Help me expand my knowledge of 'film classics'

[CarpathianMuffin]

Love and Death is the one that I recommend that, sadly, isn't brought up enough. It's a standard Woody Allen movie, with a lot of Charlie Chaplin inspired stunts and numerous sight gags, with a theme of existentialism. All this set to Napoleon's invasion of Russia.

 

[Dash85]

Most people have mentioned some good classics already but lets throw in some more. How bout:
-Friday the 13th (the original)
-Halloween (the Original)
- Nightmare on Elm Street (again, the original)
- Bram Stokers Dracula
- or even older one, Dracula starring Bela Lugosi (1931)
- If you've never seen it, Monster Squad is a kickass movie. it's so 80s
- Mel Brooks films (Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Space Balls etc.)
- Dazed and Confused is a classic stoner movie
- if you wanna get older, Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho or the Birds
- Best western ever...The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

yeah, some of them aren't even considered classics probably but hey, heres some ideas

 

[Critical_Sneeze]

I've already seen The Room. I had to see it in several sittings and while drinking heavily to numb the pain, but I can safely say I've seen it...and I'm probably worse off for the experience.

Heresy!!!

How dare you deny the sheer brilliance of this piece?! Breaking the boundaries of directing and editing technique! An acting tour-de-force!

 

[Semudara]

God I'm just looking through these suggestions...for the life of me I don't even think I've E.T all the way through.

man do i suck

Not at all! Whether or not they'll admit it, most people haven't seen that many classics. But it's great that you're making an effort to change that for yourself!

The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands are two great classic films, both directed by Tim Burton. Kill Bill (Volumes 1 & 2) isn't that old, but is referenced enough that I think it counts.

One film that I don't think is well-known enough to technically be a "classic", but that I must recommend, is Thelma & Louise. At its core, it's like "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid" (a classic), except much better (in my opinion).

Finally, you must watch Santa Claus Conquers The Martians! It is regarded by many as one of the great landmarks of film history (or am I messing with you now?)!!

 

[Zetsubou-Sama]

Since People are giving you tips on movies in general, I'll tell you the good horror movies:

Slashers:

Halloween
Friday the 13th
Nightmare on Elm Street
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
It

Zombies:

Night Of The Living Dead
Rec
Dawn Of The dead (2004)
Dead Alive
Shaun Of The Dead
Zombieland

Ghosts:

The Others
Poltergeist
The Orphanage
The Grudge
The Amity Ville Horror (original)
Session 9
Candyman

Exorcism/Demonic affairs:

The Exorcist
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Drag Me To Hell
The Shining
The Blair Witch Project
1408

Asian:

The Ring
Noroi, the Curse
Occult
Haunted House
Dark Water
Shutter

 

[haruvister]

Watch Stanley Kubrick films, especially the classics like A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Dr. Strangelove, etc.

/agree

There haven't been many non-English language films mentioned, so here goes. Kubrick's greatest hero was a German director named Max Ophuls. He actually made one truly great film in America called Letter from an Unknown Woman; but probably his best non-English work was La Ronde. See these for the fluid camera influence on Kubrick.

Everyone has heard of Ingmar Bergman, but perhaps been put off by the notion of "Bergmanesque", connoting bleakness. Actually, his most famous film, The Seventh Seal (the one where the knight plays chess with Death on the beach), is a surprisingly breezy poem about the gift of life. And if you liked Fight Club then check out Persona - the uncut version might hint as to where Tyler Durden got the idea for splicing those porno frames...

Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky was Bergman's favourite. Tarkovsky made amazingly dense, philosophical visual meditations. I would suggest seeking out Solaris, which was recently remade (quite nicely) by Steven Soderbergh. It's about a psychologist travelling to a deep space station, where an intelligent "Ocean" brings his dead wife back to haunt him...

If you can't stand subtitles then Martin Scorsese would probably suggest you work through the filmography of the British film-makers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Try Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and (especially) A Matter of Life and Death.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

I've already seen The Room. I had to see it in several sittings and while drinking heavily to numb the pain, but I can safely say I've seen it...and I'm probably worse off for the experience.

Heresy!!!

How dare you deny the sheer brilliance of this piece?! Breaking the boundaries of directing and editing technique! An acting tour-de-force!

Everything about it is shit of the highest degree and anyone who would gain genuine enjoyment from it must logically have a severe mental impairment.

If it can reduce ME to having to drink straight vodka, then it must be pretty damn terrible.

 

[SecondmateFlint]

I'm the same man. It's hard to sit and watch them. I'm a bad film student apparently.

Okay so I recommend Chinatown. It's Jack Nicholson's first role and it's a fantastic movie by Roman Polanski.

ANYTHING by Alfred Hitchcock.

The Shining by Stanley Kubrick is great along with his other movies.

I'm gonna go ahead and say Hatchet for the Honeymoon by Mario Bava. That movie is so, so, 1970.

There are so many movies.

 

[Critical_Sneeze]

Everything about it is shit of the highest degree and anyone who would gain genuine enjoyment from it must logically have a severe mental impairment.

If it can reduce ME to having to drink straight vodka, then it must be pretty damn terrible.

Shit? Or shitty genius?!

 

[EcHoFiiVe]

My list is exactly classics from like the 30s-50s, but most if not all are before or in the 80s
War Movies:
Full Metal Jacket
Apocalypse Now
Deer Hunter
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Patton
Bridge on the River Kwai

"High School" Movies:
The Breakfast Club
Dazed and Confused
Ferris Beuller's Day Off

Comedy:
Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
(Monty Python is British humor, and they have been compared to the Beatles as far as influence goes.)
Blazing Saddles
Tremors (Its 1990, and I wouldn't consider it a classic, but it does kind of feel 80s esque, and I think its hilarious personally)
The Big Lebowski

Horror:
Alien
Carrie
The Exorcist
Bambi (Yes I said Bambi, get over it)
Halloween
Basically anything by George Romero, all zombie movie fun

 

[Gahars]

Watch Stanley Kubrick films, especially the classics like A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Dr. Strangelove, etc.

/agree

There haven't been many non-English language films mentioned, so here goes. Kubrick's greatest hero was a German director named Max Ophuls. He actually made one truly great film in America called Letter from an Unknown Woman; but probably his best non-English work was La Ronde. See these for the fluid camera influence on Kubrick.

Everyone has heard of Ingmar Bergman, but perhaps been put off by the notion of "Bergmanesque", connoting bleakness. Actually, his most famous film, The Seventh Seal (the one where the knight plays chess with Death on the beach), is a surprisingly breezy poem about the gift of life. And if you liked Fight Club then check out Persona - the uncut version might hint as to where Tyler Durden got the idea for splicing those porno frames...

Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky was Bergman's favourite. Tarkovsky made amazingly dense, philosophical visual meditations. I would suggest seeking out Solaris, which was recently remade (quite nicely) by Steven Soderbergh. It's about a psychologist travelling to a deep space station, where an intelligent "Ocean" brings his dead wife back to haunt him...

If you can't stand subtitles then Martin Scorsese would probably suggest you work through the filmography of the British film-makers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Try Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and (especially) A Matter of Life and Death.

Speaking of British filmmakers, go through Terry Gilliam's films.

They might be too recent to put at classic, and can be off putting with their weirder sensibilities (even amongst fans. For instance, I can't stand Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), but the movies are still worth checking out.

Brazil especially, 12 Monkeys, and the rest.

 

[Vkmies]

Watch all of the Hitchcock films you can get your hands on. That will build you a pretty good floor for classic films. One of my favourites is "Nosferatu". The original german Dracula movie from 1922. It is one of the best movies EVER. I absolutelly adore it.

 

[CarlMin]

Timeless classics:

Metropolis (German expressionism)

Tarkovsky's Stalker

Bolt, animated feature by Disney. (Cutest dog movie ever)

 

[Wondermint13]

I'm 22 and I only found out what Top Gun was about last week..

I have never seen a whole Rocky movie.

I watched a scattered total of 14 mins of The Godfather and decided I hate it.

And I fell asleep during Dirty Dancing.

Does this make me a bad person in anyones eyes?

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Bladerunner

Schindler's List

Resevoir Dogs

 

[Dr_Horrible]

I'm 22 and I only found out what Top Gun was about last week..

I have never seen a whole Rocky movie.

I watched a scattered total of 14 mins of The Godfather and decided I hate it.

And I fell asleep during Dirty Dancing.

Does this make me a bad person in anyones eyes?

Not really, I think that there are far better classics out there than what you mentioned... I suggest you try different genres if those movies weren't your thing.

 

[tseroff]

I'm going to suggest Amelie. It's a French movie that's a little weird, and not technically a classic, but it's an amazing experience. I'd also recommend the Dead Poet's Society, which is excellent, but as a film student, you've probably seen it. For a fun experiment, read about why Matthieu Kassovitz disowned Babylon A.D. and then watch it. Try to figure out what he was trying to do with it. It's awesome.
http://www.filmcritic.com/features/2008/08/babylon-ad-mathieu-kassovitz/
And in that vein, watch Children of Men.

 

[Valksy]

I'm seeing a lot of really good suggestions here and can't add many seeing as I am sure that I have been ninja'ed after 35 posts.

I am wary of the notion of "film classics" and sometimes do wonder if many of the people naming movies as classics have actually sat through them recently. I found Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Gone with the Wind to be bloody excruciating. Sometimes it tastes like people who put things like War & Peace as their favourite book of all time.

Is it great? Maybe. Political? Certainly. But in terms of its influence on cinema (and given that I am trying to add something other than snark to your thread) try "Battleship Potemkin." So many shots and images in that movie have lived on.

I don't know where you are from, but should you be British I heartily recommend the Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) in London, a must visit place for anyone who likes films.


Oh, and don't forget "The Usual Subjects", just because it is awesome.

 

[Dieter Meyer]

Oh, and don't forget "The Usual Subjects", just because it is awesome.

Surely you mean The Usual Suspects?

Also, list of "Must Watch" movies:

Casablanca
Rear Window
Psycho
12 Angry Men
The Godfather (3rd kinda sucks)
Shawshank Redemption (Not because "IT IZ BEST MOVIE EVUR") but because it's references are widely used and well, everyone expects you to have seen it.
The Usual Suspects
The Matrix
Pulp Fiction
Fight Club
American History X
Goodfellas

Those are the ones that fall into my head right now, PM me if you would like more suggestions, also if you wanna be more genre spesific it might be easier

PS: I also recommend watching "Plan 9 From Outer Space" because it is such a horrible movie it MUST be seen.