Favorite classic films

from JoeUser Forums

Someone had suggested doing a Friday 5 type thing on classic films.  I've not done the Friday 5 thing before so can't tell if I'm doing it correctly or not, but regardless, I'm going to put up a chance for others to tell me what their favorite classic films are.  You can list 5, or 10, or 1 or 3, I don't really care what number you want to list.  The only real requirement I would place on things is that if you are going to label something a classic it needs to be more than 20 years old.  Newer films may eventually be worthy of being called classics, but for now I'm more interested in older classics, from earlier eras (like, for example, the Black & White era).

So, list some favorite classics films and perhaps comment on other people's choices.

I've already listed one of my own favorites (12 Angry Men) in a previous article.  I'll list a few other choices later, and will try not to take other people's choices (though for those that have good taste in classic films, that may be inevitable).

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Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top

Eh, call me impatient as I'm about to list a few other classics now...  actually it's more about having the time to do so and trying to put down some choices while I think about them.

Here's goes a few from my list:

An Affair to Remember.  Sappy, sweet, probably leans a bit more to the feminine side, but a great film with one of my favorite stars in it.  I could watch it over and over again and never tire of it.

It's a Wonderful Life.  Again sappy and sweet, but with a great message.  Again one of my all-time favorite stars in it (actually more than one of my favorites from the golden age).  While there was a period when I was a bit worn down from the insane number of airings that would happen around the holiday period that was rectified fairly quickly and now we get just a few showings a year.

North by Northwest.  Detecting a pattern with the favorite film stars? Well this one had one of my favorite directors as well.  You could name just about any Hitchcock film and I'd concur that it was  classic.  This one just hits all the right notes for me.

That's 3, plus the aforementioned 12 Angry Men, for a total of 4.  There's a bunch of others that I could list (The Sting, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (which I just got the collector's edition of on Blu-ray), Where Eagles Dare, Stalag 17, Arsenic and Old Lace and several others) that make it tough to choose an actual top 5 or top 10.  Realizing of course that I've not mentioned films with stars like John Wayne (where I'd have a difficult time choosing which film to list).

Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top

I'll not duplicate yours, so here is my 5.

Paint Your Wagon - 1969 - Not B&W, but Clint and Lee singing?  never been done before or since! (Although Clint is a pretty good honky tonk singer).

McLintock - 1963. John Wayne and Maureen Ohara and a very young Stephanie Powers.  PLUS the source of one of the bloopers in the Mash Series!

In Harms Way - 1965 B&W - and it has Patricia Neal! Along with an all star cast! (Larry Hagman, Carol O'Connor, Kirk Douglas, Paula Prentiss, etc.)

Wizard of Oz - 1939 - yea, I am a sucker for that one.

Der Laengste Tage - Or as we know it - the Longest Day.  best War movie ever made!

Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top

best War movie ever made!
End of quote

I love the film you listed, but I'm not sure I could give it that title as I love several other films in that genre, including The Great Escape (and the aforementioned and listed previously by me, Stalag 17).  One of my other favorites in the genre is Kelly's Heroes, but I also like The Devil's Brigade, A Bridge Too Far and a bunch of others, so I have a real tough time picking any single film there as my favorite.

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Great list so far. I'd like to add, "The Wages of Fear" (1953). I originally saw this film on a Canadian cable channel called "Silver Screen Classics", and recently purchased it on Blu-Ray. It is available on the Criterion collection.

It is about a group of men who are trapped in South America with no way home. An opportunity presents itself to escape - if they survive a suicide mission first. Gripping and suspenseful, it rates 100% on the Tomatometer.

Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top

It's A Wonderful Life

The Man from Snowy River

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

Arthur

A Christmas Carol (any version)

I love holiday movies

Dirty Harry movies.

Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top

Quoting terpfan1980, reply 3

I love the film you listed, but I'm not sure I could give it that title as I love several other films in that genre, including The Great Escape (and the aforementioned and listed previously by me, Stalag 17).  One of my other favorites in the genre is Kelly's Heroes, but I also like The Devil's Brigade, A Bridge Too Far and a bunch of others, so I have a real tough time picking any single film there as my favorite.
End of terpfan1980's quote

I cannot argue with you.  I had to pick one, so I picked that one.  But all the ones you list are in the top as well.  It is hard to pick just 5 and say that, but sometimes you have to fish instead of cut bait.

Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top

Great films. I'll add:

Casablanca

The Quiet Man

The Bridge on the River Kwai

2001 A Space Odyssey

Easy Rider

Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top

Easy Rider
End of quote

That one is no surprise! ;)

Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

The Breakfast Club

The Changeling (1979 version with George C. Scott).

It Happened One Night

The Sandlot

The Cowboys

The Seekers

Blazing Saddles

Monty Python & the Holy Grail

The Jungle Book (Disney Cartoon version)

Robin Hood (Disney Cartoon Version)

The Lost Boys

 

Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top

Yes to it  happened one night Ted.  Okay crossing that one off and adding another. 

Johnny Belinda

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Sunset Boulevard

of course, Gone with the Wind

The Thin Man

oh and my vote for favorite war movie would be Seargant York

Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top

Cool Hand Luke

Papillon

Three Days of the Condor

Outlaw Josey Wales

Godfather

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

Goonies is the best movie ever made.

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

Its scary, I have seen, and truly enjoyed all the movies mentioned above so far. My top five:

Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin)

**King of Hearts

Thelma and Louise

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

All About Eve

Reply #15 from Elemental Forums Top

Which Dune.. several movie versions.... (just curious..)

Reply #16 from Elemental Forums Top

hmm..tough

An American in Paris

Planet of the Apes

Hombre

Dr No

The Caine Mutiny 

or...

The Enemy Below

The Time Machine

Singing in the Rain

The French Connection

Play Misty for Me

either way--popcorn with real butter!

Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top

The Emperor's New Groove - Amazing job, only Disney movie I like.

Princess Bride - Classic

What's Up Doc? - Hilarious, not much else to be said

 

I'm not really a TV person, so my choices are very limited

Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top

Quoting myfist0, reply 11
Cool Hand Luke

Papillon

Three Days of the Condor

Outlaw Josey Wales

Godfather
End of myfist0's quote

Yours are excellent as well (although I would not put Three Days in the top). Especially The Outlaw Josey Wales (I read the Godfather, so the movie was a let down, although still excellent).

Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top

Quoting Dr, reply 18
although I would not put Three Days in the top
End of Dr's quote

I was very young when I seen that and it was the light bulb over my head moment that maybe governments can't be trusted. My mistrust has gown leaps and bounds since.

The rest of my heroes are outlaws   }:) .

Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top

Quoting myfist0, reply 19
I was very young when I seen that and it was the light bulb over my head moment that maybe governments can't be trusted. My mistrust has gown leaps and bounds since.
End of myfist0's quote

I can see the influence on you! }:)

Reply #21 from Elemental Forums Top

I've always had a tremendous amount of affection for Murder By Death, a parody of murder&detective stories/films. It's a perfect mix of slapstick humor, almost stand-up comedy, and a deeper sort of "this doesn't make any sense whatsoever" type humor. For example, when everybody tries to guess who did it and why, one detective X accuses the murderer of being detective X, and himself only being hired to pretend like he was the detective X. But we find out that is not the case. The person then answers the question of if he really was who he said he wasn't, with the statement "That's right, baby. I was in disguise in disguise in disguise. You work hard for 50 bucks a day in this racket".

Reply #22 from Elemental Forums Top

I'm gonna go with Labyrinth for this one. It's a really fun movie that has a lot of interesting concepts to think about.

Reply #23 from Sins Forums Top

Well. tbf, i am not much of a fan of older, i mean lets say pre-80s movies, as lot of them had some weird way of story-telling. One example for all, old James Bond movies with Connery, Dalton etc...i always found a story of them somehow chaotic, unlike the newer ones with Pierce Brosnan, which feel more structured, action packed etc... its hard to explain the difference, but there is one for me. But this is true not only  for James Bond, i felt this way in general, when watching old movies.

Anyway, i was always fond of Louis de Funes movies, they were lot on local TVs, when i was a kid and i still consider them brilliant, especially Fantomas, or the one,  where he is hibernated and then after years brought back to life... oh and the Grand Restaurant of Mr. Septimus and that scene with him speaking German :grin:

another great comedian was Paolo Villagio, his "Troubles of Mr. Accountant" is one of my fav comedies ever.

 

 

Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top

This Is Spinal Tap

 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Harold And Maude

Clerks

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Evil Dead II

Plan 9 From Outer Space

The Shawshank Redemption

Freaks

The Big Lebowksi

 


Reply #25 from Elemental Forums Top

Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin)

  - Buster Keaton, Fatty Arbuckle too

The Third Man (hence my avatar)

Duck Soup (Chico Marx is a great piano player and poor gambler)

The Trial (Orson Well's adaptation)

Most Ingmar Bergman movies

The Lady From Shanghai (Rita Hayworth, need I say more?)

On The Waterfront

A Streetcar Named Desire (Stelllllaaaaaa!!)

Elevator To The Gallows

Anything by François Truffaut

Shoot The Piano Player

Charlie Chan movies are a diversion

Le Circe Rouge

Woody Allen is a mixed bag but always something to like

oh, the list goes on and on