There was definitely one pastime that always managed to bring my family together: movies. I’m not talking about your modern day pictures like Zootopia or Captain America. I’m talking about your mid-20th century black and white, accented classics. I have a lot to be grateful for from my parents, but my father’s love of classic film is definitely at the top of the list. Odds are if you were born in the latter decades of the 1900s, you probably won’t recognize the names of the films nor the actors. But don’t walk away just yet because they can and will give you a run for your money, I promise!
1. Captain Blood
Based in seventeenth century England, Dr. Peter Blood is convicted of treason and sold into slavery in the Caribbean. Blood and his fellow slaves seek to escape and begin a life of high-seas piracy. Who could resist the charm of romantic swashbuckler Errol Flynn?
2. The Maltese Falcon
A sensational and thrilling detective mystery featuring the acclaimed Humphrey Bogart.
3. The Marx Brothers films
These films are some of the funniest black and whites you'll find. 110% recommend.
4. Hunt for Red October
A classic film featuring a young and handsome Alec Baldwin and a dashing Sean Connery. Based on the Tom Clancy novel, Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius abandons his orders and heads for United States eastern seaboard. Suspense sparks when an American sub briefly detects the Russians' presence, and CIA agent Jack Ryan sets out to determine Ramius' unclear motives.
5. Dial M for Murder
A classic from Alfred Hitchcock. Did you know that he appeared in every single one of his films?
6. Murder on the Orient Express
One of Agatha Christie's great Poirot adaptations.
7. To Catch a Thief
A favorite of mine starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in a fast-paced mystery of an unknown cat burglar.
8. Casablanca
Another Humphrey Bogart gem.
9. Key Largo
Again, Humphrey Bogart. Need I say more?
10. Charade
Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, could there be a better cast? (No, to answer that, there couldn't be.)
11. Arsenic and Old Lace
Definitely worth watching. If not for the vivid and tense plot, do it for Cary Grant's ridiculously hilarious facial expressions.
12. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Two children, Jeremy and Jemima, meet stunning Truly Scrumptious, who falls in love with their widowed father. The movie centers around the father's storytelling of a villainous Baron and his evil plans. The screenplay is done by the one and only, Roald Dahl (you know...the man who wrote James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, The BFG, George's Marvelous Medicine...need I name more?). Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, in some ways, reminds me of films like Mary Poppins. If that isn't convincing enough, Dick Van Dyke is in this movie. Please watch it.
13. The James Bond films
My personal favorites are during the Sean Connery era (Dr. No, Die Another Day, Goldfinger, etc.).
14. Green for Danger
A 1946 British thriller, Green for Danger showcases the scene of an operating room and its potential killers.
15. Patton
The film is a biography of sorts about the controversial WW2 hero, George Patton. It opens with his entry into the North African campaign and ends with Patton's removal from command after his post-war military strategy criticisms.
16. North by Northwest
A thrilling tale starring Cary Grant. If it isn't already obvious, Cary Grant is high up there on my list of favorite actors.
17. Citizen Kane
A reporter's investigation on Charles Kane's dying campaign gradually reveals the fascinating portrait of a complex man who rose from obscurity to staggering heights.
18. The Thin Man
A 1934 comedy-mystery about a recently divorced Gilbert who discovers that his new girlfriend has stolen $50,000 and is seeing other men. Not long afterward, he disappears. The plot thickens as it searches for answers.
19. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
A classic American western, 10/10 recommend.
20. The Bridge on the River Kwai
A thrilling, historical drama.
21. Vertigo
Another Hitchcock beauty starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak.
22. Ben-Hur
This one's got a more religious base, but hey, still worth the watch.
23. West Side Story
An American classic, one that I'm sure you must have seen by now.
24. The Manchurian Candidate
If that doesn’t convince you to watch this film, well, just know that Frank Sinatra stars in it; and we all love Frank Sinatra.
25. Blazing Saddles
A satirical mockery of Westerns, railroad worker Bart becomes the first African-American sheriff in the little town of Rock Ridge, which is on the verge of destruction to make way for a new railroad. Based in a generally prejudiced time period, the movie bubbles around the town's looming acceptance of their new sheriff. Blazing Saddles features Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks, and Richard Pryor. This is one of my favorites, along with virtually any other Mel Brooks film.
26. Doctor Zhivago
Omar Sharif, what a man.
27. Lawrence of Arabia
British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence is sent to Arabia to find Prince Faisal and act as a link between the British and the local Arabs as they unite against the Turks. Hey, this film features a few camels, a rather attractive Peter O'Toole and a young Alec Guinness (aka Obi-Wan Kenobi), so give it a shot.
28. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Jimmy Stewart says it all.
29. Gone With the Wind
This is a classic American film, and it speaks for itself.
30. The Seventh Seal
An Ingmar Bergman film, The Seventh Seal depicts the journey of a medieval knight who set his stakes on a game of chess versus the personification of Death, who has come to take his life. Bergman's film is regarded as a masterpiece of cinema throughout the world of film.
