# 42 Bonnie and Clyde

1967
Director: Arthur Penn
Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman

This movie tells the true story of real-life bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. It completely romanticizes violence and makes the life of a bank robber look glamorous and exciting. I mean, who wouldn't want to rob banks after seeing this movie? Well, except for the end...

The actors seemed to play their parts perfectly, and even Gene Wilder makes one of his first on screen appearances as one of their hostages.

If you haven't seen this one, I definitely recommend!

Trivia: Warner Bros. gave the movie a limited, "B" movie-type release at first, sending it to drive-ins and lesser theaters. When critics began raving about the film and young people began to show up at screenings, it was better promoted, given a wider release and became a huge hit. 

Up Next: King Kong

#43 Midnight Cowboy

1969
Director: John Schlesinger
Starring: Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman

Different kind of guy/buddy movie... Voight plays southern guy Joe Buck who moves to NYC to try to make it as a "hustler" (male prostitute.) He doesn't have much luck, and along the way meets Hoffman's Ratso.  Eventually the two try to make Joe succeed at his hustle, struggling all the way.  It was an interesting watch, but I didn't come away loving it.  I think this was my first time seeing a movie with a young Jon Voight though!

Trivia: Before Dustin Hoffman auditioned for this film, he knew that his all-American image could easily cost him the job. To prove he could do it, he asked the auditioning film executive to meet him on a street corner in Manhattan, and in the meantime, dressed himself in filthy rags. The executive arrived at the appointed corner and waited, barely noticing the "beggar" less than ten feet away who was accosting people for spare change. At last, the beggar walked up to him and revealed his true identity. 

Up Next: Bonnie and Clyde

#44 The Philadelphia Story

1940
Director: George Cukor
Starring: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart

Fun love-triangle movie, with dramatic moments mixed in.  I was rooting for Cary Grant the whole time :)
I love the way movies looked in the 40's - the coloring of the black and white, the lighting, the fashions... they have such a wonderful feel to them!
A few weeks ago I caught the movie High Society on tv, so I realized immediately when I started watching the Philadelphia Story that High Society was a remake! I like the original much better.

Trivia: The film was shot in eight weeks, and required no retakes. During the scene where James Stewart hiccups when drunk, you can see Cary Grant looking down and grinning. Since the hiccup wasn't scripted, Grant was on the verge of breaking out laughing and had to compose himself quickly. James Stewart thought of hiccuping in the drunk scene himself, without telling Cary Grant. When he began hiccuping, Grant turned to Stewart saying, "Excuse me." The scene required only one take. 

Up next: Midnight Cowboy

#45 Shane

1953
Director: George Stevens
Starring: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin

This is the second western on the list I actually liked.  The movie builds right up to the final scene, and I was interested the whole time.  The three main characters were very strong- I don't think I've ever seen an Alan Ladd movie before!  I also liked seeing Jack Palance! His smile after he shoots one of the settlers was priceless.

Trivia:  According to the commentary on the DVD, during the scene where Shane and Joe are fighting in the corral, the tied horses were supposed to panic. To instill hysteria in the horses, the director had two men dressed in a bear costumes to scare them. 

Up Next: The Philadelphia Story

#46 It Happened One Night

1934
Director: Frank Capra
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert

Adorable movie, and I don't use that word often.  I loved the chemistry between these two.  I can't think of a single bad thing to say about this movie!  I really enjoyed watching it!!

Trivia:  This was the first film to win the Oscar "grand slam" (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Screenplay).

Up Next: Shane

#47 A Streetcar Named Desire

1951

Director: Elia Kazan

Starring: Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden

Fantastic movie based on a play by Tennessee Williams.  It's no wonder why Vivien Leigh won the Best Actress oscar! She was chilling & haunting & straight up crazy as Blanche.  Marlon Brando stars in one of his first major roles and plays his character perfectly.  I loved the scene right after he screams his famous Stella! line and Kim Hunter walks down the stairs slowly... that scene defines their relationship perfectly.  

Up Next: It Happened One Night

#48 Rear Window

1954
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly

James Stewart is stuck in a wheelchair with a broken leg and gets nosy with his neighbors. He ends up convincing himself based on circumstance that one of his neighbors killed his wife, and gets those around him involved in the tale.  It's Hitchcock, so you know it's good... filmed perfectly, with perfect lighting.  The movie builds in suspense, right up to the very end.  Side note: how pretty is Grace Kelly? It's crazy!

Trivia: All of the sound in the film is diegetic, meaning that all the music, speech and other sounds all come from within the world of the film [with the exception of non-diegetic orchestral music heard in the first three shots of the film]. 

Up next #47- A Streetcar Named Desire

#49 Intolerance

1916
Director: DW Griffith
Starring: Miriam Cooper, Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Mae Marsh, Constance Talmadge

Ok, so just before I sat down to watch this movie, I noticed that it was over 3 hours long... and is a silent movie.  I wasn't very hopeful. But, I have to say I actually enjoyed this one. Granted I had to watch it over the course of 2 days, but it was very intriguing.  I tried to place myself in 1916, and remember the fact that this must have been a spectacle back then.
The movie is billed as "Loves struggle throughout the ages" and follows 4 story lines with overlapping themes.  Intolerance is of course the central theme- the powerful taking advantage of the lower classes because they think they are better and are intolerant of their beliefs.  There was use of subtle sarcasm which I loved also.  Overall, I very much enjoyed watching this one and recommend checking it out next time you have 3 hours to kill.

Up Next: #48 Rear Window