The Enduring Joy of a Classic Movie
Iconic. Primal work of popular art. Quotable. Apotheosis of its genre. Stands the test of time.
We love the iconic stories of a classic movie. The subject matter and conclusions feel relevant decades after the film’s original release. After all, the purpose of a movie is to entertain while being artistically distinguished — and if audiences AND professional critics love the movie, then the movie has achieved both of those goals.
In 2022, Movie Marker, a website focused on movie reviews, movie features and movie news, posted an article that highlighted what a movie needs to become a classic:
· Universal theme/s
· Unified/believable plot
· Complex plot and complex characters
· The actors are believable
· Memorable scenes or characters
· The film changes you in some way
· The film is a cinematic milestone
What inspired me to write a post about the classic movie collection? Library patrons are my inspiration!
What a joy to have conversations with patrons as they recount the back story that led them to check out certain library materials. For example, a teen patron visited the library asking about classic movies. He shared with me how his dad sparked his interest in classic movies and now they have bonded over James Dean movies during weekly classic movie nights.
Speaking of James Dean, check out some of the classic movies your Yorktown Public Library has that star this legendary Indiana movie star.
A teenage son of a well-to-do family gets involved in violence when he attempts to win the approval of a gang of high-school hoodlums.
The saga of three generations of the Trask and Hamilton families in the early 1900's in Northern California. Cal Trask is considered the "bad" son of taciturn Salinas Valley lettuce farmer Adam Trask. Although Cal always means well, he just can't stay out of trouble. Neither is Cal able to match the high esteem in which his father holds his "good" brother Aron. Only Aron's girlfriend Abra and kindly old Doctor Sam seem to be able to see the essential goodness in the troublesome Cal. In an effort to win his father's love, Cal purchases a fresh lettuce crop to replace the ruined beans that threatened to bankrupt his family. But Adam rejects the gift and comes to realizes that Cal knows that Kate is Cal and Aron's mother, whom both boys thought was long dead.
BONUS: James Dean: A Biography
This DVD is available in the non-fiction collection and is a great jumping off point to learn more about this iconic actor.
Now, let’s check out some of the highlights of the classic movies collection at your Yorktown Public Library.
The story centers on Tevye, a milkman in the village of Anatevka, who attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon his family's lives.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
In the Southwest during the Civil War, a mysterious stranger, Joe (Clint Eastwood), and a Mexican outlaw, Tuco (Eli Wallach), form an uneasy partnership -- Joe turns in the bandit for the reward money, then rescues him just as he is being hanged. When Joe's shot at the noose goes awry during one escapade, a furious Tuco tries to have him murdered. The men re-team abruptly, however, to beat out a sadistic criminal and the Union army and find $20,000 that a soldier has buried in the desert.
Rogers and Astaire are caught up in a mistaken identity plot, in which Rogers assumes that Astaire is already married, and is alternatively charmed and repelled by his advances.
Bond. James Bond. With Goldfinger, (starring Sean Connery) the James Bond series took a turn away from relatively straightforward spy thrillers and toward campy gadgetry, extravagant sets, and kitschy jokes. Bond (Sean Connery) has to prevent a notorious gold smuggler, appropriately named Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), from robbing Fort Knox.
Two unemployed musicians accidentally witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and flee to Miami disguised as female musicians. Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe star
Set in Atlanta in the 1950's, a textile factory owner insists on hiring an ever-patient chauffeur for his aging head-strong mother. The Jewish woman and her African American driver eventually build a relationship over many years.
Alex, a stomping, stealing, singing, tap-dancing, violating, Derby-topped hooligan has a good time - at the tragic expense of others. His journey from amoral punk to brainwashed proper citizen and back again after undergoing treatment meant to make him develop an aversion toward violence is depicted in this harrowing journey through a near-future world of decaying cities, murderous adolescents and nightmarish technologies of punishment and crime.
Summer romance between a dance instructor and a guest at a hotel in the Catskills- Starring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. This is quite a quotable movie!
The story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who robbed banks across the country during the Depression era. This film stars Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty.
A timeless tale of romance, friendship, and growth. Loner Zack Mayo enters Officer Candidate School to become a Navy pilot and in thirteen weeks he learns the importance of discipline, love and friendship.
Best friends Lennie and George find themselves unemployed in Depression-era California, unable to keep jobs because of Lennie's childlike mentality. But once they get hired at the Tyler Ranch, they enjoy a brief period of stability, until their supervisor's wife becomes the victim of Lennie's compassion, forcing George to make a compassionate decision of his own.
In this multiple Oscar-winning thriller, Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Starling is working on a serial killer case and seeks out the help of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) Dr. Lecter is a brilliant psychiatrist who can offer clues- but he is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism.
A finely tuned parody of the old Frankenstein movies, in which Wilder returns to the old country to clear his family name. He finds his late grandfather's step-by-step manual explaining how to bring a corpse to life. With Igor, his hunchbacked assistant, and the curvaceous Inga, Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster who only wants to be loved.
This compilation offers 30 hours of America’s most beloved leading ladies of the silver screen. Ava Gardner, Susan Hayward, Ginger Rogers and Judy Garland are just a few of the leading ladies who grace this movie collection with their profound screen presence and extraordinary talent.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Jack Nicholson stars as a crook who feigns insanity in order to be placed in a posh mental institution rather than a cell, but faces shock therapy and discovers the head nurse a lot more dangerous than the other patients.
"You've always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself."
- The Wizard of Oz
As you consider what movie from our classic movie collection you want to watch (or re-watch!), the staff at your Yorktown Public Library offers up their favorite classic movie top picks with you. With a variety of iconic movies to choose from, many staff members found it difficult to narrow the choice down to just one!
Yorktown Public Library Staff’s Favorite Classic Movies:
- Becky | The King and I
- Ben | Ghostbusters
- Beth | Somewhere in Time
- Haiden | The Goonies
- Jerry | Midway
- Joyce | The Birds
- Lisa | Groundhog Day
- Laurie | Pulp Fiction
- Liz | The Wizard of Oz
- Mallory | Princess Bride
- Matt | The Goonies
- Monica | Steel Magnolias
- Shannon | Auntie Mame
“Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!”
- Auntie Mame
Now that you have glimpsed this assembled list of movie recommendations from the classic DVD collection, I encourage you to stop by your Yorktown Public Library soon and browse the full collection.
Check out an old favorite or discover a new classic!