By Casey Lee Clark
One of the few silver linings of our current situation is that many of us have more free time to watch movies. Perhaps finally catch up on films that have long been on our watchlist or recommendations of films we wouldn’t typically gravitate towards. I would be the first person to suggest people go out of their comfort zone to watch a classic or older film, and there are a fair amount of them available on various streaming services if you look hard enough. While there are, of course, more niche film streaming services with plenty of older films available in their catalog (Criterion Channel, Mubi, Shudder, Kanopy, etc.), it can be harder to find more pre-90s films on major streaming services. I raved and recommended the Criterion Channel in my first NBP blog post this time last year, so I will keep my suggestions from them to a minimum (though I do still highly recommend the service and think it has only gotten better). While their catalog does change very frequently, Amazon Prime is probably the best mainstream service to find older classic film gems, either free with Prime or fairly cheap to rent. Netflix’s classic film catalog is fairly slim and rarely can you find films older than 1980, but it varies month to month and you can occasionally find a few good ones. I wanted to recommend ten classic films currently available on streaming services (note the month and day as they do change fairly frequently and sometimes without warning). However, I wanted to focus on films that may be unconventional uses of their genres, underrated films in the pantheon of classics, or older films that I recently watched for the first time. I’m admittedly not as well versed in silent cinema outside of the obvious (but great) Charlie Chaplin so apologies for a lack of pre-1940s films on the list. Most of these are some of my favorites or at least unique films that I could easily recommend if you are looking for something different. Enjoy! Blade Runner (1982)
Confession: I watched “Blade Runner” for the first time this quarantine, and fortunately The Final Cut (considered the definitive version of the film) is currently on Netflix! Action and sci-fi are probably the genres that I’m least familiar with or gravitate towards, but surprisingly this film is much more of a noir by way of science fiction. Taking place in the “distant future” of 2019 Los Angeles (it’s hard not to laugh when that title card comes up), Deckard (Harrison Ford) is forced out of retirement to hunt down a group of replicants looking to extend their short lifespan. The gorgeous exteriors and practical effects alone make this a must-watch for any fan of cinema.
Where to watch: Netflix Charade (1963)
One of my favorite films of the early ‘60s the less said about the plot of “Charade” the better. However, knowing that it’s a thriller/rom-com with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant should be a worthy enough recommendation. Add in the Stanley Donen direction, the Henry Mancini score, and the Paris setting – what’s not to love about that?
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Capitalizing off of the success of films like “Mary Poppins” (although, this time Dick Van Dyke just sticks to his regular accent), “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” doesn’t fully capture the magic of previous films or is as creative, but its story of a family and their flying car is quite fun and enjoyable. It was also a favorite of mine as a child, and I would certainly recommend it if you’re looking for a family-friendly option or love musicals from this era.
Where to watch: Netflix
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