有人说，人生有赢有输。虽然我们为这部两卷的电影集选出来的电影确实是赢家，但没入选的并不代表输了。我们只是没那么喜欢它们而已。这是一个艰难、反省的过程，但经过大量的讨论和反复考虑之后，TASCHEN出版社选定了我们认为是20世纪电影制作领域***的100个范例。

从恐怖片到爱情片，黑色电影到粗俗滑稽剧，冒险片到悲剧，史诗电影到音乐片，西部片到新浪潮电影，所有的种类在这本范围广、非常有趣的概要中都有描述。《大都会》？有了。《摩登时代》？有。《公民爱恩》，《七武士》？当然有。《甜蜜的生活》、《惊魂记》、《发条橙

》？当然少不了。还有《教父》、《安妮•霍尔》、《蓝丝绒》和《低俗小说》……还有许许多多的电影瑰宝，包括知名度较低的杰作，如路易斯•布努埃尔的《被遗忘的人们》。

每一个按时间顺序排列的条目都包括概要、演员名单、技术信息、演员/导演档案、细枝末节，以及所获奖项，此外，还有电影剧照、制作照片和每一部电影的的原始海报。每十年一个章节，这些章节的开头是一篇探讨那个年代所拍摄的电影的历史和社会背景的序言。

They say that in life, there are winners and there are losers. Though the movies we selected for this two-volume collection are winners indeed, those that didn't make the cut aren't losers. We just didn't like them quite as much. It was a tough, soul-searching process, but after much debate and deliberation TASCHEN settled on what we believe to be the 100 finest examples of 20th-century filmmaking.From horror to romance, noir to slapstick, adventure to tragedy, epic to musical, Western to new wave, all genres are represented in this wide-ranging and devilishly fun compendium. Metropolis? Check. Modern Times? Yep. Citizen Kane, The Seven Samurai? Of course. La dolce vita, Psycho, A Clockwork Orange? You bet. Plus The Godfather, Annie Hall, Blue Velvet, Pulp Fiction... and so many more cinematic gems including lesser-known masterpieces like Bunuel's The Young and the Damned. Think of this collection as a celebration of contrasts, an homage to the seventh art, a gathering of greats, and a nostalgic romp through celluloid history.Chronological entries each include a synopsis, cast/crew listings, technical information, actor/director bios, trivia, and lists of awards, as well as film stills, production photos, and the original poster for each film. The chapter for each decade begins with an introduction exploring the historical and social context of films made in that era.