Pre-1970 movies you haven't watched but probably should.

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Goatface

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certainly not for everyone, but if you liked payback with mel gibson

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Point Blank

After being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the rather inconsequential sum of money that was stolen from him.
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Chukzombi

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Aaron said:
About time we had a good Classic Film Recommendation thread. Watching old cinema is like going through a time capsule into a forgotten realm that you can barely believe actually existed. It's almost like an alien realm.

I'm curious about the 1970s cut off. Some in here say there is a huge difference in films pre and post 1970, but I'd like to know more about why that is. In doing so you lose some great films that I like from the 70s such as The Conversation starring Gene Hackman or Three Days of the Condor with Robert Redford, both amazing films that you will not see made today.

I'm a sucker for watching videos on YT of the deconstruction of films and cinematography in general. So much goes into making a good film, and in many ways it's a lost or dying art considering the hacks we mostly have nowadays. You have some non-Hollywood films that were made on a shoestring budget that are considered absolute classics such as some of Bergman's films like The Seventh Seal that come down to raw acting, direction and writing talent. Then bigger films like many of the WWII epics mentioned here (both based on reality and fantasy) that are works of art in and off themselves.

I'll need to have a think before posting some films that have not yet been mentioned here, but as someone mentioned the original Pink Panther I'd like to say how intrigued I was when I rewatched it a few years ago and realised that the era of having a hit song accompany a hit film is not something Jerry Burkheimer invented in the 1980s but goes way back. Take a good look at the people in the room in this video and you'll see what I mean above about an "alien realm". The way they sit, their posture, their class, how the fattest man there would be considered almost lean by today's standards. Men being men and women being women. Hell, even clumsy Clusaue or however the fuck his name is spelled is still more masculine than many men today.

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It's basically a copycat thing. When Tarantino did reservoir dogs and pulp fiction, It set a tone for the 90s films. So did Jurassic park. Everyone started making films in that style because audiences reacted well to them. Same happens with music. Smells like teen spirit was a huge hit and it brought us the Seattle sound or grunge for half the decade.

What set the tone for the 70s? It was probably Midnight Cowboy or The Graduate.
 
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Burns

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Aaron said:
About time we had a good Classic Film Recommendation thread. Watching old cinema is like going through a time capsule into a forgotten realm that you can barely believe actually existed. It's almost like an alien realm.

I'm curious about the 1970s cut off. Some in here say there is a huge difference in films pre and post 1970, but I'd like to know more about why that is. In doing so you lose some great films that I like from the 70s such as The Conversation starring Gene Hackman or Three Days of the Condor with Robert Redford, both amazing films that you will not see made today.

I'm a sucker for watching videos on YT of the deconstruction of films and cinematography in general. So much goes into making a good film, and in many ways it's a lost or dying art considering the hacks we mostly have nowadays. You have some non-Hollywood films that were made on a shoestring budget that are considered absolute classics such as some of Bergman's films like The Seventh Seal that come down to raw acting, direction and writing talent. Then bigger films like many of the WWII epics mentioned here (both based on reality and fantasy) that are works of art in and off themselves.

I'll need to have a think before posting some films that have not yet been mentioned here, but as someone mentioned the original Pink Panther I'd like to say how intrigued I was when I rewatched it a few years ago and realised that the era of having a hit song accompany a hit film is not something Jerry Burkheimer invented in the 1980s but goes way back. Take a good look at the people in the room in this video and you'll see what I mean above about an "alien realm". The way they sit, their posture, their class, how the fattest man there would be considered almost lean by today's standards. Men being men and women being women. Hell, even clumsy Clusaue or however the fuck his name is spelled is still more masculine than many men today.

Click to expand...

Outside of the "movies after 1970 were different" line, I assumed Mist had seen many more of the movies since the 1970s, so wanted to talk about older ones.

I think the "rise of the director" era of movie making started around that time too though. Without looking it up, that was when studios lost a lot of power and the talent (actors/directors) stopped signing heavily restrictive studio contracts to instead work more independently (on a movie by movie basis). That in turn allowed directors to better realize their vision. Which led to a wider variety of films getting made.

Unfortunately, since probably 2000, it seems we are back into studios have all the power territory and don't want to take chances on risky movies. Hopefully, over the next decade or less, tech will slowly push studios out the door.
 
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Hoss

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Aaron said:
I'm curious about the 1970s cut off. Some in here say there is a huge difference in films pre and post 1970, but I'd like to know more about why that is. In doing so you lose some great films that I like from the 70s such as The Conversation starring Gene Hackman or Three Days of the Condor with Robert Redford, both amazing films that you will not see made today.
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you know how in the olympics, they have the 100 m dash, and then the women's 100 m dash? They restricted the second race to women so women could win. It's like that. mist restricted this to pre-1970 so the list wouldn't be full of 70s and 80s movies.
 
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bolok

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Burns said:
Outside of the "movies after 1970 were different" line, I assumed Mist had seen many more of the movies since the 1970s, so wanted to talk about older ones.

I think the "rise of the director" era of movie making started around that time too though. Without looking it up, that was when studios lost a lot of power and the talent (actors/directors) stopped signing heavily restrictive studio contracts to instead work more independently (on a movie by movie basis). That in turn allowed directors to better realize their vision. Which led to a wider variety of films getting made.

Unfortunately, since probably 2000, it seems we are back into studios have all the power territory and don't want to take chances on risky movies. Hopefully, over the next decade or less, tech will slowly push studios out the door.
Click to expand...
Director heavy eras are pretty cyclical. We haven't really seen a return to the studio system ever since the vertical monopolies got broken up. French new wave in the 50s was a director lead movement that led to auteur theory. 70s was a US renaissance of directors inspired by that wave. It also brought us the Blockbuster era with Jaws- which had it's own deleterious effect on movies. But most people have a lot more exposure to 70s onward movies than the older stuff for sure. Unless you habitually watch TCM- which I used to until fucking comcast re-jiggered all their channel packages, or were a film history student (i was) you probably just un-aware of a fuck ton of fantastic movies.
 
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Groove said:
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Wild Strawberries

Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse...
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Bergman is great. Although his swedish ass makes some depressing stuff. I used to watch like once a year at least for like a decade.
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Hour of the Wolf

While vacationing on a remote German island with his pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.
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TheBeagle

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Page 2 and no one has mentioned The Hustler? Shame. Jackie Gleason vs. Paul Newman with George C Scott lurking around as a greasy 60's era gangster. I watch this one at least once a year. Goes great with Cool Hand Luke.
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The Hustler

Fast Eddie Felson is a small-time pool hustler with a lot of talent but a self-destructive attitude. His bravado causes him to challenge the legendary Minnesota Fats to a high-stakes match.
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Chanur

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TheBeagle said:
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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) ⭐ 8.0 | Drama

2h 11m | R
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Liz Taylor was a legit hot MILF in this. Watched it a few weeks ago and it blew my mind. Great performances.
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She was also hot as fuck in Cleopatra too. Also this movie almost bankrupted Fox it was so expensive. Luckily it was successful.

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Cleopatra

Determined to hold on to the throne, Cleopatra seduces the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. When Caesar is murdered, she redirects her attentions to his general, Marc Antony, who vows to take power—but Caesar’s successor has other plans.
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TheBeagle

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Young, cocky Brando and a cute Joanne Wooward in another one of those surprisingly edgy, old black and white films.
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The Fugitive Kind

Val Xavier, a drifter of obscure origins, arrives at a small town and gets a job in a store run by Lady Torrence. Her husband, Jabe M. Torrance, is dying of cancer. Val is pursued by Carol Cutere, the enigmatic local tramp-of-good-family.
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Aaron

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Thanks for those who commented on the question regarding the 1970 border. Here are a few films in no particular order.

The Sea Hawk
First is the Classic 1940 movie The Sea Hawk starring serial rapist and cocaine fiend Errol Flynn. Originally it's a black and white film but at some point they put a splash of colour into it and that's the version I had on VHS for years. It's just a great swashbuckling action film about power in the 16th century.

Rear Window
Rear Window from 1954, one of Hitchcock's best films, is a natural classic. There is also something about 1950s technicolour that I just love. Speaking of love, any film with Grace Kelly is a must watch. Just look at her. It's nuts that anyone could look this good.
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The Third Man
The Third Man from 1949, starring Orson Welles is another great film. What I like about it is that it relies on the imagination of the viewer to portray horror and not props and prosthetics. In one scene you only see the reaction of the actors as they view the horrors of deformed children.

F for Fake
Speaking of Orson Welles, and yes, I know it's three years past the boundary, but his 1973 film/documentary F is for Fake is a great watch. But be warned, if you want to watch it, I HIGHLY recommend doing it without reading anything about it first. It's one of those rare films that benefit from not knowing about it too much before hand.

Paths of Glory
All of Kubrick's films are naturals for viewing, but I'd like to mention one that often gets neglected a lot, the WWI flick Paths of Glory starring Kirk Douglas. It's one of those films that are filled with many cinematic innovations that have since become staples, such as having an actor walk towards the camera while the camera man walks backwards.

Well, I'll let that do for now.

Edit: How do you get these moviedb links to show a synopsis in a box and not just a text link?
 
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Lightning Lord Rule

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A Shot in the Dark - Probably everyone has seen it, but still. The character of Inspector Dreyfus alone makes it worth it if you haven't.

The Blue Max - George Peppard as a low borne flying ace in WW1 trying to play in the big leagues... with The Guy Who Played Rommel in Patton and James Mason and Ursula Andress.

Witness for the Prosecution - FANTASTIC story and really well acted. Charles Laughton is a force of nature in this. Though Marlene Dietrich I couldn't take seriously because I immediately couldn't get Lily Von Shtupp out of my head whenever she talked.

Key Largo - Bogey, Bacall, Barrymore, and Edward G Robinson. A masterpiece.

The Big Combo - Don Barzini as the bad guy, and a young Lee Van Cleef as one of his henchmen. One of the great stylish Film Noir movies that is pretty under the radar.

The Gunfighter - Probably the Ur example of the 'aging gunfighter gets hunted for his reputation' trope, which also relates to Blazing Saddles with the Waco Kid being sharp parody of said trope. Starring Gregory Peck.

The Battle of Britain - a ridiculously star studded cast and some fantastically shot flying scenes highlight this classic. A must-see for any WW2 aircraft fans.



EDIT: Want to feel old? If a movie came out today that parodied Tombstone, that would be like Blazing Saddles parodying The Gunfighter... +7 years.
 
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Aaron

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I forgot to mention the films of Jacques Tati. He made a lot of very strange and cinematic films in the 50s and 60s, often "playing" with the cinematic medium. While his films are in French, there is generally not that much talking, and what little there is is usually something you can understand by the expressions and the acting, so you don't really need subtitles.

One of his most famous films is Mon Oncle (My Uncle) from 1958. You can watch it on YouTube:


Then there are a few good Soviet era movies. If you're going to watch one epic Soviet movie in your life, make sure it is War and Peace from 1966. It's an epic 7 hour long movie with some of the absolute best battle scenes ever filmed with tens of thousands of actors (mostly Red Army conscripts in Napoleonic uniforms), but everything about the film is grand in scope. You can watch it all on YouTube with subtitles, divided into four parts. Here is the first one:


Another Soviet classic is Kidnapping Caucasus Style. A 1967 comedy. A good film, and interesting if only for seeing how the Soviets did comedy. Again, available with subtitles on YouTube:


And for those who are interested in Soviet/Russian films, then that channel, MosFilm, has a shit ton of Soviet era and Russian movies available for free and subtitled on their channel including classics that are from later than 1970 such as Stalker (witch the games are based off), Solaris, and many more.
 
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Palum

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I have a soft spot for the epic ensemble movies. How the West was Won and The Longest Day are both great.
 
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Dr.Retarded

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Palum said:
I have a soft spot for the epic ensemble movies. How the West was Won and The Longest Day are both great.
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I watch The Longest Day every year, and it always still surprises me just the massive, amazing cast for little roles here and there.

Such a good movie.
 
Groove

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The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his...
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Aaron

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Dr.Retarded said:
I watch The Longest Day every year, and it always still surprises me just the massive, amazing cast for little roles here and there.

Such a good movie.
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I think many of them viewed it almost as a duty or an honour to have been allowed to play in it. Would be interesting to see the figures for what people were paid. It wouldn't surprise me if they were well below the going rate. It's just such a well written and directed film. So many memorable scenes, like the one where the grunt won $700 or something like that in poker only to realise that he'll probably be dead within 24 hours so he goes to find out how long it will take to lose it all again. Then there is the French resistance fighter going apeshit with joy after hearing that poem on the radio.

Another good war film is Tora Tora Tora about the Pearl Harbour attacks.

Both films get a pat on the back from me for not having the Axis actors speak English with exaggerated accents, but their native languages.

There were also one or two war films where some of the actors actually played themselves but I can't remember the films and Google is shitting itself on this.

Edit: found one: Operation Swallow: The Battle for Heavy Water - Wikipedia
 
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