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# ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (Issue 210, December 2006)
# ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (Issue 210, December 2006)
# ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' (Issue 211, January 2007)
# ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' (Issue 211, January 2007)
# ''[[The Wages Of Fear]]'' (Issue 212, February 2007)


==Fifteenth anniversary==
==Fifteenth anniversary==

Revision as of 00:37, 7 January 2007

Empire
EditorMark Dinning
CategoriesFilm
FrequencyMonthly
First issueJuly 1989
CompanyEMAP
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
WebsiteOfficial site
ISSN0957-4948

Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Emap Consumer Media since July 1989. It is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain, constantly outselling its nearest market rival Total Film. Empire organises the annual Sony Ericsson Empire Awards which are voted for by readers of the magazine. It also has Australian and Turkish editions.

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 and Sound. It reviews both mainstream films, including Hollywood fare, and art films, but feature articles concentrate on the former. The magazine occasionally produces themed issues around subjects such as Star Wars and "sex in film".

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 feature 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?"

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.

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 and 198.

The films to feature in this section so far are:

  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 (1933 film) (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 #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 (1927 film) (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 (film) (Issue 208, October 2006)
  38. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (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)

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 & Dumber

Readers' top films

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

201 Greatest Movies of All Time (March 2006)

  1. The Shawshank Redemption
  2. The Empire Strikes Back
  3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  4. Star Wars
  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

100 Greatest Movies of All Time (March 2004)

  1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  2. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
  3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
  4. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
  5. The Shawshank Redemption
  6. The Godfather
  7. Pulp Fiction
  8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  9. Fight Club
  10. Jaws
  11. Jurassic Park
  12. Blade Runner
  13. Goodfellas
  14. The Godfather Part II
  15. Raiders of the Lost Ark
  16. Grease
  17. Raging Bull
  18. The Usual Suspects
  19. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  20. Taxi Driver

Editors

Empire has had eight editors. They are:

  • Barry McIlheney (issues 1 - 44)
  • Phil Thomas (issues 45 - 72)
  • Andrew Collins (issues 73 - 75)
  • Mark Salisbury (issues 76 - 88)
  • Ian Nathan (issues 89 - 126)
  • Emma Cochrane (issues 127 - 161)
  • Colin Kennedy (162 - ?) (For a number of issues, Will Lawrence acted as editor while Colin Kennedy was absent)
  • Mark Dinning (? - present)