Movie Talk: 60s

Welcome to the next movie talk blog.  This month’s theme is the 60s!  This is the decade that changed the face of Hollywood forever.  From the chilling mystery of Psycho (1960), to the epic masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), directors pushed the boundaries of what came before.  It was also an era for more edgier action adventure flicks like Dr. No (1962), A Fistful of Dollars (1964), The Wild Bunch (1969), etc.  Cinema in the 60s was a time for a bold amount of sex, violence, and free-form narratives.  If there was a rule to be broken, directors went for it with gusto.   If not for the 60s would we have Star Wars, Fatal Attraction, The Avengers, and the like?  Well this is solely my opinion, but no, I think the 60s is what paved the way for the rest to come.  Let us share with you some of our favorites.  And for more suggestions visit our catalog!

Black Sunday (1960)
La Maschera del Demonio (original title)

  • Horror, Foreign
  • Director: Mario Bava
  • Stars: Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi
  • Reviewed by: Cameron, Librarian

Hi, my name is Cameron from the Cone Park Branch. I’d like to recommend Black Sunday, Mario Bava’s masterpiece of gothic horror. This tale of a witch who returns from the dead to exact her revenge is historically important for its visual style, which combined extreme violence with erotic imagery. Black Sunday influenced and inspired genres such as spaghetti westerns, giallo, and slasher films.

The Innocents (1961)

My favorite 1960s film is The Innocents starring Deborah Kerr. This screenplay was written by Truman Capote and is based off of Henry James just The Turn of the Screw, and is a psychological examination of a governess, who is either slowly losing her mind or is actually being haunted by the spirits of those came before her. This film has wonderful psychological horror. Some great jump scares and will really make you question the reality around you. I highly suggested it.

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Hi, I’m Fiona at Headquarters Library, and I recommend Cool Hand Luke from the 60s. This 1967 film earned George Kennedy an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and interestingly, the film set was based on photos of the Gainesville Road Prison.  The star of the film is Paul Newman as Luke, the anti-hero in a 1950s Florida prison. Luke defies authorities saying “Calling it a job don’t make it right, boss.” And after Luke’s first attempt to escape, the warden declares, “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”  From the 60s, Cool Hand Luke.

More staff recommendations:

Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

Paris Blues (1961)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Winter Light (1963)

8 1/2 (1963)

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les parapluies de Chergourg) (1964)

Hurry Sundown (1967)

Weekend (1967)

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

The Learning Tree (1969)

By VictoriaR on August 3, 2021