nickysnichols

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@hotvintagepoll

Loretta Young in The Call of the Wild (1935) dir. William A. Wellman

[nickysnichols]

Hi shh I’m not real (I am the roommate of the person this blog belongs to) BUT someone made the mistake of asking me for old movie recs less than a week ago so I have my whole thing typed out and accessible and since some people in the tags are asking for that in a general way…

Golden Age recs for A Friend Tumblr!

Starting with a warning about my personal biases: I am a film noir girlie through and through, I am also partial to a good screwball, and a lot of my favorites will fall in one of those categories. However, I will do my best to give you a more rounded selection! Therefore I’ll have 5 categories: pure classics (the critically acclaimed must watches), noir, screwball, movies by notable director, and miscellaneous at the end. In first three sections I’ll list roughly in order of “importance” (how famous, how much it defines a genre) not favoritism, but I won’t include films that I don’t love myself. In the director section, the films that I personally recommend the most highly will have the year after them. If one falls into multiple categories, I’ll only list them in one for streamlining purposes. I’m (mostly) limiting myself to American sound films from the mid 30s to late 50s- roughly the height of the Hays Code.

CLASSICS:

Casablanca

Singin’ in the Rain

Bringing Up Baby

12 Angry Men

Night of the Hunter

Roman Holiday

Rebel Without a Cause

The Day the Earth Stood Still (if you like this, check out Forbidden Planet)

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Harvey

Anatomy of a Murder

High Noon

SCREWBALLS:

The Thin Man (highly recommended the whole series)

The Lady Eve

Sullivan’s Travels

Libeled Lady

I Married a Witch

Pillow Talk*

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

Bachelor Mother

The Farmer’s Daughter

My Favorite Wife

Rhubarb

Theodora Goes Wild

Jewel Robbery

*(this is a 60s sex comedy, which is a descendent of the screwball, but it technically came out in 1959 so here ya go)

NOIR:

The Maltese Falcon

Laura

Gilda

Mildred Pierce

The Third Man

Sweet Smell of Success

Night and the City

Out of the Past

Niagara

In a Lonely Place

Pickup on South Street

Bad Day at Black Rock

The Harder They Fall

(and then if you decide you really like the vibes and wanna continue, any Robert Siodmak is a good choice)

DIRECTORS:

Billy Wilder:

I cannot stress how much this man’s filmography slaps. He made some of the QUINTESSENTIAL noir, Double Indemnity (1944) and Sunset Boulevard (1950) define the genre. The Lost Weekend and Ace in the Hole are both a little darker, they’re excellent. He’s also really fucking funny, Some Like it Hot (1959) is one of the most classic comedies ever made, though I wanna mention One, Two, Three as one of his lesser known gems. There’s also Witness for the Prosecution, Stalag 17, The Apartment, Sabrina— I cannot emphasize how much this man does not miss.

Orson Welles:

Yes, obviously Citizen Kane has merit, but it’s honestly not a great starting point. The Magnificent Ambersons is ALSO beloved, but I think he’s at his strongest AND most watchable in his noir: Touch of Evil (1958) and The Stranger (1946) are both brilliant

Ernst Lubitsch:

To Be or Not To Be (1942) may be a perfect film. The Shop Around the Corner (1940) is annual viewing for me. He’s all about clever romantic comedies: Design for Living, Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife, and Trouble in Paradise are also delightful.

Frank Capra:

It Happened One Night (1934) is a defining screwball. Capra is known for feel-good movies, some more dramatic (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), some comedic (You Can’t Take it With You), but I personally never have more fun than when I watch the delightfully over the top Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Alfred Hitchcock:

Good ol’ Alfie Hitch is a genre unto himself, I’ve seen 15 of his films at this point and I’m STILL missing major ones, so this won’t be balanced between what I like and notable classics, here are my completely subjective 4 favorite Hitchcock films! In order: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) (he also made this film in 1934. Do not watch that one.), The Trouble with Harry (his only comedy!), Shadow of a Doubt (noir), and Rear Window (actually a classic Hitchcock film)

Joseph L. Mankiewicz:

ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)!!!!!!!!!! That’s essential viewing. I also really enjoy A Letter to Three Wives, No Way Out, and Somewhere in the Night (which is pure noir)

George Cukor:

The Philadelphia Story and Gaslight are both good, and two of his most lauded, but my favorite of his is UNDOUBTEDLY Holiday (1938)

John Huston:

I would be remiss not to mention him, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The African Queen, and The Asphalt Jungle all come up when you talk film history

Howard Hawks:

I know I said I wouldn’t repeat any but seriously watch Bringing Up Baby (1938). He’s all over the place but he’s good at genre films: His Girl Friday, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, To Have and Have Not

MISCELLANEOUS:

It’s doesn’t really count as a classic because nobody has heard of it, but I highly recommend One Way Passage (1932)

Gene Kelly Musicals:

Anchors Aweigh

For Me and My Gal

Summer Stock

The Pirate (must a movie be GOOD?? is it not enough to be camp??)

Horror (goofy, the good stuff is overseas, watch Vampyr):

Cat People

Creature From the Black Lagoon

Bride of Frankenstein

Mystery of the Wax Museum

All The Best Christmas Movies Are Comedies From The 1940s:

Miracle on 34th Street

Christmas in Connecticut

Holiday Affair

I’m sorry if someone’s asked this before but do you have any vintage movie recommendations? Like what are your favorites

Yes I have tons! But I'm holding off posting them because I don't want to accidentally influence the bracket in any way. If I posted a list when the big tournaments are done, would anyone be interested?

[nickysnichols]

Bob Fosse (June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) 

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Liza Minnelli in a publicity photograph for director / choreographer Bob Fosse’s musical drama film Cabaret (USA, 1972) | ABC Pictures / Allied Artists

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014), dir. Francis Lawrence

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On the night I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I need to survive is not Gale’s fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that.

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Chloë Sevigny photographed by Thomas Whiteside for Harper’s Bazaar Russia, November 2017

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Le notti di Cabiria (Nights of Cabiria) 1957 dir. Federico Fellini

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black lives matter and pride are intrinsically linked. the black trans community have done so much for us, we owe it to them to not forget their movement this month. without black lives, there would be no pride. black lives matter, today and always

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i still have a chance with lorna.

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Clea DuVall in But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), dir. Jamie Babbit.

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- I am ignorant, but I read books. You won’t believe it, everything is useful… this pebble for instance. - Which one? - Anyone. It is useful. - What for? - For… I don’t know. If I knew I’d be the Almighty, who knows all. When you are born and when you die… Who knows? I don’t know for what this pebble is useful but it must be useful. For if its useless, everything is useless. So are the stars!

La strada, Federico Fellini (1954)

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“You have to think about one shot. One shot is what it’s all about. A deer’s gotta be taken with one shot.” The Deer Hunter (1978) dir. Michael Cimino

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Chloë Sevigny photographed by Thomas Whiteside for Harper’s Bazaar Russia, November 2017

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nicky’s bde is unmatched

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Meissen, Germany (by Friedhelm)