7th Annual 24 Frames 10 Best Classic Films Watched…For the First Time

With the recent passing of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, the list of movie stars living from the classic era continues to dwindle. Fortunately, for those of us left behind we’ll always have them all to enjoy and remember on TCM and other venues for classic film. On a brighter note, Kirk Douglas recently celebrated his 100th birthday in December and we wish him many more.

6th Annual 24 Frames 10 Best Classic Films Watched…For the First Time

   Classic films never really get old. Like a fine wine it’s more about how they age. Though I have watched so many films over the years I still find there is always something to new discover. There are lessons to be learned; how we lived, dressed as well as mistakes we as a society have made and hopefully can learn and not to repeat. Sadly, that last part does not always happen.  This year’s group of first time viewings is no different.

   While the definition of what constitutes a classic film is always open to interpretation, for purposes of this year’s list, I  have included one film that is only two years old. Not  my usual definition, but if I did not include this one film it would have slipped through the cracks, therefore, I included it. As usual though the list leans toward older films including one silent classic.  Six of the ten films on the list are foreign. There are two from France, one each from England, Italy, Japan and Brazil. There is also one co-production from the U.S., U.K. and Switzerland.  The remaining films are from the U.S. From a decades perspective there was no one decade that stood out. Two from the 1940’s, the 1960’s,  the 1980’s and the 2000’s.   If you are curious about  the previous entries in this series, the easiest way is to go over to categories on the sidebar and select “Annual Ten Best Classic Films Watched…for the First Time.” I also included a ten honorable mentions.

24 Frames 5th Annual Ten Best Classic FIlms Watched… for the First Time

It amazes me that the more films I watch, the more there is to discover. It’s a never ending black hole, and that’s a good thing. The thrill of a new discovery always sets the juices flowing. This year was no different.

Five of the ten films on my list are foreign. There are three from Italy, one a co-production with Algeria. One from England and one from France. Of the five U.S. films, two are silents and one a documentary. Decade wise, the 1940’s and 1950’s had three each. There were two from the 1920’s and one each from 1960 and 1990. All in all, a nice mix. If you are curious about  the previous entries in this series, the easiest way is to go over to categories on the sidebar and select “Annual Ten Best Classic Films Watched…for the First Time.” I also included a dozen honorable mentions. 

24 Frames: 4th Annual Ten Best Classic Films Watched…For the First Time

It’s time again for our annual Twenty Four Frames Top Ten List of Classic Films Watched… For The First Time. This is our fourth year presenting this list of the best films that I have finally managed to catch up with. As usual the films are in alphabetical order.

In 2013, the list was dominated by American films, unlike in 2012 when only three U.S. films made the list.  There are two films from France and one film, a co-production, from the U.K. and India. The 1930’s and the 1950’s had the most films on the list with three each. Both the 1920’s and the 1980’s had tw0. There are 10 honorable mentions all of which are worthy works in and of themselves and deserve to be seen. For easy access, I have provided a link to all the films watched in 2013. https://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/film-diary-2013/

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1931) Lewis Milestone

Classic anti-war film that still packs a punch on the horrors, the meaninglessness and evils of war along with the stupidity of those back home preaching the glories of dying for ones country with shallow patriotic slogans and rhetoric. The battle scenes are as graphic, and magnificently shot, as the war is shown to be senseless.  A highlight is when Lew Ayres returns home and visits the classroom of a former teacher. The young teen students are all anxious and ready to go to war. Ayres tells them how it really is…”There’s no glory, we live in the trenches, we fight…we try not to be killed – that’s all!”  This is Lewis Milestone’s masterpiece. While he made a few other good films, “The Racket,” “The Front Page,” and “Of Mice and Men” to name a few, he never came close again to making this fine and powerful a cinematic work.

24 Frames: 3rd Annual 10 Best Classic Films Watched…For The First Time

 Welcome to the third annual Twenty Four Frames Top Ten List of Classic Films Watched… For The First Time. In 2012, more than ever the list turned out to have an international flavor with only three films from the U.S. making the top 10. Three films from Italy also made the list as well as two from Great Britain and one each from Japan and France. The decade of the 1960’s had the most films with three. Both the 1940’s and 1950’s had two films each. The 1980’s was the most recent decade  and the 1910’s was the earliest. There are 10 honorable mentions all of which are worthy works in and of themselves and deserve to be seen. For easy access, I have provided a link to all the films watched in 2012.

24 Frames: 2nd Annual 10 Best Classic Films Watched…For The First Time

Welcome to the annual Twenty Four Frames Top Ten List of Classic Films Watched… For The First Time. Once again, the list turned out to have an international flavor, though films from the U.S. still dominated with five (Only because the films watched during the year were mostly from the U.S.). That said, two of the films making the top ten are from Britain and one each from Japan, France and Italy. The 1930’s dominated with four films making the list. Again, the 1960’s was the most recent decade with two films. The two decades in between  also made the list with two films each. There are 15 honorable mentions all of which are worthy works in and of themselves and deserve to be seen. For easy access, I have provided links to the films on the list I have written about. Additionally, here is a link to all the films I watched in 2011.  Finally here is a link to the 2010 10 Best Classic Films Watched…For the First Time. The films are in alphabetically order.

24 Frames: 10 Best Classic Films Watched in 2010….For The First Time

Here they are, the top 10 classic films watched for the first time in 2010.  The list is truly an international one with five American, two French, one Italian, one Japanese and one German. Two of the films are silent works and two from the 1960’s, the most recent decade on the list. Anthony Mann was the only director to have more than one film in the top 10 (if you include the HM’s, Mann had three and Kurosawa had two). There are 15 honorable mentions all of which are worthy works in and of themselves and deserve to be seen.  For easy access, I have provided links to the films on the list I have written about.