Cinematographers List The 100 Best Shot Films Of The 20th Century

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the American Society of Cinematographers has released a list of the 100 best shot films of the 20th century – the first list of its kind "to showcase the best of cinematography as selected by professional cinematographers." See where films like Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, Citizen Kane, and Lawrence of Arabia rank on the list below.

Before we get to the list itself, check out this slick sizzle reel that includes some epic, unforgettable shots from the past 100+ years in both film and television:

God, that rules. Videos like this are why I actually love all of the "we love movies!" montages at the Oscars – there's just something powerful about seeing these indelible shots next to each other with a sweeping orchestral score underneath it all. I'm a sucker for 'em every time.

"We are trying to call attention to the most significant achievements of the cinematographer's art," said cinematographer Steven Fierberg, who organized the list. "We do not presume to call one masterful achievement 'better' than another."

Here are the remaining 90 entries, which made the ASC's list and appear unranked in order of release:

Metropolis (1927), shot by Karl Freund, ASC; Günther RittauNapoleon (1927), shot by Leonce-Henri Burel, Jules Kruger, Joseph-Louis Mundwiller,Sunrise (1927), shot by Charles Rosher Sr., ASC; Karl Struss, ASCGone with the Wind (1939), shot by Ernest Haller, ASCThe Wizard of Oz (1939), shot by Harold Rosson, ASCThe Grapes of Wrath (1940), shot by Gregg Toland, ASCHow Green Was My Valley (1941), shot by Arthur C. Miller, ASCCasablanca (1942), shot by Arthur Edeson, ASCThe Magnificent Ambersons (1942), shot by Stanley Cortez, ASCBlack Narcissus (1947), shot by Jack Cardiff, BSCThe Bicycle Thief (1948), shot by Carlo Montuori,The Red Shoes (1948), shot by Jack Cardiff, BSCThe Third Man (1949), shot by Robert Krasker, BSCRashomon (1950) shot by Kazou MiyagawaSunset Boulevard (1950), shot by John Seitz, ASCOn the Waterfront (1954), shot by Boris Kaufman, ASCSeven Samurai (1954), shot by Asakazu NakaiThe Night of the Hunter (1955), shot by Stanley Cortez, ASCBridge on the River Kwai (1957), shot by Jack HIlyard, BSCTouch of Evil (1958), shot by Russell Metty, ASCVertigo (1958), shot by Robert Burks, ASCBreathless (1960), shot by Raoul CoutardLast Year at Marienbad (1961), shot by Sacha Vierny8 ½ (1963), shot by Gianni Di VenanzoHud (1963), shot by James Wong Howe, ASCDr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), shot by Gilbert Taylor, BSCI Am Cuba (Soy Cuba; 1964), shot by Sergei UrusevskyDoctor Zhivago (1965), shot by Freddie Young, BSCThe Battle of Algiers (1966), shot by Marcello GattiWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), shot by Haskell Wexler, ASCCool Hand Luke (1967), shot by Conrad Hall, ASCThe Graduate (1967), shot by Robert Surtees, ASCIn Cold Blood (1967), shot by Conrad Hall, ASCOnce Upon a Time in the West (1968), shot by Tonino Delli Colli, AICButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), shot by Conrad Hall, ASCThe Wild Bunch (1969), shot by Lucien Ballard, ASCA Clockwork Orange (1971), shot by John Alcott, BSCKlute (1971), shot by Gordon Willis, ASCThe Last Picture Show (1971), shot by Robert Surtees, ASCMcCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, HSCCabaret (1972), shot by Geoffery Unsworth, BSCLast Tango in Paris (1972), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AICThe Exorcist (1973), shot by Owen Roizman, ASCChinatown (1974), shot by John Alonzo, ASCThe Godfather: Part II (1974), shot by Gordon Willis, ASCBarry Lyndon (1975), shot by John Alcott, BSCOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), shot by Haskell Wexler, ASCAll the President's Men (1976), shot by Gordon Willis, ASCTaxi Driver (1976), shot by Michael Chapman, ASCClose Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, HSCThe Duellists (1977), shot by Frank Tidy, BSCThe Deer Hunter (1978), shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC, HSCAlien (1979), shot by Derek Vanlint, CSCAll that Jazz (1979), shot by Giuseppe Rotunno, ASC, AICBeing There (1979), shot by Caleb Deschanel, ASCThe Black Stallion (1979), shot by Caleb Deschanel, ASCManhattan (1979), shot by Gordon Willis, ASCThe Shining (1980), shot by John Alcott, BSCChariots of Fire (1981), shot by David Watkin, BSCDas Boot (1981), shot by Jost Vacano, ASCReds (1981), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AICFanny and Alexander (1982), shot by Sven Nykvist, ASCThe Right Stuff (1983), shot by Caleb Deschanel, ASCAmadeus (1984), shot by Miroslav Ondricek, ASC, ACKThe Natural (1984), shot by Caleb Deschanel, ASCParis, Texas (1984), shot by Robby Müller, NSC, BVKBrazil (1985), shot by Roger Pratt, BSCThe Mission (1986), shot by Chris Menges, ASC, BSCEmpire of the Sun (1987), shot by Allen Daviau, ASCThe Last Emperor (1987), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AICWings of Desire (1987), shot by Henri AlekanMississippi Burning (1988), shot by Peter Biziou, BSCJFK (1991), shot by Robert Richardson, ASCRaise the Red Lantern (1991), shot by Lun YangUnforgiven (1992), shot by Jack Green, ASCBaraka (1992), shot by Ron FrickeSchindler's List (1993), shot by Janusz KaminskiSearching For Bobby Fischer (1993), shot by Conrad Hall, ASCTrois Coulieurs: Bleu (Three Colours: Blue; 1993), shot by Slawomir Idziak, PSCThe Shawshank Redemption (1994), shot by Roger Deakins, ASC, BSCSeven (1995), shot by Darius Khondji, ASC, AFCThe English Patient (1996), shot by John Seale, ASC, BSCL. A. Confidential (1997), shot by Dante Spinotti, ASC, AICSaving Private Ryan (1998), shot by Janusz KaminskiThe Thin Red Line (1998), shot by John Toll, ASCAmerican Beauty (1999), shot by Conrad Hall, ASCThe Matrix (1999), shot by Bill Pope, ASCIn the Mood for Love (2000), shot by Christopher Doyle, HKSC

Here's how the list came to be:

The process of cultivating the 100 films began with ASC members each submitting 10 to 25 titles that were personally inspirational or perhaps changed the way they approached their craft. "I asked them — as cinematographers, members of the ASC, artists, filmmakers and people who love film and whose lives were shaped by films — to list the films that were most influential," Fierberg explains. A master list was then complied, and members voted on what they considered to be the most essential 100 titles.

You can read more about the list at the ASC's official website.