NPR: AFI: 'Citizen Kane' Still Greatest Film of All Time

AFI: 'Citizen Kane' Still Greatest Film of All Time

Finally this week, the American Film Institute has released a new version of its top 100 films of all time, and the winner is the same film that topped the list when it first appeared a decade ago -- Orson Welles' Citizen Kane.

Which makes sense with all those flashbacks and camera stunts that Welles practically invented. The only thing missing was bullet time.

And I'm sorry, I love The Godfather, but it's no Casablanca. I totally disagree with them switching places at two and three. DeNiro and Brando together couldn't carry Bogie's dinner jacket.

And Hitchcock's 1958 thriller Vertigo going from No. 61 to No. 9? ... What's up with that? How does a film move 50 places in 10 years? It just goes to show how subjective this list is -- it has all the authority of my kids picking their favorite ice cream flavor this week.

There is one change I heartily approve of. Dances with Wolves, which had been No. 75, disappeared from the list. Woo hoo! I still have nightmares about Kevin Costner in buckskin. OK film, but top 100 of all time? Not a chance.

We'll see you on Monday. Don't forget to e-mail us at newsblog@npr.org if you see something interesting.

5:06 PM ET | 06-22-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

i think the reason the Godfather and Casablanca was due to the fact that the mafia movie has become the new western. Casablanca was and still is an incredible film, but i still think The Godfather holds more influence on today's culture.

Sent by joe k. | 12:08 PM ET | 06-24-2007

"And I'm sorry, I love The Godfather, but it's no Casablanca. I totally disagree with them switching places at two and three. DeNiro and Brando together couldn't carry Bogie's dinner jacket."

That's like believing that Bergman and Kurosawa together couldn't out-swim Spielberg's "Jaws".

In fact, the majority of the AFI hollywood list is quite irrelevant in regards to the entire world of film.

Sent by Kyle Meyers | 11:36 AM ET | 06-25-2007

A big question is how the list is made at all. Are people presented with a list of films and asked to vote in their favorites, or are they simply asked to name their favorites without a list? I question the inclusion of certain films and the exclusion of films I deem to have been much better. How much of it all is hype, anyway?

Sent by Dagnija Neimane | 12:54 PM ET | 06-25-2007

Whether or not one thinks DANCES WITH WOLVES belongs on AFI's list, anyone who so flippantly dismisses a film of such beauty and power with a lame buckskin joke isn't worthy of representing NPR, not even on a blog.

Sent by Eric Stormoen | 4:50 PM ET | 06-26-2007

I was annoyed at the switching of Casablanca and The Godfather as well. I'd have been fine with the top three remaining in their places as before.

Don't get me wrong. I love both movies tremendously, but Casablanca is such a work of art. I was rather indifferent at the removal of Dances With Wolves (which is a beautiful film) and more increduloud at the removal of Doctor Zhivago and The The Third Man. I mean, Zhivago was at #39 and Third Man at #57! And now they are just gone! That is at least a jump of 60 places back.

Another of my favourite movies, The African Queen has been moved from #17 to #65. What were they thinking? I think there problem was that they changed the 1500 who voted far too much. They must have.

Sent by Rachel | 5:59 AM ET | 06-27-2007

Removing dances with wolves removes an extremely strong interpretation of the Sioux indian culture. This movie does for indians what Schindlers list does for the holocaust victims, not to confuse the two although the sioux were handled more "gently". Should still remain on the list for overall quality.

Sent by omar | 11:12 PM ET | 07-06-2007

I'm cool with Dances With Wolves being dropped from the list, but so was Patton. Seriously, Patton. One of the greatest single performances in cinematic history.

Other notables missing from the list: Fargo and Miller's Crossing. And you can make an argument for Memento and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

And what's up with The Searchers moving up 84 spaces? That's hilarious.

Sent by Josh | 1:12 PM ET | 07-15-2007

I'm late to this post but hopefully someone may still read it. I expect more from NPR but each day I become more and more disillusioned (but that's about politics). Now, I read this comment where Dances With Wolves is pointed out (out of the many films that were removed from the list). That one omission was disturbing and now I read this! This is a film that deserves respect -- over three hours long (Hollywood thought the audience too stupid to sit that long), contained subtitles (Hollywood thought the audience too stupid to read), and about a race we have sought to destroy politically and then cinematically (Hollywood thought we didn't care). Costner succeeded in every aspect with this film to prove the American public would embrace such a film. And you belittle it? Shame on you.

Sent by Chris | 9:28 PM ET | 08-17-2007

I'm an engineer and a wannabe philosopher. I love analytical proofs and I hate all-encompassing generalities. I love to hate lists of any kind. All time? Did someone wake people up in their graves to ask them what they think? How about the future generations to come? What population of Americans were asked to provide such an opinion? And how does a movie achieve consideration for this list? I think that they should change the title of this list to AFI* (i.e., add a footnote). *The top 100 movies from a small selection of genres of this point in time from a smaller group of Americans who do not provide a good representation of Americans at any point in time.

Sent by John G. | 12:05 PM ET | 10-27-2007

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