Old Movies That Folks Should See
 

Scaramouche: Stewart Granger Janet Leigh. In some ways you'd like to see an update of this flic but there is a certain charm to seeing it the way things were done in 1952. There is a six and a half minute foil duel at the the end that really is well done.

Before I really get started ... Griff, m'dear, would you be so kind as to define "old"? What's our cut off year, because my list will vary depending upon that number.

Speaking of dueling ... totally have to include The Mark of Zorro. Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone's duel in that one is fantastic.

And I love the story.

In all it's versions.

Even the bad ones.

But this is my favorite.

Let us say 1959 which is really only cuz I was born in the sixties, although there was a style change in the early/mid sixties... Screw it, whatever you think of as old. Am now putting the Mark of Zorro Tyrone Power on Netfix cue, nice call.

What? You mean this thread was just a trick to get us to sort out the wheat from the chaff for you? :eek6:
Good thinking. :) Sorry I can't help much because I like heavy dramas like Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hollywood Knights and Princess Bride, but I can recomend anything by Hitchcock. Also, any Wallace Beery/Marie Dressler film, Jimmy Stewart flics, There were some great westerns and Around the World in 80 Days. That old enough for you? :lol:

I once saw a great Hitchkock as a kid, and back then it really scared me, but it wasnt one of hes popular onces i guess cause i forgot the title! It was about a guy who had a car-accident and was found like h was dead, no pulse to find etc. but actually was still alive and aware of everything. Anyone knows wich one i'm talkin about?

The Three Musketeers (1973) The movie has been made about 6 times in the US since 1916, including a version with Gene Kelly, but the 1973 version with Racquel Welch, Michael York, and Oliver Reed is my favorite. Charlton Heston's version of Cardinal Richelieu was great as a really complex character. Tim Currry played the same character as a sort of Muppet villain, too cowardly and venal to be taken seriously.

The 1960's and 1970's were known for great war movies, Kelley's Heroes andPatton were both made in 1970. The Dirty Dozen and Battle of the Bulge were both made in 1965.

Then there were the cop movies....

As it 'Tis the Season ...

Dracula

Frankenstein

The Mummy

The Wolfman

No halloween is complete with out the monster double-double feature.

Relax and enjoy the days in which horror films relied on spooky atmosphere and good storyline to scare you rather than buckets of blood and sheepguts.

To this day "I never drink ... wine," gives me chills.

I think that was one of the TV shows. He could ony move his little finger but
they stuck that hand underneath him on the gurney? :confused:

The Episode was called Breakdown

And was also refilmed for the revival of the series in the 80s.

Any and all of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies. Mistah Rathbone can solve my mysteries anyday :blush:...if he wasn't dead that is.

My favourite Hitchcock (albeit TV) was the episode with the woman in prison who befriended the guy in the prison morgue. An arrangement was made for her to escape whereby when the bell tolled that signified another inmate had died, she would climb in the coffin with the body during the night. After being buried, the morgue attendant would dig her back up and let her free. Plan goes fine until she gets buried, lights a match laughing then realises it's the morgue guy who died!

Sorry, Had to plug this one: Bullitt

Love Story
Casablanca

Ice Cold In Alice.

From Here to Eternity
To Kill a Mockingbird

In that case...

Young Frankenstein (Not before 1959 but very good)

Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

The Bride of Frankenstein

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (also after 1959)

The Tingler

The House on Haunted Hill

The House of Wax

The Fly

Note: Most of these have Vincent Price in common. :)

:thumbsup: on your choices, radar. I did take some digs at both Phibes movies and all those Castle classics in the "worst movies" thread ... that doesn't mean I don't actually love them, though!

Inherit the Wind

12 Angry Men

A Patch of Blue

Lillies of the Field

Key Largo

The African Queen

Sahara

The Maltese Falcon

Them!

The Day the Earth Stood Still

When Worlds Collide

Fantastic Planet

Let me know when you get tired of this...

I just picked up a bunch of oldtimey horror in a collection called "The Best of Horror, Volumes 1&2". It's a 2-disc box set that I saw on the super-cheap at WalMart (<excuse strength=flimsy>if they're selling it at a loss, I'm not really supporting the evil empire, right? </excuse>). For less than $10 I got Night of the Living Dead, Mania, Little Shop of Horrors, I Bury the Living, Carnival of Souls, and the original House on Haunted Hill. Definitely worth looking for at your local Wally World (though if you're the kind of person who would enjoy it, I probably don't have to tell you that it's a good deal...)

The Wizard of Oz.

Who hasn't watched this movie every year since childhood?

I second Elspode's 12 Angry Men and add:

Arsenic and Old Lace
Hitchcock's Rope

The Thin Man

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (hard to find now)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938 - Errol Flynn)

Philadelphia Story

Harvey

Adam's Rib

The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer ("You remind me of a man...")

Any Marx Brothers Movie

It Happened One Night

2001: A Space Odyssey
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Godfather I, II
Gone with the Wind
Lawrence of Arabia

come on people

Raw Power, I agree with all of them except Gone with the Wind and 2001. The first for being a total snoozer and the second for ending with a confusing virtual drug trip that makes little to no sense at all.

Beautiful camera work for 1968, though.

That's part of what makes it one of those Must See's, IMO. Didn't take away much for the story but I liked watching their simulation of zero-gravity with what they had to use back then.

There's a lot of movies, old and recent, that aren't the best for the stories or the characters but are exceedingly good on the technical side, have beautiful camera work, lighting and mood setting. Some stuff you watch for the technical aspect if nothing else.

I think it's not fair, because most of you know the times, when one went to the movies and there was somebody who played piano, because there was no sound. So you know a lot of old films.
There are so many new films coming out, you have to watch, that I'm glad I saw all the Indiana Jones and the Star Wars Films. And actually these are already old films.

:eek:

Indy? Old???

You young whippersnapper, if you weren't all the way across the pond I'd beat you with my cane.

All of Hitchcock--esp. Marnie

Very cool. Most people forget that one.

I just saw the old The Manchurian Candidate. If it's of interest there is a scene in it that they intentionally left in out of focus for the sake of the raw emotion. Fun to see if you can find it amongst all the paranoid/ suspense drama. It reminds me slightly of old Hitchcock.....I'm a huge fan.

I just got a happy fun box of goodies from Columbia House DVD Club (oh the joys of Dividend Dollar ... uh "Fun Cash" days). In addition to some more recent flicks, I got a good time local fun double feature ... The Trouble with Angels and Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows.

Local as in Philadelphia Suburbs. The first was filmed entirely in this area, on the grounds of Chestnut Hill College, The Morris Arboretum, and Saint Mary's Orphanage in Ambler, PA.

Knowing the area, it's a lot of fun to pick the locations ... and though the magic of Hollywood, there's at least one scene were the actors are standing on the steps of Chestnut Hill College, but the reverse shot is looking over the Morris Arboretum, which is nearby, but at least a mile from the first shot.

I also love a moment in the second movie (which is the one with the bus trip) where they board the bus in Philadelphia, drive through Pennsylvania Dutch Country for what seems like several days of movie time, only to arrive to spend the night at Germantown Academy (which isn't in Germantown, by the way), drive forever again to get to their "protest march" scene which takes place in Springhouse in front of Rotelle Frozen Foods. Total actual travel time between locations? About 1/2 Hour.

Gets in the way of my willing suspension of disbelief a little bit, yeah.

But I love the movies anyway.

My sister went to a Catholic Summer Day Camp held on the grounds of Saint Mary's. They had their own 16mm print of the film and would show it to the campers on rainy days.

I've just joined that forum... and I please everybody to forgive me if my english lacks style, vocabulary, sense or something else ...
So, some old films tou have to see :
Sergio Leone's westerns ...
"Dodes kaden", "Dersu Uzala", "Ran", and "Rashomon" all from Akira kurosawa... which are great stories (a bit long, yes, but good)!
"Holy Graal" and "Brian's life"... classics !
One of the only adaptation of stephen king I think valuable : "Rosemary's baby"
"Brain dead" (comical horror)
And there was one I can't remember the author's name, story about last man on earth in a vampires world ... (french title is I am a legend)
and I was surprised in good that "12 angry men" appears here !
if my memory allows me to remember others, i'll say it to you...

Welcome, Sved. :)

Some good films there, for sure, Sved. Minor correction - Rosemary's Baby was not a Stephen King book, it was Ira Levin.

Hmmmm....! Here's one that if you havent seen, you really, really should.

The Shop Around the Corner- good Christmas time viewing. vintage 30s. Charming romantic comedy set in a leather goods shop in Budapest with skinny adorable Jimmy Stewart and fast talking Maureen Sullivan. Great supporting cast ( you'll recognize some of the character actors). The story has been remade a zillion times, but none nearly as sharp, and funny as this first adaptation of the stage play. Its a great movie.

Actually I just checked, and the movie's date is 1940.

That's The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston.

I am Legend was the title of the Richard Matheson book that it was based on.


Speaking of Richard Matheson ... (how's that for a segue?)

I just got the DVD of The Legend of Hell House

Still as spooky as ever.

Warch, I also love The Shop Around the Corner, another comedy I love from that period is Miracle at Morgan Creek.

My favorite really old ones are the "women's movies" like Stella Dallas, Mildred Pierce, Jezebel, and The Heiress.

A few days ago I saw a new "old" movie that deliberately copied the style of the great melodramas like Inherit the Wind. It was Far from Heaven with Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid as a 1957 perfect June and Ward Cleaver couple suddenly faced with a 2002 problem (Ward's gay!). I loved it so much I watched it three times in a row. Once for the story and twice just to look at the perfect details in the clothes and sets.

Oh, oh! Gaslight and Double Indemnity and Kind hearts and Coronets!

Wasn't The Shop Around the Corner remade as You've Got Mail?. I've wanted to see the "real" version, but haven't managed to catch it on any of the classic movie channels.

Yes, it was, Wolf. I don't know about Turner Classic Movies, because I don't get it, but AMC, where I first saw all the great old movies I named, seems to play mainly 70's movies and westerns lately. Of course, now I'm kicking myself for not taping the 40's and 50's ones while I had the chance.

We just watched a wonderful fairly new release film from France called Bon Voyage. Its not old, but is set in 1940 and borrows well from films of that era in look, character and pace. Yes, you have subtitles, but if you can get beyond that, its a great comic/suspense/drama with an ensemble of great characters. There is a historical base for the story too, that makes it more interesting.

Bon Voyage

I'm with Kitsune and Sved....Rope is a great as well as RAN. I'm a Kurosawa fan all the way. People never usually mention Ran but it is advanced for it's time like most Kurosawa films. It's almost like watching a Shakespeare in Japanese.

Is it just me or were the roomates in Rope actually lovers, or did I just apply the subtext too strongly?

Havent got time to read the whole thread .....so if I am repeating a suggestion forgive me :P

The Deadzone. Not that stupid lightwieght tv series they've made now, but the originsl movie with Christopher Walken as one of cinema's coolest anti heros.

The Wicker Man.....Just a genuinely disturbing tale with one of the screen's all time best horrifying moments ( the moment when Woodward is dragged over the crest of the hill and the full horror of his fate is revealed to us and to him )


The original Nosferatu. Truly a piece of visual art.

Laurence Olivier's Hamlet. The Danish Prince at his classical best.

A Clockwork Orange. Class in a glass. What a way to play with language and form.

Alfie ( the orignal ) One of the Britpack's finer contributions to the world of cinema.

Battle for Algiers Fabulous film, made with very few professional actors. Has a realism to it that gets under one's skin. Beautifully shot and acted. A landmark production on the indie scene.

The King and I........Not precisely what one could reasonably call politically correct but with Yul Brynner's performance I can forgive it

A Streetcar Named Desire.......Awesome movie. Marlon Brando was so well cast.

The Wall. ...........Brilliant film. The music combined with the claustrophobic sets and Geldof's moody cynicism brings the concept of the wall starkly home.


....... ok that's my tuppen'orth :)

Oh, and I got the same subtext on Rope.

<i>A Touch of Evil</i> Orson Wells, Bette Davis, Jenniffer Leigh, Charlont Heston<br><br><i>Battleship Potempkin</i>Not so much good as important, how many movies have the baby pram.<br><br>

Every Pagan I have ever known extolled the virtues of this film, but it was pretty hard to find until the groovy wooden box DVD release came out (featuring the American theatrical release version *and* the reconstituted, less cut original director's intent version). Because of this, I didn't see it for a long time even after becoming Pagan.

My friends always said things like "It is an accurate portrayal for the most part" and "I want to live on Summerisle". My wife and I were doubly shocked when it got to the end because of all the fond things that were said about it.

No one told us it was essentially a horror story. I still love the movie, though.

No one has mentioned Fritz Lang's Metropolis so I will point it out. An amazing film - especially when you consider it was made in 1927.

I have to give a big :thumbsup: for Metropolis. I saw it not too many years ago, and wondered why I'd never seen it before. Truly a great film.

My mini-list of films to see:

How to Steal a Million ('66)
Charade ('63)
Roman Holiday ('53) (and yes, I love Hepburn)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane ('62)
The Producers ('68)
The Wrong Box ('66) (with a very young Michael Caine, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, plus Peter Sellers as Dr. Pratt, whose office is wall to wall cats--you just *have* to see what he uses as an ink blotter)

(I saw Wolf say something about a bad movie thread (which I can't find)...is that for unwatchably bad movies, or for movies that are so bad they're fun to watch? If the latter, I've got some to add to that list, if they aren't already there.)

Saw Valley Girl last weekend. Talk about your dated film. I remembered the bar scenes as being really edgy... oh well, youth. Still has a nice sound track Plimsoles etc.. and you can see why Nick Cage was the only one to make it in the movie biz.

I recommend "It's a Wonderful Life."


EDIT: Oh, wait, sorry, I thoguht it said "Moveis That Old Folks Should See."

Hmmm... my list...

The Sting (dammit when are we going to get a letterboxed SCS version??)
The Best Years of Our Lives
A Night at the Opera
A Clockwork Orange

For christmas this year i got my partner and i the complete hitchcock limited edition set for just over $300. It is every sound movie from 1929, Starting with "The Lodger".
Very Cool.
Once i have seen them all i will let you know which ones are the best.. but it will probably be all of them!

My Fav:
the good the bad the ugly series
pipi longstockings
gone with the wind
rear window (thats my #1 old movie fav.)

SteveDallas,
I got a clockwork orange in my Kubrick collection, i thought it was awful! the scenes made me sick. sometimes i just dont know what 'ol stanley was thinking! (or smokin!)

What a difference a generation makes.

I thought Clockwork Orange was brilliant.

Guess I misread the start of this thread "old folks" How about Maw & Pa Kettle?

What a difference a generation makes.

I thought Clockwork Orange was brilliant.

Did you ever read the book? I wrote a whole paper in college discussing why the author was so royally pissed off at what Kubrick had done.

Actually I read the book before I saw the movie. The extended version too ... most of the American published versions of the book leave out the last chapter.

Once upon a time, nobody, I mean nobody had VCRs, cable TV was in it's early stages, and there is NO WAY that Clockwork would run on regular TV.

I got the book when I was in high school and read it several times. There were a few false starts as I was having a hard time with Nadsat, but eventually worked it out. Saw the movie in my freshman year of college, when a theater in town quite unexpectedly decided to run it. It was a big deal at the time (1980) and reporters swarmed the theater in hopes that teens would be incited into rioting by viewing the film. I was very amused to watch one of the distinguished members of the press approach a young man who was attending the showing, likely because she knew that she'd get a good quote, and so she did, "Like yeah, I came to see it because like I know it's really violent."

I and my friend were there, looked respectible, and would have provided fairly boring statements, in her perspective, regarding the social commentary of the film.

Oh well.

I was thinking of that movie when Zell Miller talked about challenging Chris Matthews to a duel. In Scaramouche, the reform party is literally under attack by the reigning party, which finds excuses to challenge their opponents to duels while not in session. Scaramouche comes along and evens the odds.

If you like that kind of movie, I recommend Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac. I think he's scarier than Granger's character. Steve Martin did a nice parody of Cyrano in Roxanne.

I sometimes like watching old time college movies, the ones where pledges actually wear beanies and everyone walks around with huge amounts of repressed sexual energy.

High Time is a movie about a tycoon going back to finish college. Bing Crosby brings it off. Rodney Dangerfield's college movie was in some ways a remake of this one.

In Daddy Longlegs , the millionaire played by Fred Astaire sponsors a lovely French orphan to college and ends up romancing her.

Of course, movie morality is pretty pliable. In It Happens Every Spring , Ray Millands character finds a way to cheat at baseball and joins the majors. He gets away with it and gets the girl.

I'll pull some more examples later.

Thanks for bringing this name up again, rich. Now I'll be singing all day (just like I did the first time Griff mentioned it,)

Scaramouche!
Scaramouche!
Will you do the fandango?
Thunderbolts of lighting!
Very very frightening, me!
GALILEO - Galileo - GALILEO - Galileo - GALILEO Figaro!....

A movie came out not long before Gilda Radner died called, "It Came From Hollywood" and it had Gilda Radner, John Candy, Cheech & Chong, and Dan Akroyd talking about old B movies on different topics. They had a whole section about Ed Wood. Another section covered drug movies like "Reefer Madness", another was about the incredible shrinking man, 50 foot woman, etc, etc.

It is so funny and entertaining it's amazing. I watched it again the other day and one the clips they show is the most blatantly racist thing I've ever seen. It's a Hollywood dance number with Al Jolson where a black guy goes to heaven. Apparantly it's black heaven. Everyone has tin foil wings, and halos and is singing or tap dancing. Then you see a gigantic watermelon break into pieces and inside is a black tap dancing man, children dressed up in black face singing "Hydee Hydee Hydee Hydee Ho!", etc.

It's so shocking and racist it actually is kind of funny to me. They never credited the clip in the credits of "It Came From Hollywood" but I did some research and found out it was a 1934 movie called "Wonder Bar". I just ordered it from Amazon and I'll let you know what I think when it gets here. It turns out Busby Berkeley actually worked on this film too.

Here's the lyrics to the song where Jolson goes to black heaven...

My two cents on old movies worth checking out:
Sunset Boulevard
Stalag 17
The Day The Earth Caught Fire
Things to Come