I’m sitting in my office after a nice relaxing day, listening to Frank Sinatra singing "The Way You Look Tonight." The sidebar showed me that CNN.com has a post about the American Film Institute’s list of 100 most memorable film quotes to celebrate its centennial (other lists found here).
Clark Gable’s line, "Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn," tops the list of most memorable quotes. The quotes were voted on by 1,500 filmmakers, actors, critics and historians. There are obviously some good quotes missing from the list, as well as quotes you may not think belong on the list, and nevermind how drastically different you would have ranked the quotes that do appear on the list. I would agree that the quote from Gone With the Wind should top the list, at least as far as my limited knowledge of films goes. I definitely would have put Judy Garland’s, "Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore," one notch higher, but I’ve never seen On the Waterfront.
I am glad that historians were included in the jury, as many of the films listed in the top 100 were great films because of the period in history when they were released, or the period in history about which they were written. The historical aspect of these films cannot be ignored when considering the value of their famous quotes. These films are not just entertaining motion pictures. They are, in a sense, "historical documents," as the aliens called them in Galaxy Quest. In the end, though, one must come to the realization that the list is probably just as much a commercial for the films and the AFI as it is a fun exercise in ranking an otherwise unimportant set of things.
great list! i think they hit most of the ones i would have picked, if not all. i was surprised by some of them, and had no idea that some of those phrases were from movies! good times, man. thanks for the list!
PS awesome Galaxy Quest quote. By Grabthar’s Hammer, I will avenge you.