15 Classic Movies Everybody Must Watch If They Haven’t Seen Many Films In Life

Everyone has their own favorite movies, but certain classics deserve to be seen by anyone keen on learning more about cinema. Trying to develop a more culture palate when it comes to cinema can be intimidating. With over a century of movies to choose from, it’s difficult to know where to begin. Luckily, some movies can provide a shortcut to understanding the art form, thanks to their exemplary use of genre or vital filmmaking techniques.

It’s difficult to quantify which are the best movies of all time. Cinema is an extremely varied medium, encompassing everything from animated children’s musicals to disturbing horror movies, but developing a greater appreciation of film doesn’t require watching hundreds and hundreds of movies. By carefully selecting a handful of iconic and revolutionary works, it becomes a lot simpler to get to grips with different genres, movements, and styles.

15 Alien (1979)

Dir. Ridley Scott

Alien is a classic in two genres. Ridley Scott took the conventions of a haunted house tale and placed them in a spaceship cruising far from Earth, resulting in an extremely claustrophobic thriller with no escape. Horror stories tap into public anxieties, and Alien was the first major movie in the age of space exploration that questioned what might be waiting for us far out in the cosmos. In doing so, it also created one of the most recognizable monsters in pop culture history.

14 Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)

Dir. Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick’s black comedy succeeds in making the nuclear apocalypse hilarious. Dr. Strangelove showcases the director’s taut camerawork and unparalleled eye for dramatic blocking, but the dialogue shines above all else. Although the plot is firmly guided by the tensions of the Cold War, Dr. Strangelove still holds up today. Peter Sellers makes a strong claim for the title of the greatest comedic performance of all time, as he plays three different roles with cartoonish zeal, lampooning the foibles of a polite Brit, a cocksure American, and a wildcard German.

13 Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)

Dir. Céline Sciamma

A modern masterpiece, Céline Sciamma’s period drama pulses with forbidden desire and the distant promise of freedom, all encased in the gorgeous surroundings of eighteenth-century France. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a neatly packaged character study, focusing sharply on the relationship between a painter and her subject. It juggles meditations on love, art, and sexual liberation without ever losing its vitality. Sciamma’s use of music is revolutionary, sparse and fleeting, but the crescendo of Portrait of a Lady on Fire‘s ending is unforgettable.

12 Pulp Fiction (1994)

Dir. Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino’s movies can be best understood as shared experiences, and Pulp Fiction borrowed from almost a century of American cinema to delight its audience with violence, wit, and raw emotion. The non-linear storytelling and the interlocking plot structure elevated Pulp Fiction above mere mimicry however, and it became a cinematic touchstone in its own right. Pulp Fiction’s characters are so richly drawn that they transcend their own genre boundaries. They’re now imitated just as often as Tarantino’s own inspirations.

11 The Lion King (1994)

Dir. Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers

The Lion King emphasizes cinema’s capacity to reinvent classic stories. Based primarily on William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, the plot also borrows elements from the biblical tales of Jesus and Moses, but its gorgeous 2D animaion retells them with an incredible originality. Arguably the outstanding product of Disney’s 1990s renaissance, The Lion King exhibits the grand spectacle of a stage musical, assisted in no small part by one of the best movie soundtracks of all time.

10 Jaws (1975)

Dir. Steven Spielberg

Before child-friendly movies like Jurassic Park and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg created a blood-soaked thriller about a killer shark on a rampage. Jaws features all the requisite gore and suspense to be recognized as a horror classic, but the interplay between the characters is far more polished than most monster movies would ever have room for. Despite its looming presence, the great white has very little screen time. The movie instead relies on the conflict between a police chief, an oceanographer, and a grizzled shark hunter as they wait for the beast to appear.

9 Casablanca (1942)

Dir. Michael Curtiz

Set against the backdrop of World War II, Casablanca tells the story of a doomed romance. Humphrey Bogart is on top form as Rick, the cynical American expatriate whose past returns to haunt him. Ingrid Bergman stars as his love interest Ilsa, and the pair’s unrivaled chemistry sells the plot with ease. Casablanca‘s endlessly quotable script and brooding style build to a bittersweet finale when Rick and Ilsa must sacrifice their love for a greater cause. Ultimately, Casablanca is as much about redemption and change as it is about romance.

8 Spirited Away (2001)

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki

Due to its expense, animation only relies on pragmatism and efficiency, but Spirited Away luxuriates in its complexity. Hayao Miyazaki’s expansive canvas hides loving touches in every corner, and his world of fantastical creatures and obscure magic require multiple viewings. There are so many generous details that are not strictly necessary for the continuation of the plot, but the movie’s style is as vital as its substance. Miyazaki’s boundless creativity renders an impossible landscape with staggering clarity.

7 The Godfather (1972)

Dir. Francis Ford Coppola

With The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola was able to garner sympathy and understanding for a family of brutal criminals. The Corleone family have a peculiar business, but they value honesty, loyalty, and respect just like anyone else. The dark, expressive style of The Godfather envelops the audience with confidence. In the end, the extreme specificity of the characters give them a broad appeal. The Godfather is a violent and thrilling movie, but it shows that expert characterization can garner sympathy for even the most cold-blooded survivalists.

6 It’s A Wonderful Life (1947)

Dir. Frank Capra

Over 70 years after its production, It’s a Wonderful Life remains the quintessential Christmas movie. Some movies, even some excellent movies, lose their appeal with repeat viewings, but It’s a Wonderful Life‘s warm embrace could be enjoyed at least once every December, if not more. It’s a moralistic fable in the vein of Dickens or the great Greek tragedians, celebrating the ordinary lives that can pass us by every day. The earnest emotion of It’s a Wonderful Life is an irresistible tonic to modern cynicism, and irrefutable proof of the intangible magic of cinema.

5 Parasite (2019)

Dir. Bong Joon-ho

Parasite straddles the line between a class-conscious comedy of manners, and a twisted tale of rebellion and fraud. The Kim family mirror this strange dichotomy, caught between their home, halfway underground and infested with insects, and the more affluent life they sneak into. Parasite satirizes the class divide for around half of its runtime, before shirking its sense of humor and opting for bloodshed and rage. It’s a manipulative thriller with a message, but Parasite never fails to entertain along the way.

4 Playtime (1967)

Dir. Jacques Tati

40 years later than everyone else, Jacques Tati reverted to the techniques of silent movies for his sweeping satire of mid-century urban corporatism. Tati plays Monsieur Hulot, an oafish but lovable character perfectly at odds with the sleek sophistication of polite society. He staggers around gray monolithic skyscrapers with bewilderment, until society unravels at once into raucous misalignment at a calamitous restaurant opening. It requires no subtitles, since every beat is conveyed through expressions and actions, with a picture-book simplicity and joy.

3 Lost In Translation (2003)

Dir. Sofia Coppola

Lost In Translation focuses on two American strangers who meet in Tokyo and begin an unlikely affair. It’s at once hopeful and heartbreaking, as the inescapable finality of their short time together hangs over their witty exchanges. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson play two people at completely different stages of life, but both in search of a deeper meaning to their existence. They confide in each other in the way that only strangers can, and Lost In Translation’s bold, enigmatic ending leaves the true depth of their relationship open to interpretation.

2 Raising Arizona (1987)

Dir. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

For a crime caper, kidnapping a baby would usually seem too unsavory, but Raising Arizona has enough heart to back up its dark premise. The movie is ostensibly set in the American West, but the characters speak with an affected, antiquated style. Some elements of the story could fit into the Old Testament, like the bounty hunter who streams across the desert like a vengeful demon. Raising Arizona proudly flaunts its neo-expressionist style. The events and characters are intentionally outlandish, but they amount to an American fable with a square focus on true justice.

1 Psycho (1960)

Dir. Alfred Hitchcock

Not content with simply being one of the most iconic horror movies ever, Psycho switches things up halfway through and becomes one of the most gripping detective stories ever too. Thanks to its twisty plot, Psycho changed the way people watch movies, and its effects are still being felt to this day. Alfred Hitchcock’s incredible use of dramatic irony still advises the horror genre, as does his pioneering use of the Dutch angle. The shower scene has rightly entered the debate over the best scenes in movie history, but Psycho offers much more than bloody violence.