How does the American Film Institute define the 100 greatest movies of all time?
In short: In 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled a definitive list of the 100 best American films. Compiled from a poll of over 1,500 industry leaders, the project sparked intense debate over what constitutes an American movie and whether art can truly be ranked. Discover the criteria behind this cinematic milestone.
The American Film Institute's list was born from a rigorous selection process involving 400 nominated films. To qualify, a movie had to be at least 60 minutes long and maintain a narrative format. The definition of an 'American film' was notably flexible, including British-made productions like Lawrence of Arabia and The Third Man, provided they received significant financial backing or distribution from American studios. This inclusion policy became a point of contention; critic Jonathan Rosenbaum famously challenged the AFI’s criteria, arguing that the list overlooked essential works and that ranking films by merit is as subjective as comparing different types of fruit.
Beyond technical and financial requirements, the AFI evaluated films based on critical recognition, major award wins, and historical significance, such as technical innovation or visionary storytelling. Popularity was also a key metric, measured through inflation-adjusted box office figures, television syndication, and home video performance. Cultural impact—a film's lasting mark on American style and substance—rounded out the selection criteria. Despite the prestige of the list, the specific identities of the voters and the final vote tallies remain strictly confidential, keeping the exact mechanics of the selection process hidden from the public.
The list underwent a significant revision in 2007 for its tenth anniversary, resulting in the replacement of 23 films. The highest-ranked film to be removed was Doctor Zhivago, while The General entered the list as the highest-ranked newcomer. Interestingly, the 2007 update saw the AFI incorporate some of the feedback from critics like Rosenbaum, including films such as Intolerance and Do the Right Thing. To promote the updated edition, the AFI even presented the titles in alphabetical order, perhaps acknowledging the difficulty of assigning a definitive hierarchy to such diverse works of art.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies
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