It's official: Citizen Kane is the greatest US movie of all time, pipping The Godfather into second spot.

That's according to the American Film Institute (AFI), which has just released its latest list of the top 100 American flicks, selected by "1,500 ballots sent to film-makers, actors, writers and other Hollywood players, who chose from a list of 400 nominated films", the BBC explains.

The top 10 films are:

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather (1972)
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Raging Bull (1980)
5. Singin' In The Rain (1952)
6. Gone With The Wind (1939)
7. Lawrence of Arabia* (1962)
8. Schindler's List (1993)
9. Vertigo (1958)
10. Wizard of Oz (1939)

As for the other 90 laureats, you'll have to sign up to download the full roster. The Beebs notes that "newer films fared less well", with Lord of the Rings managing just 50th spot. In fact, the film was one of just four "recent" films to make the cut, with Saving Private Ryan at 71, Titanic at 83 and The Sixth Sense at 89.

The AFI compiles its "greatest hits" every 10 years, which means some classics fall from favour. Although Steven Spielberg is honoured for five works this time around, his Close Encounters of the Third Kind doesn't feature.

The "actors who appeared in the most greatest films of all time" honour was shared by James Stewart and Robert De Niro, each with five mentions. ®

Bootnote

*Yes, we were a bit surprised that the Yanks had apparently decided to nick Lawrence of Arabia, but a quick bit of research showed that it was produced by US outfit Horizon Films for Columbia Pictures Corporation. Poor bloke must be spinning in his grave.

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