BBC Culture asked readers to share which films they think should’ve been on the list of the 100 greatest American films ever made. Here’s what you chose.
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1. The Shawshank Redemption
Our readers reacted strongly to our poll of 62 critics to determine the [100 Greatest American Films](http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-100-greatest-american-films), especially regarding the beloved films that were left off the list. We rounded up 10 films that BBC Culture readers have said they wished had made the cut. First up, The Shawshank Redemption. Adapted from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, this 1994 American drama film, suggested by BBC Culture Twitter follower Anir Korambeth @Zius7, holds number one on the IMDb Top 250 list. Written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, it received seven Oscar nominations. Critic Leonard Klady described the film as “a testament to the human spirit”, but it did not receive a single vote from any of the 62 critics who voted in our poll. (Credit: Moviestore Collection Ltd/Alamy)
2. To Kill a Mockingbird
Submitted by BBC Culture Facebook fan Kate Nerone: “Although the story obviously has universal appeal, the film itself is so finely tuned to American sensibilities, it may not strike the same chord elsewhere.” Based on the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, this American drama film won three Academy Awards, including the best actor award for Gregory Peck. No critics in our poll voted for it. (Credit: Universal Pictures)
3. Blade Runner
Submitted by BBC Culture Facebook fan Maciej Jeszka. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, this 1982 science fiction film is a modified adaptation of the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K Dick. In the year 2019, the use of genetically engineered replicants is banned on Earth. Those who defy the ban and return to Earth are killed by special police operatives known as Blade Runners. It’s a cult film and a leading example of the neo-noir genre. Some critics regard it as one of the best science fiction films ever made. Academic critic Joan Mellen was the only one to vote for Blade Runner (at number 10 on her ballot) in our poll. (Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy)
4. On the Waterfront
Submitted by BBC Culture Facebook fan Dave Austin. A 1954 American crime drama film directed by Elia Kazan, it won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Marlon Brando. After Brando won the award, he used it to help hold his front door open, after which it was stolen and only returned to him much later. Film critic Roger Ebert said that this was one of the greatest films ever, and that Brando and Kazan “changed acting in American movies forever”. On the Waterfront received votes from Columbia University’s Annette Insdorf (at No 8 on her ballot) and the Village Voice’s Nick Schager (also at No 8), but that wasn’t enough for it to crack the Top 100. (Credit: AF Archive/Alamy)
5. Inception
Submitted by BBC Culture Facebook fan James Jon Bon Langan. Filmed in six countries and four continents, this 2010 science fiction film was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, with a large cast – including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy and others. This is the 45th-highest-grossing film of all time, and it won 4 Academy Awards. BBC Radio 5 Live’s Mark Kermode named it the best film of 2010, saying that “this film is proof that people are not stupid, that cinema is not trash, and that it is possible for blockbusters and art to be the same thing.” No one voted for it in our poll. (Credit: AF Archive/Alamy)
6. The General
Submitted by BBC Culture Twitter follower Tim O'Brien (@obrienspeak). This 1926 American silent comedy film stars Buster Keaton, who co-directed it with Clyde Bruckman. Inspired by the real-life ‘Great Locomotive Chase’ of 1862, the film wasn’t well received by critics and audiences at first. It had, for that time, a huge budget of $750,000 and since it failed to turn a profit, Keaton lost his independence as a filmmaker. The American Film Institute ranked The General #18 on the list of the 100 best American movies of all time. Only Sam Adams of Indiewire voted for it in our poll. (Credit: United Artists/Press Herlad)
7. Saving Private Ryan
Submitted by BBC Culture Twitter follower Joe Vega (@JoeyV1067WIZN). This 1998 American epic war drama film is credited with contributing to a resurgence in America's interest in World War Two. It won Steven Spielberg his second Academy Award for best director. No one voted for it in our poll. (Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy)
8. The Maltese Falcon
Submitted by BBC Culture Twitter follower Tony Macklin (@tonymacklinfilm). The 1941 film noir stars Humphrey Bogart, was John Huston’s directorial debut, and was nominated for three Academy Awards. Huston planned each second of the film and considered every little detail, with sketches for each scene and a script that allowed the actors to rehearse their scenes with little intervention. He shot almost the entire film in sequence. Huston used much of the dialogue from the original novel by Dashiell Hammett. Only Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly voted for it in our poll. (Credit: Cineclassico/Alamy)
9. Rear Window
Submitted by BBC Culture Twitter follower Joseph Caouette (@JoeCaou). Considered one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films, this 1954 mystery thriller received four Academy Awards nominations. Michael Sragow from The New Yorker described it as “one of Hitchcock’s inspired audience-participation films: watching it, you feel titillated, horrified, and, ultimately, purged.” Rear Window did not receive a single vote for our poll. (Credit: AF Archive/Alamy)
10. Platoon
Submitted by BBC Culture Twitter follower Murmur (@mmurmuur). This is the first Hollywood film about the Vietnam War to be written and directed by a veteran of the conflict – Oliver Stone. It is the first of a trilogy of Vietnam War films by Stone, the others being Born on the Fourth of July and Heaven & Earth. The film won the Academy Award for best picture of 1986 and also for best director. Film critic Dave Kehr has said: “There are images in this film so powerful that they seem, rather than simply imprinted on celluloid, to have been burned into memory.” (Credit: AF Archive/Alamy)
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