Classic movies your children must see

Cafe Society
21

For a 15-year-old? Hmmm. Let’s see. Must… not… list… fifty… movies.

I agree with much of what’s already been posted. I’d also add these:
*
Breaker Morant* - A gripping courtroom drama and wartime adventure.

Casablanca - As always, funny, uplifting, great dialogue, wonderful characters and atmosphere. Deservedly a classic.

Dark City - Creepily effective sci-fi thriller.

The Iron Giant - A wonderful adventure with a good message.

The Incredibles - Ditto (same director, Brad Bird, not-so-coincidentally).

Trading Places - One of my favorite comedies.

True Lies - The perfect mix of comedy and action.

22

So, ok, a 15 year old can deal with more sophisticated films. Here you go.

Alien
LA Confidential
Clueless
My Man Godfrey
The Thin Man
The Maltese Falcon
The Caine Mutiny
Mutiny on the Bounty
High Noon
Once Upon a Time in America
Apocalypse Now
I will admit some of these will be more appealing to a teenage boy than a teenage girl. Butwhattryagonnado?

23

In no particular order, and without any promise of their suitability:

Hitchcock is a must, and most of the scares aren’t terribly graphic. Rear Window, North by Northwest, and obviously if you’re looking for cultural touchstones, Psycho and The Birds.
Just because I like them:
The French Connection
The Big Lebowski
MASH
The Magnificent Seven * and Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai
If hyper violence isn’t a problem:
A Clockwork Orange
Any Tarantino/ Robert Rodrigues film

Musicals (including some of the less child-friendly ones):
*
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Gypsy
Kiss Me Kate
Rent
Chicago
The Producers
Guys and Dolls
The Sound of Music
The King and I
A Chorus Line
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
South Pacific
Singin’ in the Rain
Sweet Charity
*

When in doubt, go for Hollywood Royalty.
Personally, I like:
Funny face
Daddy Long Legs
The Odd Couple
Auntie Mame
The Apartment
All About Eve
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Sunset Boulevard
A Streetcar Named Desire
The African Queen
In the Heat of the Night

At 25 I still love most of the films I loved at 15, and most of the ones I loved most were old black and white films on in the afternoons or in the early hours of the morning that I just happened to discover for myself.

24

Let’s see here…

The Women, 1939. All female cast and claimed that all the animals shown were female as well. Great movie.
The Ten Commandments, 1956. Yes, religious in nature (obviously) but still a great film of its day.
White Christmas, 1954. Another classic. Danny Kaye is one of the greatest comedians ever IMO and you can’t beat Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney singing together.

Lots more, but a bunch of my picks have already been mentioned.

25

Girls like animals–at least mine do. Here’s a sample conversation:

These are approved at our house:
Black Beauty
National Velvet
Old Yeller
Lassie Come Home

26

Duh. It has deer. Female deer. And whiskered kittens. And cream-colored ponies. And wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings. And biting dogs. And stinging bees. (Although not dogs with bees in their mouths so when they bark they shoot bees at you.)

27

Forget Oklahoma–see The Pajama Game or *Guys and Dolls. *
Carry on.

28

Also, there’s a world outside the US, where lots of good pictures has been made. - Don’t forget to mention.

29

FWIW, Breaker Morant is an Australian movie. So there. :smiley:

30

My daughter will never forgive me for talking her into watching Old Yeller. :frowning:

She says it was the meanest thing I’ve ever done.

31

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory–the original with Gene Wilder (though the newer one is good too).

One of the defining moments of my childhood. I still love that film. Every kid should see it–uncut freakout scene and all.

32

A 15 year old girl, right?

Newer “classics” for kids:

Akeelah And The Bee
Bend It Like Beckham
A Little Romance
Mean Girls
Election
Legally Blonde
Rabbit Proof Fence
Flashdance
The Man In The Moon

Older classics:

The Bad Seed
Black Beauty
Meet Me In St. Louis
The Secret Garden
Pollyanna (with Haley Mills)
Born Free
Diary Of Anne Frank
The Miracle Worker

33

I’m glad to say she has seen some of these. Funny, she started a list on her own of books she must read…she asked me, a lot of her teachers, and her librarian at school (Ivygirl is a bookworm, like me, and helps out at the library whenever she can.) Last I heard her list of books to read was 400+!

I’m just thinking with all the craptastic movies out there, a good foundation in classic movies is just as important as a well-rounded library.

Thanks for the suggestions…I know Old Yeller is a tough one, but it is a classic, and heck, we all need a good cry once in a while. :slight_smile:

34

A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven, in the US)

One of the most magical movies ever made. Once saw as a child it is never forgotten.

35

And if I can sneak another of those in: Picnic at Hanging Rock. I think an intelligent fifteen year-old girl would be completely spun out by this movie. It’s beautiful, very beautiful. And chilling.

It might not stand up to your definition of classic in that it’s a bit light on lines to be knowledgeable about when heard at dinner parties, but do your daughter a favour. And yourself - watch it with her.

36

A Man For All Seasons (with Scofield, not Heston)
The Seventh Seal

37

I also think some of the biblical epic movies, like Ben-Hur or The 10 Commandments, would be good.

I think I need to sign up for Netflix. :smiley:

38

Just out of curiousity: Just how many of these do you plan to enjoy with her? I really love showing my favorite films to people who haven’t seen them before - you can watch their reactions to your favorite scenes, and it’s almost like seeing it again for the first time.

39

So many possibilities but I’ll stick to movies that are referanced else where in pop culture:

The Adventures of Robin Hood - the original is still the best and as a bonus you get to explain in like Flynn

Jail House Rock - really any Elvis movie will do

Chisim - John Wayne at his most cowboy.

Leathal Weapon - one of the best buddy cop movies with the added benefit of under standing the bank robbing scene in Mavrick.

Last one is my all time favorite movie and the sum of what a western should be - Silverado

40

Oh, I plan to watch them with her. I got such a kick out of watching *Mary Poppins *and It’s a Wonderful Life with her…it really is like watching them again for the first time.

Although I think I’ll let her daddy screen the Clint Eastwood and John Wayne movies with her…not my cup of tea. :wink: