The Library’s Browsing collections of feature movies in VHS or DVD formats includes 96 of the titles on the American Film Institute‘s “AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies” 10th anniversary list. Most of them are available in DVD format.
This list has something for everyone, including sci-fi classic Blade Runner (one of my personal favorites), Casablanca (go ahead and hum “As Time Goes By“), and Bringing Up Baby (it’s not every day you see the subject “Leopards as pets” in the Library Catalog).
When you search for a movie title in the Library Catalog, click on “Full View” to see more information such as plot summary, original motion picture date, stars, and running length. You can also get additional information from web sites such as Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes.
Of course, the Library has movies that are not on the AFI list too. Try a title search in the Library Catalog if you’re looking for something specific. Feature films in DVD format are on the shelf alphabetically by title, so you can browse too. Looking for videos on a topic or titles appropriate for children? There are ways to search the catalog, such as a keyword search for “juvenile films” or “children’s films” with the “Quick Limit” video collection. Please ask a librarian for assistance.
What about the other 4 titles? Are they not available or cost too much?
Well, I’m not sure. Three of the four are “new” to the top 100 list, so we may have purchased off of an earlier version of the list. I believe all four are owned by other libraries in the UW System. Here are the four titles:
Sunrise (1927)
Nashville (1975)
Cabaret (1972)
African Queen (1951) – This one is not new to the list.
African Queen has been requested but I cannot find a suitable copy of
this yet. I’m still looking…..
The African Queen is great. I love Katharine Hepburn movies. Pair her with Humphrey Bogart, and is it any wonder this film is on the AFI’s top 100 list?