I’ve probably mentioned before that I principally watch old movies on TCM these days, but I used to get out a little more. If I owned a DVD player, I would probably have more use for this list of good but obscure movies being compiled by Tony Gallucci. Still I am going to bookmark the list on the off chance that I ever do acquire the necessary technology to see any of them.
Here are a few that I just thought of myself off the top of my head. People who really watch a lot of movies have probably heard about or seen all of these, but most probably won’t have.
First of all, The Wicker Man is a great mystery story about a policeman looking for a missing girl on an island of nature-worshippers. And while I am thinking about nature and rituals, another movie that comes to mind that I haven’t seen recently is Walkabout, a story of two lost English children who encounter an Australian aborigine on his coming-of-age ritual. It was directed by Nicolas Roeg, who also did The Man Who Fell to Earth and Don’t Look Now.
A movie that I saw way back in my youth that I have never been able to forget is Repulsion, one of the first films by Roman Polanski.
I also want to include The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957 version). I saw this for the fist time just a couple weeks ago and I couldn’t believe how good it was. I thought I had seen all the sci-fi movies from the 50’s. I don’t know how I missed this one.
Comments (6)
The end of The Incredible Shrinking Man is one of the best in cinema, I think. And the black and white imagery….
Wicker Man is strange…
Have seen TISM, but none of the others. Walkabout sounds interesting! Thanks!
We watch TCM very much also. Love the old black and whites and espcially have enjoyed seeing more “film noire” offerings.
But…get a DVD player, you won’t be sorry. And they’re so danged cheap, comparatively.
“Walkabout” is still breath-takingly beautiful. The DVD has a wonderful commentary and it’s aged better than “Don’t Look Now”. I haven’t seen the Wickerman since the 1980s, but even then it seemed a bit dated.
My first choices are “After Life”, “Little Voice”, and “The King of Masks”. Oh, and “My Brilliant Career” which just came out this summer after 25 years and which my son is getting me for Christmas.
We spent this summer watching a lot of classic French film noir and there are many wonderful movies there. It’s hard to know what’s classic and what’s obscure. We had some younger friends over to watch “Witness for the Prosecution” a film I assumed that anyone who watched a lot of movies had seen. But it unfolded as a complete surprise to them. Very satisfying.
thanks for all the film names. i’ve added them to the master list.
thanks again,
tony g
The Wicker Man was a great movie. Quiet and unassuming, but it really delivered in the end.