Of course, there are different age brackets of kids, as well as levels of familiarity with the background involved. And there is also the all-important presence of an adult parent or guardian to help answer questions about content after the movie is over.
But starting with the age of 3 or 4, and moving up, I'd recommend these films as intelligent, worthwhile, non-condescending classics for all ages:
"My Neighbor Totoro", #1 enjoyable movie of all times, for ages 3 -300. Actually, anything by Hayao Miyazaki, although "Princess Mononoke" may be very intense for younger children.
Early Spielberg: "Duel", "E.T.", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", Close Encounters", "Empire of the Sun", "Hook". Films like "Amistad", "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park", if the child can handle the violence and anxiety.
Hitchcock: "The 39 Steps", "The Lady Vanishes", "Rear Window", "North by Northwest", "Rebecca", "Suspicion", "Lifeboat", "Suspicion", "Strangers on a Train", "Notorious", "Shadow of a Doubt", "To Catch a Thief". ("The Birds" and "Psycho" probably won't work with the youngest children."
Early Kubrick: "Paths of Glory", "Spartacus", "Dr. Strangelove".
B&W Warner Brothers from the 30s and 40s, including the Busby Berkeley extravaganzas, the early noir detective stories, and the "social realism" dramas.
Kurosawa: "Throne of Blood", "Yojimbo", "The Hidden Fortress", "Rashomon", "The Seven Samurai". "Ran" and "Kagemusha" are rather long for smaller kids.
Ernst Lubitsch: "Heaven Can Wait", "Ninotchka", "Shop Around the Corner"
Preston Sturges: "Sullivan's Travels", "The Lady Eve", "The Palm Beach Story"
Welles: "The Magnificent Ambersons" and "Citizen Kane" (for older children who can stay awake for long periods of time)
The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, also for older children
And, in no particular order, individual films:
The Adventures of Robin Hood Monty Python and the Holy Grail Pee-Wee's Big Adventure I Remember Mama A Christmas Story National Velvet A Tree Grows in Brooklyn A Feast at Midnight My Dog Skip Gettysburg Harry Potter and the .... (whatever) Quiz Show Searching for Bobby Fisher Little Man Tate Crimson Pirate Captain Blood Chariots of Fire Breaking Away Yellow Submarine The Bear To Kill a Mockingbird The Princess Bride Lord of the Flies Billy Elliott The 400 Blows Black Orpheus Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" Star Wars Sounder Who Framed Roger Rabbit Back to the Future Three Musketeers and Four Musketeers Bringing Up Baby Grand Illusion Boudu Saved from Drowning Grapes of Wrath Wizard of Oz
Our son, between the ages of three and six, particularly loved "Dragonheart" and every Godzilla movie ever made, including all the really cheesy 1960s ones. He also adored the Mothra and Gamera films, and cried at the end of "Rodan", when the two Rodans die falling into the volcano, because it was so sad that they died together.
He's now 15, and his favorite movie of the last three years has been Clouzot's "Wages of Fear". He's used to both black-and-white and silent films, which is due to having been exposed and "taught" how to watch them from an early age. (If you've ever taught a univ-level film course, you'll recognize the "It's not in color!" syndrome, which renders college students unfamiliar with b&w film actually unable to get past the non-color film stock, which renders the films utterly foreign to them.)
Louise
-----Original Message----- From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org] On Behalf Of Jean-Christophe Helary Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 7:18 AM To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] real movies for kids
> So I am trying to put together a list of titles for my sister to look
> for. As a kid I remembered seeing and enjoying:
>
> * Ring of Bright Water
> * Born Free
> * Wizard of Oz
> * Le Ballon Rouge
>
> and of course silent Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
>
> At some point, my mother (a Canadian with obvious Anglo affinities)
> took us to see some classic Ealing fare:
>
> * Lavender Hill Mob
> * The Ladykillers
Pink panther (the movies), Wallace and Grommit, Charlie and the chocolate factory, Toys Story (?). Those are hits at home (with kids 11 and 2).
Jean-Christophe ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk