The Top Five Movies From Hollywood’s Golden Age

I have a new video review, covering the five most memorable classics of American cinema, from the golden age of Hollywood. These movies have left an indelible mark on modern culture around the world, and if you want a quick primer on classic Hollywood, this is where to start.

The movies on the list, in alphabetical order:

Casablanca

This movie is a classic thanks to the chemistry between the leads, and that perfect ending. It doesn’t hurt that it has some of the most iconic lines in film history.

Citizen Kane

Saying that Citizen Kane seems overrated is like seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time and just giving a shrug. The storytelling and cinematography completely changed the way movies are made, and it’s no mistake that many people consider it the greatest movie of all time.

Singin’ In The Rain

Two words: pure joy. The greatest musical of all time was not received that way at the time. Not only did it fail to win any Academy Awards, it wasn’t even considered the best musical the year it came out. Truly ahead of its time.

Sunset Blvd.

An offbeat noir thriller about an over-the-hill actress whose left behind her better days, Sunset Blvd. centers around a rock star performance from Gloria Swanson. You can see its lasting impact in modern filmmakers such as David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick.

The Wizard Of Oz

Perhaps the most underrated movie on this list, I believe it gets overlooked for best movie of all time because it’s a kids’ musical. But you can’t argue it’s lasting impact, as I can be fairly certain if you’ve only seen one movie on this list, it’s the Wizard of Oz.

Hard to argue with the above list, but there are a few films that were left off I’d like to mention as well. The toughest omission was Gone With The Wind, but I guess the tiebreaker for me was that it glorifies the South during the Civil War in a way that leaves a distaste in my mouth. Other favorites that you should definitely see if given the chance include Duck Soup, High Noon, It’s A Wonderful Life, and Philadelphia Story.

Maybe I’ll make a Five More Classics list soon.