I thought that most of 100 Years, 100 Films was terrific. It was just the right length to keep one's attention. If you're planning on watching the entire 100 though, don't start with this because it gives away too much for a few of the pictures. And that song gets really annoying too. But its a fantastic documentary and worth a look for any film fan.
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies (1998 TV Movie)
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Glossy!
karen-1282 July 2001
And that can be good and bad. This is one of those 'best of!' tv shows that ends up skipping over a LOT of great films, and interviewing people- David Copperfield!?- who really aren't even in the film business. But, it does offer glimpses of Woody Allen and Clint Eastwood and some of those greats, so I guess it's got some credibility. I just got a little bored by it after a while.
Excellent
EmptyLeo16 June 1999
Made a bet with my brother.. He said Gone With the Wind, I said the Godfather. We were both wrong, but I was closest. I believe they were #4 and #3. He never paid me the $5.
To see actors and actresses describe their movies and their thoughts while making these movies or watching other's great movies was the best. How Dustin Hoffman came to tears while discussing his preparation for the role of Tootsie, i mean, WOW.
10 out of 10
To see actors and actresses describe their movies and their thoughts while making these movies or watching other's great movies was the best. How Dustin Hoffman came to tears while discussing his preparation for the role of Tootsie, i mean, WOW.
10 out of 10
worthwhile, entertaining and informative non-fiction program
beachwoo6 April 1999
I wish there were more programs like this on television, entertaining and informative, looking at the history of the movies in a different and worthwhile way. It is rare that a TV program makes people think and talk about movies.
Enjoyable but unbalanced.
paulath6 August 1999
A Great Documentary with great coverage and guests
gerry-russell-1395 October 1999
I loved this show! It was so great I just HAD to buy the video of it. I had one small regret though. "Gone With the Wind" should have been #1 instead of #4. The comments from each of the celebrity guests were very true and easy for the audience to comprehend their viewpoint. I loved Whoopi Goldberg's comments on "Doctor Zchivago" ("I remember the scene where Omar Sharif was showing Julie Christie the snow. And you were just like a little kid in that scene. There was Julie and there was Oamr and there was you.") and also on "The Wizard of Oz" ("It never occurred to me that there was anything odd in Oz because there were green people. So, I just assumed that the black folks were there too. You know, East Oz, or something"). Those are comments that I love to make when giving a commentary on my favorite films too. I am glad that this specific documentary was made. We need our future generations to see this special and then watch those movies specified in it because those later generations will never see the kind of talent that this show focused on.
A list of my 25 personal favorite films: Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Pride of the Yankees, Sunset Boulevard, High Noon, Picnic, On the Waterfront, Lady and the Tramp, Sergeant York, It's a Wonderful Life, West Side Story, A Farewell to Arms (1932), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, My Fair Lady, Meet Me In St. Louis, The Godfather Part II, Amadeus, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Godfather, Good Will Hunting, Little Women (1933), National Velvet, All About Eve, Titanic (1997), Meet John Doe
A list of my 25 personal favorite films: Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Pride of the Yankees, Sunset Boulevard, High Noon, Picnic, On the Waterfront, Lady and the Tramp, Sergeant York, It's a Wonderful Life, West Side Story, A Farewell to Arms (1932), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, My Fair Lady, Meet Me In St. Louis, The Godfather Part II, Amadeus, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Godfather, Good Will Hunting, Little Women (1933), National Velvet, All About Eve, Titanic (1997), Meet John Doe
A genuine waste of time
matt-8114 April 1999
Warning: Spoilers
I can't imagine a more pointless presentation than this. It skips along at an Mtv pace and along the way completely ruins any film one hasn't yet seen by revealing all the plot points - actually showing some of the most tremendous moments in film history completely out of context!
Some of the moments cut and pasted into this "Idiots Guide to Cinema" are absolutely senseless outside of the body of the films they belong to. The Russian roulette sequence from "The Deer Hunter" has no impact at all (excepting shock violence to anyone that hasn't seen it) because the people playing it are NOBODY. They have no history, they are only images playing a game that will water down one of the most electric scenes ever edited together. Another example is the shoddy treatment given to "Lawrence of Arabia." You wait 219 minutes for that final moment where you learn T.E. knows he has no future. Well, they rip that scene out and play it after a 3 minute synopsis of the film, along the way telling you nothing new about the film that can't be read in a write-up in TVGuide.
This nonsense is just a collection of vital organs taken out of the bodies of a bunch of great (and a few not-so-great) films.
What's really sad is that this thing will be used as a virtual Cliff's Notes of motion pictures. Why see "Citizen Kane" when you can get all the important points here to impress your friends and teachers?
What a rip-off.
Some of the moments cut and pasted into this "Idiots Guide to Cinema" are absolutely senseless outside of the body of the films they belong to. The Russian roulette sequence from "The Deer Hunter" has no impact at all (excepting shock violence to anyone that hasn't seen it) because the people playing it are NOBODY. They have no history, they are only images playing a game that will water down one of the most electric scenes ever edited together. Another example is the shoddy treatment given to "Lawrence of Arabia." You wait 219 minutes for that final moment where you learn T.E. knows he has no future. Well, they rip that scene out and play it after a 3 minute synopsis of the film, along the way telling you nothing new about the film that can't be read in a write-up in TVGuide.
This nonsense is just a collection of vital organs taken out of the bodies of a bunch of great (and a few not-so-great) films.
What's really sad is that this thing will be used as a virtual Cliff's Notes of motion pictures. Why see "Citizen Kane" when you can get all the important points here to impress your friends and teachers?
What a rip-off.
Great TV special with great movies
Rose-356 October 1999
This was a great tv special. I thought that The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind or Casablanca would have gotten #1. (Honestly I didnt like Casablanca and havent seen GWTW) Total shock when they said Citizen Kane. My personal fav's from the list were Bringing up Baby, The African Queen and The Philadelphia Story.
Yawn!
preppy-317 September 2001
Boring "special" showing clips from AFI's picks of the top 100 films of the century (1898-1998). The narration is (to be nice) insipid, the categories films are put in are truly mystifying ("All About Eve" in the monster category?????) and there are some really stupid choices ("Dr. Zhicago????" Come on!) My biggest complaint is that they show all the movies full frame. With some of the old movies that's fine, but when we get to big-budget wide-screen epics like "Ben-Hur" and "2001" it makes no sense! They should be shown letter-boxed. The chariot scene they show from "Ben-Hur" is virtually incomprehensible. Boring, stupid, bad choices, lousy full frame...a real disappointment. Don't bother.
I can't wait to see all of these GREAT films.
johnneec12 April 1999
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