omission absolutely stuns me is Goodbye, Mr. Chips. I thought it would make the top five, top ten at least.

Its omission stunned me, too, though I didn't expect it would make the top 5. It should certainly have been there in place of one of the three films about horses. Did we really need National Velvt, The Black Stallion AND Seabiscuit?



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[Big Magilla]

I believe you are correct, Penelope. Tom Hanks follows Gary Cooper and Sidney Poitier with 4 films mentioned. Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Morgan Freeman Ben Kingsley and Thomas Mitchell, along with Jean Arthur, Katharine Hepburn and Sally Field have three films listed, making it 10 to 3 for men to women represented by 3 films or more.

Is it just my impression, or does this list contain more minority representation than previous lists? I counted 21 films containing major African-American characters along with films featuring Asians, Hispanics and Native American in major roles.

Here's the complete list:

# MOVIE YEAR
1 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946
2 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 1962
3 SCHINDLER'S LIST 1993
4 ROCKY 1976
5 MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON 1939
6 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 1982
7 THE GRAPES OF WRATH 1940
8 BREAKING AWAY 1979
9 MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET 1947
10 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN 1998
11 THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES 1946
12 APOLLO 13 1995
13 HOOSIERS 1986
14 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 1957
15 THE MIRACLE WORKER 1962
16 NORMA RAE 1979
17 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST 1975
18 THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK 1959
19 THE RIGHT STUFF 1983
20 PHILADELPHIA 1993
21 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT 1967
22 THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES 1942
23 THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION 1994
24 NATIONAL VELVET 1944
25 SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS 1941
26 THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939
27 HIGH NOON 1952
28 FIELD OF DREAMS 1989
29 GANDHI 1982
30 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962
31 GLORY 1989
32 CASABLANCA 1942
33 CITY LIGHTS 1931
34 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN 1976
35 GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER 1967
36 ON THE WATERFRONT 1954
37 FORREST GUMP 1994
38 PINOCCHIO 1940
39 STAR WARS 1977
40 MRS. MINIVER 1942
41 THE SOUND OF MUSIC 1965
42 12 ANGRY MEN 1957
43 GONE WITH THE WIND 1939
44 SPARTACUS 1960
45 ON GOLDEN POND 1981
46 LILIES OF THE FIELD 1963
47 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968
48 THE AFRICAN QUEEN 1951
49 MEET JOHN DOE 1941
50 SEABISCUIT 2003
51 THE COLOR PURPLE 1985
52 DEAD POET'S SOCIETY 1989
53 SHANE 1953
54 RUDY 1993
55 THE DEFIANT ONES 1958
56 BEN-HUR 1959
57 SERGEANT YORK 1941
58 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 1977
59 DANCES WITH WOLVES 1990
60 THE KILLING FIELDS 1984
61 SOUNDER 1972
62 BRAVEHEART 1995
63 RAIN MAN 1988
64 THE BLACK STALLION 1979
65 A RAISIN IN THE SUN 1961
66 SILKWOOD 1983
67 THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL 1951
68 AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN 1982
69 THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS 1957
70 COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER 1980
71 COOL HAND LUKE 1967
72 DARK VICTORY 1939
73 ERIN BROCKOVICH 2000
74 GUNGA DIN 1939
75 THE VERDICT 1982
76 BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ 1962
77 DRIVING MISS DAISY 1989
78 THELMA & LOUISE 1991
79 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 1956
80 BABE 1995
81 BOYS TOWN 1938
82 FIDDLER ON THE ROOF 1971
83 MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN 1936
84 SERPICO 1973
85 WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT 1993
86 STAND AND DELIVER 1988
87 WORKING GIRL 1988
88 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942
89 HAROLD AND MAUDE 1972
90 HOTEL RWANDA 2004
91 THE PAPER CHASE 1973
92 FAME 1980
93 A BEAUTIFUL MIND 2001
94 CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS 1937
95 PLACES IN THE HEART 1984
96 SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER 1993
97 MADAME CURIE 1943
98 THE KARATE KID 1984
99 RAY 2004
100 CHARIOTS OF FIRE 1981



Edited By Big Magilla on 1150413931

[The Original BJ]

In all honesty, this isn't all that bad of a list, excusing the far too high placements for films like Rocky and Seabiscuit mainly because they were all but unavoidable.

The one film, however, whose omission absolutely stuns me is Goodbye, Mr. Chips. I thought it would make the top five, top ten at least.

The other thing that irks me is that Spielberg did not need THREE films in the top 10. I like the guy, but, man, talk about overloading praise on one person.

And lastly, the list seems, unsurprisingly, incredibly short-sighted: 40 percent of the listed films came from after 1980.

As far as the program goes, I must concede that I was actually rather impressed with the AFI's selection of the non-Jessica Alba guest commentators this time around. People like Sidney Poitier, Sidney Lumet, Spielberg, Jeff Bridges, Ben Kingsley, Jane Fonda, Norman Jewison, James Earl Jones, and Eva Marie Saint mark a colossal improvement over the Hilary Duffs and Ray Romanos of past years.

However, I found the pairing of certain commentators to certain films mighty obvious. How come only Don Cheadle, James Earl Jones, and Whoopi Goldberg can talk about films about black people? How cute to pair Marlee Matlin with The Miracle Worker and City Lights (the only silent film)! And was anyone surprised that Melissa Etheridge got to yak about Philadelphia, and, perhaps more subversively, going "over the rainbow" while watching The Wizard of Oz?

[Penelope]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe three actresses tied for most representation, each with 3 titles: Jean Arthur (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Shane, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), Sally Field (Norma Rae, Forrest Gump, Places in the Heart), and Katharine Hepburn (The African Queen, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, On Golden Pond)....

[Big Magilla]

'Wonderful Life' tops inspiring film list By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES - George Bailey's brother proclaimed him the richest man in Bedford Falls. Now the story of the despondent businessman, who got a chance to see how ugly the world would be without him, has been proclaimed the most inspiring American movie.

Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart as the disillusioned George, led the American Film Institute's list of inspirational films revealed Wednesday in the group's annual top-100 TV special that aired on CBS.

"We all connect to that story. We may not all connect to the story of a fighter from Philadelphia or a singing family in the Austrian Alps," said the TV special's producer, Bob Gazzale, referring to two other films on the list, "Rocky" and "The Sound of Music."

"But there's no way to get away from the inspiring story of George Bailey. It relates to us all."

"To Kill a Mockingbird," with Gregory Peck as the upright Southern dad seeking justice for a wrongly accused black man, was No. 2 on the list chosen from 300 nominated films on ballots sent to 1,500 filmmakers, actors, critics and others in Hollywood.

Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List," starring Liam Neeson as a German businessman who saves his Jewish workers from extermination by the Nazis, was No. 3

Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" was fourth, while another Capra-Stewart collaboration, the political saga "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," ranked fifth.

Spielberg landed two other films in the top 10, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (No. 6) and "Saving Private Ryan" (No. 10). Rounding out the top 10: "The Grapes of Wrath" (No. 7), "Breaking Away" (No. and "Miracle on 34th Street" (No. 9).

The 1946 classic "It's a Wonderful Life" is the story of a man who dreamed of escaping his dreary town and making a mark in the world. Circumstance traps George Bailey in tiny Bedford Falls, where he runs his family's penny-ante building and loan and battles the town's miserly overlord.

One Christmas Eve, facing scandal and criminal charges after his uncle misplaces $8,000, George is driven to attempt suicide, but an angel steps in to show him all the good he's done and what a harsher place the world would be without him.

As family and friends rally to his rescue, George learns to embrace the life he thought he loathed and receives a heartfelt toast from his sibling: "To my big brother George — the richest man in town."

With five films, Spielberg led directors in the top 100. Spielberg's others were "The Color Purple" (No. 51) and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (No. 58). Capra was next with four films, his others being "Meet John Doe" (No. 49) and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (No. 83).

Sidney Poitier and Gary Cooper each appeared in five films. Poitier had "In the Heat of the Night" (No. 21), "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (No. 35), "Lilies of the Field" (No. 46), "The Defiant Ones" (No. 55) and "A Raisin in the Sun" (No. 65). Cooper was in Capra's "Meet John Doe" and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," plus "The Pride of the Yankees" (No. 22), "High Noon" (No. 27) and "Sergeant York" (No. 57).

The films ranged widely, including sports tales ("Hoosiers" at No. 13 and "Field of Dreams" at No. 28), real-life drama ("Apollo 13" at No. 12 and "What's Love Got to Do With It" at No. 85), musicals ("The Wizard of Oz" at No. 26 and "Fiddler on the Roof" at No. 82), science fiction ("Star Wars" at No. 39 and "2001: A Space Odyssey" at No. 47) and family films ("Pinocchio" at No. 38 and "Babe" at No. 80).

The oldest movie was Charles Chaplin's 1931 silent film "City Lights" (No. 33). The newest were two from 2004, "Hotel Rwanda" (No. 90) and "Ray" (No. 99).

Past AFI lists have included best comedies, movie quotes, songs and love stories.

With the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the war in Iraq and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the group wanted to examine films that offer hope.

"This was kind of an interesting moment in American history, coming off Sept. 11, being at war, having natural disasters of such tremendous impact. What role do the movies play at times of really emotional turmoil?" said Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI director. "I think the movies are fundamentally a very inspirational way we communicate, and we thought this was an exciting opportunity to recognize those films."



Edited By Big Magilla on 1150344168

[OscarGuy]

That would not be a bad guess. I'm surprised they haven't done: 100 Years...100 Scares