<p>Billy Wilder's 1959 hit "Some Like It Hot", about two musicians who after witnessing a murder dress up in drag to hide from gangsters, has topped the list of the greatest comedies ever made in a critics' poll by BBC.<br /><br />The black and white film featured Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in the lead roles.<br /><br />More than 250 film critics from over 50 countries participated in the poll conducted by BBC Culture.<br /><br />Each critic ranked their top 10 favourite comedies with films from across the world including Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood (Nigerian film industry) being nominated. No Indian film made the cut though.<br /><br />"Some Like It Hot" pushed Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film "Dr Strangelove" to the second position.<br /><br />Woody Allen's 1977 romantic comedy "Annie Hall", Harold Ramis's 1993 drama "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray and Leo McCarey's "Duck Soup" (1933) came in third, fourth and fifth respectively.<br /><br />BBC Culture film critic, Nicholas Barber, said Wilder's film won because it is not only a romantic comedy but "a buddy movie, a crime caper, and a musical. 'Some Like It Hot' is an anthem in praise of tolerance, acceptance, and the possibility of transformation. It's an anthem that we need to hear now more than ever."<br /><br />Terry Jones's "Life of Brian" (1979), "Airplane!" (1980), "Playtime" (1967), "This is Spinal Tap" (1984) and "The General" (1926) complete the top-10 list.<br /><br />Charlie Chaplin, the master of comedy, may not have made it to the top-10 list but his films appear four times in the top 100 with "Modern Times" (1936) at number 12; "The Great Dictator" (1940) at number 16; "City Lights" (1931) at 21 and "The Gold Rush" (1925) at 25.</p>
<p>Billy Wilder's 1959 hit "Some Like It Hot", about two musicians who after witnessing a murder dress up in drag to hide from gangsters, has topped the list of the greatest comedies ever made in a critics' poll by BBC.<br /><br />The black and white film featured Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in the lead roles.<br /><br />More than 250 film critics from over 50 countries participated in the poll conducted by BBC Culture.<br /><br />Each critic ranked their top 10 favourite comedies with films from across the world including Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood (Nigerian film industry) being nominated. No Indian film made the cut though.<br /><br />"Some Like It Hot" pushed Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film "Dr Strangelove" to the second position.<br /><br />Woody Allen's 1977 romantic comedy "Annie Hall", Harold Ramis's 1993 drama "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray and Leo McCarey's "Duck Soup" (1933) came in third, fourth and fifth respectively.<br /><br />BBC Culture film critic, Nicholas Barber, said Wilder's film won because it is not only a romantic comedy but "a buddy movie, a crime caper, and a musical. 'Some Like It Hot' is an anthem in praise of tolerance, acceptance, and the possibility of transformation. It's an anthem that we need to hear now more than ever."<br /><br />Terry Jones's "Life of Brian" (1979), "Airplane!" (1980), "Playtime" (1967), "This is Spinal Tap" (1984) and "The General" (1926) complete the top-10 list.<br /><br />Charlie Chaplin, the master of comedy, may not have made it to the top-10 list but his films appear four times in the top 100 with "Modern Times" (1936) at number 12; "The Great Dictator" (1940) at number 16; "City Lights" (1931) at 21 and "The Gold Rush" (1925) at 25.</p>