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11 Classic Movies You Can’t Miss

Photo credit: Ashton Productions

Photo credit: Ashton Productions

So, everyone loves a good ol’ classic movie, right? The black and white, the crackly screen, the sense that you’re watching a little slice of history play out right there in front of you. But where do you start with these movies? Thanks to outdated language and cinematic techniques, they can sometimes seem a little impenetrable-but there’s plenty out there that’s as easy to get into as any popcorn movie you’d find playing in cinemas today. But where to begin? Our list will take you through the best classic features to add to your watch list, and why you’re going to love them!

1. Some Like It Hot

Some people argue that they just don’t find classic comedies funny-well, show them this and beg to differ. Starring Jack Lemon and Tony Curtis who must drag up to evade some deadly gangsters, it’s genuinely a hoot from start to finish- and throw in a gorgeous Marilyn Monroe at the height of her sexbomb appeal and there’s something in it for everyone. You’ll be surprised at how modern the comedy seems, considering this was released over fifty years ago. Brilliant jazz music too, as the two lead gentlemen elope with a travelling women’s band.

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  • Napier’s Gallows

    Heard of “Casablanca”?

    • bigrobtheactor

      A masterpiece. Holds up better today than when first released. That’s my guess.

      • Napier’s Gallows

        Unbelievably, AFI placed it only second on the all-time best list, behind the comparatively lifeless “Citizen Kane”. We wuz robbed!

  • yellowkid49

    “Citizen Kane,” who would have thought of that?

    • tevra

      Citizen Kane was how to make a combination of Soap Opera and Lullaby.

      it will either put you to sleep or bore you do F’ing Death

      • yellowkid49

        You have to look at Kane from a perspective of the era, lots of groundbreaking cinematography, story wise, eh.

        • tevra

          not the only film of the time with great cinematography and camera work, good directing….but some of them had an excellent plot and story. Orson Welles was the Golden Boy back then who could do no wrong and this was his project .

          Despite his ability and I do agree he was a great actor, as a director his promise never lived up to the potential.

          http://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/14/magazine/orson-welles-the-unfulfilled-promise.html

      • disqus_ykznXtqnuv

        “Citizen Kane”. Very good, but over-rated.

    • bigrobtheactor

      I confess, Citizen Kane? I still don’t get it. I get Midnight Cowboy.

  • tevra

    when you start off Some like it hot as a Can’t Miss I’m not reading the rest ….. it was not exactly a bad movie but it was mediocre at best and sure as hell not a Can’t Miss great film

  • Ole White Dude

    I can think of so many that didn’t make the list that far out weigh these (mostly) lightweights. Lawrence of Arabia, It’s A Wonderful Life is for sure A+ keepers, but the Pit and The Pendulum? REally? Classic must sees like Key Largo, Casablanca, One Flew Over the Coo coo’s Nest, Five Easy Pieces, The Shining, Bus Stop, Seven Days in May, Clockwork Orange, Ben Hur, Spartacus, Dead Poets Society, Fisher King, Saving Private Ryan, Gone wit de Wind, and must be hundreds more, better than the dozen here. That’s what I love about the Yahoos that write these “must do, must have, must be, greatests” lists. Opinions, like belly buttons, every one has one.

    • Nunaya Dambizness

      Obviously, they are. While some of your mentioned films are truly “Can’t Miss” quality, I would say “Five Easy Pieces” was one colossal piece of cr@p. Again, IMHO. Much rather see your list of “Classic must sees” include 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, Fail Safe, Flight of The Phoenix (the original), etc. But again, to each his own…

      • bigrobtheactor

        Agree with 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, Fail Safe,and we can add many, Network, The Godfather I and II, On the Waterfront, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, Elmer Gantry, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest… Long, long list. Why so disappointed in Five..?,

  • amoverton

    I realize it’s not an exhaustive list, or even a Top 10. But, seriously, no Fritz Lang, Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Errol Flynn or Buster Keaton?

    • Bibliophilist

      Or WC Fields. “It’s a Gift” is his best, and classic comedy in the Fields style.

  • Dixie Graham

    Whoever wrote the commentaries on each film should review their English grammar or get a proofreader.

  • drivenbyfaith

    On The Waterfront, Stagecoach, Angels with Dirty Faces, and I’m just getting started. But I guess its all subjective.

  • 3x59yz4a

    a christmas carol 1952 w/ alistair sim; richard 3rd w/ olivier; alien; johnny skidmarks; touch of evil; bride of frank 1932; the ORIGINAL invasion of the body snatchers; mr. roberts; dead of night 1946.

    • Nunaya Dambizness

      Umm, the ORIGINAL “Invasion of The Body Snatchers” is ON this list!

      • bigrobtheactor

        And Bride of Frankenstein.

    • Bibliophilist

      a christmas carol 1952 w/ alistair sim is the most faithful to the Dicken’s book.

  • JackP32

    Lists like this are totally worthless when they leave off such great classics as Out of the Past, Key Largo, A Touch of Evil, Notorious, The Third Man, San Francisco and one of the all time great movies From Here to Eternity.

    • disqus_ykznXtqnuv

      Add my vote for “Out of the Past” & “From Here to Eternity”. Excellent

    • tevra

      I disagree with you on Third Man. another borefest. it was only great because of the theme song. not the dull story and plodding plot. another movie where Orson thought everyone loved to hear him talk as much as he did just as in Citizen Bore.

  • UnclePete1946

    The list is almost perfect. “Forbidden Planet” should also be there as well as “Red River”

  • kennykoolie

    White Heat “Top of the world ma!”, Shane “You’re a lowdown Yankee liar”, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, “Who are those guys?”, Paths of Glory “If those little sweethearts won’t face german bullets they’ll face french ones!” Platoon “They got Alias!” Star Wars “May the force be with you” The Ten Commandments “So let it be written, so let it be done” and Antichrist-You gotta see this movie to believe it. Trust me you will be shocked, to put it mildly.

    • Bibliophilist

      Nice list!

      ‘Shane’ is beautifully done. ‘White Heat’ hits hard. ‘Paths of Glory’ is an eye-opener.

  • Nunaya Dambizness

    I don’t know why so many people are so down on this list. It never said it was THE TOP 11 “Can’t Miss Flims” or the ONLY Top 11, etc. It just said, “11 Classic Movies You Can’t Miss.” I’ve seen 8 of the 11 and they all truly qualify as “Can’t Miss.” The one I’d never even heard of was “Peeping Tom,” so now I’m intrigued to check that one out. Sure, I could add a few more films that I think are more “Can’t Miss” quality than what’s on this list, but that doesn’t negate these films’ placement on said list.

    • dstatton

      Right. These click-bait lists always attract people with their own lists. My favorite movie, The Third Man, is not on the list. Who cares? I’ve seen 10 of these and liked them all, including the cheesy guilty pleasure Pit and the Pendulum. I’ve heard a lot abut Peeping Tom by the great Michael Powell, who directed The Red Shoes.

  • http://batman-news.com Jake Lakota

    Nahh, this list is no good. Marilyn Monroe is a lousy actress, not that good looking and short. No, Albert Hitchcock? That sh*t is still scary. Not that I liked it or even watched it but your list doesn’t have Oz or Gone with da Wind.

    • bigrobtheactor

      “Marilyn Monroe is a lousy actress, not that good looking and short.” Okaaaaaaayy.. Now I’ve read everything.

      • http://batman-news.com Jake Lakota

        OH REALLY? Based on your sarcasm I suppose she was a GREAT actress, hotter than hell and TALL? Then I guess, and picking names out of a hat, Elle McPherson is a PIG? Or Cindy Crawford? Or to throw in an actress how about Halle Berry. Wait, you vote for Pelosi and Obama don’t you? PUHLEEEEEEEEEASE..

        • bigrobtheactor

          Okay, you’re entitles to your view and I respect a guy who stands in his own corner, complete. But I disagree whole-heartedly. Have you seen her in The Misfits? Comedically her timing is flawless and as to her sex-appeal, as perhaps the last stand-up, hetero-sexual in Manhattan alone in that corner, she’s exactly where she belongs, at the top of the list. The two you mention are melerly models, pretty ladies but as far as sex appeal, well, we ‘re talking lifeless barbie dolls good for selling face makeup and designer dresses, but they don’t giggle or jiggle. I like jiggle. I love jiggle. Marilyn is the quintessential jiggler and her face aint hard to look at neigher. She’s Aphrodite, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Eve and Marilyn Monroe all rolled, jiggeled into one. A candle in the wind.

  • John Barone

    Look, everyone would come up with a different list, but I saw 8 out of the 11 movies and they are all top notch. I’ll probably try the other three. Good list.

  • thomaspainelives

    Citizen Kane, boring and pretentious. Pit and the Pendulum, not that scary. Where’s the greatest acting of John Wayne’s career, The Searchers?

    • Haldurson .

      “The Pit and the Pendulum” is campy — you have to like camp and be in the mood for it (it doesn’t make my ‘can’t miss’ list, but I can understand it being on someone else’s). Camp doesn’t have to be scary, it just has to be fun, even in a ‘so bad it’s good’ kind of way.

      BTW, I saw it as a very young kid, and I though it was really scary at the time. Then again, this is in pre-Exorcist times. I also used to think that “The Outer Limits” was scary.

    • tevra

      Someone else who notices that Citizen Kane is the film equivalent of a lullaby. It is the movie example of how to combine a Soap Opera and a documentary.

      Hell Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine was not a good movie but with Vincent Price getting a chance at comedy it was more fun to watch than anything on this list other than Larry of Arabia, the one true great movie on the list

  • Haldurson .

    Only film on the list that I haven’t actually seen, believe it or not, is “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I can’t really explain it, but I’ve never actually had the desire to watch it. I actually like Jimmy Stewart also, but I tend to hate Smarmy stories. Also, having a Jewish background, Christmas movies aren’t all that big in my life.

    Obviously, any list of must-see films will be personal, so no one should take offense if their favorite is not here. I’d personally have to include “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Blade Runner”, :”2001: a Space Odyssey”, “Schindler’s List”, “Goodfellas”, “The Godfather part II”, “A Clockwork Orange”, “Notorious”, and “Pulp Fiction” on my list. Depending on my mood,and the day of the week, I’d probably throw in “Annie Hall”, “A Day at the Races”, “Brazil”, “Rushmore”, “Bridge on the River Kwai”, “The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly”, and “The Mission”

    • XDs

      You have a pretty great list there. PLEASE see It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s not so much about Christmas, this movie is for everyone.

      • bigrobtheactor

        I will, there will hopefully come time in my life to catchup on pop-art-entertainment I’ve missed. The time will come. I never even saw ET.

    • tevra

      Christmas stories while ok don’t have as much meaning if you are not a Christian. It is my firm believe that in the future the study of Christianity will be part of the same department as other mythology. The study of the ancient gods of Judea along with the gods of ancient Greece, Persia and Rome.

      • mamazoni

        What does this have to do with favorite movie lists.

        • Haldurson .

          It’s a response to my comment, I believe, as to why I haven’t ever gotten around to viewing “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In his defense, it is relevant to the conversation, in that respect.

          As far as mythology is concerned, whether or not you consider it as such is not really relevant as to my interest in seeing any film on the subject. I can enjoy a fantasy or science fiction film without actually believing that any of it is possible, let alone real. And not being real, can have very little to do with how enjoyable or relevant or thought-provoking a film is. Hell, I can even enjoy a Christmas song on a purely aesthetic basis. But yes, not having a tradition of watching Christmas movies means I tend to be less motivated to go out of my way to view them.

    • Western Gunowner

      “Its a Wonderful Life” is NOT a Christmas story. It just happens at Christmas.

      One of the greatest films of all time.

      Casablanca is the BEST film ever made.

      And I can back that up by noting that Casablanca has contributed the most sayings to the popular lexicon (like “here’s looking at you kid”) than any other film. Name any other film that has contribute more than even 1 phrase to popular speech. I can’t think of any.

      Films like those aren’t made any more because the American people aren’t as good as they were then.

      • bigrobtheactor

        I think your quote is sourced wrong, I think that’s from another film with Bogey and the recently passed Lauren Bacall. (Too Have and Have Not?.. I’m not cheating by Googling it)

        • Haldurson .

          “Here’s looking at you, kid” is definitely from “Casablanca”. I’m not sure that quotability is enough to put a film on any 10 best list, In circles that I’ve traveled in, I’d say that “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is far more quoted than “Casablanca”: I would not ever claim that that makes it a better film (although it’s certainly a funnier film). Heck, I bet Looney Tunes is quoted more than “Casablanca”. Quotability is really more of an indication of a movies impact on the pop culture of its day, than on its quality.

        • Western Gunowner

          Nope, Casablanca.

    • bigrobtheactor

      I never saw it either, maybe same reasons. 2001, Goodfellas, Godfather (I & II), Clockwork Orange, absolutely. I also like Gunfight at the OK Corral, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, One Flew Over.. One Upon the Time in the West, On the Waterfront, From Russia With Love, The Exorcist, Broadway Danny Rose… West Side Story (not big on film musicals but this one staggers me), The Birds, Psycho, Network, Raging Bull and I will add one more masterpiece to a long list, though not yet a classic, The Life of Pi.

      • Haldurson .

        Every film on your list (that I’ve seen) is quite remarkable (I haven’t seen “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” though). I’d certainly consider putting a few of them onto my own list as well. “Raging Bull” certainly should be there, and maybe even “West Side Story”. “From Russia With Love” has long been my favorite Bond film — it’s good to hear that I’m not the only one who prefers it to “Goldfinger”.

        • bigrobtheactor

          The first two, Dr. No and From Russian With Love are the only serious films in the series. About half-way through Goldfinger, I forget exacty where, it, the franchise turns into a farcical comic book and never recovers, until the latest incarnation which in view almst rivaks the first, the two with Daniel Craig.

  • Cut-Spending Showalter

    I’ve been saying Kind Hearts and Coronets is a good movie since I first saw it in 1985. Finally, I get some agreement.

  • Joseph Mccray

    Well, quite a number of great movies listed as well as listed below. I have seen all but one of the movies on the list, and don’t find that many of them on my personal list. I would also add Inherit the Wind, where Spencer Tracy’s cross examination scene is an incredible master piece of acting. As for camp, don’t leave out Creature from the Black Lagoon. I saw that as a kid and it scared me half to death. Kudos for including Dr. Strangelove! I also agree with comments on Lawrence of Arabia, and Schindler’s List. I saw the later in a military theater just a few blocks from the actual location of the Nurnburg war trials. Not a dry eye in the place, including about half the audience openly weeping as they left the theater. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly also ranks up there as an all time masterpiece. Nothing Eastwood did before or after ranks anywhere close.

    • Roguewave1

      Wrong, “Outlaw Josie Wales” was much better.

  • Charles Winston

    The Libturd Who Came on My Dinner.

  • Charles Winston

    KOLD 13 in Tucson is run by a stupid fat whore.

  • Chris Frink

    This site needs an editor: “He matched will no problems by Vivien Leigh as Blanche …”
    That is so botched that I can’t make out what you’re trying to convey.

  • m444ss

    I’ve got news for you: People go to the movie theater to be entertained. While some of these movies might impart some sort of commentary on the times in which they were made (sigh), there are many, many more entertaining movies out there.

  • Alvie S

    Great list, considering you were limited to a mere 10 best. I’d probably have included “Moby Dick” and possibly “The Grapes of Wrath,” but otherwise, a splendid job; well done!

    • bigrobtheactor

      Gregory Peck. Moby Dick is a staggering masterpiece of film-making.

  • http://www.pbase.com/tomrok tom

    A few more suggestions: Wizard Of Oz, Alien, On Borrowed Time, The Time Machine (1960), Bridge To Terabithia, The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951), Night At The Opera, Naked Gun, Gladiator, The Maltese Falcon, The Cheap Detective, Blade Runner

    • bigrobtheactor

      Blade Runner. I got kicked off a set by Ridley Scott.once.

  • JackP32

    Opps, they left off 7 Days in May, Casablanca, and The Apartment.

  • Neil Geminder

    Modern Times, The Four Feathers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Chariots of Fire, the Third Man, Stagecoach, On Golden Pond, Gunga Din, and Lost Horizons.

  • Kathryn

    I will likely take ridicule, but I do not care. South Pacific was not only a beautiful movie with great music, it was a major step forward in the beginnings of the opening of people’s eyes toward the disgusting and entrenched attitude towards race in this country. Go back and read the lyrics to “Carefully Taught.” This movie definitely deserves a nod as a great movie

  • Joel

    How about at least one Hitchcock – Psycho would be my choice. Or maybe Rear Window.

    • JackP32

      I liked North by Northwest. A truly great movie.

      • DrRisk

        Hitch’s personal favorite of all his pictures. One of my favorites, but I like “Notorious” better due to its superb supporting cast, and more credible plot.

  • Sirspeak

    This is probably the best “Best” list of films I have ever seen. Its creator is evidently very thoughtful and extremely knowledgeable.

  • yakoo

    “Gentlemen! You can fight here…this is the War Room!” (classic)

    • bigrobtheactor

      Kubrick.

  • bigrobtheactor

    1) The Godfather 2) The Godfather II 3) Midnight Cowboy 4) Goodfellas 5) 2001: A Space Odyssey 6) Spartacus 7) Apocalypse Now 8) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 9) West Side Story 10) Network

  • DrRisk

    You skipped right over the greatest picture ever made, “Sunset Boulevard”. It completely encompasses five of the seven deadly sins—envy, greed, lust, pride and rage—plus every other human emotion. There isn’t even a close second.

  • Art Faucett

    Never heard of 2 and 11

  • Chuck Maverick

    No one has mentioned Wuthering Heights which was only outpaced by— Gone with the wind, at that time. But yes there were many great movies. However I think gone with the wind is untouchable to this day. That movie was shown around the world perhaps more than any other. A remarkable story, a remarkable piece of film work, remarkable actors simply top of the heap!!!!!!

  • Chuck Maverick

    When it comes to judgment of anything I cannot give much credits to today’s generation of stupids which is obvious by the music listened to by the majority of the youth of this day and age.Simply nothing but noise, three word lyrics, very bad musicians and terrible terrible terrible singing and that’s the kind of people out there nowadays who listen to that @#$% insult to music and the arts.

  • MurderInTheBarn

    Too short of a list. How about “The Third Man”?

  • Bibliophilist

    I would like to add ‘Now, Voyager’ with Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains.

  • Steven Durham

    What About The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind groundbreaking for their time. But what do I know. Afterall when flipping channels if I come across Valley Of The Dolls I have to watch it.

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