Oh, bookwoman, i agree! The dialogue. the repartee. the cinematography, the delicacy. Yes Yes.

Well said, Bookwoman.. I very much agree. Of course, like any art form, Film may not resonate with all in the same way.

Somewhat of an aside but I very much recommend the Netflix series, Five Came Back. It looks at 5 directors (Frank Capra, John Huston, William Wyler, John Ford and George Stevens) who were pulled from their careers, homes, families like so many other men during WWII. There is a lot of front-line footage as well as examples of the propaganda films they produced... and very insightful discussions of the same by 5 modern day directors. They look not just at their experiences during the war but on the impact of the war on the work each director produced (or didn't) on their return. I learned a lot and I thought it was a very interesting discussion.

I am not doing it justice -- but I definitely give it high praise. @mtnrdredux_gw while I can't predict if you will appreciate it, I definitely recommend it to your DS.

Funky, we saw Five Came Back and loved it.

Jilly, I’m doing the same thing, there are so many.

It never occurred to me that realism was the point of movies - I see them more as an escape.

If I want realism, I will watch a documentary.

" Most classic movies that I rewatch, I mean more than 50 years old (?), strike me as ridiculously bad when I see them today. The world was just too uptight to make a movie with authentic characters back then. "

I think if they don't stand up over time and you think they're "ridiculously bad" when you watch them, then they're not classic movies. Not all old movies are classic. As for "authentic characters", that is often not the point of movies, which are more about fantasy than reality. It certainly isn't and wasn't the point of most movies; and I can think of relatively few movies that have or have had "authentic characters" in them at all.

I just thought of another great classic that does have fairly "authentic" characters, though: 12 Angry Men.

Starship Troopers. Is it good? No, but it is almost perfect.

A Face in the Crowd -- even more relevant today.

It certainly is, suero, it certaimly is.

Ok, now I wish it was January again to watch all of these movies!

I'll add The Court Jester (Danny Kaye makes me laugh so much)

and speaking of Cary Grant, our family fave growing up was Father Goose ...( it looked like a snake.... hahaha)

I have watched Casablanca a zillion times also. Every time it comes on, I think nah, not again, but then watch a little which turns into the whole thing of course. It is perfect.

I’m always moved by the scene of Vito Corleone playing with his grandson in the tomato garden in the Godfather.

Mtn, when I see old movies now I can't help but notice how overly dramatic the actors are, some are so bad I turn it off.

1944 The White Cliffs of Dover is my all time favorite movie. So many great characters, Irene Dunne being the main character. It even has a young Roddy McDowell and Elizabeth Taylor. Its patriotic as heck, especially when American soldiers come to England and march down the streets whie everyone is clapping. So much happens.

An American goes to England during the war and marries a nobleman.

Funny, serious, bittersweet, and just perfect.

How can I forget Hud? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hud_(1963_film) And I never saw it as a western either. I don't like westerns.

That reminded me of Mrs. Miniver, Oakley - another wonderful WWII homefront movie.

Oh, and I just remembered The Best Years Of Our Lives - another wonderful WWII movie that takes place here in the USA.

The Enchanted Cottage. It's so lovely.

"Most classic movies that I rewatch, I mean more than 50 years old (?), strike me as ridiculously bad when I see them today. The world was just too uptight to make a movie with authentic characters back then. "

OMG! Heresy! I think of all those incredible movies with some of the best actors ever, made when the movie industry was at its pinnacle. It figures my take is just the opposite from yours. Then again, you'd probably think I was a heretic when it comes to my take on opera...

Depending on the era, yes, there is some over-emoting in the films of the early 1930s as they were still growing into "talkies" and hadn't yet mastered the full art of dialogue. But so many of those movies, especially in the late 30s and 40s were far more "authentic" IMO than the movies of today which are too much action, sex, violence, and bad language. I much prefer the art of the subtle, the suggestion, the innuendo, the look, the witty repartee. (I liken it to how humor has changed too. So many comedians now rely on the f bomb to make an audience laugh through shock or embarrassment vs. the old days when they couldn't do that so they actually had to be funny.)

As far as authenticity, those scenes done without any CGI are far more authentic than today's movie making, IMO. (If you've never seen Buster Keaton's or Harold Lloyd's stunts, you're in for a treat, especially when you realize it was all done for real in real time.)

I love watching film noir, many of which were b-rated movies, but were absolutely moving and stunning despite the fact they were often done on a budget of less than $200k and in 2 weeks' time. Often they were early works of masters, only recognized for their talents much later. And the cinematography and photographic techniques used in film noir add an atmosphere to these films like no other. Some of the best include Key Largo, Double Indemnity and Laura

We should also touch upon the western, some of which were outstanding movies as well. I'm not sure I have one I would consider a favorite, but there were many ... High Noon and Shane come to mind.

When it comes to thrillers, the original Cape Fear was amazing as was North by Northwest.

And for romance, it's hard to beat Bette Davis eyes...Now Voyager, Dark Victory...

Yes to Shane.

I'm not sure that the density of "excellent" movies in bygone years is any greater than what's made currently. Looking at a stretch of any 20 year era from the 40s onwards is going to produce more memorable ones than if looking at shorter time spans. People like classic movies sometimes as much for nostalgia reasons as much as for the quality of what's available to watch. There were plenty of lousy movies made in these same eras as there are now.

It's easy for me to shoot when blindfolded and hit a worthwhile movie if the target field is comprised of Hitchcock or Bogart films. That's just my own personal taste, others differ. For Bogart films, I don't like Key Largo much compared to many others. It was hardly a b-class production - it had a list of respected top drawer talent, one of whom won an Oscar for her performance. That aside, I don't think it measures up to his better films.

Annie - Film noir is my genre and has been for decades. And "Laura" was always one of my favorites. Gene Tierney is wonderful in the role.

Cindy, I'm guessing you're a regular at Noir Alley on TCM....Eddie Mueller does such a fabulous job with his intros and outros.

OK, Elmer, what would you consider your favorite Bogart movies? I liked him in Key Largo...but then again I liked him any time he was playing opposite Lauren Bacall...

I agree with you that there were plenty of bad films in any era, and choosing classic movies, like books, is easier when you have a larger historical slate from which to select and you have the test of time filtering out a lot of the bad. However, Hollywood under the contract system where top actors were pushed to make many movies per year, and where movies were *the* form of entertainment allowed the industry overall to enjoy a heyday that was later diminished as the contract system was broken, the television industry rose as significant competition to movies and blacklisting forced so many of hollywood's top contributors across the industry out of work, and even out of the country.

I wasn't suggesting that all film noir was B-movies...but many were.

For Bogart movies, To Have and Have Not is one of my favorites, mainly for Lauren Bacall and her "You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and...blow" line. No wonder he fell in love with her.

There have been many "classic" periods for movies, which vary by country:

1920s - Germany

1930s - Hollywood

1940s - possibly Britain or Hollywood Film Noir

1950s - Mexico

1960s - Italy

1970s - Russia

This is as far as I can go with this. Note that "Classic" does not mean better - it simply refers to a style or a period of particular proliferation that is easily identifiable.

Germany is especially known for its movies from the 1920s and for its innovations during that period.

Mexico is known for its movies from the 1950s, and this is the classic period for Mexican movies (starting with Luis Buñuel), many of which I have seen and loved. The sets during this time are especially stylish, as were the Hollywood sets of the 1930s.

Sets and costumes have a lot to do with making a period "classic" - not just plots and scripts.

Italian movies were especially popular in the 1960s, and this influenced interior design in the U.S. during this period.

The Russian government sponsored cinema in the 1970s and spent huge amounts of money on movies that depicted epic tales from Russia - I have a large collection of DVDs of movies from this period, and I especially like them, but then I love epics and fantasy. The most important of these is Ruslan & Ludmila ( Руслан и Людмила), a 2-disc DVD. This movie was first shown in the U.S. at the Directors Guild in Hollywood, which is where I first saw it. Someone from Russia was there to answer questions from the audience.

For France, there are certain directors that have made classic movies, such as Jean Cocteau, Louis Malle, François Truffaut, Jacques Tati, etc., but these do not define an era. Classic movies from Spain are also spread out over several decades.

Carol, I watched Mrs. Minerva years ago and it was fantastic.

Toronto, African Queen and Key Largo, how could I forget?

I Remember Mama

Imitation of Life The ending makes DH cry everytime. lol

" Elmer, what would you consider your favorite Bogart movies? "

Movie preferences are highly subjective and personal, of course. Bogart was in a fair number of movies. My favorites, not particularly in order, are Casablanca, African Queen, Caine Mutiny, Big Sleep, Maltese Falcon and Sierra Madre (Badges? We ain't got no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges"),

As movies are abbreviated versions of books (when based on one), for several of the above based on books, I liked the books better.

I like:

The Longest Day

Houseboat

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain

Giant

" As movies are abbreviated versions of books (when based on one), for several of the above based on books, I liked the books better. "

This is way off topic, and my apology to those who are intolerant of same, but something came to mind as I thought about this comment from last night.

I was watching an interview with Lee Child (real name Jim Grant), the creator and author of the Jack Reacher books. A Reacher movie had come out, starring little pipsqueak Tom Cruise in the role of 6'4" Reacher. He was asked what he thought about the casting. His response was something to the effect of:

"What author wouldn't be delighted to have Cruise portraying a character in their book? I acknowledge people are disappointed that he may not measure up to how many expect Reacher to look. But here's the thing - it's just a film. The books still exist as they always have, no change. When you read one of the books and picture in your mind how Reacher looks, that's how he looks for you, the same as always. If you don't like story changes made for the film, same comment. The book is still there, read the story you prefer, as many times as you want."

Caged, The Search. On the funny side, probably Young Frankenstein is my favorite.

For teen angst movies, Rebel Without a Cause is tops with me.

" teen angst movies "

That's still The Breakfast Club for me.

Sixteen Candles is one John Hughes movie I think is practically perfect - so funny!

Preston Sturges movies are also among my faves - can't think of anything I'd change in any of them.

Also off topic, but since it was brought up...

When movies are not based on books, the studios will often commission books to be written based on the movies, according to the professor of my screenwriting class.

I was surprised to find out that The Omen, which I had read as a teenager, was actually a novelization of the movie. I really enjoyed the book, but until recently thought the movie came from the book, not the other way around.

Giant, another great movie.

Somewhere in here, I think Cat on a Hot Tin Roof deserves a mention if only for the casting, let alone Tennessee William's incredible characters...it's where I learned the definition of "mendacity". Thank you Big Daddy!

It is a guilty pleasure but I enjoy Lolita. James Mason and Shelley Winters are brilliant. The strong B&W photography appeals to me too.

" .it's where I learned the definition of "mendacity". Thank you Big Daddy! "

Me too!

If we are home on a Saturday night DH likes to watch Svenghoolie on MeTV. Lots of classic horror movies.

We will do classic movies for outdoor movie nights with MIL.

We also watch Svenghoolie if we are home on Saturday night - and we usually are. I really do not go out much anymore. I think Sven is a good host, and we enjoy hearing about the careers of the actors in each movie, especially since we watch Perry Mason a lot, and so many of the actors have also been on that show.

We also like Elvira, and we saw her at some of the early Dragcons that we went to. Once she walked right past us on her way to the restroom. She was also a grand marshal at one of the pride parades, and I saw her on her float at that event.

Last month I got rid of cable (It was not worth the money IMO), and so we no longer have TCM, but I have a huge collection of DVDs that I recorded from TCM when we did have cable. We have over 800 DVDs/Bluray discs of movies, and so we really do not need cable at this point. We have Samsung smart TVs with a huge number of Samsung channels for free.

Carol so glad you mentioned Preston Sturges. His movies IMO stand the test of time, they are still hysterically funny.

And of course some of his themes and plots are surprisingly racy. I start laughing just thinking of poor Trudy Kockenlocker and the outcome of that wild party in The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek!

I'll add in a few not already mentioned (much as I love some of the old silents and 1930's and 40's musicals), mostly more recent:

"Harvey" Jimmy Stewart - not sure if everyone knows this, but the role of Elwood P. Dowd was originally written as a man quite a bit older than Stewart's age 42 when the 1950 film was made.

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" with Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne

"Patton" George C. Scott

"The Hospital" George C. Scott, Diana Rigg (written by Paddy Chayefsky)

"Ratatouille" by Pixar Studios

The Hospital! Such a great film, and one that usually doesn't get the admiration it deserves. Right up there with the other great Chayefsky film, Network.

I do think Morgan's Creek has to be the funniest of them all, running 😃

I read a biography of Sturges years go, and he had a pretty bohemian upbringing - IIRC, his mother made the scarf that strangled Isadora Duncan.

I always thought elvira and svengoolie were take offs on Zacherley...

it's a tradition - there've been regional TV horror movie hosts all over the USA. We had Dr. Paul Bearer - he drove around town in a souped up hearse.

Story telling through film has evolved over the decades and that evolution is what we see when we watch films from each decade. We see that evolution in story telling, filming, dialogue and music.

So much has changed!

I like to see the movies of those late 20th century actors who I consider to be the last of the real talented ones. But a film made in 1990 is vastly different from one made in 1930. The old pre mid century ones had lots of dramatic music for each drama scene.

We recently watched a Bogart film that I had never heard of. Bogart was very young and I think it was just pre WWII, The name of it is "Black Legion" and it is a drama of a real happenign here in America and it has an errie and unsettling parallel to what is going on in our political and social climate today. I had never heard of the Black Legion. It was just an awful organization based on hate and violence. Lots of relevance to the present day.

Bogart was almost unrecongizable as the actor that he came to be known as.

It was on one of those "you might like" list under Casablanca.

I find so many modern movies to be just brain droppings and trashy cheap humor. Or, they are action or fantiasy flicks with no real character development but lots of "action". How utterly boring!

I've never heard of Zacherley before.

Elvira's inspiration was from Vampira, who hosted TV horror movies in L.A. in the 1950s.

I'd forgotten just how bad these movies were!

They're so bad, they're good 😃