Old films - pre 1957

C

Chumpy1970

New member
Are there any really old films - made more than 50 years ago that you have seen and really admire?

My favourite is "Metropolis" and old black and white silent Sci-fi movie made in the 1924 by Fritz Lang. It's an absolute classic and apparently was one of the most expensive films to make of it's time. I know it has fairly recently been coloured and has had a musical soundtrack added.

"Casablanca" was another good one and "Random Harvest".
 
That certainly looks like the complete set. Wow; I'm going to look out for that one!
I've highlighted the ones I've seen:

1 - Old Bones Of The River
2 - Windbag The Sailor
3 - Hey! Hey! USA
4 - OH, Mr. Porter
5 - My Learned Friend
6 - Convict 99
7 - Where There's A Will
8 - Good Morning Boys
9 - Where's That Fire
10 - Boys Will Be Boys
11 - Black Sheep Of Whitehall
12 - The Ghost Of St, Michaels
13 - The Goose Steps Out
14 - Those Were The Days - very "music hall" IIRC
15 - Ask A Policeman
16 - Radio Parade Of 1935
17 - The Big Blockade
18 - Dandy Dick
19 - Go To Blazes
 
Oh YES, I especially like The Third Man, The scene from the top of the Ferris wheel was brilliant - and the final chase through the sewers. And of course the famous line about the Swiss and the cuckoo clock.

But then, of course "The Third Man" was a film of a brilliant book by Graham Greene. The other films of his books were memorable too - "Brighton Rock" and "The End of the Affair".


I liked "The Thirty-nine Steps" too.
 
The same guy also had

69 three stooges movies as a set
Casey Jones the tv series
Robison crusoe tv series
George Formby collection
Old Mother Riley Collection
and Arthur askey collection although he doesnt seem to have that one any longer.

several ebay traders have the very same sets for sale
ie same titles on same number of disks, so there must be a source for them available free somewhere.

Writing 6 dvRAB and selling them for
 
For sure.
I've always been a fan of Brando & Dean so obviously their work (or in Brando's case,his most inspired work) is from beginning to mid 50's.
Dating back further I love just about all James Cagney's gangster movies.
Obviously nearly everyone admires or is found of the Wizard Of Oz
Nosferatu creeps me out more then nearly any big budget horror or low budget slasher (and when was that 1919 or so?).
Hell it's hard not to laugh at Laurel and Hardy.
 
George Formy I'd be interested in. I've only seen 1 George Formby film, and was delighted to see at the beginning that it was directed by Marcel Varnel - the same guy that directed a lot of Will Hay's.
 
Here's a few that I like:

Rear Window
The Maltese Falcon
White Heat
Double Indemnity
Cat People
I Walked With a Zombie
Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein
Night of the Demon
The Blue Angel
Cassablanca
Metropolis
Key Largo
King Kong
Nosferatu
Vampyre
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
M
Them!
Citizen Kane
The Third Man
The Gold Rush
City Lights
The Kid
Modern Times
Sunset Blvd.
War of the WorlRAB
The Big Sleep
This Island Earth
It Came from Outer Space
A Matter of Life and Death
Strangers on a Train
The Big Heat
The Woman in the Window
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Dial M for Murder
Rope
Dead of Night
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Forbidden Planet
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Invisible Man
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Duck Soup
A Night At The Opera
Animal Crackers
Monkey Business
Horse Feathers
At the Circus
A Night in Casablanca
Boys Will Be Boys
Good Morning Boys
Ask a Policeman
Oh Mr Porter
Where's That Fire?
Convict 99
Windbag the Sailor
My Learned Friend
Bringing Up Baby
Arsenic and Old Lace
Harvey
Hellzapoppin'
Sons of the Desert
Our Relations
Way Out West
Les Diaboliques
The Wages of Fear
The Girl Can't Help It
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
Freaks
Shane
 
Brighton Rock was brilliant, way ahead of it's time, Sir Richard Attenburgh was amazing.

I like the old comedies as well, the Howard Hawks, Preston Sturges style stuff, I like the quick one-liners and they have very interesting plots most of the time. I like the Coen brothers stuff from the 80's and 90's which was based on this stuff
 
Glad to see Will on here, my favourite comedian. My Favouite Film is "Good Morning Boys" I just love some of the exchanges in it.

Hopefully there is biography coming out next year. There has been one before, now quite hard to find (But not as hard as Will's book on Astronomy "Through My Telescope"). The new book should be really good though.

He always seems to be overlooked nowadays, the recent BBC programme on brit comedies being a case in point.
 
These are some films I've seen and love:

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals
Flying Down to Rio
The Gay Divorcee
Top Hat
Shall We Dance
Swing Time
Follow the Fleet
Carefree
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle

I think the 'Cheek to Cheek dance in Top Hat is slightly overrated and dances like 'Never Gonna Dance' and 'Waltz in Swing Time' (both in 'Swing Time') are much better.

Marx Brothers
Go West
A Night at the Opera
Monkey Business
At the Circus

The Philadelphia Story (with Cary Grant, James Stewart and Katherine Hepburn)

It's a Wonderful Life! (James Stewart)

The Women (Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford)

Singing in the Rain (although if you get the double disk DVD you'll find out that all the songs in the films are from older Arthur Freed musicals anyway!)

The Wizard of Oz

Gone with the Wind

Rear Window (although I saw it after i saw the simpsons spoof episode so I couldn't help but think of that!)

I'm not keen on Casablanca, or detective film noir type films. I saw The Maltese Falcon and I didn't really like Humprey Bogart in that eaither. I personally think they are a bit overrated.
 
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