AllMovie

Following up on the debate sparked by the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest American films, this documentary -- originally broadcast on CBS as a three-hour special -- gives 50 stars the opportunity to introduce 50 stars. The criteria focus on lifetime achievement, hence no living stars appear in the top 50. Other deciding factors were that certain elusive something known as "star quality," plus other factors such as craft, legacy, popularity, and historical context. The 25 dazzling men and 25 dazzling women, which include such immortals as Bogart, Bacall, and Hepburn, are featured in relevant clips from the vehicle films that made those stars larger than life.