Movie List

When I am home sitting on the couch and eating chocolate covered cherries, I simply adore watching "classic" movies and movies in general. I love the medium of movies - stories brought to life viewed on a screen. I love experiencing the actor's depth of emotions; the artistry of the cinematographers, set and costume designers; the telling sounds of the musical score; and the viewpoint of life being told.The best place to indulge in watching classic movies without any commercial advertising is TCM Turner Classic Movies Channel (channel 501 with Comcast in my locale).

To be included in my movie list, two main criteria were considered by Bumble and me: character development - a poignant glimpse of human frailty and/or strength; and mood - as created by the black and white cinematography and the sets. The "Classics" list when completed will be divided into four categories: Drama, Crime/Mystery, Comedy and Musical. A large majority of the films were created in the 1940s with several coming from the 1930s and 1950s. Most of the noteworthy comedies were created in the 1930s (which may have something to do with the Great Depression - offering moviegoers a respite from their daily lives).

Many of the listed films could be included in several categories ( i.e. Sunset Blvd. could be a Crime/Mystery as well as a Drama, The Thin Man could be a Crime/Mystery as well as a Comedy). Often the black and white (b/w) film classics dealing with genre of crime/mystery are also known as "film noir." Finally, I have found the later remakes of these classics often disappointing  (i.e. 2011 Mildred Pierce directed by Todd Haynes and starring Kate Winslet). However, occasionally there is a remake that is extremely noteworthy such as the 1996 remake of Jane Eyre directed by Franco Zeffirelli and staring Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt.


THE CLASSICS 
The MUST SEE versions *

NOTE: The titles are listed in alphabetical order not by order of preference.

Genre: Drama
Brief Encounter. Dir. David Lean. Perf. Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson. Cineguild, et al., 1945. Film.

Casablanca. Dir. Michael Cutiz. Perf. Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1942. Film.

Citizen Kane. Dir. Orson Welles. Perf. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1941. Film.

It's a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1946. Film.

Jane Eyre. Dir. Robert Stevenson. Perf. Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 1944. Film. 

Mildred Pierce. Dir. Michael Curtiz. Perf. Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1945. Film.

Mrs. Miniver. Dir. William Wyler. Perf. Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon. Loew's Inc., 1942. Film.

Now Voyager. Dir. Irving Rapper. Perf. Bette Davis, Paul Henreid. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1942. Film.

Random Harvest. Dir. Mervyn LeRoy. Perf. Ronald Colman, Greer Garson. Loew's Inc., 1942. Film.

Since You Went Away. Dir. John Cromwell. Perf. Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones. United Artists Corp., 1944. Film.

Sunset Boulevard. Dir. Billy Wilder. Perf. William Holden, Gloria Swanson. Paramount Pictures Corp., 1950. Film.

The Best Years of Our Lives. Dir. William Wyler. Perf. Myrna Loy, Frederic March. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1946. Film.

The Letter. Dir. William Wyler. Perf. Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1940. Film.

Wuthering Heights. Dir. William Wyler. Perf. Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier. United Artists Corp., 1939. Film.

*Jane Eyre. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. William Hurt, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Miramax Films, 1996. Film.

Genre: Crime/Mystery/Film Noir
Asphalt Jungle. Dir. John Huston. Perf. Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern. Loew's Inc., 1950. Film.

Blue Dahlia. Dir. George Marshall. Perf. Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake. Paramount Pictures, Inc., 1946. Film.

Double Indemnity. Dir. Billy Wilder. Perf. Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray. Paramount Pictures, Inc., 1944. Film.

In a Lonely Place. Dir. Nicholas Ray. Perf. Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Graham. Columbia Pictures, Corp., 1950. Film.

Maltese Falcon. Dir. John Huston. Perf. Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1941. Film.

Out of the Past. Dir. Jack Tourneur. Perf. Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1947. Film.

Sunset Boulevard. Dir. Billy Wilder. Perf. William Holden, Gloria Swanson. Paramount Pictures Corp., 1950. Film.

The Big Sleep. Dir. Howard Hawks. Perf. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1946. Film.

The Killers. Dir. Robert Siodmark. Perf. Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardener. Universal Pictures Co., Inc., 1946. Film.

The Letter. Dir. William Wyler. Perf. Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1940. Film.

The Third Man. Dir. Carol Reed. Perf. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton. Selznick Releasing Organization. 1949. Film.

Touch of Evil. Dir. Orson Welles. Perf. Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh. Universal Pictures Co., Inc., 1958. Film.

Witness for the Prosecution. Dir. Billy Wilder. Perf. Marlene Dietrich, Tyrone Power. United Artists Corp., 1957. Film.

Genre: Comedy
After The Thin Man. Dir. W. S. Van Dyke. Perf. Myrna Loy, William Powell. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp., 1936. Film.

Dinner at Eight. Dir. George Cukor. Perf. Marie Dressler, John Barrymore. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp., 1934. Film.

Duck Soup. Dir. Leo McCarey. Perf.  Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx. Paramount Productions, Inc., 1933. Film.

The Philadelphia Story. Dir. George Cukor. Perf. Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn. Loew's Inc., 1940. Film.

The Thin Man. Dir. W. S. Van Dyke. Perf. Myrna Loy, William Powell. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp., 1934. Film.

The Women. Dir. George Cukor. Perf. Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp., 1939. Film. 

Genre: Musical
An American in Paris. Dir. Vincente Minnelli. Perf. Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron. Loew’s Inc., 1951. Film. 

A Star is Born. Dir. George Cukor. Perf. Judy Garland, James Mason. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1954. Film

Holiday Inn. Dir. Mark Sandrich. Perf. Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire. Paramount Pictures, Inc., 1942. Film. 

Oklahoma. Dir. Fred Zinnemann. Perf. Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame. Magna Theatre Corp., RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1955. Film. 

Picnic. Dir. Joshua Logan. Perf. William Holden, Kim Novak. Columbia Pictures Corp., 1955. Film.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Dir. Stanley Donen. Perf. Howard Keel, Jeff Richards. Loew’s Inc., 1954. Film. 

Singing in the Rain. Dir. Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Perf. Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor. Loew’s Inc., 1952. Film. 

Stage Door. Dir. Gregory LaCava. Perf. Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1937. Film. 

State Fair. Dir. Walter Lang. Perf. Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 1945. Film. 

The Band Wagon. Dir. Vincente Minnelli. Perf. Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse. Loew's Inc., 1953. Film.

The King and I. Dir. Walter Lang. Perf. Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 1956. Film. 

The Wizard of Oz. Dir. Victor Fleming. Perf. Judy Garland, Frank Morgan. Loew’s Inc., 1939. Film. 

Top Hat. Dir. Mark Sandrich. Perf. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1935. Film. 

Yankee Doodle Dandy. Dir. Michael Curtiz. Perf. James Cagney, Joan Leslie. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1942. Film. 

42^nd Street. Dir. Lloyd Bacon. Perf. Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels. Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1933. Film.

Reference
If you would like a synopsis or more information on the movies listed above please go to the TCM Turner Classic Movies website: http://www.tcm.com