Old yet glorious and obscure movies

[cafenoirbiscuit]

I've always loved The Amazing Mr Blunden but am amazed so few people have heard of it.
Anyone else have old yet glorious and obscure movies they love?

The Quiet Earth - on loads in the 80's never to be seen again. Such a good ending.

Does anyone know the name of a B&W film that starts with two couples in open top car and for what ever reason they end up in heaven? My mum said I'd like it when I was a kid but I never remembered to find out what it was called.

Am loving this thread, although a lot of the films mentioned are only obscure by dint of the fact that the people who mentioned them probably weren't born when they were released (I was intending to stoutly defend Local Hero as being neither old nor obscure until I realised it was released in 1983 )
I second Jean de Florette (you'll need tissues)
A Kid for Two Farthings
Loved Yanks as well, & if you like that film you'll also like Hope & Glory
Kes
The Incredible Journey

IKWIG, Dead of the Night (v scary), Arsenic and Old Lace, Jean de Florette - all fabulous films. I'd also add It Happened One Night and My Beautiful Laundrette to the list. (And probably a million more!)

Ring Of Bright Water 1969.

This happy breed.
12 angry men
the haunting (1963 b/w)

What a wonderful thread! Agree that many of these films don’t seem old to me at all!

Thank you for reminding me of so many great films. I love The Red Balloon, the Powell & Pressburger Films, The Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy. The Big Sleep with Bogey and Bacall. Local Hero, so wonderful. Ditto The Wicked Lady, old St Trinian’s and all the old war films. Saturday matinees on BBC2!

The Greengage Summer! How could I have forgotten that. So haunting. Loved Peter’s Friends bit have never ever seen it again on tv.

Took my DD to see It’s a Wonderful Life in the cinema a few years ago. She loves it now. Thanks for the tip about Talking Pictures channel - can’t believe I’ve never noticed it before

Oh, I’ve just seen Days of Heaven mentioned, outstandingly beautiful and I can’t believe I’ve never even heard of The Amazing Mr Blunden, how did that pass me by?

I’ve never forgotten The Bitter Tea of General Yen, such a poignant story with fabulous Barbara Stanwyck.

Another vote for Letter from an Unknown Woman.

A Matter of Life and Death

The Lady from Shanghai

Great choice Inmyownlittlecorner and Wincarnis , 'A matter of life and death' is DH & my favourite film. Funny, touching, and clever (use of colour/b&w for earth and heaven) Great cast, including David Niven, Roger Livesey, Kim Hunter , Raymond Massey. Pressburger/Powell . (1946)

From more recent times. Charlie Wilsons War . A movie with three of the top stars of our time but weirdly not well known . It has Philip Seymour Hoffman at his finest in one of the greatest 'tell your manager what you really think of him' moments. As well as Tom Hanks in the title role and Julia Roberts extraordinary as a wealthy southern belle. True story. Also very funny in parts. Best Hanks film .

Also another vote for This Happy Breed. A lovely, gentle, at times funny , story of live between the wars. Perfect 'Sunday afternoon in winter' movie.

The Maggie; cheeky puffer captain and American businessman clash,
Tunes of Glory; Alec Guiness & John Mills
The Catered Affair, Bette Davis & Debbie Reynolds
Tom Jones; Albert Finney.
Going My Way; nuns and Bing Crosby.

Last Emperor; Peter O'Toole.
Lost Weekend; Ray Millan
Sergeant York; Gary Cooper.
Anne Of A Thousand Days; Richard Burton.
Judgement At Nuremberg; Judy Garland & Spencer Tracey.

The Song Of Bernadette.
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner Katherine Hepburn & Spencer Tracey (his last film) . Sister Kenny; Rosalind Russell.
The Man With The Golden Arm; Frank Sinatra

Seven Women, John Ford director, about a mission in China with Margaret Leighton and Anne Bancroft.
Separate Tables, David Niven and Deborah Kerr
Born Yesterday
The V.I.Ps

The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness

National Velvet 😍

The Maggie; cheeky puffer captain and American businessman clash,

I'd forgotten about that one - it was directed by the same man who directed Whisky Galore. I've got the dvd somewhere, I must dig it out.

Desire with Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich.

Need to read the whole thread, but marking place for now with:

The Women

The 1939 original, not the remake.

So funny, well-acted and stylish.

Does anyone know the name of a B&W film that starts with two couples in open top car and for what ever reason they end up in heaven

Sounds like Topper to me.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topper_(film)

Batteries Not Included, 1987, lovely film

Tom Jones; Albert Finney YY and Barry Lyndon Ryan o Neil

I see some of mine have alreay been mentioned :)
Angels With Dirty Faces
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane
Cool Hand Luke (maybe not that obscure)
The Littlest Horse Thieves
Also I cannot for the life of me think of the name, or remember that much about it but an animation about a black cat and it saved a family from a house fire (caused by an iron). Would love to watch it again.

From the 1980's
Clue (my favourite ever film)
The Princess Bride
The Goonies
Batteries Not Included

Angels with Dirty Faces has that second last scene which has hunted me, love Cagney, what an interesting man he was, his autobiography is really good.

ChinkChink
Green for Danger - Ace film. Wish it was a theatre script.

My vote would be The Cardinal. One of those films that was on on 27 December, when I was still at the "eaten-so-much-I-can't-move" stage - it was the only thing on. And it was brilliant.

Raise the Red Lantern ~ wonderful though so sad.

YY to Tom Jones with Albert Finney and the absolutely fantastic David Warner.