Top Ten Movies of All Time

So, what makes the movies mentioned in this article the top movies of all time? Is it the number of votes that the movie gets on a website, is it the profit they made at the box office or is it because they star famous actors? It is not any of these. The reason that gives a movie or film the reputation of a top movie of all time, is that every time you watch such a film, you will cry, laugh and empathize with all the emotions the film portrays...

Top 10 Movies of All Time List

After watching the movies listed below, you will be in a trance and definitely remember the movie for a long time. If you have watched any of these movies, then you will definitely nod your head at the mention of these movies. If you haven't watched these movies then rent, borrow or buy, but do watch these movies, as they are a must see. So, here we go...

#1 - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The reason this movie is numero uno is because it has got it all. Great acting, a very unique storyline, and brilliant direction. The movie is based on a Stephen King novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The movie has Tim Robbins playing Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding. These two actors play the role of two men who live in prison for many years and find comfort and eventually redemption with the help of each other.

#2 - Schindler's List (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie is about Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) who uses Jews to start a factory in Poland during the war-time. Oskar Schindler feels sympathy as the fate of Jews during the war becomes clear, and helps to save the lives of over 1100 Jews from the gas chambers. This movie is a must watch, and based on a true story of Czech businessman Oskar Schindler. If you liked watching this film, you should also watch 'The Pianist' which stars Adrien Brody.

#3 - Casablanca (1942)
This is the top movie among the top ten romantic movies of all time. Casablanca is a place, and the movie is a love triangle between a woman and two men. Ingrid Bergman as the actress looks stunning in this movie, and proves her acting prowess ably supported by Humphrey Bogart as Rick and Paul Henreid as Victor. The movie won 3 Oscars, and has some of the most beautiful romantic dialogs. For example, the famous dialog between Rick and Louis - "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

#4 - Shichinin No Samurai (1954)
This movie is not as popular as the other movies in the list, but is one of the best films ever made. This film was created by Akira Kurosawa, and is one of his best works. The movie is not a popcorn flick, and has a runtime of over 3 hours. So watch this movie with patience. The movie is popularly known as 'Seven Samurai', and is about these samurais who help a poor village under attack by bandits. This movie's concept is also reflected in famous films like 'Magnificent Seven' and the Indian film 'Sholay'.

#5 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Well, everybody knows about the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. The LOTR trilogy is written by J.R. Tolkien, and the book that preceded the trilogy called 'The Hobbit' is now being made into a film, which is scheduled for release in 2011. If you haven't watched this movie, then you are committing a sin or you are just a big fan of Star Wars or some other equally fantastic series. Anyway, the movie is about the ring, and the power the ring gives to the person who wears it, or rather the power the ring possess over the person who wears it. The movie has great visual effects, and a variety of interesting characters played by famous actors.

#6 - Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo (1966)
This movie is better known as 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly '. This classic movie is about 3 characters, The Good is Blondie (Clint Eastwood) who is a gunman with a strong sense of honor, The Bad is Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) who is a hitman and always hits the target, and The Ugly who is a Mexican bandit (Eli Wallach) who always looks out for himself. Each knows about a portion of a treasure's exact location, which makes them dependent on each other, and so together they search for this fortune.

#7 - Forrest Gump (1994)
Gump, Forrest Gump is played by Tom Hanks and is one of his best performance. This is a film which makes you cry! The movie is about Forrest who has low intelligence, but who gets everything - name, fame and fortune, but always has his true love slipping away from him. If you enjoyed watching this movie, then you should also watch 'Cast Away' and 'The Green Mile' starring Tom Hanks.

#8 - The Dark Knight (2008)
This movie is made eternal by the performance of Heath Ledger as 'The Joker'. Many say that Heath Ledger was not able to get the character of Joker out of his system, which is the reason why he died. Anyway, the movie is about the mass murderer, Joker, and Batman (Christian Bale) as The Dark Knight saving the city of Gotham. This movie is among the top ten grossing movies of all time, on the USA box office. If you enjoyed watching this movie, then read the graphic novel/comic book 'The Dark Knight Returns', which is another intense Batman story, created by Frank Miller.

#9 - Shrek (2001)
The Shrek movies have a very unique storyline and characters, and not at all like the stereotypical Walt Disney movie characters. This movie by Dreamworks is a refreshing change, after all the typically cute animation movies. The movie is hilarious from beginning to end, a bit gross, and among the top ten comedy movies of all time. It is about an Ogre who with his sidekick Donkey, goes on a journey to save a princess.

#10 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
This is a masterpiece, with excellent acting by Jack Nicholsan as Randle McMurphy. The movie is adapted from a novel by Ken Keesey, and is about McMurphy, who finds himself in jail, charged for the rape of his girlfriend because she is actually 15, but she tells him that she is 18. McMurphy acts crazy, so that he can be transferred into a mental asylum. He tries to liven-up the place by introducing basketball games and card games to the inmates of asylum, but the head nurse makes his living difficult.

It was a bit difficult to give the numbers to these movies, because all of them are unique in their own style. Some other noteworthy movies you may like to watch are The Godfather Series, Gone With the Wind, Pulp Fiction, Star Wars series, Fight Club, Psycho, Memento, Citizen Kane and The Shining.