Which of these classic movies MUST I see?

[Phillycat]

Poll question: Which of these classic movies MUST I see?

These are all movies I've never seen - I know, I know, so sue me. Tell me which one is a must-see and I will add the top three vote-getters to my Netflix queue.

[MrCoffee]

1. this poll sucks...i vote for all of them.

there's no damn way to pick just one.

[IChing]

28. I agree, amazing I've seen them at least 4 times each

Great movie or greatest movie ever?

Casablanca.....LOL

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. The Deer Hunter is my favorite movie all time... but all those

are great movies. If you rent The Deer Hunter I suggest having a day free (i.e. no work) to process it all after you watch it. :hi:

[Critters2]

3. I recommend all of 'em but Harold and Maude

Hated that movie.

:puke:

[begin_within]

30. To each his own... I thought "Harold and Maude" was a hoot, especially the

scene where they are "performing" for the military recruiter. I've watched it 4 times.

[Critters2]

32. It's so contrived

It just works too hard.

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. It was between...

Cool Hand Luke, O Brother and To Kill a Mockingbird...I went with Luke because not only was Paul Newman the coolest dude on the planet in that movie, he's totally hot! :P but really you can't go wrong with any of them

[terrya]

5. I like musicals, so you HAVE to see "Singin' in the Rain"

It is a great film.

[seemunkee]

6. Lawrence of Arabia

Take it to the friend that has the biggest screen TV you can find to watch it.

[Tyler Durden]

13. Far and away the most amazing film on the list.

Some other good ones, but Lawrence will leave you limp.

[Critters2]

39. Wonderful in every way

Acting, cinematography, everything!

[LibertyLover]

51. Lawrence of Arabia

is an amazing movie. I still remember my mom taking me to see it when it first came out in '62. I was 8 or 9 at the time and it made an impression on me. It was re-released in '72 and we went to see it again. I had just finished my freshman year in college and was home for summer vacation. I came home from the movie and spent the rest of the night reading "Seven Pillars of Wisdom". From there I branched out to biographies of Lawrence, his letters and reminiscences of his friends. I was amazed. If you want to read something timeless, read his "Report on Mesopotamia".

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/lawrence.php

[buddhamama]

7. To Kill A Mockingbird

i am kinda surprised you haven't seen it yet.

[buddhamama]

8. recommendation

i would save Schindler's List for a day/night when you are in the mood to cry. it is a powerful story/film that will leave a lasting impression.

[Bunny]

35. I agree. That is not a 'feel-good' movie. I was profoundly

affected by it for days afterward.

[Broken_Hero]

9. Cuckoo's Nest for sure....nt

[redqueen]

19. Man, what am I, blind?

I missed that one, too! And I'd surely have accidentally voted for that before I accidentally voted for Harold and Maude.

:crazy:

[Jamastiene]

10. To Kill a Mockingbird is the one I voted for, but

if it hadn't been there, I would have said Harold & Maude. Harold & Maude is one of my favorite romance movies, or at least I see it as a romance movie.

[speedoo]

11. Almost all are "must see".

I personally would not consider Harold and Maude or Blade Runner as must see, although to be fair I have never seen the latter.

If you can see only one? To Kill a Mockingbird gets my vote.

[Left Is Write]

12. Cuckoo's Nest and Mockingbird for sure.

[MrSlayer]

14. The Deer Hunter

Excellent movie. Very disturbing.

[noonwitch]

15. To Kill A Mockingbird-but, also, you should see "The Lion In Winter"

Mockingbird is probably the best adaptation of a book to a movie. On top of that, every performance is excellent, from the kids to Peck to the guy who plays Bob Euwell (although he should have been dirtier).

The Lion In Winter is my favorite movie. It's also very funny. It's a good one to watch after a depressing movie.

Schindler's List is important to see, but it can be depressing if one loses sight of the redemption theme as far as Schindler goes.

[gmoney]

16. Don't forget Robert Duvall in an early, early role...

"Mockingbird" was one of his very first roles. Duvall doesn't show up until nearly the end, but even in a small role, you get a glimpse of the great career ahead of him.

[WCGreen]

34. Hey Boo.....

[redqueen]

17. Well crap.

I voted for Harold and Maude, because I'd somehow missed Blade Runner.

I pick Blade Runner... but I'm biased.

Have you already seen 12 Angry Men? What about North by Northwest or Rear Window?

[Phillycat]

18. Yes, yes, and yes. :)

That's why I didn't give an "other" option. Actually, I own the latter two.

[redqueen]

20. heheh

You have excellent taste!

What about African Queen?

Ok I really should stop... :P

[Ramsey]

21. Lawrence of Arabia DVD release

This is the most amazing looking DVD ever! For a movie that was shot around 1960, it looks amazing! And such a great movie too.

[last_texas_dem]

22. I'd recommend "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Great movie and book. The only others on the list I've seen are Schindler's List (excellent movie but not something you'd wanna watch much; it takes a lot out of you) and Harold and Maude, which is one of those highly-praised ones I couldn't get into; the Cat Stevens songs were the best part of it IMHO.

[Zomby Woof]

23. oh crap

Um... I've seen most of these and can recommend almost any of them. Most are in my library, so... um.

Um... might as well go with "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" because plenty of others have already recommended "Mockingbird", "Lawrence", and other great ones. Plus, it's based on one of my very favorite books - although it's drastically different, it holds its own. The tension between Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher can be cut with a chainsaw, and you get to see Christopher Lloyd's debut. Look for Anjelica Huston as an extra, and author Ken Kesey in a cameo. Dustin Hoffman, upon seeing the movie, exclaimed that it depicted a mental hospital quite accurately - one of his first jobs was as a ward in one. It has one of the saddest and yet most exhiliarating endings in film history. It merited a Simpsons parody during their peak years.

So yeah. Or "Lawrence". It goes a long way to explain why the mideast is the way it is, and why we were doomed to fail in Iraq.

[yellowdogintexas]

24. lacking the all of the above option, I must say,

where have you been that you have never seen any of these movies?

You have some work to do: go rent them all. NOW

You will watch them and you will like them.

[bigwillq]

25. Mockingbird or Deer Hunter

it's a toss up for me.

[Ouabache]

26. Are you sure Blade Runner is a classic?

I voted for Mockingbird but almost said Cool Hand Luke.

[Benfea]

27. Why isn't Seven Samurai on your list?

I hope it's because you've already seen it.

[begin_within]

29. Try to see "Lawrence of Arabia" in a theater if possible.

It really needs and deserves a big screen to take it all in.

[begin_within]

31. Skip the film and read the book of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"

instead. The book is far superior to the film, which is just a bastardization of the book. If you only see the film and don't read the book, you'll miss the entire point of view and meaning of the story. Ken Kesey himself despised the movie version. At a lecture of his I went to in 1982, he held up a paperback copy of the book, with Jack Nicholson's face on the cover and pointed angrily at it.

[Karenca]

46. The book is 100 times better than the movie.. eom

[begin_within]

50. That's what I'm trying to get across. If people only see the movie,

they will miss the whole point of the book.

[WCGreen]

33. Harold and Maude is over rated and really dated....

It screams early 70's...

And it's a gimick film...

Doesn't hold up like all the others on the list...

I would add Godfather Part 1 & 2....

[Critters2]

38. Agreed!!! So contrived, so desperate.

Agreed about the Godfathers, too. But stay away from III. Worst. movie. ever.

[WCGreen]

41. At a midnight movie...

Jacked up on a few hits of mesc and ten cans of beer....

Maybe, but watching it now...

Not so much....

[Critters2]

44. Maybe that's what I've been doing wrong nt

[hyphenate]

36. Two that aren't on your list

IMO are Casablanca and Citizen Kane.

[Critters2]

40. Agreed

Casablanca is a great film!

[acmavm]

37. Cool Hand Luke was one of the best movies ever made. To Kill A

Mockingbird is inspiring and wonderful. Gregory Peck was the perfect person for the role. I must have seen Harold and Maude fifty times when I was young. Bud Cort was such a warped little cutied and Ruth Gordon was one of the best actresses of all times.

There's others on that list, but these THREE are a must.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

42. To Kill a Mockingbird...

But can all of those be considered classics?

[flamingyouth]

43. Of those, "To Kill A Mockingbird"

You have to see this film. I insist. :)

[NashVegas]

45. The Deer Hunter OR Singing in the Rain

Everything on that list is representative of the best in film-making. I would put TDH at #1, but you're not always in the mood for seriousness, and SitR shows you can have a light-hearted film that's a truly excellent cinematic experience.

What makes TDH important is that it took the Vietnam conflict and personalized it in a way that's not been done before or since. It's not entirely a war movie, and it's not entirely a soap opera.

[elocs]

47. It's Mockingbird if I had to choose just one.

It's a great list and a good variety. I'd put them all on my list as you can.

[sendero]

48. Wow..

.... what a list!

I voted for Cool Hand, but would also vote for One Flew Over, To Kill a Mockingbird and Harold and Maude.

Each of these films is absolutely essential!!! You have to see all of them. In fact, you should see everything on your list :)

[baldguy]

49. Citizen Kane

Casablanca
Dr Strangelove
All The President's Men
Things To Come
Captain Blood
The Best Years of Our Lives
12 Monkeys
The Quiet Man
Being There
Seven Days In May
Grapes Of Wrath
The Third Man
Apocalypse Now
Ronin
The Life & Times of Judge Roy Bean
Z
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
North by Northwest
Das Boot
Empire Of The Sun


there are a million of 'em

[CBHagman]

52. Mockingbird, with Singin' in the Rain a close second.

It was hard to pick just one, but To Kill a Mockingbird is, as many people have posted already, one of the finest film adaptations of a great novel. I'd recommend it to anyone old enough to understand the story.

But Singin' in the Rain is magic, too, an absolute must-see.

Come and visit us TCM fans in the Classic Film Group for more ideas. :hi: