100 Years...100 Thrills

The American Film Institute's selection of the top 100 most heart-pounding and adrenaline-inducing American films was put together by nearly 2,000 luminaries of American cinema including actors, directors, screenwriters and stuntmen and features film titles from such diverse genres as horror, sci-fi, action-adventure and silent. Hosted by top Hollywood actor Harrison Ford, the programme also includes a wealth of contributions from such names as Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Martin Scorsese, Samuel L Jackson, Janet Leigh, Lucy Liu and Sandra Bullock.[www.channel4.com/press]

Interesting facts about AFI 100 Years 100 Thrills include:

The 100 films span from Harold Lloyd's SAFETY LAST, released in 1923, to 1999's THE MATRIX and THE SIXTH SENSE. Harrison Ford and Claude Rains are the most celebrated actors, each starring in 4 films in the top 100. Ford's films are BLADE RUNNER, THE FUGITIVE, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and STAR WARS. Rains stars in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, NOTORIOUS and CASABLANCA Nine Alfred Hitchcock films made the list, including the film ranked #1, PSYCHO, making him the most represented director. Hitchcock frequent cameos technically make him the most represented actor on the list with eight appearances, including every film except DIAL M FOR MURDER, in which he appears in a photograph on the wall. Steven Spielberg directed 6 films on the list, 2 of which placed in the top 10, and he wrote and produced POLTERGEIST. Stanley Kubrick directed 5 of America's most heart-pounding movies. With 22 films, the 1970s claim the most heart-pounding movies in the AFI countdown. The 1960s boast 21 movies on the list, while the 1980s and 1940s each have 14. Jim Cameron's TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY is the only movie sequel on the AFI list.

Thrills that cross generations include John Huston and his father, actor Walter Huston, appear together in THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. Director Alfred Hitchcock and his daughter, actress Pat Hitchcock worked together in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN and PSYCHO. Actresses Janet Leigh (PSYCHO, TOUCH OF EVIL, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) and her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis (HALLOWEEN), appear in separate films on the AFI list.

Thrills encompass many genres, including courtroom dramas (12 ANGRY MEN), disasters (TITANIC), epics (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA), horror (PSYCHO), musicals (THE WIZARD OF OZ), noir (DOUBLE INDEMNITY), sci-fi (ALIEN), sports (ROCKY), suspense (NORTH BY NORTHWEST), war (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) and westerns (HIGH NOON).

The Winners:

1 PSYCHO 1960 2 JAWS 1975 3 THE EXORCIST 1973 4 NORTH BY NORTHWEST 1959 5 THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS 1991 6 ALIEN 1979 7 THE BIRDS 1963 8 THE FRENCH CONNECTION 1971 9 ROSEMARY'S BABY 1968 10 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 1981 11 THE GODFATHER 1972 12 KING KONG 1933 13 BONNIE AND CLYDE 1967 14 REAR WINDOW 1954 15 DELIVERANCE 1972 16 CHINATOWN 1974 17 THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE 1962 18 VERTIGO 1958 19 THE GREAT ESCAPE 1963 20 HIGH NOON 1952 21 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE 1971 22 TAXI DRIVER 1976 23 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962 24 DOUBLE INDEMNITY 1944 25 TITANIC 1997 26 THE MALTESE FALCON 1941 27 STAR WARS 1977 28 FATAL ATTRACTION 1987 29 THE SHINING 1980 30 THE DEER HUNTER 1978 31 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 1977 32 STRANGERS ON A TRAIN 1951 33 THE FUGITIVE 1993 34 THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER 1955 35 JURASSIC PARK 1993 36 BULLITT 1968 37 CASABLANCA 1942 38 NOTORIOUS 1946 39 DIE HARD 1988 40 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968 41 DIRTY HARRY 1971 42 THE TERMINATOR 1984 43 THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939 44 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 1982 45 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN 1998 46 CARRIE 1976 47 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS 1956 48 DIAL M FOR MURDER 1954 49 BEN-HUR 1959 50 MARATHON MAN 1976 51 RAGING BULL 1980 52 ROCKY 1976 53 PULP FICTION 1994 54 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID 1969 55 WAIT UNTIL DARK 1967 56 FRANKENSTEIN 1931 57 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN 1976 58 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 1957 59 PLANET OF THE APES 1968 60 THE SIXTH SENSE 1999 61 CAPE FEAR 1962 62 SPARTACUS 1960 63 WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? 1962 64 TOUCH OF EVIL 1958 65 THE DIRTY DOZEN 1967 66 THE MATRIX 1999 67 THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE 1948 68 HALLOWEEN 1978 69 THE WILD BUNCH 1969 70 DOG DAY AFTERNOON 1975 71 GOLDFINGER 1964 72 PLATOON 1986 73 LAURA 1944 74 BLADE RUNNER 1982 75 THE THIRD MAN 1949 76 THELMA & LOUISE 1991 77 TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 1991 78 GASLIGHT 1944 79 THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 1960 80 REBECCA 1940 81 THE OMEN 1976 82 THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL 1951 83 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 1925 84 POLTERGEIST 1982 85 DRACULA 1931 86 THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY 1945 87 THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD 1951 88 12 ANGRY MEN 1957 89 THE GUNS OF NAVARONE 1961 90 THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE 1972 91 BRAVEHEART 1995 92 BODY HEAT 1981 93 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 1968 94 THE CHINA SYNDROME 1979 95 FULL METAL JACKET 1987 96 BLUE VELVET 1986 97 SAFETY LAST 1923 98 BLOOD SIMPLE 1984 99 SPEED 1994 100 THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD 1938

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