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I don't know if it's old enough to be classic, but The Great Escape is one of my favorites. It brought together so much talent.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I don't know of the technical definition, Dag, but 1963 is good enough for me. I think (and I could be wrong) that classic Hollywood is technically the 1930s to the 1950s, but I'm not positive.
I almost titled the thread, "Good Old Movies," though, so 1963 is fine for me.
*adds it to list of must-sees this summer*
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I just saw Breakfast at Tiffany's for the first time and loved it despite wanting to shake Audrey Hepburn and tell her to stop being so stupid.
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I just saw Casablance for the first time last night. I missed the first half, but the second half was so very awesome.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Most any Marx Brothers movie. Most any Buster Keaton movie. All Charlie Chaplin movies.
NOTE: Any movie I remember seeing first run at the theater is NOT a classic. Hence when Fox, AMC or Turner Classics play something like ALIEN I turn the channel.
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Both what romany said, and what Eru said! And ESPECIALLY what Eru said. Eru, I actually typed that, and then edited it out afterwards, because I was afraid my friends would make fun of me for being obsessed with Audrey. Posts: 7877 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Many of the ones I would list have been mentioned (Tracy/Hepburn movies, Bogart movies, Marx Bros., Chaplin, various Hitchcock, etc.) Let me also suggest: Ruggles of Red Gap My Man Godfrey Bringing up Baby Cheaper by the Dozen (original version) Belles on their Toes Double Indemnity The Bishop's Wife Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, or any musical with Howard Keel (7 brides for 7 brothers, Kiss Me Kate, etc)
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That said, my favourite classic movie would probably be... maybe... Citizen Kane. Then again, I like a lot of movies produced before 1960, and musicals especially.
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quote: I think I've seen The Philadelphia Story but I always get it mixed up with another movie.
High Society? It's a (fairly bad) remake of The Philadelphia story. The music is fun, but the movie itself isn't worth much. It has Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra in it, as well as Louis Armstrong. The original is Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. Posts: 7877 | Registered: Feb 2003
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His Girl Friday There have been several different versions of this story, but this is by far the best. I think it's Cary Grant's best perfomance. And the movie invented overlapping dialogue, used to good effect in Gilmore Girls.
The Women. An all-female cast, basically a 2 hour catfight. Very fun.
I can't believe no one has mentioned The Maltese Falcon. A great and very influential film.
Most films by Hitchcock are either classics or at least good.
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I saw the Women about 2 months ago--what a stitch!
Also, I must recommend the King & I--it's one of my all time favorites. For Howard Keel, I like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which is absolutely hysterical, and not always because they meant it to be.
Posts: 516 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Possibly the best movie ever...not to mention that it had the most expensive stunt of the silent movie era...The General (1927) Starring Buster Keaton. This movie was so amazing, it truley is ambrosia for the old movie watcher.
Posts: 163 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Whoa! What are the chances? Chaos, The General is my one of my alltime favourite movies! I was thinking as I read this thread that I was going to have to suggest it. I adore Buster Keaton. Sherlock Jr. is another favourite of mine.
I second The African Queen as well.
Also, Birth of a Nation (silent) is worth watching for the sheer amount of innovation that went into its making. It's extremely controversial (the KKK are the 'good guys') but if you read up on the background to it, it was a really interesting, enormous landmark in film history.
Edit: As well, The Court Jester or anything else with Danny Kaye is great.
Posts: 624 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I just watched "The General" on DVD on my computer while waiting for my father at the Doctors office. Silent movies played on the computer are a great way to spend time waiting. You don't need the sound.
History channel had on a special that told the apparently true story they used to base the movie. I didn't get to see it.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Astaril...It's nice to know that there's something redeeming about Birth of a Nation. It sure wasn't the story, the acting, or the hero-worship of the KKK.
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Some Like it Hot Deserves a mention. As does old Brando flicks like A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Well no, Birth of a Nation isn't tops in all categories. It actually was (and still is) blamed for a large resurgence of the KKK that occurred just after it came out. Have you seen Intolerance, Bob_S? Griffith made it in response to the blame/trouble he got for BoaN. It's got a rather different theme. Also fantastic technique-wise.
In any case, his use in BoaN of parallel editing, montage, close-ups, huge battle scenes and other techniques were really incredible and/or brand new for the time, and changed a lot of the ways in which film-making/directing was done. Griffith (and especially BoaN) was an *enormous* influence on Soviet cinema as well. And the acting was in fact considered pretty well done by a lot of people, with whom you obviously disagree... Posts: 624 | Registered: Mar 2005
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