“If the boy and girl walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand in the last scene, it adds $10 million to the box office.”
– George Lucas
AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Passions is a list of the 100 greatest love stories (as selected from 400 nominated movies), voted upon by an esteemed collection of members from the film community (ranging from directors and actors to critics and historians). The compilation was originally revealed in a television special, hosted by Candice Bergen, airing on June 11th, 2002.
Criteria for the jurors included pictures that featured a romantic bond between two or more characters, whose actions and/or intentions provided the heart of the narrative; feature-length format, generally more than a 60-minute duration; an English language presentation with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the U.S.; and a focused passion that has enriched America’s film and cultural heritage, while continuing to inspire contemporary artists and audiences.
A couple of interesting statistics reveal that Cary Grant is the most celebrated actor in the final results, with Humphrey Bogart in second place. William Wyler and George Cukor were the most represented directors (with four films each), while Mike Nichols, Rob Reiner, George Stevens, and Billy Wilder each helmed three love stories.
Continuing along with The Massie Twins’ tradition of admiring AFI’s lists (including AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Thrills and AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Laughs) – though certainly not agreeing with all of the choices – they’ve gone through the painstaking task of reviewing all 100 selections. Read the full reviews by clicking on the titles!
AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Passions (2002)
5. An Affair to Remember (1957)
8. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
16. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
18. Vertigo (1958)
19. Ghost (1990)
20. From Here to Eternity (1953)
24. King Kong (1933)
25. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
28. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
29. An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
33. Camille (1937)
34. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
35. Gigi (1958)
37. Titanic (1997)
38. It Happened One Night (1934)
39. An American in Paris (1951)
40. Ninotchka (1939)
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
45. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
47. Splendor in the Grass (1961)
48. Last Tango in Paris (1973)
49. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
50. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
54. Sabrina (1954)
55. Reds (1981)
56. The English Patient (1996)
58. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
59. Picnic (1956)
60. To Have and Have Not (1945)
61. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
63. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
64. Marty (1955)
66. Manhattan (1979)
67. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
70. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
72. Roxanne (1987)
73. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
75. The American President (1995)
79. Jezebel (1938)
80. The Sheik (1921)
82. Witness (1985)
83. Morocco (1930)
85. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
86. Notorious (1946)
87. The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
89. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
90. The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
94. Body Heat (1981)
96. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
97. Grease (1978)
98. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
100. Jerry Maguire (1996)