Star Wars, Jaws, and more make BBC’s list of the 100 greatest American films

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Lists which compile the greatest films of all-time are a dime a dozen and, as every one's opinion varies, are usually up for debate; however a recent list from the BBC which compiles the 100 greatest American films is definitely worth a look, if only to bitch about which of your favourite films didn't make the cut.

The BBC polled sixty-two international film critics who each submitted a list of their top ten films. The film in the top spot was awarded ten points while the film in the tenth spot received one point, after which the points were tallied up and used to produce the following list. As to what defined an "American film," the only stipulation was that the film had received its funding from a US source.

25. DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee, 1989)
24. THE APARTMENT (Billy Wilder, 1960)
23. ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen, 1977)
22. GREED (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
21. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch, 2001)
20. GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
19. TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. CITY LIGHTS (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
17. THE GOLD RUSH (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
16. MCCABE & MRS MILLER (Robert Altman, 1971)
15. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (William Wyler, 1946)
14. NASHVILLE (Robert Altman, 1975)
13. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
12. CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski, 1974)
11. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. THE GODFATHER PART II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
9. CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
8. PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
7. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
6. SUNRISE (FW Murnau, 1927)
5. THE SEARCHERS (John Ford, 1956)
4. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
3. VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
2. THE GODFATHER (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
1. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles, 1941)

You can check BBC's full list here, which includes such films as STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE DARK KNIGHT, and more.

Which omitted film(s) do you feel deserve a place on this list and which of the included films do not?