article

In 2006, the Writers Guild of America announced its list of "101 Greatest Screenplays". The films were voted upon by professional film and television writers of the WGA. The ballots were sent out to voters in 2005 and members voted for their top ten screenplays.

101 Greatest Screenplays

Rank Title Screenplay Credits Year
1 Casablanca Julius J. Epstein; Philip G. Epstein; Howard Koch; based on play "Everybody Comes to Rick's"
by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison 		1942
2 The Godfather Mario Puzo; Francis Ford Coppola; based on novel of the same name by Mario Puzo 1972
3 Chinatown Robert Towne 1974
4 Citizen Kane Herman J. Mankiewicz; Orson Welles 1941
5 All About Eve Joseph L. Mankiewicz; based on short story and radio play "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr 1950
6 Annie Hall Woody Allen; Marshall Brickman 1977
7 Sunset Blvd. Charles Brackett; Billy Wilder; D. M. Marshman Jr. 1950
8 Network Paddy Chayefsky 1976
9 Some Like It Hot Billy Wilder; I.A.L. Diamond; based on film "Fanfare of Love" by Robert Thoeren and M. Logan 1959
10 The Godfather Part II Francis Ford Coppola; Mario Puzo; based on novel "The Godfather by Mario Puzo 1974
11 Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid 		William Goldman 1969
12 How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Stanley Kubrick; Peter George; Terry Southern; based on novel "Red Alert" by Peter George 1964
13 The Graduate Calder Willingham; Buck Henry; based on novel of the same name by Charles Webb 1967
14 Lawrence of Arabia Robert Bolt; Michael Wilson; based on life and writings of T.E. Lawrence 1962
15 The Apartment Billy Wilder; I.A.L. Diamond 1960
16 Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino; stories by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary 1994
17 Tootsie Larry Gelbart; Murray Schisgal; story by Don McGuire and Larry Gelbart 1982
18 On the Waterfront Budd Schulberg; based on novel "Crime on the Waterfront" by Malcolm Johnson 1954
19 To Kill a Mockingbird Horton Foote; based on novel of the same name by Harper Lee 1962
20 It's a Wonderful Life Frances Goodrich; Albert Hackett; Frank Capra; based on short story "The Greatest Gift" by Philip Van Doren Stern; contributions by Michael Wilson and Jo Swerling 1946
21 North by Northwest Ernest Lehman 1959
22 The Shawshank Redemption Frank Darabont; based on short story "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King 1994
23 Gone with the Wind Sidney Howard; based on novel of the same name by Margaret Mitchell 1939
24 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Charlie Kaufman; story by Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth 2004
25 The Wizard of Oz Noel Langley; Florence Ryerson; Edgar Allan Woolf; adaptation by Noel Langley; based on novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum 1939
26 Double Indemnity Billy Wilder; Raymond Chandler; based on novel of the same name by James M. Cain 1944
27 Groundhog Day Danny Rubin; Harold Ramis; story by Danny Rubin 1993
28 Shakespeare in Love Marc Norman; Tom Stoppard 1998
29 Sullivan's Travels Preston Sturges 1941
30 Unforgiven David Peoples 1992
31 His Girl Friday Charles Lederer; based on play "The Front Play" by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur 1940
32 Fargo Joel Coen; Ethan Coen 1996
33 The Third Man Graham Greene; story by Graham Greene; based on short story by Graham Greene 1949
34 Sweet Smell of Success Clifford Odets; Ernest Lehman; from novelette by Ernest Lehman 1957
35 The Usual Suspects Christopher McQuarrie 1995
36 Midnight Cowboy Waldo Salt; based on novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy 1969
37 The Philadelphia Story Donald Ogden Stewart; based on play of the same name by Phillip Barry 1940
38 American Beauty Alan Ball 1999
39 The Sting David S. Ward 1973
40 When Harry Met Sally... Nora Ephron 1989
41 Goodfellas Nicholas Pillegi; Martin Scorsese; based on book "Wise Guy" by Nicholas Pillegi 1990
42 Raiders of the Lost Ark Lawrence Kasdan; story by George Lucas and Phillip Kaufman 1981
43 Taxi Driver Paul Schrader 1976
44 The Best Years of Our Lives Robert E. Sherwood; based on novel "Glory For Me" by MacKinlay Kantor 1946
45 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Lawrence Hauben; Bo Goldman; based on novel of the same name by Ken Kesey 1975
46 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre John Hutson; based on novel of the same name by B. Traven 1948
47 The Maltese Falcon John Hutson; based on novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett 1941
48 The Bridge on the River Kwai Carl Foreman; Michael Wilson; based on novel of the same name by Pierre Boulle 1957
49 Schindler's List Steven Zaillian; based on novel "Schindler's Ark" by Thomas Keneally 1993
50 The Sixth Sense M. Night Shyamalan 1999
51 Broadcast News James L. Brooks 1987
52 The Lady Eve Preston Sturges; story by Monckton Hoffe 1941
53 All the President's Men William Goldman; based on book of the same name'' by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein 1976
54 Manhattan Woody Allen; Marshall Brickman 1979
55 Apocalypse Now John Milius; Francis Ford Coppola; narration by Michael Herr 1979
56 Back to the Future Rob Zemeckmis; Bob Gale 1985
57 Crimes and Misdemeanors Woody Allen 1989
58 Ordinary People Alvin Sargent; based on novel of the same name by Judith Guest 1980
59 It Happened One Night Robert Riskin; based on story "Night Bus" by Samuel Hopkins Adams 1934
60 L.A. Confidential Brian Helgeland; Curtis Hanson; based on novel of the same name by James Ellroy 1997
61 The Silence of the Lambs Ted Tally; based on novel of the same name by Thomas Harris 1991
62 Moonstruck John Patrick Shanley 1987
63 Jaws Peter Benchley; Carl Gottlieb; based on novel of the same name by Peter Benchley 1975
64 Terms of Endearment James L. Brooks; based on novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry 1983
65 Singin' In The Rain Betty Comden; Adolph Green; based on song of the same name by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown 1952
66 Jerry Maguire Cameron Crowe 1996
67 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Melissa Mathison 1982
68 A New Hope George Lucas 1977
69 Dog Day Afternoon Frank Pierson; based on magazine article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore 1975
70 The African Queen James Agee; John Hutson; based on novel of the same name by C. S. Forester 1951
71 The Lion in Winter James Goldman; based on play of the same name by James Goldman 1968
72 Thelma and Louise Callie Khouri 1991
73 Amadeus Peter Shaffer; based on play of the same name by Peter Shaffer 1984
74 Being John Malkovich Charlie Kaufman 1999
75 High Noon Carl Foreman; based on short story "The Tin Star" by John W. Cunningham 1952
76 Raging Bull Paul Schrader; Mardik Martin; based on book by Jake LaMotta with Joseph Carter and Peter Savage 1980
77 ''Adaptation. Charlie Kaufman; Donald Kaufman; based on book "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean 2002
78 Rocky Sylvester Stallone 1976
79 The Producers Mel Brooks 1968
80 Witness Earl W. Wallace; William Kelley; story by William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, and Earl W. Wallace 1985
81 Being There Jerzy Kosiński; inspired by novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński 1979
82 Cool Hand Luke Donn Pearce; Frank Pierson; based on novel of the same name by Donn Pearce 1967
83 Rear Window John Michael Hayes; based on short story by Cornell Woolrich 1954
84 The Princess Bride William Goldman; based on novel of the same name by William Goldman 1987
85 La Grande Illusion Jean Renoir; Charles Spaak 1937
86 Harold and Maude Colin Higgins 1971
87 8½ Federico Fellini; Tullio Pinelli; Ennio Flaiano; Brunello Rond; story by Federico Fellini and Ennio Flaiano 1963
88 Field of Dreams Phil Alden Robinson; based on book "Shoeless Joe" by W. P. Kinsella 1989
89 Forrest Gump Eric Roth; based on novel of the same name by Winston Groom 1994
90 Sideways Alexander Payne; Jim Taylor; based on novel of the same name by Rex Pickett 2004
91 The Verdict David Mamet; based on novel of the same name by Barry Reed 1982
92 ''Psycho Joseph Stefano; based on novel of the same name by Robert Bloch 1960
93 ''Do The Right Thing Spike Lee 1989
94 Patton Francis Ford Coppola; Edmund H. North; based on books "A Soldier's Story" by Omar Bradley and "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph" by Ladislas Farago 1970
95 Hannah and Her Sisters Woody Allen 1986
96 The Hustler Sidney Carroll; Robert Rossen; based on novel of the same name by Walter Tevis 1961
97 The Searchers Frank S. Nugent; based on novel of the same name by Alan Le May 1956
98 The Grapes of Wrath Nunnally Johnson; based on novel of the same name by John Steinbeck 1940
99 The Wild Bunch Walon Green; Sam Peckinpah; story by Walon Green and Roy Sickner 1969
100 Memento Christopher Nolan; based on short story "Memento Mori" by Jonathan Nolan 2000
101 Notorious Ben Hecht 1946

See also

Writers Guild of America

External links

Lists of films

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "WGA 101 Greatest Screenplays".

Home Page • arts • business • computers • games • health • hospitals • home • kids & teens • news • physicians • recreation• reference • regional • science • shopping • society • sports • world