What do you consider "classic"?

[Midnight Palace]

I welcome the varying opinions on this question. What are your requirements for considering a film classic? Personally, and I know this may be frowned upon, I have a hard time considering a color film as classic. It may be a mental thing, but I've always associated classic with B&W.

Now, some could say that films like The Godfather and Goodfellas would be considered classic, and they're obviously in color. But, would they be considered classic in the same sense as a film like Casablanca?

As far as the 60s go, let's take a film like Charade. I have seen Charade with Grant & Audrey and I did enjoy it. I really have a problem though with the washed out, pastel-looking colors of the 60s and 70s. The film was very James Bond-ish, and again, I did enjoy it. But something tells me I would've enjoyed it even more if it had been a 40s or 50s movie and in B&W. I don't know why the filmmakers of the 60s and 70s chose to use those drab colors, when we know that a film like Singin' in the Rain (1952) had rich, vibrant colors that lit up the screen. Obviously the Technicolor technology was available by the 60s and 70s!

Because of the boring look of the 60s and 70s, I have a real hard time considering anything from those decades classic. I know that many will probably disagree and I welcome that! I'm just interested in everyone's take on it. I think a film like Charade was only as good as it was BECAUSE of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It was their great acting. If you can imagine the same film with two lesser-knowns, would it be as enjoyable? Maybe not.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

How about the 1940 "Thief of Baghdad".....In glorious technicolor......it's an Oscar winner....so classic?

 

[Midnight Palace]

Technicolor films, like S.I.T.R. seem to be an exception with me. I'm talking mainly about 60s-present color films.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie" is a classic. It was Mickey Mouse's film debut and many say it was a jump start for Walt Disney. I'd think a "classic" film is something that is memorable, with catchy dialogue, well though out characters with actors and actresses that play their roles as if they were that character, well composed camera angles, and a steady storyline that keeps you watching until the end.

I'd consider the Godfather a "landmark film" rather than a classic film, just as Gone with the Wind or Casablanca or King Kong, I'd consider them "landmark films", films that are not just classic but have made a giant footprint in film history and probably will stand through the sands of time.

Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, any Universal monster movie I suppose, I'd consider classic horror films.

 

[BJBAmerica]

I think a lot of 60s - Present Color films can be and are considered true "Classics". Here are a few that I would cite as Modern Color Classics:

Rear Window (50's Color Film)
The Searchers (50's Color Film)
Rio Bravo (50's Color Film)
The African Queen (50's Color Film)
The Guns Of Navarone
Lawrence of Arabia
The Sound of Music
Goldfinger
Patton
E.T.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
The Shawshank Redemption

Don't forget Gone With The Wind and The Wizard of Oz were color film classics from the 30's and Blue Skies, with Fred Astaire's Classic "Puttin' On The Ritz" was filmed in color in the 40's.

 

[Lady Day]

In modern film, I would consider Amelie a classic.

LD

 

[The Wolf]

I base a classic on age and quality.
I have a hard time considering something from the last ten years a classic because it has to weather "the test of time". Some movies are big for a while and then forgotten. Don't get me started on Disney releasing a new movie and dubbing it a new classic before the audience has judged it.
I consider Flynn's Robin Hood a classic even though it is in color. Just being old is not enough despite how it sometimes semms not all 1930s/1940s movies are great. Sh, the Octopus was released in 1937 and has actors I usually enjoy. However, it is a c*%##y movie not a classic.
If it still holds up and people are still talking about it (in a positive way ) after decades then it is a classic. If it still influences other film-makers it has the makings of a classic. People can still disagree on certain titles though.

Sincerely,
the Wolf

 

[Amy Jeanne]

"Classic" varies from person to person. I actually consider most Something Weird and Alpha DVDs to contain classic movies. Classic trash, but classic nonetheless!

"Classic" could mean anything. I never really thought about it, but I don't feel that I have a "box" that says this is classic and this isn't.

 

[LizzieMaine]

For me, a classic has to have stood the test of time -- and it has to have ingratiated itself into mass culture over a period of years to the point where people other than movie buffs know what it is. Color or black and white, silent or talking don't make much difference for me -- it's long term cultural impact that really makes the definition.

 

[Feraud]

I would agree and repeat a classic is one that has stood the test of time and become part of the public consciousness. It is not necessarily a good film, but enough people know it and keep it's memory alive.

Unfortunately a lot of films I would call classic are not on the list but I try to push them whenever I can.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I have to agree with the consensus so far as a definition, though I'd widen it to include films that aren't necessarily well-known to the general public, but are to film buffs/scholars/historians. Today's "general audience" is pretty darn ignorant of a lot of classic stuff, especially silents and non-American movies!

Along with popular/unknown, I am not sure that good/bad factors much into the equation. Classics are important because they're remembered and well-regarded by *somebody*, whether for entertainment value, historical importance, or as cultural reference points.

 

[Twitch]

The word "classic" is akin to "pornography" in that they're both hard to define but you know them when you see them.

Being vintage car owner I know how much the word "classic" has been argued when associated with cars. A 1964 Mustang isn't a classic but a 1933Dusenberg is. Hey a 1933 Ford isn't a classic either. Its a vintage special interest auto.

The same criteria somewhat apply to movies. Just WHO decides what a classic movie is? Perhaps Leonard Maltin but assuredly none of us would agree in every instance. There were tons of B movies that are in no way a classic even though they were produced at the same time.

Actually anything we'd categorize as classic is certainly something we've viewed several times. There are but few, if any, that we'd see the first time and call classics.

If we go by rental/purchase popularity alone certainly Bad BoyZ II is a "classic" compared to White Heat.

Also we have what we define as cult classics. Often these are not superbly done in any cinemegraphic sense but they have a following of legions. Sometimes it's just the story, the characters, the actors, the directing, camerawork, not all combined. So if all criteria are deemed A+ d we have a classic?

There simply is no one answer or one group of defining categories that universally scream classic. It's up to the viewer.

 

[Naphtali]

When defining "classic," you can rely on someone else -- for example, Citizen Kane is a classic?? -- or you can define it for yourself.

My rule is easy to apply. If I appreciate a motion picture to want to view it more than twice -- that is, I enjoy the pattern of the film, its nuances, characterizations -- it's a classic.

For me, my system yields a significantly more satisfying list of classic films.

Example: Many critics believe "Some Like It Hot" is the finest comedy. For me, that classic comedy rating goes to "The Lady Eve." Superior plot, more nuanced performances, and at least as "classic" a last line -- Positively the same dame!

 

[Feraud]

My rule is easy to apply. If I appreciate a motion picture to want to view it more than twice -- that is, I enjoy the pattern of the film, its nuances, characterizations -- it's a classic.

This is a great rule and I have hundreds of titles to add to the classics list!

 

[Senator Jack]

Posted by Twitch: A 1964 Mustang isn't a classic...

I'd take umbrage at that remark, if I knew what umbrage meant.

Classic car, classic group.

The chronochauvinism around here is getting to be a bit much. Goodfellas not a classic? Bonnie and Clyde? The French Connection? Seriously, I'm baffled.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I'd take umbrage at that remark, if I knew what umbrage meant.

Classic car, classic group.

The chronochauvinism around here is getting to be a bit much. Goodfellas not a classic? Bonnie and Clyde? The French Connection? Seriously, I'm baffled.

Regards,

Senator Jack

What I want to know.....is what you and Fletch are looking at.....did someone forget how to operate a crank window or something?

 

[Senator Jack]

fftopic: Right on the money, Miss N. The rear cranks are missing the screws. Now that's classic!

 

[dhermann1]

I'd take umbrage at that remark, if I knew what umbrage meant.

Senator Jack

It means like you put your foot to the floor and you hear "Ummmmmbbrrrrr . . . UUUMMMMMbbrrrrrrrrr. . . . . ."
Then you have a car with a LOT of UMMMMBRAGE.
And, yes, a '64 Mustang is definitely a classic. It created a whole new genre, its image has passed into the general subconscious of the whole culture. It's absolutely a classic. I'll never forget the first time I saw one. It was Sept 1964, walking to class my first semester in college. It was sitting in front of a dorm, a yellow Mustang. Perfect.

 

[HadleyH]

Hey Senator Jack! That IS a classic photo!



Now, this is what my books say about what makes a film a classic (with or without color).


"A classic movie is any movie made during Hollywood studio system era (pre-1970s days), which also received significant recognition either at the time it was released or afterwards."

For me a classic anything is something that transcends time and place.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

Silly word. Classic.

The "art film," born in the 60s, died in 1979, some say -- That's really where I take most of my favorites and probably where I use the phrase, "That's a classic flick!" more than anywhere else.

As for a more academic definition of Classic, the "studio era," pre-60s, probably fits the bill best. There are stragglers and colored flicks in there that can take on the meaning. Howard Hawkes flicks, John Ford movies. The Ten Commandments.

Generally, a Classic seems to refer to an A budget movie. In my mind, at least.