We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Whether you are a classic movie buff who has spent hours upon hours indulging in movie marathons, or perhaps a novice who just wants to get a taste of film history—and the movies that changed it —we've rounded up some other timeless flicks for you to sink your teeth into. Maybe you fancy an early rom-com How to Steal a Million , a gripping drama about an organized crime syndicate The Godfather , or a psychological thriller that set new standards for horror What Ever Happened to Baby Jane ; whatever flavor appeals to you, there's no better time to check out some of cinema's best.
Each one of these films delivers a heady dose of nostalgia, is genuinely entertaining, and will make you sound more interesting at cocktail parties. Watch Now. It also won best picture in what might arguably be the most crowded field in the history of the Oscars, beating The Wizard of Oz , Wuthering Heights , Stagecoach , and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , among others. The film left its imprint on the kinds of narratives and character types—wicked and good witches, scarecrows, tinmen, and cowardly lions, oh my—we see on film.
Casablanca is up there with the Godfather for most quoted screenplay of all time. This WWII classic, directed by Michael Curtiz, pairs Scandinavian beauty Ingrid Bergman with tough guy Humphrey Bogart for a story of lovers ripped apart by war and reunited in a far flung Moroccan piano bar—of all the gin joints in the world.
She nails a trench coat too. The Sharks and the Jets dance their battles on the streets in this modernized take on Romeo and Juliet. The songs by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, are some of the best of the era. Welles pioneered filmmaking techniques of deep focus and chiaroscuro lighting. It also changed showers forever. Hollywood icon James Dean only starred in three films during his short life. Rebel Without A Cause , directed by Nicholas Ray, is the most memorable, and one of the earliest cinematic depictions of teen angst.
The iconic Sidney Poitier stars alongside Claudia McNeil and Ruby Dee in this classic adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play—the first by a Black woman ever to appear on Broadway—about a Chicago family whose lives are on the brink of changing with the promise of a major financial windfall in the form of a life insurance check. This twisty tale features an array of wonderful character actors in supporting roles, including Clifton Webb and future horror impresario Vincent Price.
