JAWS, THE EXORCIST, NORTH BY NORTHWEST and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Make the Top Cut On AFI’S 100 YEARS…100 THRILLS

LOS ANGELES, JUNE 13, 2001— The American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the 100 most thrilling American films yesterday evening during AFI’s 100 Years…100 Thrills, a three-hour special television event. PSYCHO, the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock classic starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, ranked #1. Following PSYCHO in the top 10, in order, were JAWS (#2), THE EXORCIST (#3), NORTH BY NORTHWEST (#4), THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (#5), ALIEN (#6), THE BIRDS (#7), THE FRENCH CONNECTION (#8), ROSEMARY’S BABY (#9) and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (#10).

Interesting facts about AFI’s 100 Years…100 Thrills include:

• The 100 films span from Harold Lloyd's SAFETY LAST, released in 1923, to 1999's THE MATRIX and THE SIXTH SENSE.
• Harrison Ford and Claude Rains are the most celebrated actors, each starring in 4 films in the top 100. Ford's films are BLADE RUNNER, THE FUGITIVE, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and STAR WARS. Rains stars in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, NOTORIOUS and CASABLANCA
• Nine Alfred Hitchcock films made the list, including the film ranked #1, PSYCHO, making him the most represented director. Hitchcock’s frequent cameos technically make him the most represented actor on the list with eight appearances, including every film except DIAL M FOR MURDER, in which he appears in a photograph on the wall.
• Steven Spielberg directed 6 films on the list, 2 of which placed in the top 10, and he wrote and produced POLTERGEIST. Stanley Kubrick directed 5 of America's most heart-pounding movies.
• With 22 films, the 1970s claim the most heart-pounding movies in the AFI countdown. The 1960s boast 21 movies on the list, while the 1980s and 1940s each have 14.
• Jim Cameron's TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY is the only movie sequel on the AFI list.
• Thrills that cross generations include John Huston and his father, actor Walter Huston, appear together in THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. Director Alfred Hitchcock and his daughter, actress Pat Hitchcock worked together in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN and PSYCHO. Actresses Janet Leigh (PSYCHO, TOUCH OF EVIL, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) and her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis (HALLOWEEN), appear in separate films on the AFI list.
• Thrills encompass many genres, including courtroom dramas (12 ANGRY MEN), disasters (TITANIC), epics (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA), horror (PSYCHO), musicals (THE WIZARD OF OZ), noir (DOUBLE INDEMNITY), sci-fi (ALIEN), sports (ROCKY), suspense (NORTH BY NORTHWEST), war (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) and westerns (HIGH NOON).

"Creating a movie is the ultimate collaborative effort," stated Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI’s Director and CEO. "When it all comes together it is, in a word, thrilling. AFI hopes this new list will spark another national dialogue and send a new generation of movie goers to see these heart-pounding movies."

The 100 most thrilling films were selected by a blue-ribbon panel of leaders from the film community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers, visual effects artists, stunt men and women and make-up artists), critics and historians. The nominated films crossed many genres, including
Action-Adventure, Silent, Film Noir, Horror, Science Fiction, Suspense, War, and Western.

The special is the fourth installment of AFI’s centennial celebration of American film, following the three critically acclaimed Network specials AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies, AFI’s 100 Years…100 Stars and AFI’s 100 Years…100 Laughs, which sparked discussions of America’s film history among millions across the nation. In late 2000, AFI distributed a ballot with 400 nominated films to a jury of 1,800 leaders of the film community. The jurors were asked to consider the following criteria while making their selections:

• Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes in length.
• American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.
• Thrills: Regardless of genre, the total adrenaline-inducing impact of a film’s artistry and craft must create an experience that engages our bodies as well as our minds.
• Legacy: Films whose "thrills" have enlivened and enriched America’s film heritage while continuing to inspire contemporary artists and audiences.

AFI’s 100 Years…100 Thrills is being supported by returning sponsors General Motors, Blockbuster, United States Postal Service, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Warner Home Video, Warner Bros. Pictures, Walt Disney, Universal, Dreamworks, Paramount and Miramax. Colgate-Palmolive, Combe Chemical, Canandaigua Wines, Gillette, AOL, Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures and 20^th Century Fox Home Video are new sponsors of the program. AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies (1998), AFI’s 100 Years…100 Stars (1999) and AFI’s 100 Years…100 Laughs (2000) were each watched by more than 11 million people and won their respective time periods. Multi-Emmy Award winner Gary Smith ("The Tony Awards") is the executive producer and director of AFI’s 100 Years…100 Thrills for Smith-Hemion Productions. Former AFI Board Chairman Frederick S. Pierce is the executive producer for AFI. Dann Netter ("50 Years of Television"), Fred A. Rappoport ("The Kennedy Center’s 25th Anniversary Celebration," "The Country Music Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary") and Bob Gazzale ("AFI Life Achievement Award," "A Tribute to Barbra Streisand") are the producers, with Gazzale also serving as writer.

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