# Why are old movies good? Please help. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-old-movies-good-please-help/580576 "2011-05-03T15:14:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Quia\_Sic\_Dico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/bbce88/32.png) [@Quia\_Sic\_Dico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quia_Sic_Dico)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-old-movies-good-please-help/580576/61 "2011-05-05T00:02:23Z")
Thank you, The Peyote Coyote and Lovely Margo Lane. I’ll definitely try to watch some of those. I already saw Psycho and The Shining, both of which I actually rather liked, although I didn’t find them particularly scary. But The Innocents sounds like a safe bet as I’m an avid Henry James reader. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-old-movies-good-please-help/580576/62 "2011-05-05T00:30:27Z")
I can’t put my finger on the reasons, all I really know is that for as long as I can remember (I’m 25 now), I’ve enjoyed watching many films from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and some from the 70s, much more than I enjoy the vast majority of movies I’ve ever seen that came out past 1976 or so. And not only do I tend to like them more, but they hold my attention better. I’m not much of a movie/tv person, I get distracted and bored easily. Since I never feel immersed in any movie, no matter how realistic or compelling, it makes sense that I enjoy older movies for things other than the realism.I love the fact that every old film from a certain time period and genre showcases a different generation, time, fashion sense, iconic actor, beauty standard, method of acting, technology, way of putting together a film, etc, etc. For some people this is a drawback. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-old-movies-good-please-help/580576/63 "2011-05-05T02:18:05Z")
> [@Quia\_Sic\_Dico](#): > > But The Innocents sounds like a safe bet as I’m an avid Henry James reader. “The Innocents” is the **only** good movie adapted from a James story or novel. “Wings of The Dove” gets a pass, as does “The Golden Bowl” (with Thurman nudity), but barely. Too bad Deborah Kerr looks pretty ghastly in the picture, though – you gotta go back to Powell and Pressburger for her hottest stuff on screen (IMO). ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-old-movies-good-please-help/580576/64 "2011-05-09T19:24:36Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Old movies seem to try harder, if that makes any sense. New(er) movies are just some studio’s _product_, a title to be marketed to millions of people Yeah, modern movies are just churned out by people who know they’re never going to be remembered, with the plot an afterthought (the scripts aren’t even finished by the time they begin shooting!) and who knows about the quality of the acting, you know? Absolute junk. It’s amazing _Casablanca_ was ever shown in theaters. > [@](#): > > Nowadays a scene like that would be CGI, and you’d know that, and you mentally step out of the scene and admire the shot. Because nobody admired the visual qualities of _Metropolis_, I can tell you that much, or knew that it was all done with matte-work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-old-movies-good-please-help/580576.md?page=3)