A White Christmas in July and Other Old Hollywood Classics

Okay. I LOVE old movies.

What would be my favorite TV channel... If I still had TV.
From http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/

Everything from the way the actors spoke, (which was much fancier than the way they speak today,) to the awkward smashed-faces kisses, (which creeped me the heck out as a child,) to the occasional out-of-place scene cut, and obviously all the beautiful costuming- I love it all. It was so hard for me to narrow down my favorites to just 5, but somehow I made it work. (EDIT- No I didn't. I ended up with 6...) I'm also planning on a few hair, make-up, and sewing tutorials inspired by these movies... coming soon!

So, without further ado, movie #1...

1. White Christmas

Today I learned that this movie came out on January 1st....
Why?? This is a Christmas movie...
 Image from http://romancebandits.com

I do not care that it is July. This movie is shear perfection!
I was a dancer when I was younger, (do you know how hard it is to write that sentence past-tense?), and the first time I saw this movie I was immediately entranced by Vera-Ellen. Every time I watch it I cannot believe how flexible she is! Rosemary Clooney is a babe as well and Bing Crosby and Danny Kay. In my opinion, Danny Kay is one of the most charmingly funny actors of all time. Every scene from the barracks to the Christmas stage is beautiful!

2. The Birds

If you don't think this movie is terrifying, you must be Chuck Norris.
Image from http://www.nbcbayarea.com/

I am always down to watch an Alfred Hitchcock film, and this is the very first one I ever saw. It happened like this: At 10 years old, my best friend and I were having a sleepover. We were giving each other makeovers and in the middle of it we decided we wanted popcorn. While it was popping we went in to the living room to see what my mom was doing, and she had turned on the Turner Classic Movie Channel. My friend and I sat down to wait for the popcorn, and ended up watching the entire movie! The thing I was most impressed by at the time was that it was actually scary... I had always thought old movies couldn't be scary. They're too old! Too goofy! But not this one. This movie still gives me the heebie geebies... and the scenery is equally as fantastic as it is eerie.

3. Rear Window

I seriously thought this movie was called
"Rearview Window". Am I the only one?
Image from http://www.leninimports.com/

Another Alfred Hitchcock... No shame. One of the absolute coolest movie-going experiences of my life happened just last semester for one of my husband's art classes- his professor played Rear Window in an actual movie theater on campus! I never thought I would get to see a classic movie on the big screen... It was magnificent. I felt like I had been transported back in time. My favorite part was sleuthing right along with James Stewart as he tried to figure out what happened across the yard. (It had been years since I had seen it, so I couldn't remember exactly how it ended.) There were occasional murmurings from the crowd as everyone tried to figure out who did it... There were gasps and oohs and ahhs from the audience- an audience of college students who all thought their time would be wasted on some old movie, no less. Hitchcock's directing plus goddess Grace Kelly, a handsome James Stewart, and all the cooky neighbors (gotta love those newly weds!) make for one fantastic movie.

4. Singin' in the Rain

I feel like I don't even need to type a description for
this movie because everyone loves it... right?
Image from www.thefilmspectrum.com

Gene Kelly has always been one of my favorite actors. I watched a documentary about him once and learned that this classic scene just about gave him pneumonia- all of that cold water just dumping down on him on set... He certainly was dedicated! The entire premise in the beginning of this movie is simply one of the funniest plots I've ever seen- a silent movie actress diva who can't make the transition into sound films because her voice is so awful, so they have to dub her voice? Was this based on a true story? Who comes up with this stuff? Debbie Reynolds is flawless- I know she had to work incredibly hard to keep up with Gene and Donald considering she wasn't a dancer by trade... From the viewer's perspective, she nailed it!

5. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

I'm LDS... Isn't that enough of a reason to love this movie?
(I'm just kidding... It totally is a Mormon culture thing, though.) :)
Image from http://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/

I almost didn't include this movie, (there are just so many great choices!), but I couldn't leave it out. The first time I heard the premise of the film, it was from my best friend. We were probably 13 or 14 years old. It went something like this- "So basically, there are these mountain men,right? And one of them wants a wife but none of them understand how to date or court or anything, so they just go into town and kidnap some girls but eventually everyone falls in love and stuff." Um. What? Needless to say I did not think I would like it- but after watching it, I ended up buying myself my own copy that very same week! Despite the crazy storyline, this movie is just undoubtedly charming and sweet. And, once again, I love all the dancing.

Bonus movie b/c I just couldn't leave it out... 
An American in Paris

My poor husband... This is one of the only classic movies he just
could NOT make it through. He tried, but the second I said he could do
something else he was so thankful haha. Bless his heart.
Image from www.imbd.com

Can you tell that a good dance scene will have me hooked?
From what I've heard, it seems like you either love this movie or really, really hate it. I guess an almost 20 minute long dance number isn't for everyone... But it definitely is for me! In fact, that's my favorite scene in the whole movie. The second best part (or parts, I guess you could say,) are the complicated love stories through out the whole film. Poor Henri and Milo! I think Leslie Caron is stunning in her first acting role, and, as previously stated, Gene Kelly has always been one of my favorites.

There you have it- my top 5, well, top 6, favorite classic movies. I don't own all of these yet- but I will some day! In my opinion, these are better than any modern movie.What do you think?

<3 Nikki