The 32 best '60s movies

EntertainmentMoviesThe 32 best ’60s moviesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. EntertainmentMoviesThe 32 best ’60s moviesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Embassy Pictures) Whatever you think the 1960s to have been like or looked like, think again. The tumultuous decade is multi-faceted in all manner of ways, including movies. But which films of the 1960s are actually the best? With so many classic movies to name, here are just 32 of the best movies of the 1960s. 32. Batman (1966) (Image credit: Warner Bros.) Batman$14.99at Entertainment Earth$15.95at Amazon$149.99at Best Buy Batman $14.99at Entertainment Earth$15.95at Amazon$149.99at Best Buy $14.99at Entertainment Earth $15.95at Amazon $149.99at Best Buy 31. Barbarella (1968) (Image credit: Paramount Pictures) 30. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) (Image credit: 20th Century Studios) Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox 29. Onibaba (1964) (Image credit: Toho) It’s a movie so frightening that it scared even William Friedkin, the director of The Exorcist. A retelling of a Buddhist parable involving a cursed mask that punishes those who wear it, Onibaba follows two women who lure wandering samurai to kill them and sell their armaments for money. When a man gets between them, ancient feelings like envy and rage swirl like the winds of a dark unholy storm. A macabre picture with supreme eldritch energy, this elaborate metaphor for Japan’s residual traumas from the atomic bombs takes on extra meaning when you know that writer/director Kaneto Shindō was from Hiroshima. Onibaba was one of Shindō’s many pictures grappling with the horrors of nuclear annihilation and his own personal reality of seeing his home leveled and its survivors left with irremovable wounds. 28. Easy Rider (1969) (Image credit: Columbia Pictures) 27. The Apartment (1960) (Image credit: United Artists) 26. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) (Image credit: Universal Pictures) 25. Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Image credit: Criterion) Before The Walking Dead, there was George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, which not only introduced zombies to the American pop culture lexicon but arguably did the genre best. Set in rural Pennsylvania, seven survivors hole up in a farmhouse as hordes of flesh-eating corpses have suddenly come to life everywhere. Not only did Night of the Living Dead write the playbook for all zombie horror stories, but its casting of Black actor Duane Jones (as leading man Ben) was both revolutionary and pointedly political, forever turning zombies into a dynamic and fluid metaphor for what man deems monstrous in its heartbreaking twist ending. 24. Planet of the Apes (1968) (Image credit: 20th Century Studios) 23. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) (Image credit: United Artists) 22. Barefoot in the Park (1967) (Image credit: Paramount Pictures) 21. Mary Poppins (1964) (Image credit: Disney) One ofDisney’s biggest hits emerged in the 1960s, with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke dancing and singing about the virtues of living a more engaged family life. In Edwardian London, a magical woman flies from the skies to answer the Banks childrens’ call for “The Perfect Nanny.” She is Mary Poppins (Andrews), a most mysterious entity who is both gentle and firm, and exactly the spoonful of sugar the Banks family needs to be whole again. Technically dazzling and wholesome at heart, Mary Poppins stands as one of Disney’s most iconic and successful live action movies ever, and for good reason. What else is there to say but, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” 20. Tokyo Drifter (1966) (Image credit: Nikkatsu) 19. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) (Image credit: 20th Century Studios) 18. A Hard Day’s Night (1964) (Image credit: United Artists) All music videos, rock star documentaries, concert films, and TikTok reels owe a debt to A Hard Day’s Night. A kaleidoscope of comedy and music, Richard Lester’s film, full of quick cuts and hand-held hysteria, captures The Beatles at the apex of Beatlemania. But rather than being an indulgent, self-important documentary about fame-induced drama and fatigue, A Hard Day’s Night sees the Liverpool rockers causing a ruckus everywhere they go – with nary a real story in sight. From trolling interviewers with Marx Brothers-like routines to escaping screaming fans who move like hornet swarms, A Hard Day’s Night is less Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and more French New Wave in its freewheeling mischief and ingenuity. 17. The Birds (1963) (Image credit: Universal Pictures) 16. The Graduate (1967) (Image credit: Embassy Pictures) 15. Cool Hand Luke (1967) (Image credit: Warner Bros.) 14. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) (Image credit: MGM) (Image credit: Paramount Pictures) 12. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (Image credit: Columbia Pictures) 11. High and Low (1963) (Image credit: Toho) 10. From Russia With Love (1963) (Image credit: United Artists) 9. Pierrot le Fou (1965) (Image credit: Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC)) 8. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) (Image credit: Paramount Pictures) Audrey Hepburn didn’t just cement her stardom with director Blake Edwards’ Breakfast at Tiffany’s, she guaranteed her immortality. In this giant of a romantic comedy, Hepburn plays Holly Golightly, an eccentric socialite who falls in love with a struggling writer (George Peppard). Mickey Rooney’s racist portrayal of a Japanese neighbor aside, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is effervescent and chic, a film that takes the love in your heart and dresses it up in mod fashion. Hepburn’s look as Holly remains ubiquitous as a symbol of timeless beauty, and it’s hard to argue why. One glance from her into Edwards’ camera lens, and all of us are head over high-priced heels. 7. La Dolce Vita (1960) (Image credit: Columbia Pictures) 6. The Wild Bunch (1969) (Image credit: Warner Bros.) 5. 8 ½ (1963) (Image credit: Columbia Pictures) Italian filmmaker Frederico Fellini famously turned his camera on himself, somewhat, in his film about the struggles of maintaining authorship and individuality in a field subject to public scrutiny. In Fellini’s eighth movie (hence the title), actor Marcello Mastroianni stars as Guido Anselmi, a director desperately trying to maintain his identity through the rigorous, self-eroding process of helming a big budget science fiction picture. All the while, Guido thinks about the various women in his life. A surrealist meta black comedy that blurs the lines delineating kayfabe, 8 ½ is rightfully considered one of the greatest movies about making movies ever made. 4. West Side Story (1961) (Image credit: United Artists) 3. Eyes Without a Face (1960) (Image credit: Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France) 2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (Image credit: MGM) No movie defines the 1960s yet still feels out of time like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Following up two mega-classics, Lolita (1962) and Dr. Strangelove (1964), Kubrick gazed into the stars with a majestic science fiction epic that adapts Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel.” The scope of 2001 is enormous, being a movie that spans literal eons from mankind’s primate origins to, what Kubrick predicts, our sophistication as a space-faring species. But no matter how far progress takes us, man is still subject to inexplicable violence. And so, on the Discovery One’s journey to Jupiter, the artificial intelligence HAL 9000 has some of its own ideas about survival than its meatbag masters might like. Beautifully composed and ominous in an otherworldly sense, 2001: A Space Odyssey leaped cinema forward with just a touch of a black monolith. 2001: A Space Odyssey$3.99at Amazon$15.58at Amazon$21.88at Amazon 2001: A Space Odyssey $3.99at Amazon$15.58at Amazon$21.88at Amazon $3.99at Amazon $15.58at Amazon $21.88at Amazon 1. 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available on PC Game Pass GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”