Empire (film magazine)

For the South African arts magazine, see Empire (South African magazine).
Empire

Cover of the July 2011 issue, featuring Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint
Editor Mark Dinning
Categories Film
Frequency Monthly
Circulation 194,016 (2009)[1]
First issue July 1989
Company Bauer
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Website Official site
ISSN 0957-4948

Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008. It is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain, consistently outselling its nearest market rival Total Film by over two-to-one and is also published in Australia, Turkey, Russia and Portugal. Empire organises the annual Empire Awards which were sponsored by Sony Ericsson, and from 2009 sponsored by Jameson.[2] The awards are voted for by readers of the magazine.

Contents

Regular features

In common with most British film magazines, Empire is populist in both approach and coverage unlike less irreverent and more 'serious' magazines such as Sight & Sound. It reviews both mainstream films and art films, but feature articles concentrate on the former.

As well as film news, previews and reviews, Empire has some unique regular features. Each issue (with the exception of issues 108 – 113) features a Classic Scene, a transcript from a notable film scene. The first such classic scene to be featured was the "I could have been a contender" scene from On the Waterfront.

The regular Top 10 feature lists Empire's choice of the top ten examples of something film-related. For example 10 Best Chase Scenes or 10 Best Movie Gags in The Simpsons. Readers are encouraged to write in if they disagree with the choices made.

The At Home section covers DVD news and releases; Empire's editors consider this section to be of sufficient quality to term it a magazine in itself, which is also relevant to the growth and importance of the DVD market, where sales can often outstrip that of box-office.

Pint of Milk presents celebrities' answers to silly or unusual questions, including the question "How much is a pint of milk?" This is intended as a guide to the Chosen Celebrity's contact with reality, and as such can be more informative than a direct interview, often reporting some surprising responses.

Each magazine includes a "Spine Quote", in which a relatively challenging quote is printed on the spine of the magazine. There are usually some obvious and obscure links from the quote to the main features of that month's edition. Readers are invited to identify the film source and the links to win a prize.

Kim Newman's DVD Dungeon is a regular feature in the At Home section, in which critic Kim Newman reviews the most obscure releases, mostly low budget horror movies.

Celebrity Mastermind is another regular in which a celebrity is given questions about the films they were in or they directed. Celebrities range from Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Lee (who are at the top of the scoreboard) to John Carpenter and Michael Keaton (who are at the bottom of the scoreboard).

Masterpieces

A regular feature since issue 167, the masterpiece feature is a two-page essay on a film selected by Empire in the At Home section. The selection of the films seem to be quite random and follow no specific pattern. Only a few issues since the first masterpiece feature have not featured one – 169, 179, 196, 197, 198 and 246. Also, 240 has director Frank Darabont select 223 masterpieces, but it doesn't count in the magazine's Masterpiece numbering.

The films to feature in this section so far are[3]:

  1. Raging Bull (Issue 167, May 2003)
  2. Gone with the Wind (Issue 168, June 2003)
  3. The Shawshank Redemption (Issue 170, August 2003)
  4. Casablanca (Issue 171, September 2003)
  5. Blade Runner (Issue 172, October 2003)
  6. La Dolce Vita (Issue 173, November 2003)
  7. The Shining (Issue 174, December 2003)
  8. The Third Man (Issue 175, January 2004)
  9. The 400 Blows (Issue 176, February 2004)
  10. His Girl Friday (Issue 177, March 2004)
  11. Schindler's List (Issue 178, April 2004)
  12. The Godfather (Issue 180, June 2004)
  13. King Kong (Issue 181, July 2004)
  14. Seven Samurai (Issue 182, August 2004)
  15. Fight Club (Issue 183, September 2004)
  16. Tokyo Story (Issue 184, October 2004)
  17. Annie Hall (Issue 185, November 2004)
  18. Bride of Frankenstein (Issue 186, December 2004)
  19. It's a Wonderful Life (Issue 187, January 2005) (incorrectly labelled as No. 18 in the magazine)
  20. This Is Spinal Tap (Issue 188, February 2005)
  21. The Silence of the Lambs (Issue 189, March 2005)
  22. L'Atalante (Issue 190, April 2005)
  23. L.A. Confidential (Issue 191, May 2005)
  24. The Searchers (Issue 192, June 2005)
  25. Do The Right Thing (Issue 193, July 2005)
  26. Brief Encounter (Issue 194, August 2005)
  27. Brazil (Issue 195, September 2005)
  28. On the Waterfront (Issue 199, January 2006)
  29. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Issue 200, February 2006)
  30. Rome, Open City (Issue 201, March 2006)
  31. The General (Issue 202, April 2006)
  32. Deliverance (Issue 203, May 2006)
  33. The French Connection (Issue 204, June 2006)
  34. The Battle of Algiers (Issue 205, July 2006)
  35. Das Boot (Issue 206, August 2006)
  36. Don't Look Now (Issue 207, September 2006)
  37. Vertigo (Issue 208, October 2006)
  38. The Lord of the Rings (Issue 209, November 2006)
  39. Some Like It Hot (Issue 210, December 2006)
  40. The Wizard of Oz (Issue 211, January 2007)
  41. The Wages of Fear (Issue 212, February 2007)
  42. Belle de jour (Issue 213, March 2007)
  43. The Spirit of the Beehive (Issue 214, April 2007)
  44. Die Hard (Issue 215, May 2007)
  45. A Clockwork Orange (Issue 216, June 2007)
  46. Performance (Issue 217, July 2007)
  47. Bringing Up Baby (Issue 218, August 2007)
  48. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Issue 219, September 2007)
  49. The Big Sleep (Issue 220, October 2007)
  50. Days of Heaven (Issue 221, November 2007)
  51. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Issue 222, December 2007)
  52. Bicycle Thieves (Issue 223, January 2008)
  53. Cabaret (Issue 224, February 2008)
  54. The Wild Bunch (Issue 225, March 2008)
  55. Glengarry Glen Ross (Issue 226, April 2008)
  56. The Fly (Issue 227, May 2008)
  57. Out of the Past (Issue 228, June 2008)
  58. Rear Window (Issue 229, July 2008)
  59. Forbidden Planet (Issue 230, August 2008)
  60. The Night of the Hunter (Issue 231, September 2008)
  61. Network (Issue 232, October 2008)
  62. Kind Hearts and Coronets (Issue 233, November 2008)
  63. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Issue 234, December 2008)
  64. Rio Bravo (film) (Issue 235, January 2009)
  65. 8½ (Issue 236, February 2009)
  66. Spartacus (1960 film) (Issue 237, March 2009)
  67. The Birds (Issue 238, April 2009)
  68. Goodfellas (Issue 239, May 2009)
  69. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Issue 241, July 2009)
  70. Amadeus (Issue 242, August 2009)
  71. To Kill a Mockingbird (Issue 243, September 2009)
  72. Suspiria (Issue 244, October 2009)
  73. Kiss Me Deadly (Issue 245, November 2009)
  74. Magnolia (Issue 247, January 2010)
  75. All About Eve (Issue 248, February 2010)
  76. All the President's Men (Issue 249, March 2010)
  77. Fitzcarraldo (Issue 250, April 2010)
  78. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Issue 251, May 2010)
  79. Rififi (Issue 252, June 2010)
  80. The Dirty Dozen (Issue 253, July 2010)
  81. Now, Voyager (Issue 254, August 2010)
  82. Stagecoach (Issue 255, September 2010)
  83. Solaris (Issue 256, October 2010)
  84. The Court Jester (Issue 257, November 2010)
  85. Knife in the Water (Issue 258, December 2010)
  86. Stalag 17 (Issue 259, January 2011)
  87. Sleeper (Issue 260, February 2011)
  88. Lost Horizon (Issue 261, March 2011)
  89. Nashville (Issue 262, April 2011)
  90. Chinatown (Issue 263, May 2011)
  91. Double Indemnity (Issue 264, June 2011)
  92. The African Queen (Issue 265, July 2011)
  93. Sunset Boulevard (Issue 266, August 2011)
  94. Witness (Issue 267, September 2011)
  95. Manhattan (Issue 268, October 2011)
  96. When Harry Met Sally... (Issue 269, November 2011)
  97. Passport to Pimlico (Issue 270, December 2011)
  98. Fargo (Unknown)
  99. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Unknown)

Fifteenth anniversary

Empire published a special 15th anniversary issue in June 2004 by which time the magazine had reviewed 4,240 theatrical films. Nicole Kidman was named "actress of our lifetime" and Kevin Spacey was named "actor of our lifetime". The 15 most influential films of the preceding 15 years were considered to be:

  1. Reservoir Dogs
  2. The Silence of the Lambs
  3. Trainspotting
  4. Sex, Lies, and Videotape
  5. The Matrix
  6. Jurassic Park
  7. The Killer
  8. Toy Story
  9. The Blair Witch Project
  10. Four Weddings and a Funeral
  11. Batman
  12. New Jack City
  13. Scream
  14. Gladiator
  15. Dumb and Dumber

Eighteenth anniversary

As part of its 18th birthday issue published in June 2007 Empire published a list of top 18-rated moments in film. This list is as follows:

  1. Alien – Dinner chestburster
  2. The Omen – Glass decapitation
  3. An American Werewolf in London – Wolf transformation
  4. The Exorcist – Crucifix abuse
  5. Risky Business – Ready Ralph?
  6. Reservoir Dogs – Mr. Blonde slashing the face of Marvin the cop
  7. Blue Velvet – Karaoke from Hell

They also picked the top 50 18-rated movies

  1. The Godfather
  2. Pulp Fiction
  3. Alien
  4. Goodfellas
  5. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
  6. The Silence of the Lambs
  7. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
  8. Fight Club
  9. The Big Lebowski
  10. Evil Dead II
  11. Die Hard
  12. Get Carter
  13. Peeping Tom
  14. Dawn of the Dead
  15. Hard Boiled
  16. A Clockwork Orange
  17. An American Werewolf in London
  18. Audition
  19. Risky Business
  20. Dirty Harry
  21. The Omen
  22. City of God
  23. Magnolia
  24. Midnight Cowboy
  25. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  26. The Thing
  27. Aliens
  28. Apocalypse Now
  29. Seven
  30. Blue Velvet
  31. The Fly
  32. Braindead
  33. The Exorcist
  34. Reservoir Dogs
  35. Taxi Driver
  36. Clerks
  37. Halloween
  38. Predator
  39. Do the Right Thing
  40. Trainspotting
  41. The Shining
  42. Kill Bill: Volume 1
  43. The Wild Bunch
  44. Suspiria
  45. Oldboy
  46. Sin City
  47. L.A. Confidential
  48. Angel Heart
  49. RoboCop
  50. Mad Max 2

Readers' top films

Empire occasionally poll readers to find out what their favourite films are.

The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time

The latest list was selected in September 2008 by over 10,000 Empire readers, 150 film makers and 50 film critics. The list was accompanied by many different covers, each of which went on sale. The top 30 chosen films are listed below.[4]

  1. The Godfather
  2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
  3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
  4. The Shawshank Redemption
  5. Jaws
  6. Goodfellas
  7. Apocalypse Now
  8. Singin' in the Rain
  9. Pulp Fiction
  10. Fight Club
  11. Raging Bull
  12. The Apartment
  13. Chinatown
  14. Once Upon a Time in the West
  15. The Dark Knight
  16. 2001: A Space Odyssey
  17. Taxi Driver
  18. Casablanca
  19. The Godfather Part II
  20. Blade Runner
  21. The Third Man
  22. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
  23. Back to the Future
  24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  25. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
  26. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
  27. Some Like It Hot
  28. Citizen Kane
  29. Die Hard
  30. Aliens

Most represented directors

The list's most represented director was Steven Spielberg, who had eleven films in the top 500. The top eight directors are listed below. Their highest-ranked film is also provided, as well as its position.

The entire list can be found at Empire.

Previous List, The 201 Greatest Movies of All Time

The previous poll, done by Empire readers solely, was a little different. It was done in March 2006 and had this top 30:

  1. The Shawshank Redemption
  2. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
  3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  4. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
  5. The Godfather
  6. Pulp Fiction
  7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  8. Fight Club
  9. Goodfellas
  10. The Matrix
  11. Jaws
  12. The Usual Suspects
  13. The Godfather Part II
  14. Alien
  15. Raiders of the Lost Ark
  16. Gladiator
  17. Aliens
  18. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
  19. Casablanca
  20. Back to the Future
  21. Seven
  22. Heat
  23. L.A. Confidential
  24. Apocalypse Now
  25. The Big Lebowski
  26. Citizen Kane
  27. Reservoir Dogs
  28. Die Hard
  29. Raging Bull
  30. Some Like It Hot

Readers' top directors

In June 2005, a poll of 10,000 readers was asked to name the greatest film director of all time. In a list of twenty directors, Steven Spielberg was granted the honour of greatest director, while the total list was:

  1. Steven Spielberg
  2. Alfred Hitchcock
  3. Martin Scorsese
  4. Stanley Kubrick
  5. Ridley Scott
  6. Akira Kurosawa
  7. Peter Jackson
  8. Quentin Tarantino
  9. Orson Welles
  10. Woody Allen
  11. Clint Eastwood
  12. David Lean
  13. The Coen brothers
  14. James Cameron
  15. Francis Ford Coppola
  16. Oliver Stone
  17. Sergio Leone
  18. John Ford
  19. Billy Wilder
  20. Sam Peckinpah

Editors

Empire has had eight editors. They are:

References

  1. ^ http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Press-Office/News/ABC-Circulation-Figures-January-June-2009/
  2. ^ Jameson Empire Awards 2009 website
  3. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/competitions/masterpiece/
  4. ^ September 2008 http://www.empireonline.com/500
  5. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=24133
  6. ^ "Empire’s 20th Anniversary Edition". Empire Magazine. 2009-05-06. http://www.empireonline.com/20/. Retrieved 2009-05-06. 

External links

Current Empire Awards
Retired Empire awards
Current special awards
  • Empire Hero Award
  • Empire Inspiration Award
  • Icon Award
Retired special awards
  • Actor Of Our Lifetime
  • Empire Career Achievement Award
  • Empire Independent Spirit Award
  • Empire Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Empire Movie Masterpiece
  • Heath Ledger Tribute
  • Icon of the Decade
  • Outstanding Contribution To British Film
Ceremonies
Miscellaneous
  • Empire (film magazine)