Best Classic Movies 40+ Years Old by Rank
2860
1897
1959
Fritz Lang
Debra Paget, Paul Hubschmid, Walter Reyer, Claus Holm
Adventure / Romance
Italy / France / West Germany
German
2860
1897
1980
Yvonne Rainer
Annette Michelson, Gabor Vernon, Vito Acconci, Yvonne Rainer
Drama / Experimental
USA / UK / West Germany
English
2860
1897
1936
Sadao Yamanaka
Chojuro Kawarasaki, Utaemon Nakamura, Shizue Yamagishi
Drama
Japan
Japanese
2860
1897
1961
Ritwik Ghatak
Gyanesh Mukherjee, Bijon Bhattacharya, Anil Chatterjee
Drama / Romance
India
Bengali
2860
1897
1970
Groupe Dziga Vertov, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Gorin, Gérard Martin
Gian Maria Volonté, Anne Wiazemsky, Paolo Pozzesi
Drama
France / Italy / West Germany
French
2860
1897
1971
John D. Hancock
Zohra Lampert, Barton Heyman, Kevin O'Connor, Gretchen Corbett
Horror / Thriller
USA
English
2860
1897
1916
Yevgeni Bauer
Vera Kholodnaya, Lydia Koreneva, Ivane Perestiani, Vitold Polonsky
Drama / Romance
Russia
Russian (Silent)
2860
1897
1968
Peter Collinson
David Hemmings, Tony Beckley, Tom Bell, Alan Dobie
Drama / War
UK
English
2860
1897
1972
Raymundo Gleyzer
Víctor Proncet, Raúl Fraire, Susana Lanteri
Drama / Crime
Argentina
Spanish
2860
1897
1964
Mai Zetterling
Harriet Andersson, Gunnel Lindblom, Gio Petré,
Drama
Sweden
Swedish
2860
1897
1936
Sacha Guitry
Sacha Guitry, Gaston Dubosc, Serge Grave, Paul Bernard
Comedy
France
French
2860
1897
1913
D.W. Griffith
Walter Miller, Lillian Gish, Kate Bruce, Viola Barry, Charles West
Short / Drama
USA
English (Silent)
2860
1897
1975
Jean-Pierre Dikongue-Pipa
Philippe Abia, Arlette Din Beli, Gisèle Dikongue-Pipa
Drama
Cameroon
French
2860
1897
1949
Kenji Mizoguchi
Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito, Kuniko Miyake, Ichirô Sugai
Drama / Period Film
Japan
Japanese
2860
1897
1955
Edgar G. Ulmer
Arthur Kennedy, Betta St. John, Eugene Iglesias, Charlita
Crime / Drama / Western / Action / Romance
USA
English
2860
1897
1949
Elmer Clifton, Ida Lupino
Sally Forrest, Keefe Brasselle, Leo Penn, Dorothy Adams
Drama
USA
English
2860
1897
1912
D.W. Griffith
W. Chrystie Miller, Kate Bruce, Mary Pickford, Edwin August
Short / Drama
USA
English (Silent)
2860
1897
1944
Veit Harlan
Carl Raddatz, Kristina Söderbaum, Irene von Meyendorff
Romance / Drama
Germany
German
2860
1897
1952
Sidney Salkow
George Montgomery, Helena Carter, Jay Silverheels, Walter Kingsford
Western / Action / Adventure
USA
English
2860
1897
1982
Jane Campion
Tim Pye, Katie Pye, Ben Martin
Short / Comedy / Drama
Australia
English
2860
1897
1970
Manoj Kumar
Ashok Kumar, Saira Banu, Manoj Kumar, Pran, Bharti, Nirupa Roy
Drama / Musical / Romance
India
Hindi
2860
1897
1977
John Flynn
William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Haynes, James Best
Action / Drama / Crime / Thriller
USA
English
2860
1897
1935
Sadao Yamanaka
Denjirô Ôkôchi, Kiyozo, Kunitaro Sawamura
Comedy
Japan
Japanese
2860
1897
1933
Phil Goldstone
Zita Johann, Paul Cavanagh, Alan Dinehart, Claire Du Brey
Crime / Drama
USA
English
2860
1897
1954
Mikio Naruse
Setsuko Hara, Ken Uehara, Yôko Sugi, Sô Yamamura
Drama
Japan
Japanese
2860
1897
1937
Kenji Mizoguchi
Ichiro Sugai, Haruo Tanaka, Kumeko Urabe, Masao Shimizu
Drama / Romance
Japan
Japanese
2860
1897
1956
Yuzo Kawashima
Michiyo Aratama, Yukiko Todoroki, Seizaburô Kawazu
Drama / Comedy
Japan
Japanese
2860
1897
1971
John G. Avildsen
Bob Brady, Gordon Felio, Roz Kelly, Nancy Salmon
Romance / Drama
USA
English
2860
1897
1924
Lupu Pick
Edith Posca, Eugen Klöpfer, Frieda Richard, Karl Harbacher
Drama
Germany
German (Silent)
2860
1897
1956
Douglas Sirk
Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Joan Bennett, William Reynolds
Drama
USA
English
2860
1897
1981
Peter Bogdanovich
Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, Patti Hansen, John Ritter
Comedy / Romance / Detective
USA
English
2860
1897
1983
Raoul Ruiz
Jean-Bernard Guillard, Philippe Deplanche, Jean Badin
Drama / Fantasy / Experimental / Adventure
France
French
2860
1897
1965
Ken Loach
Geraldine Sherman, Carol White, Vickery Turner, Michael Standing
Drama / Documentary
UK
English
2860
1897
1980
Slobodan Sijan
Pavle Vujisic, Dragan Nikolic, Danilo 'Bata' Stojkovic
Comedy / Drama / War
Yugoslavia
Serbo-Croatian
2860
1897
1962
Riccardo Freda
Kirk Morris, Hélène Chanel, Vira Silenti
Adventure / Fantasy / Horror
Italy
Italian
2860
1897
1978
Andrzej Wajda
Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Ewa Dalkowska, Andrzej Seweryn
Drama
Poland / France
Polish
2860
1897
1974
Lino Brocka
Lolita Rodriguez, Christopher De Leon, Eddie Garcia
Romance / Drama
Philippines
English
NR
-
1966
Vittorio De Sica
Peter Sellers, Victor Mature, Britt Ekland, Martin Balsam, Akim Tamiroff
Comedy / Crime / Caper
Italy / USA / UK
English
NR
-
1943
Edward Sedgwick
Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Edgar Kennedy, Jacqueline White, Stephen McNally
Comedy
USA
English
NR
-
1962
François Truffaut
Jean-Pierre Léaud, Marie-France Pisier, Patrick Auffay, Rosy Varte
Drama / Romance
France
French
NR
-
1939
Edward Buzzell
Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Kenny Baker, Florence Rice
Comedy / Family / Musical
USA
English
NR
-
1941
Charles Reisner
Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Tony Martin, Virginia Grey
Comedy / Musical / Family
USA
English
NR
-
1967
Robert Parrish
Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland, Rossano Brazzi, Adolfo Celi, Hattie Jacques
Comedy / Romance
USA
English
NR
-
1917
J. Gordon Edwards
Theda Bara, Fritz Leiber, Thurston Hall, Alan Roscoe, Herschel Mayall
Biography / Drama / History / Epic
USA
English (Silent)
NR
-
1983
Blake Edwards
Ted Wass, David Niven, Robert Wagner, Herbert Lom, Capucine, Joanna Lumley
Comedy / Crime / Detective / Family
UK / USA
English
NR
-
1978
E.W. Swackhamer
James Coburn, Hector Elizondo, Jason Miller, Jean Simmons, Paul Stewart
Mystery / Drama / Detective
USA
English
NR
-
1968
Bryan Forbes
Michael Caine, Vladek Sheybal, Emilio Rodríguez, David Buck, Carmen Dene
Crime / Drama / Caper
UK
English
NR
-
1971
Steven Spielberg
Dennis Weaver, Eddie Firestone, Gene Dynarski, Tim Herbert, Charles Seel
Action / Horror / Mystery / Thriller
USA
English
NR
-
1940
Clarence Brown
Spencer Tracy, Rita Johnson, Lynne Overman, Charles Coburn, Gene Lockhart
Biography / Drama / Period Film
USA
English
NR
-
1975
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood, George Kennedy, Vonetta McGee, Jack Cassidy, Heidi Brühl
Action / Thriller
USA
English
NR
-
1982
Ted Kotcheff
Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney, Jack Starrett
Action / Adventure / Thriller / Cult / Comic
USA
English
NR
-
1940
Edward Buzzell
Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, John Carroll, Diana Lewis
Comedy / Musical / Western / Family
USA
English
NR
-
1959
Charles Guggenheim, John Stix
Steve McQueen, Crahan Denton, David Clarke, James Dukas, Molly McCarthy
Crime / Drama / Caper
USA
English
NR
-
1979
Michael Crichton
Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, Lesley-Anne Down, Alan Webb, Malcolm Terris
Drama / Action / Comedy / Adventure / Crime / Thriller / Caper / Period Film
UK
English
NR
-
1968
Ted Post
Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Ed Begley, Pat Hingle, Ben Johnson, Charles McGraw
Western / Crime / Drama
USA
English
NR
-
1926
Dick Smith
Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, Jobyna Ralston
Comedy / Short / Family
USA
English (Silent)
NR
-
1967
Gordon Douglas
James Coburn, Lee J. Cobb, Jean Hale, Andrew Duggan, Anna Lee, Hanna Landy
Action / Adventure / Comedy / Sci-Fi / Spy / Cult
USA
English
NR
-
1968
Bud Yorkin
Alan Arkin, Frank Finlay, Delia Boccardo, Patrick Cargill, Beryl Reid, Barry Foster
Comedy / Crime / Detective
UK
English
NR
-
1971
Lee H. Katzin
Steve McQueen, Siegfried Rauch, Elga Andersen, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Fred Haltiner
Action / Adventure / Sports / Drama / Cult
USA
English
NR
-
1934
Alfred E. Green, Phil Rosen
Barbara Stanwyck, Frank Morgan, Ricardo Cortez, Lyle Talbot, Phillip Reed
Drama / Romance
USA
English
NR
-
1953
Carol Reed
James Mason, Claire Bloom, Geoffrey Toone, Hildegard Knef, Aribert Wäscher
Drama / Thriller / Action / Spy
UK
English
NR
-
1970
Martin Ritt
Sean Connery, Richard Harris, Samantha Eggar, Frank Finlay, Anthony Zerbe
Drama / History / Detective
USA
English
NR
-
1966
Henry Hathaway
Steve McQueen, Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Arthur Kennedy, Suzanne Pleshette
Western
USA
English
NR
-
1971
László Benedek
Max von Sydow, Trevor Howard, Liv Ullmann, Per Oscarsson, Rupert Davies
Crime / Thriller / Horror
USA / Sweden
English
NR
-
1960
Lewis Milestone
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson
Comedy / Crime / Caper / Cult
USA
English
NR
-
1970
Arthur Hiller
Jack Lemmon, Sandy Dennis, Sandy Baron, Anne Meara, Robert Nichols
Comedy
USA
English
NR
-
1983
Eric Rohmer
Amanda Langlet, Arielle Dombasle, Pascal Greggory, Féodor Atkine
Comedy / Drama / Romance
France
French
NR
-
1943
Dave Fleischer, Dan Gordon, Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel
Jack Mercer, Margie Hines, Dave Barry, William Pennell, Tedd Pierce, Gilbert Mack
Animation / Short / Musical / Family / Comedy / Fantasy / Comic / Documentary / Serial
USA
English
NR
-
1947
Curtis Bernhardt
Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, Geraldine Brooks, Stanley Ridges
Crime / Drama / Film-Noir / Thriller
USA
English
NR
-
1974
Richard A. Colla
Robert Foxworth, Mike Farrell, John Vernon, Lew Ayres, James Shigeta
Sci-Fi
USA
English
NR
-
1966
Michael Anderson
George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger, George Sanders
Thriller / Spy / Action
UK
English
NR
-
1978
Blake Edwards
Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk, Dyan Cannon, Robert Webber, Tony Beckley
Comedy / Crime / Mystery / Detective / Family
UK / USA
English
NR
-
1938
William A. Seiter
Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Lucille Ball, Ann Miller, Frank Albertson
Comedy / Family
USA
English
NR
-
1941
W.S. Van Dyke
William Powell, Myrna Loy, Barry Nelson, Donna Reed, Sam Levene, Alan Baxter
Comedy / Romance / Drama / Mystery / Crime / Thriller / Detective / Gangster
USA
English
NR
-
1980
Jeannot Szwarc
Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer, Teresa Wright, Bill Erwin
Drama / Romance / Fantasy / Cult
USA
English
NR
-
1957
Irwin Allen
Ronald Colman, Hedy Lamarr, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Virginia Mayo
Drama / Fantasy / History / Sci-Fi / Family
USA
English
NR
-
1983
Richard Lester
Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Annette O'Toole
Action / Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Comic
UK
English
NR
-
1980
William Wiard
Steve McQueen, Linda Evans, Richard Farnsworth, Billy Green Bush, Slim Pickens
Western / Biography
USA
English
NR
-
1982
Blake Edwards
Peter Sellers, David Niven, Herbert Lom, Richard Mulligan, Joanna Lumley
Comedy / Crime / Detective / Family
UK / USA
English
NR
-
1970
Don Siegel
Shirley MacLaine, Clint Eastwood, Manuel Fábregas, Alberto Morin
Comedy / War / Western
USA / Mexico
English
NR
-
1960
Robert Day
Peter Sellers, David Lodge, Bernard Cribbins, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Maurice Denham
Comedy / Crime / Caper
UK
English
