Your favorite pre-60s movies
- Thread starter Talal
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My personal fave would be Thief of Bagdad (Sabu/Veidt version, not silent)
Other favourites:
Wizard of Oz
Rashomon
Twelve Angry Men
Seven Samurai
The Hidden Fortress
Godzilla
Sleeping Beauty - looks better then any animated film made since even today imo
The Maltese Falcon
Terror By Night (the best Rathbone holmes film. Accept Nigel Bruce's hilarious take of Watson as a buffoon and it's great)
Mutiny on the Bounty
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Lady Vanishes
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Alice in Wonderland
Fantasia
The Great Dictator
Other favourites:
Wizard of Oz
Rashomon
Twelve Angry Men
Seven Samurai
The Hidden Fortress
Godzilla
Sleeping Beauty - looks better then any animated film made since even today imo
The Maltese Falcon
Terror By Night (the best Rathbone holmes film. Accept Nigel Bruce's hilarious take of Watson as a buffoon and it's great)
Mutiny on the Bounty
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Lady Vanishes
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
Alice in Wonderland
Fantasia
The Great Dictator
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I'll throw in the underrated The Steel Helmet (1951), from the very underrated (in general public terms, at least) filmmaker, Samuel Fuller.
I went through most his filmography a few years back and yeah, I became a big fan.
I went through most his filmography a few years back and yeah, I became a big fan.
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Lots of Hitchcock's stuff.
Rebecca
Dial M For Murder
Shadow of a Doubt
Rebecca
Dial M For Murder
Shadow of a Doubt
12 Angry Men
Ben-Hur
Gone with the Wind
come to mind. I tried The Maltese Falcon a few years ago. I... don't think it's held up that well. Not a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain either, but that's my intense disinterest of musicals talking.
Ben-Hur
Gone with the Wind
come to mind. I tried The Maltese Falcon a few years ago. I... don't think it's held up that well. Not a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain either, but that's my intense disinterest of musicals talking.
Singing in the Rain was quite ahead of its time and still works as a satire of the Hollywood machine. If anything, time has made it even better.
Cabin in the sky
St. Louis blues
Porgy & bess
Black Orpheus
But my #1 is stormy weather (1943)
Mostly because of the Nicholas bros.
Basically I only fuck with old movies if the cast is black.
St. Louis blues
Porgy & bess
Black Orpheus
But my #1 is stormy weather (1943)
Mostly because of the Nicholas bros.
Basically I only fuck with old movies if the cast is black.
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Tons. Here are some off the the top of my head:
Rififi
400 Blows
Wages of Fear
Ikiru
Rear Window
Asphalt Jungle
In a Lonely Place
The Red Shoes
Citizen Kane
I Walked With a Zombie
His Girl Friday
Cat People
M
Stagecoach
Modern Times
The Old Dark House
Nosferatu
Faust
Rififi
400 Blows
Wages of Fear
Ikiru
Rear Window
Asphalt Jungle
In a Lonely Place
The Red Shoes
Citizen Kane
I Walked With a Zombie
His Girl Friday
Cat People
M
Stagecoach
Modern Times
The Old Dark House
Nosferatu
Faust
The General
Seriously, one of the best films ever, IMO. Mad Max Fury Road is sorta like modern scifi version of The General.
Various Chaplin films. The Great Dictator and Modern Times are probably my top picks.
Ben Hur isn't perhaps my favorite but it was highly interesting experience. Very different from modern films, worth a watch certainly.
Seriously, one of the best films ever, IMO. Mad Max Fury Road is sorta like modern scifi version of The General.
Various Chaplin films. The Great Dictator and Modern Times are probably my top picks.
Ben Hur isn't perhaps my favorite but it was highly interesting experience. Very different from modern films, worth a watch certainly.
I have many. I won't make a giant list. Suffice it to say, there are some real gems out there in classic cinema. If I absolutely had to pick, I would probably say Paths of Glory (1957).
One would think this is easy, but I don't really have a favorite. Just a lot of movies I really liked.
This thread makes for a good list of things to watch though.
This thread makes for a good list of things to watch though.
Great thread. Seen most of the recommendations listed here and almost all of them are great films.
Let me add a few more:
Napoleon (1927) Abel Gance
Half-finished B/W silent masterpiece about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Man Who Laughs (1928) Paul Leni
A B/W silent masterpiece based on Victor Hugo's novel with one of the greatest actors ever lived, Conrad Veidt.
Alexander Nevski (1938) Sergei Eisenstein
A B/W Soviet epic about the war against the Teutonic Knights who threaten to capture the Russian city of Novgorod.
Jules Caesar (1953) Joseph L. Mankiewicz
The Shakespearean play becomes a John Houseman produced B/W movie and a testament of Marlon Brando's acting abilities. His Mark Anthony is unsurpassed.
Richard III (1955) Laurence Olivier
Another Shakespearean play becomes a colour movie masterpiece thanks to the acting of the trained British thespians of the time and also thanks to the portrayal of the villain by Laurence Olivier.
Dolce Vita (1960) Federico Fellini
A poetic voyage through the life and vanities of the Italian Elite of the time.
Let me add a few more:
Napoleon (1927) Abel Gance
Half-finished B/W silent masterpiece about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Man Who Laughs (1928) Paul Leni
A B/W silent masterpiece based on Victor Hugo's novel with one of the greatest actors ever lived, Conrad Veidt.
Alexander Nevski (1938) Sergei Eisenstein
A B/W Soviet epic about the war against the Teutonic Knights who threaten to capture the Russian city of Novgorod.
Jules Caesar (1953) Joseph L. Mankiewicz
The Shakespearean play becomes a John Houseman produced B/W movie and a testament of Marlon Brando's acting abilities. His Mark Anthony is unsurpassed.
Richard III (1955) Laurence Olivier
Another Shakespearean play becomes a colour movie masterpiece thanks to the acting of the trained British thespians of the time and also thanks to the portrayal of the villain by Laurence Olivier.
Dolce Vita (1960) Federico Fellini
A poetic voyage through the life and vanities of the Italian Elite of the time.
That's my fav Jack Lemon comedy... I'd also want to say The Apartment but that was made in 1960 so I guess that doesn't count.
I also looove Rififi. Good french noir heist movie.
Still the greatest romantic comedy film of all time - maybe the best romance in general? Great acting, great chemistry, and just this wonderful sense of time and place. Shooting in Rome makes all the difference.
I've been waiting YEARS for a Blu-ray. It's astounding that there's never been one released.
It's been mentioned several times here already, but 12 Angry Men is just so dang good. I first saw it in the late 90s when I was in middle school, and even back then I found it gripping.
Random recommendation:
La Signora di Tutti / Everybody's Woman (1934)
A forgotten Max Ophüls film and the only one he made in Italy. It already has some of his trademarks, like great camerawork and a strong woman character and was obviously one of the movies that influenced Welles and Citizen Kane (e.g. the flashback structure). I think Madame de... is Ophüls' best, but this is his most underrated and the best of his early work. A hidden gem.
"Max Ophuls' opulent melodrama was made in Italy just after his enforced exile from Nazi Germany. Its female protagonist Gaby Doriot (played by Italian actress Isa Miranda) is a film star and femme fatale who, under anaesthetic, looks back at her destructive past and the lives she has ruined. Unashamedly romantic, Ophuls' richly observed study of the beautiful and glacial Gaby is marked by the gliding camerawork that would become the signature of his later work." (BFI)
La Signora di Tutti / Everybody's Woman (1934)
A forgotten Max Ophüls film and the only one he made in Italy. It already has some of his trademarks, like great camerawork and a strong woman character and was obviously one of the movies that influenced Welles and Citizen Kane (e.g. the flashback structure). I think Madame de... is Ophüls' best, but this is his most underrated and the best of his early work. A hidden gem.
"Max Ophuls' opulent melodrama was made in Italy just after his enforced exile from Nazi Germany. Its female protagonist Gaby Doriot (played by Italian actress Isa Miranda) is a film star and femme fatale who, under anaesthetic, looks back at her destructive past and the lives she has ruined. Unashamedly romantic, Ophuls' richly observed study of the beautiful and glacial Gaby is marked by the gliding camerawork that would become the signature of his later work." (BFI)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
I honestly haven't seen many movies, even pre-1980s. I caught this a while back, very late at night when I was falling asleep, and I sorta just kept watching and ended up really liking it. Fun fact: they shot some Sherwood Forest scenes inside my city's municipal park.
Casablanca and North By Northwest are probably at the top. I honestly couldn't tell you any longer how many times I've seen either.. and I can practically recite them off the top of my head.
Beyond that some of my ALL TIME favorites (leaving Disney Animation, Hammer Horror, Hitchcock, and Universal Monsters off the list just for sake of brevity)
The Thin Man movies (especially The Thin Man and After the Thin Man)
Arsenic and Old Lace (watched EVERY Halloween)
His Girl Friday
The Thing From Another World
The Bishop's Wife
Miracle on 34th Street
It's A Wonderful Life
Harryhausen flicks (Jason and the Argonauts, Sinbad flicks, Creature from 20,000 Miles from Earth, etc)
Maltese Falcon and Big Sleep
I watch classic movies all the time.. So going into it could go on for days.
I was pretty shocked at exactly how much of Aliens (Cameron) was taken DIRECTLY from Them! and The Thing from Another World.
Beyond that some of my ALL TIME favorites (leaving Disney Animation, Hammer Horror, Hitchcock, and Universal Monsters off the list just for sake of brevity)
The Thin Man movies (especially The Thin Man and After the Thin Man)
Arsenic and Old Lace (watched EVERY Halloween)
His Girl Friday
The Thing From Another World
The Bishop's Wife
Miracle on 34th Street
It's A Wonderful Life
Harryhausen flicks (Jason and the Argonauts, Sinbad flicks, Creature from 20,000 Miles from Earth, etc)
Maltese Falcon and Big Sleep
I watch classic movies all the time.. So going into it could go on for days.
I was pretty shocked at exactly how much of Aliens (Cameron) was taken DIRECTLY from Them! and The Thing from Another World.
It's a Wonderful Life
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Citizen Kane
Metropolis
Ben-Hur
I own the first title, but I love TCM whenever they decide to show these films.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Citizen Kane
Metropolis
Ben-Hur
I own the first title, but I love TCM whenever they decide to show these films.
I love old black and white movies
- billy wilder movies: double indemnity, sunset boulevard, some like it hot
- Charlie Chaplin movies like the kid, modern times, the dictator
- Kurosawa: Rashomon, seven samurai
- Alfred Hitchcock: rear window, vertigo, north by northwest
- Cat on a hot tin roof, streetcar named desire
- billy wilder movies: double indemnity, sunset boulevard, some like it hot
- Charlie Chaplin movies like the kid, modern times, the dictator
- Kurosawa: Rashomon, seven samurai
- Alfred Hitchcock: rear window, vertigo, north by northwest
- Cat on a hot tin roof, streetcar named desire
For me it's:
- City Lights
- Children of Paradise
- Sunset Boulevard
- M
- High Noon
Wings is great! It's crazy they were able to pull off those dogfights/aerial cinematography shots.
- City Lights
- Children of Paradise
- Sunset Boulevard
- M
- High Noon
Wings should get more love, such an amazing movie with some really breathtaking cinematography that still holds up to this day.
It's got everything, awesome aerial dogfighting, romance, drama, also one of the first same-sex kisses on screen,
Wings is great! It's crazy they were able to pull off those dogfights/aerial cinematography shots.
It's been mentioned several times here already, but 12 Angry Men is just so dang good. I first saw it in the late 90s when I was in middle school, and even back then I found it gripping.
Ace In The Hole
M
Woman in the Window
Rififi
Dial M For Murder
Rififi and M are a notch above the others.
Edit; The Killing, which is probably my favourite of them all .
M
Woman in the Window
Rififi
Dial M For Murder
Rififi and M are a notch above the others.
Edit; The Killing, which is probably my favourite of them all .
Probably forgetting quite a bit, but:
Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train (pretty much any Hitchcock film)
Seven Samurai
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's A Wonderful Life
High Noon
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon, The Third Man, His Girl Friday
Citizen Kane (overrated, but still great)
Singin' in the Rain
Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train (pretty much any Hitchcock film)
Seven Samurai
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's A Wonderful Life
High Noon
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon, The Third Man, His Girl Friday
Citizen Kane (overrated, but still great)
Singin' in the Rain
OP
OP
I'm starting to enjoy classic movies way more than modern ones recently. Love the adult themes and classic acting. I decided to watch at least 3 movies per week from the ones recommended here.
Saw it mentionned a lot so I started watching the Human Condition trilogy. First one is exactly what I like about movies in general. Will watch the 2 others later this week, thanks for recommending it.
Saw it mentionned a lot so I started watching the Human Condition trilogy. First one is exactly what I like about movies in general. Will watch the 2 others later this week, thanks for recommending it.
