Top Ten Pre-1950s Films
A lot of people scoff at classic cinema, preferring today's modern films with high definition and computer generated graphics, but a lot of the charm of old movies is the superb storytelling, which couldn't be washed away with flashy graphics or images.
Here is a list of the top pre-1950s films, ones that you can easily find these days, and should give a watch if you ever come across them.
1. Gone With the Wind – 1939
Gone With the Wind is on this list simply because it is so popular. It was a sensation when it first came out, shattering box office records and winning several Academy Awards that year. It is still shown on television, still made into the latest of home-video formats, and is extremely popular simply because it was so well made. The story, the costumes, the locales, everything. It may be a bit jarring to watch today with the casual racism, but if you can put that aside, it is one of the best films ever and should be watched at least one in a life time.
2. Citizen Kane – 1941
Again, like Casablanca, you always have to include Citizen Kane. It is one of the best classic films with a great story that is still relevant and moving today.
3. Casablanca – 1942
You can't have a list like this without mentioning Casablanca. You just can't. There is so much to say about this film, but the great thing about this is that everyone just knows what you would say anyway. It is one of those must-see-in-your-lifetime films.
4. Nosferatu – 1922
How could anyone forget one of the first horror films, that defined the vampire genre? Nosferatu was supposed to be Dracula, but due to a copyright suit, had to be called something else. It was no less scary to audiences of the time, and began the monster movie genre that dominated early cinema.
5. King Kong – 1933
King Kong is another great film that has been paid homage to by modern cinema, has two remakes, and almost every action film that needs a great ape will find some way to throw in a reference or another. It had a great story too, and challenged audiences to rethink the nature of man and beast.
6. It's a Wonderful Life – 1946
This movie is well known because it is often run on televisions during the holidays, but it has a story that is moving, and really makes you think. A classic of holiday stories, It's a Wonderful Life enjoys continued popularity today simply due to all the networks running it around the holiday season.
7. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 1948
This is a great film in itself, but also because it has influenced so many modern action/adventure movies to this day. The popular modern Indiana Jones series took several cues from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, even down to the hero's signature fedora and look. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre became a classic simply to all the action movies that paid homage to it.
8. Fantasia – 1940
Fantasia was a great movie in that it showed what animation could really do. Animation films to this point had been shorter endeavors, besides the works of Walt Disney, and had been produced primarily as family films based off fairy tales. Fantasia was a symphony of sound and images, and was a sensation when it came out. Today it is seven more impressive, knowing that all the animation in the film was drawn by hand and had to be worked to synch up perfectly with the music.
9. The Wizard of Oz – 1939
The Wizard of Oz caused audiences at the time to gasp when the film went into color, and it is one of those classic films that nearly everybody has seen to this day. The story still is a fun movie to watch if you ever want to see the magic of old cinema, with patched together special effects that were top of the line at its time.
10. Metropolis – 1927
Metropolis was one of the fist great sci-fi films. For its time, it had state-of-the-art special effects, and it wowed audiences with an image of the future. Metropolis was also one of the most influential movies of all time, being paid homage to in several classic and modern films to this day.
Here is a list of the top pre-1950s films, ones that you can easily find these days, and should give a watch if you ever come across them.
1. Gone With the Wind – 1939
Gone With the Wind is on this list simply because it is so popular. It was a sensation when it first came out, shattering box office records and winning several Academy Awards that year. It is still shown on television, still made into the latest of home-video formats, and is extremely popular simply because it was so well made. The story, the costumes, the locales, everything. It may be a bit jarring to watch today with the casual racism, but if you can put that aside, it is one of the best films ever and should be watched at least one in a life time.
2. Citizen Kane – 1941
Again, like Casablanca, you always have to include Citizen Kane. It is one of the best classic films with a great story that is still relevant and moving today.
3. Casablanca – 1942
You can't have a list like this without mentioning Casablanca. You just can't. There is so much to say about this film, but the great thing about this is that everyone just knows what you would say anyway. It is one of those must-see-in-your-lifetime films.
4. Nosferatu – 1922
How could anyone forget one of the first horror films, that defined the vampire genre? Nosferatu was supposed to be Dracula, but due to a copyright suit, had to be called something else. It was no less scary to audiences of the time, and began the monster movie genre that dominated early cinema.
5. King Kong – 1933
King Kong is another great film that has been paid homage to by modern cinema, has two remakes, and almost every action film that needs a great ape will find some way to throw in a reference or another. It had a great story too, and challenged audiences to rethink the nature of man and beast.
6. It's a Wonderful Life – 1946
This movie is well known because it is often run on televisions during the holidays, but it has a story that is moving, and really makes you think. A classic of holiday stories, It's a Wonderful Life enjoys continued popularity today simply due to all the networks running it around the holiday season.
7. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 1948
This is a great film in itself, but also because it has influenced so many modern action/adventure movies to this day. The popular modern Indiana Jones series took several cues from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, even down to the hero's signature fedora and look. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre became a classic simply to all the action movies that paid homage to it.
8. Fantasia – 1940
Fantasia was a great movie in that it showed what animation could really do. Animation films to this point had been shorter endeavors, besides the works of Walt Disney, and had been produced primarily as family films based off fairy tales. Fantasia was a symphony of sound and images, and was a sensation when it came out. Today it is seven more impressive, knowing that all the animation in the film was drawn by hand and had to be worked to synch up perfectly with the music.
9. The Wizard of Oz – 1939
The Wizard of Oz caused audiences at the time to gasp when the film went into color, and it is one of those classic films that nearly everybody has seen to this day. The story still is a fun movie to watch if you ever want to see the magic of old cinema, with patched together special effects that were top of the line at its time.
10. Metropolis – 1927
Metropolis was one of the fist great sci-fi films. For its time, it had state-of-the-art special effects, and it wowed audiences with an image of the future. Metropolis was also one of the most influential movies of all time, being paid homage to in several classic and modern films to this day.
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