In the Banshee's world, the only thing better than a Top 10 list is a Top 100 list. Earlier this week, the American Film Institute unveiled it's list of 100 Greatest Movie Quotes. AFI jurors were supposed to consider three factors: the quote itself, the cultural impact of the quote, and the quote's legacy.
Six of the top 100 quotes came from the movie Casablanca. But, Casablanca's top quote peaked out at #5. This quote was, "Here's looking at you, kid." #4 on the list was Dorothy's famous statement, "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," from The Wizard of Oz. Quotes #3 and #2 were both said by Marlon Brando. #3 was "I coulda been a contender," from On the Waterfront, and #2 was, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse," from The Godfather. Not surprisingly, AFI selected Rhett Butler's immortal words, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," as the top quote of all time.
Of course, most of the quotes on the list were quite familiar to me. But, the only quote that actually gave me chills as I read it was quote #70. This quote is when Lawrence Olivier asks Dustin Hoffman, "Is it safe?" in Marathon Man. My big disappointment with this list is that there is not one single John Wayne line on this list. I'm also a little disappointed that no part of the opening monologue from Patton made it to the list. Overall, though, it is an entertaining list. And, what good is a countdown if it doesn't spur at least a little debate?
