The Classics

People seem to have a natural tendency to glorify the past. They never make things “like they used to.” Certain art has merit because it is “classic.” Childhood isn’t what it used to be.

And this happens in cinema, too. If you look at the AFI’s all-time top 100 movies, you’ll notice that only six of them were made in the past fifteen years, and none more recently than 1996.

The most recent movie in the top ten is Schindler’s List, at number 9.

The most recent movie in the top five is The Godfather, at number 3.

The best movie of all time was made in 1941: Citizen Kane.

Of course, the AFI is hardly the final word on what good cinema is, or how each movie should be ranked. But, as much as any list would be able to, it embodies the sentiment of both a large portion of critics and avid moviegoers as to the relative quality of the films throughout Hollywood’s history.

Because of this innate love of the “classics,” it’s always gratifying to see a title like Citizen Kane or Gone With the Wind at the top of the list. But it also suggests, in a weird sort of way, that we really haven’t made any progress in filmmaking. In fact, we may have regressed in our ability to make good and meaningful films. It’s a depressing thought.

My guess is that, when a film comes along to replace Kane, as it undoubtedly will, it’ll be years before we see it top the list. One day, twenty years from now, we’ll suddenly realize how that film of 2005, it really was a materpiece. We’re weird.