The 1960s was a special decade for films. A lot of classics were released in these ten years. There were also specific trends that aren’t as popular today. For instance, the 1960s was the golden decade for American western films. Audiences enjoyed plenty of Westerns, both American and Italian.
This decade also saw a rise in action films. Spy movies were all the rage. Some great ones include “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Topkapi.” So, what other movie genres were popping during the 60s? Within this decade, many fantastic horror films were released. The psychological horror genre grew quickly with many movies becoming classics today. For instance, “Psycho” is attributed as one of the best horror films ever made. It inspired so many filmmakers and writers in the genre.
Interestingly, movies changed a lot during the 1960s. At first, they were targeted at adults, but the youth began seeing more films near the end of the decade. Films began targeting and starring young adults and youth as they navigated problems. Some movies that attracted younger crowds include “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.” There are a lot of theories as to why the film industry changed so fast. One is that the film industry was influenced by the events taking place in the 1960s. Change was rapid in society, especially during the Civil Rights movement.
To curate this list, 24/7 Tempo consulted various entertainment websites. We also reviewed the history and educational film websites. Some of these sources include Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb. Keep reading to discover the best 60s movies that will never get old. (Want to read about more films that people watch again and again? Next read about the 15 classic movies that will never, ever get old.)
“2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968)
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, and Douglas Rain
One of the best movies of the ’60s is “2001: A Space Odyssey.” It was released on April 3, 1968, in the United States and was a success. It was one of the first films where the audience was youth. The budget for this film was $10.5 million, and it grossed over $140 million.
Decades later, this movie still holds strong. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an audience score of 89% based on over 250,000 reviews. Critics also applaud this movie with a critic score of 92%.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962)
- Director: Robert Mulligan
- Cast: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Robert Duvall, William Windom, and Alice Ghostley
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a tough movie to watch. This classic touches on lots of important and tragic topics, including racism and innocence. The film is based on the book of the same name by Harper Lee. It was moderately successful, earning $13 million against a budget of $2 million.
The movie was released on December 25, 1962, in the United States. Although only moderately successful compared to other 60s films, it’s now a classic, often watched in schools with the book. On Rotten Tomatoes, this movie has an audience score of 93% and the same score on the Tomatometer.
“Peeping Tom” (1960)
- Director: Michael Powell
- Cast: Carl Boehm, Anna Massey, and Moira Shearer
Another ’60s movie that will never get old is “Peeping Tom.” This movie was surprising for its time. It’s a British psychological horror following a serial killer, who like the title of the film, is a peeping Tom.
This film barely earned its budget back. It was released on April 7, 1960, in the UK. Despite grossing $149,495, against a budget of £133,394, it became a cult classic. It has a 95% on the Tomatometer and has an audience score of 85%.
“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969)
- Director: Peter R. Hunt
- Cast: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, and Bernard Lee
In the last year of the decade, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was released. “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” is an action spy film that did super well upon its release. It’s the sixth film in the James Bond series. The film was released on December 19, 1969, with a budget of $7 million. This classic James Bond film grossed $82 million.
So, what about the scores? Although a favorite for many and a classic of the 1960s, it scored a 64% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its score is higher on the Tomatometer at 81%.
“The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962)
- Director: John Ford
- Cast: John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, and Edmond O’Brien
Westerns were everything during the 1960s. One of the best films of this decade is “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.” It’s an American Western film that holds a lot of importance. The Library of Congress even selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
This movie was released on April 22, 1962, in the United States. It didn’t overly succeed at the box office but is still an incredible movie. It grossed about $8 million, against a budget of $3 million. Over sixty years later, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence” holds a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 92%. Its score on the Tomatometer is even higher at 95%.
“Bonnie and Clyde” (1967)
- Director: Arthur Penn
- Cast: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, and Estelle Parsons
“Bonnie and Clyde” changed so much about the film industry during its release. It was controversial, gritty, and targeted at the youth. This American biographical neo-noir crime film had explicit scenes and was violent, paving the way for many other gory crime films.
Even with the many controversies, the movie received a lot of awards. It earned Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography. The film was released on August 13, 1967, in the United States with a budget of $2.5 million. It grossed over $70 million. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an audience score of 88% with over 50,000 reviews.
“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966)
- Director: Sergio Leone
- Cast: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Aldo Giuffrè, and Antonio Casas
Unsurprisingly, another Western film makes our list, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” This 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western is frequently quoted. Even decades later, people still love this film. It was the final installment in the Dollars Trilogy.
“The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” was released on December 23, 1966, with a budget of $1.2 million. It destroyed its budget grossing over $35 million at the box office. This movie impacted the Western genre significantly. For a while, most Western films were American, and while “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” wasn’t the first Italian spaghetti Western, it was one of the first internationally successful.
So, how does it hold up? On Rotten Tomatoes, this film has an audience score and a Tomatometer score of 97%.
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969)
- Director: George Roy Hill
- Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin, and Jeff Corey
How can anyone forget about “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”? This American Western was also a fun buddy film. It follows Butch Cassidy and his close companion, “The Sundance Kid.” This movie has won so many awards and has been added to countless lists including AFI’s 100 Years…100 Heroes & Villains.
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” was released on September 24, 1969, in the United States. It had a budget of $6 million and yet grossed $102 million in North America alone. Like many of the movies on this list, it has high ratings. For instance, it has an audience score of 92%.
Lola (1961)
- Director: Jacques Demy
- Cast: Anouk Aimée, Marc Michel, Alan Scott, Jacques Harden, and Margo Lion
While the 1960s is mostly known for American and Spaghetti Westerns, action spy dramas, and rebellion films, there were plenty of romantic movies that stole the hearts of viewers. One of these is “Lola.” This French film wasn’t super popular upon its release and creation but has gathered a cult following in recent years.
The movie was released in 1961 in Italy and France. This hidden gem scored a 95% on the Tomatometer.
“Psycho” (1960)
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Martin Balsam
Who hasn’t heard of “Psycho” by now? This incredibly chilling film was so good, that it received multiple remakes, sequels, and even a TV series. “Psycho” was ahead of its time. It wasn’t a monster movie like most horror films and instead had a lot of psychological elements.
This movie is one of the best horror films ever made. It was extremely influential and has inspired many filmmakers for its incredible writing, pacing, and tension.
It was released in 1960 with a small budget of $806,947. The film grossed a whopping $50 million. “Psycho” had a lot of stiff competition, but was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an audience score of 95% and a Tomatometer score of 97%.
The Time Machine (1960)
- Director: George Pal
- Cast: Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, and Alan Young
Science fiction movies were also popular during this decade. One of the best sci-fi films has to be “The Time Machine.” It was released on August 17, 1960, in the United States. Although only moderately successful with a box office earning of $2.6 million, it has quite the following.
“The Time Machine” won the 1961 Academy Award for Best Effects, Special Effects. It has an audience score of 80%.
“Planet of the Apes” (1968)
- Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
- Cast: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, and James Whitmore
Did you know the first “Planet of the Apes” was released during the 1960s? This science fiction movie is hard to keep your eyes away from. It tells the story of a group of astronauts that crash lands on a planet filled with intelligent apes. They are the dominant species, while humans are mute. It’s an interesting movie where the roles reverse.
The makeup and costumes in this movie blew away a lot of people during the 1960s. It was released on April 3, 1968, in the United States. “Planet of the Apes” had a budget of $5.8 million. It grossed $33 million. This epic sci-fi adventure scored an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. On the Tomatometer, it has an 86%.
“Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964)
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Cast: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, and Keenan Wynn
Not all films during the 1960s were serious adventure, action, or drama. There were lots of incredible comedy movies, like “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.” This long-titled movie is a political satire black comedy film that was released on January 29, 1964.
It was successful at the box office grossing $9.2 million against a budget of about $1 million. The movie was so significant that the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1989. On Rotten Tomatoes, this witty film has an audience score of 94% and a Tomatometer score of 98%.
“The Sound of Music” (1965)
- Director: Robert Wise
- Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, and Peggy Wood
“The Sound of Music” is an unforgettable movie. This musical took people by surprise. It was a fantastic film that most people can recognize with just a few seconds of the titular song. You don’t have to watch “The Sound of Music” to recognize it.
This romantic musical was released on March 2, 1965, in the United States. It grossed an impressive $286.2 million against a budget a fraction of the film’s earnings, $8.2 million. This classic musical won many awards, including Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Scoring of Music – Adaptation or Treatment. On Rotten Tomatoes, “The Sound of Music” has an audience score of 91%.
“The Sword in the Stone” (1963)
- Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
- Cast: Rickie Sorensen, Karl Swenson, Junius Matthews, and Sebastian Cabot
During the 1960s, Disney also released some of the best animated films of all time. One of these is the timeless classic, “The Sword in the Stone.” It aged well and it’s hard to imagine it was released over fifty years ago.
“The Sword in the Stone” was released on December 25, 1963, in the United States. It had a budget of $3 million but grossed $22 million in Canada and the United States. This fun musical fantasy comedy has a lot of heart. It was well-received and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Scoring of Music—Adaptation or Treatment.
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961)
- Director: Blake Edwards
- Cast: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, and Martin Balsam
There was no way “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” wasn’t making our list. This beautiful romantic comedy-drama tells the story of the charming Holly Golightly. Even if you’ve never seen this film, you’ve probably heard its name or seen pictures of Audrey Hepburn in her iconic black dress.
This movie was released on October 5, 1961, in the United States. It has a lot of cultural significance. The movie had a budget of $2.5 million but grossed $14 million. Audrey Hepburn did such a phenomenal job with this role, often citing it as her most challenging one. On Rotten Tomatoes, this film has an audience score of 91%.
“Fahrenheit 451” (1966)
- Director: François Truffaut
- Cast: Julie Christie, Oskar Werner, Cyril Cusack, Anton Diffring, and Jeremy Spenser
Sometimes, the scariest movies aren’t horror, but dystopian films. This is the case with “Fahrenheit 451,” a film based on a novel of the same name. If you’ve ever had to read “Fahrenheit 451” in school, you’ve probably seen and compared it to the movie.
This drama was released on September 16, 1966 in the UK. It had a budget of $1.5 million but grossed very little. Despite this, “Fahrenheit 451” has a cult following and is considered an underrated movie.
“The Jungle Book” (1967)
- Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
- Cast: Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Louis Prima, and George Sanders
Another incredible Disney animated movie released during the 1960s was “The Jungle Book.” It’s filled with catchy songs, beautifully animated characters, and a lot of heart. It’s hard not to root for the characters.
In 1967, it was the ninth highest-grossing film. If you’ve ever watched it, you’ve probably subconsciously hummed to the song “The Bare Necessities.” So how much money did this movie earn? It was released on October 18, 1967. It grossed a jaw-dropping $378 million, against a budget of $4 million. “The Jungle Book” still holds up today with an audience score of 82%.
Still not done wanting to learn more about the best films? Click here to discover the best 70s movies that will never get old.