The 10 Best Films of the 1960’s

Here is a continuing look at my picks of the best films of each decade. The 1960’s were an even bigger decade for teenagers then the 50’s. Unfortunately teenagers and adults grew even further apart and movies continued to cater to younger audiences as horror movies and beach party movies (and sometimes the two combined) as well as spy movies (particularly the birth of James Bond) were the rage. Epic movies began to dwindle as the cost was too great and the profits became smaller.

Drive-ins rose to their highest level of popularity and black and white movies became an exception by the end of the decade. Nudity and swearing entered the culture of film to stay. The old school producers were fast becoming extinct as a new brand of filmmaker was preparing to enter the scene in the 70’s.

John Wayne was the top box office draw for the second decade in a row with Doris Day and Elizabeth Taylor following in second and third.

This was a difficult list to compile, as there were easily 20 great movies to choose from. I wanted to make special note of some of these films that are just as great but just didn’t quite make it including “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Doctor Zhivago,” “The Graduate,” “Judgment At Nuremburg,” “The Odd Couple,” “The Professionals,” “Psycho,” “To Kill A Mockingbird,” and “West Side Story,”

Here are my choices for the ten best films of the 1960’s listed in alphabetical order.

THE APARTMENT – Did any director have a better one-two punch then Billy Wilder who followed his classic “Some Like It Hot” with this very serious comedy starring Jack Lemmon as an office worker who quickly climbs the corporate ladder by lending out his apartment key to executives cheating on their wives. Lemmon himself has a crush on elevator operator Shirley MacLaine but soon discovers his boss (Fred MacMurray) is having an affair with her that leads to near disaster when she attempts suicide in Lemmon’s apartment. While she recovers the two get to know one another better. Wilder manages to mix pathos and tragedy with humor and balances it all perfectly.

BONNIE AND CLYDE – This landmark American film produced by and starring Warren Beatty broke new ground on film violence with an ending so controversial, people made the film a smash hit simply because they had to see it for themselves. Co-starring then unknowns Faye Dunaway, Estelle Parsons, Michael J. Pollard, Denver Pyle and Gene Hackman. The film, based on the true story of the infamous bank robbers was imitated dozens of times but has never been duplicated. And the final shootout demands your attention with tremendous photography and editing.

COOL HAND LUKE – Perhaps the greatest prison film ever made (with apologies to “The Shawshank Redemption) stars Paul Newman in one of his best performances in the title role. A lifetime misfit, Luke ends up in a prison camp for cutting off the heads of parking meters and soon becomes the man everyone looks up to – especially after his continued attempts to escape. Many memorable moments including the eating of 50 eggs bet and an interesting notion that Luke is represented in a Christ-like manner. The film also has the classic line (spoken by Strother Martin as no one else could), “What we have here is failure to communicate.”

DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB – Stanley Kubrick’s masterful black comedy about an insane general who has ordered the bombing of Russia and the U.S. President who must contend with the anarchy around him while trying to placate the Russian Premiere and prevent the massive destruction that looms on the horizon. Peter Sellers is smashing in three different roles (including the President and the title character) and is ably supported by George C. Scott, Keenan Wynn, Sterling Hayden and Slim Pickens. This is exactly what a black comedy should be – Laughing at something that you have no business finding funny. This is a classic.

THE HAUNTING – Robert Wise made a career of directing classic films in different genres including “West Side Story,” “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” and “The Sound of Music” and may have directed the best ghost story ever made. It is certainly one of the scariest as it tells the story of 4 people spending time in a haunted house with positively frightening results. Wise makes the smart decision of never showing the ghosts but implying them through sounds and the results are incredible. This is not one you should watch alone nor it is it one that has lost any of its power. Make sure to avoid with ALL costs the terrible remake from 1999 starring Liam Neeson. Unlike this film the remake made the mistake of trying to dazzle with visual effects and showing the ghosts.

THE HUSTLER – Paul Newman gives yet another of his great performances as pool hustler “Fast” Eddie Felson, who dreams of unseating the great Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) as the best pool player in the world. Piper Laurie co-stars as Eddie’s unstable new girlfriend and George C. Scott shines as Eddie’s manager. The film captures the gritty, smoky world of pool halls and hustling and doesn’t end as happily as most films of that era did.

IN COLD BLOOD – Richard Brooks’ powerful adaptation of Truman Capote’s non-fiction book about two thugs who murdered a Kansas family whom they mistakenly believed had more money then they did. The film traces the story of these two killers from meeting to motive to the killings. Robert Blake was sadly robbed of an Academy Award nomination and equal credit goes to co-star Scott Wilson, now one of our busiest character actors. Shot in black and white this disturbing film is not for the weak even though there is no graphic violence.

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE – One of the greatest political thrillers is John Frankenheimer’s film about what happens to a group of Korean War veterans after being captured and brainwashed. One such soldier (Laurence Harvey) returns home to a doting but strong willed mother (Angela Lansbury, in her best role) whose new husband is rising in the political world. Frank Sinatra also stars as one of the brainwashed vets trying to move on with his life but soon finds himself back with his old friend trying to stop an assassination. Janet Leigh also stars as Sinatra’s love interest. This is a film to be studied closely as its powerful and sometimes frightening story unfolds.

2001: A SPACE ODDYSEY – Yet another masterpiece from the great Stanley Kubrick tells the story of mankind’s encounters through the years with alien life. The film opens with the Dawn of Man where caveman learns how to use tools for violence and leads to a mission to Jupiter where alien life has been found. The film is a visual feast for the eyes with state of the art visual effects that still stand up almost 40 years later. This is one of the most discussed films in history with literally dozens of interpretations of what everything means. The film may be hard to watch at first with its limited dialogue (the first spoken word is 25 minutes in) and slow pace but the rewards make it worthwhile, especially on repeated viewings.

THE WILD BUNCH – Another landmark film was Sam Peckinpah’s western about a band of aging outlaws deciding to make one last strike before retiring. William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Robert Ryan and Edmund O’Brien head a strong cast in a powerful film that became widely known for its use of violence, which almost seems mild by today’s standards. Still the film is riveting and the final shootout is one of the greatest you will ever see on film.