Stanley Fish's 10 Best American Movies

Stanley Fish - most famous in my world for the concept of "interpretive communities," or the idea that readers interpret a text subjectively but in the context of the specific linguistic system to which readers belong - recently posted his list for "The 10 Best American Movies" on his New York Times blog.

His introduction and rationale:

It’s Top Ten time again, and like everyone else I have a list, in my case a list of the 10 best American movies ever. Here it is, with brief descriptions and no justifications. Only the first two films are in order. The others are all tied for third.

His List:

1. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
2. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
3. Double Indemnity (1944)
4. Shane (1953)
5. Red River (1948)
6. Raging Bull (1980)
7. Vertigo (1958)
8. Groundhog Day (1993)
9. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
10. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

Has Fish only seen two films since 1953? And did he decide he should put them on the list for good measure?

Now I know that, while Fish's list is largely subjective, most film critics would probably agree that most of these are important, if not good, films. Moreover, I can accept that Fish himself is part of an interpretive community that brings a socially constructed value system to his "readings" of these films.

But, seriously...two Westerns? Not a single film from the last 18 years? And Groundhog Day? Really?

Don't get me wrong: I loves me some Shane. And Red River is a classy-classic John Wayne Western - if I'm channel surfing and hit this one on AMC, chances are I'll watch it (and for the upteenth time). The Best Years of Our Life - a bit depressing, but a good melodrama (and I can understand that, for a film made in 1946, it pushed the envelope on things like war, love, and...dismemberment). Scorsese, Hitchcock, and...okay...even Wilder deserve spots on a "10 Greatest Filmmakers of All Time" list. Sure...

And I totally dig Fish. I find his take on socially constructed interpretation compelling. He's a good writer - his blurbs about each film are great. I've even seen him talk and enjoyed it. But that's all beside the point. The point is:

Groundhog Day? One of the Best American Movies ever? Really?