Sci-fi saga zaps mobsters, sharks and hobbits in poll for Total Film magazine
01/10/06 – Film fans have named Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back as the UK’s favourite movie of all-time, in a new poll carried out for influential magazine, Total Film.
Over 40,000 movie lovers, including viewers of film channel TCM (Turner Classic Movies), had their say to create the rundown of the UK’s 100 top movies. A selection of the Top 100 will air on TCM as part of The Greatest Movies of All Time season in October, in association with Total Film.
Last year, Total Film’s Top 100 Movies list was compiled by votes from a panel of journalists and leading critics. The experts named Martin Scorsese’s gangster epic GoodFellas (1990) their ultimate film, beating Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece Vertigo into second place.
This year, UK film fans were asked to vote for their favourite movies, with George Lucas’ Empire Strikes Back (1980) crashing into the top spot. As the only film from the Star Wars series to make it into the Top 10, fans love the perfect mix of action, story and adventure offered by the movie.
Lucas’s original 1977 Star Wars just missed a spot in the Top 10, coming in at number 11. But film lovers were clearly not so enamoured with the recently completed trilogy of Star Wars prequels, starring Ewan McGregor. None of the three movies – The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge Of the sith (2005) – feature in the Top 100.
Other films which made the Top 10 included Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975), Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Godfather (1972). New Zealand’s Peter Jackson was the most successful director in the top 10, with two entries from his Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) and The Return Of The King (2003), making the list.
Cult sci-fi teen thriller, Donnie Darko (2001) made a surprise play for greatness, hitting 10th spot in the chart. The movie, which has proved hugely popular on DVD and through word-of-mouth, leapt from 87th place in last year’s critic’s poll to a prime position in the fans’ chart.
Total Film Top 100 Movies of All Time – Top Ten
10 – Donnie Darko (2001)
9 – Jaws (1975)
8 – The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
7 – The Godfather (1972)
6 – GoodFellas (1990)
5 – The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
4 – The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2002)
3 – Pulp Fiction (1994)
2 – Fight Club (1999)
1 – Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Matt Mueller, Editor of the Top 100 special edition of Total Film, said:
“The Empire Strikes Back has everything people want in a film. When it was released, many critics and fans felt it was too dark, too bleak and unsatisfying because it left things unresolved. Over the years, the film has grown immeasurably in stature, standing up as the finest Star Wars movie because it portrays George Lucas’s enduring and beloved characters at their most vulnerable before they triumph over evil, not to mention containing the most earth-shattering revelation in cinema history.
“It’s hard to argue with classics like The Godfather, Jaws and Pulp Fiction, which all made the top ten, but I’m delighted to see a left-field choice like Donnie Darko making it into the Top 10. Many of the films in the Top 10 were ignored on their original cinema release, including Fight Club and The Shawshank Redemption, but have gone on to claim their place among the greats thanks to the power of DVD. But whether they enjoy them at home or in cinemas, people remain incredibly passionate about films and we look forward to hearing the endless debates that follow this list of UK moviegoers’ favourite movies.”
TCM in association with Total Film, will air The Greatest Movies Of All Time the selection of landmark movies is drawn from the Top 100 shortlist and covers an extraordinary range of subjects. The season will air 16th to October 29th, with a different film at 3pm and 9pm each day.
The full list of the UK’s Top 100 Movies of All Time features in a special 228-page edition of Total Film, available exclusively in WH Smith stores from Wednesday, 4th October – with a coverprice of £9.99.
ENDS
About Future
Future plc is an international special-interest media group with offices in the UK, US, France and Italy. Founded in 1985 with one UK magazine, today it creates over 150 special-interest publications, websites and events, with strong portfolios in the computing, games, music, automotive, sports, crafts and leisure sectors. Over 100 international editions of Future’s magazines are also published under licence in 30 other countries across the world. Future employs over 1,500 people worldwide. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FUTR).
About TCM (Turner Classic Movies(
TCM draws from an extensive library of movies ranging from the 1920s to 1990s presenting them in a contemporary style that reinterprets their place in history and their relevance to people’s lives today. TCM brings the silver screen to life by offering viewers exclusive in-depth celebrity interviews, monthly star tributes, special events and original screen tests. Along with hosted seasons with contemporary moviemakers and experts, In the UK TCM can be found on SKY 319; NTL 419 and Top Up TV 25; www.tcmonline.co.uk
For more information
Will Guyatt, Media Relations Manager, 01225 822517 or will.guyatt@futurenet.co.uk
Ann Rosen, Senior Public Relations Manager, TCM (Turner Classic Movies), 0207 2693 1117/ 07976956474 or ann.rosen@turner.co.uk