Welcome to the 4th annual Classic Film Challenge! Innumerable thanks to the challenge originator Christian Alec, who is handing over the reins this year. Thanks also to Dayave, who co-authored.
We're keeping things mostly the same, including several returning categories that made the challenge special. Again we have 30 tasks, plus 5 bonus challenges, hopefully keeping it short makes things more appealing. There's only one real change we're making, last year the 70s were in the mix, but tough noogies to New Hollywood fans, we moved the endpoint back to 1970 this year. We figure if you're making this list you want to focus on expanding your viewing in these earlier eras, and there's so much to discover in the…
Welcome to the 4th annual Classic Film Challenge! Innumerable thanks to the challenge originator Christian Alec, who is handing over the reins this year. Thanks also to Dayave, who co-authored.
We're keeping things mostly the same, including several returning categories that made the challenge special. Again we have 30 tasks, plus 5 bonus challenges, hopefully keeping it short makes things more appealing. There's only one real change we're making, last year the 70s were in the mix, but tough noogies to New Hollywood fans, we moved the endpoint back to 1970 this year. We figure if you're making this list you want to focus on expanding your viewing in these earlier eras, and there's so much to discover in the first 70 years we want to keep our focus there.
Now as always...DA RULES
1. PLEASE write a review for everything you watch and tag it with 'classicschallenge21' so we can read what you've seen.
2. These movies can be watched in ANY order you want and whenever you want from January 1st - December 31st, 2021
3. Every movie must be before the year 1970
4. HAVE FUN
And, if you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments below. Links are provided under READ NOTES as well!
Category: Shorts!
As always, the challenge has a shorts category, always fun to check a few off the list easily.
1. Watch a movie produced by Mack Sennett
2. Watch a Fleischer studios cartoon.
3. Watch a comedy short featuring (one or some combo of) Thelma Todd, Zasu Pitts, and Patsy Kelly.
4. Watch a Silly Symphony cartoon.
5. And finally, because I think after 2020 we can all relate, watch a Wille E. Coyote cartoon.
Category: Musicals
We thought it would be fun to do a quick run through musicals over time! (Note that you don't have to pick a musical from the decade suggested, especially if you're only off by a year or two).
1. Watch a musical from the early sound era, 1927-1933. If you need ideas try out a Busby Berkley or a Gold Diggers. (1920s)
2. Watch a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical (1930s)
3. Watch an Esther Williams musical (1940s)
4. Watch one of MGM's famous Freed Unit musicals (1950s)
5. Musicals have always had grand spectacle, but in the 1960s they were often going for Oscar Gold. Watch a musical nominated for Best Picture OR a Julie Andrews musical (1960s)
Category: Melodrama Stars
Also known as "Women's Pictures" or "weepies", These dramas centered on women's lives can surprise with their edge and depth. Feel free to choose any movie by these stars, but make sure you have at least a few that require hankies at the ready.
1. Watch a Barbara Stanwyck film.
2. Watch a Joan Crawford film.
3. Watch a Bette Davis film (queen of this genre!).
4. Watch an Olivia De Havilland film.
5. Watch a Greta Garbo film.
Category: Character Actors and Actresses
Let's focus on some of our favorite ensemble players!
1. Watch an Elsa Lancaster movie.
2. Watch a Sydney Greenstreet movie.
3. Watch an Elisha Cook Jr. movie.
4. Watch a Woody Strode movie.
5. Watch a Thelma Ritter movie.
Category: Women Screenwriters
People often think of Old Hollywood as a boys club, and in some ways that's true, but there were also a lot of women working behind the scenes, especially early on! This time, we'll focus on women screenwriters.
1. Watch a film written by, or based on a play by, Lillian Hellman.
2. Watch a film written by Ruth Gordon (if you'd like to bend the rules and watch something she starred in, that's okay too).
3. Watch a film written by Frances Marion.
4. Watch a film written by Jane Murfin.
5. Watch a film written by Lenore J. Coffee.
Category: Potluck
As always, let's close out with some one-offs!
1. Watch a film made by a "Poverty Row" studio.
2. Watch a film shot by cinematographer James Wong Howe.
3. Watch one of my favorite genre, a screwball comedy
4. Watch a Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracey movie.
5. Who's your favorite Classic Hollywood star? Watch one of their movies and, in your review, tell us why.
And as our optional bonus, returning from 2020, You Must Remember This episode inspired prompts
Bonus 1. Watch a Clara Bow movie.
Bonus 2. Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just watching a Mae West movie?
Bonus 3. Watch a movie featuring Lena Horne and/or Paul Robeson
Bonus 4. Watch a movie David O Selznick produced.
Bonus 5. Watch a movie starring Cleopatra herself, Elizabeth Taylor.
Our classic community: Dayave, Jason, Jkradb, Ana R, Evee, SparkyFox, Mark, BabyGroot15, David , Waybeyond
Thanks for joining! I hope you enjoy your time in the past this year. Looking forward to seeing what all of you discover.