Feeling Locked Down? Bad case of Cabin Fever? Wanna go out but don't wanna die? Have I got a cure for what ails you. Classic Movies!* @21st Century Man can you believe we haven't had this topic since Tootsy Wootsy launched one? And seems like they both went down in flames together. I'm a serious fan but really haven't watched any for awhile. Last three days I watched a Classic I hadn't seen before. Really brightened up my days. Even the dark ones because they are so delicious
If you're new to black and white or even silent movies I'd like to introduce you to a few of my favorites. You are in for a treat. If you know them, remember how good these are?
Here's an easy Top Five. All worth multiple viewings. But I suggest don't binge Classics. Savor them
Casablanca 1943 My Numero Uno all time favorite movie of any time. Humphrey Bogart, maybe the first anti-hero before that term even existed. Possibly the best supporting cast ever assembled. Every scene is a gem. Every line of dialogue quotable. Making this list it dawned on me this is the only one never re-made. No one would ever dare
Out of the Past 1947 This is my favorite Film Noir. One of the first and one of the best. Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas. Like watching Dark and Light in a test of wills. Jane Greer the icy femme fatale. Remade a million times including 1984 Against All Odds. Starring Jeff Bridges' abs. A movie well worth watching
The Thing From Another World 1951 Sci-fi and Horror. Tight script. Snappy dialogue. Great fun and a few real chills
Philadelphia Story 1940 Sophisticated comedy perfection. Katherine Hepburn (the clothes!), Cary Grant and James Stewart (who won an Oscar for this because he got shafted on Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)
Scarface 1932 Forget the big budget bloated remake with Al Pacino. This is stripped down pre-code gangster movie making. Paul Muni is a revelation of animalistic charisma with no redeeming qualities. So why do we root for him?
*My informal designation of Classic Films is through the 50s
Hi,
@TigerLily. Great list and I agree with you about Scarface. I'm terrible at lists. I really have so many favorites. I consider the end of the classic era to be when the ratings system was introduced in 1968.
Casablanca is a classic and very high up there in my list but my favorite Bogey film has to be
Treasure of The Sierra Madre with
The Maltese Falcon right on its tail. By the way, check out the pre-code version of
The Maltese Falcon with Ricardo Cortez and among others, Dwight Frye, (in the Elisha Cook role). It is an excellent version.
While I love Out Of The Past, when it comes to noir, I would have to go with
The Killing (Stanley Kubrick-1956) as my favorite right now. The ending is crushing and I'm really not a big fan of Kubrick but he hit it out of the park with this one.
Murder, My Sweet and
Phantom Lady are right behind. For a comic noir, I love
His Kind of Woman, Vincent Price steals the show from Jane Russell and Robert Mitchum. And speaking of Price, a great color noir is
Leave Her To Heaven with the beautiful but ice-cold Gene Tierney. One more recommendation from left field is
Fallen Angel. Linda Darnell is fantastic in that one.
Since you love snappy dialogue, the original
The Front Page (Howard Hughes/Lewis Milestone-1931) can't be beat. There are 2 versions of this film. One made for American audiences and the other (bawdier) version made for European audiences. I prefer the bawdier, of course. It can be found on a blu-ray from Kino-Lorber.
Favorite Horror/Sci-fi/Fantasy -
Frankenstein/The Bride Of Frankenstein,
King Kong, and
The Black Cat. Pretty boring picks, I know, but they have remained my favorites during my whole life. Now I'll throw out some not-so-predictable favorites.
Black Moon (1934),
She (1935),
Mysterious Island (1961- My favorite movie score by Bernard Herrmann),
Black Sunday (1960),
The Haunted Palace (1963.
I'll add a couple more categories.
Favorite Silents -
The Big Parade,
Greed,
Queen Kelly,
DeMille/Swanson Silents (where CB first experimented with epic themes during dreams and such-naughty too!!)
Those include
Don't Change Your Husband, Male and Female, Why Change Your Wife? and The Affairs of Anatol. CB loved sex in his films and I would be remiss if I didn't mention
The Sign Of The Cross though that is a sound precode film.
Favorite Westerns - probably not your bag but I don't want to exclude them. Of course Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a western but of a different breed. Ford and more Ford.
Stagecoach,
The Searchers, and
The Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceOther favorites
Destry Rides Again,
High Noon,
Bend of the River, and
Seven Men From Now.
Other notable favorites in different categories are
Duck Soup,
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931),
Stanley and Livingston,
Northwest Passage,
The Public Enemy,
Little Caesar,
Angels With Dirty Faces, and
The Roaring Twenties.
Oops forgot Errol.
Captain Blood,
The Adventures of Robin Hood and
They Died With Their Boots On. More in a later post. LOL
