Topic: Favorite non comedy films of the golden age

[metaldams]

      We've had plenty of comedy discussion, but since it's been years since there's a thread like this and there was a different crew then, I'd be curious what favorite movies you guys enjoy from the silent era and the golden era of Hollywood that aren't slapstick/burlesque like comedies (meaning light screwball Cary Grant like comedies are allowed).  Let's stop at 1960, shortly after The Stooges made shorts.  So yeah, favorite non comedies from the era The Stooges were making shorts and before, I'd be fascinated to know.  It's my favorite era of film making in general.  I'll throw in my favorites, but I'd like to hear some of yours first.

[Umbrella Sam]

Regarding silent films, I really like the work of Lon Chaney. I really like The Phantom of the Opera, but my favorite of his films are probably The Ace of Hearts and The Unholy Three. I like Mary Pickford as well, particularly her film Sparrows. I also really like the movie Metropolis.

As for the sound era, I like a lot of the obvious ones like The Wizard of Oz, It's a Wonderful Life, and the classic Disney films (particularly Alice in Wonderland). As silly as they may seem sometimes, I really do like a lot of the old MGM musicals mostly for how beautifully choreographed they are. I don't have a specific one, but the That's Entertainment! trilogy has a lot of good examples.

In general, my favorite films are comedies (my favorite film of all time is It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World), but I still do like a lot of other films from that time and do agree that it's my favorite era of film making as well.

[Shemp_Diesel]

Don't know if I've delved too much into the Golden Age outside of comedy and horror--but off the top of my head--there's Lon Chaney's body of work and Arsenic and Old Lace. If westerns count, High Noon would be another good one...

[Final Shemp]

Frankenstein, most likely.  Narrowing it from comedy takes away a lot of my favorites, such as The General and It Happened One Night.  But I've been expanding a bit lately and in the last year have seen films like Singin' in the Rain and From Here to Eternity in theaters, which became favorites of mine fairly instantly.  But I've always had an affection for monster movies, so Frankie has been my favorite for quite some time.  King Kong and Godzilla as well.

Moving into drama, it's hard to go wrong with It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

[metaldams]

I love Lon Chaney too!  Glad to see other fans here.  So many good films, THE UNKNOWN, THE PENALTY, HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (the first MGM film), LAUGH CLOWN LAUGH, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, SHADOWS....tons of great stuff.  A shame he died so young, I think he would have done fine in the talking era, judging by the 1930 version of THE UNHOLY THREE.  I know he was slated to play Dracula, but I could seriously picture Chaney doing gangster films as well.

My love of old horror films has been well documented, but let's just say I own the vast majority, if not all, horror films from the first half of the twentieth century in my collection.

I'm a big CITIZEN KANE fan.  I'm in my late thirties, first saw it in my early twenties and over a dozen times in the interim.  It's one of those films I always get something new out of with each viewing.  The more life experience I gain, the richer KANE becomes.  I find myself, in good ways and bad, really relating a lot to Joseph Cotton's Jed Leland character the last few viewings, but man, what a deep film with rich characters.  So many valid interpretations one can make.

Umbrella Sam, I'm not a big MGM musical guy, but good for you.  For me, it boils down to most of my musical tastes are heavy metal and classic rock, and when I do go pre rock era, it's usually classical I'll listen to.  That being said, I'd love to read your thoughts on the MGM Marx Brothers movies I reviewed knowing your love for the MGM musical.

I'll come up with a list of films soon, but cool reading everyone's thoughts.

[falsealarms]

1930s films like Baby Face, Night Nurse, Three on a Match, Wild Boys of the Road, Picture Snatcher, Lady Killer, Black Legion, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, Mayor of Hell, Little Giant, Slight Case of Murder, San Quentin, etc. As far as feature films go, the 1930s rank as one of my favorite decades, up there with the 1970s and 1980s.

[dukieboy]

John Ford's "The Searchers" - Maybe the greatest western ever made.