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OT: Classic films

My top 15 < = 1950 in no particular order:
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
The Bicycle Thief
Grand Illusion
My Man Godfrey
Gone with the Wind
Duck Soup
Grapes of Wrath
All about Eve
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Maltese Falcon
It Happened One Night
Sunset Boulevard
The Best Years of Our Lives
Rules of the Game
I would (and do) pay to watch these when they come to a revival theater. Especially if they've been remastered.
 
This list was much more difficult in limiting to only 15.
My top 15 >1950 in no particular order:
Lost in Translation (perhaps the greatest opening scene in cinema history )
Annie Hall
Godfather (multiple)
Star Wars. (multiple)
Singing in the Rain
North by Northwest
12 Angry Men
Terminator 2
Dr. Strangelove
Taxi Driver
Aliens
Forbidden Planet
High Noon
Groundhog Day
Black Panther
 
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Lots of W C Fields fans here. I think he was hilarious, but my wife does not find him so. I am not sure if it is male/female thing or just that she has better taste. I loved his character's name in the Bank Dick. Egbert Sousé which he insisted was pronounced soo say! He has one of the two best elephant quotes attributed to him. He is quoted as "A woman is like an elephant to me. I like to look at them, but I wouldn't want to own one." The other, and perhaps more famous pachyderm pun was Groucho Marx's "I was in Africa recently. I shot an elephant in my pajamas one morning. How it got there I never will know." No wonder my wife rolls her eyes at me! :rolleyes:;):p
 
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>1950
Shane
We're No Angels
The Man Who Would be King
Advise and Consent
Manchurian Candidate
Failsafe
Five Days in May
Blade Runner
Shakespeare in Love
The Cider House Rules
Gladiator
 
BroadwayVa said:
William Powell in nearly anything..
Anne of Green Gables, the 1930's version with the actress that changed her name to Anne Shirley.
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William Powell led a very interesting life. If you ever get a chance to read his biography, it would be a worthwhile read. Here are a couple highlights:

On June 26, 1931, Powell married actress Carole Lombard. The marriage lasted just over two years. They were divorced in 1933, though they, too, remained on good terms, even starring together in the screwball comedy My Man Godfrey three years later. Powell was devastated by her death in an airplane crash in 1942.[4] He was engaged to marry Jean Harlow, his co-star in Reckless (1935), until her sudden death in 1937.[5][6] On January 6, 1940, three weeks after they met, Powell married his third wife, actress Diana Lewis, to whom he remained married until his death in 1984.

In 1937, Powell was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent surgery and experimental radium treatment which put the disease in full remission within two years. Given his own health and sorrow over Jean Harlow's death, Powell did not undertake any film roles for over a year during this period.

ETA: Just found this documentary on Youtube. ( Ignore the Spanish subtitles)

 
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bbfanLA said:
I can’t believe no one mentioned Double Indemnity. It has one of my favorite movie dialogue exchanges of all time.

Phyllis: I wonder if I know what you mean.
Walter Neff: I wonder if you wonder.

So good.
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What a movie. Ms Stanwyck was chillingly good. And while I am not a huge Fred fan, he was effective in this one. Fine choice :D
 
CajunHusky said:
>1950
Shane
We're No Angels
The Man Who Would be King
Advise and Consent
Manchurian Candidate
Failsafe
Five Days in May
Blade Runner
Shakespeare in Love
The Cider House Rules
Gladiator
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I don't see Gladiator on a lot of lists like this, but good choice. That movie really holds up. Great acting. I think it will be a classic.
 
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Aluminny69 said:
William Powell led a very interesting life. If you ever get a chance to read his biography, it would be a worthwhile read. Here are a couple highlights:

On June 26, 1931, Powell married actress Carole Lombard. The marriage lasted just over two years. They were divorced in 1933, though they, too, remained on good terms, even starring together in the screwball comedy My Man Godfrey three years later. Powell was devastated by her death in an airplane crash in 1942.[4] He was engaged to marry Jean Harlow, his co-star in Reckless (1935), until her sudden death in 1937.[5][6] On January 6, 1940, three weeks after they met, Powell married his third wife, actress Diana Lewis, to whom he remained married until his death in 1984.

In 1937, Powell was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent surgery and experimental radium treatment which put the disease in full remission within two years. Given his own health and sorrow over Jean Harlow's death, Powell did not undertake any film roles for over a year during this period.

ETA: Just found this documentary on Youtube. ( Ignore the Spanish subtitles)

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Thanks. I visit the Wikipedia site often to view details I knew and forgot or never knew.
Carole Lombard, was a beautiful person inside and out. An excellent comedic actress.
The Youtube series what happened to ---has a lot with Spanish sub titles thanks.
 
Bama fan said:
Lots of W C Fields fans here. I think he was hilarious, but my wife does not find him so. I am not sure if it is male/female thing or just that she has better taste. I loved his character's name in the Bank Dick. Egbert Sousé which he insisted was pronounced soo say! He has one of the two best elephant quotes attributed to him. He is quoted as "A woman is like an elephant to me. I like to look at them, but I wouldn't want to own one." The other, and perhaps more famous pachyderm pun was Groucho Marx's "I was in Africa recently. I shot an elephant in my pajamas one morning. How it got there I never will know." No wonder my wife rolls her eyes at me! :rolleyes:;):p
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No it is NOT a male thing--I go along with your wife on W.C. F. --the only one I liked of his had Gloria Jean, and it was her I liked. Owned a woman????? I've been owned, worked hard, put away wet for neigh on to 3/4th of a century by a number of women: Mother, daughters, spouse.
 
rvwsleep said:
My top 15 < = 1950 in no particular order:
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
The Bicycle Thief
Grand Illusion
My Man Godfrey
Gone with the Wind
Duck Soup
Grapes of Wrath
All about Eve
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Maltese Falcon
It Happened One Night
Sunset Boulevard
The Best Years of Our Lives
Rules of the Game
I would (and do) pay to watch these when they come to a revival theater. Especially if they've been remastered.
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The Grapes of Wrath most people currently living think it's ONLY about Okla and Calif. The total underlying theme about being near starvation and only having family to rely on happened all over the USA.
 
LesMis89 said:
The Thin Man
My Man Godfrey (love William Powell)
A Night At The Opera
The Mark of Zorro (Tyrone Power, nuff said)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Errol Flynn)
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They'd all make my list, good pick-in.
My Brother as he was about to ship to the Pacific took me and his best gal to see Chico alive at the Paramount in Waterbury--most memorible. (he married the gal)
 
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RSHERMVIKES said:
Bogart in Sahara (WWII tank drama)
Bogart in Casablanca
Dana Andrews in The Purple Heart (WWII flyers captured by Japanese on trial)
Dana Andrews in A Walk In The Sun (WWII soldiers in Italy)
John Wayne in Stage Coach (Western, it made John Wayne a Star)
I agree with EasyEd above on Gone With The Wind, The Wizard Of Oz, Miracle On 34th St., It's A Wonderful Life,
John Wayne in The Searchers
Gene Kelly & Lana Turner in The 3 Musketeers
James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy
John Wayne in Sands Of Iwo Jima
Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce in any Sherlock Holmes (13)
Cary Grant in Gunga Din
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Love em all. 2 of your movies MOVED me emotionally and patrotically:

Purple Heart--
Sand of Iwo Jim. The Marines had a Korean War effort to recruit calling it the Sand of Iwo Jim Company. I quit college, with 2 buddies ran to the Marine Recruiter and I was told YOU are too thin, you'd never make the training---so we 3 crossed the street in Waterbury and joined the Navy.
 
bbfanLA said:
I can’t believe no one mentioned Double Indemnity. It has one of my favorite movie dialogue exchanges of all time.

Phyllis: I wonder if I know what you mean.
Walter Neff: I wonder if you wonder.

So good.
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My favorite from William Powell, aka the Thin Man, Nick Charles:

Nick: I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune.
Nora: I read where you were shot five times in the tabloids.
Nick: It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.

And, from The Maltese Falcon:

Sam Spade: Don't be too sure I'm as crooked as I'm supposed to be.

And of course:

Polhaus: [lifting the fake falcon] It's heavy. What is it?
Spade: The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of.
Note: bolded line is ranked #14 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema.
 
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Bama fan said:
Lots of W C Fields fans here. I think he was hilarious, but my wife does not find him so. I am not sure if it is male/female thing or just that she has better taste.
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Definitely NOT better taste. The guy was an absolute genius. I'm not sure his vaudeville antics translated very well to the screen. He wrote most of his movies under various pseudonyms, but he ad-libbed much of his camera time, and was working with actors (and especially directors) who weren't always comfortable with his improv.
 
Bigboote said:
Definitely NOT better taste. The guy was an absolute genius. I'm not sure his vaudeville antics translated very well to the screen. He wrote most of his movies under various pseudonyms, but he ad-libbed much of his camera time, and was working with actors (and especially directors) who weren't always comfortable with his improv.
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Thanks for the affirmation, Bigboote. But if I show her this, she will insist that you, too, are a boor. I would not do that to you, especially at Christmas. It will have to remain an uncelebrated victory for us! ;)
 
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Agree with a lot these. Here's one that was missed:


Made in 1938 and still holds up very well.
 
I couldn't stop at 15. I find the following conspiracy movies entertaining and thought provoking:
Seven Days in May
3 Days of the Condor
Fail Safe
Manchurian Candidate
The Pelican Brief
The Parallax View
 
I never miss 1944's "Double Indemnity", Billy Wilder's classic featuring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, whenever it is broadcast on cable. If you only know Fred MacMurray from "My Three Sons"...it can be a little surreal seeing him as a bad boy embroiled in fraud and murder.

And don't forget about "Gone With The Wind", "The Wizard of Oz" and another personal favorite, "All About Eve". I'll watch anything with Bette Davis in it...but she gave one of her best performances as Margot Channing.
 
In addition to several of my favorites already mentioned, here are few more,

King Kong
Captain Blood
Robin Hood
Stagecoach
Mutiny on the Bounty
Double Indemnity
Fantasia
Laura
Key Largo
 
wire chief said:
Have you got a favorite (before 1950) that you've viewed more than others?
Mine is the first pairing of Bogey and Bacall, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT.
The anti Nazi theme is always a winner among us oldies.
It doesn't hurt for reinforcement that the pop song of "having it all just like Bogey and Bacall",
brings it up for me. They had a magical May & September pairing.
I'd guess I've seen it 4 times.
Yours?
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To many to list, but The adventures of Robin hood with Errol Flynn, and Singing in the rain are 2 worth mentioning
 
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