What Are the AFI Top 100 Movies of All Time?

I remember watching the AFI Top 100 list in 1998 with my parents. It was a TV special that counted down the best American films ever made. At that time I had seen only a handful, but by the time the list came back around in 2007 I was well on my way and had seen over half. 

Over the next thirteen years of my life, I chipped away at the list, getting closer and closer to viewing the top 100. It wasn't always easy, but as Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park, "Life, uh, finds a way."

My way was stumbling across the Unspooled Podcast, which covered every title on the 2007 list. With their help and motivation, I finished the list during the quarantine. 

But what the hell is the AFI list? And why do we put so much stock into it? Were all the movies great, and should you watch through them? 

I aim to answer those questions as objectively as possible. 

So let's dive in. 

What is the AFI Top 100 List? 

AFI is The American Film Institute. They bill themselves as "Champions the moving image as an art form. We believe in the revolutionary power of visual storytelling to share perspectives, inspire empathy, and drive culture forward."

Pretty cool, right? 

They also offer higher degrees in filmmaking and are the place Terrence Malik, Paul Schrader, Andrea Arnold, Darren Aronofsky, Ari Aster, Sam Esmail, Brad Falchuk, Liz Hannah, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas, Polly Morgan, Rachel Morrison and Wally Pfister, and many others got their film school degrees. 

That's an impressive list. 

The AFI mandate includes shining a light on the history of American movies. The list is as determined by the American Film Institute from a poll of more than 1,500 artists, filmmakers, and executives who chose from a list of 400 nominated movies. The 100-best list was unveiled in 1998 and there was an updated list released in 2007. 

So who chose the 400? 

According to American Film Institute director and chief executive officer (in 1998) Jean Picker Firstenberg, the 400 films on the ballot were chosen by AFI historians, archivists, curators and catalogers--"people whose lives are devoted to the history of the motion picture. They were very careful in considering the criteria.”

What's on the AFI Top 100 List? 

You can download a PDF of the updated list here to check them off as you go! 

The 1998 List 

1.CITIZEN KANE (1941)

2.CASABLANCA (1942)

3.GODFATHER, THE (1972)

4.GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)

5.LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)

6.WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939)

7.GRADUATE, THE (1967)

8.ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)

9.SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)

10.SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)

11.IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

12.SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)

13.BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE (1957)

14.SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)

15.STAR WARS (1977)

16.ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)

17.AFRICAN QUEEN, THE (1951)

18.PSYCHO (1960)

19.CHINATOWN (1974)

20.ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)

21.GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (1940)

22.2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)

23.MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941)

24.RAGING BULL (1980)

25.E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)

26.DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)

27.BONNIE & CLYDE (1967)

28.APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)

29.MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)

30.TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)

31.ANNIE HALL (1977)

32.GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974)

33.HIGH NOON (1952)

34.TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)

35.IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)

36.MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)

37.BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE (1946)

38.DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)

39.DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)

40.NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)

41.WEST SIDE STORY (1961)

42.REAR WINDOW (1954)

43.KING KONG (1933)

44.BIRTH OF A NATION, THE (1915)

45.STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (1951)

46.CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971)

47.TAXI DRIVER (1976)

48.JAWS (1975)

49.SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)

50.BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)

51.PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE(1940)

52.FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)

53.AMADEUS (1984)

54.ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)

55.SOUND OF MUSIC, THE (1965)

56.M*A*S*H(1970)

57.THIRD MAN, THE (1949)

58.FANTASIA (1940)

59.REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)

60.RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)

61.VERTIGO (1958)

62.TOOTSIE (1982)

63.STAGECOACH (1939)

64.CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

65.SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE (1991)

66.NETWORK (1976)

67.MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE (1962)

68.AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN (1951)

69.SHANE (1953)

70.FRENCH CONNECTION, THE (1971)

71.FORREST GUMP (1994)

72.BEN-HUR (1959)

73.WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)

74.GOLD RUSH, THE (1925)

75.DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)

76.CITY LIGHTS (1931)

77.AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)

78.ROCKY (1976)

79.DEER HUNTER, THE (1978)

80.WILD BUNCH, THE (1969)

81.MODERN TIMES (1936)

82.GIANT (1956)

83.PLATOON (1986)

84.FARGO (1996)

85.DUCK SOUP (1933)

86.MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)

87.FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

88.EASY RIDER (1969)

89.PATTON (1970)

90.JAZZ SINGER, THE (1927)

91.MY FAIR LADY (1964)

92.PLACE IN THE SUN, A(1951)

93.APARTMENT, THE (1960)

94.GOODFELLAS (1990)

95.PULP FICTION (1994)

96.SEARCHERS, THE (1956)

97.BRINGING UP BABY (1938)

98.UNFORGIVEN (1992)

99.GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)

100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

The 2007 List 

In 2007, a new bunch of movies were picked and the current ones have been reranked. Check out the list and then we'll talk about what left. 

1. CITIZEN KANE - 1941
2. THE GODFATHER - 1972
3. CASABLANCA - 1942
4. RAGING BULL - 1980
5. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN - 1952
6. GONE WITH THE WIND - 1939
7. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA - 1962
8. SCHINDLER'S LIST - 1993
9. VERTIGO - 1958
10. THE WIZARD OF OZ - 1939
11. CITY LIGHTS - 1931
12. THE SEARCHERS - 1956
13. STAR WARS - 1977
14. PSYCHO- 1960
15. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - 1968
16. SUNSET BOULEVARD - 1950
17. THE GRADUATE - 1967
18. THE GENERAL - 1927
19. ON THE WATERFRONT - 1954
20. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE - 1946
21. CHINATOWN - 1974
22. SOME LIKE IT HOT - 1959
23. THE GRAPES OF WRATH - 1940
24. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL - 1982
25. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - 1962
26. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON - 1939
27. HIGH NOON - 1952
28. ALL ABOUT EVE - 1950
29. DOUBLE INDEMNITY - 1944
30. APOCALYPSE NOW - 1979
31. THE MALTESE FALCON - 1941
32. THE GODFATHER PART II - 1974
33. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST - 1975
34. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS - 1937
35. ANNIE HALL - 1977
36. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI - 1957
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES - 1946
38. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE - 1948
39. DR. STRANGELOVE - 1964
40. THE SOUND OF MUSIC - 1965
41. KING KONG - 1933
42. BONNIE AND CLYDE - 1967
43. MIDNIGHT COWBOY - 1969
44. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY - 1940
45. SHANE - 1953
46. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT - 1934
47. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - 1951
48. REAR WINDOW - 1954
49. INTOLERANCE - 1916
50. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING - 2001
51. WEST SIDE STORY - 1961
52. TAXI DRIVER - 1976
53. THE DEER HUNTER - 1978
54. M*A*S*H - 1970
55. NORTH BY NORTHWEST - 1959
56. JAWS - 1975
57. ROCKY - 1976
58. THE GOLD RUSH - 1925
59. NASHVILLE - 1975
60. DUCK SOUP - 1933
61. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS - 1941
62. AMERICAN GRAFFITI - 1973
63. CABARET - 1972
64. NETWORK - 1976
65. THE AFRICAN QUEEN - 1951
66. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - 1981
67. WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? - 1966
68. UNFORGIVEN - 1992
69. TOOTSIE - 1982
70. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - 1971
71. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN - 1998
72. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - 1994
73. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID - 1969
74. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - 1991
75. IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT - 1967
76. FORREST GUMP - 1994
77. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN - 1976
78. MODERN TIMES - 1936
79. THE WILD BUNCH - 1969
80. THE APARTMENT - 1960
81. SPARTACUS - 1960
82. SUNRISE - 1927
83. TITANIC - 1997
84. EASY RIDER - 1969
85. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA - 1935
86. PLATOON - 1986
87. 12 ANGRY MEN - 1957
88. BRINGING UP BABY - 1938
89. THE SIXTH SENSE - 1999
90. SWING TIME - 1936
91. SOPHIE'S CHOICE - 1982
92. GOODFELLAS - 1990
93. THE FRENCH CONNECTION - 1971
94. PULP FICTION - 1994
95. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW - 1971
96. DO THE RIGHT THING - 1989
97. BLADE RUNNER - 1982
98. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY - 1942
99. TOY STORY - 1995
100. BEN-HUR - 1959

What Changed in the 2007 Update? 

Twenty-three films from the original top 100 films list were removed in 2007. Some like Birth of a Nation felt like they were important but also not indicative of a message they wanted to celebrate. 

Four films released between 1996 and 2006 were added:

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• Saving Private Ryan (1998)
• Titanic (1997)
• The Sixth Sense (1999)

Nineteen films made before 1996 were also added:

Up Next: Write Your Movie with our Free e-Book

So much of what we're talking about on No Film School when it comes to screenwriting is summarized in our new eBook. It also helps guide you through a 10-week writing plan that will get your script actually finished.