Rating: 
Summary: disappointed
Review: I was hoping to be able to buy all 100 video's without having to do it individually. No luck here. Maybe someone will get the idea and sell them as a package. I would buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent compilation of the greatest films of the century
Review: I've watched this DVD many times and really enjoy it because I always see something new that I've missed or never noticed before. It's a compilation of the top 100 films from the last 100 years and it makes one appreciate the impact film has had on our society. Very entertaining!
Rating: 
Summary: If you like classic movies, you will love this summary!
Review: In 1996, the American Film Institute (AFI) released its list of the 100 best movies of the 100 years from 1896 to 1996. In 1998, AFI released a 145 minute summary of these movies, starting from #100 and moving inexorably up to #1. This was a nice but short sampler of these movies, with only about a minute or so assigned to each movie.This DVD is a much more complete edition of the AFI top 100 movies, divided into ten different episodes of 45 minutes each, based on general themes, each addressing 10 movies. I really enjoyed the more complete treatment. Also, critical backgrounds of the movies are offered. I have only two negative comments to make. First, there is the artifical distinction is how the movies are placed in one episode instead of another. For example, does "Rebel Without a Cause" belong in "Family Portraits" when it would perhaps better fit in "Against the Grain" or "Beyond the Law"? However, given that each episode is structured to contain exactly ten movies, "Rebel Without a Cause" was placed in "Family Portraits". Second, this 450 minute DVD gives away the endings of many of the movies. You'll want to skip over the movies that you have not seen yet. Still, on the whole, this is a wonderful sampler of great, great movies. If you like classic movies, by all means, buy this DVD. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Success and failure for the AFI.
Review: In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) celebrated American cinema's first century with a list of 100 of the greatest movies ("English Language" films, according to the rules. More on that later). Since then, various people have both praised and criticized the AFI's selections. I, for one, do both. I praise them for alerting us to treasures of cinema, but criticize them for allowing works that should stand on their own be forced into competition with one another. Now, many people who watch "Citizen Kane" do so to critique and analyze it to see why it's so great, rather then watch it for the fun of it. But, unlike many people, I realize that this list was not meant to be the definitive opinion on our greatest movies, like how the Oscars aren't always right on what's the best of each year. Rather, this list serves as an introduction to cinema. But shouldn't an introduction include all the basics? For example, the silent era is practically forgotten with only four films (Three Charlie Chaplin and D.W Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation") being selected. Where is Buster Keaton's "The General", Griffith's "Intolerance" and King Vidor's "The Crowd" or "The Big Parade"? How about F.W Murnau's "Sunrise" or Erich Von Stroheim's "Greed"? If at least some of these had been voted for, I would be willing to ignore most other shortcomings. Many great directors and some of their greatest works were represented. Among these were Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick, David Lean, Martin Scorsese, Orson Welles, William Wyler, John Ford, Frank Capra and Francis Ford Coppola. However, some of these masters' best works aren't on the list. For example, where is Hitchcock's "Notorious", Welles' "Touch of Evil", Kubrick's "Paths of Glory", Wilder's "The Lost Weekend" and Ford's "The Quiet Man"? These seemed, to me, to be shoo ins. And there are many other directors who aren't even on the list. Besides the aforementioned Keaton and Vidor, where's Preston Sturges and Ernst Lubitsch? And though Howard Hawks' "Bringing Up Baby" did make the cut, I thought "Red River" or "The Big Sleep" would as well. Other people have also pointed out the inclusion of "British" films on the list such as "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "A Clockwork Orange". While these movies were made in outside the U.S and by British filmmakers, they were released by major U.S film studios and often starred American actors or received financing by American producers. The fact that the list also represents "English language films" meant these movies were more then eligible. The AFI also surprised with other choices, but these were welcome ones. I call this the 'Good Unexpected Category'. An example is "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (#100), a hugely entertaining musical with one of James Cagney's best roles (His favorite I believe). But I did not think enough voters had seen it or would have selected it in their top ten. Same with "The Manchurian Candidate" (#67) and "Mutiny on the Bounty" (#86). And I was convinced that none of the voters would have touched "Clockwork Orange" with a ten foot stick, much less give it enough votes to land at #46. So, I have admitted that the AFI was not completely full of controversy. For they made many great, already spoken for selections and still proved to be full of surprises. As I stated in the introduction, a list such as this and the others that the AFI made since (The greatest screen legends, comedies, thrillers and romances) have lead into nationwide debates and viewing or reviewing of the movies. I was among those who started looking towards the classics by checking this list out. I originally thought "Citizen Kane" would be a dumb, boring movie. So much for what I knew. With its brilliance, ground breaking film techniques (Which only seem dated because we have lived in its influence) and tremendous entertainment value, I now consider it one of my favorites and proudly own the DVD. Among the others I have seen that I liked include Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia, On the Waterfront, The Third Man, Chinatown, Double Indemnity, Singing in the Rain and 2001: A Space Odyssey. And, if the movie strikes us, we start to explore others that are part of its genre and/or were made by the same director or actors, like I have with Stanley Kubrick and Humphrey Bogart. I'm also a closet Musical and Film Noir fan as a result of "Singing in the Rain" and "The Maltese Falcon". If this program's purpose was to encourage that, rather than form a definite record of the greatest movies, then mission accomplished. Just one more thing: If there is a movie on this program you haven't seen yet, you should consider skipping that section for there are likely to be spoilers that might ruin your enjoyment.
Rating: 
Summary: Much to applaud, much to question in AFI's picks.
Review: In the summer of 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) released its list of the "Top 100 Movies of All Time." The list was chosen by a select panel of critics, movie executives, and various other glitterati to celebrate the best the film world had to offer in the 1900's. Easy task? No way! Just about everyone will take exception to the chosen films, and I am no different. Some I automatically agreed with, others I grudgingly approved of, some I hadn't even heard of, and the rest...well, all I could do was shake my head in wonderment, bemusement, or disgust. First of all, the list does run the gamut of comedies, dramas, musicals, westerns, and horror films. However, though it is meant to be culled from the last 100 years (assuming, of course, that 1999 would have nothing to offer us), only one film from the 1910's made it (the D.W. Griffith silent epic, "The Birth of a Nation") and only two from the roaring 20's ("The Jazz Singer", a dubious entry, and Charlie Chaplin's "The Gold Rush"). The T.V. special is hosted at first by actress Jodie Foster, and later taken over by Richard Gere. The films are counted backwards, starting with #100, "Yankee Doodle Dandy". Various actors, studio execs, even the loathsome ex-president, Bill Clinton, give analysis to the chosen movies. Some of the remembrances of these people are truly insightful, others are rudimentary. But actor Burt Reynolds truly gets the prize for the flakiest analysis, breaking down whilst discussing "To Kill a Mockingbird." Dustin Hoffman, too, is about to combust, talking about how playing a man dressing as a woman to get a part in a soap opera (in the comedy "Tootsie") made him look at women in general in his offscreen life; he remarks how the make-up people couldn't make him into a pretty type of woman on the set of "Tootsie". This one event in his life made him regret the great relationships he lost out on with women in his personal life, because their features didn't conform to what makes a woman attractive in his eyes. Thus, Hoffman chose to ignore these ladies, for the mere fact that they just didn't physically turn him on. The confession was not so much moving as it was unnerving. And, as with any "best-of" lists chosen by industry insiders, some of the films were chosen due to political consideration. For instance, the extremely flawed "Dances With Wolves" had to have been chosen to give Kevin Costner a credit to live in perpetuity with the other films bestowed with the honor of being in the Top 100. Moreover, I was amazed at the number of films from the 1990's that were included, such as "Pulp Fiction" and "Forrest Gump", two highly questionable selections. However, in the list, you'll find no Buster Keaton comedies, no Ernst Lubitch entries, nor great films like "Touch of Evil" or "To Have and Have Not." Such slights seem almost unforgivable. Still, the truly deserved are near the top: "Casablanca", "The Godfather, Parts I and II", "Citizen Kane", "The Wizard of Oz", and "Gone With the Wind." But as with any list like this comes controversy. I would have substituted at least 25 of these selections with other films not mentioned. I cannot help but think these movies were given some consideration not for their content, but also because they were of some historical significance; "The Jazz Singer" is still not a great film, but was the film that revolutionized the "talkie" era at the turn of the 1930's, and therefore was deemed acceptable for historical reasons. I submit that it is still the 100 "greatest" movies that need be represented, so clearly "Jazz Singer" should not have made it, lest there be cries of false advertising by discriminating viewers like myself. A few of these pictures should not even have been considered simply because they were not even AMERICAN films, as the criteria was supposed to be. So, "Clockwork Orange" and "Bridge on the River Kwai" should be left off by default, as they were technically British movies. Still, I have tried to watch as many of the films on the list that I had previously not seen, to judge for myself the worthiness of acceptance into the hallowed Top 100. "The Third Man" is one of these that I had not viewed before, but have since watching it found it to be a worthy candidate for the list. The tape makes for interesting viewing, but the snippets of each film and subsequent comments by various celebrities are sometimes too short, and we find ourselves jumping into the next number. There is a longer, more extensive version available through Amazon, and you may want to check it out too. Be sure you've seen all the movies on the list before scoping out this longer version, or you'll be subject to beaucoup spoilers that may ruin your enjoyment of the selections you have yet to see. The special is still worth the couple hours you'll spend viewing it. If anything, it will give you fodder for debates with other movie buffs, and that is worth the price of the tape alone. Now, if AFI would release a table-top book as a primer as well...
Rating:
Summary: Much to applaud, much to question in AFI's picks.
Review: In the summer of 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) released its list of the "Top 100 Movies of All Time." The list was chosen by a select panel of critics, movie executives, and various other glitterati to celebrate the best the film world had to offer in the 1900's. Easy task? No way! Just about everyone will take exception to the chosen films, and I am no different. Some I automatically agreed with, others I grudgingly approved of, some I hadn't even heard of, and the rest...well, all I could do was shake my head in wonderment, bemusement, or disgust. First of all, the list does run the gamut of comedies, dramas, musicals, westerns, and horror films. However, though it is meant to be culled from the last 100 years (assuming, of course, that 1999 would have nothing to offer us), only one film from the 1910's made it (the D.W. Griffith silent epic, "The Birth of a Nation") and only two from the roaring 20's ("The Jazz Singer", a dubious entry, and Charlie Chaplin's "The Gold Rush"). The T.V. special is hosted at first by actress Jodie Foster, and later taken over by Richard Gere. The films are counted backwards, starting with #100, "Yankee Doodle Dandy". Various actors, studio execs, even the loathsome ex-president, Bill Clinton, give analysis to the chosen movies. Some of the remembrances of these people are truly insightful, others are rudimentary. But actor Burt Reynolds truly gets the prize for the flakiest analysis, breaking down whilst discussing "To Kill a Mockingbird." Dustin Hoffman, too, is about to combust, talking about how playing a man dressing as a woman to get a part in a soap opera (in the comedy "Tootsie") made him look at women in general in his offscreen life; he remarks how the make-up people couldn't make him into a pretty type of woman on the set of "Tootsie". This one event in his life made him regret the great relationships he lost out on with women in his personal life, because their features didn't conform to what makes a woman attractive in his eyes. Thus, Hoffman chose to ignore these ladies, for the mere fact that they just didn't physically turn him on. The confession was not so much moving as it was unnerving. And, as with any "best-of" lists chosen by industry insiders, some of the films were chosen due to political consideration. For instance, the extremely flawed "Dances With Wolves" had to have been chosen to give Kevin Costner a credit to live in perpetuity with the other films bestowed with the honor of being in the Top 100. Moreover, I was amazed at the number of films from the 1990's that were included, such as "Pulp Fiction" and "Forrest Gump", two highly questionable selections. However, in the list, you'll find no Buster Keaton comedies, no Ernst Lubitch entries, nor great films like "Touch of Evil" or "To Have and Have Not." Such slights seem almost unforgivable. Still, the truly deserved are near the top: "Casablanca", "The Godfather, Parts I and II", "Citizen Kane", "The Wizard of Oz", and "Gone With the Wind." But as with any list like this comes controversy. I would have substituted at least 25 of these selections with other films not mentioned. I cannot help but think these movies were given some consideration not for their content, but also because they were of some historical significance; "The Jazz Singer" is still not a great film, but was the film that revolutionized the "talkie" era at the turn of the 1930's, and therefore was deemed acceptable for historical reasons. I submit that it is still the 100 "greatest" movies that need be represented, so clearly "Jazz Singer" should not have made it, lest there be cries of false advertising by discriminating viewers like myself. A few of these pictures should not even have been considered simply because they were not even AMERICAN films, as the criteria was supposed to be. So, "Clockwork Orange" and "Bridge on the River Kwai" should be left off by default, as they were technically British movies. Still, I have tried to watch as many of the films on the list that I had previously not seen, to judge for myself the worthiness of acceptance into the hallowed Top 100. "The Third Man" is one of these that I had not viewed before, but have since watching it found it to be a worthy candidate for the list. The tape makes for interesting viewing, but the snippets of each film and subsequent comments by various celebrities are sometimes too short, and we find ourselves jumping into the next number. There is a longer, more extensive version available through Amazon, and you may want to check it out too. Be sure you've seen all the movies on the list before scoping out this longer version, or you'll be subject to beaucoup spoilers that may ruin your enjoyment of the selections you have yet to see. The special is still worth the couple hours you'll spend viewing it. If anything, it will give you fodder for debates with other movie buffs, and that is worth the price of the tape alone. Now, if AFI would release a table-top book as a primer as well...
Rating:
Summary: songs I missed
Review: Love is a Many Splendored thing
Dream Lover
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
All That Jazz
songs from The Music Man, Chorus Line, Oklahoma, Carousel,
The show was wonderful, but I would like to see the list of the 400 nominated songs. How would I fin dthis?
Rating: 
Summary: Not even good television
Review: Night of a Thousand Stars 2. Here'an idea. Go to AFI's Web site, AFI.com, check out the top 100 list and buy one you've never seen. Now that's worth celebrating.
Rating:
Summary: How many films on the controversial AFI list have you seen?
Review: Of course the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest films from the first century of cinema engendered plenty of controversy. Certainly it has provoked the greatest discussion of film history than anything else, which is arguably a good thing. This DVD presents the original CBS Television Special and should not be confused with the more detailed ten-part series the AFI put together for cable television, which is also available on DVD. Clips and tesimonials are provided for each of the 100 films. Like everyone else, I have my complaints about the list (e.g., "E.T." is still Spielberg's best film, not "Schindler's List"), but I think the more important question for us when we see what is on AFI's list is not "What changes would I make?" but rather "Which films have you not seen?" There were three films on the list I had never seen when this list first came out, but I have now. I think everyone should do the same. Besides, it is a lot easier to make your case once you have seen all the evidence.
Rating:
Summary: very disappointing
Review: People coming to Amazon to buy a package deal of the best 100 movies will be very disappointed to be re-directed here to just a single video instead of the package deal of 100 movies.
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