Film Classics - what are they?

[Foxbat]

I am shocked ... shocked! No one has mentioned Casablanca, and its many quotable lines.

A classic in every sense of the word.
Also worth mentioning anything by Powell and Pressburger. I can't think of one bad film by this duo. Every single one is a gem.

 

[Astro Pen]

I'll Chime in with a couple of gentle and very human classics
Paris Texas
and
Bagdad Cafe

Also the very dark Blood simple is a must watch masterpiece

 

[BAYLOR]

I am shocked ... shocked! No one has mentioned Casablanca, and its many quotable lines.

A great film which you can watch again and again. It never gets old.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Oxbow Incident 1943
The Big Country 1958
The Fall of the House of Usher 1960
Masque of the Red Death 1964

 

[JunkMonkey]

I have a copy of '1001 Movies you Should See Before You Die'* - I'd love to know how you could watch them after you're dead but that's a different question. That has been the basis for my 'Classic' (a much over used word) movie watching for the past few years. It's taken me to places I wouldn't necessarily have gone in a month of movie going Sundays. Sometimes with total bafflement as a result. 'Celine and Julie go Boating' being one prime example. Even after rereading the pagelong justification for its inclusion I can't see why anyone would want to watch all three pointless tedious hours of it, let alone recommend it to anyone. (Having said that I hated Eraserhead when I first saw it. Walked out of the cinema. Took me another three times watching it before it clicked and I realised what I had been missing. But I doubt if I will ever go back to Julie and Celine.)

Would I ever have watched the wonderful Les Parapluis de Cherbourg without it? I doubt it. But I am so glad I did.



* The book comes with a handy checklist at the front. Turned out I had already seen over 300 of the films listed inside when I bought it.

 

[Dave]

I don't know what makes a film "classic"? I assume it must be reasonably old, but still relevant today, and I think it probably needs to have been popular, at least at some point. They must be watchable again and again, and probably either have some cult following, or are else are critically acclaimed. I think they are all good suggestions made so far, and I would have included many of them if I had to make my own list. i.e. Sleeper and Casablanca. I won't repeat those already mentioned, so I'll just say a few that I was very surprised were not mentioned already:

The Wages of Fear
The Battle of the River Plate
Ice Cold in Alex
The Graduate
Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles
The Blues Brothers
Alien
Star Wars
Donnie Darko
Twelve Monkeys
Galaxy Quest

 

[BAYLOR]

Things to Come
War of the Worlds
X From the Unknown
Vertigo
The Time Machine
The Longest Day
The Manchurian Candidate
The First Men In the Moon
The Dirty Dozen
Ben-Hur
A Night To Remember
Spartacus
Charade
Cleopatra
Planet of the Apes
2001 A pace Odyssey
Qiatermass and the Pit

 

[Rodders]

The Empire Strikes Back must surely be considered a classic, no?

Many of my favourite classics have already been mentioned, but i'd like to add a few

Silent Running
Logans Run
The Sound of Music
John Carpenter's "The Thing"
Airplane
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Blade Runner 2049.
Contact

A couple of outlyers that i think need to be considered

David Lynch's Dune. It's not without its faults, but it looked great and it made a good attempt at doing justice to the whole of the book. Shame we won't get a David Lynch cut.

Avatar. Hear me out... I get that it has its detractors, and i understand. However, i think this pure cinema and a great spectacle. Imagine taking your son to see this at the cinema?

 

[farntfar]

Not really c:lassics perhaps, but British classics:

Hobson's choice
and
The Lady killers. (The old black and white one with Alec Guinness & Peter Sellers etc. Not the remake.)
and while we're there The Lavender Hill Mob.

I also have a soft spot for Whistle down the wind.

 

[BAYLOR]

Metropolis

 

[Mgellis]

Metropolis

Both films with this title! The 1927 silent film is amazing, as is the anime one (which has a different plot but raises some cool questions)

 

[Mgellis]

For science fiction and fantasy...

The Thing (both the 1951 and 1982 versions)
Them!
Godzilla (1954 version with subtitles, although the American 1956 version is also a lot of fun)
Forbidden Planet
The Giant Claw <-- a "classic" of bad movies...seriously, you have to see this
Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter <-- an excellent vampire film...it's also a mystery...WHO is the vampire!?
2001
Alien
Predator (terrific example of an 80s action movie that is also sci-fi)
Princess Mononoke
My Neighbor Totoro
Shin Godzilla

I love this topic. I may post more later.

 

[BAYLOR]

For science fiction and fantasy...

The Thing (both the 1951 and 1982 versions)
Them!
Godzilla (1954 version with subtitles, although the American 1956 version is also a lot of fun)
Forbidden Planet
The Giant Claw <-- a "classic" of bad movies...seriously, you have to see this
Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter <-- an excellent vampire film...it's also a mystery...WHO is the vampire!?
2001
Alien
Predator (terrific example of an 80s action movie that is also sci-fi)
Princess Mononoke
My Neighbor Totoro
Shin Godzilla

I love this topic. I may post more later.

Qutermass and the Pit 1967 . There is also the earlier 1958 part television version of Quatermass and the Pit was which is also very good.

 

[BAYLOR]

Both films with this title! The 1927 silent film is amazing, as is the anime one (which has a different plot but raises some cool questions)

I like both films.

 

[BAYLOR]

Quo Vadis
Demetrius and the Gladiators
The Mummy 1959

 

[BAYLOR]

History of The World Part One

 

[BAYLOR]

Dr Zhivago

 

[BAYLOR]

The Man Who Would be King 1975 It's definite a classic.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Seven Samurai
The Pink Panther
A Shot int he Dark
Bullet
The Ten Commandments
the Bible In the Beginning
Hell in The Pacific.

 

[Le Panda du Mal]

The only correct answer is Zardoz