Greatest Screenplays by WGA

Posted on 09/16/2019 by Pisaries Creator

The WGA (The Writer’s Guild of America) took a vote in 2005 among film and TV writers of the best screenplays in Hollywood. This list of 101 greatest screenplays is a nod to those writers who create greatness on blank white paper. Out of the scripts chosen, 45 were original, 56 were adaptations, 60 were dramas, 26 were comedies, and 15 were comedies and dramas. Out of the screenplays, 39 won an Oscar for Best Screenplay and 36 were nominated for Best Screenplay. I have seen 70 out of the 101 films listed below.

#	Film Title (Year and Director)	Scriptwriter(s) and Original or Adapted Source Material	Memorable Line of Dialogue (Performer/Film Character)
101	*Notorious* (1946; dir. Alfred Hitchcock)	Written by Ben Hecht	“I’m a fatheaded guy, full of pain. It tore me up not having you.” — Cary Grant as T. R. Devlin
100	*Memento* (2000; dir. Christopher Nolan)	Screenplay by Christopher Nolan, based on the short story “Memento Mori” by Jonathan Nolan	“Just because there are things I don’t remember, doesn’t mean my actions are meaningless. The whole world doesn’t just disappear when you close your eyes, does it?” — Guy Pearce as Leonard
99	*The Wild Bunch* (1969; dir. Sam Peckinpah)	Screenplay by Walon Green and Sam Peckinpah, story by Walon Green and Roy Sickner	“When you side with a man, you stay with him. And if you can’t do that, you’re like some animal. You’re finished. We’re finished. All of us.” — William Holden as Pike Bishop
98	The Grapes of Wrath (1940; dir. John Ford)	Screenplay by Nunnally Johnson, based on the novel by John Steinbeck	“We are the people that live.” — Jane Darwell as Ma Joad
97	The Searchers (1956; dir. John Ford)	Screenplay by Frank S. Nugent, based on the novel by Alan Le May	“That’ll be the day.” — John Wayne as Ethan Edwards
96	*The Hustler* (1961; dir. Robert Rossen)	Screenplay by Sidney Carroll & Robert Rossen, based on the novel by Walter Tevis	“Admit it. I’m the best you ever seen, Fats. I’m the best there is. And even if you beat me, I’m still the best.” — Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson
95	*Hannah and Her Sisters* (1986; dir. Woody Allen)	Written by Woody Allen	“I had a great evening; it was like the Nuremberg Trials.” — Woody Allen as Mickey Sachs
94	*Patton* (1970; dir. Franklin J. Schaffner)	Screen Story and Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, based on “A Soldier’s Story” by Omar H. Bradley and “Patton: Ordeal and Triumph” by Ladislas Farago	“We’re not just going to shoot the bastards. We’re going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads on our tanks.” — George C. Scott as General George S. Patton
93	*Do The Right Thing* (1989; dir. Spike Lee)	Written by Spike Lee	“Who told you to step on my sneakers? Who told you to walk on my side of the block? Who told you to be in my neighborhood?” — Giancarlo Esposito as Buggin’ Out
92	*Psycho* (1960; dir. Alfred Hitchcock)	Screenplay by Joseph Stefano, based on the novel by Robert Bloch	“Mother… What is the phrase? She isn’t herself today.” — Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates
91	*The Verdict* (1982; dir. Sidney Lumet)	Screenplay by David Mamet, based on the novel by Barry Reed	“I changed my life today. What did you do?” — Paul Newman as Frank Galvin
90	*Sideways* (2004; dir. Alexander Payne)	Screenplay by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, based on the novel by Rex Pickett	“Come on, man…. Hemingway, Sexton, Plath, Woolf. You can’t kill yourself before you’re even published.” — Paul Giamatti as Miles Raymond
89	*Forrest Gump* (1994; dir. Robert Zemeckis)	Screenplay by Eric Roth, based on the novel by Winston Groom	“Mama always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.'” — Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump
88	*Field of Dreams* (1988; dir. Phil Alden Robinson)	Screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson, based on the book by W.P. Kinsella	“Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta): “Is this heaven?” Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner): “No, it’s Iowa.”
87	*8 1/2* (1963; dir. Federico Fellini)	Screenplay by Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, Brunello Rondi. Story by Fellini, Flaiano	“Happiness consists of being able to tell the truth without hurting anyone.” — Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi
86	*Harold and Maude* (1971; dir. Hal Ashby)	Written by Colin Higgins	“I haven’t lived… But I’ve died a few times.” — Bud Cort as Harold Chasen
85	*La Grande Illusion* (1937; dir. Jean Renoir)	Written by Jean Renoir and Charles Spaak	“The theater is too deep for me. I prefer bicycling.” — Jean Gabin as Lieutenant Maréchal
84	*The Princess Bride* (1987; dir. Rob Reiner)	Screenplay by William Goldman, based on his novel	“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!” — Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya
83	*Rear Window* (1954; dir. Alfred Hitchcock)	Screenplay by John Michael Hayes, based on the short story by Cornell Woolrich	“She’s too perfect, she’s too talented, she’s too beautiful, she’s too sophisticated, she’s too everything but what I want.” — James Stewart as L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies
82	*Cool Hand Luke* (1967; dir. Stuart Rosenberg)	Screenplay by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson, based on the novel by Donn Pearce	“I can eat fifty eggs.” — Paul Newman as Luke Jackson
81	*Being There* (1979; dir. Hal Ashby)	Screenplay by Jerzy Kosinski, inspired by the novel by Jerzy Kosinski	“There will be growth in the spring.” — Peter Sellers as Chance
80	*Witness* (1985; dir. Peter Weir)	Screenplay by Earl W. Wallace & William Kelley, story by William Kelley and Pamela Wallace & Earl W. Wallace	“Listen, lady, you take my picture and I’m going to rip off your brassiere and strangle you with it.” — Harrison Ford as John Book
79	*The Producers* (1968; dir. Mel Brooks)	Written by Mel Brooks	“How could this happen? I was so careful. I picked the wrong play, the wrong director, the wrong cast. Where did I go right?” — Zero Mostel as Max Bialystock
78	*Rocky* (1976; dir. John G. Avildsen)	Written by Sylvester Stallone	“Adrian!” —Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa
77	*Adaptation* (2002; dir. Spike Jonze)	Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman, based on the book “The Orchid Thief” by Susan Orlean	“Coffee would help me think…. Coffee and a muffin.” — Nicolas Cage as Charlie Kaufman
76	*Raging Bull* (1980; dir. Martin Scorsese)	Screenplay by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin, based on the book by Jake La Motta with Joseph Carter and Peter Savage	“You win, you win. You lose, you still win.” — Joe Pesci as Joey La Motta
75	High Noon (1952; dir. Fred Zinnemann)	Screenplay by Carl Foreman, based on short story “The Tin Star” by John W. Cunningham	“You risk your skin catching killers and the juries turn them loose so they can come back and shoot at you again….. And in the end you wind up dying all alone on some dirty street. For what? For nothing. For a tin star.” — Lon Chaney as Martin Howe
74	Being John Malkovich (1999; dir. Spike Jonze)	Written by Charlie Kaufman	“Do you know what a metaphysical can of worms this portal is?” — John Cusack as Craig Schwartz
73	Amadeus (1984; dir. Milos Forman)	Screenplay by Peter Shaffer, based on his play	“Forgive me, majesty. I am a vulgar man. But I assure you my music is not.” — Tom Hulce as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
72	Thelma & Louise (1991; dir. Ridley Scott)	Written by Callie Khouri	“You get what you settle for.” — Susan Sarandon as Louise Sawyer
71	The Lion in Winter (1968; dir. Anthony Harvey)	Screenplay by James Goldman, based on the play by James Goldman	“I’ve snapped and plotted all my life. There’s no other way to be alive, king, and fifty all at once.” — Peter O’Toole as Henry II
70	The African Queen (1951; dir. John Huston)	Screenplay by James Agee and John Huston, based on the novel by C.S. Forester	“Well I ain’t sorry for you no more, you crazy, psalm-singing, skinny old maid!” — Humphrey Bogart as Charlie Allnut
69	Dog Day Afternoon (1975; dir. Sidney Lumet)	Screenplay by Frank Pierson, based on a magazine article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore	“Attica! Attica!” — Al Pacino as Sonny
68	Star Wars (1977; dir. George Lucas)	Written by George Lucas	“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” — James Earl Jones (voice) as Darth Vader
67	E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982; dir. Steven Spielberg)	Written by Melissa Mathison	“E.T. phone home.” — E.T.
66	Jerry Maguire (1996; dir. Cameron Crowe)	Written by Cameron Crowe	“Show me the money!” — Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire
65	Singin’ in the Rain (1952; dir. Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)	Screen Story and Screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green, based on the song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown	“Well, if it isn’t Ethel Barrymore.” — Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood
64	Terms of Endearment (1983; dir. James L. Brooks)	Screenplay by James L. Brooks, based on the novel by Larry McMurtry	“My daughter is in pain. Can’t you understand that? Give my daughter the shot!” — Shirley MacLaine as Aurora Greenway
63	Jaws (1975; dir. Steven Spielberg)	Screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb, based on the novel by Peter Benchley	“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” — Roy Scheider as Chief Brody
62	Moonstruck (1987; dir. Norman Jewison)	Written by John Patrick Shanley	“Snap out of it!” — Cher as Loretta Castorini
61	The Silence of the Lambs (1991; dir. Jonathan Demme)	Screenplay by Ted Tally, based on the novel by Thomas Harris	“I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” — Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter
60	L.A. Confidential (1997; dir. Curtis Hanson)	Screenplay by Brian Helgeland & Curtis Hanson, based on the novel by James Ellroy	“Something has to be done, but nothing too original. Because, hey, this is Hollywood.” — Danny De Vito as Sid Hudgens
59	It Happened One Night (1934; dir. Frank Capra)	Screenplay by Robert Riskin, based on the story “Night Bus” by Samuel Hopkins Adams	“I was just wondering what makes dames like you so dizzy.” — Clark Gable as Peter Warne
58	Ordinary People (1980; dir. Robert Redford)	Screenplay by Alvin Sargent, based on the novel by Judith Guest	“A little advice about feelings, kiddo. Don’t expect it always to tickle.” — Judd Hirsch as Dr. Tyrone Berger
57	Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989; dir. Woody Allen)	Written by Woody Allen	“Where I grew up in Brooklyn, we were too unhappy to commit suicide.” — Woody Allen as Cliff Stern
56	Back to the Future (1985; dir. Robert Zemeckis)	Written by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale	“I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it. “ — Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly
55	Apocalypse Now (1979; dir. Francis Ford Coppola)	Written by John Milius and Francis Coppola, narration by Michael Herr	“The horror, the horror.” — Marlon Brando as Col. Walter Kurtz
54	Manhattan (1979; dir. Woody Allen)	Written by Woody Allen & Marshall Brickman	“I’ve never had the wrong kind [of orgasm]…My worst one was right on the money.” — Woody Allen as Isaac Davis
53	All the President’s Men (1976; dir. Alan J. Pakula)	Screenplay by William Goldman, based on the book by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward	“We’re under a lot of pressure, you know. And you put us there. Nothing’s riding on this except the… first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country. Not that any of that matters. But if you guys f–k up again, I’m going to get mad. Goodnight.” — Jason Robards as Ben Bradlee
52	The Lady Eve (1941; dir. Preston Sturges)	Screenplay by Preston Sturges, story by Monckton Hoffe	“I need him like the ax needs the turkey.” — Barbara Stanwyck as Jean Harrington
51	Broadcast News (1987; dir. James L. Brooks)	Written by James L. Brooks	“It was like great sex.” — William Hurt as Tom Grunick
50	The Sixth Sense (1999; dir. M. Night Shyamalan)	Written by M. Night Shyamalan	“I see dead people.” — Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear
49	Schindler’s List (1993; dir. Steven Spielberg)	Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, based on the novel by Thomas Keneally	“I pardon you.” — Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth
48	The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957; dir. David Lean)	Screenplay by Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, based on the novel by Pierre Boulle	“What have I done?” — Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson
47	The Maltese Falcon (1941; dir. John Huston)	Screenplay by John Huston, based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett	“When you’re slapped, you’ll take it and like it.” — Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade
46	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948; dir. John Huston)	Screenplay by John Huston, based on the novel by B. Traven	“Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges.” — Alfonso Bedoya as Gold Hat
45	One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975; dir. Milos Forman)	Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman, based on the novel by Ken Kesey	“Get out of my way son, you’re using my oxygen. You know what I mean?” — Jack Nicholson as Randall Patrick Murphy
44	The Best Years of Our Lives (1946; dir. William Wyler)	Screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood, based on novel “Glory For Me” by MacKinlay Kantor	“They couldn’t train him to put his arms around his girl, or to stroke her hair.” — Fredric March as Al Stephenson
43	Taxi Driver (1976; dir. Martin Scorsese)	Written by Paul Schrader	“You talkin’ to me?” — Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle
42	Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981; dir. Steven Spielberg)	Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman	“I hate snakes.” — Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones
41	GoodFellas (1990; dir. Martin Scorsese)	Screenplay by Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese, based on book “Wise Guy” by Nicholas Pileggi	“Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.” — Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway
40	When Harry Met Sally… (1989; dir. Rob Reiner)	Written by Nora Ephron	“I’ll have what she’s having.” — Estelle Reiner as the woman in the deli
39	The Sting (1973; dir. George Roy Hill)	Written by David S. Ward	“No sense in being a grifter if it’s the same as being a citizen.” — Paul Newman as Henry Gondorff
38	American Beauty (1999; dir. Sam Mendes)	Written by Alan Ball	“I’m just an ordinary guy with nothing to lose.” — Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham
37	The Philadelphia Story (1940; dir. George Cukor)	Screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart, based on the play by Philip Barry	“I’m going crazy. I’m standing here, solidly on my own two hands and going crazy.” — Katharine Hepburn as Tracy Lord
36	Midnight Cowboy (1969; dir. John Schlesinger)	Screenplay by Waldo Salt, based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy	“I’m walkin’ here!” — Dustin Hoffman as Ratso Rizzo
35	The Usual Suspects (1995; dir. Bryan Singer)	Written by Christopher McQuarrie	“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn’t exist.” — Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint
34	The Sweet Smell of Success (1957; dir. Alexander Mackendrick)	Screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman, from a novelette by Ernest Lehman	“Watch me run a 50-yard dash with my legs cut off!” — Tony Curtis as Sidney Falco
33	The Third Man (1949; dir. Carol Reed)	Screenplay by Graham Greene, story by Graham Greene, based on the short story by Graham Greene	“In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed. But they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love. They had 500 years of democracy and peace. And what did that produce? The cuckoo clock!” — Orson Welles as Harry Lime
32	Fargo (1996; dir. Joel Coen)	Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen	“I’m not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work there, Lou.” — Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson
31	His Girl Friday (1940: dir. Howard Hawks)	Screenplay by Charles Lederer, based on the play “The Front Page” by Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur	“Who’s going to read the second paragraph?” — Cary Grant as Walter Burns
30	Unforgiven (1992: dir. Clint Eastwood)	Written by David Webb Peoples	“It’s a hell of a thing killin’ a man. You take away all he’s got and all he’s ever gonna have.” — Clint Eastwood as Bill Munny
29	Sullivan’s Travels (1941; dir. Preston Sturges)	Written by Preston Sturges	“There’s always a girl in the picture. What’s the matter? Don’t you go to the movies?” — Joel McCrea as John L. Sullivan
28	Shakespeare In Love (1998; dir. John Madden)	Written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard	“Romeo and Juliet. Just a suggestion.” — Ben Affleck as Ned Alleyn
27	Groundhog Day (1993; dir. Harold Ramis)	Screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis, story by Danny Rubin	“What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today.” — Bill Murray as Phil Connors
26	Double Indemnity (1944; dir. Billy Wilder)	Screenplay by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler, based on the novel by James M. Cain	“Do I laugh now or wait until it gets funny?” — Fred MacMurray as Walter Neff
25	The Wizard of Oz (1939; dir. Victor Fleming)	Screenplay by Noel Langley and Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, adaptation by Noel Langley, based on the novel by L. Frank Baum	“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” — Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale
24	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004; dir. Michel Gondry)	Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, story by Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry & Pierre Bismuth	Joel Barish (Jim Carrey): “Is there any risk of brain damage?” Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson): “Well, technically, the procedure itself is brain damage, but on par with a night of heavy drinking. Nothing you’ll miss.”
23	Gone With the Wind (1939; dir. Victor Fleming)	Screenplay by Sidney Howard, based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell	“You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.” — Clark Gable as Rhett Butler
22	The Shawshank Redemption (1994; dir. Frank Darabont)	Screenplay by Frank Darabont, based on the short story “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King	“Get busy living, or get busy dying.” — Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne
21	North by Northwest (1959; dir. Alfred Hitchcock)	Written by Ernest Lehman	“I’ve got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives, and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don’t intend to disappoint them all by getting myself ‘slightly’ killed.” — Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill
20	It’s a Wonderful Life (1946; dir. Frank Capra)	Screenplay by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett & Frank Capra, based on the short story “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern, contributions to the screenplay by Michael Wilson and Jo Swerling	“Big—see! I don’t want one for one night. I want something for a thousand and one nights, with plenty of room for labels from Italy and Baghdad, Samarkand . . . a great big one!” — Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey
19	To Kill A Mockingbird (1962; dir. Robert Mulligan)	Screenplay by Horton Foote, based on the novel by Harper Lee	“There’s a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep ’em all away from you. That’s never possible.” — Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch
18	On the Waterfront (1954; dir. Elia Kazan)	Screen story and screenplay by Budd Schulberg, based on “Crime on the Waterfront” articles by Malcolm Johnson	“You want to know what’s wrong with our waterfront? It’s love of a lousy buck. It’s making love of a buck — the cushy job — more important than the love of man. It’s forgetting that every fellow down here is your brother in Christ.” — Karl Malden as Father Barry
17	Tootsie (1982; dir. Sydney Pollack)	Screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal, story by Don McGuire and Larry Gelbart	“Look, you don’t know me from Adam, but I was a better man with you, as a woman, than I ever was with a woman, as a man. Know what I mean?” — Dustin Hoffman as Michael Dorsey
16	Pulp Fiction (1994; dir. Quentin Tarantino)	Written by Quentin Tarantino, stories by Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary	“I ain’t through with you by a damn sight. I’m gonna get Medieval on your ass.” — Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace
15	The Apartment (1960; dir. Billy Wilder)	Written by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond	“I guess that’s the way it crumbles—cookie-wise.” — Jack Lemmon as C.C. Baxter
14	Lawrence of Arabia (1962; dir. David Lean)	Screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson, based on the life and writings of Col. T.E. Lawrence	Jackson Bentley (Arthur Kennedy): “What attracts you personally to the desert?” T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole): “It’s clean.”
13	The Graduate (1967; dir. Mike Nichols)	Screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, based on the novel by Charles Webb	“I want to say one word to you. Just one word . . . Plastics.” — Walter Brooke as Mr. McGuire
12	Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964, dir. Stanley Kubrick)	Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick and Peter George and Terry Southern	“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here. This is the War Room!” — Peter Sellers as Pres. Merkin Muffley
11	Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969; dir. George Roy Hill)	Written by William Goldman	Sundance Kid (Robert Redford): “I can’t swim.” Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman): “Why, you crazy—the fall’ll probably kill you.”
10	The Godfather Part II (1974; dir. Francis Ford Coppola)	Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, based on Mario Puzo’s novel “The Godfather”	“I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart.” — Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
9	Some Like It Hot (1959; dir. Billy Wilder)	Screenplay by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond, based on “Fanfare of Love”, a German film written by Robert Thoeren and M. Logan	“Nobody’s perfect.” — Joe E. Brown as Osgood Fielding
8	Network (1976; dir. Sidney Lumet)	Written by Paddy Chayefsky	“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” — Peter Finch as Howard Beale
7	Sunset Boulevard (1950; dir. Billy Wilder)	Written by Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder and D.M. Marshman Jr.	Joe Gillis (William Holden): “You’re Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big.” Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson): “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.”
6	Annie Hall (1977; dir. Woody Allen)	Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman	“A relationship, I think, is—is like a shark, you know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.” — Woody Allen as Alvy Singer
5	All About Eve (1950; dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz)	Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on “The Wisdom of Eve”, a short story and radio play by Mary Orr	“Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” — Bette Davis as Margo Channing
4	Citizen Kane (1941; dir. Orson Welles)	Written by Herman Mankiewicz and Orson Welles	“Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn’t get or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn’t have explained anything. I don’t think any word can explain a man’s life.” — William Alland as Jerry Thompson
3	Chinatown (1974; dir. Roman Polanski)	Written by Robert Towne	“Course I’m respectable. I’m old. Politicians, public buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.” — John Huston as Noah Cross
2	The Godfather (1972; dir. Francis Ford Coppola)	Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel by Mario Puzo	“Luca Brasi held a gun to his head, and my father assured him that either his brains or his signature would be on the contract.” — Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
1	Casablanca (1942; dir. Michael Curtiz)	Screenplay by Julius J. & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch, based on the play “Everybody Comes to Rick’s” by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison	“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she had to walk into mine.” — Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine