101 Greatest Screenplays
The WGA's come up with a list of the 101 greatest screenplays ever written, voted for by its members. I've seen 45 of the movies listed, and while I largely agree with their choices in listing those films among the "greatest," I personally have a few objections to the order.
The one's I've seen:
1.
CASABLANCA - The flashback sequence always drags this film down for me; after success in shaping everything we need to know both in what happens in the present and, in a display of expert subtlety, in hints at the past brought out through character interaction, all of a sudden they shove in a clumsy and, given what the film depicts between Rick and Elsa later, entirely unneccesary flashback sequence, possibly for the sole purpose of giving the line "Here's lookin' at you, kid" meaning so they could use it as a catch-phrase. I honestly still can't give this film an A, just because of that. Just delete the scene in its entirety and the movie's better.
2.
THE GODFATHER
3.
CHINATOWN
4.
CITIZEN KANE
10.
THE GODFATHER II
12.
DR. STRANGELOVE
13.
THE GRADUATE
14.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
16.
PULP FICTION
21.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST - This would possibly be my personal choice for number one, though I've only seen it once and maybe I was just "wow"ed by it first time through, not having seen a film quite like it before. Lawrence, Godfather and Apocalypse for example have more complex scripts so it'd be hard to say without seeing them all again.
22.
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
24.
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
27.
GROUNDHOG DAY - w00t
30.
UNFORGIVEN
32.
FARGO
35.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS - Double w00t, though I noticed a lack of "Se7en" on this list...
38.
AMERICAN BEAUTY - This one should be higher, simple as that.
39.
THE STING
41.
GOODFELLAS - Scorsese's great three, mention 1
42.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
43.
TAXI DRIVER - Scorsese's great three, mention 2
45.
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
47.
THE MALTESE FALCON
49.
SCHINDLER'S LIST
50.
THE SIXTH SENSE
53.
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN
55.
APOCALYPSE NOW
56.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
60.
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
61.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
63.
JAWS
65.
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
66.
JERRY MAGUIRE
67.
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
68.
STAR WARS
74.
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH - Higher than Adaptation?!
76.
RAGING BULL - And Scorsese's great three, mention 3. No surprise there.
77.
ADAPTATION
78.
ROCKY
83.
REAR WINDOW
89.
FORREST GUMP
90.
SIDEWAYS - No. Just no. Replace with "Se7en."
92.
PSYCHO
93.
DO THE RIGHT THING
100.
MEMENTO
No Life Is Beautiful?
The one's I've seen:
1.
CASABLANCA - The flashback sequence always drags this film down for me; after success in shaping everything we need to know both in what happens in the present and, in a display of expert subtlety, in hints at the past brought out through character interaction, all of a sudden they shove in a clumsy and, given what the film depicts between Rick and Elsa later, entirely unneccesary flashback sequence, possibly for the sole purpose of giving the line "Here's lookin' at you, kid" meaning so they could use it as a catch-phrase. I honestly still can't give this film an A, just because of that. Just delete the scene in its entirety and the movie's better.
2.
THE GODFATHER
3.
CHINATOWN
4.
CITIZEN KANE
10.
THE GODFATHER II
12.
DR. STRANGELOVE
13.
THE GRADUATE
14.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
16.
PULP FICTION
21.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST - This would possibly be my personal choice for number one, though I've only seen it once and maybe I was just "wow"ed by it first time through, not having seen a film quite like it before. Lawrence, Godfather and Apocalypse for example have more complex scripts so it'd be hard to say without seeing them all again.
22.
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
24.
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
27.
GROUNDHOG DAY - w00t
30.
UNFORGIVEN
32.
FARGO
35.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS - Double w00t, though I noticed a lack of "Se7en" on this list...
38.
AMERICAN BEAUTY - This one should be higher, simple as that.
39.
THE STING
41.
GOODFELLAS - Scorsese's great three, mention 1
42.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
43.
TAXI DRIVER - Scorsese's great three, mention 2
45.
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
47.
THE MALTESE FALCON
49.
SCHINDLER'S LIST
50.
THE SIXTH SENSE
53.
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN
55.
APOCALYPSE NOW
56.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
60.
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
61.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
63.
JAWS
65.
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
66.
JERRY MAGUIRE
67.
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
68.
STAR WARS
74.
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH - Higher than Adaptation?!
76.
RAGING BULL - And Scorsese's great three, mention 3. No surprise there.
77.
ADAPTATION
78.
ROCKY
83.
REAR WINDOW
89.
FORREST GUMP
90.
SIDEWAYS - No. Just no. Replace with "Se7en."
92.
PSYCHO
93.
DO THE RIGHT THING
100.
MEMENTO
No Life Is Beautiful?
posted by Steve @ 8:35 AM
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