Surprising Entries in AFI's Top 10
by ElMaruecan82 | created - 23 Apr 2016 | updated - 24 Jul 2016 | PublicWhich of these movies included in the American Film Institute's Top 10 by genre do you find the most surprising?
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1. Cat Ballou (1965)
Not Rated | 97 min | Western
A young schoolteacher turns into an outlaw to avenge her murdered father.
Director: Elliot Silverstein | Stars: Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman
Votes: 16,205 | Gross: $20.67M
Genre : Western
Other films: The Searchers, High Noon, Shane, Unforgiven, Red River, The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Stagecoach
The problem: So many classic Western movies have been made in the past that, even if you discount Spaghetti Westerns (uneligible for the American Film Institute), Cat Ballou isn't exactly among those that first come to mind... and even if they wanted to include a parody, then how about Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles?
2. Dial M for Murder (1954)
PG | 105 min | Crime, Thriller
A former tennis star arranges the murder of his adulterous wife.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams
Votes: 188,942 | Gross: $0.01M
Genre : Mystery
Other films: Vertigo, Chinatown, Rear Window, Laura, The Third Man, The Maltese Falcon, North by Northwest, Blue Velvet, The Usual Suspects
The problem: There's no much mystery from the viewers' perspective, we already know who-done-what. One can argue that it's all in the way the villain gets caught at the end, but then it's closer to the Columbo episodes' format.
3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Not Rated | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
After a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he's not mistaken.
Director: George Seaton | Stars: Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Gene Lockhart
Votes: 54,938 | Gross: $2.65M
Genre : Fantasy
Other films: The Wizard of Oz, The Lord of the Rings : the Fellowship of the Ring, It's a Wonderful Life, King Kong,lField of Dreams, Harvey,Groundhog Day, The Thief of Bagdad, Big
The problem: Granted it's a Christmas comedy-drama, and in its own enchanting, family-friendly, way, a courtoom/crime film, but the element of fantasy is only hypothetical and, while questioned in the film, doesn't drive the narrative at any part.
4. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
Votes: 1,450,765 | Gross: $322.74M
Genre : Sci-fi
Other films: 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Alien, Terminator 2 : Judgment Day, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Back to the Future
The problem: That's an old one. Sure the technological elements of the film and the interstellar setting scream "Sci-fi", but when you get deeper in its universe, its characters and the very notion of the Force, you start to deal with supernatural elements that are integral to the Fantasy genre.
5. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke
Votes: 881,795 | Gross: $6.21M
Genre : Sci-fi
Other films: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Alien, Terminator 2 : Judgment Day, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Back to the Future
The problem: Sure the film is set in the future and features advanced (although not too far-fetched) medical technology, but is it in so remarkable or so memorable (in comparaison with the other parts) that it deserves to define the film's genre?
6. The Hustler (1961)
Not Rated | 134 min | Drama, Sport
An up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.
Director: Robert Rossen | Stars: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott
Votes: 86,824 | Gross: $8.28M
Genre : Sports
Other films: Raging Bull, Rocky, The Pride of the Yankees, Hoosiers, Bull Durham, Caddyshack, Breaking Away, National Velvet, Jerry Maguire
The problem: No problem, as long as you consider pool as a sport.
7. In Cold Blood (1967)
R | 134 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Two ex-cons murder a family in a robbery attempt, before going on the run from the authorities. The police try to piece together the details of the murder in an attempt to track down the killers.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, Paul Stewart
Votes: 29,164
Genre : Courtroom Drama
Other films: To Kill a Mockingbird, 12 Angry Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, The Verdict, A Few Good Men, Witness for the Prosecution, Anatomy for a Murder, A Cry in the Dark, Judgment at Nuremberg
The problem: The film is a lot of things, it's a gripping crime drama of documentary-like realism, a police procedural, a social commentary on the judiciary system, but 10 minutes of trial hardly make it a courtroom drama.
8. Cinderella (1950)
G | 74 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
When Cinderella's cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, she gets some unexpected help from the lovable mice Gus and Jaq and from her Fairy Godmother.
Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske | Stars: Ilene Woods, James MacDonald, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton
Votes: 174,075 | Gross: $85.00M
Genre : Animation
Other films: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Bambi, The Lion King, Fantasia, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, Finding Nemo
The problem: There's no denying that the film is a classic, but is it really worthier than Dumbo, Sleeping Beauty or The Little Mermaid? Could another non-Disney movie deserve a spot?
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