After the success of last months Go, See, Talk Presents – Double Feature Theatre Marc from Go, See, Talk is at it again asking us to pick our Top 10 list of oldies, the only catch, they have to be in black and white. The one stipulation “try to stick to the 30s 40s and 50s…and don’t pick Clerks just because its black and white” so that ruled out some modern classics like: Raging Bull (1980), Schindler’s List (1993), La Haine (1995) and Ed Wood (1994). As a fan of old movies the problem wasn’t coming up with ten movies, it was limiting myself to just ten. Surprisingly no movies by Alfred Hitchcock (my two favourite of his movies are in colour), Orson Welles or John Ford (both hard to leave out) made the final list:
Metropolis (1927)
Many old silent films were groundbreaking and influential but now look dated and silly. Whilst some of the acting is over the top and the plot isn’t always clear, Fritz Lang’s German expressionist classic still stands up as an enjoyable movie. Add this to the influence it has had on Sci-Fi and film making in general and you have one of my favourite old films. You don’t have to like it but if you are a film fan you really should see this movie.
King Kong (1933)
Starting life as a B picture, King Kong became an icon of cinema remade and imitated numerous times but never equalled. Its not just about the giant ape and Fay Wray’s screams, it is a well constructed and suspense filled action thriller. Despite being just 100 minutes long you have to wait until nearly the way point before seeing the titular primate. Don’t worry about the old stop motion animation it still looks great, certainly better the CGI the latest version.
Frankenstein (1931) Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Okay so I had to cheat, but these two movies really should be enjoyed together. I first saw them on channel four in the late 80’s and have seen them both numerous times since. Unaccredited in the first movie Boris Karloff has yet to be surpassed as The Monster after eighty years. The second movies is also one of the few sequels that it can be argued is better than the original movie.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
So you think Quentin Tarantino made an impressive début with Reservoir Dogs, take a look at John Huston’s directorial debut The Maltese Falcon. An almost perfect detective noir thriller based on a Novel (of the same name) by Dashiell Hammett and boasting perfect casting: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep it interesting without getting contrived or silly.
Casablanca (1942)
The greatest war film ever, with a twist, there isn’t any war/battle scenes in it. Set in unoccupied Africa during World War II an American expatriate in exile meets a former lover. Eminently quotable (and misquoteable!) tells a different side to war mixed in with a complex love story. Made in 1942 it is a contemporary, if fictional WWII movie. And don’t think it was what we now know as a big “tent pole” movie, based on an un-produced play and shot mainly on sound stages and Warner’s Burbank Studios for around $950,000 (a lot of that went to actors salaries) it was one of around 70 movies released by Warner in 1942, but as they say the cream rises to the top.
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
I saw most of the classic Ealing comedies when I was a kid. This remains my favourite. Dennis Price is perfectly cast as Louis Mazzini, a man compelled to murdering the eight of his relative. The real star of the movie is Alec Guinness who plays all eight relatives.
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Cinema was built on genre movies and one of my favourite genres in noir. A far darker movie than your average noir thanks to Mickey Spillane’s antihero Mike Hammer. I think I first saw this movie in 1994, it was the last movie Alex Cox introduced on Moviedrome, the BBC2 cult movie series that ran for twelve years from 1988. I have seen it numerous times since and never get tired of it. As well as being a great movie, it is also a highly influential one.
12 Angry Men (1957)
With most of the action taking place in one room over a single day this movie really shouldn’t work. Its little more than a play on screen, but thanks to fantastic writing and perfect casting it is a true classic. I don’t remember when I first saw it, it has always been there in my consciousness. It is one of those movie that you come across when flicking through channels and aren’t turn off. The moment when Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) stabs the knife into the table is one of the simplest but most iconic in cinema history.
Some Like It Hot (1959)
My parents first showed me this movie when I was a kid, over the next thirty years it has got better every time I have seen it, and I have seen it a lot. Put simply its my all time favourite movie.
La Dolce Vita (1960)
I nearly didn’t include this movie on the list as it came out in 1960, a fraction outside the suggested parameters but as one of the most beautifully photographed black and white movies ever made. It is also a highly influential and classic movie.
As a side to this piece, four of my selected movies (The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, King Kong, Some Like It Hot) have been “colorized”. Possibly the most pointless process ever devised in the history of cinema. Humphrey Bogart’s son Stephen is reported to have said: “if you’re going to colorize Casablanca, why not put arms on the Venus de Milo?”
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Brilliant list Andy, I really need to see a lot of the films you have the list. Your reasons for putting them in make me want to see them even more!
I found this so hard. There are so many films I love that didn’t make the list. I think the reasons I put down were justifying them to myself as much as anything.
oh wow i am thoroughly relieved that we didn’t have identical lists. i felt completely obvious with my picks but i guess i wasn’t after all.
we have only 20% in common which is great. strangely 12 ANGRY MEN is much like BICYCLE THIEF in that i seem to forget that ive seen it despite it being very impressive. i am yet to finish DOLCE VITA, the Peroni advert its used for is pretty cool though and i don’t know why but i could’ve sworn KISS ME DEADLY was in colour so i dismissed it from my shortlist.
what is this colourising you speak of? they’ve released the pictures in colour or they plan? i’m amazed and shocked and appalled in equal measure.
I think a few films like Casablanca will be on a lot of lists but there are so many to choose from and individual tastes are very different.
Kiss me deadly is very much black and white and all the better for it. I notice a heavy leaning towards Noir on your list. I could have picked noir for all ten and had I compiled the list when I was 18 probably would have.
The colorisation thing mainly happened in the 1980’s. It was a horrible money making idea to re-launch classic movies to a new audience. As far as I know it failed and they don’t do it any more. From what I have seen they often look terrible, a bit like old faded and badly restored two strip technicolor.
i think that i thought it was in colour speaks to it’s powerful imagery. that glowing briefcase and the fireball at the end are so vivid in my head i just associated them with colour.
your point about my noir leanings is interesting. i went back and looked over them and was quite amazed that despite my attempts to minimise the noir instincts by leaving out films like big sleep and double indemnity only led to less obvious noirs being included. deliberately leaving out casablanca, m, metropolis and citizen kane only led me towards more noir too. i may have an almost one track mind.
i think i may have seen some of these images, a lot of MGM DVD covers for black and white movies were colourised, i just assumed it was a DVD gimmick. the some like it hot one sticks in my mind the most as looking incredibly tacky.
A lot of black and white movies have colour posters or images so it my not bee the same thing. I think the practice is largely forgotten now, fortunately.
It’s funny that you describe Metropolis as being okay to not like, but still a must for all movie lovers…
I went to a concert where the opening band was entirely instrumental, and instead of doing anything spectacular on stage, they played Metropolis on the screen behind them. They played for almost two hours (which was weird for an opening act), turned on the lights and left. I think I was the only person who booed because the movie wasn’t over.
I still haven’t finished it. I think the length has been intimidating me.
Great story. Give the movie a go from the start, its worth it.
Great list. We had one in common this time around, The Maltese Falcon. I considered Casablanca, in one of the early incarnations of my Cool Off list, since it’s one of my favorite classics, but for whatever reason, it didn’t make this one.
Casablanca was the second movie to be added to my list after Some Like It Hot.
Nice list. The only one that I have seen is 12 Angry Men, which I also included in my list. I have heard nothing but great things about most of your selections, and I am still kicking myself for missing out on the theatrical re-release of Metropolis’ extended edition last year.
I missed that one too, it didn’t make it to a cinema anywhere near me.
RE: Metropolis, the recent Blu Ray includes recently found footage from an original print that appeared from noweher a few years back. It’s a brilliant presentation of an equally brilliant film. While it runs at 2hours 30, it never really gets boring.
When people talk about original films inspiring and influencing for years to come, this has got to be the ultimate example…
I don’t have Blu Ray, I will have to look to see if there is a DVD version, I still have a scratchy old VHS.
Great choices, particularly 12 Angry Men which is quite possibly my favourite movie ever made. Great to see Kind Hearts and Coronets appear – one of the best from Ealing.
Ohh the second person to bring up Hearts and Coronets. Gonna have to tackle that first but the one I keep kicking myself for not having seen yet is Metropolis. I think I’m just going to buy the Criterion blu ray and then IO’ll have no excuse:) This blog a thon was fun, thanks for being part of this Andy.
P.S. Should have the Timecrimes write up to you in the next day or so!