AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies: No. 21


Back in 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest films as voted on by members of the cinematic community. The year, I'm looking at the films on that list, re-ranked according to my preference. Check back Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year as we walk through this list of classic films.

Narrator: This was the story of Howard Beale: The first known instance of a man who was killed because he had lousy ratings.

Network (1976)
Original List Position: 66
Starring: Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, William Holden, and Peter Finch
Director: Sidney Lumet
About: This is a classic film that challenges our conceptions in a lot of ways. As someone who is a fan of journalism films, this has long stood out. It's a fairly wild story with a great cast and some great performances. But it certainly makes you think, too. This was among the handful of films I had at the top of the heap for the decade of the 1970s, and it makes sense that it landed on this list. The original list had it at No. 66 and it jumped to No. 64 10 years later. I have it higher than that and have a great affinity for the film. It's worth seeking out.

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