Timeless Reels: Classic Films on DVD | Collection Development, September 1, 2011
Sept. 1, 2011| In this Article |
| Classic Films Core Collection by Decade |
A solid selection of classic films should be the anchor of any well-rounded library collection. Of course, it should include popular movies like Transformers (2007) and The Hangover (2009), since they will be in demand, but films of historical importance, such as Casablanca (1943) and Gone with the Wind (1939), are essential. With a collection that spans the entire history of cinema, libraries can expose patrons to a wide range of material that has stood the test of time.
Some movies deserve a spot in the timeless-film canon—and on the shelf—owing to their artistic merit or use of breakthrough techniques, for example, or because they broke down social barriers. Others just demonstrate an overall excellence in storytelling. For some viewers, exposure to classic movies may mean encountering these wonderful creative visions for the first time; others will be revisiting old favorites. Regardless, a robust classic film collection fills a role abandoned by many video outlets as they place more and more emphasis on new releases.
What makes a classic?
Attempting to define what makes a movie a classic can spark discussion and debate among film critics and aficionados. Some believe that classic films by definition were made under the old studio system during the Golden Age of Hollywood from the 1920s through the early 1960s. Actors, actresses, writers, and directors were under exclusive contract to a single studio, and those studios were independent. Has the purchase of studios by media conglomerates affected the quality of movies? Film critics and historians can decide the answer. No doubt plenty of movies made since the Golden Age warrant classic status, as can be seen from the following list.
One obvious criterion for being a classic is awards. Several awards lists were used in the compilation of this filmography, including those from the American Film Institute, National Film Registry, Academy Awards, and Cannes and classic film lists by noted critics such as Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert.
All the works of well-known and noted directors, actors, and actresses should be considered as well. Every library should have a sampling of directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Akira Kurosawa, actors like James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, and actresses like Bette Davis and Katharine (or Audrey) Hepburn. Representing a wide range of genres is also essential.
The price is right
This list covers only DVDs that can be bought for $20 or less. Each entry includes a retail price confirmed by various vendors (Baker & Taylor, Midwest Tape, and Amazon were consulted), with the average discount price included in parentheses. Blu-rays are excluded because they are usually more expensive and not all libraries carry the high-def format. Consequently, many classics are omitted for reasons of cost or availability.
Titles that are more costly but just cannot be left out have been placed in a separate category for consideration. This includes the definitive classic on every critic’s list—Citizen Kane (1941)—which had a discounted price of $27.97 as this article went to press. A new 70th-anniversary edition DVD will be released this month for $44.99.
Film buffs may disagree about the version of any or all of these titles, but as the focus here is cost, the least expensive version is listed; when available, the more costly but better quality edition is noted.
Collection scope and weeding
Of course, not all classics will be popular, so buying one copy on the cheap, regardless of quality of film transfer, could be wise. Some titles obviously will be more popular than others. For instance, a movie like Star Wars, and the rest of the titles in the series, will have a high demand and circulation, so, although it is included with the higher priced classics, it may make sense to buy it over some of the older, less expensive titles that are likely to spark less interest.
Not all movies, especially older classics, will be available forever on DVD as streaming becomes preferred and as public domain films can often be downloaded for free off the Internet. Still, not all patrons have access to a computer or a high-bandwidth connection for streaming movies, so buy the DVD while you can, if you can.
When considering how and when to weed, while the needs and interests of the community are key, also note the budget for replacements and whether or not the titles can be replaced at a reasonable price—or at all. For instance, Charlie Chaplin’s silent classic City Lights (1931) is currently available only in a boxed set priced over $70. If this is a budget-buster, it may be worthwhile keeping the old version in play.
Ultimately, decide on the size of your collection. Let community interest inform the decision, but keep in mind that highlighting lesser known gems could pique patron interest and lead to pleasant surprises.
This list, divided by decade, with the 1900s and 1920s combined, is limited to feature films and adult movie classics, except for a few that have multigenerational appeal, like The Wizard of Oz.
Titles marked with a () are core purchases for all collections.
| Author Information |
| Lucy Roehrig is a Librarian at the Ann Arbor District Library, MI. She loves movies and wishes she had the time to watch one every day. Gregory Roehrig, her brother, is a Librarian at Pontiac Public Library, MI. He also enjoys watching movies but will not watch a musical, no matter what bribe Lucy offers |
The Broadway Melody. b/w. 110 min. Dir: Harry Beaumont. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1929. DVD ISBN 9780790748344. $19.98 ($7.21).
This claims to be the first all-singing, all-dancing, all-talking movie.
Broken Blossoms. b/w. 75 min. Dir: D.W. Griffith. Alpha Video, www.alphavideo.com. 1919. DVD ISBN 9786309260543. $19.98 ($7.98).
A director of big-budget spectacles tackles child abuse and racism; with Lillian Gish.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. b/w. 67 min. Dir: Robert Wiene. Alpha Video, www.alphavideo.com. 1921. DVD ISBN 9786307053987. $7.98.
Credit Dr. Caligari with influencing the horror movie genre and introducing Americans to German Expressionism and twist endings. Consider also the Kino version, with a similar price (ISBN 9786307262075).
The General. b/w. 98 min. Dir: Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman. Video Music, Inc. 1926. DVD ISBN 9786305609629. $24.95 ($10.98).
Critics hail this as maybe the greatest comedy, if not the greatest silent film of all time. It features some of the best and most dangerous stunt sequences performed by Keaton on a moving train. A better quality but pricier two-disc set by Kino retails for $29.95 (ISBN 9786312393382). (LJ 12/09)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame. b/w. 117 min. Dir: Wallace Worsley. Image Entertainment, www.image-entertainment.com. 1923. DVD ISBN 9786311400593. $14.99 ($10.49).
Seeing “The Man with a Thousand Faces”—Lon Chaney—as Quasimodo alone is worth the price of admission.
The Jazz Singer. b/w. 88 min. Dir: Alan Crosland. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1927. DVD ISBN 9786311407165. $39.92 ($19.98).
The first movie with synchronized dialog, this was also the first feature film that was also a musical; starring Al Jolson.
Metropolis. b/w. 153 min. Dir: Fritz Lang. Synergy Entertainment, www.synergyent.com. 1927. DVD ISBN 9786313718979. $19.95 ($9.99). Newer edition: The Complete Metropolis. Kino Intl. ISBN 9786313841929. $29.95 ($24.95).
Incredible set design is a highlight of this early sf flick. If you are looking for the version from the 1980s, with color tint and music from the likes of Queen’s Freddie Mercury, Pat Benatar, and Adam Ant, you will have to look for used VHS tapes since it is o.p. and was never released on DVD owing to music rights issues. (LJ 2/15/11)
Nosferatu. b/w. 81 min. Dir: F.W. Murnau. Image Entertainment, www.image-entertainment.com. 1922. DVD ISBN 9786306207817. $14.98 ($9.98).
This inexpensive version of the vampire classic has been remastered and rescored and contains a commentary by film scholar Lokke Heiss. The Kino two-disc version (ISBN 9786311566763. $29.95) was digitally restored, with the original Hans Erdman orchestral score presented in surround sound and tons of extras. (LJ 2/15/08)
1930s
Frankenstein. b/w. 70 min. Dir: James Whale. Universal Studios, www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1931. DVD ISBN 9786313362585. $14.98 ($12.99).
And don’t forget Dracula (1931), or how about all the Universal monsters that can be found in the Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection—a great DVD set—but it will set you back, retailing at $159!
Gone with the Wind. color. 238 min. Dir: Sam Wood. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1939. DVD ISBN 9781419896453. $24.98 ($18.90).
Classic love story set during the Civil War, with Clark Gable’s famous closing line.
It Happened One Night. b/w. 105 min. Dir: Frank Capra. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1934. DVD ISBN 9781435937970. $14.99 ($10.69).
With Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, this romantic comedy was the first to win in every major Oscar category: best picture, director, actor, actress, writing.
King Kong. b/w. 100 min. Dir: Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack. Turner Home Entertainment, www.turner.com. 1933. DVD ISBN 9780790765259. $12.97 ($4.99).
Special effects—especially of Kong on the Empire State Building—are still amazing.
Modern Times. b/w. 87 min. Dir: Charles Chaplin. Criterion Collection, www.criterion.com. 1936. DVD ISBN 9781604653526. $29.95 ($18.49).
Talkies had been around for a while, but this final appearance of Chaplin’s Little Tramp character is mostly silent. (LJ 1/11)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. b/w. 130 min. Dir: Frank Capra. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1939. DVD ISBN 9781435937953. $14.99 ($10.19).
A movie about government bureaucracy and political corruption from 1939? Not much has changed.... Iconic James Stewart.
Mutiny on the Bounty. b/w. 132 min. Dir: Frank Lloyd. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1935. DVD ISBN 9780790744780. $19.97 ($12.99).
This tale of sailors’ revolt against Captain Bligh, here starring Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, was remade several times—in 1962 with Marlon Brando and in 1984 with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins (called Bligh).
A Night at the Opera. b/w. 96 min. Dir: Edmund Goulding & Sam Wood. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1935. DVD ISBN 9780790790312. $19.98 ($16.49).
Includes the famous stateroom scene; purchase along with Duck Soup (1933), another Marx Brothers classic.
Top Hat. b/w. 100 min. Dir: Mark Sandrich. Turner Home Entertainment, www.turner.com. 1935. DVD ISBN 9780780639898. $19.98 ($15.50).
Turner Classic Movies has some great collections, including one on Astaire and Rogers that includes this toe-tapping film. (Note: four films on two double-sided discs).
The Wizard of Oz. color & b/w. 101 min. Dir: Victor Fleming & King Vidor. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1939. DVD ISBN 9781419890673. $20.97 ($11.99).
Every kid’s (and parent’s) favorite, even though the flying monkeys still cause chills.
1940s
The Bicycle Thief. b/w. 93 min. Dir: Vittorio De Sica. Image Entertainment, www.image-entertainment.com. 1949. DVD ISBN 9786305081036. $24.98 ($9.48).
A father and son track down a stolen bicycle needed for his work. De Sica used nonprofessional actors; he received an honorary Oscar (there was no foreign-film category at the time). If you have the money, get the Criterion retail version with the correctly translated title, The Bicycle Thieves (ISBN 9781934121245. $39.99; LJ 4/15/07). In Italian with English subtitles.
Casablanca. b/w. 102 min. Dir: Michael Curtiz. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1942. DVD ISBN 9786313031436. $26.98 ($7.08).
This classic Humphrey Bogart/Ingrid Bergman flick is set during World War II: “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
The Grapes of Wrath. b/w. 128 min. Dir: John Ford. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1940. DVD ISBN 9786308337642. $14.98 ($10.99).
Based on the novel by John Steinbeck: an Oklahoma family travels to California after losing their land during the Depression. Henry Fonda is Tom Joad.
It’s a Wonderful Life. b/w. 130 min. Dir: Frank Capra. Paramount Pictures, www.paramount.com. 1946. DVD ISBN 9786313214761. $19.99 ($13.49).
No holiday season should be without it.
The Maltese Falcon. b/w. 101 min. Dir: John Huston. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1941. DVD ISBN 9780780664753. $19.97 ($6.19).
Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett; Bogart’s Sam Spade personifies the hard- boiled detective.
The Ox-Bow Incident. b/w. 75 min. Dir: William A. Wellman. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1943. DVD ISBN 9786307586157. $14.98 ($12.49).
Based on a true story depicting mob violence in the Old West.
The Philadelphia Story. b/w. 112 min. Dir: David Heeley. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1940. DVD ISBN 9780780664180. $14.96 ($12.05).
Cary Grant wooes Katharine Hepburn—and the rest of womankind—in this romantic comedy.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. b/w. 126 min. Dir: John Huston. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1948. DVD ISBN 9780790783444. $26.98 ($9.84).
The search for gold goes all too wrong in this historic Western.
Yankee Doodle Dandy. b/w. 126 min. Dir: Michael Curtiz. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1942. DVD ISBN 9780790765204. $26.99 ($10.99).
The life of the renowned composer, playwright, actor, dancer, and singer George M. Cohan. A James Cagney legacy.
1950s
All About Eve. b/w. 138 min. Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1950. DVD ISBN 9786311811214. $19.98 ($16.69).
An ambitious actress maneuvers herself into the life of an established actress (Bette Davis) to get ahead. The most Oscar nominations with 14 (unmatched until 1997’s Titanic), won six, and is still the only movie to have four female acting nominations.
An American in Paris. color. 114 min. Dir: Vincente Minnelli. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1951. DVD ISBN 9780780665811. $14.98 ($12.99).
One of the most visually beautiful musicals, this gem earned six Academy Awards.
Ben-Hur. color. 212 min. Dir: William Wyler. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1959. DVD ISBN 9780780673465. $20.97 ($15.64).
Nominated for a total of 12 Oscars, it won 11—the most ever for a single movie until Titanic (1997) tied it. With the famous chariot race between Heston and Stephen Boyd.
The Bridge on the River Kwai. color. 161 min. Dir: David Lean. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1957. DVD ISBN 9780767853545. $19.94 ($13.18).
A British colonel in a POW camp helps the Japanese build a bridge, not knowing that the Allies plan to blow it up.
The Day the Earth Stood Still. b/w. 92 min. Dir: Robert Wise. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1951. DVD ISBN 9786307450472. $14.98 ($12.99).
Cold war paranoia? Sf masterpiece? Both?
High Noon. b/w. 84 min. Dir: Fred Zinnemann. Lionsgate Entertainment, www.lionsgate.com. 1952. DVD ISBN 9786312008941. $19.98 ($10.82).
Lawman Gary Cooper hangs up his badge but must fight a man he sent to prison bent on revenge. With Grace Kelly.
On the Waterfront. b/w. 108 min. Dir: Elia Kazan. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1954. DVD ISBN 9780767804271. $19.99 ($13.49).
Brando as an ex-boxer turned longshoreman who fights corrupt union bosses.
Rashomon. b/w. 88 min. Dir: Akira Kurosawa. Criterion Collection, www.criterion.com. 1951. DVD ISBN 9780780024595. $39.95 ($29.99).
A Japanese treasure; a murder is recounted from differing points of view. (LJ 5/15/02)
The Searchers. color. 119 min. Dir: John Ford. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1956. DVD ISBN 9786311484364. $12.97 ($5.99).
Steven Spielberg and other directors call this the greatest Western ever, with John Wayne as the archetypal loner cowboy.
Some Like It Hot. b/w. 120 min. Dir: Billy Wilder. MGM, www.mgm.com. 1959. DVD ISBN 9780792849612. $14.98 ($8.99).
Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis are on the run from the mob, disguising themselves as female musicians in an all-girl band. Marilyn Monroe stands out as the love interest.
A Streetcar Named Desire. b/w. 122 min. Dir: Elia Kazan. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1951. DVD ISBN 9780780666870. $14.98 ($9.98).
Starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh and based on the Tennessee Williams play.
The Ten Commandments. color. 220 min. Dir: Cecil B. DeMille. Paramount Pictures, www.paramount.com. 1956. DVD ISBN 9786314072704. $19.99 ($14.99).
DeMille’s great biblical epic.
Vertigo. color. 128 min. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Universal Studios, www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1958. DVD ISBN 9780783226057. $19.98 ($17.99).
James Stewart plays a detective with a fear of heights on an investigation that leads to obsession.
1960s
Becket. color. 148 min. Dir: Peter Glenville. MPI Home Video, www.mpihomevideo.com. 1964. DVD ISBN 9780788604706. $24.98 ($14.54).
Peter O’Toole went on to play Henry II again in The Lion in Winter (1968).
Bonnie and Clyde. color. 112 min. Dir: Arthur Penn. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1967. DVD ISBN 9780780668973. $14.96 ($5.48).
Based on the true story of the Depression-era bank robbers.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. color. 110 min. Dir: George Roy Hill. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1969. DVD ISBN 9786313176816. $14.98 ($11.18).
Redford and Newman paired beautifully as the famous bandits.
Dr. Strangelove; or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. b/w. 93 min. Dir: David Naylor. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 310-244-4000; www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1964. DVD ISBN 9780767863728. $14.99 ($8.21).
In this political satire about a crazed general who starts a nuclear war, Peter Sellers plays three distinct characters and was nominated for best actor.
Easy Rider. color. 95 min. Dir: Dennis Hopper. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo.1969. DVD ISBN 9780800141783. $14.99 ($11.18).
Peter Fonda and Hopper hit the road on motorcycles in search of the real America.
The Graduate. color. 106 min. Dir: Mike Nichols. MGM, www.mgm.com. 1967. DVD ISBN 9780792842705. $14.98 ($8.13).
In his breakout performance, Dustin Hoffman plays a young man who has an affair with the older Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), only to fall for her daughter.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. color. 107 min. Dir: Stanley Kramer. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1967. DVD ISBN 9781424869008. $14.99 ($7.49).
Tracy, Hepburn, and Poitier in one of the first films to tackle interracial marriage.
La Dolce Vita. b/w. 174 min. Dir: Federico Fellini. Koch Lorber Films, www.kochlorberfilms.com. 1960. DVD ISBN 9781417200221. $36.98 ($15.39).
A young journalist is torn between Rome’s elite and domesticity. Considered Fellini’s masterpiece, with 8½ (1963) a close contender. (LJ 9/15/04)
Lawrence of Arabia. color. 216 min. Dir: David Lean. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1962. DVD ISBN 9780767898805. $14.99 ($7.49).
The story of T.E. Lawrence, who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Made of star of Peter O’Toole.
The Magnificent Seven. color. 128 min. Dir: John Sturges. MGM, www.mgm.com. 1960. DVD ISBN 9780792849575. $14.98 ($12.99).
On a movie night: watch Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) and this Western, discuss.
A Man for All Seasons. color. 120 min. Dir: Fred Zinnemann. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1966. DVD ISBN 9781424847471. $14.99 ($10.99).
Unlikely to have been made if it weren’t for the director’s persistence, this story of Sir Thomas More and King Henry VIII ended up winning six Academy Awards.
My Fair Lady. color. 170 min. Dir: George Cukor. Paramount Pictures, www.paramount.com. 1964. DVD ISBN 9786313118038.$19.99 ($14.99).
For this musical take on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Audrey Hepburn’s voice was dubbed with that of Marni Nixon, who also sang for Natalie Wood (West Side Story, 1961) and Deborah Kerr (The King and I, 1956). She was never credited and never seen on film, until The Sound of Music (1965), where she sang for herself as Sister Sophia.
Night of the Living Dead. b/w. 96 min. Dir: George A. Romero. Good Times Video. 1968. DVD ISBN 9786306372362. $4.98.
This zombie tale (in this case, with a deeper allegory) set off a slew of copycats and ushered in the splatter film genre.
Planet of the Apes. color. 112 min. Dir: Franklin J. Schaffner. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1968. DVD ISBN 9786309991386. $14.98 ($6.99).
An astronaut lands on a world where apes rule and humans are enslaved.
The Producers. color. 88 min. Dir: Mel Brooks. MGM, www.mgm.com. 1968. DVD ISBN 9786307987114. $14.98 ($11.18).
Comedy classic in which two producers make money by creating a Broadway flop.
Psycho. b/w. 109 min. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Universal Studios, www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1960. DVD ISBN 9780783225845. $19.98 ($17.90).
Anthony Perkins as the quintessential momma’s boy.
To Kill a Mockingbird. b/w. 129 min. Dir: Robert Mulligan. Universal Studios, www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1962. DVD ISBN 9780783225852. $19.98 ($12.99).
Harper Lee’s novel remains a staple of high school reading; the film should be required viewing as well.
2001: A Space Odyssey. color. 141 min. Dir: Stanley Kubrick. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1968. DVD ISBN 9780780676145. $14.96 ($7.69).
Based on Arthur C. Clarke’s classic; HAL the computer takes control of a spaceship in the year 2001—then 33 years in the future.
1970s
Aguirre, the Wrath of God. color. 93 min. Dir: Werner Herzog. Anchor Bay Entertainment, www.anchorbayent.com. 1977. DVD ISBN 9786305972761. $19.97 ($12).
Klaus Kinski and Herzog…what more is there to say? In the 16th Century, ruthless Spanish explorers go on a quest for El Dorado.
American Graffiti. color. 110 min. Dir: George Lucas. Universal Studios, www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1973. DVD ISBN 9780783227375. $14.98 ($10.99).
A tribute to the 1950s. This recently released new special edition includes a "making of" documentary (UPC 025195051026).
Annie Hall. color. 93 min. Dir: Woody Allen. MGM, www.mgm.com. 1977. DVD ISBN 9780792838470. $14.98 ($7.99).
Still sweet, endearing, and utterly neurotic to this day. Availability is limited, try Amazon.com.
Apocalypse Now. color. 153 min. Dir: Francis Ford Coppola. Lionsgate Entertainment, www.lionsgate.com. 1979. DVD ISBN 9786313642632. $14.98 ($9.49).
Coppola's version of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is set in Vietnam. This is the only DVD version currently in print. Called the Redux version, it has an additional 49 minutes of footage.
A Clockwork Orange. color. 136 min. Dir: Stanley Kubrick. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1971. DVD ISBN 9786311452349. $26.99 ($10.99).
The futuristic, dystopian film based on the book by Anthony Burgess is about a vicious hoodlum who is subjected to a government experiment to reform criminals.
Deliverance. color. 110 min. Dir: John Boorman. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1972. DVD ISBN 9781419855450. $12.97 (5.99).
A male bonding trip goes horribly wrong.
The French Connection. color. 104 min. Dir: William Friedkin. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1971. DVD ISBN 9786309181442. $14.98 ($11.99).
Before Friedkin made The Exorcist (1973), he directed this action-packed classic. No demons, just good acting, and possibly the greatest car chase ever. It was also the first R-rated movie to win the Best Picture Oscar.
The Godfather. color. 178 min. Dir: Francis Ford Coppola. Paramount Pictures, www.paramount.com. 1972. DVD ISBN 9786312274773. $14.99 ($11.24).
An aging Mafia passes his legacy to his youngest son. Don't forget the sequel as well, which won six Oscars (the first won three). For a bit more money, there is a boxed set of all three, called the Restoration set ($59.97) or the Collection ($53.99).
Halloween. color. 91 min. Dir: John Carpenter. Anchor Bay Entertainment, www.anchorbayent.com. 1978. DVD ISBN 9786311354728. $14.98 ($9.99).
A killer who stabbed his sister on Halloween when he was only six, breaks out of a mental institution 15 years later. A precursor to all spine-tingling horror movies to come.
Jaws.color. 124 min. Dir: Steven Spielberg. Universal Studios, www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1975. DVD ISBN 9780783244396. $14.98 ($7.49).
A rogue white shark terrorizes the residents of a small town. Beach attendance fell after this film came out.
The Last Picture Show. b/w. 118 min. Dir: Peter Bogdanovich. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1971. DVD ISBN 9780767827904. $14.99 ($12.49).
This portrait of small town America in the 1950s was adapted by writer Larry McMurtry.
M.A.S.H. color. 116 min. Dir: Robert Altman. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1970. DVD ISBN 9786308562518. $14.98 ($11.18).
Staffers at a field hospital use humor to get through the horrors of the Korean War.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. color. 91 min. Dir: Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1975. DVD ISBN 9780767853521. $14.99 ($6.49).
The infamous British comedy troupe hilariously interprets the Arthurian legend. Source for the Broadway musical Spamalot.
Network. color. 122 min. Dir: Sidney Lumet. Warner Home Video, www.warnerbros.com. 1976. DVD ISBN 9780780665842. $14.96 ($6.20).
Peter Finch is mad as hell, and he's not going to take it anymore!
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. color. 133 min. Dir: Milos Forman. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1975. DVD ISBN 9780790765143. $26.99 ($16.29).
Jack Nicholson is a patient in a mental hospital who rallies the other inmates against the oppressive Nurse Ratched. The film won all major Oscars. Based on the best-selling Ken Kesey novel.
Patton. color. 172 min. Dir: Franklin J. Schaffner. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1970. DVD ISBN 9786311981016. $19.99 ($14.99).
George C. Scott as World War II commander Gen. George S. Patton.
Rocky. color. 119 min. Dir: John G. Avildsen. MGM, www.mgm.com. 1976. DVD ISBN 9786310564791. $19.99 ($14.99).
Writer-star Sylvester Stallone as a small-time Philly boxer who gets his shot at the big time. Best picture honors and a slew of sequels.
Star Wars: A New Hope. color. 121 min. Dir: George Lucas. 20th Century Fox Home Video, www.foxconnect.com. 1977. DVD ISBN 9786310245676. $19.99 ($14.99).
In the sf blockbuster that started it all, a young boy saves a princess and the galaxy from destruction.
Taxi Driver. color. 113 min. Dir: Martin Scorsese. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1976. DVD ISBN 9781424840618. $19.99 ($10.49).
The chilling descent into madness of a New York City cab driver (Robert De Niro).
1980s
Airplane. color. 88 min. Dir: Jim Abrahams & others. Paramount Pictures, www.paramount.com. 1980. DVD ISBN 9781415713877. $12.99 ($9.49).
Often rated as one of the funniest movies ever, with Leslie Nielsen as an ex-pilot who's afraid to fly in this spoof of disaster movies. Surely.
The Blues Brothers. color. 133 min. Dir: John Landis. Universal Studios, www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1980. DVD ISBN 9781417034741. $14.98 ($11.18).
John Belushi & Dan Ackroyd as blues musicians trying to raise money to save an orphanage. Notable performances by artists like Aretha Franklin and James Brown.
Do the Right Thing. color. 120 min. Dir: Spike Lee. Universal Studios, www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1989. DVD ISBN 9780783227948. $14.98 ($7.99).
Racial tensions erupt on a hot day in Brooklyn.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. color. 115 min. Dir: Steven Spielberg. Universal Studios, www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1982. DVD ISBN 9781417065806. $19.98 ($13.99).
A young boy helps an alien phone home in this tearjerker.
The Evil Dead. color. 85 min. Dir: Sam Raimi. Anchor Bay Entertainment, www.anchorbayent.com. 1981. DVD ISBN 9786313264179. $14.98 ($11.24).
There is evil within the woods.
Gandhi.color. 191 min. Dir: Richard Attenborough. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 310-244-4000; www.sonypictures.com/homevideo 1982. DVD ISBN 9781424840946. $19.99 ($14.91).
Ben Kingsley inspired audiences in this Oscar-winning biography of Mahatma Gandhi.
Ghostbusters. color. 105 min. Dir: Ivan Reitman. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1984. DVD ISBN 9781424806270. $14.99 ($7.49).
Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd ain't afraid of no ghosts!
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.color. 115 min. Dir: Steven Spielberg. Paramount Pictures, www.paramount.com. 1981. DVD ISBN 9786311956076. $19.99 ($14.99).
The first and best Indiana Jones movie.
Platoon. color. 120 min. Dir: Oliver Stone. MGM, www.mgm.com. 1986. DVD ISBN 9781424811120. $14.99 ($11.24).
An Oscar-winning Vietnam drama by Stone, who continued his study of the war in Born on the Fourth of July (1989).
Raging Bull. b/w. 129 min. Dir: Martin Scorsese. MGM, www.mgm.com. 1980. DVD ISBN 9780792865360. $14.98 ($11.18).
Graphic and gritty biography of boxer Jake Lamotta took the Oscar.
This Is Spinal Tap.color. 82 min. Dir: Rob Reiner. MGM, www.mgm.com. 1984. DVD ISBN 9780792846581. $14.98 ($6.99).
It goes to 11 in this "mockumentary" about a hard-rock band.
The 1990s
Das Boot. color. 149 min. Dir: Wolfgang Petersen. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 310-244-4000; www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1997. DVD ISBN 9780767802475. $14.99 ($11.24).
Fargo.color. 98 min. Dir: Joel & Ethan Coen. MGM, 310-449-3000; www.MGM,com. 1996. DVD ISBN 9780792858058. $14.98 ($11.24).
Goodfellas. color. 146 min. Dir: Martin Scorsese. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1990. DVD ISBN 9781419855115. $14.98 ($11.24).
Life Is Beautiful. color. 115 min. Dir: Roberto Benigni. Miramax, 310-409-4321. www.miramax.com. 1998. DVD ISBN 9786314206031. $19.99 ($14.99).
Pulp Fiction. color. 154 min. Dir: Quentin Tarantino. Miramax, 310-409-4321. www.miramax.com. 1994. DVD ISBN 9786314206147. $14.99 ($11.24).
With a new Travolta, this put Tarantino on the map.
Saving Private Ryan. color. 169 min. Dir: Steven Spielberg. DreamWorks Studios, 818-695-5000. www.dreamworksstudios.com. 1998. DVD ISBN 9780783233536. $14.99 ($11.24).
Schindler's List. b/w & color. 195 min. Dir: Steven Spielberg. Universal Studios, 818-777-1000; www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1993. DVD ISBN 9780783297286. $19.99 ($14.99).
The Shawshank Redemption. color. 142 min. Dir: Frank Darabont. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1994. DVD ISBN 9781419855252. $12.99 ($9.74).
From the Stephen King short story; cheers for the inmates.
Unforgiven. color. 131 min. Dir: Clint Eastwood. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1992. DVD ISBN 9781419897788. $14.98 ($11.24).
MORE CHEAP MOVIE CLASSICS TO CONSIDER
The African Queen. color. 105 min. Dir: John Huston. Paramount Pictures, 323-956-5575; www.paramount.com. 1951. DVD ISBN 9781415719343. $19.99 ($14.99).
Afloat with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
Alien. color. 117 min. Dir: Ridley Scott. 20th Century Fox Home Video, 310-369-1000; www.foxconnect.com. 1979. DVD ISBN 9786305399308. $14.99 ($11.18).
All Quiet on the Western Front. b/w. 136 min. Dir: Lew Ayres. Universal Studios, 818-777-1000; www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1930. DVD ISBN 9780783230436. $14.99 ($11.24).
Animal House. color. 109 min. Dir: John Landis. Universal Studios, 818-777-1000; www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1978. DVD ISBN 9780783263564. $14.99 ($11.24)
The first of the National Lampoon movies and the start of the college party movie craze, this lionized John Belushi.
The Apartment. color. 125 min. Dir: Billy Wilder.MGM, 310-449-3000; www.MGM.com. 1960. DVD $14.98 ($11.98).
With Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray.
The Awful Truth. b/w. 91 min. Dir: Leo McCarey. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 310-244-4000; www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1936. DVD ISBN 9780767881494. $14.99 (11.24).
Starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant.
The Caine Mutiny. b/w. 124 min. Dir: Edward Dmytryk. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 310-244-4000; www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1954. DVD ISBN 9781424829897. $14.99 ($11.24).
More Humprhey Bogart, this time with José Ferrer.
A Christmas Story. color. 94 min. Dir: Bob Clark. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1983. DVD $19.99 ($14.99).
It's become a marathon holiday classic.
The Deer Hunter. color. 182 min. Dir: Michael Cimino. Universal Studios, 818-777-1000; www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1978. DVD ISBN 9780783225999. $14.99 ($11.24).
The Vietnam War with Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken.
Dirty Harry. color. 102 min. Dir: Don Siegel.Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1971. DVD UPC 00883929005376. $12.99 ($11.45).
Clint Eastwood will make people's day.
Doctor Zhivago. color. 197 min. Dir: David Lean. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1965. DVD ISBN 9781419896941. $14.96 ($11.16).
All that snow, and Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, too. A date night favorite.
8½. b/w.138 min. Dir: Federico Fellini. Criterion Collection, 212-431-5199; www.criterion.com. 1963. DVD ISBN 9781604652642. $19.99 ($14.99).
Academy Award for Best Foreign Film; surrealistic and may require multiple viewings.
The Exorcist. color. 122 min. Dir: William Friedkin. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1973. DVD ISBN 9781419888168. $19.99 ($14.99).
If you'd like more of The Exorcist, the boxed set of all the entire series is only $42.98! These good times will turn heads!
Forbidden Planet. color. 98 min. Dir: Fred M. Wilcox. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1956. DVD ISBN 9781419835605. $20.97 ($15.64).
Based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, this cult classic influenced Star Trek and Lost in Space.
400 Blows. b/w. 99 min. Dir: Francois Truffaut. Criterion Collection, 212-431-5199; www.criterion.com. 1959. DVD ISBN 9781604651300. $19.99 ($14.99).
From Here to Eternity. b/w. 118 min. Dir: Fred Zinnemann. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 310-244-4000; www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1953. DVD ISBN 9780800178833. $14.99 ($11.24)
Academy Awards to the picture and support actors Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed. The beach has never looked so romantic.
Going My Way. b/w. 126 min. Dir: Leo McCarey. Universal Studios, 818-777-1000; www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1944. DVD ISBN 9786310759654. $14.98 ($11.99).
Bing Crosby as everyone's favorite priest.
Intolerance. b/w. 196 min. Dir: D.W. Griffith. Alpha Video. 1916. DVD ISBN 9786308063671. $7.98 ($5.95).
Often overshadowed by Griffith's earlier work, Birth of a Nation (1915), this movie was a response to the Birth's racism.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. b/w. 80 min. Dir: Don Siegel. Lionsgate Entertainment, 310-449-9200; www.lionsgate.com. 1956. DVD ISBN 9780782009989. $14.99 ($11.24).
Gives new meaning to the phrase "like two peas in a pod."
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. color. 154 min. Dir: Stanley Kramer. MGM, 310-449-3000. www.MGM.com. 1963. DVD ISBN 9786307987121. $14.90 ($10.99).
Stars: Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle and Ethel Merman,
La Strada. b/w. 108 min. Dir: Fedrico Fellini. Criterion Collection, 212-431-5199; www.criterion.com. 1956. DVD ISBN 9781604651348. $19.99 ($13.99).
Winner of the first official Academy Award for a foreign film (previous awards were honorary). With a strong performance from Anthony Quinn.
Les Miserables. b/w. 108 min. Dir: Richard Boleslawski. 20th Century Fox Home Video, 310-369-1000; www.foxconnect.com. 1935. DVD UPC 024543425793. $19.98 ($13.99).
Available only in this two-disc set that includes the 1952 version as well.
The Lion in Winter. color. 134 min. Dir: Anthony Harvey. MGM, 310-449-3000; www.MGM.com. 1968. DVD ISBN 9780792849209. $14.99 ($11.24).
The Manchurian Candidate. b/w. 126 min. Dir: John Frankenheimer. MGM, 310-449-3000; www.MGM.com. 1962. DVD ISBN 9780792861584. $14.99 ($11.24).
Angela Lansbury as the mother from hell even upstages Frank Sinatra.
Miracle on 34th Street. b/w. 96 min. Dir: George Seaton. 20th Century Fox Home Video, 310-369-1000; www.foxconnect.com. DVD 1947. ISBN 9786310559155. $14.99 ($10.99).
What Santa could say no to Natalie Wood?
Oliver. color. 153 min. Dir: Carol Reed. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 310-244-4000; www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1968. DVD ISBN 9780767813266. $14.99 ($9.99).
Once Upon a Time in the West. color. 175 min. Dir: Sergio Leone. Paramount Pictures, 323-956-5575; www.paramount.com. 1968. DVD ISBN 9781415755068. $9.99 ($7.45).
Scriptwriters Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Sergio Leone and a strong cast help to make this stand out among Westerns.
A Raisin in the Sun. b/w. 128 min. Dir: Daniel Petrie. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 310-244-4000; www.sonypictures.com/homevideo. 1961. DVD ISBN 9781435905177. $9.99 ($7.49).
With Sidney Poitier, in the tearjerker based on the Lorraine Hansberry play.
Rebel Without a Cause. color. 111 min. Dir: Nicholas Ray. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1955. DVD ISBN 9780780665866. $14.96 ($11.16).
Starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo.
Scarface. b/w. 93 min. Dir: Howard Hawks. Universal Studios, 818-777-1000; www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1932. DVD ISBN 9786311221594. $14.99 ($11.24).
The Shining. color. 142 min. Dir: Stanley Kubrick. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1980. DVD ISBN 9781419887505. $12.98 ($9.68).
A Shot in the Dark. color. 102 min. Dir: Blake Edwards. MGM, 310-449-3000; www.MGM.com. 1964. DVD ISBN 9786309433206. $14.98 ($11.18).
If you have the rest, don't forget the first Pink Panther movie. The title may fool you!
Superman.color. 143 min. Dir: Richard Donner. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1978. DVD ISBN 9781419887543. $19.99 ($14.99).
The beginning of the franchise, with Christopher Reeve in tights.
A Tale of Two Cities. b/w. 130 min. Dir: John Conway. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1936. DVD ISBN 9781419838248. $19.99 ($14.99).
Two times Ronald Colman in a far, far better film of the Dickens classic.
12 Angry Men. b/w. 96 min. Dir: Sidney Lumet. MGM, 310-449-3000; www.MGM.com. 1957. DVD ISBN 9786311727300. $14.98 ($13.89).
The classic jury room scenario.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? b/w.131 min. Dir: Mike Nichols. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1966. DVD ISBN 9780780665903. $14.99 ($11.24).
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Burton in two star turns.
The Wild Bunch. color. 134 min. Dir: Sam Peckinpah. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1969. DVD ISBN 9780780664203. $14.99 ($11.24).
Often labeled the movie that upped the ante on screen violence, a more realistic style of Western.
SPARE CASH?
All the President's Men. color. 157 min. Dir: Alan J. Pakula. Warner Home Video, 818-954-1744; www.warnerbros.com. 1976. DVD ISBN 9781419817069. $26.99 ($20.24).
Better than the real thing.
Broken Blossoms. b/w. 75 min. Dir: D.W. Griffith. Kino Intl., 212-629-6880; www.kino.com. 1919. DVD ISBN 9786306262779. $29.95 ($23.95).
Citizen Kane. b/w 119 min. Dir: Orson Welles. Turner Home Entertainment, 404-827-1700; www.turner.com. 1941. DVD ISBN 9780780635203. $26.98 ($24.95).
The $27 version available through Amazon.com; or wait for the new 70th-anniversary edition for $49.92.
Diabolique. b/w. 116 min. Dir: Henri-Georges Clouzot. Criterion Collection, 212-431-5199; www.criterion.com. 1954. DVD ISBN 9780780021945. $29.99 ($22.49).
Fantasia.color. 125 min. Dir: James Algar. Walt Disney Pictures, 818-560-1000; disney.go.com. 1940. DVD ISBN 9786313848133. $39.99 ($29.99).
Only available as a two-disc set with Fantasia 2000.
Seven Samurai. b/w. 207 min. Dir: Akira Kurosawa. Criterion Collection, 212-431-5199; www.criterion.com. 1954. DVD ISBN 9781558409972. $49.95 ($33.94).
The Seventh Seal. b/w. 96 min. Dir: Ingmar Bergman. Criterion Collection, 212-431-5199. www.criterion.com. 1957. DVD ISBN 9781604651416. $29.99 ($22.49).
Most notable scene: playing chess with the grim reaper.
The Sound of Music. color.174 min. Dir: Robert Wise. 20th Century Fox Home Video, 310-369-1000; www.foxconnect.com. 1965. DVD ISBN 9786313851874. $34.99 ($26.10).
Stagecoach. b/w. 96 min. Dir: John Ford. Criterion Collection, 212-431-5199; www.criterion.com. 1939. DVD ISBN 9781604652253. $39.99 ($34.99).
Touch of Evil. b/w. 95 min. Dir: Orson Wells. Universal Studios, 818-777-1000; www.universalstudiosentertainment.com. 1958. DVD ISBN 9786312289920. $26.98 ($22.49).
