My Top Ten (Less Cliched) Classics
Monday is National Classic Movie Day, and film geeks everywhere are gearing up for a celebration.
Picking a favorite movie, though, is pretty tough. To paraphrase Bert Lahr’s immortal Potato Chip Man, “Betcha can’t choose just one.”
In that spirit, here are some of my favorites, and yes, I had to make a lot of deep cuts. However, I won’t be mentioning Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, or Singin’ In the Rain, because, much as I love those movies, everyone talks about them.
Ergo, we’re going off the beaten path a little bit and in no particular order:
Since You Went Away (1944)
One of my favorite World War Two-era movies, Since You Went Away follows Anne Hilton and her two daughters as they navigate life at home while Tim Hilton, the patriarch of the family, is overseas in the Army. It’s long and a little dated, but one of the cool things about it is that it allows the viewer to get to know the family and experience the wartime period a bit.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
This excellent tale of a somnabulist with a murderous bent is an amazing piece of German expressionism and stars a young Conrad Veidt. Tim Burton fans will enjoy the skewed look of the film, which teases the viewer into questioning their own sanity. Bonus: The Criterion Collection offers a beautiful 4K transfer. Trust me, it is worth it.
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Ah, Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece about a knight trying to outrun the Plague. A little scarily on point in light of the past couple of years, but it has incredible visuals and a terrific performance by Max Von Sydow.
The Women (1939)
If anyone has only seen the 2008 version, well, that’s not The Women. This is the real deal. Biting, rapid wit courtesy of Clare Booth Luce and Anita Loos, face-offs, and haute couture galore. There’s even a lavish fashion show smack in the middle of the proceedings. It’s in Technicolor, just because. Fun fact: Terry, the terrier who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz is in the opening scene and she’s wearing a big, fluffy bow.
The Red Shoes (1948)
Powell and Pressburger’s tour-de-force features gorgeous color and a gorgeous story about a mysterious pair of red shoes that don’t come off and don’t stop dancing. I won’t ruin it except to say that Vicky, its protagonist, finds art imitating life.
Strike Up the Band (1940)
This adorable movie stars Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney as two high schoolers who form a dance band and then raise money to enter a radio contest hosted by Paul Whiteman. It’s got Victorian melodrama, it’s got fun music, it’s got Mickey Rooney playing the drums, it’s got Judy Garland being her usual wonderful self, and it has a bowl of fruit that turns into an orchestra. So not kidding.
Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window is awesome and probably my favorite Hitchcock film. It’s too good to spoil, y’all. Really. Everyone ought to see this movie.
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)
This underrated comedy stars James Cagney and Bette Davis a pilot and a socialite, respectively. Cagney’s been engaged by Davis’s fiancee to fly the happy couple to their wedding, but unbeknownst to Davis, her dad paid Cagney to fly Bette all by her lonesome to Amarillo instead. As it happens, Cagney and Davis crash land in the desert, where they find themselves in a not-so-ghostly ghost town.
Show People (1928)
Starring Marion Davies and William Haines, Show People is about a young hopeful who goes to Hollywood with the idea of making it big, and gets a leg up from a young lead actor. It’s kinda similar to A Star Is Born, only way less depressing. What really makes it is natural comedienne Marion Davies, plus the film shows MGM Studios as it was during the silent era.
Double Indemnity (1944)
Fred MacMurray plays an insurance agent who has an affair with Barbara Stanwyck, a client’s wife, and the two of them hatch a plan to knock off Stanwyck’s husband so she can collect the insurance money. The film is based on a James Cain non-fiction novel about the 1927 Ruth Snyder-Judd Gray murder trial, in which the perpetrators killed Snyder’s husband with a window sash. The original story was so trashy production was delayed for eight years.
What are some of your favorites? Leave a comment below!