DISCOVER--fifty films that you might feel you don't need to see but actually do
You may not have heard of these, or you may be vaguely aware of them. You may already love them, or you may have decided they're not for you... I'm saying... Don't miss 'em. If you take film as fun seriously, if you consider yourself knowledgeable on the subject of cinema without being a snob about it, you need to give these a go.
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- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsRichard DreyfussRon HowardPaul Le MatA group of teenagers in California's central valley spend one final night after their 1962 high school graduation cruising the strip with their buddies before they pursue their varying goals.1950s nostalgia started here, and when you see this little gem, you'll understand why. The irony is, it's set in the early '60s... A wonderful film, and at the time, a total original. Hard to believe it came from the same guy who gave us the banal and sterile Star Wars.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsJohn BelushiKaren AllenTom HulceAt a 1962 college, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him.Achingly funny from start to finish, and not a smidgen less funny today, this classic comedy unleashed a flood of unfunny imitators but effortlessly retains its crown all these years later.
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsSteve McQueenJacqueline BissetRobert VaughnA nonconformist San Francisco cop is determined to find the underworld kingpin who killed the witness under his protection.Alongside Dirty Harry, this difficult but captivating police thriller was responsible for half a decade of subsequent cops and robbers shows on TV in the 1970s. McQueen's cool, calm, understated performance is superb, Robert Vaughn reinvents himself as the quintessential suit-and-tie villain after four years as The Man from UNCLE, and the supporting cast is excellent.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsMartin LandauWoody AllenBill BernsteinAn ophthalmologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated with another woman.Although it's one of Woody Allen's more serious works, this one is enhanced by a fabulous cast including Martin Landau and Jerry Orbach, and provides real food for thought alongside some superb performances. It's the old 'why do bad things happen to good people and vice versa' but with depth.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsMichael RenniePatricia NealHugh MarloweAn alien lands in Washington, D.C. and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.Over sixty years old, and still the best sci-fi film ever made.
- DirectorJohn MiliusStarsWarren OatesBen JohnsonMichelle PhillipsJohn Dillinger and his gang go on a bank robbing spree across the midwest, but one G-Man is determined to bring him down.The best "modern" gangster film ever, this minor masterpiece makes Pacino's wonderful Scarface look like the overblown comic strip it is, and exposes Costner's Untouchables as a hopeless fraud. Perfect, from start to finish.
- DirectorDon SiegelClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodAndrew RobinsonHarry GuardinoWhen a man calling himself "the Scorpio Killer" menaces San Francisco, tough-as-nails Police Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan is assigned to track down the crazed psychopath.Classic Eastwood. A heavy-handed comic book, it's amusing to think how seriously the hand-wringers took this one in its day. Then again, it did reinvent the cop thriller and the macho hero overnight...
- DirectorTerence YoungStarsSean ConneryUrsula AndressBernard LeeA resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.The first Bond. It's that simple. You have to see this, and you have to see Goldfinger. After that, you can see any Bond or spy-fi you like, at any time, in any order.
- DirectorNicolas RoegStarsJulie ChristieDonald SutherlandHilary MasonA married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.Although on the surface a horror film, this is really an incredibly sad and tender romance. A tour-de-force for director Nicolas Roeg, who mixes luck and talent in equal parts, and Donald Sutherland (Klute) and Julie Christie (McCabe and Mrs. Miller) are superb. A true masterpiece.
- DirectorBob RafelsonStarsJack NicholsonKaren BlackBilly Green BushA dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.The best thing Jack Nicholson ever did, and proof that he can act when he wants to. The scene where he has a one-sided conversation with his father, and the final moments at the garage are devastating. Karen Black is marvellous as the girlfriend out of her depth with his contemptible family of sterile snobs.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsColin CliveMae ClarkeBoris KarloffDr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.Traditional horror films start here.
- DirectorMike HodgesStarsMichael CaineIan HendryBritt EklandWhen his brother dies under mysterious circumstances in a car accident, London gangster Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to investigate.The more you watch this uncompromising gangland thriller, the more you get out of it. If you only watch it once, you're cheating yourself. This will always be Michael Caine's best... So much so that the superb supporting cast rarely get a nod. Bryan Mosley, Ian Hendry, and Glynn Edwards in particular are superb, as are the women, most notably Rosemarie Dunham as the lonely landlady.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsSean ConneryGert FröbeHonor BlackmanWhile investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.As above... There's no point watching any Bond or Eurospy until you've wallowed in this one.
- DirectorDave FleischerStarsKenny GardnerJack MercerTedd PierceThe happy tranquility of Buggsville is shattered when the populace learns that a colossal skyscraper is to be built over their tiny town.It wasn't all Disney. This is the genius of Max Fleischer.
- DirectorGene Fowler Jr.StarsTom TryonGloria TalbottPeter BaldwinAliens arrive on Earth to possess the bodies of humans. One of their first victims is a young man, whose new wife soon realizes something is wrong with him.The only truly adult science-fiction film of the '50s, and quite the time capsule. Most sci-fi films of the period, even the great ones, have a ten-year-old's eye view of male/female relationships. This is a film about sex, 1950s-style. Despite non-existent day for night filming that causes some continuity problems and confusion, the performances are excellent, the aliens are superb, the dialogue real, and the entire film is chilling, scary, and fun. Invaders From Mars for grown-ups.
- DirectorWilliam Cameron MenziesStarsHelena CarterArthur FranzJimmy HuntA young boy learns that space aliens are taking over the minds of earthlings.A surreal, dreamlike masterpiece, a child's nightmare onscreen.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatDanny LeeSally YehA disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat both peak simultaneously in this stunning ballet of violence. Start here and then chase up their other non-Hollywood work.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsJane FondaDonald SutherlandCharles CioffiA small-town detective searching for a missing man has only one lead: a connection with a New York prostitute.Fabulous thriller with a bravura performance from Fonda as the cynical, insecure New York hooker stalked by a tortured monster and pursued and protected by Donald Sutherland's cold, unimpressed detective.
- DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsMarlon BrandoMaria SchneiderMaria MichiA young Parisian woman meets a middle-aged American businessman who demands their clandestine relationship be based only on sex.If ever an actor pissed away his talent it was Brando, but he left us this tour-de-force about a tortured, selfish man who strikes up what he intends to be a meaningless casual relationship with a young and attractive free spirit. Despite his best efforts, the resulting encounters exude affection and eroticism. Maria Schneider is dead-centre excellent, but Brando gets the lion's share of opportunities, and relishes all of them.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsBrigitte BardotJack PalanceMichel PiccoliA French writer's marriage deteriorates while working on Fritz Lang's version of "The Odyssey", as his wife accuses him of using her to court favor with the film's brash American producer.Before he became a phoney, Jean Luc Godard had talent. Even though he couldn't resist playing his little games during the making of this, there are enough brilliant scenes staged here to show what he could have achieved if he'd wanted.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonGeorges AdetIn czarist Russia, a neurotic soldier and his distant cousin formulate a plot to assassinate Napoleon.You've probably heard it said that Woody Allen's best films are his early funny ones... Here's why...
- DirectorNicolas RoegStarsDavid BowieRip TornCandy ClarkAn alien must pose as a human to save his dying planet, but a woman and greed of other men create complications.The best science fiction film of the 1970s... And no, I'm not forgetting anything...
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroHarvey KeitelDavid ProvalIn New York City's Little Italy, a devoutly Catholic mobster must reconcile his desire for power, his feelings for his epileptic lover, and his devotion to his troublesome friend.The film that quite rightly made the reputation of Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese. A tour-de-force.
- DirectorBoris SagalStarsCharlton HestonAnthony ZerbeRosalind CashDr Robert Neville has developed an experimental vaccine which makes him the only immune survivor of a biological catastrophe. A gang of homicidal mutants blame science for their condition and attempt to kill him.Early '70s period piece sci-fi often overlooked or forgotten by the public, but not the film-makers, who nick from it all the time. Despite production values barely higher than a TV movie of the period, it's excellent and influential. Anthony Zerbe as the lead mutant is great.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIvana BaqueroAriadna GilSergi LópezIn the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.The banality of fascism meets the magic of imagination in this extraordinary and original blend of fairytale and horror. A wonderful creature in a cave dominates proceedings. Creator Guillermo del Toro grew up watching The Outer Limits, and boy, did it pay off.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsPeter SellersClaudine LongetNatalia BorisovaA clerical mistake results in a bumbling Indian film star being invited to an exclusive Hollywood party instead of being fired.Peter Sellers is on top form with an affectionate and three-dimensional portrait of a minor Indian actor inadvertently sent an invite to a lavish Hollywood party, which he then proceeds to methodically and accidentally destroy in a comedy of errors. Not a single comic misjudgement from anybody.
- DirectorDonald CammellNicolas RoegStarsJames FoxMick JaggerAnita PallenbergA violent East London gangster undergoes a transformation of identity while hiding from his former colleagues in the home of a jaded Bohemian rock star and his two girlfriends.Two dead-end lifestyles collide when Fox's murderous pragmatic gangster stumbles into the decadent hovel of Jagger's fading rock star. Could be any time between 1969 and 1979. Co-directed by writer Donald Cammell and controlled improviser Nic Roeg, but it's fairly obvious from their later achievements, the film itself, and subsequent documentation by film buffs that Roeg did all the work. Extraordinary and unparalleled.
- DirectorJohn BoormanStarsLee MarvinAngie DickinsonKeenan WynnAfter being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the money that was stolen from him.Lee Marvin is the surprisingly clever and efficient dumb ape assassin who methodically works his way up the ladder and through the mob hierarchy murdering corporate thugs who don't know the value of either a few dollars or their own lives in the eyes of a straightforward thug who feels slighted and cheated. Marvellous performances from an assortment of familiar faces including Angie Dickinson, John Vernon, Lloyd Bochner, Michael Strong, and Carroll O'Connor.
- DirectorStanley TongStarsJackie ChanMichelle YeohMaggie CheungA Hong Kong detective teams up with his female Red Chinese counterpart to stop a Chinese drug czar.Not to be confused with the Michelle Yeoh film called Supercop and featuring a cameo by Jackie Chan, this is the magnificent Police Story 3, starring J.C. and co-starring Yeoh. An amazing climax, and remember, not a pixel of CGI.
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsLee MarvinGene HackmanSissy SpacekA vicious Kansas City slaughterhouse owner and his hick family are having a bloody "beef" with the Chicago crime syndicate over profits from their joint illegal operations. Top enforcer Nick Devlin is sent to straighten things out.An extraordinary and often forgotten or underrated Lee Marvin film. Not a single scene is flawed, Hackman is superb (why didn't he play Luthor like this??), Marvin is his usual stone-faced self, and the lovely Sissy Spacek makes her film debut.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsJames CagneyJean HarlowEdward WoodsAn Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.Cagney on top form in the film that made his name.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.Despite the few indulgences, still a work of genius, and probably Tarantino's best.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneJeffrey HunterVera MilesAn American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.Classic John Wayne. Start here, then see below...
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneJoanne DruJohn AgarCaptain Nathan Brittles, on the eve of retirement, takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack. Encumbered by women who must be evacuated, Brittles finds his mission imperiled.A moving and stunningly photographed western classic. Wayne was still an actor rather than an icon at this point. Make sure you see a good print, and watch the sun glint on that bugle...
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonJohn BeckA nerdish store owner is revived out of cryostasis into a future world to fight an oppressive government.Classic fish-out-of-water comedy filled to the gills with great sight gags, brilliant one liners, fabulous ideas, and brutal satire. Stand it next to any contemporary comedy film of the last thirty years and cry like a baby...
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyCharley ChaseWhen Stan and Ollie trick their wives into thinking that they are taking a medicinal cruise while they're actually going to a convention, the wives find out the truth the hard way.Speaking of which, don't pass up one of the few Laurel and Hardy films that's as non-stop brilliant as the twenty minute classics... Features the famous sitting-down-after-everybody-else-is-settled late arrival routine stolen by everybody else ever since...
- DirectorWilliam CottrellDavid HandWilfred JacksonStarsAdriana CaselottiHarry StockwellLucille La VerneExiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.Still as powerful as it was back in the day...
- DirectorJoseph M. NewmanJack ArnoldStarsJeff MorrowFaith DomergueRex ReasonAliens come to Earth seeking scientists to help them in their war.Vintage textbook 1950s sci-fi. Absolutely everything is here, and in colour. It's got the lot. The scenes on Metaluna are fantastic, but the entire film is a gem.
- DirectorGeorge PalStarsRod TaylorAlan YoungYvette MimieuxA man's vision for a utopian society is disillusioned when travelling forward into time reveals a dark and dangerous society.A beautiful film with a beautiful beginning, a beautiful ending, and a beautiful and profound message. The middle's not too bad either.
- DirectorRichard FleischerKinji FukasakuToshio MasudaStarsMartin BalsamSô YamamuraJason RobardsThe story of the 1941 Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, and the series of preceding American blunders that aggravated its effectiveness.Step by step retelling of the shameful day that took America into WWII. Understated, yet overwhelming.
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsJohn WayneKim DarbyGlen CampbellA drunken, hard-nosed U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger help a stubborn teenager track down her father's murderer in Indian Territory.Already by now an American institution, Wayne reinvents himself for middle age. "Fill your hands, you sons of bitches...".
- DirectorPhilip KaufmanStarsDaniel Day-LewisJuliette BinocheLena OlinCentral Europe, 1968: A Czech doctor with an active sex life meets a woman who wants monogamy, and then the Soviet invasion further disrupts their lives.Forget your rom-coms and chick flicks, this intelligent and overpowering erotic love story will break your heart and stiffen your... resolve.
- DirectorGeorge SidneyStarsElvis PresleyAnn-MargretCesare DanovaA race-car driver preparing for the Grand Prix wiles his time in Las Vegas working as a waiter to pay for his new engine and soon strikes up a romance with a beautiful young woman.I hate to resort to cliche, but if you only see one Elvis film (you're missing about twenty other fun ones), let it be this...
- DirectorNicolas RoegStarsJenny AgutterDavid GulpililLuc RoegTwo city-bred siblings are stranded in the Australian Outback, where they learn to survive with the aid of an Aboriginal boy on his "walkabout": a ritual separation from his tribe.Moving and engrossing cliche-free story of a clash of cultures when two suburban school kids are abandoned in the Australian outback after their father cracks up and suicides. Sounds like a lemon, but don't make the mistake I did and miss it for two years. When I finally caught it by chance, I kicked my butt round the room for pre-judging it. I like my home comforts, but the final coda will rip your guts out.
- DirectorByron HaskinStarsGene BarryAnn RobinsonLes TremayneA small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.Best alien invasion film ever.
- DirectorJames W. HorneStarsStan LaurelOliver HardySharon LynnStanley and Ollie are enlisted to deliver the deed to a goldmine in a small village, only for it to be stolen.Some classic routines, plus Trail of the Lonesome Pine and the famous dance routine...
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsJames CagneyVirginia MayoEdmond O'BrienA psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.One of the greatest gangster films ever made, and you don't just get Jimmy Cagney's legendary finest performance, but Virginia Mayo's sleazy, slutty, two-faced moll, Steve Cochran's brash usurper, and Margaret Wycherly's poisonous and devoted mother. Not one dud moment. "So you want some air, do you...?"
- DirectorRobin HardyStarsEdward WoodwardChristopher LeeDiane CilentoA puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.Wacky and offbeat British classic that appears to have been some sort of happy accident from start to finish as it explores the British adversarial attitude toward sex. Edward Woodward is the uptight cop on a wild goose chase on a pagan island of weirdos.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsWilliam HoldenErnest BorgnineRobert RyanAn aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.Peckinpah's masterpiece. Genuinely redefined both the western and screen violence, but so much more than just a shoot-out. Makes other male buddy films look as dumb as they are.
- DirectorVictor FlemingKing VidorStarsJudy GarlandFrank MorganRay BolgerYoung Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.Yes, a little twee in places, but you absolutely have to see the visuals. Besides, not a month goes by without contemporary comedy and/or pop culture making a reference to it, so how you going to get the joke?
Jon is not on Facebook, but can reply to comments here, at the base of this list.
Obsessed with the popular culture of the 1960s and surrounding decades, Jon Abbott has been writing about film and TV for over thirty years in around two dozen different publications, trade, populist, and specialist. He is the author of several books, including
Irwin Allen Television Productions 1964-1970,
Stephen J. Cannell Television Productions: A History of All Series and Pilots,
The Elvis Films,
Cool TV of the 1960s: Three Shows That Changed the World,
and Strange New World: Sex Films of the 1970s.
See his Amazon author's page, and his other lists on the IMDB, all under the pre-fix DISCOVER.