Also you have to remember that the AFI Top 100 is not an ordered list, but rather a consensus of the general interest of what the best American films of all time are. The way it works is that the AFI send out a ballot containing a list of 400 films (which have also been selected by popular opinion) that are generally considered the best of all time. From there, each voter has to pick 100 films they feel are the best. They also allow write in votes and a personal top five list for tie-breaking purposes.
So what happens is that sometimes more light work like Tootsie will supersede something more serious like The Silence of the Lambs. Remember they are not voting on whether Tootsie is inherently better than The Silence of the Lambs, but rather voting for which one they feel is culturally relevant. Because of that, something like Tootsie can appear higher on the list because it may be a safer or less daring choice than say a more controversial film.
I really don`t understand what the big deal about Tootsie is. It was an all right film, in my opinion, but look what it`s directly ahead of: A Clockwork Orange, Saving Private Ryan, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Shawshank Redemption and The Silence of the Lambs. Can anyone honestly say that Tootsie is a better film than all of those?
This list was also my film bible for a while, although I've since expanded. I will comment that the header proclaims this list celebrates only movies from 1896-1996, however, I don't recall Lord of the Rings coming out until well into the '00s. A curious discrepancy.
Cam_Smith, that's because the list was revisited in 2007 IIRC.
Not a horrible list, but it has some films which aren't even American, and only philistines would follow a pure American list anyway. The 100 Laughs list is the best of the bunch because if there's one thing Hollywood does best, it's comedies.
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SeanMX12
The Sixth Sense is in. Amadeus is out. Ouch.mi-16evil
@Floor Man and Brantastic16Also you have to remember that the AFI Top 100 is not an ordered list, but rather a consensus of the general interest of what the best American films of all time are. The way it works is that the AFI send out a ballot containing a list of 400 films (which have also been selected by popular opinion) that are generally considered the best of all time. From there, each voter has to pick 100 films they feel are the best. They also allow write in votes and a personal top five list for tie-breaking purposes.
So what happens is that sometimes more light work like Tootsie will supersede something more serious like The Silence of the Lambs. Remember they are not voting on whether Tootsie is inherently better than The Silence of the Lambs, but rather voting for which one they feel is culturally relevant. Because of that, something like Tootsie can appear higher on the list because it may be a safer or less daring choice than say a more controversial film.
mjf314
Those of you who like American cinema should check out the Royal Film Archive of Belgium's Most Important and Misappreciated American Films. It's better than AFI's list.BillieDove
And to think that when I first started getting an interest in cinema, this list was all I thought existed.How times have changed.
bluewonder
all watched :)Brantastic16
I really don`t understand what the big deal about Tootsie is. It was an all right film, in my opinion, but look what it`s directly ahead of: A Clockwork Orange, Saving Private Ryan, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Shawshank Redemption and The Silence of the Lambs. Can anyone honestly say that Tootsie is a better film than all of those?Scream1008
Done! Whew.Cam_Smith
This list was also my film bible for a while, although I've since expanded. I will comment that the header proclaims this list celebrates only movies from 1896-1996, however, I don't recall Lord of the Rings coming out until well into the '00s. A curious discrepancy.boulderman
Check ;)MrCarmady
Cam_Smith, that's because the list was revisited in 2007 IIRC.Not a horrible list, but it has some films which aren't even American, and only philistines would follow a pure American list anyway. The 100 Laughs list is the best of the bunch because if there's one thing Hollywood does best, it's comedies.