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When I say "classic" in terms of movies, what film springs immediately to your mind without giving it a second thought?
I think of Casablanca. Stacked with possibly the best cast possible for its time--Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydnew Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, S.Z. Sakall, Dooley Wilson, etc.--shot in gorgeous black and white with perfect lighting and attention to detail, a tight script with some of the best lines of dialog ever recorded, perfect performances throughout, memorable characters, and simple, easy-to-follow, yet tremendously poignant story that puts a different spin on the "love triangle" and you have a film that is classic through and through and stands the test of time.
So that's my pick, but I'm asking you! What is--to you--the most "classic" film in film history?
Casablanca is the best one but I have a soft spot for 12 angry men. I love the cinematography signaling every juror change of mind and the performances are great. And I love the base message
12 Angry Men literally being a movie about a room full of dudes arguing for an hour and a half taking place almost entirely within that one small room is incredible in itself. One of the most engrossing films I've seen and it's all just talk about a crime and potential criminal we never even see. Masterful in every way.
Yeah I love bottle episodes on tv shows, when done well it really shows what makes their core great.
This felt like the same thing for black and white movies: the over the top yet gripping performances, the masterful use of black and white lighting, the cinematography used as a tool to convey meaning, the clear cut moral of the story at the end…
Rope is a great classic Hitchcock bottle movie. Maybe my favorite classic movie.
The continuous take 10 minute shot... I love Rope. Also love Vertigo.
Please tell me you've seen Breaking Bad, because, if you have, I want your opinion on the "fly" episode.
I think it is both overhated by those that hate it and overappreciated by those that defend it.
It’s a mid-to-good as a bottle episode and a mid one for BB. It shows very well how WW is spiraling in his desperate search for control.
It’s a slow burn which is fine but given how BB is basically an action soap opera imo, the episode is now a point of contention in the fandom: those that binged it later remember it stood out as a good experiment in introspection and those that were dying to have the plot move along remember it as boring.
My favourite bottle episodes are those that have a good chorus cast stuck interacting with each other getting pushed to their limits, like “Midnight” in Doctor who, “cooperative calligraphy” in Community (which is cheating cause it is self-aware but whatever) and the Buffy one where they get their memories scrambled (even if they do get out towards the end). I’m sure I’m forgetting some but those are the one springing to mind while sitting on the toilet
The fly was too Walter-centric and didn’t allow the episode to breathe and show other interesting character dynamics the show had at the time. I’m glad they experimented a bit but maybe a episode like that would have worked better in BCS.
The tighter lenses making the walls appear to be closing in as the movie goes on. 🎥😤✊️
Weren't the walls actually closing in as well? I thought I'd read that they'd made the walls moveable.
I can't find confirmation either way, but there was a thread in MovieDetails about it, where the comments disputed this and said it was only the lenses that changed.
Read Sidney Lumet's book Making Movies and you learn the tricks he used to increase the tension as the film progresses.
12 angry man is awesome I watch it like once a year at least
Casablanca Is fun, but 12 Angry Men is a masterpiece
And Henry Fonda was brilliant!
This and To Kill a Mockingbird. Gregory Peck is fantastic.
I think we have the same brain. Congratulations!
Rear Window (1954)
Terrific core cast: Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, (and Raymond Burr)
There aren't many characters overall and even fewer with speaking parts. But the actors all tell the stories of their characters.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
The master story-teller. Every frame of every shot is purposeful.
The setting: The entire story is told from the viewpoint of L.B. Jeffries' (Jimmy Stewart) apartment. In a sense, very similar to another candidate for "Classic" film.... 12 Angry Men (1957).
I could go into more detail as to why Rear Window is THE Classic film, but I think this is enough to make the case.
Thelma Ritter is so, so underappreciated. Her role in Pickup on South Street is unforgettable.
She was terrific in everything she ever did too
My favorite actress and her last scene on this movie is so damn good.
I like this more than Psycho !
this is the correct answer!
Make mine Vertigo!
dang it! I love that one too. choices! 😭
Rear Window is one of my favorites. Thelma Ritter has some of the best lines.
Rear window the tension… just beautiful
I've always had difficulty choosing between Vertigo and Rear Window, both are superb, but I think that Vertigo just has the edge as Hitchcock's masterpiece.
Rear Window is excellent for something more accessible, fun and relaxing with some great dialog, plotting and atmosphere, while Vertigo is of course a lot darker, even more atmospheric and tougher to decipher.
Grace Kelly was fabulous in Rear Window. It’s hard to say which is her best Hitchcock movie - To Catch a Thief and Dial M For Murder was also excellent
North by Northwest
Superb acting, storytelling, location, cinematography and suspense. The Mother of all Thriller/Action Movies.
It’s hard to decide which of several Hitchcock films belong here. Good thing I don’t have to decide and can just watch the lot of them.
Yes they are all good and I have seen all 😊.
My Professor used North by Northwest, the Cornfield Sequence, as an example where all seven Shots (full, medium, close up etc) are used.
Wish they had film related courses when I was in college.
Not to mention the cheesy double entendres and visual gags.
You forgot comedic too, and soundtrack.
Yes and erotic too. The dialogue on the train between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint and the absolute classic ending with the train and the tunnel 😍
The precursor to modern spy movies.
Probably the best answer: The Wizard of Oz
My favorite answer: Cool Hand Luke
What we’ve got here… is failure to communicate.
Cool Hand Luke one of Paul Newman’s best performances. The whole cast is amazing
Definitely Wizard of Oz. Kids today are still watching it.
And even if they're not watching it, there's a 100% chance they've been exposed to it in some way through pop cultural osmosis. Seriously, every scene is a meme.
Look at the exquisite taste on u/TLDR2D2
No man can eat 51 eggs.
Luke eats 50
David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia - cannot get better cinematography, locations, script, editing, dialogue and acting.
The whole thing is also free on YouTube (although it's probably not the best way to watch it).
If you can manage it, watch in 70mm in a theatre as it was intended by David Lean.
That shot of Sharif Ali riding the camel down that narrow track, and the train derailment sequence (shot without CGI) are masterpieces of storytelling on big screen with great sound.
"Shot without cgi" no shit
This was possibly the coolest cinema experience I’ve ever gotten to experience. Honestly I was blown away.
How can you be so sure?
Dr Zhivago is like that too
This is a really great response and you are absolutely correct.
As I recall, Roger Ebert urged film goers, if at all possible, to see a handful of films on the big screen- number one on that list was Lawrence of Arabia
I made the mistake of watching it just before the recent Dune movie. The desert photography in LoA is just unmatchable
Dune takes a lot of inspiration from LoA though. The new movies were filmed in the same desert for that reason too
Now that you mention it, Lawrence and Paul are very similar (all sci fi powers being left out of the equation). They both even have their own personal hype man native to the region.
I mean it's known as space lawrence of arabia for a reason
Villenvue had said it in an interview when the first movie came out.
"Lawrence of Arabia is to cinema what the Pyramids are to architecture."
My dad liked to check in on what I was reading, so after he saw my copy of Dune he rented LoA for us to watch together.
So my inner visions of Dune are inexorably tied to the cinematography of Lawrence, which honestly, conveys the vastness of the desert better than any of the Dune movies/series have done.
I also see Peter O’Toole as Liet-Kynes.
I went to Wadi Rum a few years back and spent 2 days out in the desert with the local Bedouin. The cinematography of LoA does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the area. Incredible place if you ever get a chance to go, Jordan is an incredible country, and it's people hospitable and generous.
I watched this recently as thought something was up with TV in the intro. 4 and half minutes of black screen with just the score. I think sitting through that (once I realised) is really clever, great setup.
The movie is amazing. All the extended shots just looking at dots travelling across the vastness of the scenery. Amazing.
I came here to say that as well. Seems like you beat me to the punch. I mean, I have enjoyed Casablanca as well, but I don't feel like the cinematography is as good as Lawrence of Arabia. Also I felt that Humphrey Bogart didn't gel that well with Ingrid Bergman and her acting wasn't that stellar.
It is difficult if not impossible to top the cinematography of Lawrence of Arabia. It's a masterclass for that alone.
Barry Lyndon sure as shit tried, and there's other Kubrick films, plus Blade Runner and perhaps Citizen Kane, but Lawrence of Arabia may be the best of all.
Sound of Music
One of the great classics and easily one of the most classic and famous musicals.
Seven samurai
I prefer Rashomon, but seven samurai is a great choice
That's not how I remember it!
Yes. I have loved every Akira Kurosowa film I’ve seen, but Seven Samurai was my gateway into it. Just an incredible movie in every way.
Edit: spelling
Or the Zatoichi series. Damn good.
Singing in the Rain
This is what I came to say. It's, imo, the best musical. A perfect encapsulation of the time, and a movie that could not possibly be remade better. Great actual story with humor, and a meta look at classic movie making within a classic movie.
Deserves mention for the “Make ‘em Laugh” sequence alone! That doesn’t even cover the title song sequence or any other of the sublime musical bits.
Then on top of that much of the dialogue parts are classic (not to mention funny as hell)
“Call me a cab, would ya?” “OK….you’re a cab!”
It manages to be a great musical and also not be saccharine.
“PEOPLE! I AINT’T PEOPLE! I am a (reads from paper) a shimmering glowing star in the cinema firmaMINT”
Jean Hagen absolutely stole that movie! Hubby and I do the No no no, yes yes yes routine frequently.
“Fabulous! Cosmo, remind me to give you a raise!”
“Hey, R.F.”
“Yes?”
“Give me a raise.”
The Third Man. My favorite movie
My vote, too - it's got mystery, humour, ethical ponderings, a great soundtrack, terrific cinematography and a great screen duo in Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles.
There was a spin-off radio series called The Lives of Harry Lime, starring Orson Welles. Basically half-hour short stories about the character before the events of the film. (Spoiler:well, they could hardly take place after, could they? )
One oddity is that there are breaks filled with that iconic zither music. I realized after a while these covered intervals where local stations could place commercials and PSAs.
You can find it on the Internet Archive. They're pretty diverting.