60 Favorites of the ‘60s
The 1960s was a dramatic decade in film. It saw the end of the Golden Age of Hollywood as the studio system shifted, as did acting styles, no doubt influenced by the Italian Neo-Realist and French New Wave movements. It saw the dawn of the New Hollywood era, a period of time where directors had more creative control than the studios, which saw edgier, boundary-pushing subject matter. The Hayes Code was abandoned in favor of a ratings system, the MPAA, a parent-member watchdog group that is still utilized today.
The first half of the decade, representing the end of the Golden Age, carried through the spectacle of the previous decade that attempted to draw people away from the television sets: westerns, biblical, and historical epics stuffed with huge casts frequented that period of the decade. There were also several films about World War II and a couple about the Korean War, as the nation continued wrestling with and honoring chapters of those periods. This was just as the country saw itself entering a new war in the East. If it wasn’t war films, westerns, or epics of some sort then there was usually a musical or live action Disney movie playing nearby to help escape reality. Some filmmakers, however, wanted to explore reality in ways film hadn’t before. So, there was more violence, harsher language, and more mature content in the films of the ‘60s. You also saw the dawn of a new genre, the action film, due to the 007 spy series and crime films like Bullitt. This would gradually expand in the ‘70s before exploding in the ‘80s.
I’ve seen over 125 films from the ‘60s. This list took the longest and was the most difficult to organize, as I had to watch or re-watch over 40 movies to prepare. Movies that I didn’t get to squeeze in for consideration include westerns like How the West Was Won and Once Upon a Time in the West and foreign films like Last Year at Marienbad, L’avventura, and Week End. Films that were strongly considered that didn’t make the list include Cleo from 5 to 7, Eyes Without a Face, The Pink Panther, Through a Glass Darkly, Zulu, Cleopatra, Jason and the Argonauts, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.
Below are my 60 favorites. I hope it serves as a guide for those who have some catching up to do and need some direction. For others it’ll be an enjoyable read to look out for their favorites.
60. Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill! (1965)
One of the new discoveries for me, as it’s incredibly difficult to find due to not being available anywhere to stream. This is typical Russ Meyers (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), whose campy style isn’t usually my thing. But, like most of these lists, we’re easing in with the movies I like most before we get to the ones I love. This film is notable for its edgy violence and multi-racial, beautiful bad-asses front and center. Japanese Americans like Tura Satana didn’t usually get the starring role in Hollywood films - and they certainly didn’t get roles that barely mentioned their ethnicity like this one. This film gets kudos for its casting and female characters.
58. Help! (1965)
This is the second Beatles film by Richard Lester (The Three Musketeers, Superman II) and it isn’t as good as their first, but it is very silly. You either go with it or you don’t. There’s lots of musical segments that do play more like individual music videos than scenes that are organic to a movie musical, which would be hugely influential later on.
56. A Shot in the Dark (1964)
The second Pink Panther film starring Peter Sellers and directed by the great comedic director Blake Edwards (Victor/Victoria, S.O.B.) is, so far, my favorite of the series. It’s very silly and its gags and jokes make me laugh out loud. This film’s title doesn’t include “Pink Panther”, because that name comes from a jewel that reappears often throughout the series.
54. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The early ‘60s was stuffed with epic-length historical pictures. Lawrence of Arabia is one of those movies that I don’t love as much as am in awe of. It’s an incredible feat of filmmaking that nobody would have the guts to try today - and no studio would dare finance. A budget that equals $150 million today not in visual effects, rather costumes, set design, location shooting, casting, and a film and editing process nobody would dare attempt now. Imagine this: a 3 hour 45 minute British historical epic without superheroes, visual effects, or much action earning enough to be the second-highest box office of the year - bested only by a war film that earned only $2.5 million more! My, how I wish such things were possible today!
52. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
This is the first and the second-best of Sergio Leone’s trilogy known by some as the Dollars Trilogy and others as the Man With No Name Trilogy. It has some classic and unforgettable moments and dialogue. The score by Ennio Morricone is tremendous. And yet things would get even better as the trilogy wrapped up.
50. The Moon-Spinners (1964)
I discovered this film a couple of years ago when I spent over a year working my way through the history of Disney. It was one of the few forgotten nuggets I discovered that could use more attention. Hayley Mills and Eli Wallach star in what is essentially a Hitchcock film for young adults. It isn’t top shelf Disney, but it’s pretty darn good.
48. Hatari! (1962)
This is another Howard Hawks film starring John Wayne that at 2 hours and 37 minutes also runs longer than it should. But it’s a unique film that I don’t think we’ve seen anything like since and is unfortunately drifting off to obscurity. Wayne, Red Buttons, and Bruce Cabot star as game catchers in what is now Tanzania who catch wild animals for zoos. Outside of being plucked from their habitat no harm is caused to the animals. But it is a very real profession that is interesting to watch, especially given the actual actors are doing the capturing! It’s also worth noting the tune ‘Baby Elephant Walk’ came from this movie.
46. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
This is one of Burt Lancaster’s most famous roles. This biopic was directed by John Frankenheimer, who also released The Manchurian Candidate the same year. It also stars Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, and Telly Savalas, who was starting to make a name for himself in 1962 and throughout the rest of the decade. They all make this biopic compelling.
44. The Sound of Music (1965)
I happen to think this beloved musical is also 30 minutes too long due largely to constant reprises. But it’s largely very enjoyable, albeit an example of a studio fighting against the changing cinematic landscape. That said, it’s easily the best film of 1965. If you haven’t seen it then I don’t know what you’re doing reading this blog. I don’t know if there’s a film from this decade as well known as this one.
42. Woman in the Dunes (1964)
A Japanese classic that sometimes gets overshadowed by the films of Kurosawa, Woman in the Dunes is a fascinating slow burn. It really takes its time as a thriller. It’s a simply told tale about a man trapped by a woman at the bottom of a sand dune that is widely considered one of the great masterpieces of the decade.
40. The Parent Trap (1961)
The original Disney adaptation starring Hayley Mills, Brian Keith, and Maureen O’Hara. Like most live action Disney films it’s a surface-level delight. For more of my thoughts read my review of this and other ‘60s Disney movies.
38. The Miracle Worker (1962)
It has a pretty horrendous poster that invokes a horror film, but this biopic about the first couple of weeks Anne Sullivan spent working with Helen Keller is still quite a remarkable drama. I didn’t realize Anne Bancroft starred in the film, having never seen it prior to this past month, but I think this might be her best performance. Patty Duke, age 16 at the time of filming, nearly lost the part due to her age despite having played Keller on stage for years. It’s understandable, but Duke gives a performance that is enlightening and frustrating at times, much like all children can be. I don’t think anyone has quite captured the pathos required for these roles as well as Bancroft and Duke.
36. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
I didn’t appreciate this film enough 20 years ago. Watching it now it is an incredibly layered and fascinating western that challenges western myths and, in turn, the western film genre AND directed by the man responsible for a large chunk of it: John Ford. John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin, Andy Devine, and Edmund O’Brien make a great cast.
34. The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
This is easily one of the best of the live action Disney films this decade. Fred MacMurray, who usually plays a jerk of some sort, is adorable and endearing here. For more of my thoughts and the next couple of films check out this article.
32. That Darn Cat! (1965)
The first Disney film starring Dean Jones is probably his best with the studio. This is also Haley Mills’s last Disney film. It’s also considered her best and, from what I understand, she never made another film as good afterwards. Robert Stevenson directed and he was behind most of the studio’s best and most memorable films from Old Yeller to the Shaggy D.A. He’s the unsung hero of Walt Disney Pictures. Roddy McDowell, Elsa Lanchester, Ed Wynn, and Frank Gorshin are all enjoyable here, too.
30. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Now we’re firmly in the films that I love. I’ve been trying to see this one for years and this project finally gave me the opportunity. There were a lot of war films stuffed with all-star casts in the ‘60s. This was also true of some westerns and historical epics. But this film starred Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, George Kennedy, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Robert Ryan, and Ernest Borgnine. I actually can’t believe the DC Comics team The Suicide Squad debuted in 1959, because this film feels like a World War II version of that team, except it’s based on a novel that’s inspired by possible events in WWII. Regardless, this film does a great job with its cast and mission. The last 40 minutes are incredible.
28. The Great Escape (1963)
This is another film I’ve been trying to see for several years. It’s also another WWII movie with a stacked cast. It’s also really well done. Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasance, James Coburn (with an awful Aussie accent), and an unrecognizable Richard Attenborough star in the greatest POW film since The Bridge Over the River Kwai. What with the iconography of this film peppering pop culture throughout my lifetime I thought I knew how this film ended. But it had some surprises in store for me.
26. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
What an incredibly daring and edgy film by John Frankenheimer. This is one of the few films that addresses the Korean War, albeit in a politically provocative way. It’s one of the earliest political thrillers I can recall. Angela Lansbury goes strongly against type here, which may be jarring for those who know her primarily from Murder, She Wrote. One of the greatest.
24. Inherit the Wind (1960)
The Scopes “Monkey” trial of the mid-’20s is dramatized here to great affect by Stanley Kramer with Spencer Tracy, an unrecognizable Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, and Harry Morgan. There’s been several adaptations of this important play, but this is the best one I’ve seen.
22. Take the Money and Run (1969)
It’s not popular to claim to like anything by Woody Allen these days, but I think his earliest work is the funniest and often his best. Take the Money and Run is a goof on crime profiles and documentaries. Even if some jokes land better than others it is still wacky and hilarious and remains among my favorite Woody Allen films.
20. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
Five parties are racing to find a stash of $350,000. This film is over 3 hours long and stuffs in just about every big name on film and TV at the time. It is wacky, silly, and a great time, considering the length. The intent was to create the ultimate comedy and was an effort to draw people away from their TV. And it was incredibly successful on this level. But it’s 60 years later, so I find that I get so much enjoyment out of it, because I know and understand the significance of every single name in the cast. It might not play as strongly to the casual modern viewer. Who appears in it? Jimmy Durante, Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, Phil Silvers, Jonathan Winters, Jim Backus, Andy Devine, Peter Falk, Norman Fell, with cameos by Jerry Lewis, Don Knotts, Buster Keaton, the Three Stooges, and so many more.
18. Batman (1966)
Based on the hit TV series that sky-rocketed the comic book and defined the character for a generation, this film sees several of the Dynamic Duo’s villains working together. Superhero movies these days are frequented by two or more villains, but the episodes of the Batman TV series usually only had one villain scheming and being foiled by Batman at a time. So, I can only imagine how exciting it must have been to have the Joker (Cesar Romero), Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Riddler (Frank Gorshin), and Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) working together. It’s probably the only superhero film to successfully pull off having so many villains at once. This was also how I got to know these actors who (with the exception of Meriwether) starred in or would star in other beloved movies I’ve seen. Meriwether did not go on to play Catwoman in the series; the role was played for two seasons by Julie Newmar and then by Eartha Kitt in the final season.
16. The Misfits (1961)
This film by John Huston was the final film for both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. Gable, while only 59, had a long run in the business that solidified him as a legend. Monroe, while a legend unto herself, was really just getting started as a serious actress here. Monroe always took her work seriously even if her ethic didn’t always demonstrate it with roles like 1956’s Bus Stop really trying to stretch her as a dramatic actress. With The Misfits it really feels like her work was starting to pay off, which makes her death all the more tragic. The incredible and underrated Thelma Ritter also stars with Montgomery Clift and Eli Wallach, who was fairly new himself at this point. This is a slowly paced drama, but it has a lot going on under the surface.
14. Monterey Pop (1968)
D. A. Pennebaker’s chronicle of the 1967 music festival was released at the very end of 1968 and it is absolutely incredible! It chronicles an important piece of rock history where Jimi Hendrix made his U.S. debut and Janis Joplin made her public debut - and both blew everyone’s minds. It’s a festival where you could see rock musicians sitting in the audience being wowed by other rock musicians. Performers include such legends as The Mamas and the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, Eric Burdon and the Animals, The Who, Otis Redding, and Ravi Shankar. Check out the Criterion print with deleted performances by a whole lot more.
12. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (1966)
The final entry in Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western trilogy is by far the best. It’s also his longest, clocking in at over two and a half hours! It stars Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef. What’s interesting - and nobody talks about this - is this film actually takes place BEFORE A Fistful of Dollars and A Few Dollars More, as the other films take place after the Civil War and this one takes place during. The film is basically a treasure hunt between three characters. But the final half hour or less at the cemetery is some of the greatest, most perfect filmmaking ever with a swelling score by Ennio Morricone that helps make the sequence extraordinary.
10. The Wild Bunch (1969)
One of the most violent and edgy westerns of a decade stuffed with westerns, The Wild Bunch is about a group of aging outlaws facing the Wild West’s sunset in 1913. Most westerns take place generally around the Civil War, between the 1860s and the 1890s. It is unusual for a western to take place just before the first world war. The cast includes William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, and Edmund O’Brien. The film has one of the greatest opening title sequences with the gang riding into a town while children are playing with a scorpion and ants nearby. It’s a disturbing sequence that sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
8. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
Katharine Houghton brings her boyfriend, Sidney Poitier, to meet her parents (Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy) so he can ask for approval to marry. The conflict comes from Poitier’s character being black in a society that only just made interracial marriage legal. Houghton’s character’s parents are self-professed liberals who never considered the notion of their daughter marrying a black man. It may seem quaint to some, but the conflict is probably relatable in other ways today. But the cast perform their roles exceptionally. Tracy, in his final role, is especially touching throughout. It’s also worth mentioning Beah Richards and Roy E. Glenn, Sr. who get into the mix as Poitier’s parents; they never get much attention, but are almost as excellent as their counterparts.
6. Goldfinger (1964)
There were a handful of Bond movies in the 1960s, but my favorite is the third film, the one that solidified the franchise and every one of its elements as we know it. The pacing is also picked up quite a bit in this one and hews closer to the pacing modern audiences are used to. For more on this film check out a review I wrote about it.
4. Psycho (1960)
Just shy of my absolute favorite Alfred Hitchcock film, granted I’ve only seen roughly 13 of his 55 films. But Psycho is among his most popular films for a reason. The script has several tricks up its sleeve and Hitchcock crafted some unforgettable visuals. The Saul Bass credit sequence and Bernard Hermann score are among the best in any Hitchcock film. It’s easily one of my primary go-to’s when introducing someone to the director.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
This is one of only two ‘60s films, surprisingly, that made my 100 Favorite Movies of All Time. It barely missed my top spot on this list. I can’t emphasize the word barely enough, because I am usually quick to say there is no film in the ‘60s that comes close to Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction masterpiece. You have to understand: this movie revolutionized the genre and how people thought of it. I mean, with very few exceptions, most sci-fi films before it were campy, low budget movies about alien invaders, nuclear monsters, or adventures in space. There’s a reason it’s one of only two sci-fi films on this list; there was very little substance in the genre. 2001 changed that so drastically that you can demarcate the history of the genre as “Before 2001” and “After 2001”. Also, it approximated the experience in space and the moon so accurately before the Apollo 11 mission. It is the water mark by which all intelligent science fiction is measured. And it looks stunning in hi-def.
59. High and Low (1963)
This isn’t among my absolute favorite Akira Kurosawa films, but it’s a distant second to Ikiru when considering Kurosawa’s “modern” films. A kidnapping and ransom goes wrong. Toshiro Mifune stars as the corporate owner who is being forced to pay the ransom. Like most of Kurosawa’s films, it’s highly intelligent.
57. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George A. Romero’s original vision that basically created an entire subgenre of horror film and TV for decades to come. Zombies are always best when used as metaphor and this film is struggling with the civil rights movement of the time. The film has encouraged much analysis, including interpretations that view it as a metaphor for the Vietnam War or the Dead representing the silent majority in America at the time. It’s not my favorite of the series, but it is one of the most fascinating horror films since the early ‘30s.
55. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Absolutely iconic New Hollywood film by Arthur Penn that really helped shake up what movies could look like. A great score by Charles Strouse and a cast that includes Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, Estelle Parsons, and Gene Wilder. Extraordinary period piece.
53. Elmer Gantry (1960)
This film surprised me with its scathing satire of evangelical Christianity. It’s roughly based on a 1927 novel that was quickly banned. Burt Lancaster plays the titular con-man-as-preacher and Shirley Jones is incredibly sexy as the prostitute from Gantry’s past. Both won Oscars for their performances. Elmer Gantry is a nearly-forgotten film that deserves a revival.
51. El Dorado (1967)
This is the penultimate film by the great filmmaker Howard Hawks and it does run a little long, given its story. But that’s because Hawks didn’t really think there was much of a story, rather a collection of scenes about characters. The story about a gunfighter (John Wayne) coming to the aid of a washed-up lawman (Robert Mitchum) in a town where a dispute between ranchers gets violently out of hand didn’t require more than 100 minutes to tell. But it’s hard to complain when you’re seeing the likes of James Caan, R. G. Armstrong, Ed Asner, and Paul Fix rubbing elbows with Wayne and Mitchum.
49. The Apartment (1960)
Billy Wilder’s exalted melancholic classic starring Jack Lemmon and a very young Shirley MacLaine as two people being taken advantage of by those in higher positions at their insurance company. It isn’t my favorite Wilder film, but with a cast that also includes Fred MacMurray and Ray Walston who’s complaining?
47. The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)
You won’t find too many French films on this list despite the French New Wave riding strong into the ‘60s. But this musical by Jacques Demy is a tough one to resist. It’s basically about two care-free sisters (played by real life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac) who want to get out of their city and live life to the fullest. The music, choreography, and costume designs are a delight and directly inspired films like La La Land.
45. Donovan’s Reef (1963)
I think there’s more John Wayne films in the ‘60s that I enjoy than any other decade. It’s truly a pleasure to watch him listen and react to his co-stars in all of these films, including this John Ford comedy. It’s set in French Polynesia and has some business about the ownership of a shipping company on the island, but you really come to see the raucous fighting and banter between Wayne, Lee Marvin, and Elizabeth Allen with Cesar Romero (a couple of years before becoming the first notable Joker on screen) on the sidelines hoping to seduce the wealthy visitor from Boston. It’s quite a bit of fun.
43. Dont Look Back (1967)
This is simply an incredible document of music history. It basically documents Bob Dylan’s tour in England in 1965. At this point Dylan was still playing folk music and his fifth album, Bringing It All Back Home, was his newest release. What’s fascinating about the film is the time capsule of 1965 England and watching Dylan interact with his peers like Joan Baez and Donovan while punching away at the typewriter. It’s a fascinating watch, but you’ve got to listen to the dialogue closely to understand what’s going on as there’s plenty of simultaneous background and foreground dialogue.
41. Cat Ballou (1965)
It’s crazy when one of the most financially successful movies of the year becomes nearly forgotten. Most of the time when people talk about the work of Jane Fonda they mention Barbarella, but they don’t talk about Cat Ballou, a hilarious western comedy with a feminist angle. Lee Marvin, a frequent presence throughout the ‘60s, co-stars with Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye who perform songs throughout the film. It’s worth hunting down.
39. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
While it is a western remake of a Japanese samurai epic inspired by westerns (that’s very meta), it still manages to be one of the most enjoyable and thrilling westerns of the decade. It is not unlike the star-studded epics that would characterize the decade in that it does have a stuffed cast: Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Eli Wallach. It’s not the masterpiece that Seven Samurai is, but it’s pretty darn good and its Elmer Bernstein score is among the greatest there is in the genre.
37. Spartacus (1960)
Stanley Kubrick’s crack at the time’s popular historical epic picture. It lead Kubrick to constant frustration, but the end result is still better than most of its ilk and it became the most financially successful film of its year, albeit by no means the most profitable film of Kubrick’s career. Kirk Douglas is fantastic here.
35. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
This is peak Beatle-Mania right here. It’s also a great and highly influential musical comedy. The Fab Four are constantly enjoyable and witty here. It’s quite surprising how a piece of music marketing ended up so irreverent and fantastic as a film. Elvis Presley may have done it first, but his films and nobody’s since were half as good as A Hard Day’s Night.
33. Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
Peter Ustinov plays a pirate’s ghost! If you enjoyed his performance as Prince John in Disney’s Robin Hood then you’ll really love his performance here. He is the real highlight of the film and it just doesn’t work without him. But did you know that Elsa Lanchester, the Bride of Frankenstein herself, also stars? Elliott Reid (The Absent-Minded Professor), Dean Jones, and Suzanne Pleshette (The Birds) also appear and are enjoyable. The second half just isn’t as good as the first.
31. The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
John Wayne, Dean Martin, George Kennedy, Paul Fix, and a young Dennis Hopper star in a western about a land dispute. Wayne and Martin star as the eldest of the four brothers. Henry Hathaway directed. He’s not as well known as other directors of the period, but he also directed Niagara, How the West Was Won, and True Grit. This film is really fun and interesting, even though there’s some frustrating choices and attitudes from a handful of the characters. I’m a little surprised the story hasn’t been remade since, but maybe it couldn’t be done better than Katie Elder did.
29. Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)
This western comedy was a delight I grew up with and haven’t seen since childhood. But it’s still an enjoyable bit of light entertainment with an incredibly charismatic lead in James Garner. I think people underrate Garner these days, but he was quite the leading man from the late ‘60s to the ‘80s. Harry Morgan, Jack Elam, and Bruce Dern all appear and add to the fun.
27. From Russia With Love (1963)
The first James Bond sequel is still one of the best in the series. This film was full of firsts for the series, including the debut of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. and it featured a couple of the best henchmen in the franchise with Red Grant and Colonel Klebb. It’s not quite what people are used to these days, but this was one of the most essential entries that made what we’ve come to expect in the entire action genre possible. For more on this film read my review here.
25. The Music Man (1962)
When I return to this film decades after seeing it I’m surprised by how much I am delighted by it. Ostensibly, it’s a typical Golden Age musical based on a Broadway hit with a thin plot. But Robert Preston (The Last Starfighter) really sells every scene and makes this film an absolute treat despite its 2 hour 30 minute runtime. Jack Warner was quite shrewd and tried to recast Preston who had made the role on Broadway, but everyone turned him down and pointed towards Preston for the role. ‘Ya Got Trouble’ and ‘Seventy-Six Trombones’ are absolute favorites. Buddy Hackett and Shirley Jones also appear.
23. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
To this day this film blows me away. There’s so many layers to it, so many ideas and storytelling techniques within that it’s remarkable how much it’s taken for granted today. The focus on the children’s perspective, the way in which Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) tries to shelter his kids from the ugliness of the world, the trial in the second half… it’s no wonder it’s considered one of the greatest and most cherished films in history.
21. Bullitt (1968)
This film is mostly known for having the greatest car chase in film and one might expect that to be the highlight of a fairly mediocre film. But there’s much more to the film than that car chase. It’s also a really solid detective movie and probably the first modern detective movie as we know it. Prior to this there were private investigator movies like the Bogart films. After Bullitt there was Dirty Harry and The French Connection and so many more. This film stars Steve McQueen and has its share of twists. It’s shocking that there were no plans to make a series of films based around Detective Bullitt.
19. The Odd Couple (1968)
I’m not a Neil Simon fan, but this is my favorite. This is a film that begins with a man so utterly depressed that he tries to kill himself. Meanwhile, another man hosts a poker party. It’s a great contrast and the two characters quickly share a scene together and we’re off and running in this story about two mismatched roommates. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon co-starred together several times; it was a comedy pair that audiences loved seeing together. This was definitely their best film together. John Fiedler (12 Angry Men) and Herb Edelman (The Golden Girls) also star.
17. Cape Fear (1962)
Robert Mitchum stars as the convict who blames Gregory Peck’s lawyer character for his imprisonment and exacts revenge on the lawyer and his family. This is an incredibly effective film even today. Mitchum’s character is so clever and charismatic; he knows exactly what he’s doing that keeps him out of trouble with the law until he’s ready to strike hard. It’s a terrifying performance that goes far enough to convey what is necessary. Martin Scorsese remade the film with Robert DeNiro and Nick Nolte and it’s more visceral, showing what the original didn’t need to in order to be effective. I greatly prefer this version.
15. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
What a film! A murder mystery that wrestles with race relations in our country with a sheriff and Philadelphia’s top homicide detective working together as professional equals. Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier play their roles perfectly and it is incredible to watch them listen and react to each other in their scenes. The film would be named Best Picture and Screenplay by both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes and Steiger would also win Best Actor from both. Sadly, Poitier did not earn a deserved nomination from either.
13. Planet of the Apes (1968)
The original and still one of the best, second only to 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, this Charlton Heston sci-fi adventure is full of quotes and moments that have become part of the fabric of pop culture. As such, it’s also one of the most spoiled movies in history with many people knowing the end without having ever seen the film. But the film leading up to that is fantastic, starring Roddy McDowell, James Whitmore, and Kim Hunter.
11. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
If I were to give specific films as the reason for my love of Elizabeth Taylor it would be 1956’s Giant and this one. She is extraordinary in the former and incredibly daring in the latter. This film adapts a play that is mostly a dinner party hosted by the most toxic and disturbing couple you can imagine. Taylor and Richard Burton play the couple, which is fascinating, because they actually were married at the time. At the time Taylor was 34 and Burton was 41. Taylor gained 30 pounds for the role and added make-up to age her 15 years, which was quite a transformation. But the film is a fascinating drama about love, infertility, and grief. An extraordinary directorial debut by Mike Nichols.
9. The Graduate (1967)
The Graduate was the box office hit of its year. It’s hard to imagine a film like it being so successful today. But it captured something about the youth of its time, the baby boomers, that made them flock to see the film. A soundtrack by Simon & Garfunkel certainly helped. Yet the film is most famous for its plot about a college graduate (Dustin Hoffman) being seduced by a middle-aged family friend (Anne Bancroft). It’s probably worth noting that Bancroft was only 36 at the time, so our perception of a “cougar” has definitely shifted over time. Hoffman was 30, yet got away with the role due to his youthful features. What I love and admire about it, among other things, is its final shot. Also, look carefully and you’ll spot a young Richard Dreyfuss.
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
In a decade stuffed with a variety of westerns my favorite is this dramedy about a famous outlaw duo played by one of the great screen pairings: Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Redford became a star a couple of years before after appearing in Barefoot in the Park. His career was on fire for at least the next decade. Newman had quite the lead ahead of his co-star, having exploded in 1958’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and following it with several hits leading up to this. But the two of them together were irresistible. This film was written by the legendary screenwriter William Goldman, his first original screenplay for which he won an Oscar. He would go on to script several great films for the next 25 years. George Roy Hill directed over a dozen other films, but none quite as perfect as this one.
5. The Jungle Book (1967)
The ‘60s wasn’t an overall great decade for Disney Animation Studios since they only had three releases and were recovering from the expenses of Sleeping Beauty, which nearly shuttered the studio forever. But of the three films this is the one I find most irresistible. Its songbook is among the most well-known in the studio’s history. And Shere Khan, voiced wonderfully by George Sanders, is one of the studio’s greatest villains. For more on this film check out a review I wrote about it.
3. The Producers (1968)
This was Mel Brooks’s directorial debut and it is my absolute favorite of all of his films. The concept is nothing short of brilliant - the play within the film far above comedic brilliance. The performances by Gene Wilder, Zero Mostel, Kenneth Mars, and Dick Shawn are hysterical - especially Wilder. Brooks became best-known for parodies later in his career, but his original work was usually his strongest and best demonstrated his talent for comedic concepts.
1. Mary Poppins (1964)
The only film in the ‘60s that could edge out Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi monolith is the greatest film Walt Disney Pictures ever produced. A couple of years ago, I watched this film in the context of everything the studio released prior to and after Mary Poppins. It was startling how huge the contrast in quality there was between this film and every film around it in the catalogue. This was lightning in a bottle that the studio never ever came close to touching. The Sherman Brothers are responsible for a lot of the film’s success, as they wrote one of the greatest songbooks in musical history. They wrote many songs for the studio, but none were on the level of those in Mary Poppins. This is a musical, a family movie, an animated/live action hybrid, and a touching story about parenting. It’s extraordinary how many different things this film can be to different audiences. Let’s not fail to mention the extraordinary performances by Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and especially the underrated David Tomlinson. This is truly Disney’s live action crown jewel if there ever was one.
So, those are my favorite movies of the 1960s. Every year of the decade is represented. The years 1962 and 1967 made the list the most with 9 films each. The year 1968 came in 2nd with 8 films. Oddly enough, when we did our favorite years in film on The Movie Lovers podcast only 1968 made my list. There are 7 Disney films on the list, which, by extension makes Robert Stevenson the director on the list the most since he directed 4 of them. Surprisingly, John Wayne beats out Eli Wallach and Lee Marvin for the most appearances on this list with 5 after being mostly absent in my ‘40s and ‘50s lists. The same could be said for the western genre, which also appears the most with 10 films tied only with comedies.
Again, the best resources for films from this decade are Amazon Prime and Max. You can also rent many films on Amazon. I hope you find some new favorites. What are some of your favorites from the decade already? Feel free to share.