old films that are still very good

[featured_spectre]

Not really an old movie though is it? Anything pre 1990's ideally.

 

Some of the classic stuff is great, bridge over river kwai is another one that people mentioned, Ben Hur is another one I like and Citizen Kane

[mac_shinobi]

Not really an old movie though is it? Anything pre 1990's ideally.

 

Some of the classic stuff is great, bridge over river kwai is another one that people mentioned, Ben Hur is another one I like and Citizen Kane

 

True - just wanted to post it as thought it was a good movie, still a good 10 years old, obviously not as old as pre 1994 but ah well

[featured_spectre]

Whilst yes it is a good movie, I am talking old school stuff that still cracks a smile, a lot of the new films leave me feeling disappointed as they just dont have the story line like the old ones. I wouldn't mind seeing a remake of some of the old films - BFG would be a good remake, as would a lot of westerns

[Domino]

erm? If it was good, why would it stop being good because it's old?

 

And you're all missing "the cabinet of Dr caligari" ;-)

[Dos_Box]

Mine:

 

The Breakfast Club

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Ferris Buellers Day Off

A Bridge Too Far

Alien (stilll scares the pants off me!)

 

 

It's stange though. Many 80's films I grew up with look so bad (and not to mention cheesy) now that they make me wince, and lots of modern films have sacrificed plot and dialog for special effects and 'action' that don't give me a buzz when leaving the cinema or prevent you from pauseing to make a coffee if watching on DVD.

[featured_spectre]

This is the trouble with a lot of the films @Dos_Box look at the old westerns or films from the 40's - late 80's, they were all story line based and yes some had special effects, but were limited due to the technology of the day. Look now and it seems special effects based with story coming second...a good example is transformers, it seems like they crammed the entire original cartoons into 3 films and missed a tonne of the story!

[beeswax]

This is the trouble with a lot of the films @Dos_Box look at the old westerns or films from the 40's - late 80's, they were all story line based and yes some had special effects, but were limited due to the technology of the day. Look now and it seems special effects based with story coming second...a good example is transformers, it seems like they crammed the entire original cartoons into 3 films and missed a tonne of the story!

 

[beeswax]

I have all the laurel and hardy stuff they ate excellent!

 

The older James bond films are much better than the newer ones.

 

G'day Zak. I think the 2006 reworking of Casino Royale with Daniel Craig is very good.

[BKGarry]

There is always the 80s "Classics"

-Fame

-Footloose

-Flashdance

-Ghost

-St Emlo's Fire.

 

but the only movie I can ever remember watching pre 1990s at the cinema was the Little Mermaid.

 

Labyrinth is an awesome movie, as someone mentioned about.

 

There is also an old black and white movie I like, but only seen once which has a Soldier who is injured during a war (probably ww2) and is paralysed and can only communicate through the twitching on his neck.

[FN-GM]

The orignal casino royal wasn't very good. It wa made by other production company. Personally I like the Rodger Moore films.

[beeswax]

The orignal casino royal wasn't very good. It wa made by other production company. Personally I like the Rodger Moore films.

 

Sir Roger Moore Q and A for September 2011 | Roger Moore

[6Foot2]

Chinatown

Midnight Cowboy

The French Connection

The Godfather

Fiddler on The Roof

Midnight Express

The Elephant Man

Educating Rita

....

Edited October 9, 2011 by 6Foot2
Correct typing error.

[mrwobbly]

http://www.imdb.com/chart/top

 

The top 250 movies on the Internet Movie Database.

You will be suprised how many are pre 1990.

[X-13]

The Princess Bride. [1987]

 

I never miss an opportunity to watch it.

 

Apart from that, I think most of the other films I like have been mentioned already. Akira [1988] is OK, but I don't really get the hype surrounding it.

 

Also, Jason and the Argonauts [1963] and all films like it with their crappy special effects.

[webman]

Metropolis

 

Had the pleasure of seeing that last year at the Tyneside Cinema - it was really good

[PICNIC]

Leon

Pump up the Volume

 

Edit: oo forgot - Pale Rider

[nicholab]

Went the Day Well

Blue lamp

Kind Hearts and Coronets

Lavender Hill Mob

Heavens Above

[sonofsanta]

Pre 1990? Old? Come on! All the best films were 80s films anyway, you're more or less asking "list the best films without including Pixar" at that point

 

Old would be pre-1960, in which case I'd have to plump for It's A Wonderful Life (as mentioned by Beeswax) and Citizen Kane, which is genuinely gripping and deserving of the reputation it has.

 

If I were to list all the best films before the 90s I'd be here all morning. I even had a DeLorean on my wedding cake last year!

 

(and I was born in 1984, so this isn't even a "back in my day" kind of thing, just that most of the all time greats really did happen two to three decades ago)

[36Degrees]

My OH and I were talking the other day about films that I have to watch whenever they are on and a lot of them have been mentioned here. So in addition I shall add to the above:

 

North by Northwest

Battle Of The River Plate

Lawrence Of Arabia

Das Boot (although the series was much better)

[featured_spectre]

Thing is from say 1992 onwards films just gave in to special effects and lost plots for many many films (Die hard 3 being possibly the best mix of both special effects and plot since).

 

The trouble with many of todays films as has been previously said is that much of the story is sacrificed for special effects, if transformers wanted too, all 3 films could have been condensed into 1 film and would have been much better IMO because it follows to the cartoons in that sense, but no it had to be split. Look at films like The breakfast club, weird science, road house or footloose...all have great stories, some bits absolutely hilarious, some cringe worthy, but great films that have lasted the times, unlike say Bugs life, The mask, Minority report etc all ground breaking with the effects which have faded and rarely ever talked about now, hell even the matrix for all the hype it had is no longer looked at by many as a great film.

[LosOjos]

So many great "old" films"

 

Taxi Driver

Scarface

The Godfather

Deer Hunter

Apocalypse Now

Full Metal Jacket

Videodrome (not everyone's taste but I think it's great!)

Zulu (watch that in BluRay and you'd think it was made last week, awesome conversion)

The Last Detail (classic early Nicholson, brilliant film)

[sted]

The trouble with many of todays films as has been previously said is that much of the story is sacrificed for special effects, if transformers wanted too, all 3 films could have been condensed into 1 film and would have been much better IMO because it follows to the cartoons in that sense, but no it had to be split.

 

ive only seen the 1st 2 transformers films the 1st one was ok at best best part about the 2nd one is they destroy an astra (a car i lothe) other than that it was utter pap (Im sorry optimus prime wouldnt coldly kill someone who couldnt fight back its just wrong). Special effects when used for plot i have no problem with but do not a movie make)

 

back on topic

 

back to the future

enjoyed watching brewsters millions

star wars

the italian job

who framed roger rabbit (still manages to have better interaction between live and animated than modern stuff in a lot of cases)

[cromertech]

Strangers on a Train

Dial 'M' for Murder

 

Hitchcock was a genius!

[JoeBloggs]

Scar Face.

[nicholab]

Innocents in Paris