What's YOUR all-time favorite classic? Let us know below, and be sure to also check out our video of the Top 10 Classic Hollywood Movies with Disturbing Backstories: th-cam.com/video/8RzBaZmT-Fg/w-d-xo.html
Great selections but there were so many great ones. I saw no mention of "The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. Best action adventure film of all time.
@@kruiff 'd definitely go with Holiday Inn overWhite Christmas. Never have seen Barefoot IN The Park, and have only seen bits and pieces of The Apartment
I remember taking a film class in College... and all the young(er) kids laughing at the effects in Casablanca. But by the time the movie ended, you could've heard a pin drop... they were so invested in the story. It was quite something to witness!
@@ROBYNMARKOW It absolutely was, but one of the opening / early shots is of the airfield... it's been forever since I've seen it but I believe it was a plane landing that looked like a toy plane.
@@lauratieri5025 (😅) I'll have to re-watch that scene . I don't get why they couldn't use a real airplane but I guess they were all being used for the war effort.
I adore "Roman Holiday", as well as most of the Audrey Hepburn films of that era. You'd never have guessed that it was her first major role, she absolutely shines, and deservedly won "Best Actress."
@Omar 94 Holly Go Lightly was pretty dumb for my liking. But great acting and her outfits were wonderful! I also like "Funny Face". "The Children's Hour" was disturbing, though I like the ones you mentioned.
I've been wanting to watch it for some time...but as far as I can tell it's not available to stream or to rent on any platform! I couldn't tell you why.
@@Kate-ip8ul The 1979 version with Jeremy Brett, Joanna David and Anna Massey is better, I think. Better acting, e.g in the scene when Maxim tells his wife that he killed Rebecca. For some reason it's freely available, divided into episodes, on youtube!
Don't forget the movie that got me hooked on classic movies. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES....Great writing actors direction and it captured the mood of many returning vets from WW2...
While I'm glad It's a Wonderful Life at least got an honorable mention, it really should be on the main list. It's my favorite movie of all time, after all.
i never thought it was even the best movie of 1946 imo. i liked the best years of our lives a lot more. it felt so real to me about the trauma about coming back from ww2
Liberal response.The white guy defending the helpless black guy,because black people are to dumb to defend themselves.Gun control created by Dems so blacks could not defend themselves
0:25 Wizard of Oz 01:31 West Side Story 02:38 Roman Holiday 03:42 Rebecca 04:53 Double Indemnity 06:04 Gone with the Wind 07:14 It Happened One Night 08:23 Singin' in the Rain 09:29 Citizen Kane 12:15 Casablanca
Roman Holiday and Casablanca are two of my personal top films. Ironically, both portray male leads facing moral, ethical challenges and choosing to do the 'right thing' yet losing the girl.
@@westzed23 and EVERYONE was writing it! It had more screenwriters adding stuff than most movies. And yet -- it's easily one of the best screenplays of all time.
Another fun fact: the airport scenes were filmed at Van Nuys Airport( located in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley) which is just a few minutes drive from where I live👍
West Side Story is my mother’s favourite musical and The Wizard of Oz was my late grandmother’s favourite. Something about classical musical just makes you want to escape the world. ❤❤❤❤❤❤
As soon as I saw Roman Holiday in the thumbnail, I clicked the link. I’m happy that it’s getting more attention because it’s one of my favorites. I’m surprised It’s a Wonderful Life didn’t make it pass Honorable Mention. It’s not only one of the best movies, but one of the best Christmas ones.
A list like this is impossible, but these are great choices and would make a terrific starter pack for someone wanting to get into older films. Other recs I'd make for starting out that are approachable for newcomers: - All About Eve - 1950 - Bette Davis - Davis' greatest role - drama about the politics and hierarchy of the NYC theater scene. Crackling dialogue and screenplay. - Rear Window - 1954 - Jimmy Stewart/Grace Kelly - Hitchcock's most "fun" movie as well as one of his most suspenseful and masterful. About a wheelchair-bound newspaper photographer who suspects a neighbor has been murdered. Grace Kelly is a technicolor goddess. - Ninotchka - 1939 - Greta Garbo/Melvin Douglas - Romantic comedy by Ernst Lubitsch. Dramatic legend Garbo's only comedy where she plays a stern Russian envoy whose icy exterior gets melted by the romance of pre-WW2 Paris and by the charms of Douglas. - The Apartment - 1960 - Jack Lemmon/Shirley MacLaine - Romantic dramedy - Lemmon plays an office worker who unwittingly falls in love with his jerk boss's mistress played by MacLaine. Wonderful New Year's movie. - My Man Godfrey - 1936 - William Powell/Carole Lombard - screwball comedy - It Happened One Night may have jumpstarted the screwball comedy genre, but My Man Godfrey perfects it with screwball queen Carole Lombard as a rich heiress who falls for the no-nonsense butler played by Powell. - The Thin Man - 1934 - William Powell/Myrna Loy - mystery/comedy - Your new best friends will be Nick and Nora Charles, a wealthy married couple who enjoy cocktails, flirtatious banter, and solving murders. - Stagecoach - 1939 - western - John Wyane/Claire Trevor - Director John Ford's The Searchers is probably a lot of our fathers' and (and grandfathers') favorite western, but hasn't aged too well. Ford's earlier film Stagecoach is much more palatable (and probably the best of the western genre, imo). It follows an unlikely group of men and women who have to share a stagecoach as it traverses through treacherous western landscapes. An entire class system in a carriage. - Sabrina - 1954 - Audrey Hepburn/Humphrey Bogart/William Holden - Romantic comedy - this movie is almost pure champagne froth with some darker undertones. Hepburn plays the naive daughter of the chauffer to an old money Long Island family. After spending 3 years at cooking school in Paris, her maturity and sophistication turn the worlds of rich brothers played by Bogart and Holden upside down. This film also marks the first collaboration between Hepburn amd Givenchy who would design Hepburn's iconic wardrobe in 6 additional films. - Adam's Rib - 1949 - Katharine Hepburn/Soencer Tracy - Romantic comedy - Hepburn and Tracy are among the most iconic film duos (on-and-off screen), starring in 9 films together. Adam's Rib is arguably their funniest outing together where they play a husband and wife lawyer team who are pitted against each other in an attempted murder case. - Modern Times - 1936 - silent comedy/romance/satire - Charlie Chaplin/Paulette Goddard - Chaplin plays an assembly worker who struggles to survive in a world that is becoming more and more industrialized. Even though sound had been around for several years, Chaplin still chose to make most of his movies silent to help preserve his physical comedy as well as his conceit that one didn't need so much dialogue when actors had their facial expressions and body language to convey messages. - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - 1953 - Marilyn Monroe/Jane Russell - musical comedy - often overlooked by film buffs in favor of the more highly-praised Some Like It Hot, I prefer Gentlemen because Monroe is given more to do with her character and gets to be both extremely funny and dignified. She and Russell play two showgirls who are searching for their ideal men. You probably have seen the scene where Monroe sings Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (or the million homages to it found in modern media). - The Best Years of Our Lives - 1946 - Myrna Loy/Fredric March - drama - The movie is about 3 servicemen returning to their families/communities from World War 2 and the difficulties they each face reacclimating to a changed world (PTSD, physical disabilities, feelings of alienation from loved ones, finding employment, etc.) The film is strikingly honest in its portrayal of the aftermath of war and in no way glamorizes it, which is extraordinary considering that the war had ended only a year before Best Years was released. It beat It's A Wonderful Life for Best Picture which sounds sacrilege until you actually watch it. - Gilda - 1946 - Rita Hayworth/Glenn Ford - film noir - Hayworth's nickname was "The Love Goddess," a moniker was was cemented by her role here. She plays Gilda, the wife of a wealthy man who operates an illegal casino in Buenos Aires. Her husband hires a man (played by Ford) to be his casino manager. Unbeknownst to her husband, the man he hired has a history with Gilda. Double innuendos ensue. Hayworth, who was always resentful of her bombshell persona, would glumly say afterward, "men go to bed with Gilda, but wake up with me." - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 1948 - western - Humphrey Bogart/Tim Holt/Walter Huston - 2 downtrodden men (Bogart and Holt) join up with a grizzled old prospector (Huston) to search for gold in 1925 Mexico, a quest which drives Bogart to murderous madness. The film was a major influence on directors like Steven Spielberg, and you will feel like you're watching an Indiana Jones movie at times. Bogart's unhinged portrayal is completely ruthless and frightening. - The Lady Eve - 1941 - Barbara Stanwyck/Henry Fonda - screwball comedy - Stanwyck plays a con artist who works with her con artist father on a cruise to exploit wealthy naive man played by Fonda. However, Stanwyck ends up falling for the sincere Fonda. If you watch this back-to-back with Double Indemnity, you'll realize that Stanwyck was the Amy Adams of Old Hollywood - probably the most versatile actress working with a bunch of Oscar nominations without a single win. - His Girl Friday - 1940 - Cary Grant/Rosalind Russell - screwball comedy - Grant plays a newspaper editor who is about to lose his star reporter and ex-wife (played by Russell) who is getting remarried to another man. Grant contrives to delay her nuptials by suggesting they work together in covering a high-profile murder case. The rapid back-and-forth quips in this are the stuff of legend. If you love Clue (1985), this is the film that all the Clue actors were forced to watch in order to get the rapid cadence of their line delivery right. - Duck Soup - 1933 - The Marx Brothers - black comedy - The zany team of brothers (Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo) play characters that all feature in the politics and war between fictional countries Freedonia and Sylvania. The jokes are just so rapid fire and stacked on top of one another, you'll need at least 4 rewatches to catch even half of them. The density of jokes is even more extraordinary when you realize the runtime is only 68 minutes. - Top Hat - 1935 - Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers - musical comedy - You must introduce yourself to the greatest screen dancing duo of all time, Rogers and Astaire who made 10 films together. Many film lists will posit that Swing Time is the best Rogers/Astaire flick, but Swing Time holds the distinction of containing black face. It has great music and numbers that you can watch on TH-cam if you'd like, or you can just watch Top Hat which is believe is just as charming and ambitious as Swing Time, only without the black face which is always a plus. - To Kill a Mockingbird - 1962 - Gregory Peck - legal drama - I know. This one may sound like homework, and you may have fallen asleep in you high school English class when your teacher put this on. But just try to shake all that academic context, and just take in this film for the masterpiece that it is. Based on the Harper Lee book of the same name, Peck plays a lawyer in 1930s Alabama and is defending a black man who has been accused of assaulting a local white woman. His children, Jem and Scout, are often shielded from the cruel realities of their time, but as the story progresses, their awareness of the racist, violent, and nonsensical world around them starts to permeate through the veil of childhood. Peck delivers one of the great screen performances. - The Night of the Hunter - 1955 - Robert Mitchum/Lillian Gish - thriller/horror - if you like dark Coen Brothers movies, you'll love this. Mitchum plays a serial killer posing as a preacher who insinuates himself into the lives of an unsuspecting widow and her two young children. Mitchum is in search of money stashed on the widow's property by his former cell mate who was the deceased husband of the widow. Often cited as one of the greatest films of all time, it was a commercial and critical flop upon its release. It was tragically director Charles Laughton's only film as he took the film's failure to heart. Mitchum as the psychopathic preacher was way ahead of its time and has influenced many movie villains that came after. - Charade - 1963 - Audrey Hepburn/Cary Grant - romantic comedy/mystery thriller - Cary Grant + Audrey Hepburn + Paris + a murder mystery where suspects are dropping like flies. Often called the "greatest Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made," the Stanley Donen (of Singin' in the Rain fame)-directed Charade is notable for its inspired Grant/Hepburn pairing, intriguing mystery, and its melding of so many genres together. Hepburn plays a newly-minted widow pursued by a trio of threatening men who may or may not have murdered her husband. They are in pursuit of $250k that her husband stole from them and which they think is now in the possession of Hepburn. She meets a handsome stranger played by Grant who is both helpful to her as well as mysterious.
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - 1966 - Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton - Drama , The film follows an aging married couple, George and Martha, played by Burton and Taylor respectively. Burton is George, a professor of history, and Taylor is Martha, his wife who is the daughter of the college's president. Martha and George have a very contentious relationship and make very little attempt to hide this from a pair of young newlyweds who they have over for cocktails. Secrets and resentments are dredged up and laid bare over the course of the evening and over very many cocktails. All involved give a tour de force performance, but Taylor's Martha is a performance for the ages and the recipient of a much-deserved Oscar for Taylor.
Nice list! I would add Marty (1955) -- A lonely butcher and a lonely school teacher meet unexpectedly at a NYC dance hall. Although they both feel like social outcasts, they find themselves attracted to each other -- until Marty's family and friends intervene. Wonderful performances, especially by Ernest Borgnine in a romantic role, and he won the Oscar for it. Also won Best Picture, and a well deserved best screenplay for Paddy Chayefsky.
@@indy-fs6de the only reason I wouldn't put it on this list is that it's not from the Golden Age -- although it's in black and white, it's well past that period. I'm not sure if it's got a name, but movies from about 1960 to 1977 (when Star Wars changed movies) deserves it's own category -- and this film definitely belongs on that list.
"West Side Story" got me hooked on musicals, I saw it when I was ten or eleven, and I was instantly enthralled by the singing, dancing, performances... Everything! ♥️
I watched it before the remake. The original West Side Story is not my cup of tea, it’s not terrible. It’s well done, the songs, the choreography, the dance, the characters, but it’s not for me.
One of the biggest Ironies of the original West Side Story was the role of Maria went to an actress Natalie Wood who wasn't Puerto Rican , but the actress. The Great Rita Moreno, who was the memorable character Anita and won the Oscar for the role was Puerto Ricans
Classic movies are so unique and beautiful compared to modern movies. The soundtracks were always dramatic but so on point for the stories. The costumes were beautiful and fantastic. The dialogues were witty, clever, good and emotional. The love stories were passionate and romantic (whether or not they were an actually good relationship). The singing and dancing was off the charts impressive, all of the actors were so talented. They all had this beautiful, wistful, other worldly feel to them.
My mom introduced my sister and me to classic movies. We found a theater that played classic movies, and to economize we would sneak in food. My mom seemed to know everyone and everything about classic films. She was my idol. Thanks mom, these movies now live on as I have introduced them to my children and grandchildren!
@@Dallin456 Aw that’s so sweet. That’s what my dad did with classic music with my sister and I. He played CD’s left from his grandfather. I grew up hearing music from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. I absolutely love music, movies and clothes from those eras as well.
_West Side Story_ is still one of my most favorite movies of all time. Great music, amazing songs and dancing, and characters you can't help but root for. And it's definitely the best version of _Romeo and Juliet.
@@davidz3879 I think that they effectively show sad irony since the story takes such a dark turn.For example, I like in the new one how Maria sings "I Feel Pretty" & then finds out that the guy who she was singing so joyfully about has killed her brother in s gang fight.Of course,movies are subjective so you're definitely entitled to your own opinion 👍
@@davidz3879 the film times its songs to match the tone of the film, or in other words, each song reflects the ever-shifting mood of the story. The love songs like "Maria" and "Tonight" happen when the couple are blindly in love and unable to think of anything else. Songs like "America" and "I Feel Pretty" are there because characters are still in high spirit. The point is that nobody really takes the feud seriously - thinking of it as a game - until Riff and Bernardo die in the rumble, and Chino comes after Tony, and the tone changes completely and the stakes skyrocket. Then, "Somewhere" emerges from the couple's desperation to escape, "Cool" expresses the gang's tension and trauma and anxiety after what's happened, etc. After the rumble, the story does not stop going downhill, and the songs reflect that; all the lighthearted joie de vive of the earlier songs just drains and vanishes once blood is actually shed and the seriousness fully sets in.
It’s A Wonderful Life is my absolute favorite Christmas movie! And honestly probably just one of my favorite movies. It’s so beautiful, the acting is insanely good, there are so many fun happy scenes as well as emotional meaningful ones. And the overall message of the story is so good and relevant even today.
I’ve never seen it’s a wonderful life. I must be living under a rock or sumat lol cos everyone says it’s an amazing film and it always gets voted 1 of the best Xmas films of all time. I’m guna make sure I watch it this Xmas, if not before. My grandma said she always cries wen she watches it, happy and sad tears. And she’s not a woman that cry’s at any film, so it must be good lol.
@Jesse Rose Fawkes I saw it for the first time about three or four years ago when I was around 14. I loved it!! It’s my favorite Christmas movie but I’ve only seen it three times. My dad who is in his 50s saw it for the first time about four years ago so you aren’t alone
I used to love "It's a Wonderful Life". Then my best friend's son pointed out several plot points that totally wrecked it for me. The thing is, unlike a lot of haters who apply current mores & sensibilities to movies and literature, this kid sincerely wondered how I hadn't noticed the inconsistencies. All I can say is, guess I got caught up in all the "Capra corn".
Couldn't have said it better myself. It's a Wonderful Life is fantastic. My #1 favorite movie ever. I would add it touches on practically every element of the human condition: love, sacrifice, family, creed, corruption, selfishness, selflessness. etc..
1. All About Eve 2. Casablanca 3. From Here To Eternity 4. West Side Story 5. Singing in the Rain 6. Citizen Kane 7. Sunset Boulevard 8. The Bridge on the River Kwai 9. The Wizard of Oz 10. Gone With The Wind 11. Lawrence of Arabia 😊
My Fair Lady and The Miracle Worker from 1960-something are 2 movies my grandfather forced me to watch but ended up loving very much and I’m born in the early 2000s so I had no clue about them. But the wizard of oz is a movie I will never forget when I first watched it with my cousins when I was a child 🫠
Great choices! A few that I'll add to this list: The African Queen, My Fair Lady, Breakfast At Tiffany's, The Sound Of Music, His Girl Friday (another one of the early romantic comedy movies) and The Ten Commandments (a huge must watch and some of the best visual effects ever).
The first time I saw Ten Commandments was at a drive-in theater, BEST place to see it with its speaker turned all the way up, it sounds like the Red Sea is trying to flood your car! 😮
Ms. Mojo, this is a spot-on primer for Hollywood classics that will help viewers expand into other classics from these. When director John Ford was dying from cancer in 1973 he watched "The Wizard of Oz" on tv from his bed one night and at the end, with tears in his eyes, the old lion growled "Now THAT'S one helluva film!" Pretty good endorsement, I'd say, from the great poet of cinema.
The Seven Samurai is a great movie but it doesn't qualify for the list, as it's not a product of Hollywood. If MsMojo ever decided to produce a video for the top 10 non-Hollywood movies from the Golden Age of Cinema, it will probably make the list. However, I wouldn't hold my breath, as such a video would probaly have limited appeal for channel subscribers.
I’ve been introducing my granddaughter to the joys of classic movies. We watched Gaslight, Casablanca, The African Queen and All About Eve last weekend. She’s already seen GWTW, Some Like it Hot and the Godfather. She loves them all!!!
I LOVED African Queen! If she’s ever in the mood for a musical - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of my favorites. Little sneak peak: one of the girls is actually- Julie Newmar. One of my favorite cat women. THE Catwoman if you ask me 😉
"Jane Eyre (1944)" is never mentioned in anyone's top 10! One of Liz Taylor's first films with Fontaine, Welles ... and Peggy Garner's role was for me brilliant! And Margaret O'Brien and the French "love child"
For me the definitive romance of all time was "An Affair to Remember," with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. "Sleepless in Seattle," was based on this movie. It was clever and unabashedly sentimental...a thing of beauty. Another movie that impacts our speech even today was "Gaslight" with Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten. My fave is "Portrait of Jennie," a movie that transcends time and place.
Alternative list: 1. 12 Angry Men 2. To Kill a Mockingbird 3. The Adventures of Robinhood 4. The Apartment 5. Night of the Hunter 6. High Noon 7. Casablanca 8. It's a Wonderful Life 9. The Beat years of our lives 10. Marty
My mom was 12 when GWTW came out. She was forced to take her 6-year-old sister with her to the movie in a very small town. Right before the intermission when Scarlett proclaims “I’ll never gov hungry again” her little sister mortified her by saying very loudly, “Dottie, does she got an onion?”
@dinocub1 I was hoping to see The Apartment on the list, too, though I can't disagree with any of the choices. So many great films over the years; it's impossible to narrow it down to just 10.
"It Happened One Night" gave birth to a character who's influence dwarfes that of the film. While developing Bugs Bunny, director Friz Freling drew on the nonchalant, playful tricksters played by Gable (Peter Warne) and Roscoe Karns (Oscar Shapeley). The scene where Peter fast talks while munching a carrot became a hallmark, and source of the false belief rabbits like carrots. Even his name is based on Bugs Dooley, a fictitious thug Peter uses to scare off Oscar.
The Wizard of Oz(1939) is one the BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS to Brynhildr in the Darkness(2014) for the "I'm Melting" death scene for the melting deaths of the Witches throughout the entire series. Both The Wizard of Oz(1939) and Brynhildr in the Darkness(2014) are my ALL-TIME favorites. Both of them as of right now are CLASSICS.
Ida Lupino, Barbara Stanwtck, Susan Hayward, Gloria Grahame, Vivian Leigh (!….watch Waterloo Bridge), and I would argue for Ava Gardner (Really: Showboat!). Audrey and Grace were gorgeous style icons. Love them, but acting chops were not there (Forget about their dopey Oscars for dressing down/ honestly watch The Country Girl or A Nun’s Story…yuck) .
BEN HUR. all time record holder of 11 Oscars (until tied by LOTR and TITANIC). a world phenomenon when released on giant screens around the world. still holds up beautifully. also, throw in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, VERTIGO and THE SEARCHERS.
This list needs a top 50. Singin' in the Rain will always be the GREATEST Musical of ALL TIME! I am glad you guys ranked that film high on this list. Casablanca is a brilliant movie full stop.
A top 50 would be a good idea. I’m sure though, that regardless of list length, some favorites would be excluded. I mean, could you make a list without having to drop some favorites?
This is the first top 10 list that I've seen putting Casablanca as #1. Exactly where I think it belongs. But I'd have liked to see To Kill A Mockingbird or Grapes of Wrath at least given honorable mention. And while Some Likes It Hot is a great comedy, I much prefer The Producers (the original version). But still a great list.
@@HeronCoyote1234 To Kill a Mockingbird is not from the Golden Age of films (which ends at about 1959). It's from 1962 -- just past -- but movies really started to change in the early 1960s, after the studios started to dissolve.
@@christinedunning8463 you’re correct. I thought about that after I made my comment. If there were another list with great classics of the 60s, TKaM would be right up there with Lawrence of Arabia, imo.
I love all your selects, especially Singing in the Rain, but I would add North By North West and Rear Window, Audrey, Grace,Cary, Eva Marie Saint and Gene it doesn't get any better :)
If we are going to have a discussion about these movies, I think we’d best include Charade, called the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock didn’t make. Stellar cast, great dialogue, wonderful chemistry between Grant and Hepburn, especially considering their age gap, and funnier than almost any thriller.
@@Dallin456 I agree, the opening scene shot in Megève, in the French Alps is iconic, the story telling is superb, Cary Grant is such a gentleman, and was aware of the awkward age difference, the film handled it with such grace. Also Walter Matthau was brilliant. thank you for your comment.
In my book, "Gone With The Wind" and "Casablanca" tie for the number one spot. "GWTW" gets downplayed now because of its racist overtones, and to be sure they are there, but both of these classics are really about love, gumption, and the desire to survive. The love story of Rick and Elsa and Rhett and Scarlett are not to be missed or forgotten. "The Wizard of Oz" should be on the list for Garland's "Over The Rainbow" alone. It tugs at your heartstrings from childhood onward and that is amidst a wonderful story so well acted. Thanks, Mojo!
The Apartment,A Streetcar Named Desire, Gone With The Wind, Chinatown, HUD, Holding the Man, West Side Story, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Miracle Worker, Ben-Hur
I'm in my 30s but 'this' encapsulated my childhood. I was OBSESSED with classic movies. AMC had such good movies back then. Iconic musicals, classic romance movies, film noir, cheesy B westerns... I loved it all. And now, finding these iconic movies streaming anywhere feels impossible because they don't get recommended. You have to go searching and that means you have to remember film titles. I miss the days of just putting on AMC or TCM and enjoying 5 great movies a day during summer break. There would be 15 minute gaps or about between each and that's when I'd get all my chores done LoL
Great choices. There are a few others that deserve mentions...Holiday Inn (the movie that brought us White Christmas)...White Christmas...Psycho...Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (for the choreography alone). Westside Story is one of my all time favorites, along with Holiday Inn
You forgot "The Women" 1939 version. From Comedy to Drama & back again, it has everything. Star studded, fast paced & glamorous clothes as well as the sets & not one man in it but that's all that is talked about. An amazing script. If you haven't seen it yet search it out, you won't be disappointed.
The Women is okay, but not great. More novelty than anything... I'd rank another female-centric 30's film, "Stage Door" significantly above "The Women"
My personal picks. The big sleep- Noir, salacious & thrilling. An absolute gem! Gigi - I understand why it wouldn’t be on the list. The music, the playful drama & directing was phenomenal! Sabrina- my all time favorite Audrey Hepburn movie. Reeks of comedic femininity & Humphrey Bogart sends the fireworks home. All of these had me dreaming of romance as a kiddo. I rewatch them yearly.
CASABLANCA has always been my favorite movie. Kudos for being on top. But don't forget African Queen with Bogart and Hepburn in almost a wonderful two-person character study. Two amazing performances.
1967 we went to the Esquire Theater, Pasadena to see a film I knew nothing about. The film was TWO FOR THE ROAD. Afterwards we only talked about the time jump edits and the performances of Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. If you haven't seen it, see it. If you've seen it, see it again. It's more than worth the journey.
I have lived in the States for four and a half years. And my feeling was made up that, apart from Gone with the wind, the most lovely American movie is Miracle on 34th Street. It is really a great movie!
My favourite Hollywood film from this era is the 1933 version of King Kong. Although they're not my cup of tea, I'm surprised by the absence of Disney animated movies. There were about 5 or 6 from this era that were #1 at the box office for their respective years and outold almost all the films on MsMojo's list. Many are much more sophisticated than their superfiical appearance and deserve to taken more seriously than just children's fare.
My all-time favorite: Always Goodbye 1938 - Barbra Stanwyck Honorable mentions include: 1) Full of life 1956 - (Judy Holiday & Richard Conte) 2) How to Marry a Millionaire - 1953 (Marilyn Monroe) 3) Three Smart Girls - 1936 & Three Smart Girls Grow Up -1939 (Deanna Durbin)
Thank you for ranking "Casablanca" above "Citizen Kane." The latter is definitely a technical achievement in film history, but it has no sympathetic characters and none of the things that keep an audience without a critically analytical eye engaged; it's driven by a character's narcissism rather than emotionally investing relationships, and in the end, it's just a bleak and depressing story that nobody really wants to rewatch, but they're afraid to admit they don't want to rewatch it because film scholars are always parading it around as "#1 and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool." But the former is just a better film experience in every way; Bogart and Bergman's electric chemistry, the inspiring character development, the powerful true story of the Resistance's efforts against the Nazis, the brilliant reveal of their past romance after so much hinting, the gripping suspense regarding the hero's ultimate decision, fantastic subtext, endlessly quotable dialogue (who quotes "Kane" dialogue?), and just a lot more emotional investment and rewatchability for everyone, critic or average viewer, overall.
Every argument you have made is credible, but you are still presenting a niche point of view that turns you into just another version of the film critics. Not everyone who watches Casablanca is going to see the same qualities that you do. This is the challenge everyone faces in trying to identify something that has general appeal. If we were to create a list called “The Everyman’s Top Ten List of Golden Age Movies” I do not believe that Casablanca or Citizen Kane would be very high on the list. They are simply not the movies that the average Coke and popcorn gorging movie-goer, who can be induced to view and rank golden age movies is going to watch once and rate it high. The movies that we, in our self-righteous golden age ivory towers rank at the top must be savored and revisited and allowed to marinate in our souls to reach the top of the list. So God bless us for being willing to walk that uphill path, but God bless Everyman who pays the cost of admission that keeps Hollywood afloat during the Cubic Zirconium Age of Hollywood Movies.
Singing in The Rain is my favorite movie. That movie is why I got into musicals and saw West Side Story. I watched both so many times as a kid. It's like they are part of my childhood.
Singing in the rain was before my time, but I love West Side Story. I did see American In Paris not long ago, with Gene Kelly, and loved it too. Is singin' in the rain better?
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) A Street Car Named Desire (1951) Rebel Without A Cause (1955) A Raisin In The Sun (1961) Seven Samurai (1954) Carmen Jones (1954)
Singin In The Rain is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time! It’s so much fun, it’s got amazing costumes, ridiculously talented dancers and singers (but mainly dancers), iconic moments (the theme song being the most iconic)…I love it so much! My sister showed it to me about sevenish years ago and I absolutely loved it. I still love it to this day! I listen to the soundtrack on a regular basis. In fact I woke myself up with Good Morning this morning 😂
I’ve seen singin in the rain, I loved it as a kid, so my mum bought me it on video lol! I had a massive crush on gene Kelly growing up and I used to rewind the part of him dancing in the rain dozens of times lol! It’s an absolute classic!
Giant, is, unconditionally, and despite some dallying in the story, is an incontestably great American movie. James Dean is hauntingly good, the rest, good to excellent. it's the story, and the music, and the photography, that make it one of the most memorable movies of all time. not to forget the director, George Stevens. one of his two or three greatest movies, and he made a few.
Thank you for your wonderful list and for all of the other movies that didn't manage to squeeze into the top 10 but are also a joy to watch. I hope you are having a very good day.
The original version of ‘West Side Story’ became one of the greatest movies ever made, and the 2021 remake version directed by Steven Spielberg is quite impressive as well.
What's YOUR all-time favorite classic? Let us know below, and be sure to also check out our video of the Top 10 Classic Hollywood Movies with Disturbing Backstories: th-cam.com/video/8RzBaZmT-Fg/w-d-xo.html
It's not my favorite, but why the heck is the original King Kong (1933) not on here. . That movie broke new ground in special effects
Great selections but there were so many great ones. I saw no mention of "The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. Best action adventure film of all time.
What about Holiday Inn, White Christmas, Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany's, High Society, Barefoot in the Park, The Apartment, etc........
@@kruiff 'd definitely go with Holiday Inn overWhite Christmas. Never have seen Barefoot IN The Park, and have only seen bits and pieces of The Apartment
PSYCHO❤
I remember taking a film class in College... and all the young(er) kids laughing at the effects in Casablanca. But by the time the movie ended, you could've heard a pin drop... they were so invested in the story. It was quite something to witness!
What "effects"? The movie is perfectly character -driven( & that's what makes it a classic👌)
@@ROBYNMARKOW It absolutely was, but one of the opening / early shots is of the airfield... it's been forever since I've seen it but I believe it was a plane landing that looked like a toy plane.
@@lauratieri5025 (😅) I'll have to re-watch that scene . I don't get why they couldn't use a real airplane but I guess they were all being used for the war effort.
@@ROBYNMARKOWGood question - $$$ and the biggest reason sound stages are used: controlled environment and subject. My daughter is a movie director
I lived in Dublin for most of the 70’s. Casablanca was going to be n TV. I borrowed a TV and had a party.
I adore "Roman Holiday", as well as most of the Audrey Hepburn films of that era. You'd never have guessed that it was her first major role, she absolutely shines, and deservedly won "Best Actress."
Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany' are two of my favorite movies
Definitely. My favorite movie.
Roman Holiday is terrific. I also like Sabrina, Breakfast At Tiffany's, and Charade
@Omar 94 Holly Go Lightly was pretty dumb for my liking. But great acting and her outfits were wonderful! I also like "Funny Face". "The Children's Hour" was disturbing, though I like the ones you mentioned.
@@Omar-wq9dz Me too
‘Gone With The Wind’ is still one of the greatest Hollywood movies of all time.
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t gove a damn.”
That line never gets old…
I definitely agree. Plus it’s my favorite movie, nothing will change.
I could never understand why anyone gave a damn about GWTW. The only good part was the burning of Atlanta! 🔥
My favorite quote: "You is a mule in horse harness." - Mammy to Scarlett.
@@ellenchavez2043 Quotes from GONE... are included in the 2023 article "My Dinner with Sydney...".
If it were made today, he would most likely say" Franky, my dear...UP YOURS!!"
So glad Rebecca made the list. It’s usually overlooked even when talking about Hitchcock’s films
I've been wanting to watch it for some time...but as far as I can tell it's not available to stream or to rent on any platform! I couldn't tell you why.
Totally agree. It has always been my favorite Hitchcock film and everyone I tell that to raises their eyebrow
確かに最近はヒッチコックと言えば「めまい」や「サイコ」ばかりで「レベッカ」が忘れている。あの怖い女中頭が同性愛者で再注目されているが。
Yes Rebecca is available free for streaming. I watch it about once a year.
@@Kate-ip8ul The 1979 version with Jeremy Brett, Joanna David and Anna Massey is better, I think. Better acting, e.g in the scene when Maxim tells his wife that he killed Rebecca. For some reason it's freely available, divided into episodes, on youtube!
Don't forget the movie that got me hooked on classic movies. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES....Great writing actors direction and it captured the mood of many returning vets from WW2...
Plus one of the great musical scores of any movie!
Never ever get tired of watching Casablanca. It is the perfect movie, and definitely deserves to be #1 on any list.
Thank you for showing us all 10 classic Hollywood movies, especially ‘Casablanca.’ Good work, MsMojo.
While I'm glad It's a Wonderful Life at least got an honorable mention, it really should be on the main list. It's my favorite movie of all time, after all.
I agree. Plus it’s a wonderful life is on my list of my favorite movies.
Same with Sunset Boulevard - both in my top 10.
If a movie ALWAYS get you in the gut every time... that's saying something!
i never thought it was even the best movie of 1946 imo. i liked the best years of our lives a lot more. it felt so real to me about the trauma about coming back from ww2
And don't forget "To Kill a Mockingbird " Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch totally brilliant
"To Kill a Mockingbird" is an excellent film!! One of my personal favorites!!
Yes I think it at least deserved a honorable mention ….
Liberal response.The white guy defending the helpless black guy,because black people are to dumb to defend themselves.Gun control created by Dems so blacks could not defend themselves
Yes
You saved me the trouble. I would replace Rebecca with it.
0:25 Wizard of Oz
01:31 West Side Story
02:38 Roman Holiday
03:42 Rebecca
04:53 Double Indemnity
06:04 Gone with the Wind
07:14 It Happened One Night
08:23 Singin' in the Rain
09:29 Citizen Kane
12:15 Casablanca
Replace Double Indemnity with All About Eve.
No. Replace Roman Holiday with All About Eve!
I agree with Michelle. Replace Roman Holiday with ALL ABOUT EVE. The former is a chick flick, the latter has the GREATEST SCREENPLAY EVER !!!!!!!!
Yay!@@Joe-bd4xc
They miss Ben Hur
Roman Holiday and Casablanca are two of my personal top films. Ironically, both portray male leads facing moral, ethical challenges and choosing to do the 'right thing' yet losing the girl.
Fun Fact: During the filming of Casablanca, the actors thought that it was going to flop... Oh boy how ahead of its time this movie was!
During filming they were still writing the movie. No one knew how it was going to end.
Like George Lucas thought about Star Wars
@@westzed23 and EVERYONE was writing it! It had more screenwriters adding stuff than most movies. And yet -- it's easily one of the best screenplays of all time.
Another fun fact: the airport scenes were filmed at Van Nuys Airport( located in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley) which is just a few minutes drive from where I live👍
Casablanca caught a break, WW2 played right into it, plus Rick was like our great nation, he picked the right side to take, the underdog.
West Side Story is my mother’s favourite musical and The Wizard of Oz was my late grandmother’s favourite. Something about classical musical just makes you want to escape the world. ❤❤❤❤❤❤
What is your favourite musical?
@@westzed23 Oklahoma! + 7 Married_7Brothers...
The wizard of oz absolutely iconic
I agree.
Yes, it is
I used to watch the Wizard of Oz with my dad, he would get up and start dancing along with the Lollipop Guild.
As soon as I saw Roman Holiday in the thumbnail, I clicked the link. I’m happy that it’s getting more attention because it’s one of my favorites.
I’m surprised It’s a Wonderful Life didn’t make it pass Honorable Mention. It’s not only one of the best movies, but one of the best Christmas ones.
Hello 👋🏻
This movie for me defines...Classic!
@@rbrown5518 so true!
These are the movies every film lover needs to experience instead of just watching films from the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s
But these are all pretty well known. What's the NEXT ten? I'd really like to see that list.
@@christinedunning8463 most people don't wanna watch them because they're black and white or too long
Modernists don't know what they missing out on and mostly view films from the 80s going forward.
All About Eve also comes to mind whenever you mention classic Hollywood films.
Yes... the movie is a bumpy ride!
A list like this is impossible, but these are great choices and would make a terrific starter pack for someone wanting to get into older films.
Other recs I'd make for starting out that are approachable for newcomers:
- All About Eve - 1950 - Bette Davis - Davis' greatest role - drama about the politics and hierarchy of the NYC theater scene. Crackling dialogue and screenplay.
- Rear Window - 1954 - Jimmy Stewart/Grace Kelly - Hitchcock's most "fun" movie as well as one of his most suspenseful and masterful. About a wheelchair-bound newspaper photographer who suspects a neighbor has been murdered. Grace Kelly is a technicolor goddess.
- Ninotchka - 1939 - Greta Garbo/Melvin Douglas - Romantic comedy by Ernst Lubitsch. Dramatic legend Garbo's only comedy where she plays a stern Russian envoy whose icy exterior gets melted by the romance of pre-WW2 Paris and by the charms of Douglas.
- The Apartment - 1960 - Jack Lemmon/Shirley MacLaine - Romantic dramedy - Lemmon plays an office worker who unwittingly falls in love with his jerk boss's mistress played by MacLaine. Wonderful New Year's movie.
- My Man Godfrey - 1936 - William Powell/Carole Lombard - screwball comedy - It Happened One Night may have jumpstarted the screwball comedy genre, but My Man Godfrey perfects it with screwball queen Carole Lombard as a rich heiress who falls for the no-nonsense butler played by Powell.
- The Thin Man - 1934 - William Powell/Myrna Loy - mystery/comedy - Your new best friends will be Nick and Nora Charles, a wealthy married couple who enjoy cocktails, flirtatious banter, and solving murders.
- Stagecoach - 1939 - western - John Wyane/Claire Trevor - Director John Ford's The Searchers is probably a lot of our fathers' and (and grandfathers') favorite western, but hasn't aged too well. Ford's earlier film Stagecoach is much more palatable (and probably the best of the western genre, imo). It follows an unlikely group of men and women who have to share a stagecoach as it traverses through treacherous western landscapes. An entire class system in a carriage.
- Sabrina - 1954 - Audrey Hepburn/Humphrey Bogart/William Holden - Romantic comedy - this movie is almost pure champagne froth with some darker undertones. Hepburn plays the naive daughter of the chauffer to an old money Long Island family. After spending 3 years at cooking school in Paris, her maturity and sophistication turn the worlds of rich brothers played by Bogart and Holden upside down. This film also marks the first collaboration between Hepburn amd Givenchy who would design Hepburn's iconic wardrobe in 6 additional films.
- Adam's Rib - 1949 - Katharine Hepburn/Soencer Tracy - Romantic comedy - Hepburn and Tracy are among the most iconic film duos (on-and-off screen), starring in 9 films together. Adam's Rib is arguably their funniest outing together where they play a husband and wife lawyer team who are pitted against each other in an attempted murder case.
- Modern Times - 1936 - silent comedy/romance/satire - Charlie Chaplin/Paulette Goddard - Chaplin plays an assembly worker who struggles to survive in a world that is becoming more and more industrialized. Even though sound had been around for several years, Chaplin still chose to make most of his movies silent to help preserve his physical comedy as well as his conceit that one didn't need so much dialogue when actors had their facial expressions and body language to convey messages.
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - 1953 - Marilyn Monroe/Jane Russell - musical comedy - often overlooked by film buffs in favor of the more highly-praised Some Like It Hot, I prefer Gentlemen because Monroe is given more to do with her character and gets to be both extremely funny and dignified. She and Russell play two showgirls who are searching for their ideal men. You probably have seen the scene where Monroe sings Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (or the million homages to it found in modern media).
- The Best Years of Our Lives - 1946 - Myrna Loy/Fredric March - drama - The movie is about 3 servicemen returning to their families/communities from World War 2 and the difficulties they each face reacclimating to a changed world (PTSD, physical disabilities, feelings of alienation from loved ones, finding employment, etc.) The film is strikingly honest in its portrayal of the aftermath of war and in no way glamorizes it, which is extraordinary considering that the war had ended only a year before Best Years was released. It beat It's A Wonderful Life for Best Picture which sounds sacrilege until you actually watch it.
- Gilda - 1946 - Rita Hayworth/Glenn Ford - film noir - Hayworth's nickname was "The Love Goddess," a moniker was was cemented by her role here. She plays Gilda, the wife of a wealthy man who operates an illegal casino in Buenos Aires. Her husband hires a man (played by Ford) to be his casino manager. Unbeknownst to her husband, the man he hired has a history with Gilda. Double innuendos ensue. Hayworth, who was always resentful of her bombshell persona, would glumly say afterward, "men go to bed with Gilda, but wake up with me."
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 1948 - western - Humphrey Bogart/Tim Holt/Walter Huston - 2 downtrodden men (Bogart and Holt) join up with a grizzled old prospector (Huston) to search for gold in 1925 Mexico, a quest which drives Bogart to murderous madness. The film was a major influence on directors like Steven Spielberg, and you will feel like you're watching an Indiana Jones movie at times. Bogart's unhinged portrayal is completely ruthless and frightening.
- The Lady Eve - 1941 - Barbara Stanwyck/Henry Fonda - screwball comedy - Stanwyck plays a con artist who works with her con artist father on a cruise to exploit wealthy naive man played by Fonda. However, Stanwyck ends up falling for the sincere Fonda. If you watch this back-to-back with Double Indemnity, you'll realize that Stanwyck was the Amy Adams of Old Hollywood - probably the most versatile actress working with a bunch of Oscar nominations without a single win.
- His Girl Friday - 1940 - Cary Grant/Rosalind Russell - screwball comedy - Grant plays a newspaper editor who is about to lose his star reporter and ex-wife (played by Russell) who is getting remarried to another man. Grant contrives to delay her nuptials by suggesting they work together in covering a high-profile murder case. The rapid back-and-forth quips in this are the stuff of legend. If you love Clue (1985), this is the film that all the Clue actors were forced to watch in order to get the rapid cadence of their line delivery right.
- Duck Soup - 1933 - The Marx Brothers - black comedy - The zany team of brothers (Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo) play characters that all feature in the politics and war between fictional countries Freedonia and Sylvania. The jokes are just so rapid fire and stacked on top of one another, you'll need at least 4 rewatches to catch even half of them. The density of jokes is even more extraordinary when you realize the runtime is only 68 minutes.
- Top Hat - 1935 - Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers - musical comedy - You must introduce yourself to the greatest screen dancing duo of all time, Rogers and Astaire who made 10 films together. Many film lists will posit that Swing Time is the best Rogers/Astaire flick, but Swing Time holds the distinction of containing black face. It has great music and numbers that you can watch on TH-cam if you'd like, or you can just watch Top Hat which is believe is just as charming and ambitious as Swing Time, only without the black face which is always a plus.
- To Kill a Mockingbird - 1962 - Gregory Peck - legal drama - I know. This one may sound like homework, and you may have fallen asleep in you high school English class when your teacher put this on. But just try to shake all that academic context, and just take in this film for the masterpiece that it is. Based on the Harper Lee book of the same name, Peck plays a lawyer in 1930s Alabama and is defending a black man who has been accused of assaulting a local white woman. His children, Jem and Scout, are often shielded from the cruel realities of their time, but as the story progresses, their awareness of the racist, violent, and nonsensical world around them starts to permeate through the veil of childhood. Peck delivers one of the great screen performances.
- The Night of the Hunter - 1955 - Robert Mitchum/Lillian Gish - thriller/horror - if you like dark Coen Brothers movies, you'll love this. Mitchum plays a serial killer posing as a preacher who insinuates himself into the lives of an unsuspecting widow and her two young children. Mitchum is in search of money stashed on the widow's property by his former cell mate who was the deceased husband of the widow. Often cited as one of the greatest films of all time, it was a commercial and critical flop upon its release. It was tragically director Charles Laughton's only film as he took the film's failure to heart. Mitchum as the psychopathic preacher was way ahead of its time and has influenced many movie villains that came after.
- Charade - 1963 - Audrey Hepburn/Cary Grant - romantic comedy/mystery thriller - Cary Grant + Audrey Hepburn + Paris + a murder mystery where suspects are dropping like flies. Often called the "greatest Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made," the Stanley Donen (of Singin' in the Rain fame)-directed Charade is notable for its inspired Grant/Hepburn pairing, intriguing mystery, and its melding of so many genres together. Hepburn plays a newly-minted widow pursued by a trio of threatening men who may or may not have murdered her husband. They are in pursuit of $250k that her husband stole from them and which they think is now in the possession of Hepburn. She meets a handsome stranger played by Grant who is both helpful to her as well as mysterious.
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - 1966 - Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton - Drama , The film follows an aging married couple, George and Martha, played by Burton and Taylor respectively. Burton is George, a professor of history, and Taylor is Martha, his wife who is the daughter of the college's president. Martha and George have a very contentious relationship and make very little attempt to hide this from a pair of young newlyweds who they have over for cocktails. Secrets and resentments are dredged up and laid bare over the course of the evening and over very many cocktails. All involved give a tour de force performance, but Taylor's Martha is a performance for the ages and the recipient of a much-deserved Oscar for Taylor.
Nice list! I would add Marty (1955) -- A lonely butcher and a lonely school teacher meet unexpectedly at a NYC dance hall. Although they both feel like social outcasts, they find themselves attracted to each other -- until Marty's family and friends intervene. Wonderful performances, especially by Ernest Borgnine in a romantic role, and he won the Oscar for it. Also won Best Picture, and a well deserved best screenplay for Paddy Chayefsky.
@@indy-fs6de the only reason I wouldn't put it on this list is that it's not from the Golden Age -- although it's in black and white, it's well past that period. I'm not sure if it's got a name, but movies from about 1960 to 1977 (when Star Wars changed movies) deserves it's own category -- and this film definitely belongs on that list.
I love these additions!
Surprised no one mentioned Guess Who is Coming to Dinner
"West Side Story" got me hooked on musicals, I saw it when I was ten or eleven, and I was instantly enthralled by the singing, dancing, performances... Everything! ♥️
Why are light-hearted song & dance routines in a film about violent street gangs?
I watched it before the remake. The original West Side Story is not my cup of tea, it’s not terrible. It’s well done, the songs, the choreography, the dance, the characters, but it’s not for me.
One of the biggest Ironies of the original West Side Story was the role of Maria went to an actress Natalie Wood who wasn't Puerto Rican , but the actress. The Great Rita Moreno, who was the memorable character Anita and won the Oscar for the role was Puerto Ricans
I just saw the original for the first time when the remake was made. I like it. I just can't watch it in one sitting.
West Side Story got me hooked in 1963, at age 10 too!
Classic movies are so unique and beautiful compared to modern movies. The soundtracks were always dramatic but so on point for the stories. The costumes were beautiful and fantastic. The dialogues were witty, clever, good and emotional. The love stories were passionate and romantic (whether or not they were an actually good relationship). The singing and dancing was off the charts impressive, all of the actors were so talented. They all had this beautiful, wistful, other worldly feel to them.
I totally agree Ruby. They don’t make films like the classics anymore! I would of loved to have been born in the old Hollywood era!!
And regarding your comment Ruby, I couldn’t of said it better myself ☺️
My mom introduced my sister and me to classic movies. We found a theater that played classic movies, and to economize we would sneak in food. My mom seemed to know everyone and everything about classic films. She was my idol. Thanks mom, these movies now live on as I have introduced them to my children and grandchildren!
@@Dallin456 Aw that’s so sweet. That’s what my dad did with classic music with my sister and I. He played CD’s left from his grandfather. I grew up hearing music from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. I absolutely love music, movies and clothes from those eras as well.
Many years ago, I saw ‘The Wizard of Oz’ on DVD, it was literally impressive.
I saw Wizard of Oz on the big screen. It played many years ago at the Stanford Theater in Palo Alto. It was great
Vertigo should have at least gotten an honorable mention!
I would have picked Psycho. Hard choice.
@@westzed23 Yeah, definitely that one too
And Rear Window
It for surely should be in the list.
Vertigo is perhaps the one movie I can watch forever. Gorgeous cinematography.
_West Side Story_ is still one of my most favorite movies of all time. Great music, amazing songs and dancing, and characters you can't help but root for. And it's definitely the best version of _Romeo and Juliet.
I love West Side Story
The light-hearted song & dance routines are out of place in such a serious film.
@@davidz3879 I think that they effectively show sad irony since the story takes such a dark turn.For example, I like in the new one how Maria sings "I Feel Pretty" & then finds out that the guy who she was singing so joyfully about has killed her brother in s gang fight.Of course,movies are subjective so you're definitely entitled to your own opinion 👍
@@davidz3879 the film times its songs to match the tone of the film, or in other words, each song reflects the ever-shifting mood of the story. The love songs like "Maria" and "Tonight" happen when the couple are blindly in love and unable to think of anything else. Songs like "America" and "I Feel Pretty" are there because characters are still in high spirit. The point is that nobody really takes the feud seriously - thinking of it as a game - until Riff and Bernardo die in the rumble, and Chino comes after Tony, and the tone changes completely and the stakes skyrocket. Then, "Somewhere" emerges from the couple's desperation to escape, "Cool" expresses the gang's tension and trauma and anxiety after what's happened, etc. After the rumble, the story does not stop going downhill, and the songs reflect that; all the lighthearted joie de vive of the earlier songs just drains and vanishes once blood is actually shed and the seriousness fully sets in.
West side story is not one of the great movie though and simply cannot hold a candle to something like The Searchers or Ben-Hur.
Double identity is an amazing film Barbra stanwyck is brilliant
It’s A Wonderful Life is my absolute favorite Christmas movie! And honestly probably just one of my favorite movies. It’s so beautiful, the acting is insanely good, there are so many fun happy scenes as well as emotional meaningful ones. And the overall message of the story is so good and relevant even today.
I’ve never seen it’s a wonderful life. I must be living under a rock or sumat lol cos everyone says it’s an amazing film and it always gets voted 1 of the best Xmas films of all time. I’m guna make sure I watch it this Xmas, if not before. My grandma said she always cries wen she watches it, happy and sad tears. And she’s not a woman that cry’s at any film, so it must be good lol.
@Jesse Rose Fawkes I saw it for the first time about three or four years ago when I was around 14. I loved it!! It’s my favorite Christmas movie but I’ve only seen it three times. My dad who is in his 50s saw it for the first time about four years ago so you aren’t alone
I used to love "It's a Wonderful Life". Then my best friend's son pointed out several plot points that totally wrecked it for me. The thing is, unlike a lot of haters who apply current mores & sensibilities to movies and literature, this kid sincerely wondered how I hadn't noticed the inconsistencies. All I can say is, guess I got caught up in all the "Capra corn".
Couldn't have said it better myself. It's a Wonderful Life is fantastic. My #1 favorite movie ever. I would add it touches on practically every element of the human condition: love, sacrifice, family, creed, corruption, selfishness, selflessness. etc..
@@11cabadgerplease tell me! I watch it every single Christmas since I was born and I would love to know if I’ve missed something over the years
1. All About Eve
2. Casablanca
3. From Here To Eternity
4. West Side Story
5. Singing in the Rain
6. Citizen Kane
7. Sunset Boulevard
8. The Bridge on the River Kwai
9. The Wizard of Oz
10. Gone With The Wind
11. Lawrence of Arabia 😊
Sunset always should be in the top 10. I agree.
Первый раз вижу в списке " Касабланка" , а ведь фильм сильный. Casablanka is Best and strong film.
Thank you!
Never understood the love for "All about Eve"
The Free State of Jones
My Fair Lady and The Miracle Worker from 1960-something are 2 movies my grandfather forced me to watch but ended up loving very much and I’m born in the early 2000s so I had no clue about them. But the wizard of oz is a movie I will never forget when I first watched it with my cousins when I was a child 🫠
I agree with the selections. “All about Eve” should be considered at least for an honorable mention. Love Bette Davis.
Yes it should, after all it received 14 Academy Award Nominations.
Yes, great movie
Great choices! A few that I'll add to this list: The African Queen, My Fair Lady, Breakfast At Tiffany's, The Sound Of Music, His Girl Friday (another one of the early romantic comedy movies) and The Ten Commandments (a huge must watch and some of the best visual effects ever).
The first time I saw Ten Commandments was at a drive-in theater, BEST place to see it with its speaker turned all the way up, it sounds like the Red Sea is trying to flood your
car! 😮
Definitely "Afican Queen".
Ms. Mojo, this is a spot-on primer for Hollywood classics that will help viewers expand into other classics from these. When director John Ford was dying from cancer in 1973 he watched "The Wizard of Oz" on tv from his bed one night and at the end, with tears in his eyes, the old lion growled "Now THAT'S one helluva film!" Pretty good endorsement, I'd say, from the great poet of cinema.
Ok this is great and all but how the HELL did they forget 12 Angry Men or Seven Samurai?! Two of the most influential classics.
The Seven Samurai is my favorite movie of all time!
12 Angry Men is better than every film on this list
The Seven Samurai is a great movie but it doesn't qualify for the list, as it's not a product of Hollywood. If MsMojo ever decided to produce a video for the top 10 non-Hollywood movies from the Golden Age of Cinema, it will probably make the list. However, I wouldn't hold my breath, as such a video would probaly have limited appeal for channel subscribers.
@@t-mar9275 That's what I get for not paying attention to the title!
"12 Angry Men" is also one of my personal favorites!!!❤
I’ve been introducing my granddaughter to the joys of classic movies. We watched Gaslight, Casablanca, The African Queen and All About Eve last weekend. She’s already seen GWTW, Some Like it Hot and the Godfather. She loves them all!!!
She's got great taste and a great grandmother
I LOVED African Queen!
If she’s ever in the mood for a musical - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of my favorites. Little sneak peak: one of the girls is actually- Julie Newmar. One of my favorite cat women. THE Catwoman if you ask me 😉
The 1939 movie The Women! A fabulous film with Norma Shear, Rosalind Russel, Joan Crawford, Joan Fontaine, Paulette Goddard & Mary Borland!
О , який неймовірний акторський склад ! Я не бачила цього фільму , але обов'язково перегляну . Дякую за згадку .
There could have been many more on this list like All about Eve, Psycho, Lawrence of Arabia, To Kill a Mockingbird to name a few
Twelve Angry Men, Rear Window
@@LarryKnipfing and The Best Years of Our Lives, The Godfather, Ben-Hur
"Jane Eyre (1944)"
is never mentioned in anyone's top 10! One of Liz Taylor's first films with Fontaine, Welles ... and Peggy Garner's role was for me brilliant!
And Margaret O'Brien and the French "love child"
For me the definitive romance of all time was "An Affair to Remember," with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. "Sleepless in Seattle," was based on this movie. It was clever and unabashedly sentimental...a thing of beauty. Another movie that impacts our speech even today was "Gaslight" with Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten. My fave is "Portrait of Jennie," a movie that transcends time and place.
An affair to remember makes me cry buckets every single time
Alternative list:
1. 12 Angry Men
2. To Kill a Mockingbird
3. The Adventures of Robinhood
4. The Apartment
5. Night of the Hunter
6. High Noon
7. Casablanca
8. It's a Wonderful Life
9. The Beat years of our lives
10. Marty
Pretty darn good list!
totally agree with Marty. Also bring Ernest Borgnine around again for From Here to Eternity
Gone with the Wind is my all time favorite movie and book, have to watch it at least twice a year and read it at least once a year
My mom was 12 when GWTW came out. She was forced to take her 6-year-old sister with her to the movie in a very small town. Right before the intermission when Scarlett proclaims “I’ll never gov hungry again” her little sister mortified her by saying very loudly, “Dottie, does she got an onion?”
Surprised 5 time Oscar winner (including best picture) The Apartment with Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine didn't make the list. Such a great movie.
@dinocub1 I was hoping to see The Apartment on the list, too, though I can't disagree with any of the choices. So many great films over the years; it's impossible to narrow it down to just 10.
"It Happened One Night" gave birth to a character who's influence dwarfes that of the film. While developing Bugs Bunny, director Friz Freling drew on the nonchalant, playful tricksters played by Gable (Peter Warne) and Roscoe Karns (Oscar Shapeley). The scene where Peter fast talks while munching a carrot became a hallmark, and source of the false belief rabbits like carrots. Even his name is based on Bugs Dooley, a fictitious thug Peter uses to scare off Oscar.
The Wizard of Oz(1939) is one the BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS to Brynhildr in the Darkness(2014) for the "I'm Melting" death scene for the melting deaths of the Witches throughout the entire series. Both The Wizard of Oz(1939) and Brynhildr in the Darkness(2014) are my ALL-TIME favorites. Both of them as of right now are CLASSICS.
Anything with Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly is essential. Brilliant actresses with that touch of class. ❤👍🥂
Another somewhat forgotten actress with that touch of class was Loretta Young!
Ida Lupino, Barbara Stanwtck, Susan Hayward, Gloria Grahame, Vivian Leigh (!….watch Waterloo Bridge), and I would argue for Ava Gardner (Really: Showboat!).
Audrey and Grace were gorgeous style icons. Love them, but acting chops were not there (Forget about their dopey Oscars for dressing down/ honestly watch The Country Girl or A Nun’s Story…yuck) .
I will always LOVE Captains Courageous (1937), it has at times a POWERFUL effect on me.
BEN HUR. all time record holder of 11 Oscars (until tied by LOTR and TITANIC). a world phenomenon when released on giant screens around the world. still holds up beautifully. also, throw in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, VERTIGO and THE SEARCHERS.
The Best Years of Our Lives and The Heiress (with Olivia Dehaviland and Montgomery Clift) are my favorites.
Ben Hur is probably the best movie ever made.
This list needs a top 50. Singin' in the Rain will always be the GREATEST Musical of ALL TIME! I am glad you guys ranked that film high on this list. Casablanca is a brilliant movie full stop.
Hello 👋🏻
A top 50 would be a good idea. I’m sure though, that regardless of list length, some favorites would be excluded. I mean, could you make a list without having to drop some favorites?
This is the first top 10 list that I've seen putting Casablanca as #1. Exactly where I think it belongs. But I'd have liked to see To Kill A Mockingbird or Grapes of Wrath at least given honorable mention. And while Some Likes It Hot is a great comedy, I much prefer The Producers (the original version). But still a great list.
To Kill a Mockingbird definitely should have been on this list.
@@HeronCoyote1234 To Kill a Mockingbird is not from the Golden Age of films (which ends at about 1959). It's from 1962 -- just past -- but movies really started to change in the early 1960s, after the studios started to dissolve.
@@christinedunning8463 you’re correct. I thought about that after I made my comment.
If there were another list with great classics of the 60s, TKaM would be right up there with Lawrence of Arabia, imo.
I really wish My Fair Lady was mentioned here. One my all-time favourites...
I don't know which one would have to be removed, but 'The Third Man' should be on this list!
I agree but for the fact it was not a Hollywood movie.
In my opinion "The Third Man" leaves all the rest in the dust!😮
what would you like to take off the list first?
@@rbrown5518 For me, it would probably be West Side Story.
I love all your selects, especially Singing in the Rain, but I would add North By North West and Rear Window, Audrey, Grace,Cary, Eva Marie Saint and Gene it doesn't get any better :)
If we are going to have a discussion about these movies, I think we’d best include Charade, called the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock didn’t make. Stellar cast, great dialogue, wonderful chemistry between Grant and Hepburn, especially considering their age gap, and funnier than almost any thriller.
@@Dallin456 I agree, the opening scene shot in Megève, in the French Alps is iconic, the story telling is superb, Cary Grant is such a gentleman, and was aware of the awkward age difference, the film handled it with such grace. Also Walter Matthau was brilliant. thank you for your comment.
Great List! I would have squeezed The Quiet Man in there somewhere :)
Glad to see you included the great Double Indemnity. I would have also made room for North by Northwest and The Third Man.
In my book, "Gone With The Wind" and "Casablanca" tie for the number one spot. "GWTW" gets downplayed now because of its racist overtones, and to be sure they are there, but both of these classics are really about love, gumption, and the desire to survive. The love story of Rick and Elsa and Rhett and Scarlett are not to be missed or forgotten. "The Wizard of Oz" should be on the list for Garland's "Over The Rainbow" alone. It tugs at your heartstrings from childhood onward and that is amidst a wonderful story so well acted. Thanks, Mojo!
The Apartment,A Streetcar Named Desire, Gone With The Wind, Chinatown, HUD, Holding the Man, West Side Story, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Miracle Worker, Ben-Hur
Chinatown isn't from the "Golden Age".
I should’ve said that these are my favorite pictures of all time. So sorry!
a bit poky but Sam Peckinpah's Wild Bunch "69" had some of the best bloody gun action!
Gone With The Wind is a masterpiece, it’s such an iconic film and has the greatest one liner in film history, “Frankly My Dear, I don’t give a damn”
I definitely agree. Plus it’s my favorite movie.
"The Wizard of Oz" is one of my favorite Hollywood classics
I'm in my 30s but 'this' encapsulated my childhood. I was OBSESSED with classic movies. AMC had such good movies back then. Iconic musicals, classic romance movies, film noir, cheesy B westerns... I loved it all. And now, finding these iconic movies streaming anywhere feels impossible because they don't get recommended. You have to go searching and that means you have to remember film titles. I miss the days of just putting on AMC or TCM and enjoying 5 great movies a day during summer break. There would be 15 minute gaps or about between each and that's when I'd get all my chores done LoL
You are describing my childhood, too! We are unconventional 30 something’s and I wouldn’t change that at all
I saw Roman Holiday, and I clicked❤❤❤
Great choices. There are a few others that deserve mentions...Holiday Inn (the movie that brought us White Christmas)...White Christmas...Psycho...Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (for the choreography alone). Westside Story is one of my all time favorites, along with Holiday Inn
You forgot "The Women" 1939 version. From Comedy to Drama & back again, it has everything. Star studded, fast paced & glamorous clothes as well as the sets & not one man in it but that's all that is talked about. An amazing script. If you haven't seen it yet search it out, you won't be disappointed.
The Women is okay, but not great. More novelty than anything... I'd rank another female-centric 30's film, "Stage Door" significantly above "The Women"
If FAST pace is good for you... Watch the 1940 "His Girl Friday" Russell and Grant were connected a the hip!
The dialogue is head wipping
Thank you for at least giving a special mention for "The Philadelphia Story"! I absolutely love it! As well as more than half of the ones in the top!
My personal picks.
The big sleep- Noir, salacious & thrilling. An absolute gem!
Gigi - I understand why it wouldn’t be on the list.
The music, the playful drama & directing was phenomenal!
Sabrina- my all time favorite Audrey Hepburn movie.
Reeks of comedic femininity &
Humphrey Bogart sends the fireworks home.
All of these had me dreaming of romance as a kiddo.
I rewatch them yearly.
My favorite musical easily is Singing in the Rain! So glad it's on this list.
Thank you so much for this! Always love seeing more Old Hollywood content & this ranking has to be one of y'all's best yet.
Imitation Of Life (either iteration) should have at least gotten honorable mention.
Absolutely breaks my heart just thinking about it
CASABLANCA has always been my favorite movie. Kudos for being on top. But don't forget African Queen with Bogart and Hepburn in almost a wonderful two-person character study. Two amazing performances.
“Psalm-singin’ skinny old maid!” always cracks me up 😂😂😂 Also “I now pronounce you man and wife. Proceed with the execution.”
I love The African Queen! One of my all-time favorite adventure films! I watch it just to see Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn together.
Where is "Vertigo"? It is a masterpiece from beginning to end
Lawrence of Arabia, magnificent seven, guns of navarons, gone with the wind Spartacus, gladiator, casablanca
Can't go wrong with these... but did not care for the O'Toole rape scene😖😖
Gladiator don't belong
Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Ben-Hur are 2 of my favorite Hollywood classics.
Wizard of Oz and It's a Wonderful Life are two of my favorite movies
of all time!!
These movies are works of Art, and many people want to censor or even ban them just because their not representing modern values😡😤
The fact that most of the movies in this top are my favorites is amazing ❤❤❤❤
Please more videos of classic movies
The Best Years of Our Lives is on my list for sure!
Gone with the Wind and west side story ❤
The Grapes of Wrath SHOULD have gotten a mention AT LEAST
We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out; they can't lick us... A timely quote?
1967 we went to the Esquire Theater, Pasadena to see a film I knew nothing about. The film was TWO FOR THE ROAD. Afterwards we only talked about the time jump edits and the performances of Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. If you haven't seen it, see it. If you've seen it, see it again. It's more than worth the journey.
The only one I would’ve found space for that you didn’t is “Vertigo.” Otherwise, a superb list (including the HMs).
I have lived in the States for four and a half years. And my feeling was made up that, apart from Gone with the wind, the most lovely American movie is Miracle on 34th Street. It is really a great movie!
Roman Holiday is my favorite movie of all time!
Mine too
Don’t forget Billy Wilder’s 1960 masterpiece THE APARTMENT!!!
My favourite Hollywood film from this era is the 1933 version of King Kong. Although they're not my cup of tea, I'm surprised by the absence of Disney animated movies. There were about 5 or 6 from this era that were #1 at the box office for their respective years and outold almost all the films on MsMojo's list. Many are much more sophisticated than their superfiical appearance and deserve to taken more seriously than just children's fare.
My all-time favorite:
Always Goodbye 1938 - Barbra Stanwyck
Honorable mentions include:
1) Full of life 1956 - (Judy Holiday & Richard Conte)
2) How to Marry a Millionaire - 1953 (Marilyn Monroe)
3) Three Smart Girls - 1936 & Three Smart Girls Grow Up -1939 (Deanna Durbin)
Thank you for ranking "Casablanca" above "Citizen Kane." The latter is definitely a technical achievement in film history, but it has no sympathetic characters and none of the things that keep an audience without a critically analytical eye engaged; it's driven by a character's narcissism rather than emotionally investing relationships, and in the end, it's just a bleak and depressing story that nobody really wants to rewatch, but they're afraid to admit they don't want to rewatch it because film scholars are always parading it around as "#1 and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool." But the former is just a better film experience in every way; Bogart and Bergman's electric chemistry, the inspiring character development, the powerful true story of the Resistance's efforts against the Nazis, the brilliant reveal of their past romance after so much hinting, the gripping suspense regarding the hero's ultimate decision, fantastic subtext, endlessly quotable dialogue (who quotes "Kane" dialogue?), and just a lot more emotional investment and rewatchability for everyone, critic or average viewer, overall.
"Rosebud!"
Every argument you have made is credible, but you are still presenting a niche point of view that turns you into just another version of the film critics. Not everyone who watches Casablanca is going to see the same qualities that you do. This is the challenge everyone faces in trying to identify something that has general appeal. If we were to create a list called “The Everyman’s Top Ten List of Golden Age Movies” I do not believe that Casablanca or Citizen Kane would be very high on the list. They are simply not the movies that the average Coke and popcorn gorging movie-goer, who can be induced to view and rank golden age movies is going to watch once and rate it high. The movies that we, in our self-righteous golden age ivory towers rank at the top must be savored and revisited and allowed to marinate in our souls to reach the top of the list. So God bless us for being willing to walk that uphill path, but God bless Everyman who pays the cost of admission that keeps Hollywood afloat during the Cubic Zirconium Age of Hollywood Movies.
My favourite classic Hollywood movie is Giant, definetly. My love for James Dean is beyond words.
Singing in The Rain is my favorite movie. That movie is why I got into musicals and saw West Side Story. I watched both so many times as a kid. It's like they are part of my childhood.
Any movie with Gene Kelly in it is a masterpiece to watch.
Singing in the rain was before my time, but I love West Side Story. I did see American In Paris not long ago, with Gene Kelly, and loved it too. Is singin' in the rain better?
"The Wizard Of Oz" (1939), "Citizen Kane" (1941), "It's A Wonderful Life" (1946), beautiful films 🎞❤🎞
And I also like Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany's
In Roman Holiday,Hepburn spends the first hour sleeping.What acting.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
A Street Car Named Desire (1951)
Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
A Raisin In The Sun (1961)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Carmen Jones (1954)
Great movies!
@@Amy-ps6hf some of my favorites
Seven Samurai is not from Hollywood.
@@Radentstwo Agreed, I should have noted it as RELEASED in the US... TY for helping me set the record straight... Proper credit is essential
I'll happily watch any Jimmy Stewart or Audrey Hepburn movie.
My dad named my sister after Scarlett O'Hara. He LOVES classic movies.
Aww that’s nice! 😊
I was named Tara from that book/movie! ❤
@@TaraLyzFriend of mine in the Marines married a girl from Alabama. I looked at the program and one of the little bridesmaids was named Tara Bell.
Great list, buuuuuuut... not sure how "All About Eve" and/or "The Apartment" didn't sneak into at least honorable mention.
Singin In The Rain is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time! It’s so much fun, it’s got amazing costumes, ridiculously talented dancers and singers (but mainly dancers), iconic moments (the theme song being the most iconic)…I love it so much! My sister showed it to me about sevenish years ago and I absolutely loved it. I still love it to this day! I listen to the soundtrack on a regular basis. In fact I woke myself up with Good Morning this morning 😂
I’ve seen singin in the rain, I loved it as a kid, so my mum bought me it on video lol! I had a massive crush on gene Kelly growing up and I used to rewind the part of him dancing in the rain dozens of times lol! It’s an absolute classic!
'Some Like It Hot' is my number one Classic Best. I'd also have 'Pyjama Game' with Doris Day in there somewhere too.
Gone with the wind must be #1 hands down
I think the movie giant should be on your list Elizabeth Taylor, rock Hudson and James Dean an old time classic
Giant, is, unconditionally, and despite some dallying in the story, is an incontestably great American movie. James Dean is hauntingly good, the rest, good to excellent. it's the story, and the music, and the photography, that make it one of the most memorable movies of all time. not to forget the director, George Stevens. one of his two or three greatest movies, and he made a few.
My favorite is "The Heiress" and "Notorious"
The Heiress is SO good, and not very well known unless you are an old movie buff (like me).
@@christinedunning8463 exactly. isn't so famous, so iconic. but it's a great film
@@christinedunning8463 So glad you mentioned The Heiress! It is my favorite movie...I watch it practically once a month!
@@christinedunning8463 And so is "Johnny Belinda" and "The Snakepit" which came out the yr before "The heiress"
Great choices. If you had room for one more honorable mention I would have included "The Best Years of Our Lives."
Great list, but Sunset Boulevard should be on it, not in the honorable mentions.
Thank you for your wonderful list and for all of the other movies that didn't manage to squeeze into the top 10 but are also a joy to watch.
I hope you are having a very good day.
The original version of ‘West Side Story’ became one of the greatest movies ever made, and the 2021 remake version directed by Steven Spielberg is quite impressive as well.
The original West Side Story was so great that it tainted my view of the remake.