The Best But Also Forgotten Movies of the ’60s

Gregory Peck plays David Stillwell, an accountant. Stillwell develops amnesia, which erases the last two years of his life from memory. Making things even worse, a man had fallen from the top of the building he was in, yet Stillwell doesn’t remember anything. Now, he must figure out precisely what happened to his memory and the man.

It’s a race for the Presidency in “The Best Man.” The two key players in the race are Wiliam Russel and Joe Cantwell. One is willing to do whatever it takes to win, while the other stands by his principles. Is playing dirty the only way to succeed?

Loosely based on T.E. Lawrence, this movie stars Peter O’Toole as Lawrence. The film starts with the death of Lawrence and then flashes back to explore his life. While he is commanded to find Prince Faisal in Arabia and become a liaison, Lawrence ignores the orders and goes a different path.

Bonnie is a bored waitress, and Clyde has just exited prison. When instant attraction arises, they venture off on a life of crime. The goal is to rob banks, gas stations, and other buildings. However, the plan backfires, and the team ends up killing someone. This leads Bonnie, Clyde, and their gang to go on a crime spree until they are inevitably caught.

Before “The Walking Dead,” there was “Night of the Living Dead.” Judith O’Dea stars as Barbara, who finds herself in an old farmhouse that has been abandoned after zombies begin popping up. Along with her are five others who are hiding out. Trying to survive, the group is quickly met with disagreements about who should be in charge.

“The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” is a black-and-white classic Western. It stars John Wayne as Tom Doniphon and James Stewart as Ransom Stoddard. Upon returning to town after his friend Doniphon’s death, Stoddard has a story to tell. Liberty Valance was a man who got away with many things until two men stood up to him. Will he answer the question, who actually shot Liberty Valance?

“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is a musical directed by Jacques Demy. It stars Catherine Deneuve as Genevieve, who falls in love with Guy, played by Castelvuovo. However, the couple is torn apart when Guy leaves for the army despite their love for one another. When Guy returns after an injury in the army, he is told that Genevieve is already married. Heartbreak, love, perseverance, and more are all present themes within this movie.

Marcello Mastroianni plays filmmaker Guido Anselmi. Anselmi struggles with his latest film and often withdraws into his mind, imagination, and past as a retreat. “8 1/2” contains beautiful cinematography and fabulous costumes while maintaining a surreal feel.

John Voight plays Joe Buck, a Texas man who ventures to New York City. He believes his good looks and charm will help him conquer the big city. However, things go differently than planned. Before he knows it, Buck is living with Rizzo, who Hoffman plays. The two men quickly become partners and start to work on their hustling game. In 1966, this movie earned an “X” rating from the MPAA. This was for explicit content; the rating is now “R.”

“The Magnificent Seven” tells the story of a small Mexican village. Every year, robbers come to the village and wreak havoc. Determined to stop the thieves, the community sends men out searching for gunmen to help. The men who arrive total seven, and they are ready to defend the village, and each has their own motives.

H.G. Wells is a scientist who built a time machine, looking for an escape from the war-torn time he is living in. As he travels through time, he stops in 1917, 1940, and 1966, finding war and discord in all time periods. As he continues through time, Wells finally stops in the year 802,701 and is shocked at what he finds.

“Spartacus” takes place in 73 B.C. Spartacus is a Thracian slave sold to a Gladiator trainer named Batiatus. To free himself, he starts a rebellion that spreads like wildfire. The freedmen journey through Italy to keep their freedom and return home.

Pollyanna is a young and optimistic child who tries to see the bright side of everything. However, when left orphaned, she must move in with her aunt. Their outlooks on life couldn’t be more different. Pollyanna tries to remain cheerful and hopeful throughout life, while her aunt is more grouchy. Trying to spread cheer to all the townspeople proves to be difficult for Pollyanna, yet she persists.

John Wayne stars in “North to Alaska” as Sam McCord alongside Stewart Granger, who plays George Pratt. Pratt and McCord discover and struggle to hold on to gold in Alaska. McCord goes back to Seattle to bring Pratt’s fiancee back to Alaska. However, when he finds out that Pratt’s fiancee married another man, McCord brings his friend back a prostitute. (Take a look at John Wayne’s Best and Worst Movies That Aren’t Westerns.)