Perhaps it's an indicator of the voters' ages or tastes -- or simply the enduring appeal of the classics -- but 1980's "Raging Bull" is the most recent of the No. 1 films on a new American Film Institute list.
This time, the AFI came out with a list of lists, honoring the top 10 picks in 10 genres. "Raging Bull" is the last movie standing in the sports category, edging out (in order) "Rocky," "The Pride of the Yankees," "Hoosiers," "Bull Durham," "The Hustler," "Caddyshack," "Breaking Away," "National Velvet" and "Jerry Maguire."
The selections were announced last night during a three-hour special on CBS. A jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians voted on the 10 genres and crowned "Raging Bull" along with:
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," animation; "The Wizard of Oz," fantasy; "The Godfather," gangster; "2001: A Space Odyssey," science fiction; "The Searchers," Western; "Vertigo," mystery; "City Lights," romantic comedy; "To Kill a Mockingbird," courtroom drama; and "Lawrence of Arabia," epic.
With just 10 slots in each category, that meant that such favorites as "The Little Mermaid" didn't sprout legs. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" wasn't a hit with Muggles in the fantasy category, and "Memento" was forgotten, too, among magnificent mysteries.
The oldest entry on the list is "The Thief of Bagdad" from 1924, and the newest, 2003's "Finding Nemo." Director Alfred Hitchcock has four films represented. With six, Jimmy Stewart tops the actors, and Diane Keaton, with four, the actresses.
In addition to the sports lineup above, the list:
Animation: "Snow White," "Pinocchio," "Bambi," "The Lion King," "Fantasia," "Toy Story," "Beauty and the Beast," "Shrek," "Cinderella," "Finding Nemo."
Fantasy: "The Wizard of Oz," "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "It's a Wonderful Life," "King Kong," "Miracle on 34th Street," "Field of Dreams," "Harvey," "Groundhog Day," "The Thief of Bagdad," "Big."
Gangster: "The Godfather," "GoodFellas," "The Godfather Part II," "White Heat," "Bonnie and Clyde," "Scarface: The Shame of a Nation," "Pulp Fiction," "The Public Enemy," "Little Caesar," "Scarface."
Science fiction: "2001," "Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope," "E.T. -- The Extra-Terrestrial," "A Clockwork Orange," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "Blade Runner," "Alien," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "Back to the Future."
Western: "The Searchers," "High Noon," "Shane," "Unforgiven," "Red River," "The Wild Bunch," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "McCabe & Mrs. Miller," "Stagecoach," "Cat Ballou."
Mystery: "Vertigo," "Chinatown," "Rear Window," "Laura," "Third Man," "The Maltese Falcon," "North by Northwest," "Blue Velvet," "Dial M for Murder," "The Usual Suspects."
Romantic comedy: "City Lights," "Annie Hall," "It Happened One Night," "Roman Holiday," "The Philadelphia Story," "When Harry Met Sally ...," "Adam's Rib," "Moonstruck," "Harold and Maude," "Sleepless in Seattle."
Courtroom drama: "To Kill a Mockingbird," "12 Angry Men," "Kramer vs. Kramer," "The Verdict," "A Few Good Men," "Witness for the Prosecution," "Anatomy of a Murder," "In Cold Blood," "A Cry in the Dark," "Judgment at Nuremberg."
Epic: "Lawrence of Arabia," "Ben-Hur," "Schindler's List," "Gone With the Wind," "Spartacus," "Titanic," "All Quiet on the Western Front," "Saving Private Ryan," "Reds," "The Ten Commandments."