GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
Menu

The Essential 713, made interactive

Find your next
great film.

Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #504 on its own—not above the ranking.
Refine this collection

Your canon

Back up / restore my film dataLoading your progress…Saved only in this browser
Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

Director:
Cast:
View American Graffiti film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

A couple of high school graduates spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

On the final night of summer 1962 in Modesto, graduates Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander question leaving for college while cruising with friends John Milner and Terry 'Toad' Fields. Cars, radio dedications, flirtation, and challenges carry them across town.

Why it belongs

American Graffiti makes one cruising night a vivid social map through cars, radio, storefront light, intersecting stories, and a wall-to-wall period soundtrack.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Dashboard views, stoplights, drive-ins, drag strips, Wolfman Jack's broadcast, and songs drifting between cars frame Modesto as a moving youth community. The ensemble lets each vehicle carry a different fear of change.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Golden Globes2 wins1974 · official film record ↗
Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy1974 · American Graffitiofficial film record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
FamilyFilm Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 10062
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness9.0
Engagement8.1
Ease7.7

English · PG
Narrative Feature
Mood: Funny & Bittersweet