Here are 69 film recommendations and commentary from a genuine film major!

Do The Right Thing – Here’s what you’ll note: the impression of heat from color and light, the day long time frame, the humor and drama in a community, the tough content… all it takes is one screening to understand why this was radical for its time. Understanding what it did for the New York film industry’s unions behind the scenes will definitely round out any missing gaps.

The Godfather – A cinematic masterpiece. Not only one of my personal favorite films, but an amazing accomplishment of telling complex multi-character stories and reinventing cinematography as a method of storytelling. Don’t forget to do your homework! Read about how deliberate choices – like yellow light, or the shade cast on a protagonist’s face – craft character. The sequels are nothing to turn your nose up at either!

Citizen Kane – Famous for: deep focus, the composition of every shot, the use of space and shadows and light, theatre training in film… the sheer ambition of Orson Welles and the story behind all his work makes this one a famed go-to.

Nosferatu andThe Cabinet of Dr.Caligari– Just weird! Good weird. There’s so much to learn from German impressionism! A perfect film to watch to understand how camerawork can create suspense and horror, or to explore aesthetic choices (That makeup! Those costumes! Those sets! Just wow!).

Airplane – This is the beginning of much of our modern comedy and an homage to what’s left in the past. It was a novel piece that would later lend itself to inventing the genre from which we see films like the Scary Movie franchise, and gag-oriented parodies

Psycho – the beginning of the psychological thriller! Hitchcock meticulously planned every shot before ever getting to set. His works are unmatched.

Rear Window – another important Hitchcock, the entire film is shot from within an apartment. The construct is recreated over and over in film history, even in my favorite Supernatural episode, “Baby”! It’s a go-to for understanding space and storytelling.

A Streetcar Named Desire – Ever wonder what happened to the voices and gestures classic actors used? Method and naturalistic styles took over. While “Streetcar” is a play adaption, note Marlon Brando against his costars. It’s an amazing way to witness the sharp contrast between the Actor’s Studio “modern” acting style and traditional Hollywood acting.

The Musketeers of Pig Alley – the storytelling is a shock to anyone used to modern sensabilities. It captures a time of early 20^th century cities we simply can’t picture today, and it’s worth exploring if you’re interested in gender in film and topics like consent. Lillian Gish, known only as “Little Lady”, being roofied by mobsters --- plenty to talk about in feminist theory. Here’s to the “to-be-looked-at-ness” research papers you’ll be writing for the next four years!

Days of Heaven – Terrence Malik is another one of those directors worth getting familiar with, particularly his unique process. Imagine shooting a film without a script, only unified by post-production narrative added later, all directed by an auteur whose still going strong today and has worked with the biggest stars to hit the screen.

Black Swan – the director? Darren Aronofsky. Enough said.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – difficult, enrapturing, psychologically disruptive, and ultimately iconic. Rent ASAP.

Taxi Driver – shots in a mirror! De Niro! Do yourself a favor.

Dog Day Afternoon – Beautiful. Surprising. Radical. Engrossing. A great piece to learn character from.

The Shining – Here’s Johnny!

The Silence of the Lambs – Extraordinary. Study of power dynamics and the thriller genre. You will refer back to this over and over, especially in a screenwriting seminar.

The Truman Show – the original Matrix. What is life? What is real?

The Matrix – I lied. The Matrix is penultimate.

Le Mepris – A.k.a. Contempt. Partly because of the legendary shooting process, partly because it’s simply Jean Luc Godard, partly because it is the most maddeningly frustrating thing you’ll experience if you favor any sort of closure to anything. A character that can never surface from a sea of apathy? A transgression that is never revealed but destroys everything? A tragedy told in three, fire-alive colors? Only the French New Wave. Only Godard.

Casablanca – the definition of a classic. Place-as-character. Once upon a time ideas of something like romance. Politically brilliant. Want some homework? Tell me how long it takes before you actually see the famous Rick, but also note how long it takes you to feel like you know him regardless. (If you check it out with Rear Window, you get the bonus of more Ingrid Bergman!)

China Town – the ultimate film noir!

Weekend – Jean Luc Godard, once again. The longest shot you can possibly imagine. The disintegration of reality.

Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, and any and every Tarantino film – this director loves two things: constant, over-the-audience’s-head references to movie history/theory – and the complete collapse into chaos. Whether it’s re-writing history or challenging narrative itself, his sheer explosive (sometimes literally) audacity is a go-to study source.

Meshes Of the Afternoon – Maya Deren – everyone needs a little exposure to the avant-garde. If you ever get a chance to visit the Anthology Film Archives in New York City, make sure to attend a screening of an original from the founder. It’s like side-stepping out of reality itself.

Annie Hall – regardless of your thoughts on Woody Allen, or even how subjectively entertaining you find the film, it’s worth noting how subtitles and voiceover affect a story. Even the opening monologue is strangely long and unpolished. Like every other notable director, Allen breaks all the rules in his own unique way.

The Bicycle Thieves – there’s something about Italian Neorealism that allows you to step into history itself. The idea that the camera is the least present construct possible, that the editing praises the realistic, that the story tells itself without embellishment is fascinating. Even more so, realizing none of the actors were actors. Even little Bruno was just a street child! It’s a great film in and of itself, but reading about why and how is what makes you a film major.

The Passion of Joan of Ark – sometimes called the “most respected film in history”, it’s incited a great deal of theorist scholarship over the history of film in academia. It’s extremely impressionistic and sees the camera as a tool of art as reality-altering as a brushstroke.

La Dolce Vida – Once you see the poster for it in the background of a Godard film, you realize you’re kind of compelled to hop over to this one too.

Gone With The Wind and Wizard of Oz – two pieces of what I can only call the ultimate Americana. Love them or hate them, you can thank director Victor Fleming.

Star Wars – whether you were already a fan or not, it’s kind of fun to realize such a “fan” favorite part of culture actually hugely influenced the history of film.

Forrest Gump – walk through a textbook and then re-explain everything from Watergate to the protests of the 60’s to the Vietnam war all while growing attached to the wise simplicity of one impossible ‘most-interesting-man-alive’s good heart.

The Grapes of Wrath – Lighting and set alone is worth talking about, and as a film major, in any American film class you’ll spend a ton of time on this particular John Ford piece.

Birth of A Nation – It’s the worst film you’ll ever watch. A huge cinematic triumph on a strictly production scale, and one of the biggest ideological shames in our nation’s artistic past. It’s a racist manifesto, basically, as is everything else DW Griffith ever made. It also changed the course of American history. Maybe understanding it’s consequences in the real world is better spent time than “celebrating” the piece itself. (Can you sense my disgust? It’s well-earned, trust me.)

The Battleship Potemkin – You’ll hear people talking about the sequence of the steps at the end over and over for the rest of your film buff life. It’s Soviet propaganda that just might give you a migraine from fast-cutting, but if you read the Moscow filmmaker Eisenstein’s theorist writing associated with it, you’ll understand your medium, politics, propaganda, and their power for good or bad in a way beyond what you can imagine.

The Birds – Okay, one more Hitchcock. Just look at the editing, if nothing else!

The Maltese Falcon – The prized epitome of Film Noir and the Femme Fatale. And a little extra Humphrey Bogart.

Singin’ In The Rain – essentially regarded as “the” American musical film, or classic Hollywood’s acid trip, depending on who you ask. Sorry to say La La Land didn’t take the title for you fans, but you can rest assured that it was intentionally referenced by the filmmakers hoping to revive that era of American cinema.

In the Heat of the Night – a hugely impactful piece on race in America, especially in the context of the industry at the time.

Ugetsu – a look at Japanese film that shocks and awes. Especially fun for anyone who’s also studied performance history and noted its story’s connections to Japanese theatre traditions.

On the Waterfront – a hugely important film that explores an interesting era of mafia and immigration. If you’ve seen The Godfather, you’ll also have fun seeing young Marlon Brando (also the headliner of “Streetcar”, by the way.)

Rebel Without A Cause – Maybe you think James Dean is overrated, maybe you dig him. But you should appreciate the beginning of the young adult film that he carved out as a genre with this one. A major game changer.

Sherlock Jr. – Buster Keaton in anything is a strange must-see. The stunts of a film that so closely follows the advent of filmmaking shock and amaze.

Metropolis – The first dystopia film, from my memory in any case. Hugely political. Note the director, Fritz Lang, actually plays a fictional version of himself in Godard’s Le Mepris!

Bridge Over the River Kwaiand Lawrence of Arabia - so much to say. I'll leave it at this: David Lean is one to know.

American Graffiti – a historical film made in historical context. Visually captures an era of American youth culture that nothing else does in exactly the same way.

The Sound of Music – another staple to understanding the history of musicals.

Greece – see above. Bingo. And Sandy!

The Graduate – generally described as ‘the film of the late 60s’ for it’s shocking content (Hello, Mrs. Robinson!) and unique take on a generational change of values.

Easy Rider – everyone who disagrees about The Graduate’s place on top generally claims Easy Rider is the better choice. While The Graduate explores changing values on career path, white picket fences, and sexuality --- Easy Rider dives right into the drug culture with a filmed-on-the-road cross-country tale found in Great American novels.

Bonnie and Clyde – As much as I appreciate the last two, I’m going to make the claim that Bonnie and Clyde is the underrated major contender. It explores the realities of violence, changing sexuality and values, poverty, mistrust of law enforcement, a longing search for identity, socioeconomic stratification, the Robin Hood fantasy, and Southern culture. It’s kind of amazing. Roger Ebert certainly thought so, and his ability to see it for what it was written off as at the time –a shock value French New Wave knockoff – was a keystone in his journey to being one of the most noteworthy and influential film critics in American history.

Rosemary’s Baby – Hard questions.

Sophie’s Choice – Harder questions.

Jaws – you probably don’t need me to tell you to watch as much Steven Speilberg as you can get your hands on (likewise with George Lucas), but here I am, telling you: do. They both changed the game over and over again – and their films are fun to watch for any and everyone.

Touch of Evil – take a look at that opening shot-as-a-sequence. There’s nothing like it unless you maybe look at Godard’s Weekend, and even then, it’s apples and oranges. Worth watching for directors, editors, cinematographers, special affects coordinators --- it’s simply brilliant.

King Kong – the original. Yep. There’s a lot of discussion about cultural and sociological implications that are worth exploring and have very valid points about the film’s context. There’s also a lot to consider in terms of early animation.

Lord of the Rings – it’s simply mythic! The world-building is incredible. The scenery is a fascinating character. Overall, many would argue the series is a cinematic feat.

Intersteller – love it or hate it, it fragments narrative storytelling and tests audience comprehension. Something filmmakers are keen to explore at times.

Good Will Hunting – something people either love or hate with passion. I happen to love. The story behind getting it made is something of the film major dream.

Moulin Rouge – Fun aside – it’s essentially “post modernism” in a handbasket.

Woman in the Dunes – a creepy, amazing Japanese film that you’d probably never see out of US Hollywood.

The Great Train Robbery – the beginning of cross-cutting, multi-locational narrative filmmaking!

Maria Braun – a girl as a metaphor for Germany in a post-WWII world. Extremely political and interesting.

The Social Network – no real world person has been fictionalized and dragged this bad since Citizen Kane.

Duck Soup – Everyone should know the Marx Brothers. You probably steal their jokes all the time.

Double Indemnity – The closest history could get to strong woman. Just interesting.

The Breakfast Club – another generational statement, alongside Sixteen Candles, that does for the 80s what The Graduate did for the 60s.

Dirty Dancing – Swayze. As a Mount Holyoke student, I’m required to remind you “Baby’s going to Mount Holyoke in the fall.”

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – surrealism misplaced in time and space. Fun and creepier as an adult than it was when you were a kid. While you’re at it, check out Young Frankenstein. Gene Wilder appears again – you can trace him back to Bonnie and Clyde.

I’m sure I’ve left out plenty of things – this list is off the top of the head of a very exhausted film major! In that way, it’s arbitrary. There’s no perfect list, only things that are historically significant and controversial and educational- and if there were, I’m likely to forget a few even as I share this with you. Just like film festivals, what gets selected and included depends on the mood, time of day, quality of memory, or whether the judges were hungry or dealing with bad weather. The best advice I can give is to take seriously lists for film majors to know from your program, from major filmmakers like Spike Lee, from any quality articles you can get your hands on, and learn, watch, and analyze voraciously.

This list is somewhat biased against foreign films (I’m in an American centric program at the moment, and struggle to remember non-translated titles) and for films prior to the 80s – simply because I enjoy and watch them but rarely am allowed to study them in class

Like any other field with a body of work to be studied and a vast history of scholarly conversations on that work, including literary considerations, there’s a lifetime of work to be done!

What did this film major forget? Are my wires and facts crossing? What’s IMPERATIVE for a film student’s background knowledge? Comment below!