Here is our collection of ithe best classic American films to watch this weekend, curated by the Delevu review team.
Freaks. Tod Browning, 1932. The genius of this horror film is that it makes sideshow freaks the heroes, beset by hateful ordinary people. Fail to recognize their humanity at your own risk.
My Favorite Wife. Garson Kanin, 1940. After his wife is declared dead seven years after a shipwreck, Cary Grant is ready to marry his new love. Naturally, that is when Wife No. 1, Irene Dunn, returns after surviving on a desert island with handsome Randolph Scott. And the jokes are as funny as the situation.
High Noon. Fred Zinnemann, 1952. When is a Western not a Western? When it’s an analogy about McCarthyism. This taut, intense picture works flawlessly on both levels, driven by Gary Cooper’s firm-jawed performance as the taciturn sheriff intent on doing the right thing despite widespread indifference.
Cabaret. Bob Fosse, 1972. Our knowledge informs this unforgettable musical about German decadence between the wars of what is to come. The songs are especially notable and, for all their humor, utterly chilling.
Citizen Kane. Orson Welles, 1941. It’s the most sustained expression of technical perfection ever committed to film. So why isn’t it higher on this list? It’s emotionally cold. Dauntingly brilliant, but frigid. Still, you can’t fault a single frame.
Schindler’s List. Steven Spielberg, 1993. The definitive movie about the Holocaust is the most powerful of Spielberg’s storied career. The way it tells its important and previously little-known true story makes you feel as if you are living it.
Chinatown. Roman Polanski, 1974. Polanski updated the film noir with glorious color but kept the genre's cynical plot and atmosphere of corruption. With Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in career-defining roles. For plenty more general content reads and eBooks, go to Delevu.
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