Everyone can agree one of the best pastimes is curling up and getting cozy on the couch to watch a movie, whether it be with someone else or just by yourself.
The pastime of watching movies has been around for decades, since the beginning of the motion picture phenomenon in 1895, introduced by the Lumiere Brothers.
Many movies have come out since the late 1800s that have been named true movie classics. Movies like “The Godfather,” “Citizen Kane,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Psycho.”
What makes a classic, though? Is it the age of the movie? Or maybe the remembrance of the film itself? Is it the ability to quote the movie whenever the statement fits?
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the qualities that make a classic movie are topicality, timelessness, memorable scenes, great character personalities and lastly a complex ending.
Of course, many movies have come out since 1895, using new graphics and special effects. These new movies, although entertaining, are causing people to forget the classics.
The opinion on classics is different for everybody.
Although some people will still turn to “classic movies,” the desire to watch older movies has lessened.
A study made by the New York Post shows, “Less than a quarter of millennials have watched a film from start to finish that was made back in the 1940s or 50s and only a third have seen one from the 1960s.”
The study also shows, “Thirty percent of young people also admit to never having watched a black and white film all the way through – as opposed to 85 percent of those over 50 – with 20 percent branding the films ‘boring’.”
Although cinematic, a movie does not have to be black and white to be considered a classic. Many older technicolor films are also considered “classics”. Movies like “The Wizard of Oz,” “Labyrinth” and “Vertigo.”
As you can see, many movies have made the “classics” list, but not many are still viewed or are even being recognized in today’s age of “new cinema.”
Even classic movies made in the 2000s have been forgotten.
Movies like “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Whiplash” and “(500) Days of Summer” are all on any movie fanatic’s list, yet many people don’t know them.
There’s no argument that movies today have more resources and technology to create memorable films, but that’s no excuse for leaving classic older movies behind.
If movie theaters can have throwback days, so can you. It’s no struggle to find a good older movie that shares the same qualities as today’s films.
So the next time you grab a blanket, a snack, and get cozy, add a classic movie to your watchlist, you won’t regret it.