A Century of Hollywood Classics to Catch up on During Lockdown

If you’re one of the millions of people stuck in lockdown as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, there are many things to keep you busy and help pass the time. Common choices include reading books, watching films, or online gaming. Many U.S players from certain states can even gamble online at casinos x or similar sites.

Rather than simply whittling away the time mindlessly, you could catch up on all those Hollywood classics that you never got around to watching. Let’s have a browse through some of the lesser-known yet timeless classics that have spanned the past 100 years.

1930: All Quiet on the Western Front

One of the first war films ever made, this classic brings the horrors of the battlefield to the silver screen through the eyes of young disillusioned soldiers. Adapted from a German novel by Erich Remarque, it was one of the earliest films to challenge the view of war as heroic.

1940: Rebecca

Hitchcock’s first American movie, Rebecca, is based on the 1938 novel by Daphne du Maurier. The black-and-white film tells the story of a wealthy widower named Maxim and his new wife, Joan. However, Maxim’s housekeeper remains obsessed with his widow Rebecca. As events unfold, the truth about Rebecca’s death emerges and the film slowly spirals into a chaotic murder mystery.

1950: Quicksand!

When a mechanic is caught for stealing money from his boss, he gets caught up in a life of crime. Can the return of his ex-girlfriend help to slow the downward spiral? Mickey Rooney does a great job of playing a bad guy for once in this classic crime thriller. Also starring Jeanne Cagney as the femme-fatale and Peter Lorre as a sleazy arcade manager.

1960: The Apartment

Director Billy Wilder’s oft-overlooked 1960 classic The Apartment is a slice of a rom-com gold that nobody should miss. An insurance company employee loans out his apartment to company executives in the hopes of getting a promotion. However, when a female friend becomes involved with the married company director, events unfold that make everyone question their decisions.

1970: Patton

The true story of controversial World War II general George S. Patton, played by George C. Scott. It follows Patton’s command as he leads troops through North Africa to Europe, culminating in the fall of the Third Reich. The film highlights Patton’s problems with authority and bad temper that eventually lead to his relief from duty.

1980: The Elephant Man

Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt star in this Victorian-era film about a surgeon who tries to help a heavily disfigured man trapped in a freak show life. The surgeon discovers a kind and intelligent man hidden behind the ugly facade.

1990: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead

This surrealist offering is an adaptation of a play by Tom Stoppard. It’s a tragicomedy that details the confused lives of two characters from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet who seem unaware they are part of a play. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth do an excellent job in the leading roles, they themselves uncertain as to which character they are.

2000: Requiem for a Dream

Possibly one of the most disturbing movies ever made, Requiem for a Dream is also one of the most important. It casts and all-too-realistic light on small-town America and the problems that blight it. Adapted from the novel by Hubert Selby Jr, Director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) pulls no punches in this daring expose on the death of the American dream.

2010: Meek’s Cutoff

Set in 1840’s Oregon, Meek’s Cutoff follows the ill-fated story of three settler families as they head west on a wagon trail. Michelle Williams, Zoe Kazan and Shirley Henderson offer stunning performances as a trio of female focal characters lead by their husbands and the increasingly lost Meek (Bruce Greenwood).

2020: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Although technically released in 2019, no Hollywood film list would be complete without a Tarantino. The star-studded classic perfectly rounds off this list by encapsulating everything good and bad that was Hollywood during its hey-day in the ’60s. Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie take on challenging roles as Hollywood misfits caught up in a bizarre stylization of the Manson-family murders.