My Faves:
10. She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)
....around the old oak tree.
9. Citizen Kane (1941)
Rosebud, y'all.
And that's just about all that needs to be said about one of the most famous movies in American film history.
Because, if you don't know know about this film, then you obviously are from another planet.
8. Spellbound (1945)
Not exactly Hitchcock's best, but still, a terse psychological mystery thriller by the director who mastered that particular genre in the world of film, combined with a Dali-esque dream sequence by the painter who mastered that particular genre in the world of art.
7. The Great Dictator (1940)
Chaplin speaks!
Capturing not just a moment in film history as the master of silent stunt work utters his first words onscreen, but also that his words are an uncharacteristic (& for the time, risky) serious reflection of the status of a moment in world history.
6. Casablanca (1946)
When it comes to romance films, this is the classic of all classics.
A movie that shows that it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in
this crazy world.
So, play it again Sam,
cuz here's looking at you, kid.
5. Notorious (1942)
An atypical Holllywood picture of this era featuring the insanely good-looking couple of Ingrid Bergman & Cary Grant, a lush atmospheric feel, spy intrigrue, and a small cadre of Nazi's thrown in for good measure. All wrapped up in a cinematic bite that could only be the signature of Alfred Hitchcock.
4. The Mark Of Zorro (1941)
The adventures of a masked vigilante back when the concept of the genre was more akin to the noble art of swashbuckling than it was to the grit & dark-ridden quest of vengeance that it is today.
3. The Maltese Falcon (1940)
There was once a time when when crime-noir movies were big. And that bigness practically began with the not-so-noble hero, hard-nosed archetype private detective Sam Spade. Particularly this version played by Bogey himself & featuring the infamous MacGuffin known as the Maltese Falcon.
2. The Wolf Man (1941) Just a plain ol' Universal Monster classic, this one is right there. I am a huge fan of the first black & white Universal Monster series of way back in the day. From my point of view, any datedness that may have resulted over time from these original gangstas of horror quickly fade once the integrity of the energy that was captured in the filming becomes apparent.
1. His Girl Friday (1940)
The genre of the romantic comedy comes to an early peak with this story about two reporters, once divorced from each other, but still carrying a shared torch as fiery as their shared passion for their jobs. Old skool movie dialogue so quick & full of wit, that despite any dated slants in the material, comes off sounding contemporarily sharp & filled with as much energy as if it were written for today.
Reply to Topic
).
