# What are good movies with narrators? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2010, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603 "2010-02-19T07:13:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/21 "2010-02-19T12:56:53Z")
_The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford_. A great movie, not just a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/22 "2010-02-19T13:02:19Z")
Citizen Kane had a part narration in the form of the newsreels. Trust Ol Welly to do things differently. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/23 "2010-02-19T13:03:52Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > A Clockwork Orange > All the King’s Men > > \ > The Story of G.I. Joe > Our Town (1940) show-off 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/24 "2010-02-19T13:08:46Z")
I thought the narration in **Stand By Me** , done by Richard Dreyfus, added a lot to one of my favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/25 "2010-02-19T14:36:35Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > The Spirit of St. Louis Indeed, I would say most of that film is narration and another Jimmy Stewart film Flight of the Phoenix has a lot as well. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/26 "2010-02-19T14:39:09Z")
Raising Arizona ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/27 "2010-02-19T14:45:45Z")
Does _Life is Beautiful_ count? Although originally a musical, made into a a TV movie, _Into the Woods_ had some of the best narration ever. Until he gets killed by the Giantess, of course. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/28 "2010-02-19T14:51:20Z")
Another Woody Allen flick: _Vicky Cristina Barcelona_ ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/29 "2010-02-19T14:54:47Z")
Been a while, but what about _The Third Man?_ ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/30 "2010-02-19T14:57:37Z")
\*\*Fallen \*\*has some narration, and I think it’s a pretty good little thriller that’s often overlooked. ---
**Author:** ![powerjacob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@powerjacob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/powerjacob)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/31 "2010-02-19T15:24:31Z")
“The Mating habits of the Earth bound Human” narrated by David Hyde Pierce. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/32 "2010-02-19T15:40:13Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Been a while, but what about _The Third Man?_ Great movie, but I don’t think there’s any narration. Unless you count the zither music. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/33 "2010-02-19T15:59:10Z")
Well, **Walloon** scooped me on _To Kill a Mockingbird_, _All About Eve_ and _Letter to Three Wives_ (boy, Mankiewicz sure loved his narration!), so how about the terrific 1951 _Scrooge_ with Alistair Sim? Admittedly there it’s more a framing device, not used throughout the film, but still. Oh, and _I Remember Mama_. A bit treacley but still a good family film. Considering all these “exceptions” I’d say the “narration can be lazy” isn’t a rule so much as a warning. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/34 "2010-02-19T16:06:27Z")
The movie isn’t great, but the narrator in _George of the Jungle_ was freakin’ hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/35 "2010-02-19T16:12:54Z")
Does _The Princess Bride_ count? The narration is done by a character in the frame story… ---
**Author:** ![StoutHearted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@StoutHearted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StoutHearted)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/36 "2010-02-19T16:31:35Z")
Alec Baldwin in _The Royal Tenenbaums_. The tone of his voice fits the movie perfectly. Also, I remember liking _The Sandlot_ as a kid, and that had a narrator in the nostalgic tone of _The Wonder Years_. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/37 "2010-02-19T16:37:24Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Been a while, but what about _The Third Man?_ It does have narration in the beginning (Joseph Cotten in the American version, director Carol Reed in the British version), but that’s where it ends. It isn’t there while the narrative is in process, which kept a lot of additional films off my list. The 1951 _Scrooge / A Christmas Carol_ opens and closes with narrated quotes from Dickens, but otherwise lets the story speak for itself. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/38 "2010-02-19T16:45:30Z")
My dad’s really into narrated movies. **A Bronx Tale** is one of his favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/39 "2010-02-19T16:52:39Z")
_The Gods Must Be Crazy._ ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/40 "2010-02-19T16:56:26Z")
Scorsese really likes to use narration. **Casino** and **Goodfellas** has already been mentioned, there’s also **Gangs of New York** and **Bringing Out the Dead**. **Mean Streets** has a bit of narration at the beginning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603.md?page=3)