The Best Classical Hollywood Movies Ever Made
“What are the best Classic Hollywood Movies?” We looked at 165 of the top Classic Hollywood films, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 17 films, all appearing on 3 or more “Best Classic Hollywood” movie lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 125+ movies, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Top 17 Best Classic Hollywood Movies Ever Made
17 .) 12 Angry Men (1957) directed by Sidney Lumet
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Taste Of Cinema
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors’ prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.
16 .) An American in Paris (1951) directed by Vincente Minnelli
Lists It Appears On:
- Den Of Geek
- IMDB
- Marie Claire
Jerry Mulligan is an exuberant American expatriate in Paris trying to make a reputation as a painter. His friend Adam is a struggling concert pianist who’s a long time associate of a famous French singer, Henri Baurel. A lonely society woman, Milo Roberts, takes Jerry under her wing and supports him, but is interested in more than his art.
15 .) City Lights (1931) directed by Charles Chaplin
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Taste Of Cinema
City Lights is the first silent film that Charlie Chaplin directed after he established himself with sound accompanied films. The film is about a penniless man who falls in love with a flower girl.
14 .) Double Indemnity (1944) directed by Billy Wilder
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- List Challenges
- Taste Of Cinema
A rich woman and a calculating insurance agent plot to kill her unsuspecting husband after he signs a double indemnity policy. Against a backdrop of distinctly Californian settings, the partners in crime plan the perfect murder to collect the insurance, which pays double if the death is accidental.
13 .) High Noon (1952) directed by Fred Zinnemann
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- List Challenges
Will Kane, the sheriff of a small town in New Mexico, learns a notorious outlaw he put in jail has been freed, and will be arriving on the noon train. Knowing the outlaw and his gang are coming to kill him, Kane is determined to stand his ground, so he gathers a posse from among the local townspeople.
12 .) Jezebel (1938) directed by William Wyler
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- NY Times
In 1850s Louisiana, the willfulness of a tempestuous Southern belle threatens to destroy all who care for her.
11 .) Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) directed by Vincente Minnelli
Lists It Appears On:
- Den Of Geek
- GG Magazines
- Marie Claire
In the year before the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair, the four Smith daughters learn lessons of life and love, even as they prepare for a reluctant move to New York.
10 .) Some Like It Hot (1959) directed by Billy Wilder
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- Taste Of Cinema
Two musicians witness a mob hit and struggle to find a way out of the city before they are found by the gangsters. Their only opportunity is to join an all-girl band as they leave on a tour. To make their getaway they must first disguise themselves as women, then keep their identities secret and deal with the problems this brings – such as an attractive bandmate and a very determined suitor.
9 .) Sunset Boulevard (1950) directed by Billy Wilder
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- Taste Of Cinema
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
8 .) The Big Sleep (1946) directed by Howard Hawks
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- List Challenges
Private Investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy General Sternwood regarding a matter involving his youngest daughter Carmen. Before the complex case is over, Marlowe sees murder, blackmail, deception, and what might be love.
7 .) The Wizard of Oz (1939) directed by Victor Fleming
Lists It Appears On:
- Den Of Geek
- IMDB
- Taste Of Cinema
Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them.
6 .) Witness for the Prosecution (1957) directed by Billy Wilder
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- NY Times
When Leonard Vole is arrested for the sensational murder of a rich, middle-aged widow, the famous Sir Wilfrid Robarts agrees to appear on his behalf. Sir Wilfrid, recovering from a near-fatal heart attack, is supposed to be on a diet of bland, civil suits—but the lure of the criminal courts is too much for him, especially when the case is so difficult.
5 .) All About Eve (1950) directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Taste Of Cinema
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo’s Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo’s director boyfriend, her playwright and his wife. Only the cynical drama critic sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit.
4 .) Bringing Up Baby (1938) directed by Howard Hawks
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Marie Claire
- Taste Of Cinema
David Huxley is waiting to get a bone he needs for his museum collection. Through a series of strange circumstances, he meets Susan Vance, and the duo have a series of misadventures which include a leopard called Baby.
3 .) Gone with the Wind (1939) directed by Victor Fleming
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Taste Of Cinema
The spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner is forced to use every means at her disposal to claw her way out of poverty, following Maj. Gen. William Sherman’s destructive “March to the Sea,” during the American Civil War.
2 .) Casablanca (1942) directed by Michael Curtiz
Lists It Appears On:
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Marie Claire
- Taste Of Cinema
In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
1 .) Singin’ in the Rain (1952) directed by Stanley Donen
Lists It Appears On:
- Den Of Geek
- GG Magazines
- IMDB
- Marie Claire
- Taste Of Cinema
In 1927 Hollywood, a silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
The 125+ Additional Best Classic Hollywood Films
| # | Movies | Directors | Lists |
| 18 | A Star Is Born (1954) | George Cukor | GG Magazines |
| – | – | – | IMDB |
| 19 | A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) | Elia Kazan | IMDB |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 20 | Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) | Frank Capra | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 21 | Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) | List Challenges | |
| – | – | – | Marie Claire |
| 22 | Charade (1963) | List Challenges | |
| – | – | – | Marie Claire |
| 23 | Citizen Kane (1941) | List Challenges | |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 24 | Dinner at Eight (1933) | GG Magazines | |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 25 | From Here to Eternity (1953) | GG Magazines | |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 26 | Giant (1956) | George Stevens | IMDB |
| – | – | – | NY Times |
| 27 | Gigi (1958) | Den Of Geek | |
| – | – | – | Marie Claire |
| 28 | His Girl Friday (1940) | Marie Claire | |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 29 | It Happened One Night (1934) | Marie Claire | |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 30 | It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) | Frank Capra | IMDB |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 31 | Johnny Guitar (1954) | Nicholas Ray | IMDB |
| – | – | – | NY Times |
| 32 | On the Waterfront (1954) | Elia Kazan | IMDB |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 33 | Psycho (1960) | Alfred Hitchcock | IMDB |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 34 | Rear Window (1954) | Alfred Hitchcock | IMDB |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 35 | The African Queen (1951) | John Huston | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 36 |
The Best Years of our Lives (1946)
|
List Challenges | |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 37 | The Big Heat (1953) | List Challenges | |
| – | – | – | NY Times |
| 38 | The Great Dictator (1940) | Charles Chaplin | IMDB |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 39 | The Maltese Falcon (1941) | John Huston | IMDB |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 40 | The Philadelphia Story (1940) | Marie Claire | |
| – | – | – | Taste Of Cinema |
| 41 | The Women (1939) | George Cukor | GG Magazines |
| – | – | – | IMDB |
| 42 | Vertigo (1958) | Alfred Hitchcock | GG Magazines |
| – | – | – | IMDB |
| 43 | White Heat (1949) | Raoul Walsh | GG Magazines |
| – | – | – | IMDB |
| 44 | 3:10 to Yuma (1957) | Delmer Daves | IMDB |
| 45 | A Letter to Three Wives’ (1949) | NY Times | |
| 46 | A Room With a View (1985) | Marie Claire | |
| 47 | A Tale of Two Cities (1935) | Marie Claire | |
| 48 | Ace in the Hole (1951) | List Challenges | |
| 49 | All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) | Taste Of Cinema | |
| 50 | An Affair to Remember (1957) | Marie Claire | |
| 51 | Anatomy of a Murder (1959) | Otto Preminger | IMDB |
| 52 | And Then There Were None (1945) | René Clair | IMDB |
| 53 | Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) | List Challenges | |
| 54 | Animal Crackers (1930) | Victor Heerman | IMDB |
| 55 | Anna Christie (I) (1930) | Clarence Brown | IMDB |
| 56 | Baby Boom (1987) | Marie Claire | |
| 57 | Baby Face’ (1933) | NY Times | |
| 58 | Ball Of Fire | GG Magazines | |
| 59 | Ben-Hur (1959) | Taste Of Cinema | |
| 60 | Brief Encounter (1945) | David Lean | IMDB |
| 61 | Broadcast News (1987) | Marie Claire | |
| 62 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) | Richard Brooks | IMDB |
| 63 | Clash by Night’ (1952) | NY Times | |
| 64 | Coming to America (1988) | Marie Claire | |
| 65 | Dark Passage (1947) | List Challenges | |
| 66 | Days of Wine and Roses (1962) | List Challenges | |
| 67 | Desk Set (1957) | Marie Claire | |
| 68 | Detour (1945) | List Challenges | |
| 69 | Dial M for Murder (1954) | List Challenges | |
| 70 |
Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
|
List Challenges | |
| 71 | Dracula (1931) | List Challenges | |
| 72 | Duck Soup (1933) | List Challenges | |
| 73 | Fallen Angel (1945) | List Challenges | |
| 74 | Frankenstein (1931) | List Challenges | |
| 75 | Fury (1936) | Fritz Lang | IMDB |
| 76 | Gaslight’ (1944) | NY Times | |
| 77 | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) | List Challenges | |
| 78 | Gilda (1946) | List Challenges | |
| 79 | Grand Hotel | GG Magazines | |
| 80 | Grease (1978) | Marie Claire | |
| 81 | Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967) | Marie Claire | |
| 82 | Harold and Maude (1971) | Marie Claire | |
| 83 | High Sierra | GG Magazines | |
| 84 | Holiday’ (1938) | NY Times | |
| 85 | How to Steal a Million (1966) | Marie Claire | |
| 86 | Humoresque | GG Magazines | |
| 87 | Imitation of Life’ (1959) | NY Times | |
| 88 | Inherit the Wind (1960) | Stanley Kramer | IMDB |
| 89 | It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) | Stanley Kramer | IMDB |
| 90 | Key Largo | GG Magazines | |
| 91 | King Kong (1933) | Taste Of Cinema | |
| 92 | Kings Row (1942) | Sam Wood | IMDB |
| 93 | Love Me Or Leave Me | GG Magazines | |
| 94 | Lust for Life (1956) | Art Net | |
| 95 | Mary Poppins (1964) | Den Of Geek | |
| 96 | Meet John Doe | GG Magazines | |
| 97 | Modern Times (1936) | Charles Chaplin | IMDB |
| 98 | Moonstruck (1987) | Marie Claire | |
| 99 | Moulin Rouge (1952) | Art Net | |
| 100 | Mr Skeffington | GG Magazines | |
| 101 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) | Frank Capra | IMDB |
| 102 | My Fair Lady (1964) | Marie Claire | |
| 103 | Night Of The Hunter | GG Magazines | |
| 104 | Notorious | GG Magazines | |
| 105 | Now, Voyager’ (1942) | NY Times | |
| 106 | Of Human Bondage | GG Magazines | |
| 107 | One, Two, Three (1961) | Billy Wilder | IMDB |
| 108 | Rebecca (1940) | Alfred Hitchcock | IMDB |
| 109 | Rebel Without a Cause (1955) | Nicholas Ray | IMDB |
| 110 | Rembrandt (1936) | Art Net | |
| 111 | Roman Holiday (1953) | Marie Claire | |
| 112 | Romancing the Stone (1984) | Marie Claire | |
| 113 | Romeo and Juliet (1968) | Marie Claire | |
| 114 | Say Anything… (1989) | Marie Claire | |
| 115 |
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
|
Den Of Geek | |
| 116 | Shadow of a Doubt (1943) | Alfred Hitchcock | IMDB |
| 117 | She’s Gotta Have It (1986) | Marie Claire | |
| 118 | Sixteen Candles (1984) | Marie Claire | |
| 119 | Sorry Wrong Number | GG Magazines | |
| 120 | Splash (1984) | Marie Claire | |
| 121 | Splendor in the Grass (1961) | Elia Kazan | IMDB |
| 122 | Strangers on a Train (1951) | Alfred Hitchcock | IMDB |
| 123 | Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | IMDB |
| 124 | Swing Time (1936) | Den Of Geek | |
| 125 | That Hamilton Woman | GG Magazines | |
| 126 |
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
|
Taste Of Cinema | |
| 127 | The Affairs of Cellini (1934) | Art Net | |
| 128 | The Apartment (1960) | List Challenges | |
| 129 | The Asphalt Jungle (1950) | List Challenges | |
| 130 | The Awful Truth (1937) | List Challenges | |
| 131 | The Band Wagon (1953) | Den Of Geek | |
| 132 | The Bank Dick (1940) | List Challenges | |
| 133 | The Big Combo (1955) | List Challenges | |
| 134 | The Blue Dahlia (1946) | List Challenges | |
| 135 |
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
|
List Challenges | |
| 136 | The General (1926) | List Challenges | |
| 137 | The Gold Rush (1925) | List Challenges | |
| 138 | The Goodbye Girl (1977) | Marie Claire | |
| 139 | The Hard Way | GG Magazines | |
| 140 | The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) | Mark Robson | IMDB |
| 141 | The Life Of Emile Zola | GG Magazines | |
| 142 | The Man Who Knew Too Much | GG Magazines | |
| 143 | The Miracle Worker (1962) | Arthur Penn | IMDB |
| 144 | The Moon and Sixpence (1942) | Art Net | |
| 145 | The Night of the Hunter (1955) | Taste Of Cinema | |
| 146 | The Princess Bride (1987) | Marie Claire | |
| 147 | The Searchers (1956) | Taste Of Cinema | |
| 148 |
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
|
Marie Claire | |
| 149 |
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers’ (1946)
|
NY Times | |
| 150 | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) | John Huston | IMDB |
| 151 | The Way We Were (1973) | Marie Claire | |
| 152 | Titanic | GG Magazines | |
| 153 | To Be or Not to Be (1942) | Taste Of Cinema | |
| 154 | To Have And Have Not | GG Magazines | |
| 155 | To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) | Robert Mulligan | IMDB |
| 156 | Tootsie (1982) | Marie Claire | |
| 157 | Top Hat (1935) | Den Of Geek | |
| 158 | Touch of Evil (1958) | Orson Welles | IMDB |
| 159 | Treasure Of Sierra Madre | GG Magazines | |
| 160 | West Side Story (1961) | Marie Claire | |
| 161 | When Harry Met Sally (1989) | Marie Claire | |
| 162 | White Christmas (1954) | Den Of Geek | |
| 163 | Wizard Of Oz | GG Magazines | |
| 164 | Wuthering Heights | GG Magazines | |
| 165 | Yankee Doodle Dandy | GG Magazines |
8 Best Classic Hollywood Film Sources/Lists
| Source | Article |
| Art Net | 5 Classic Hollywood Movies That Sculpted Our Image of Artists as |
| Den Of Geek | Best 11 Classic Movie Musicals |
| GG Magazines | Top 40 Hollywood classics – GQ Films |
| IMDB | Best Classical Hollywood cinema |
| List Challenges | Essential Classic Hollywood Films |
| Marie Claire | 40 Best Classic Movies of All Time |
| NY Times | Stream These Old Hollywood Dramas With a Strong Female Lead |
| Taste Of Cinema | 30 Cinematic Masterpieces Made in The Golden Age of Hollywood |
