The folks at Entertainment Weekly just came out with a bunch of lists. The 100 greatest television shows. The 100 greatest novels. The 100 greatest albums. The 100 greatest lists of great things in popular culture. It is perfect fodder for “Listeria”, the ongoing examination of our fascination with lists.
This is an examination of the magazine’s list of the 100 greatest movies, or, as my dad used to call them, the picture show. When I was a kid, he would ask if I wanted to go to the picture show because he knew it drove me crazy. For those who don’t know, the picture show was a southern term for the movies. He said a lot of other things to drive me crazy, but that one was a sure thing.
Never fear, I am not going to write about 100 movies. I am going to list the ones that I have seen. To add some texture, I think I will include my favorite thing about each one.
Oh, there will also be a little trivia at the end.
1. Citizen Kane (1941) – The line, “A toast, Jedediah, to love on my terms. Those are the only terms anybody ever knows – his own.”
2. The GodFather (1972) – The line, “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”
3. Casablanca (1942) – Rick’s Cafe
6. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – The floor that separates to form an indoor swimming pool
9. Nashville (1975) – The song, “It Don’t Worry Me”
10. Gone With the Wind (1939) – The coolness of Rhett Butler
12. The Searchers (1956) – Monument Valley
14. Bambi (1942) – Thumper
18. Jaws (1975) – Quint’s story about being on the USS Indianapolis
19. Pulp Fiction (1994) – The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee.
24. The Sound of Music (1965) – When it was over
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – The music
28. The Wizard of Oz (1939) – The Red Brick Road (where does it go?)
29. North by Northwest (1959) – Mount Rushmore
33. The Graduate (1967) – Katharine Ross
41. The Road Warrior (1981) – The kid with the decapitating boomerang
43. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – Gandalf
49. Goldfinger (1964) – The Kentucky Fried Chicken in one of the scenes
52. Titanic (1997) – The wreck
53. Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Darth Vader
56. Schindler’s List (1993) – The last scene in the cemetery
59. All the President’s Men (1976) – Jason Robards
61. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – Hannibal Lecter’s cell
62. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – The flying bicycle
63. Network (1976) – The line, “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!”
68. GoodFellas (1990) – The music
69. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) – Slim Pickens riding the bomb.
78. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – The melting face of the Nazi
81. Blade Runner (1982) – Pris
83. The Wild Bunch (1969) – The Front Porch Massacre
85. Dirty Harry (1971) – The line, “I know what you’re thinking. “Did he fire six shots or only five?” Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”
88. The Dark Knight (2008) – Batman riding away at the end
89. Woodstock (1970) – The crowd shots
93. A Face in the Crowd (1957) – All of it
94. Brokeback Mountain (2005) – Randy Quaid
99. There WIll Be Blood (2007) – The line, “Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I’m so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that’s a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake… I… drink… your… milkshake!”
Trivia – Ward Bond (pictured above) was in at least 5 of the top 1oo movies. This includes 3 of the top 12.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 