Oldest movie that still "holds up"?

Men_in_Boxes

Men_in_Boxes

Banned
I've been on an old movie kick for a bit and some of these movies have not aged gracefully. Rio Bravo is supposedly one of the greats in it's genre but it's borderline embarrassing to watch today. That being said, what's the oldest movie you can recommend that, in your opinion, still holds up?

My vote currently goes to The Big Country (1958) starring Gregory Peck.

The_Big_Country-899401085-large.jpg
 
Rio Bravo is a classic Howard Hawks film. It's a fun Western that doesn't mind making fun of John Wayne. It was written by Leigh Brackett, whose last script was the first draft of "Empire Strikes Back." Even after rewrites, Leia is still very much a Howard Hawk woman.

If you like Carroll Baker, check out "Baby Doll" by Kazan. A really wild film with tremendous performances. It was also the inspiration for the "kinderwhore" look.

After all the "Mank" mania, I'm going to say it : "Citizen Kane." Even as a teenager who hated black and white movies, I found the movie to be surprisingly modern with its overlapping dialog, editing and cinematography.

If you want movies with more modern narratives, check out Pre-Code movies. The Hays code severely restricted the kind of content Hollywood could make (kind of like now). Some people argue that it neutered cinema (kind of like now). Check out "Baby Face" as a prominent example of Pre-Code film. I quite like "Employees Entrance" - the story still feels relevant.
 
rofif said:
Does Lawrance of Arabia holds up? Many people recommended it to me after I got 4k oled
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Watch the dollars trilogy instead, they're still amazing cinema......well apart from some of the worst ADR I've ever seen/heard

But yeh its a good film, and a true story (?)
 
Another Gregory Peck movie. Not the oldest, but it really does hold up and is particularly quite relevant right now.
atticus_and_tom_robinson_in_court.gif

To Kill a Mockingbird
 
StreetsofBeige said:
I've never watched the entire movie. But for 1963, this holds up well.

Jason and Argonauts skeleton fight.

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That's the thing about practical effects and stop motion animation - while it's "fake," the items used to create the fakery are real. I think the audience can tell the difference between that and cg.
 
Raven117 said:
Idiots say that.

Casablanca is another one. Great movie. (Takes a few watches to really get into the rhythm of it).
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Just watched this last night (lol) and was the inspiration for this thread. It was my 4th time trying to watch it (bailed the first 3 times) and I'm not sure what I thought if it. It was entertaining enough that I want to watch it again down the road.

And holy **** did it have a ton of iconic lines in it that still get referenced in pop culture today.
 
tsumake said:
That's the thing about practical effects and stop motion animation - while it's "fake," the items used to create the fakery are real. I think the audience can tell the difference between that and cg.
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The skeleton movements and animation are incredible. Must had taken the special effects team ages to record that stop motion stuff.

They move better than typical video game animation.
 
Maybe someone can fill me in if this movie is any good. I've never seen Metropolis (1927) but looks way ahead of it's time. Is it good and holds up?
 
rofif said:
Does Lawrance of Arabia holds up? Many people recommended it to me after I got 4k oled
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Yes. One of my favorite movies. It has also been released on 4K Blu-Ray but its only included in Columbia Classic Collection right now. They should release it separately.
 
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Citizen Kane & Casablanca I also +1 to

I'd like to say a few Gene Kelly films as as well since his level of physicality and stunts really haven't been matched until parkour action scenes became a thing, but I still can't bring myself to recommend musicals

Buster Keaton too
 
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Men_in_Boxes said:
Just watched this last night (lol) and was the inspiration for this thread. It was my 4th time trying to watch it (bailed the first 3 times) and I'm not sure what I thought if it. It was entertaining enough that I want to watch it again down the road.

And holy **** did it have a ton of iconic lines in it that still get referenced in pop culture today.
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Totally. The first time I watched it I was like....yeah, its okay.....

But after a few watches....the way the lines are delivered...the rhythm of the dialog (and the pacing of the movie)...man it just feels awesome to watch. Like a warm gin-soaked blanket.

(Also, if you jokers are looking for a date idea....cooking French (or Moroccan) food, a bottle of wine and watching Casablanca is a great date).
 
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There's tons. The Thin Man movies from the 1930s are funny. Gone With the Wind is amazing in it's spectacle. Most of Alfred Hitchcock's US movies are awesome, such as Rebecca.

There's been very few movies before 1930 that I've liked, but there are some. Metropolis, the Buster Keaton movies, Charlie Chaplin, lots of the slapstick comedies.
 
The Exorcist still holds up very well (especially in the makeup department) and can still scare the shit out of you if you're watching it for the first time.
 
tsumake said:
In terms of meshing a well constructed narrative and a movie, Rashomon is hard to beat.

However, Kurosawa's films are classic, but not exactly "modern."
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I thought the thread was essentially "what are old films that are still good today?" not having a modern relevance or anything.

Also I'd argue Kurosawa's films have morals/tales/metaphors that definitely apply to life in any era.
 
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QuantumZebra said:
I thought the thread was essentially "what are old films that are still good today?" not having a modern relevance or anything.

Also I'd argue Kurosawa's films have morals/tales/metaphors that definitely apply to life in any era.
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They're classic, for sure. I wish filmmakers would take more cues from him, like they used to.
 
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SirTerry-T said:
Timeless movies are timeless, etc.

Treasure Of The Sierra Madre is another I'd add to the list.
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Saw this over the summer. While I personally enjoyed it, I wouldn't exactly recommend it to someone who's skeptical of old movies aging well. To me, it felt a little too much like a play with themes a bit too on the nose? I think The Big Country has a higher likelihood of capturing modern audiences attention.

The question posed in the OP can certainly be interpreted differently though.
 
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Men_in_Boxes said:
Saw this over the summer. While I personally enjoyed it, I wouldn't exactly recommend it to someone who's skeptical of old movies aging well. To me, it felt a little too much like a play with themes a bit too on the nose? I think The Big Country has a higher likelihood of capturing modern audiences attention.

The question posed in the OP can certainly be interpreted differently though.
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Hey, you got to see Indiana Jones pre-Lucas.
 
Ulysses 31 said:
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Yeah Metropolis and Nosferatu really hold up as far as silent stuff goes. Metropolis is crazy visionary for how much of the cyberpunk genre it laid out way before that was a thing.

I mean even some of those George Melies shorts are still a lot of fun.
 
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