Movie Classics

[Silver]

Jaws is fifty years old.

[AFTT47]

I was recently astounded that a 30-year-old coworker had never seen Airplane or The Blues Brothers.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Pulp Fiction is older than my son.

[Rev. Rye]

This may just be me, but I bristle at the thought of calling any movie released after the end of 1966 “old.” It’s not even because it makes me feel old (since that’s over two decades before I was born); it’s more because my knowledge of film is just that longitudinal, and I believe that 1967 (what with the repeal of the Hays Code and, to a lesser extent, the film industry all but totally abandoning Black and White cinematography) marks such a fundamental sea change in the way films were made that using any other trend as a dividing line (with the exception of the rise of talkies) seems trivial.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Some of my favourite classic films (in no particular order, and the list is not exhaustive).

-Adam's Rib
-The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
-The Lion In Winter
-The Great Race
-Some Like It Hot
-Lillies Of The Field
-The Godfather
-Bringing Up Baby
-It's A Wonderful Life
-The Ruling Class

Boru

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

This may just be me, but I bristle at the thought of calling any movie released after the end of 1966 “old.” It’s not even because it makes me feel old (since that’s over two decades before I was born); it’s more because my knowledge of film is just that longitudinal, and I believe that 1967 (what with the repeal of the Hays Code and, to a lesser extent, the film industry all but totally abandoning Black and White cinematography) marks such a fundamental sea change in the way films were made that using any other trend as a dividing line (with the exception of the rise of talkies) seems trivial.

I think the subject is classic movies, not old movies (although there's considerable overlap). Saying 'Jaws is fifty years old' isn't the same as calling Jaws an old movie, but it's certainly a classic.

Boru

[Rev. Rye]

In theory, but then again, everyone else is talking about the films’ advanced ages.

[The Valkyrie]

Classic movies that aren't that old?

Rogue One.

Best Star Wars movie in over a decade.

[Fake Messiah]

A movie classic doesn't mean it's old, but rather that it's a film that will stay popular. Usually, a movie comes out, and people either watch it or not, and it gets forgotten pretty quickly. However, when a movie comes out and remains popular for years afterward, it's considered a classic. Additionally, when a movie is released in cinemas and flops, but then gets rediscovered on VHS, DVDs, or streaming, it's considered a cult movie.

That said, it seems like the 21st century is pretty weak in producing movie classics, as if there hasn't been one since the 1990s. Maybe the LOTR movies, some Marvel movies, or Nolan's Batman movies? Compare them to Forrest Gump or Pulp Fiction or The Godfather and they look pretty weak.

[Angrboda]