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Top 10 Best Movies

#10

 

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum, Victor Fleming's film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz features Juday Garland as Dorothy, a young girl who, along with her little dog Toto, is swept away from her farm in Kansas to a wonderland of munchkins and flying monkeys. Dorothy follows the Yellow Brick Road in search of the all-knowing Wizard of Oz who she believes can help her find the way home. Along the way, she meets the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Tin Man (Jack Haley) and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), who help her fend off the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton). "Over the Rainbow" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the film itself received several Academy Award nominations. According to the Library of Congress The Wizard of Oz is the most watched motion picture in history.

 
#9
 

Gone With the Wind (1939)

Adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning novel, Gone With the Wind stars Vivien Leigh as self-absorbed, headstrong Scarlett O'Hara, a Southern Belle who meets her match in Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) just as the Civil War breaks out. Living on a large cotton plantation called Tara in rural Georgia in 1861, Scarlett watches as her beloved home and way of life go up in flames around her. Of the 17 competitive awards which were given at the time, Gone with the Wind earned 13 nominations and walked away with 8 awards. The film also won one honorary oscar and one technical achievement award, giving it a total of 10 Academy Awards, a record that stood for 20 years.

 
#8
 

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stanley Kubrick's quiet masterpiece probes the mysteries of space and human destiny. While investigating the appearance of mysterious monoliths throughout the universe, astronauts David (Keir Dullea) and Frank (Gary Lockwood) battle their ship's intelligent computer, HAL-9000. This epic sci-fi drama based on Arthur C. Clarke's story "The Sentinel" was nominated for four Academy Awards and won for its stunning special effects. Despite initially receiving mixed reviews, 2001: A Space Odyssey is today recognized by many critics and audiences as one of the greatest films ever made.

 
#7
 

Once (2006)

While many probably aren't familiar with this low-budget Irish musical, Once inspired legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg (who had nothing to do with the film) with "enough inspiration to last the rest of the year." The story revolves around a street musician (Glen Hansard) in Dublin, Ireland, who strikes up a friendship with a migrant street hawker (Markéta Irglová). The duo ends up composing and recording a series of songs over the course of a week which mirror their burgeoning romance. The actors wrote the tunes they perform, winning an Oscar for their efforts.

 
#6
 

The Graduate (1967)

Adapted from a novel by Charles Webb, The Graduate follows developments in the life of recent college grad Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) as he is seduced by an older woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), who happens to be the wife of his father's business partner. Benjamin's life is further complicated when he finds himself falling in love with Mrs. Robinson's teenage daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). Hoffman, Bancroft, and Ross all earned Oscar nominations for their performances, and Mike Nichols won the Academy Award for Best Director.

 
#5
 

Citizen Kane (1941)

A perennial favorite on top ten lists, Citizen Kane has been praised for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Directed by (and starring) Orson Wells, it examines the life and legacy of Charles Foster Kane (Welles), a character based on American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Upon its release, Hearst prohibited mention of the film in any of his newspapers. Kane's career in the publishing world is born of idealistic social service, but gradually evolves into a ruthless pursuit of power. Narrated principally through flashbacks, the story is revealed through the research of a newsreel reporter seeking to solve the mystery of the newspaper magnate's dying word: "Rosebud." Nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, it was widely thought the film would sweep the Oscars, but film editor Robert Wise recalled that each time Citizen Kane's name was called out as a nominee, the crowd would boo. Most of Hollywood did not want the film to see the light of day because of the threats that William Randolph Hearst had made if it did. According to Variety, bloc voting against Welles by screen extras denied him Best Picture and Actor awards. In fact, the film only won for Best Original Screenplay, a travesty that British film critic Barry Norman attributed to Hearst's very public wrath.

 
#4
 

Casablanca (1942)

Featuring Humphrey Bogart in his first romantic leading role, Casablanca is set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War II, where an American expatriate, Rick Blaine (Bogarte) meets a former lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), and finds himself forced to choose between, in the words of one character, love and virtue. He chooses virtue, of course, and after helping Ilsa and her husband escape from the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca, he disappears into the fog, apparently to continue his fight against the Nazis. Casablanca won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and its characters, dialogue, and music have become iconic.

 
#3
 

Raging Bull (1980)

Adapted by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin from the Jake La Motta memoir Raging Bull: My Story, the film features Robert Di Niro as a middleweight boxer whose sadomasochistic rage and animalistic appetite lead him to the top inside the ring, but destroy his life outside it. Joe Pesci plays Joey, La Motta's well intentioned brother and manager who tries to help Jake battle his inner demons, and Cathy Moriarty portrays his abused wife. Raging Bull was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two, including a Best Actor nod for Di Niro.

 
#2
 

American Beauty (1999)

Directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball, American Beauty tells the story of Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a middle-aged magazine writer who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend (Mena Suvari). Annette Bening co-stars as Lester's materialistic wife, Carolyn, and Thora Birch plays their insecure daughter, Jane. A satire of American middle class notions of beauty and personal satisfaction, the film explores the nature of romantic and paternal love, sexuality, beauty, materialism, self-liberation and redemption. American Beauty was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won five: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Screenplay.

 
#1
 

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this American gangster film serves as both a sequel and prequel to The Godfather (1972), chronicling the history of the Corleone family while also depicting the rise to power of the young Vito Corleone. The Godfather Part II was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro, and has been selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry.

 
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