The following films are works of art the authors consider required viewing when pursuing a career in the movie industry. This is not meant as a definitive list of the best movies ever made–they’re almost all American, for one thing, and any best-of list is bound to have other differences–but rather a starting out list of essentials for illustrating the craft of filmmaking. Many of them are referred to throughout Filmmaking in Action. The accompanying links will take you to a site outside this LaunchPad: the AFI and IMDB listings for these films.
12 Years a Slave |
AFI |
IMDB |
2001: A Space Odyssey |
AFI |
IMDB |
All About Eve |
AFI |
IMDB |
Apocalypse Now |
AFI |
IMDB |
Avatar |
AFI |
IMDB |
Bonnie and Clyde |
AFI |
IMDB |
Brokeback Mountain |
AFI |
IMDB |
Casablanca |
AFI |
IMDB |
Chicago |
AFI |
IMDB |
Chinatown |
AFI |
IMDB |
Citizen Kane |
AFI |
IMDB |
District 9 |
AFI |
IMDB |
Do the Right Thing |
AFI |
IMDB |
Duck Soup |
AFI |
IMDB |
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial |
AFI |
IMDB |
Forrest Gump |
AFI |
IMDB |
The Godfather |
AFI |
IMDB |
The Godfather Part II |
AFI |
IMDB |
Goodfellas |
AFI |
IMDB |
High Noon |
AFI |
IMDB |
Hugo |
AFI |
IMDB |
The Hurt Locker |
AFI |
IMDB |
Inception |
AFI |
IMDB |
King Kong |
AFI |
IMDB |
Life of Pi |
AFI |
IMDB |
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
AFI |
IMDB |
Malcolm X |
AFI |
IMDB |
Modern Times |
AFI |
IMDB |
North by Northwest |
AFI |
IMDB |
Precious |
AFI |
IMDB |
Psycho |
AFI |
IMDB |
Pulp Fiction |
AFI |
IMDB |
Raiders of the Lost Ark |
AFI |
IMDB |
Rear Window |
AFI |
IMDB |
Schindler’s List |
AFI |
IMDB |
Shane |
AFI |
IMDB |
The Silence of the Lambs |
AFI |
IMDB |
Singin’ in the Rain |
AFI |
IMDB |
Slumdog Millionaire |
AFI |
IMDB |
Some Like It Hot |
AFI |
IMDB |
Star Wars |
AFI |
IMDB |
Taxi Driver |
AFI |
IMDB |
There Will Be Blood |
AFI |
IMDB |
The Third Man |
AFI |
IMDB |
To Kill a Mockingbird |
AFI |
IMDB |
Unforgiven |
AFI |
IMDB |
Vertigo |
AFI |
IMDB |
Winter’s Bone |
AFI |
IMDB |
The Wizard of Oz |
AFI |
IMDB |