Pre-70s Top Ten

[3dRevelation]

Considering that not even 8% of my rankings are from before the 1970s, I would like to see other members favorites as suggestions for films I could watch. My current top 10 (which probably looks bad because of the lack of films I've seen) is:
1. Vertigo
2. On the Waterfront
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
4. 12 Angry Men
5. Double Indemnity
6. The Manchurian Candidate
7. Elmer Gantry
8. Seven Days In May
9. Bonnie and Clyde
10. Gilda/ Out of the Past (can't decide)

[TheDenizen]

Most of my faves from before 1970 are westerns and samurai flicks: My top 10 are

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Throne of Blood (1957)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The Professionals (1966)
Samurai Assassin (1965)
Seven Samurai (1954)
7 Men from Now (1956)
Double Indemnity (1944)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

I also highly recommend Cool Hand Luke, The Asphalt Jungle, Lawrence of Arabia, The Maltese Falcon, High Sierra and Strangers on a Train if you haven't seen them.

[mwgerb]

Here are my top 15 pre-1970 films that you haven't rated yet.

1. Rashomon
2. It's a Wonderful Life
3. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
4. Citizen Kane
5. The Graduate
6. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
7. The Third Man
8. Vertigo
9. Bicycle Thieves
10. The Seventh Seal
11. Singin' in the Rain
12. The Apartment
13. City Lights
14. Lawrence of Arabia
15. Planets of the Apes

All of those are absolutely essential viewing.

[3dRevelation]

Thanks guys. I'm definitely going to add a lot of these to my watch list. The Denizen- I really need to see those westerns and I need to introduce myself into Kurosawa. I've seen a few of the films you suggested, but the rest sound good.

mwgerb- I don't know how I've not seen It's a Wonderful life yet, but thankfully it is up in it's entirety on youtube a long with The Seventh Seal. I started to watch Mr. Smith goes to Washington, but lost interest quickly (perhaps I should give it another shot). And I think Citizen Kane is a cheap rental at a local movie store, and I probably should have rented it long ago.

Hopscotch- Some of those films have definitely been on my list. Key Largo intrigues me because I want to see Edward G. Robinson face off with Bogart. In a Lonely Place is also on youtube. And my cable provider has Lawrence of Arabia on demand, which I'll definitely watch because all 3 of you have recommended it.

I should have mentioned that I don't illegally download movies, so most of what I watch comes from youtube (which there is a surprisingly large amount of movies on), on demand through my cable provider, and from the local movie store at least since I canceled my netflix subscription.

[TheDenizen]

The Denizen- I really need to see those westerns and I need to introduce myself into Kurosawa. I've seen a few of the films you suggested, but the rest sound good.

yeah Kurosawa really is the shit, he was a virtuoso storyteller. I also heartily agree with mgwerb, Rashomon is essential...some of the camera moves are amazing. Unfortunately unless you can find them on demand, Kurosawa's films are usually expensive since most of them are in the Criterion Collection. They're totally worth it though.

and yes all the best western films are from the 60's pretty much, American or Italian.

[3dRevelation]

yeah Kurosawa really is the shit, he was a virtuoso storyteller. I also heartily agree with mgwerb, Rashomon is essential...some of the camera moves are amazing. Unfortunately unless you can find them on demand, Kurosawa's films are usually expensive since most of them are in the Criterion Collection. They're totally worth it though.

I think the film theater at the nearby Detroit Institute of Arts might show several of Kurosawa's films every (at least that is what a film teacher I had once said), I'll have to look into that.

Rashomon is actually on youtube. I couldn't find Seven Samurai though.

[snallygaster]

My top ten turns out to be:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
3. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
4. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
5. Higanbana (1958)
6. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
7. Paths of Glory (1957)
8. Tokyo Story (1953)
9. Naked Island (1960)
10. The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Looking at your own list, I might recommend All Quiet... / Bicycle Thieves / Bridge on River Kwai / Paths of Glory / Battle of Algiers over the others.

On the topic of Kurosawa, I have Rashomon, Yojimbo, Throne of Blood & Seven Samurai in my T10.

[Stewball]

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Inherit the Wind
3. High Noon
4. To Kill a Mockingbird
5. Dr. Strangelove: Or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
6. West Side Story
7. The Graduate
8. All About Eve
9. The Lion in Winter
10. Bullitt

(Note, only two before the 60s) (6 b&w)

[djross]

x

[JooJoo]

5 of my top 10 films are present.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Army of Shadows (1969)
The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928)
Vertigo (1958)
Winter Light (1962)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Harakiri (1962)
Ordet (1955)
The Passion Of Anna (1969)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Playtime (1967)
Rashomon (1950)
Rear Window (1954)
Red Beard (1965)
Repulsion (1965)
The Third Man (1949)
The Trial (1962)
Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Woman In The Dunes (1964)


A top 10 isn't really feasible for me, so I went with 20.
1 from the 1920s, 0 from the 1930s, 1 from the 1940s, 7 from the 1950s, 11 from the 1960s.
3 Bergman, 2 Dreyer, 2 Kubrick, 2 Kurosawa
The newest entry is Playtime, from 2010
6 are in color.