The 10 Best American Movies (With Videos)

Over at his Think Again blog, Stanley Fish, the eminent literary critic, has listed his all-time favorite American films. The list is a good one, so we figured why not add some video clips to the mix, and give you a little taste of each classic. See the full list after the jump. And if you have your own favorites, feel free to list them in the comments. And now with no further delay…

1) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Directed by William Wyler. With Myrna Loy, Fredric March and Dana Andrews.


2) Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Directed by Billy Wilder with William Holden and Gloria Swanson.

 

3) Double Indemnity (1944)

Directed by Billy Wilder. With Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson.

 

4) Raging Bull (1980)

Directed by Martin Scorsese, with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty.


 

5) Red River (1948)

Directed by Howard Hawks & Arthur Rosson. With John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, and Joanne Dru.

6) Vertigo (1958)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock with Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak.


 

7) Shane (1953)

Directed by George Stevens with Brandon De Wilde, Elisha Cook Jr., Jack Palance and Ben Johnson. 

 

8) Groundhog Day (1993)

Directed by Harold Ramis. With Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, & Chris Elliott. 

 

9) Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Directed by Vincente Minnelli. With Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor.

 

10) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

Directed by Elia Kazan with Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, James Dunn, Lloyd Nolan  & James Gleason



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  • Tom
    What poor choices? Where are "On The Waterfront," and "Five Easy Pieces"?
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    Open Culture editor Dan Colman scours the web for the best cultural and educational media. He finds the books you want, the classes you need, and plenty of enlightenment in between.