So let’s make a start on this thing.

The problem is, essentially, that the Brits and Yankies look at these things from different sides of the pond. While critics try to be unbiased, national interest still creeps in.

I took four lists – two American and two British and even then, we are leaving out the French and other Europeans; plus Asia and local areas such as Australia.

Then we have the problem of ‘what’s a film?’ There were some fabulous Czech anti-war animations on celluloid many years ago. Do they count? What about Bond, James Bond? Can the series be called a film? And by what criteria could one include the sometimes execrable Bond pap?

Then take the worst films of all time, of which the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was one. I consider that film a classic in its own right. What of the midnight film fests around the world and some of the offerings served up there? What of Cannes films which never see the light of the American or British day? What of risqué films like Murmur of the Heart and classic porn, if there is such a thing?

So, many of the films below would not be on my list and that’s partly because I never saw them. I’ve even included one animated film, on the grounds that it played to audiences worldwide. So, based on what the Americans, British and I think, here’s the list:

Honourable mention:

Great Expectations
The Bank Dick
Goodbye Mr. Chips
Halloween
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Jazz Singer
Play Misty for Me
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Raging Bull
Roman Holiday
Rosemary’s Baby
The Searchers
Top Hat
Unforgiven


The list:

100 The Passion of the Christ
99 The Caine Mutiny
98 American Graffiti
97 Animal House
96 The Blob
95 Nightmare on Elm Street
94 Snow White Seven Dwfs
93 Attack Killer Tomatoes
92 The Great Dictator
91 Metropolis
90 Rocky
89 The Terminator
88 The Wrong Trousers
87 The Pink Panther series
86 The China Syndrome
85 Lolita
84 Bonnie and Clyde
83 Deliverance
82 Twilight’s Last Gleaming
81 Cliffhanger
80 All the President’s Men
79 The Creature Black Lag
78 The Day Earth Std Still
77 ET
76 The General
75 Blazing Saddles
74 A Night at the Opera
73 Planet of the Apes
72 Pulp Fiction
71 12 Angry Men
70 The Untouchables
69 My Fair Lady
68 The French Connection
67 Close Encounters Third
66 All Quiet Western Front
65 Taxi Driver
64 King Kong
63 To Kill a Mockingbird
62 High Noon
61 Apocalypse Now
60 O H Maj Secret Service
59 The 39 Steps
58 Ben Hur
57 The Maltese Falcon
56 The Grapes of Wrath
55 The African Queen
54 Fantasia
53 Singing in the Rain
52 The Matrix
51 The Graduate
48 Bridge over River Kwai
47 Chinatown
46 The Fall of Usher
45 From Russia With Love
44 Duck Soup
43 Blues Brothers
42 Time Bandits
41 The Princess Bride
49 JFK
40 Jaws
50 Three Days Condor
39 Titanic
38 The Party
37 Brazil
36 Goldfinger
35 The Wizard of Oz
34 Lawrence of Arabia
33 The Birds
32 One Flew Cuckoo’s Nest
31 Amadeus
30 Airplane
29 The Sound of Music
28 Monty Python Holy Grail
27 Life of Brian
26 A Clockwork Orange
25 Dr Strangelove
24 City Lights
23 Die Hard
22 North by Northwest
21 Never Give A Sucker
20 The Seventh Seal
19 The Big Sleep
18 The Third Man
17 Vertigo
16 Rear Window
15 The Shawshank Redmtn
14 Schindler's List
13 The Exorcist
12 Raiders of the Lost Ark
11 Blade Runner
10 Star Wars trilogy
9 Citizen Kane
8 2001: A Space Odyssey
7 On the Waterfront
6 Alien
5 Lord of the Rings trilogy
4 The Godfather trilogy
3 Psycho
2 Gone with the Wind
1 Casablanca