Essential Warner Bros. Films

This year one of the greatest studios in film history and a juggernaut of popular culture celebrated its centennial anniversary. The studio Jack Warner and his brothers built where legends like Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Cagney, Bette Davis, Bugs Bunny, and countless others were forged, has been a major force in cinematic history. To celebrate a history of Warner Bros. let us look at the essential films from this storied studio (exceptions for films produced by other studios that Warner eventually obtained like Citizen Kane and 2001 A Space Odyssey). So here in no particular order, are the essential films from Warner Bros.

Casablanca: The undisputed crown-jewel of the Warner Bros. collection and arguably the quintessential film of American cinema. The town of Casablanca has become an international purgatory for refugees from the Nazi war machine. It is here that brooding American ex-pat Rick is content to run his club ignoring the world’s problems. But the world’s problems waltz through his door in the form of the love of his life Isla and her famed freedom fighter husband Victor. For the sake of the Allied cause, Isla must get Victor out of Casablanca, but the local Nazi detachment are willing do whatever necessary to keep him in Casablanca. This leaves Rick caught in the middle as he has the ability to help the couple escape, but it would mean losing Isla all over again.

The Searchers: The director/actor combo of John Ford and John Wayne are one of the greatest duos in movie history, especially within the western genre. Of all the films the Pappy and the Duke made together, the Searchers stands as perhaps their finest achievement seen as the greatest wester ever made. One of moviedom’s greatest antiheroes Ethan Edwards believes he can finally get away from years of combat and settle down on his brother’s ranch for a new life. However, a raid from American Indians leaves most of his family dead and his two nieces kidnapped. The old soldier is called once again to saddle-up and fight as he travels the west searching for answers even though he may not like what he finds.

The Public Enemy: During the Great Depression, WB was able to remain popular thanks to their series of gangster films. Perhaps the greatest was this Pre-Code crime tale that turned Jimmy Cagney into a star as the ruthless psycho Tom Powers. Much to the chagrin of his upstanding brother, Tom sees the Prohibition as a means to make money and rise up the underworld ranks. His toughness and willingness to commit violence earns Tom respect, power, and women but also puts a target on his back. When a rival gang starts gunning for him, Tom is willing to go down only when taking the rest of them down with him in the film’s memorable climax.

The Exorcist: It is rare that a horror movie becomes a hit beyond genre faithful and making even the stuffiest of critics acknowledge its terrifying power. This 1973 William Friedkin masterpiece is one of the films in this rarified air as it is still regarded by many to this day as the scariest film ever made. When her daughter, Reagan begins exhibiting strange behaviors, Chris MacNeil is unable to find a natural reason so she must look to the supernatural. She turns to the troubled priest Father Karras who discovers, that the young girl has been taken possession of by a demonic entity. Calling in one of the few priests with experience in such things in Father Merrin, an exorcism must be performed if there is any hope of saving her life and her soul as well.

The Maltese Falcon: In the 1940’s crime-based cinema evolved from the gangster movie to the film noir and first-time filmmaker John Huston pioneered this evolution. Warner had adapted the acclaimed mystery story twice before, but this 1941 masterpiece changed the game with its dark, gritty tone and morally grey protagonist. When his partner is murdered, private eye Sam Spade sees himself pulled into a world where a crime boss, an assassin, and a femme fatale are searching for the fabled Maltese Falcon. In over his head, Spade has to rely on his guts, wits, and toughness to survive this urban treasure hunt.

Superman: Today, blockbuster superhero movies dominate theaters and have done so for years now. However, there was a time when a big budget, A-list superhero movies were avoided by studios like the plague. It was the vision of then-rising director Richard Donner that changed this forever when he guided the first comic book hero to the big screen in Superman. With an all-star cast led by a then-unknown Christopher Reeve audiences of 1978 believed a man could fly. Hoping to make his adopted homeworld better, the Man of Steel sets out to help those in need. Balancing his new superhero career with his new job at the Daily Planet working with Lois Lane, becomes even more difficult when Lex Luthor enacts a nefarious scheme for wealth and power.

Enter the Dragon: For American audiences, Bruce Lee was finally growing beyond the sidekick from the Green Hornet and becoming a certified movie star as his martial arts films found their way across the Pacific and struck a chord with fans. Warner Bros. noticed this and produced what many consider the Master of Jeet Kune Do’s greatest film Enter the Dragon. An international crime lord hosts a martial arts tournament on his private island, and one of the competitors, Lee is there with the mission of bringing him down. Not only does he have to evade enemies, but Lee also has to face-off against fellow tough guys like John Saxon, Jim Kelly, and Chuck Norris to win it all.

Blazing Saddles: The movie every boomer proclaims “couldn’t be made today” was one that Warner Bros. was not all that crazy about making in 1974. All of us who love this brilliant and controversial comedy should be grateful that the studio honored their agreement with satirical master Mel Brooks giving us what is possibly his funniest picture. Besieged by crime, the town of Rockridge requests a sheriff, which the conniving Heddy Lamar…sorry Hedley grants this request in the form of Bart, a black former railroad worker who is immediately despised by the racist community. But when every criminal on the backlot attacks the town, Bart may be the only one who can save the day all leading to one of the most bonkers finales in movie history.

Goodfellas: In their early days Warner Bros. was the home to the gangster film in the same way Universal was associated with horror and MGM with musicals. Six decades later, legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese proved this was still the studio where bad guys thrived with his adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s true crime novel. All of his life Henry Hill wanted to be a gangster, leading to him falling in with Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito. For years everything is exactly the way he envisioned, but when the Feds start cracking down and paranoia sets in, Henry finds that being in the mob is not without consequences.

Wonder Woman: In an era where superheroes dominated the big screen, audiences had plenty of choices in watching Iron MAN, Spider-MAN, BatMAN, I think you may have noticed the pattern. In 2017, the first mainstream superheroine was called upon to once again bust the patriarchy in a new medium as Wonder Woman proved a woman could be the lead of a superhero flick and it could be a smash hit. In a starmaking performance Gal Gadot brings the Amazonian Princess to life as she follows Steve Trevor to man’s realm where the world is embroiled in war. Wielding the strength of her people, Wonder Woman sets out to bring peace to a people who need it.

House of Wax: To this day Vincent Price is regarded as one of the greatest icons of the horror genre and this 3-D blockbuster is where the Merchant of Menace showed the world what he could do when turned lose in the genre demonstrating a unique blend of charm and menace. A remake of a Fay Wray movie, Vincent Price plays the artist behind a newly opened wax museum earning rave reviews from the public. But, Sue believes the figures are too lifelike and it could be tied to a series of murders going on. As she digs deeper for the truth the young woman may end up on permanent display at the museum.

All the President’s Men: In the world of journalism the duo of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are regarded as legends, being the two men who fearlessly brought down a president. While we all saw the glory which came at the end of their work, the two Washington Post reporters had to navigate a web of conspiracies and intimidation, which is brought to life in this masterpiece of a political thriller. Woodward and Bernstein are portrayed by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman in two of the best performances of their respective careers. Together they follow the money to arrive at the truth, breaking the Watergate scandal wide open.

The Adventures of Robin Hood: Being one of the most famous characters in all of fiction, the Robber of the Rich, has been the subject of countless films, but none have been better than this 1938 action classic. In his most iconic role, moviedom’s greatest swashbuckler Errol Flynn brings Robin Hood to life leading an all-star cast including Olivia de Havilland, Claude Rains, and his frequent dueling partner Basil Rathbone. A visually lavish and rollicking masterpiece which still stands as the greatest Robin Hood film of all-time.

THEM!: During the Cold War the movie monsters that scared moviegoers were no longer the creatures of gothic literature, but were now products of the bomb which had changed the world a few years earlier. This science fiction classic easily ranked among the best to prey on this new terror In the desert of New Mexico, a traumatized young girl is found terrified of “THEM!” This leads to an exploration of the desert and the discovery of a nest of giant ants created by the radiation from the nearby nuclear testing site. As these creatures begin to spread, a team of scientists and soldiers must stop this new threat spawned by this new Atomic Age.

Dark Victory: During the 1930’s and 40’s Bette Davis was the undisputed queen of Warner Bros. thanks to a series of towering dramatic performances. Perhaps the best of these came in 1939, the year many cite as the year in movie history. As a wealthy Long Island socialite, Judy Traherne leads a carefree life until a trip to a medical specialist reveals she has a tumor that will eventually render her blind followed shortly by death. Initially the doctor hopes to keep this a secret from the heiress, but when the truth comes out Judy challenges her reputation as a vapid hedonist by taking on her inevitable mortality with a strength few believed she had.

A Clockwork Orange: The depiction of violence in media has been a hot topic issue for decades, and in an era when dystopian science fiction ruled, visionary director Stanley Kubrick used the genre as a means to explore the issue. Sociopath, Alex DeLarge is betrayed by his Droogs and sent to prison where he undergoes an experimental procedure rendering him incapable of committing violence. This also leaves Alex unable to defend himself when the ramifications of his past evils arises.

Dirty Harry: “Do you feel lucky? Well do you punk?” possibly the most iconic badass line ever muttered in a film came courtesy of Clint Eastwood in this neo-noir classic. When a serial killer is on the loose in San Francisco, “Dirty” Harry Callahan is only cop who can stop him, red tape and regulations be damned. As the killer, Scorpio ups his game taunting the police along the way, the higher-ups put up more pressure and obstacles for the take-no-crap inspector.

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane: It had been years since Bette Davis was fawned over as the greatest actress in film, now she was older and is sadly the case this meant mainstream Hollywood increasingly distanced itself from her. While her usual prestige offers dried up, the horror genre welcomed Davis with open arms. In the performance that made her an icon of the genre, while playing on her true life rivalry with co-star Joan Crawford, Bette Davis played “Baby” Jane a aged former child star bitterly caring for her wheelchair bound sister Blanche. This causes the former star’s mind to crack as she wages a campaign of psychological torment against her helpless sister.

Batman: In 1978, Warner proved superhero movies could be big business with their biggest hero, and in 1989 their other tentpole hero cemented the genre. Striking fear into the criminals of Gotham City is the mysterious new vigilante, Batman. His nocturnal crime fighting draws the attention of famed photojournalist Vicki Vale as well as the demented new threat the Joker. The Batmania spawned by this movie propelled the Dark Knight back into the mainstream solidifying him as one of the studio’s greatest properties continuing to this day with films like the Dark Knight trilogy and The Batman.

The Wild Bunch: The 1960’s saw Hollywood evolve and the western, one of the medium’s key genres was fading in prevalence. But if the style of cinema was going to head down the dusty trail, legendary director Sam Peckinpah was going to send it off on the grittiest and most violent salute possible. With a stellar cast of grizzled Hollywood veterans assembled, the Wild Bunch are an aged bunch of bandits looking to pull one last big job. But when they are double-crossed the Bunch see no other option than to fight back in one of the most memorably bloody shoot-outs in movie history.

The Shining: When Stanley Kubrick adapted a novel from legendary horror writer Stephen King, he ran with the source material turning it into a haunting masterpiece. Hoping to find some solitude to write his novel, Jack Torrence takes his wife Wendy and son Danny, to his new job as the winter caretaker of a resort. Isolated from society, Jack’s personal demons and the ghosts of the hotel’s past begin to drive the patriarch mad and his family will inevitably pay the price.

The Matrix: The 1990’s were marked with advances of visual fx onscreen, seemingly hitting its zenith with this trippy sci-fi actioner. Following the trail of the mysterious Morpheus, a hacker soon learns the truth that the world is a lie, a simulation created by humanity’s machine overlords. He is welcomed into a small band of human resistance fighter who regard him as the chosen one, Neo, who can liberate humanity once and for all.