Four Classics I Haven't Seen Yet (and One I Finally Have)

About a month ago, I saw When Harry Met Sally for the first time. I’ve been wanting to watch it for ages, but wasn’t able to find a copy with subtitles until now. I absolutely LOVED it and now consider it to be among my favorite rom-coms.

The Instagram community was very kind, and shared in my excitement at watching this gem. I got to hear from someone who saw it in the theater when it came out, and someone else commented that they wished they could watch it for the first time all over again. It was a great reminder that there are always new movies to discover.

I know in the past, I’ve been guilty of exclaiming to friends and relatives, “WHAT? You haven’t seen that movie??” But I had no right to do that, because there are so many classics I haven’t seen, either!

I’d like to share 5 of those with you, with a small disclaimer: As I was typing this post over the course of this week, the pull of À bout de souffle was too great, and I decided it was finally time to see it. So I ended up watching it after all! It’s so neat that we can all carve out our own paths as we navigate the vast world cinema has to offer.

What are some classics you haven’t seen yet? Tell me in the comments!

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Pay-per-view options available via various streaming services.

May also be available at your local library.

Mr. DeMille, I’m ready to finally cross this off my watchlist. Sunset Boulevard is regarded by many as one of the greatest “Hollywood on Hollywood” films of all time. I have seen the 1959 Twilight Zone episode “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine,” which has a lot of similar elements. Ida Lupino plays the Norma Desmond-type character in that episode and she gives a great performance, so I’m looking forward to seeing Gloria Swanson’s take.

I’m also incredibly behind on William Holden movies, which is a shame considering that his episode of I Love Lucy has always been a favorite of mine! I did see Born Yesterday earlier this week, though. There was a moment where he and Judy Holliday almost kiss, and it made me gasp. I get it now, Lucy. I get it.

From Here to Eternity (1953)

Pay-per-view options available via various streaming services.

As a Frank Sinatra-obsessed elementary schooler, I couldn’t wait to see this movie because I assumed he was going to be the one rolling in the surf with Deborah Kerr. When I read somewhere that he wasn’t, I was devastated. I felt betrayed. There was no way I was going to watch this film if I couldn’t see Frank in that scene. (Sorry, Burt.)

While I’ll never be over this tragedy, I do plan on watching the movie someday. I’ll have lots of tissues ready for that beach scene, though. Mourning what could have been.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1952)

Free on Tubi

I’m determined to one day make it to the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival and see the annual Stanley/Stella shouting contest. Various celebrities have judged the event in the past, including Kim Hunter, the stage and screen’s original Stella Kowalski. (New Orleans actress Cecile Monteyne advises potential contestants that if they plan on ripping their shirts open, to make sure they bring an extra one in case they make it to the next round.)

I should probably watch the movie before I see the contest, but just in case I don’t get around to it… does Michael J. Fox yelling “STELLAAAAA!” on Family Ties count?

Some Like it Hot (1959)

Available on various streaming services via subscriptions or pay-per-view

Before Dustin Hoffman donned a wig in 1982’s Tootsie, there was Some Like it Hot, starring Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra, and Mitzi Gaynor.

Well, almost. The latter two were director Billy Wilder’s first choices for the roles of Jerry/Daphne and Sugar Kane. Even though I haven’t seen it, it’s hard to imagine anyone but Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe as those characters!

I’ve taken a bit of heat for not having watched this iconic piece of cinema yet, and I understand people’s pain—even I sometimes wonder why I haven’t. I’ll do my best to see it soon, but I can’t make any promises. After all, nobody’s perfect.

À bout de souffle (1960)

Available on various streaming services via subscriptions or pay-per-view

View subtitle options for the DVD here

You know how when you’re a kid, you sometimes form certain opinions or assumptions about things, and those stay with you for a long time before you think to question them? Well, that’s what happened to me when I first read about this movie. It did eventually occur to me that maybe À bout de souffle wasn’t about cooking.

I actually bought it some time ago (knowing by that point it was not about people making souffles), because I wanted to see it eventually and the Criterion DVD was on sale. It did not disappoint. A French New Wave essential, the creative process was experimental and free-form: While Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg were having coffee at the cafe each morning, Jean-Luc Godard was writing their lines for that day. There’s a smoky, jazzy quality about the film that, despite the amorality of the main characters, makes me want to run away to Paris (and maybe Rome later on) with Belmondo, sporting Seberg’s wardrobe and pixie cut. À bout de souffle may not be about food, but it’s still a feast.