Top 10 Most Iconic American Movies of All Time

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While someone looking for the best American films of all time, maybe they might go for Academy Award winners, sports films, classic romantic comedies, or the ... read more...

  1. Francis Ford Coppola produced and directed The Godfather Part II, a 1974 American epic crime film based on a screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo. The Godfather II is the sequel to The Godfather. The film serves as both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, portraying parallel dramas: one picks up the 1958 story of Michael Corleone (Pacino), the new Don of the Corleone family, protecting the family business in the aftermath of an assassination attempt; the other covers the journey of his father, Vito Corleone (De Niro), from his Sicilian childhood to the founding of his family business in New York City.


    The Godfather Part II premiered on December 12, 1974, in New York City, and was released on December 20, 1974, in the United States. It received mixed reviews from reviewers, but its reputation quickly improved, and it was soon the topic of critical re-appraisal. On a $13 million budget, it grossed $48 million in the United States and Canada and up to $93 million globally. At the 47th Academy Awards, the film received eleven nominations and became the first sequel to win Best Picture.

    Detailed Infomation:

    Running time: 200 minutes
    Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
    Starring: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro
    Budget: $13 million
    Box office: $48–93 million

    The Godfather Part II
    The Godfather Part II
    The Godfather Part II

  2. Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. It is set during World War II and revolves around an American expatriate (Bogart) who must choose between his love for a woman (Bergman) and helping her and her husband, a Czech resistance leader (Henreid), escape from the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca so that he can continue fighting the Germans. The script is based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison's unproduced theatrical drama, Everybody Comes to Rick's.


    Casablanca went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Curtiz was named Best Director, and the Epsteins and Koch were rewarded for Best Adapted Screenplay, all of which exceeded expectations. Its reputation has steadily developed to the point that its principal characters, famous lines, and all-encompassing theme music have all become legendary, and it frequently ranks near the top of lists of the greatest films ever made.

    Detailed Information:

    Running time: 102 minutes
    Directed by: Michael Curtiz
    Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
    Budget: $878,000–$1 million
    Box office: $3.7–6.9 million

    Casablanca
    Casablanca
    Casablanca
  3. The Star Wars Trilogy (also known as the original trilogy or the classic trilogy) is the first of three films in George Lucas' Star Wars franchise, an American space opera. Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) was created by Lucasfilm and released by 20th Century Fox (1983). The films follow Luke Skywalker on his quest to become a Jedi under the instruction of exiled Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, as well as the Galactic Civil War between the Rebel Alliance and the despotic Galactic Empire. In order to defeat the Empire and the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader, Luke joins forces with Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and the Rebel Alliance.


    The original trilogy, which begins in the middle of the nine-episode Skywalker saga, is the second act. Between 1999 and 2005, a prequel trilogy was released, and between 2015 and 2019, a sequel trilogy was released. The original Star Wars surpassed 1975's Jaws as the highest-earning film of all time, turning science fiction films into a blockbuster genre until it was surpassed by E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982.


    Detailed Information:

    Directed by: George Lucas (IV), Irvin Kershner (V), Richard Marquand (VI)
    Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing (IV)
    Budget: 76.5 million (total for IV, V, VI)
    Box office: 1.798 billion (total for IV, V, VI)
    Star Wars (Original Trilogy)
    Star Wars (Original Trilogy)
    Star Wars (Original Trilogy)
  4. The Wizard of Oz is a musical fantasy film released in 1939 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It was primarily directed by Victor Fleming (who left the production to take over the troubled Gone with the Wind). The story follows Dorothy Gale and her dog are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, where they start on a quest with three new companions to see the Wizard, who can restore her home and fulfill others' wishes.


    The Wizard of Oz was a popular film when it was first released on August 25, 1939, because of its use of Technicolor, fantasy tale, musical score, and memorable characters. The film was a critical triumph, receiving six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won two awards: Best Original Song for "Over the Rainbow" and Best Original Score by Stothart.


    Detailed Information:

    Running time: 101 minutes

    Directed by: Victor Fleming

    Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr

    Budget: $2.8 million
    Box office: $29.7 million

    The Wizard of Oz
    The Wizard of Oz
    The Wizard of Oz
  5. It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra. It is based on Philip Van Doren Stern's self-published short tale and booklet The Greatest Gift, which is partially based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. George Bailey, played by James Stewart, is a man who has given up his own goals in order to aid others in his society, and whose thoughts of suicide on Christmas Eve are interrupted by his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers).


    It's a Wonderful Life is widely regarded as one of the best movies of all time. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and was named one of the 100 best American films ever made by the American Film Institute. It was ranked No. 11 on the American Film Institute's best films list in 1998, No. 20 in 2007, and No. 1 on its list of the most inspirational American films of all time.


    Detailed Information:

    Running time: 131 minutes

    Directed by: Frank Capra

    Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell

    Budget: $3.18 million
    Box office: $3.3 million

    It's a Wonderful Life
    It's a Wonderful Life
    It's a Wonderful Life
  6. Top 6

    Psycho

    Psycho is a 1960 American psychological horror-thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Joseph Stefano wrote the script, which was based on Robert Bloch's 1959 novel of the same name. The story revolves around an encounter between on-the-run embezzler Marion Crane (Leigh) and self-conscious motel proprietor Norman Bates (Perkins). The event appears in a private investigator (Balsam), Marion's lover Sam Loomis (Gavin), and Marion's sister Lila (Miles) investigating Marion's disappearance.


    Psycho is now widely regarded as one of Hitchcock's greatest films. International film reviewers and academics have praised it for its slick directing, tight atmosphere, excellent camerawork, memorable music, and iconic performances, praising it as a monumental work of cinematic art. It is largely viewed as the first example of the slasher film genre and is frequently named among the best films of all time.


    Detailed Information:

    Running time: 109 minutes

    Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

    Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam

    Budget: $806,947
    Box office: $50 million

    Psycho
    Psycho
    Psycho
  7. Die Hard is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, with a script by Stuart and de Souza. It is based on Roderick Thorp's novel Nothing Lasts Forever, published in 1979. Die Hard follows New York City police detective John McClane (Willis), who is visiting his divorced wife when he is caught up in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles tower.


    Die Hard has been re-evaluated by critics and is now regarded as one of the best action films of all time, as well as one of the best Christmas films. It resurrected the action genre, owing to its portrayal of McClane as a vulnerable and fallible hero, as opposed to the muscle-bound and indestructible protagonists of other films of the time. Die Hard was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2017 after being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" by the United States Library of Congress.

    Detailed Information:

    Running time: 132 minutes
    Directed by: John McTiernan
    Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedelia
    Budget: $25–35 million
    Box office: $139.8–141.5 million

    Die Hard
    Die Hard
    Die Hard
  8. Caddyshack is a 1980 American sports comedy film directed by Harold Ramis. Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, and Bill Murray are among the actors. Caddyshack was Ramis' directorial debut, and it launched Dangerfield's career, which had previously been dominated by stand-up comedy. It was the first of a series of such comedies, grossing about $40 million domestically (the 17th highest of the year). The movie has a cult following, and ESPN called it "perhaps the funniest sports movie ever filmed."


    The story revolves around Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe) is a down-on-his-luck kid who works as a caddy at the exclusive Bushwood Country Club to help pay for his college tuition. And Noonan volunteers to caddy for a renowned and powerful club member in order to collect votes for a college scholarship reserved for caddies (Ted Knight). Meanwhile, Danny struggles to prepare for the high-pressure Caddy Day golf tournament while absorbing New Age advice from wealthy golf guru Ty Webb (Chevy Chase).


    Detailed Information:

    Running time: 98 minutes

    Directed by: Harold Ramis

    Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe

    Budget: $4.8 million
    Box office: $60 million

    Caddyshack
    Caddyshack
    Caddyshack
  9. Animal House, directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller, is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller. The story starts when Larry (Thomas Hulce) and Kent (Stephen Furst) arrive at college, they attempt to pledge the snooty Omega Theta Pi House but are unceremoniously denied. They try and get into the notoriously boisterous Delta Tau Chi House, lowering their criteria. The problem is that the Deltas have a vendetta against the college dean (John Vernon). He has placed them on "Double Secret Probation" and has secretly assigned the responsibility of getting their charter revoked to Omega's president (James Daughton).


    Animal House garnered mainly mixed reviews after its first release on July 28, 1978, although Time and Roger Ebert named it one of the greatest films of the year. It was made for only $3 million and grossed more than $141 million in theatrical and home video rentals, not counting merchandise, making it the highest-grossing comedy film of the time.


    Detailed Information:

    Running time: 109 minutes

    Directed by: John Landis

    Starring: John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom

    Budget: $3 million
    Box office: $141.6 million

    National Lampoon's Animal House
    National Lampoon's Animal House
    National Lampoon's Animal House
  10. Top 10

    Jaws

    Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name from 1974. When a man-eating great white shark kills beachgoers in a summer vacation town, police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) teams up with a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter to track it down (Robert Shaw). The mayor is played by Murray Hamilton, while Brody's wife is played by Lorraine Gary.


    Jaws was the classic summer blockbuster, regarded as a breakthrough moment in film history for its soundtrack and editing, and it received plenty of honors. Until 1977, when Star Wars was released, it was the highest-grossing film. It was chosen for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2001 as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

    Detailed Information:

    Running time: 124 minutes
    Directed by: Steven Spielberg
    Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary
    Budget: $9 million
    Box office: $472 million

    Jaws
    Jaws
    Jaws



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