Kevin's Watch

If we're to really decide what's considered the "classics"... Maybe it's black and white, or the change to color.

The African Queen
On The Waterfront
Point Blank
(original) Cape Fear
North By Northwest

those type of movies...

Two days ago I came in in the middle of Paris Blues on AMC...man it seems like a lifetime since I'd seen it first, I was meserised. Killer, slick, emotional, dark film for 1961-even shows minimal drug use-pretty rare even back then. And what a cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier, Louis Armstrong, Diahann Carroll. (probably the film that convinced my Mom that I shouldn't learn the saxophone )

Harvey
Arsenic and Old Lace

Cool choices, nobody handles a fake phone call better than Gary Grant! (Did you know that I played Mr. Einstien in High School, complete with Peter Lorre voice?)

Had a friend that played Jonathan (I think...whoever Dr. Einstein was helping out) in high school, and used to help him run his lines.

After 1970...but...

Billy Jack

...yeah, yeah...laugh

Bringing Up Baby - Cary Grant & Kate Hepburn

For some macho reason On the Waterfront is my favorite old classic...mean streets, down and dirty. Marlon Brando's best role as Terry Malloy.
Karl Malden ... Father Barry
Lee J. Cobb ... Johnny Friendly
Rod Steiger
Eva Marie Saint
Elia Kazan directs

just kicks butt!

Out of the Past is the most bad-assed noir film of all time, starring two of the baddest-assed actors of all time; Robert "Beef, it's what's for dinner" Mitchum, and Kirk Douglas. It's quite simply the greatest movie I've ever seen.

Vanishing Point came out in 1971, but that's definitely a classic as well.

I think I understand your intention with this topic, danlo, but I feel I need to clarify something. One doesn't have to go back before 1970 for "pre-CGI" movies. Willow from 1987 is generally acknowledged as the first movie that featured a true CGI sequence - the scene where an old woman "morphs" into an animal.

Anything before then, even the original Star Wars trilogy, still used traditional optical effects. SW just used them in a very fresh way.

From the examples you've given, I think you could just say "Classics from before 1970." The "pre-CGI" tag (in your opening post) is unnecessary and perhaps would only lead to discussions of movies you don't want in this thread.

Um...about the only black-and-white film from the "classic" era ('40s & '50s?) that I could say I truly enjoyed - I mean really honestly loved watching from beginning to end - was The Third Man. I guess The Maltese Falcon would be runner-up.

Ok deleted! Glad you like the thread!

I've got to see that Cail! Mitchum, as Loremaster would say, is one of the most underrated actors of his day, or any day.

Aargh! How criminal of me to forget Psycho! Okay, that's my #1 black-and-white classic! No question about it. Whew. Forgive me, Mr. Hitchcock...

In a strange way I like Rope, Vertigo, The Birds and Rear Window a little better. I had a flash of Jimmy Stewart in my dreams last night.

Is this topic limited to American cinema pre-1970s? I'm of the opinion that the mid-1960s to late 1970s was the golden age of American cinema, myself. If the topic also includes non-hollywood stuff, I shall stay out, as I could be here forever listing Japanese cinema from the 1950s and '60s.

and just to cover some more Hitchcock...



and because i've been reading the Westerns thread...

The 400 blows! Yeah!

Also... the Blue Angel! Check it out.

A Touch of Evil

The Ten Commandments (I am not kidding).

oh hell yeah...

Shane
High Noon

I loves me some Richard Widmark!

danlo wrote:I loves me some Richard Widmark!

W000t!

Great film.

I gotta add The Great Escape too. Might as well throw in Stalag 17 while we're at it.

Good calls on Stalag 17 and The Maltese Falcon.