The 8 Best Movies Before 1980, Ranked

Ranked by movie.guru score. Every one lands at 9.7 or 9.8, so the order is a photo finish. Old is not the same as slow.

Number one is the shortest movie here, and it makes jury duty look thrilling.

1. 8
   North by Northwest (1959)9.6

   Eighth place, and still more fun than your favorite blockbuster.

   Cary Grant's smooth ad man gets yanked into a plot way above his pay grade, and Bernard Herrmann's score never lets him breathe. Audiences rank it above 99% of notable movies.
2. 7
   Chinatown (1974)9.6

   Noir in broad daylight, and the coldest movie here.

   Jack Nicholson's private eye, Faye Dunaway hiding everything, and a lonely trumpet on the soundtrack. Metacritic gave it a 92. It's slow, and the slowness is the point.
3. 6
   The Wizard of Oz (1939)9.5

   The tornado is still scarier than most disaster movies.

   Made from a muslin sock and pure nerve in 1939, and it still sends kids behind the couch. Critics rank it above 98% of notable movies.
4. 5
   Citizen Kane (1941)9.7

   The movie everyone calls the greatest. Fifth here. Deal with it.

   Orson Welles directed it, starred in it, and the camera tricks still look brand new. Critics and audiences both rank it above 99% of notable movies.
5. 4
   Seven Samurai (1954)9.8

   The calmest hero in movies, and it's not Mifune.

   Takashi Shimura's Kambei shaves his head to rescue a kidnapped child, and that's just his intro. Every movie mentor since is doing a Kambei impression. Audiences rank it above 99% of notable movies.
6. 3
   Rear Window (1954)9.7

   Thelma Ritter's wisecracking nurse is the secret MVP.

   Everyone talks about James Stewart and the courtyard. Thelma Ritter's nurse quietly gets the best lines. $37.9 million worldwide, and audiences put it at 100%.
7. 2
   Casablanca (1942)9.7

   Made during the war it's about, and it never preaches.

   Crooks, cops, gamblers and one bitter bar owner, all crammed into 102 minutes that never sit still. Peter Lorre's nervous hustler is a bonus. Critics rank it above 99% of notable movies.
8. 1
   12 Angry Men (1957)9.8

   The best argument for changing your mind ever filmed.

   Sidney Lumet keeps lowering and tightening the camera until the jury room feels like a pressure cooker. Jack Warden just wants to catch his ballgame. Metacritic gave it a 97.

$9,687 says you watch number one and start cross-examining your group chat by Friday.

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