Martin Scorsese’s Vintage Classics

When Martin Scorsese, the director of many impactful & influential classic films, suggests titles to watch from Studiocanal‘s extensive library of Vintage Classics, it would be churlish not to take note.

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Martin then goes on to warn that “These selections should ONLY be viewed if you’ve seen, know, and are familiar with The Third Man and Kind Hearts and Coronets“; both classic films that have inspired Art & Hue, with the re-imagined print featuring Orson Welles in triplicate, and as a group of prints featuring the classic Ealing Comedy including a film poster that takes inspiration from the original pressbook of 1949.

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Watch or Buy the film via Amazon

Having done the above homework (although “homework” sounds like a chore and belies the great pleasure the films will bring), then the list proper begins. A mix of dramas, horrors and comedies, they’re all worth seeking out if they’ve escaped viewing so far.

Comedies

Scorsese highlights classic Ealing Comedies in his recommendations, including “The Ladykillers“, “The Lavender Hill Mob“, “The Maggie“, “The Man in the White Suit“, “Whisky Galore!“, “Passport to Pimlico” & “Hue & Cry“, as well as the non-Ealing comedies “I’m All Right Jack” & “The Belles of St. Trinian’s“.

Watch or Buy the film via Amazon: The Ladykillers; The Lavender Hill Mob; The Maggie; The Man in the White Suit; Whisky Galore!; Passport to Pimlico; Hue & Cry; I’m All Right Jack; The Belles of St. Trinian’s.

Horrors

Horrors in Scorsese’s picks include the chilling Ealing anthology “Dead of Night“, the classic folk horror “The Wicker Man “, the influential “Don’t Look Now“, “Fright” with Susan George, “And Soon the Darkness” (written by Brian Clemens), and “Circus of Horrors” with Kenneth Griffith.

Watch or Buy the film via Amazon: Dead of Night; The Wicker Man; Don’t Look Now; Fright; And Soon The Darkness; Circus of Horrors.

Brit Noirs & Crime

Recommended British film noirs, or Brit noirs, include “Nowhere to Go“, “Brighton Rock“, “The Sleeping Tiger” (with Dirk Bogarde & Hugh Griffith), and “Yield to the Night“. More criminality features in “Payroll” (with Glyn Houston & Stanley Meadows), “The Criminal“, “The Blue Lamp“, “Cage of Gold“, “Death on the Nile“, “The Gentle Gunman“, “An Inspector Calls” with Alastair Sim, & “The Weak & the Wicked“.

Watch or Buy the film via Amazon: Nowhere to Go; Brighton Rock; The Sleeping Tiger; Yield to the Night; Payroll; The Criminal; Cage of Gold; The Blue Lamp; Death on the Nile; The Gentle Gunman; An Inspector Calls; The Weak & the Wicked.

New Wave & Comedy-dramas

British New Wave & kitchen-sink titles suggested by Martin Scorsese include “Billy Liar“, “The Servant” (with Dirk Bogarde & James Fox), “A Kind of Loving” (with Alan Bates, James Bolam & Leonard Rossiter), “Sparrows Can’t Sing” (with Barbara Windsor, Brian Murphy, Bob Grant, Stephen Lewis, Victor Spinetti & Yootha Joyce), alongside the distinctly British comedy-dramas “A Kid for Two Farthings” (with Diana Dors, Sydney Tafler, Irene Handl, Danny Green, Joseph Tomelty & Sid James), and seedy Soho in “The Small World of Sammy Lee” (with Anthony Newley, Julia Foster, Robert Stephens & Wilfrid Brambell).

Watch or Buy the film via Amazon: Billy Liar; The Servant; A Kind of Loving; Sparrows Can’t Sing; A Kid for Two Farthings; The Small World of Sammy Lee.

Julie Christie

As well as “Billy Liar”, featuring the breakthrough role of Liz, three more Julie Christie films are included: the cautionary jetset-satire & morality tale “Darling“; the groundbreaking horror “Don’t Look Now“; and period drama “The Go-Between” (with Alan Bates & Michael Redgrave).

Watch or Buy the film via Amazon: Darling; Don’t Look Now; The Go-Between.

Period Dramas & Sci-fi

More period pieces include Ealing’s “Saraband for Dead Lovers” (with Joan Greenwood), “It Always Rains on Sunday” (with Googie Withers, John McCallum, Sydney Tafler, Jack Warner & Alfie Bass), “Pink String and Sealing Wax” (with Mervyn Johns & Gordon Jackson), & “The Queen of Spades” with Yvonne Mitchell, and there are even a couple of sci-fi titles with “The Man Who Fell to Earth“, and “Quatermass and the Pit” with Andrew Keir.

Watch or Buy the film via Amazon: Saraband for Dead Lovers; It Always Rains on Sunday; Pink String and Sealing Wax; The Queen of Spades; The Man Who Fell to Earth; Quatermass and the Pit.

War & Thrillers

War and armed forces films mentioned are “Went the Day Well?“, “The Cruel Sea“, and “The Sound Barrier“, alongside mystery thrillers & dramas “Circle of Danger“, “The Fallen Idol” (with Ralph Richardson & Jack Hawkins), “Frieda” (with David Farrar, Glynis Johns & Gladys Henson), & “The Man Between” (with James Mason & Claire Bloom).

Watch or Buy the film via Amazon: Went the Day Well?; The Cruel Sea; The Sound Barrier; Circle of Danger; The Fallen Idol; Frieda; The Man Between.

From Stage to Screen

Film adaptations of stage plays on the list include “The Holly and the Ivy” (with Celia Johnson, John Gregson, William Hartnell & Maureen Delany), “The Winslow Boy” (with Robert Donat, Basil Radford, Mona Washbourne & Stanley Holloway), and Shakespeare’s “Richard III” (with Laurence Olivier, John Geilgud & Stanley Baker).

Watch or Buy the film via Amazon: The Holly and the Ivy; The Winslow Boy; Richard III.

Plus…

The final couple of Scorsese’s suggestions are Ealing‘s “Mandy“, the tale of a couple looking after their deaf daughter (with Jack Hawkins & Terence Morgan), and “The Passionate Stranger“, the meta comedy-drama made by the team behind the Doctor film series (with Patricia Dainton).

Watch or Buy the film via Amazon: Mandy; The Passionate Stranger.

Martin Scorsese’s selections remind us that great films are a lasting source of inspiration. Art & Hue’s delighted to be able to celebrate some of these titles, transforming iconic moments and faces from Studiocanal‘s Vintage Classics library into stylish pop art which we hope offers a stylish & colourful way to keep that celluloid magic alive on your walls.

Whether you’re planning a movie marathon or simply admiring the stars, Martin Scorsese’s selection of must-watch films is a masterclass in cinematic taste and a treasure trove of titles worth revisiting – as are the classic films directed by Martin Scorsese too of course.