What is the best classic movie over the last 70 years? Using the audience and critics’ aggregate scores from the film and television review/aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the best classic films released each year since 1950.
Thirty-seven films received the 100% imprimatur from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while 70 motion pictures got a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of at least 90%.
The best movie each year since 1950 can be a gangster flick (“The Godfather,” “Goodfellas” and “The Sting”); westerns (“Once Upon a Time in the West,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”); documentaries (“Shoah” and “The Last Waltz”); and science fiction/fantasy (“Aliens,” “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” and “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”). Many of these films are now considered classics. These are the 50 greatest films of all time.
The great directors are represented by Billy Wilder (“Witness for the Prosecution”), Akira Kuroswawa (“Seven Samurai”), Alfred Hitchcock (“Vertigo”), Francis Ford Copppola (“Apocalypse Now”) and Steven Spielberg (“Schindler’s List”).
While American-made classics such as “Singin’ in the Rain” and “The Shawshank Redemption” made the list, foreign films are well represented by such cinematic gems as the French/Italian movie “The Wages of Fear,” “Das Boot” from Germany and the Japanese drama “Early Summer.”
Click here for the best classic movies released every year since 1950
1950: Sunset Blvd.
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (212,730)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 98%
> Starring: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson
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1951: Early Summer
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2 (8,150)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Setsuko Hara, Chishû Ryû, Chikage Awashima, Kuniko Miyake
1952: Singin’ in the Rain
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (230,407)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
1953: The Wages of Fear
> Average IMDb rating: 8.1 (58,646)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck, Folco Lulli
1954: Seven Samurai
> Average IMDb rating: 8.6 (331,314)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki
1955: Pather Panchali
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (29,303)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 97%
> Starring: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Subir Banerjee, Chunibala Devi
1956: A Man Escaped
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (20,864)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, Roland Monod
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1957: Witness for the Prosecution
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (117,674)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester
1958: Vertigo
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (385,249)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93%
> Tomatometer: 94%
> Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore
1959: The World of Apu
> Average IMDb rating: 8.5 (13,739)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 96%
> Starring: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty, Swapan Mukherjee
1960: Macario
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (3,190)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Ignacio López Tarso, Pina Pellicer, Enrique Lucero, Mario Alberto Rodriguez
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1961: Yojimbo
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2 (118,112)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96%
> Tomatometer: 95%
> Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa
1962: Hara-Kiri
> Average IMDb rating: 8.6 (50,245)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsurô Tanba
1963: High and Low
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (40,375)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 95%
> Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyôko Kagawa
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1964: Woman in the Dunes
> Average IMDb rating: 8.5 (18,976)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Eiji Okada, Kyôko Kishida, Hiroko Itô, Kôji Mitsui
1965: The Shop on Main Street
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (8,520)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Ida Kaminska, Jozef Kroner, Frantisek Zvarík, Hana Slivková
1966: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
> Average IMDb rating: 8.8 (723,316)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 97%
> Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffrè
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1967: Cool Hand Luke
> Average IMDb rating: 8.1 (171,103)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D. Cannon
1968: Once Upon a Time in the West
> Average IMDb rating: 8.5 (316,462)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 95%
> Starring: Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards
1969: The Sorrow and the Pity
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2 (3,759)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Helmut Tausend, Marcel Verdier, Alexis Grave, Louis Grave
1970: Days and Nights in the Forest
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2 (2,601)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Sharmila Tagore, Kaberi Bose, Simi Garewal, Soumitra Chatterjee
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1971: The Last Picture Show
> Average IMDb rating: 8.0 (45,384)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Ben Johnson
1972: The Godfather
> Average IMDb rating: 9.2 (1,719,194)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98%
> Tomatometer: 97%
> Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton
1973: The Sting
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (252,069)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 94%
> Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
1974: The Godfather: Part II
> Average IMDb rating: 9.0 (1,193,615)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 96%
> Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
> Average IMDb rating: 8.7 (960,565)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96%
> Tomatometer: 94%
> Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
1976: Harlan County U.S.A.
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (5,562)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Carl Horn, Norman Yarborough, Logan Patterson
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1977: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
> Average IMDb rating: 8.6 (1,286,266)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96%
> Tomatometer: 92%
> Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
1978: The Last Waltz
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2 (17,204)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 98%
> Starring: Robbie Robertson, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Van Morrison
1979: Apocalypse Now
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (634,944)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 98%
> Starring: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest
1980: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
> Average IMDb rating: 8.7 (1,214,511)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 94%
> Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
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1981: Das Boot
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (242,119)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 98%
> Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch
1982: Fanny and Alexander
> Average IMDb rating: 8.1 (61,374)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin, Kristina Adolphson, Börje Ahlstedt
1983: The Ballad of Narayama
> Average IMDb rating: 7.9 (7,930)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari, Aki Takejô
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1984: Stop Making Sense
> Average IMDb rating: 8.6 (14,668)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: David Byrne, Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steven Scales
1985: Shoah
> Average IMDb rating: 8.7 (9,096)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Simon Srebnik, Michael Podchlebnik, Motke Zaïdl, Hanna Zaïdl
1986: Aliens
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (683,932)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 97%
> Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser
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1987: The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2 (1,727)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Kenzo Okuzaki, Riichi Aikawa, Masaichi Hamaguchi, Toshio Hara
1988: Grave of the Fireflies
> Average IMDb rating: 8.5 (255,791)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Yoshiko Shinohara
1989: A City of Sadness
> Average IMDb rating: 7.9 (4,589)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Shu-Fen Hsin, Sung-Young Chen, Jack Kao
1990: Goodfellas
> Average IMDb rating: 8.7 (1,080,136)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 96%
> Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
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1991: A Brighter Summer Day
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (9,213)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Chang Chen, Lisa Yang, Kuo-Chu Chang, Elaine Jin
1992: Lessons of Darkness
> Average IMDb rating: 8.0 (5,768)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Werner Herzog
1993: Schindler’s List
> Average IMDb rating: 8.9 (1,277,071)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 98%
> Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
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1994: The Shawshank Redemption
> Average IMDb rating: 9.3 (2,492,030)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98%
> Tomatometer: 91%
> Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler
1995: La Haine
> Average IMDb rating: 8.1 (161,933)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili
1996: Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (16,262)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Tony Brooks, Diana Davis, Terry Wood (archive footage)
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1997: Good Will Hunting
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (908,863)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 98%
> Starring: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård
1998: Saving Private Ryan
> Average IMDb rating: 8.6 (1,303,887)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 93%
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
1999: All About My Mother
> Average IMDb rating: 7.9 (93,489)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93%
> Tomatometer: 98%
> Starring: Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Peña, Antonia San Juan
2000: Memento
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (1,177,493)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 93%
> Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior
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2001: Spirited Away
> Average IMDb rating: 8.6 (701,993)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96%
> Tomatometer: 97%
> Starring: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
> Average IMDb rating: 8.7 (1,558,357)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 95%
> Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom
2003: The Best of Youth
> Average IMDb rating: 8.5 (21,495)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98%
> Tomatometer: 94%
> Starring: Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni, Jasmine Trinca, Adriana Asti
2004: Edward Said: The Last Interview
> Average IMDb rating: 8.5 (43)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 100%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Edward Said, Charles Glass
2005: C.R.A.Z.Y.
> Average IMDb rating: 7.9 (32,120)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Michel Côté, Marc-André Grondin, Danielle Proulx, Émile Vallée
2006: A Lion in the House
> Average IMDb rating: 8.8 (292)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Justin Ashcraft, Adam Ashcraft, Dale Ashcraft, Debbie Ashcraft
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2007: White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (1,914)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Harold Agnew, Shuntaro Hida, Kiyoko Imori, Morris Jeppson
2008: The Dark Knight
> Average IMDb rating: 9.0 (2,443,911)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 94%
> Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
2009: 3 Idiots
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (371,415)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Mona Singh, Sharman Joshi
2010: Have You Heard from Johannesburg
> Average IMDb rating: 8.7 (13)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Alfre Woodard
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2011: TT3D: Closer to the Edge
> Average IMDb rating: 8.0 (6,389)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Guy Martin, Ian Hutchinson, John McGuinness, Michael Dunlop
2012: It’s Such a Beautiful Day
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (12,718)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring:
2013: The Crash Reel
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2 (4,799)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 96%
> Starring: Kevin Pearce, Shaun White, Mason Aguirre, Daniel Amen
2014: Virunga
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2 (11,035)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: André Bauma, Emmanuel de Merode, Mélanie Gouby, Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo
2015: Spotlight
> Average IMDb rating: 8.1 (446,426)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93%
> Tomatometer: 97%
> Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber
2016: O.J.: Made in America
> Average IMDb rating: 8.9 (18,885)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Mike Albanese
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2017: AlphaGo
> Average IMDb rating: 7.9 (5,769)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Ioannis Antonoglou, Lucas Baker, Nick Bostrom, Yoo Changhyuk
2018: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (24,695)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 97%
> Starring: Joanne Rogers, John Rogers, Jim Rogers
2019: For Sama
> Average IMDb rating: 8.5 (10,783)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92%
> Tomatometer: 98%
> Starring: Waad Al-Kateab, Hamza Al-Khateab, Sama Al-Khateab
2020: Hamilton
> Average IMDb rating: 8.4 (76,604)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90%
> Tomatometer: 97%
> Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry
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2021: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
> Average IMDb rating: 7.6 (193,755)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98%
> Tomatometer: 92%
> Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Ben Kingsley
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