40's and 50's films that stood the test of time
Some films, even though they are (very) high up the IMDb Top250, just can't keep me interested. And although it makes you feel guilty to yawn during a film that is way up in the ranks and praised by everyone, the inevitable conclusion is that, at least to your personal viewing experience, some films just stand the test of time a lot better than others. Some older films, as revolutionary and shocking as they may have been at the time, really do feel awfully outdated.
But every now and then you come across a film that within 15 minutes makes you forget you are looking at a black and white classic made decades before you were even born. I must admit this is very personal. Anyway, this is my list of those films so far. The result is (I hope) a list of 50's and 60's films that even young film enthousiasts (like myself) that are used to watching more contemporary films, will be able to enjoy.
To keep the list somewhat coherent and compact, I've limited this collection to the period 1940-1960. New films may be added over time as I work my way through the Top250. ;)
But every now and then you come across a film that within 15 minutes makes you forget you are looking at a black and white classic made decades before you were even born. I must admit this is very personal. Anyway, this is my list of those films so far. The result is (I hope) a list of 50's and 60's films that even young film enthousiasts (like myself) that are used to watching more contemporary films, will be able to enjoy.
To keep the list somewhat coherent and compact, I've limited this collection to the period 1940-1960. New films may be added over time as I work my way through the Top250. ;)
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- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.This may be my first answer if anyone asks me "Recommend one must-see vintage film that even I will like."
This is the first black and white film that made me go "Wow, I didn't realize old films could be this cool." - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.Especially Norman Bates' role is timeless. Anthony Perkins' acting makes you forget you are looking at a 50 year old movie.
- DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsThorkild RooseLisbeth MovinSigrid NeiiendamThe young wife of an aging priest falls in love with his son amidst the horror of a merciless witch hunt in 17th-century Denmark.A Danish film. Maybe because the actors for me (coming from the Netherlands) feel a little more familiar than the average Hollywood film, this film gripped me by the throat.
I was especially impressed (or scared the hell out of?) by the bishop's mother (Sigrid Neiiendam) and Herlofs Marte (Anna Svierkier). Well actually the leading star (Lisbeth Movin) and the bishop (Albert Høeberg) are about equally impressive... - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsLaurence OlivierJoan FontaineGeorge SandersA self-conscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrat's wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wife's spectral presence.This is an early one in this list. Released in 1940 it still has a bit of the "gothic" feel of 20's/30's horror films; maybe because of the big mansion "Mandalay". Also, Laurence Olivier reminded me of Norman Kerry in "The Unknown" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
Anyway, the whole cast makes the film be able to stand the test of time, but it was especially Judith Anderson as Ms. Sanders who makes the film memorable. - DirectorBilly WilderStarsFred MacMurrayBarbara StanwyckEdward G. RobinsonA Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.Fred McMurray reminded me a bit of Humphrey Bogart in "Casablanca", probably because both characters are kind of "Film-Noir".
Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson are also excellent in this film; the highest ranking "Film-noir" on IMDb. - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartGrace KellyWendell CoreyA wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.This film struck me as awfully simple... in a good way!
Just the simple question of whodunnit? No unnecessary side-story, no irrelevant hocus-pocus, just a simple plot and a few really good actors keep it exciting.
Somewhat like "12 Angry Men", the majority of the story unfolds in a single room... for some reason that kind of film has a special kind of impressiveness.
And you can add Grace Kelly to the list of classic Hollywood celebrities that you've seen at work. :) - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.One of those classics that *everyone* talks about, and then when you finally watch it, it proves to be even better than you expected.
Same goes for Humphrey Bogart; you must have heard that name like a 100 times and not know who the heck it was; and when you first see one of his films you go "Well, granted, he IS kinda cool." - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantEva Marie SaintJames MasonA New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.Here it was Cary Grant who impressed me by making me forget I was looking at a black and white classic.
I think he acts his role in a timeless way, and makes the film into something that is still suprisingly watchable for the modern film audience. - DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenGloria SwansonErich von StroheimA screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.I originally watched this film because I read it apparently inspired David Lynch for "Mulholland Drive" which I had watched shortly before that. I couldn't really make sense of "Mulholland Drive", but later understood that that may have been Lynch's intention in the first place... Anyway, in "Sunset Blvd.", Gloria Swanson is impressive as the faded Hollywood star, and the film made me get a better feeling for what "Mulholland Drive" was about, or how to watch it. Although as a film "Sunset Blvd." is much more conventional and easier to understand, the eery atmosphere of tension and mystery in both films is pretty much alike.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKirk DouglasRalph MeekerAdolphe MenjouAfter a failed attack on a German position, a general orders three soldiers, chosen at random, court-martialed for cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them.The frustration of Collonel Dax (played by Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas' father) when his superior (cpl. Phillipe Paris) gives him the order to send his men into an impossible misson, is timeless.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsMarilyn MonroeTony CurtisJack LemmonAfter two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.Judging only by the poster and description, this wouldn't necessarily have ended up in my "want to see" list. But it was in my local theater a few years ago as part of a serie of "film classics" (together with "Rear Window" amongst others) so we thought oh well, let's go see what the fuss is about. And hey, what do you know, it was actually pretty good, and one of the first pre-1960 films I ever watched.
It is I think the highest rated film with Marilyn Monroe in it, so that alone should be reason enough to at least give it a try. - DirectorDon SiegelStarsKevin McCarthyDana WynterLarry GatesA small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.One of the best Horror/Scifi films from this era.
It has the pleasant "pulp" feel to it that characterizes those old Horror and Scifi films (I mean, just look at the title and the poster...), but at the same time some pretty decent acting. The acting really makes the film more than just one of those goofy horror/sci-fi films from back in the day. And a horror/scifi film that has an average 8.0 on IMDb, that's pretty impressive for either of these genres! - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartKim NovakBarbara Bel GeddesA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.
- DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsSimone SignoretVéra ClouzotPaul MeurisseThe wife and mistress of a loathed school principal plan to murder him with what they believe is the perfect alibi.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsMarlon BrandoKarl MaldenLee J. CobbAn ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.
- DirectorNorman McLarenStarsGrant MunroJean Paul LadouceurA surreal story of two neighbours' destructive feud over a flower.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsFarley GrangerRobert WalkerRuth RomanA psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.
- DirectorJames AlgarSamuel ArmstrongFord Beebe Jr.StarsLeopold StokowskiDeems TaylorThe Philadelphia OrchestraA series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'