damonrpayne Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 So we just got Netflix, and one of my goals with so many movies at my disposal is to see the classics, the films in the early days of color and before the days of color that film critics are always comparing modern films to, that influenced modern directors, etc. Give me your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 11, 2006 Moderators Share Posted May 11, 2006 Hey Damon, I recently jumped on blockbuster.com and have been doing the very same thing! I've really enjoyed seeing movies I'd always heard about, and never had a chance to see. Some titles I've seen recently and would recommend: Nashville--Robert Altman directed Chinatown--Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway The Third Man--Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten Citizen Kane--Orson Welles Days of Heaven--Sam Shepard, Richard Gere Badlands--Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek Bonnie and Clyde--Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway Taxi Driver--DeNiro Apocolyse Now--Martin Sheen Splendor in the Grass --Warren Beatty, Natalie Wood Last Tango in Paris--Marlon Brando Let me know if you want to hear my take on any of these! [] I've got many more that I want to see...and let me know what you come across! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flannj Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Great Cinematography in - The Sting The Godfather - casts the early parts of the film in slight sepia tones and covers many scenes in a deep veil of shadow And I agree with Amy - Bonnie and Clyde Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -- Academy Award for Cinematography check out this Wikipedia page for Oscar nominees in this catagory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Cinematography EDIT - Oh and I forgot Hitchcock, Hitchcock, and more Hitchcock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 11, 2006 Moderators Share Posted May 11, 2006 Hitchcock, definitely!! While there's many good ones to choose from, my favorite has always been Strangers on a Train. One of the best movies of all time has got to be Godfather II. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 11, 2006 Moderators Share Posted May 11, 2006 Great Cinematography in - ...... check out this Wikipedia page for Oscar nominees in this catagory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Cinematography You mention Cinematography specifically...I'm just curious if you've ever seen Days of Heaven? Has got to be one of the most beautifully shot movies I've ever seen. Just watched it last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flannj Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 No I haven't seen it ... the pile of movies to see along with the pile of books to read and music to listen to keeps growing. Three teenagers and their activities happily occupies most of the free time for my wife and I. Someday... I mentioned Cinematography because the question was regarding color. I think quite often in really good film work the Cinematographer will have more to do with lighting and color than the director. Too often an underrated part of the film. For me the first movie that popped into my head was The Godfather, obviously a fantastic piece of work from every aspect, but I absolutley get sucked in by the warmth and feeling of the visuals. As well as Godfather II. - Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flannj Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Oh and I also forgot - Sergio Leone Any of the Spaghetti Westerns: Fistful of Dollars For a Few Dollars More The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Once Upon a Time in the West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddvj Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 A few more: Casablanca Gone with the Wind It's a Wonderful Life Wizard of Oz On the waterfront These are all pretty old, but great movies. I'm sorta new to the classics, but so far these are the ones I've liked. I didn't really care for some of the previous choices, Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, but I might've been in the wrong frame of mind when I saw them. Citizen Kane, though, I don't know, it's supposed to be the best movie of all time?? I just don't see it. I've been using the AFI top 100 as a reference, although I'm sure there are hundreds of other great movies not on the list. Here's a link if you're interested: http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/movies.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 PATTON, George C. Scott becomes General Patton Yankee Doodle Dandy, James Cagney as a song and dance man, fine performance for a tough guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 12, 2006 Moderators Share Posted May 12, 2006 A few more: Casablanca Gone with the Wind It's a Wonderful Life Wizard of Oz On the waterfront These are all pretty old, but great movies. I'm sorta new to the classics, but so far these are the ones I've liked. I didn't really care for some of the previous choices, Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, but I might've been in the wrong frame of mind when I saw them. Citizen Kane, though, I don't know, it's supposed to be the best movie of all time?? I just don't see it. All excellent choices! Citizen Kane I watched twice in a row...the first time just a straight viewing, then a second time with commentary by Roger Ebert. His observations point out what ground-breaking techniques were used in the film, and made me appreciate it so much more. I think movies shouldn't make you "work" just to enjoy them, but sometimes the untrained movie buff (like myself) needs a little input to see what all the fuss is about! I did like the story, especially after reading about the man it was supposedly based on (William Randolf Hearst) and all the controvery that surrounded it. And Orson Welles was such a powerful screen presence...I really enjoy watching movies he was in. Apocalypse Now is a triumph in mood and one of the first movies I can think of, along with The Deer Hunter, to portray the very dark side of war--not the Rah-Rah John Wayne type WWII movies... The darkness of it really hits a cord with me. Taxi Driver is strange, and certainly not for everyone, but DeNiro alone is worth watching, not to mention the very young Jodie Foster. It's pretty evident from her role that she was going places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepathlesstaken Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 Without consulting my watched movie data base here are a few suggestions. Bridge over the River Kwai The Great Escape Barry Lyndon - best viewed on a RP or CRT T.V. due to black levels 2001 A Space Odessey Dr Strangelove Manchurian Canidate (the original) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest North By Northwest Lawrence of Arabia Das Boot Ladri di biciclette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 I'll second North by Northwest , it's my favorite Hitchcock movie . The only one I own in fact . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikekid Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" Absolutely! Deliverance. Kind of grody in one part..but a good movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jheis Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 Here's one from 1955. "Bad Day at Black Rock" Starring Spencer Tracy, with Robert Ryan, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine & Lee Marvin. Directed by John Sturges (The Great Escape). One of my all time favorites. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theryugobuddy Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 The best black and white comedy ever was It Happened One Night with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. To give you an idea how old this movie is, its was seen as scandalous when she showed a little leg on the roadside to get a car to stop. Its darn funny throughout and Clark's performance is better than Gone With the Wind IMO. And Gone With the Wind is sweeping and spectacular-- Also, the Birds by Alfred Hitchcock is classic horror suspense. Its so different than the horror of today -- much classier, and incredible suspense. The Omen is great horror too Cool Hand Luke with Paul Newman is a great prison movie-the girl washing her car will get your attention. Can't miss with these, too: The Sting, The Godfather, The Longest Yard -- the original, all the James Bond movies, 3 Days of the Condor, Westworld, Rollerball--the original. Animal House, the first Rocky, Rambo:First Blood, Annie Hall, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Midway, True Grit, McClintock, Jeremiah Johnson, the Outlaw Josey Wales, High Plains Drifter-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 The Graduate Forbidden Planet Enter the Dragon Dr Zhivago are a few worthies yet to be mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted May 22, 2006 Author Share Posted May 22, 2006 About 150 movies in the Netflix queue now, I will make sure I have all the ones listed here, although I already own or have seen a surprising % of the suggestions so far. Keep 'em coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 22, 2006 Moderators Share Posted May 22, 2006 Some that are in my queue that I haven't seen yet: All About Eve On the Waterfront Sunset Boulevard Night of the Hunter Cape Fear (the original) It Happened One Night Midnight Cowboy Manhattan Don't forget the James Dean trio: East of Eden/Giant/Rebel without a Cause Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputnik Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 For a start, in no particular order except that To Kill a Mockingbird is at the top of the list: To Kill a Mockingbird (newly released anniversary edition) In Harms Way Patton Any David Lean films (Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai) The Wind and the Lion Harold and Maude Old Yeller Downhill Racer The Great Escape Stalag 17 Twelve Angry Men The Oxbow Incident The Grapes of Wrath Save the Tiger Marathon Man High Noon Twelve O'Clock High Roman Holiday The Man in the White Suit The Lavender Hill Mob The Out of Towners Some from the eighties: Never Cry Wolf (my all time favorite) The Grey Fox Local Hero Pharlap El Norte Mass Appeal My Dinner With Andre Benny and Joon The Mission Time Bandits The Verdict Tom Horn The Right Stuff Added: Paris Texas Tender Mercies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 JOE; Peter Boyle Bullit; Steve McQueen Candy; Marlin Brando Tender Mercies; Robert Duvall not sure about date of this film I know this is a later release Nobody's Fool; Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy fine film, old blue-eyes is a class act. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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