My sister-in-law just asked me a great question: name five movies that will introduce a high school student to classic American films. (Even more interesting, the student is here on an exchange program from Europe.) So I came up with a list in just a few minutes: a drama, a comedy, a Western, a suspense thriller and a film noir:
All About Eve
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Strangers on a Train
Double Indemnity
Sullivan’s Travels
If you see these five movies, you will be introduced to directors John Ford, Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Preston Sturges, plus movie stars John Wayne, James Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Edward G. Robinson, Lee Marvin, George Sanders, Joel McRae and Veronica Lake – not a bad intro.
To see descriptions along with trailers or clips, go to A Classic American Movie Primer – 5 to Start With.