Following last year’s poll of the 21st Century’s 100 greatest films, today BBC Culture reveals the 100 greatest comedies ever made following an extensive poll of more than 250 film critics in over 50 countries.
Quite a suprising choice for me personally took the top spot. I mean it’s funny but, that funny? Really? I think the jury is still out on that one but it always seems to make a top comedies list year after year. In addition the age demographic of the survey wasn’t revealed so it’s impossible to know much more than the information at hand.
Billy Wilder’s 1959 hit film, Some Like It Hot took the top spot pipping Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove (1964) to the post. Annie Hall (1977), Groundhog Day (1993) and Duck Soup (1933) who came in third, fourth and fifth respectively.
BBC Culture acting editor Rebecca Laurence says: “BBC Culture’s films of the 21st Century poll was a huge success – but few comedy films made the top 100. This year, we asked film critics and experts to nominate their favourite comedies of all time. We hope that this list will encourage lively debate and discussion – not just about greatest scenes, favourite jokes and best one-liners – but also about the importance of humour and the very human need to laugh.”
The top 25 comedy films in the poll are:
• Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
• Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
• Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
• Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
• Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
• Life of Brian (Terry Jones, 1979)
• Airplane! (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, 1980)
• Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967)
• This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)
• The General (Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton, 1926)
• The Big Lebowski (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1998)
• Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936)
• To Be or Not To Be (Ernst Lubitsch, 1942)
• His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, 1975)
• The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin, 1940)
• Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
• Sherlock Jr (Buster Keaton, 1924)
• The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
• Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)
• City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
• Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974)
• The Party (Blake Edwards, 1968)
• Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
• The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
Granted there are some damn great movies in there but I’m looking at the years of release here and I’m certainly thinking a certain demographic of audience was chosen for this survey. I think an identical poll for a younger generation would produce vastly different results here.
Did any of your favourites make the list?
The full list of the world’s top 100 comedies is available on bbc.com/culture
