Prime Video is offering a sizeable slew of classic movies for the third month in a row. The streamer added the likes of “12 Angry Men” and “Psycho” in May, before following up with another selection of Golden Age favorites in June. And now for July 2024, Prime Video has scored a hat trick with a fresh slate packing some of the very best movies ever made.
Just to be clear, when I say “classics," I mean classics. I’m talking about movies made during the period known as the “Golden Age of Hollywood” that spanned from the 1920s to the 1960s. So, yes, if you can’t stand black-and-white movies that are older than your parents, then this list won’t be for you. But if you’ve got an appreciation for Hollywood history like me, then prepare to have a handful of new movies to add to your Prime Video watchlist.
Even better, every single movie on this list scored at least 95% on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, which stands as a testament to their enduring status as true classics of American cinema. Now let’s jump into all the new “golden oldies” added to Prime Video this month.
'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' (1939)
Politically charged comedies are a staple of our current entertainment landscape, but movies that take a humorous (but also sobering) look at the society around us are by no means a modern-day invention. In many ways, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” is the archetypal social satire. It takes aim at the dysfunctional and self-interested government of the time (what's changed?), and it’s been parodied and referenced numerous times, most famously by “The Simpsons”.
Directed by Frank Capra, who also helmed Best Picture winner “It Happened One Night” and holiday favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life”, the movie is most known for making a true star out of its lead, Hollywood icon James Stewart. He plays Jefferson Smith, a fresh appointee to the United States Senate whose idealistic outlook is challenged when confronted with the corrupt actions of his hero and mentor, Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains).
Rotten Tomatoes 97%
Stream it on Prime Video
'A Fistful of Dollars' (1964)
The Western genre dominated the Golden Era of Hollywood much like how superhero movies have ruled the roost over the last 15 years of cinema, and there’s no Western series that has held up quite like the Dollars Trilogy. Comprised of “A Fistful of Dollars," “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, all three are must-watches (and all three have been added to Prime Video this month), but naturally, you should start with the first installment.
“A Fistful of Dollars” stars none other than the gunslinging GOAT himself Clint Eastwood. Eastwood plays a stranger (referred to across the trilogy as The Man with No Name) who arrives in the town of San Miguel looking for an easy score. This mysterious figure soon gets caught up in a long-standing feud between two families, the Baxters and the Rojos, and decides to play the rival clans at their own game to come away with all the riches he can carry.
Rotten Tomatoes 98%
Stream it on Prime Video
'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' (1964)
If you found yourself captivated by “Oppehemier,” then “Dr. Strangelove” (let’s avoid using its ludicrously long full name) should be your next watch. Much like Nolan’s magnum opus, Stanley Kubrick’s legendary satirical comedy sends a clear warning about the destructive power of nuclear warfare and the hubris of man that leads to global conflict. Even in Kubrick’s remarkable filmography, this war movie stands out thanks to its sharp satire, memorizing performances and era-defining filmmaking.
One of the most celebrated and respected movies ever made, “Dr. Strangelove” centers on an overzealous American general who rashly orders an attack on the Soviet Union that is destined to trigger global annihilation. In the wake of this fateful decision, a war room convenes in the hopes of preventing the unimaginable nuclear fallout. Remarkably, the core message of “Dr. Strangelove” has not aged a day in 50 years, its warning to humanity is just as pressing today as it was back then. We should listen.
Rotten Tomatoes 98%
Stream it on Prime Video
'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' (1966)
Cinephiles will argue long into the night about which installment in the Dollar trilogy is the best, but there’s no debate about which is the most iconic. 1966’s “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” has generated such a legacy that it’s entered the common lexicon with its title referenced in all manner of situations. Once again Clint Eastwood returns as the Man with No Name in this epic drama, which is regularly cited as the “definitive spaghetti Western”.
Set during the Civil War, a wandering strange (Clint Eastwood) and an outlaw (Eli Wallach) form an unlikely partnership to scam local towns out of bounty money. However, the stranger eventually grows tired of his partners constantly complaining and strands him in the desert. But the duo must set aside their differences and work together again when they catch wind of a $20,000 score buried in a remote cemetery. However, a sadistic criminal is also after the treasure adding extra stakes.
Rotten Tomatoes 97%
Stream it on Prime Video
'The Caine Mutiny' (1954)
When a movie stars Humphrey Bogart it instantly deserves your attention. Throw in the fact that “The Caine Mutiny” was nominated for a slew of Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Actor for Bogart), and is based on the Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel of the same name by Herman Wouk, and you’ve got a heck of a recipe for a cinematic classic.
This military drama takes place during World War II and is set on a minesweeping vessel, the Caine. The crew isn’t best pleased when a new captain, Commander Queeg (Bogart) comes on board and proves to be an ill-suited leader. His unconventional and irrational behavior leads to various problems, and during a storm, the executive officer (Van Johnson) decides to remove Queeg from his post. What follows is a contentious trial for the crime of mutiny.
Rotten Tomatoes 95%
Stream it on Prime Video
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