Star Wars voted top film of all time as science-fiction movies beam into top 100

STAR WARS has been voted the most successful film of all time, and a further two of George Lucas's space sagas have made it into the top 10.

The Phantom Menace and The Empire Strikes Back were voted fifth and seventh by viewers of BBC1's Film 99, whose best 100 films are announced today. Lucas's Return of the Jedi came in at number 28.

Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, which, like Star Wars, starred Harrison Ford, was the runner-up, while another of Scott's films, Alien, was fourth. The old classic Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, came third.

Another director with multiple successes in the top 10 was Steven Spielberg, whose Schindler's List is at number eight and Saving Private Ryan at nine.

Allan Campbell, producer of Film 99, said: "When you examine the top 100 list, you'll find that the majority of films are of a certain vintage. They've earned their stripes. The new movies which are in the 100 are either `event' movies, like The Phantom Menace and Saving Private Ryan, or exciting new trail-blazers like The Matrix."

Four Weddings and a Funeral, starring Hugh Grant, came in at number 86, but its sequel, Notting Hill, failed to make the grade. As Mr Campbell put it, Notting Hill "breaks little new ground".

The most recent movie on the list is The Blair Witch Project (66), which was released in Britain in October. The oldest film is Gone with the Wind (12), which was made in 1939.

Robert De Niro features in six of the top 100 films, including Taxi Driver (19) and The Deer Hunter (76). Ford and Sir Alec Guinness star in five each. The female stars most frequently on the list are Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Fisher, who have three mentions each.

Monty Python's Life of Brian is the highest-ranked British film, at number 18. The Third Man, which topped a British Film Institute poll as the best British movie ever made, came 25th

BBC viewers were asked to send in votes for their personal top five last month; 10,000 responses were received in the first week.

Jonathan Ross, presenter of Film 99, said: "Obviously I'm gutted that the Village People movie Thank God It's Friday isn't anywhere near the top 100. But that's Film 99 viewers for you - too much taste and discretion."

THE TOP 10

1. Star Wars

2. Blade Runner

3. Casablanca

4. Alien

5. The Phantom Menace

6. Shawshank Redemption

7. The Empire Strikes Back

8. Schindler's List

9. Saving Private Ryan

10. Pulp Fiction