LH21-P THE GREAT AMERICAN FILMS (PART 1): THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTES TOP 100 AMERICAN FILMS

In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) polled over 1500 artists and film industry leaders to gather their votes for the top 100 American films of all time. These “arbiters of excellence” chose from a list of 400 nominated films. The criteria included critical recognition, major awards won, popularity over time, historical significance, and cultural impact. Controversy ensued as often happens with any list of excellence. The AFI produced a revised list in 2007, and films were dropped, others added, some moved up, and others dropped down. This 2007 list will serve as the basis for the course. In Part 1 we will count down from #100 to #51. For each film, we will examine the historical and cultural context, the impact of each film on the art of feature narrative films and discuss why this film found its way onto this exalted list. Clips will be shown for each film. Part 2 will be offered in Spring 2022.