Classic Movie Lists

Whether conveying the heroic acts of soldiers or showing the harsh realities of battle, war movies have long been a staple of Hollywood. Everything from the Civil War and World War II to Vietnam and even ancient Roman battles have been depicted in grand fashion on film. Here are nine of the best classic war movies.

A consummate craftsman and one of the most esteemed directors of Hollywood’s Golden Age, George Cukor directed a number of classic movies in a career that spanned five decades. Many of his films focused on strong female characters and starred the era’s top actresses, earning him a reputation as a women’s director. Cukor’s body of work contained...

Possessing a down-home persona that was quintessentially American, Gary Cooper spent five decades making dozens of classic movies. At his peak, he was a top box office draw who earned five Academy Award nominations and won once. Cooper died relatively young and still in his prime, but left behind a staggering cinematic legacy filled with...

As an actor, writer and director, Raoul Walsh’s career spanned over six decades and produced some of Hollywood’s most iconic class movies. He was a capable director in a wide range of genres whose straightforward style was vibrant, but unpretentious. He did his best work in the 1940s with Errol Flynn, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and Virginia...

Another month, another wave of classic movies making their way onto the Blu-ray format. Making the transfer this month are a Doris Day classic, two great film noirs, an early John Wayne Western, and arguably the greatest movie of all time. Of course, all are great additions to any classic movie collection and would make great gifts for any fan.

The brother of noted screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, director Joseph L. Mankiewicz followed his older sibling's footsteps into show business to become one of classic Hollywood's most literate director. Mankiewicz had his start as a writer for Paramount Pictures and later served as a producer for MGM. In the mid-1940s he moved over to 20th...

Lots of great guests were on hand to celebrate classic movies at the TCM Classic Movies Festival, including Robert Evens, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming and Mel Brooks.

On April 12, 2012, Turner Classic Movies commenced its third annual Classic Movies Festival with a bang when it premiered the 40th anniversary restoration of 'Cabaret,' starring Oscar winner Liza Minnelli. Here are some great images from the red carpet and more.

She was the ultimate Hollywood bombshell, a sultry siren who sang, danced and flipped her long red hair into becoming a screen legend. On screen, Rita Hayworth was charismatic and oozed sex appeal, but off screen she was admittedly shy and suffered from a series of failed marriages. Though her career eventually faltered, she was one of the top...

Once again, the studios have mined their vaults to release more classic movies onto Blu-ray. Making the transfer to the format this month are a classic ode to film noir, the film that turned Marlon Brando into a star and a 100th anniversary of Universal Studios release. All are great additions to any classic movie collection.

A former member of the French Foreign Legion and a combat pilot during World War I, William Wellman lived an adventurous life that later colored the films he made as one of classic Hollywood's great directors. Wellman had a great passion for aviation, which he displayed in quite a few pictures, but also had a great disdain for actors even though...

An unrelenting perfectionist notorious for demanding multiple takes, William Wyler directed a string of great classic movies from the 1930s through the 1960s. Along the way, he won three Academy Awards for Best Director and reigned as the most nominated director in history with 12 nods. Wyler was a master of many genres and worked with...

Hollywood's first decade with sound gave rise to a number of staple genres like the screwball comedy, which featured rapid-fire dialogue laced with wit and whimsy, and lavish musicals. In the 1930s, Oscar rewarded these films with its highest honor. Also in the decade was the first Western to win Best Picture, the first-ever film to win the...

Sometimes it's hard to believe, but some of Hollywood's greatest classic movies were box office flops when they were first released in theaters. While they have more than made up for the loss through DVDs and repeated showings on television, there are several all-time greats that you would be surprised to learn were initially dismissed by...

A master director who got his start in silent pictures, Howard Hawks directed numerous classics and became recognized as one of the greats from the studio era. His movies featured rapid-fire dialogue and superb performances from his leading actors, while his exceptional talents transcended the confines of genre, as Hawks directed screwball...

More and more, the studios are mining their vaults to release classic movies on the Blu-ray format. This month features a number of great films that are must-haves for anyone's shelf. A few have been released on the format before, while others are making their Blu-ray debut. But all would be great additions to any classic movie collection.

A dashing leading man in his youth, William Holden was in his prime during the 1950s with a number of comic and romantic films that were all-time classics. But when he entered the turbulent 1960s, Holden made a number of forgettable films due to contractual obligations that damaged his career. He mounted a comeback toward the end of the decade...

A notoriously difficult director who nearly destroyed his career before it began, Sam Peckinpah almost single-handedly recreated the Western with his violent, ambiguous vision. He made a mess of his life with alcohol and drugs, and left behind a tattered reputation and a long line of enemies. But he was also an incredible filmmaker whose best...

For over 50 years, Elizabeth Taylor reigned as one of classic Hollywood's great screen actresses. Starting her career as a child performer, she blossomed into a star following her adolescent years and earned four consecutive Academy Award nominations, while becoming a top box office attraction for over a decade.

With intricate plots, multiple twists and turns, and gritty characters who live on the edge, heist movies have long been a Hollywood staple. Sometimes the thieves suffer the consequences of their action and sometimes they get away with their crimes, but their carefully hatched plans almost always go awry. Here are nine of the best heist movies...

While 1939 is often regarded as the greatest movie year of all time, Hollywood wasn’t too shabby in 1962. Many classic movies were released that year, while one on this list featured one of the most beloved performances ever seen. Here are just a few classics films from 1962, a year that could be argued as the second greatest of Hollywood’s...

Tirelessly prolific director Michael Curtiz helmed some of Classic Hollywood's most memorable films. He churned out four or five films a year and did some of his best work with dashing leading man Errol Flynn. Though not the most famous of the classic era's directors, Curtiz was nominated for five Best Director Academy Awards and won for...

After getting his start as a screenwriter, Preston Sturges turned to directing in the 1940s and redefined the screwball comedy with a number of classic movies. In a short span of time, he directed a series of great films that were popular with critics and audiences. But his thirst for absolute control over his creative output ultimately ruined...

Every year during Oscar season, there are countless arguments over what film or actor has been snubbed by the Academy. While most complaints are dismissible, there have been a few omissions over the years that have been mystifying, and in some cases unforgivable. Here are nine classic movies that could easily have been nominated for Best...

With a long history of making romantic films, Hollywood is more than capable of setting the mood for those who don’t want to go out to a crowded restaurant and pay for an overpriced meal, but still want to spend some quality time with their significant other. Some here are fun and light, while others require a box of tissues to be on hand. But...

Hailed as a giant among filmmakers, Ernst Lubitsch directed some of Hollywood’s most sophisticated and entertaining comedies. He became known for his famed Lubitsch Touch, a wry and witty brand of humor infused with style and grace. Lubitsch directed a number of acclaimed hits in the 1930s and 1940s before his untimely death in 1947. Here are...

Hollywood in the 1970s was markedly different than the one that existed in the previous three decades. The old studio system was gone thanks to financial struggles and a seismic cultural shift that saw the rise of the youth-oriented counterculture. Hollywood responded by opening the doors wider to more experimentation, resulting in a second...

Hollywood in the 1970s was markedly different than the one that existed in the previous three decades. The old studio system was gone thanks to financial struggles and a seismic cultural shift that saw the rise of the youth-oriented counterculture. Hollywood responded by opening the doors wider to more experimentation, resulting in a second...

One of the most revered directors of his generation, Sidney Lumet produced an extraordinary body of work that included some of New Hollywood's most seminal classics. While his best work was made in the 1970s, Lumet spent the previous decades earning a reputation as a consummate professional capable of drawing stellar performances out of his...

One of the finest actors of his generation, Richard Burton delivered a number of high-caliber performances. He was nominated for seven Academy Awards – six for Best Actor and one for Best Supporting Actor – but never won. Still, he was one of the best performers on either side of the Atlantic. Here are nine of his best movies.

At the end of every year, Hollywood buzzes with predictions for who will win Oscars or crows about which movie made the most money. But Hollywood also takes a more somber tone and looks back at the lives and careers of the stars we lost. Though we lost many more this year than can this list conveys, here are seven of the most notable celebrity...

James Stewart has long been remembered for his work with Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra. But just as famous as 'Rear Window' and 'It's a Wonderful Life' were a series of Westerns he made in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly his image-changing films with Anthony Mann. Though not as identifiable with the genre as John Wayne or Clint Eastwood,...

Alfred Hitchcock’s career spanned across six decades and over 50 feature films. The acknowledged “Master of Suspense” practically invented the thriller and was a brilliant technician who deftly blended sex, suspense and humor into the genre.

While many classic Christmas movies have been released on DVD, only a few have made it to the Blu-ray format. But there are certainly enough to fill anyone's stocking this year. Here are seven classic holiday films that will make someone's Christmas bright.

Known for his sweeping historical epics, David Lean directed some of the grandest movies Hollywood has ever known and possessed a technical command few were able to master. Lean's blockbusters of the late 1950s and 1960s made an indelible mark on cinema and won the director two Academy Awards. While few may remember his name, Lean’s iconic...

An obsessive perfectionist who methodically worked in virtual reclusion, director Stanley Kubrick was at once widely praised for his technical brilliance and scorned for his film’s lack of emotional depth. He was one of the most influential directors in postwar Hollywood and has been hailed as the source of inspiration for many of Hollywood’s...

After gaining notoriety on radio, Orson Welles became one of Classic Hollywood’s most pioneering directors. With his very first movie, Welles directed what many consider to be the best film ever made. Active as a director for five decades, Welles made only a handful of films, largely due to his inability to secure financing for his increasingly...

Marlon Brando was the most celebrated and influential actor of the 20th century. Employing the famed Method style of acting, Brando was a powerful and mesmerizing presence on the screen, but combative and enigmatic behind the cameras. His career spanned across six decades, though his best work came in the 1950s and often in collaboration with...

In just five short years, Grace Kelly rose from being a bit player to one of the biggest Hollywood stars whose elegance and radiated off the screen in several classic movies, only to give it all up to become the Princess of Monaco. Though her film career was brief, Kelly left an indelible mark on cinema.

Whether you like monsters or goblins or ghosts or even aliens from another planet, there’s nothing quite like watching old scary movies on Halloween. While some of these classic films seem rather tame or even laughable by today’s standards, they still manage to pack a terrifying punch. Here are just a few of some of the best horror movies from...

It seems these days that Hollywood is willing to remake just about anything in order to make a buck, regardless of how beloved a movie might be. But has this always been the case? Have studios always remade movies? As a matter of fact, yes, they have. Even some our most cherished classic films have been remakes. Here are five such movies.

Get a jump start on your holiday shopping with these new releases on Blu-ray. Some make their debuts on the format while others are reissues with new features and packaging. Great for casual fans and obsessive collectors alike, these Blu-ray selections will no doubt bring a smile to anyone’s face.

With deadly charm and cool sophistication, Sean Connery inaugurated British secret agent 007 in 1962 and set forth the framework for other actors who played the role in later movies. He was icy-cold in Dr. No, charmingly witty in Goldfinger and a bit too cheeky in Diamonds Are Forever. No matter what, Connery inhabited the role like no other and...

If there was ever a director-actor tandem that defined the Western genre, it was John Ford and John Wayne. Over the course of five decades, Ford and Wayne made over 20 pictures, most of them Westerns and some that stood the test of time as the model for all others to follow. They made other types of films, war movies and even a romantic comedy....

Undeniably the most iconic music star of the 20th century, Elvis Presley was also a popular box office star in the 1960s. Thanks to manager Colonel Tom Parker, many of Presley's films contained thin plots, exotic locations, bikini clad girls and mundane songs - a combination that irked critics and brought audiences to theaters in droves.

John Huston practically invented the film noir, but he was also a romantic who directed some of the most thrilling adventures in Hollywood history. His collaboration with Humphrey Bogart ranks as one of the greatest director-actor combos ever.

Classic film noir means dangerous dames, tough guys and gangsters, laconic leading men and dirty deeds. Film noir is an enduring film style that saw its golden age just after World War II. Here are several classic movies in the film noir tradition.

Few Hollywood franchises were as successful as the Thin Man series, featuring William Powell and Myrna Loy as sophisticated, witty detectives Nick and Nora Charles, solving crimes with a martin…

No one returns from war unaffected, and the characters in these seven films are no exception. Be they dramas or melodramas, thrillers or even light-hearted musicals, these classic movies about veternas show their experiences coming home from a variety of cinematic angles.

The studios are slowly reaching back into the archives to re-mount great classic movies in Blu-ray, although several immortal movies (Citizen Kane, for example) are still awaiting Blu-ray release. If there’s a classic movie buff on your gift list who’s building a library, any of the Blu-ray classics on this list are sure to ple

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Well, sometimes it is, and sometimes it’s one huge insult. Here are five movies from 2007 that were remakes of classic films; some stand up to the original and some should have left well enough alone…

Classic movies make great presents, and can be enjoyed not only by the recipient, but by anybody else in the household. Here’s a somewhat tongue-in-cheek list of great classic films for every family member on your list.

An alphabetical list of classic movies reviewed on this site and their star ratings.