Top Ten Favorite Black and White Movies
My top three choices are all tied in both alphabetical and chronological order.
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- DirectorHoward HawksStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantCharles RugglesWhile trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress and her pet leopard, Baby.The most perfectly made comedy I've ever seen! The jokes are not only hilarious, but every joke builds the story and sets up the next joke. It's like a domino effect. You can laugh at the same joke in terms of what the joke is, how it's performed, what the characters say, the tone they used to deliver the lines, how it affects the next scene, etc. It's a comedy on a level of dialogue, slapstick, situational comedy, mistaken identity comedy, screwball comedy, etc. Not only the funniest movie I've seen, but one of my favorite movies in general.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartMary AstorGladys GeorgeSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.Nothing has aged in this terrific crime thriller! Humphrey Bogart plays a detective named Sam Spade whose partner Miles Archer was recently murdered and also finds out there's a jewel encrusted black bird that gangsters are in on. Soon, he is accused for the murder of his partner by the widow and is further in danger when the cops think he killed Thursby--a man whose widow met with Spade and Archer claiming he's missing with her sister. Soon, the murders are linked and the client is not only a suspect, but involved with Joel Cairo and Kasper Gutman in finding a statue of the bird which recently has been recovered after a ship arrived in San Francisco on fire. The movie has many memorable characters such as Casper Gutmann played by Sidney Greenstreet in his film debut and Joel Cairo played by Peter Lorre. The tone and pacing are gripping throughout and the lighting is a fascinating shade of detail (especially the night time scenes). Including a thundering music score, this one gets to the point and doesn't slow down.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.“ No list of favorite movies is complete without something from Alfred Hitchcock. I keep changing my mind on my favorite of his. Vertigo was one for a while, then I switched to Strangers on a Train, but the pieces add up best in Psycho. If someone has never seen an Alfred Hitchcock movie and would like to know why he's so important to cinema, here's a perfect introduction. The music by Bernard Herrmann is one of the most famous songs in the history of music. The scenes are memorable both in what they're about and how they're filmed. The casting is pitch perfect. The story adds up all the way through. The trade marks of Hitchcock are everywhere in this, especially the "twist ending", which he invented and never fails to shock me when I watch the picture due to it's realism.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxChico MarxRufus T. Firefly is named the dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of his wealthy backer Mrs. Teasdale, contending with two inept spies who can't seem to keep straight which side they're on.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsFarley GrangerRobert WalkerRuth RomanA psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsGene WilderMadeline KahnMarty FeldmanAn American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsFred MacMurrayBarbara StanwyckEdward G. RobinsonA Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsMarlon BrandoKarl MaldenLee J. CobbAn ex-prize fighter turned New Jersey longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses, including his older brother, as he starts to connect with the grieving sister of one of the syndicate's victims.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMack SwainTom MurrayA prospector goes to the Klondike during the 1890s gold rush in hopes of making his fortune, and is smitten with a girl he sees in a dance hall.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppMartin LandauSarah Jessica ParkerAmbitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.