Classic Movies of All Time

There's nothing quite like a good movie is there? The kind that stays with you after the credits have rolled, and isn't quite forgotten, no matter how long it's been since you've watched a rerun. Although there are a number of really good movies and then some, you don't quite make it to the list of classic movies of all time unless there's a special something, a special poignancy, just a certain je ne sais quoi about them that marks their distinction from the rest.

Classic movies stand the test of time - they are appreciated from one generation to the next, and don't quite lose their appeal. So while there may be individual opinions and deviations galore, some movies will always stand out, for their unparalleled greatness.

An inevitable entry to any classic movies list, who can forget the brilliance of the adaptation of MM Kaye's novel, with Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable as Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler? The movie quote that gained as much acclaim was Rhett Butler's "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!"

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman star in this all time classic, set against the backdrop of the Second World War. This movie was the one that gave rise to the classic movie quote "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine."

Based on Mario Puzo's acclaimed novel of the same name, no list of classic movies of all time would be complete without a mention of the 1972 American gangster drama, the first in a trilogy. Starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino in pivotal roles, The Godfather left an indelible mark on the minds of movie goers worldwide.

The American drama, starring Orson Welles is regarded by many as the greatest movie of all time. Based on the life of the American newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, the film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and made it to the top slot in the American Film Industry's 100 Years ... 100 Movies list.

This epic film, starring Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif, was an offering of the British film industry based on the life of T.E Lawrence's experiences in Arabia during the First World War.

The first film to win all five major Academy Awards, It Happened One Night is one of the few comedies in list of classic movies. It starred Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, and was based on the story Night Bus, by Samuel Hopkins Adams.

This 1975 American drama, with a young, irreverent Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher as the cold, tyrannical Nurse Ratched was the second movie to win all five major Academy Awards.

Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller garnered critical acclaim upon its release in 1960. Based on the book by Robert Bloch, Psycho became famous enough to make Norman Bates a household name. Widely recognized as Hitchcock's finest movie, Psycho received four Academy Award nominations, it's also my pick as one of the top thriller movies ever made.

The American drama, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name by Harper Lee, starred Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, the lawyer father of two children. To Kill a Mockingbird made it to the tp slot of AFI's best courtroom dramas of all time, naming Atticus Finch the lawyer who fought against racism, the greatest movie hero of the 20th Century (and it ranks high on a list of must watch movies of all time).

The epic Russian love story, starred Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, was based loosely on the novel by Boris Pasternek. It remains to this day, one of the classic movies of all time.

• The Grapes of Wrath
• The Philadelphia Story
• The Maltese Falcon
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• All Quiet on the Western Front
• The Shawshank Redemption
• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
• Sophie's Choice
• Spartacus
• Pulp Fiction

• The Sound of Music
• ET the Extra Terrestrial
• The Wizard of Oz
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• Mary Poppins
• The Swiss Family Robinson

• Toy Story
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• Annie
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• The Parent Trap

Any inclusion in a list of classic has earned its place in the sun. While many of these movies speak of great strife and yearning, each will leave an indelible mark for the sheer brilliance of cinema. It's terribly difficult to enlist just a few, but the above is my selection of the best movies of all time. When the dream merchants peddle their celluloid fantasies through these fabulous movies, you'll forget your world for the duration that you watch. Why don't you give them a whirl?