TCM “Essentials” Recap

I had a wonderful and enlightening time this year watching all 52 films listed in the the great book from Turner Classic Movies called The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter by Jeremy Arnold. Here are 10 standout films (although I really loved them all) as documented in my personal Instagram feed (and I hope you’ll also follow my Movies Past and Present Instagram feed, too).

10. “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1930)

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Knocked out by the filmmaking and anti-war message of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930). #tcmessentials @turnerclassicmovies @jeremy8aa 🎥💥 (🎨: @universalpictures)

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Jan 17, 2019 at 6:58am PST

9. “It Happened One Night” (1934)

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This week’s #TCMEssentials movie is the classic romantic comedy IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable. Author @jeremy8aa states that it’s also the first “screwball” (“fast talking, madcap”) comedy of the 1930s which “paved the way for many more,” including MY MAN GODFREY (1936) and BRINGING UP BABY (1938). @turnerclassicmovies #letsmovie #wallsofjericho (📷: @sonypictures)

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Mar 15, 2019 at 9:09am PDT

8. “The Thin Man” (1934)

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This week’s #tcmessentials film is the British film noir THE THIRD MAN (1949). Author @jeremy8aa states, “Director Carol Reed and cinematographer Robert Kessler compose their frames with low-key lighting, deep blacks, endless shadows, and tilted camera angles, making [it] one of the most off-kilter of film noirs—perfect for the anxiety that is at the heart of the story.” @turnerclassicmovies #letsmovie (📷: London Films)

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Jul 16, 2019 at 7:28am PDT

7. “Now, Voyager” (1942)

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Bette Davis and double cigarette lighting Paul Henreid in this week’s #tcmessentials film NOW, VOYAGER (1942). “Don’t let's ask for the moon. We have the stars.” 🌙⭐️💯 Love this movie. @turnerclassicmovies @jeremy8aa (📷: @warnerbrosentertainment) #cousinsmovienight

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Jan 11, 2019 at 11:17pm PST

6. “Leave Her to Heaven” (1945)

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This week’s #tcmessentials pic is the melodrama LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945) starring Gene Tierney as a psychotic woman named Ellen with some serious daddy issues. The real star of the film is cinematographer Leon Shamroy who shot the film in “hyperreal” Technicolor. Author @jeremy8aa writes, “To have such a psychopathically obsessed character as Ellen continually bathed in glamorous color (not to mention costumes and makeup) creates a compelling tension. In fact, the use of color is so emotionally unsettling that…[it] is one of the few color films of the era that could justifiably be labeled film noir.” @turnerclassicmovies #letsmovie (📷: @20thcenturyfox)

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Jun 24, 2019 at 9:34pm PDT

5. “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946)

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The other #tcmessentials movie for the week was the moving post-World War II drama THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946). The film tells the story of three WWII veterans (L-R in the pic: Harold Russell, Dana Andrews, and Frederick March) and the many challenges facing them as they return home to their families and civilian life. @jeremy8aa writes, “With these pervading themes of grief, alienation, belonging, and, above all, love’s power to endure despite terrible suffering, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES captured the mood of a nation and remains relevant to veterans of all wars.” Loved this heartbreaking, hopeful film. 🎥🇺🇸 @turnerclassicmovies #letsmovie (📷: Samuel Goldwyn)

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Jun 16, 2019 at 7:12pm PDT

4. “Seven Samurai” (1954)

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Excited to watch this week’s #tcmessentials film SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) written and directed by influential Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998). Author @jeremy8aa states that the film “was an enormous undertaking, the most expensive film in the history of Japan’s Toho Company up to that time.” Yet, also, “it’s fair to say that practically every action movie since owes something to this film, consciously or not.” @turnerclassicmovies #letsmovie 🎥 🇯🇵 (📷: Toho Company)

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Sep 15, 2019 at 11:00pm PDT

3. “Roman Holiday” (1953)

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This week’s #tcmessentials film is the romantic comedy ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953). Audrey Hepburn + Gregory Peck + Rome = 💯. Love this movie. 🎥 🇮🇹 🛵 (📷: @paramountmovies)

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Sep 4, 2019 at 2:23am PDT

2. “On the Waterfront” (1954)

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Next #tcmessentials film is the emotional drama ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) starring Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, and Lee J. Cobb and directed by Elia Kazan. Kazan said of Brando’s performance, “If there is a better performance by a man in the history of film in America, I don’t know what it is.” #icouldhavebeenacontender @turnerclassicmovies #letsmovie (📷: @sonypictures)

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Oct 9, 2019 at 7:12pm PDT

1. “In the Heat of the Night” (1967)

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Next #tcmessentials film is the gripping crime drama IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967). This film “is essential for its examination of racism in a way that feels not preachy or didactic but simply like an honest underpinning to an engaging mystery yarn” according to author @jeremy8aa. I loved it also for the amazing performances by Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, and Lee Grant. Definitely a must-see. #theycallmemrtibbs @turnerclassicmovies #letsmovie (📷: United Artists)

A post shared by Stanford Clark (@stanfordclark) on Oct 14, 2019 at 11:06pm PDT

Of course, films on the list like Casablanca, Singin’ in the Rain, Some Like It Hot, and Sunset Boulevard remain forever favorites; however, these 10 films listed really spoke to me this year.

Thanks again for following along! More movie watching projects are coming soon (like tomorrow)!

The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter is available on Amazon.com and Shop TCM.