The most culturally significant events of the 20th century are the invention of Movies and Television. Nothing else has impacted on the world psyche as much as these. All other developments – including the Hydrogen Bomb, the Apollo Moon Walk, Women’s Suffrage movement, and the fall of the Berlin Wall and so on – have been assisted and given more relevance by the invention of moving picture processing and projection. Even the Internet would be less impactful if all that was on it was words in print.
Many of the most enlightened individuals have been attracted to these media – as have many of the most degraded human beings. The tension created by these incompatible forces operating in the same domain generates the space and opportunity for the expansion of human consciousness to occur.
If you are interested in mind awakening, studying movies and television is an ideal and even socially acceptable pass time. The trick is to study the proper images.
This is not a list of the greatest movies ever made – not by any stretch of the term. In fact most of these films are considered crap by the uninitiated. However, these movies offer an attitude and point of view about human life that is enlightening. They speak of human ideals, of rising beyond conflicts, of finding alternative ways of dealing with issues. The characters don’t take themselves seriously and want to try to achieve something noble – even if they are functionally incapable of doing so – still they strive for the good and work in their own ways to bring it about in their lives.
Currently, the list is based on my own memory of films seen rather than a lot of research and comparison. The list is far from a complete catalog of all illuminated movies. As time goes by, more films will be added to the list and some descriptive comments added.
If you think a movie is missing from this list – or you are wondering why a particular movie has been included, leave a comment and maybe we can discuss it.
NOTE: this is intended as an educational and entertainment site. All pictures are used solely to generate interest in the works mentioned and have NO commercial intention.
Movies
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
A Christmas Carol (Scrooge) (1951)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
A Night at the Opera (1935)
A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
A Room with a View (1985)
A Simple Wish (1997)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Abominable Dr. Phibes, the (1971)
Addams Family Values (1993)
Addams Family, the (1991)
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
After Hours (1985)
Aladdin (1992)
Alien (1979)
All of Me (1984)
Amelie (2001) France
Angel on my Shoulder (1946)
Angels in the Outfield (1951)
Animal Crackers (1930)
Annie Hall (1977)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Ashes and Snow (2005)
Bab’Aziz – the Prince Who Contemplated His Soul (2005) Iran, Tunisia
Bambi (1942)
Bananas (1971)
Batman (1989)
Batman Begins (2005)
Batman Returns (1992)
Batman: The Dark Knight (2008)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Being John Malkovitch (1999)
Being There (1979)
Ben- Hur (1959)
Bitter Sweet (1940)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Blue Hawaii (1961)
Blues Brothers (1980)
Brazil (1985)
Breaking Glass (1980)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
Caddyshack (1980)
Casablanca (1942)
Cast Away (2000)
Cat Ballou (1965)
Chariots of the Gods? (1970) Germany
Chicken Run (2000)
Chinatown (1974)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Cinderella (1950)
Cinderella (1957 and 1965)
City Lights (1931)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Cocoon (1985)
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Contact (1997)
Continental Divide (1981)
Dances with Wolves (1990)
Dead of Night (1945)
Defending Your Life (1991)
Diary of a Madman (1963)
Dogma (1999)
Dogra Magra (1988) Japan
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Duck Soup (1933)
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982)
Ed Wood (1994)
Ella Enchanted (2004)
Enchanted (2007)
Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
Erendira (1983) Mexico
Fantasia (1940)
Faraway, So Close (1993) Germany
Fargo (1996)
Field of Dreams (1989)
First Born (1984)
Fist of Fury (1972) China
Food Inc. (2008)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Fur: an Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
Ghost (1990)
Ghost World (2001)
Ghostbusters (1984)
God Man Dog (2007) Taiwan
Gozu (2003) Japan
Groundhog Day (1993)
Harvey (1950)
Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959)
Hercules (1958) Italy
High Plains Drifter (1973)
Home of the Brave: a Film by Laurie Anderson (1986)
Honky Tonk Freeway (1981)
Houdini (1953)
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Into the Night (1985)
I Married a Witch (1942)
I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
Images (1972)
It Started with Eve (1941)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
James Joyce’s Women (1983)
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Jaws (1975)
Key Largo (1948)
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Kingpin (1996)
Kundun (1997)
Kwaidan (1965) Japan
Ladyhawke (1985)
Last Year at Marienbad (1961) France
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Let it Ride (1989)
Life is Beautiful (1997) Italy
Lilo and Stitch (2002)
Little Buddha (1994)
Little Voice (1998)
Lost Horizon (1937)
Loving You (1957)
Mary Poppins (1964)
Matilda (1996)
Maytime (1937)
Metropolis (1927) German
Milky Way (2007) Hungary
Miracles (1986)
Mistress of Spices, the (2005)
Modern Times (1936)
Mom and Dad Save the World (1992)
Monkey Business (1931)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python’s the Life of Brian (1979)
Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life (1983)
Moonstruck (1987)
Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video (1979)
Mr. Mom (1983)
Mystery Train (1989)
Naughty Marietta (1935)
Neighbors (1981)
Network (1976)
Night Patrol (1984)
Ninotchka (1939)
O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
Oh God! (1977)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
One From the Heart (1982)
Out Cold (1989)
Papillon (1973)
Peaceful Warrior (2006)
Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Queen of Spades, the (1949)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Road to Morocco (1942)
Rocky Horror Picture Show, the (1975)
Rollerball (1975)
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
Semi-Tough (1977)
Seven Samurai (1954) Japan
Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
Sewer (aka Imburnal)(2008) Philippines
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Shirley Valentine (1989)
Short Time (1990)
Siddhartha (1972)
Silver Streak (1976)
Sleeper (1973)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Smilin’ Through (1941) & (1932)
Slantmagazine (1941)
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Some Like it Hot (1959)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Sons of the Desert (1933)
Soylent Green (1973)
Spider-Man (2002)
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Wars (1977)
Stripes (1981)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
Superman: the Movie (1978)
Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)
Tales of Terror (1962)
Tangled (2010)
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
The Big Lebowski, (1998)
The Black Cat (1934)
The Black Stallion (1979)
The Borrowers (1973)
The Cannonball Run (1981)
The Court Jester (1956)
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The Escape Artist (1982)
The Fountain (2006)
The Fourth Dimension (2001)
The General (1927)
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964) Italy
The Gospel of John (2003)
The Gold Rush (1925)
The Goodbye Girl (1977)
The Goonies (1985)
The Great Dictator (1940)
The Green Mile (1999)
The Holy Mountain (1973)
The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)
The Invisible Ray (1936)
The Jerk (1979)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Kid (1921)
The Last temptation of Christ (1988)
The Longest Yard (1974)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
The Man Who Would be King (1975)
The Matrix (1999)
The Milky Way (1969) France
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
The Nativity (1978)
The Nativity Story (2006)
The Nutty Professor (1963)
The Omega Man (1971)
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
The Producers (1968)
The Raven (1963)
The Razor’s Edge (1946 &1984)
The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (1978)
The Secret of Kells (2009) Belgium, U.K.
The Seventh Seal (1957) Sweden
The Seventh Sign (1988)
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
The Sound of Music (1965)
The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) Spain
The Story of Mankind (1057)
The Taste of Tea (2004) Japan
The Terminator (1984)
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
The Thief of Bagdad (1961) Italy
The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Whoopee Boys (1986)
Theatre of Blood (1973)
They Live (1988)
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Three Lives of Thomasina (1964)
Thunder Rock (1942)
To Be or Not to Be (1942) (1983)
Tootsie (1982)
Topper (1937)
Trading Places (1983)
Transformers (2007)
Travellers and Magicians (2003) Bhutan
Trilogy of Terror (1975)
Twice-Told Tales (1963)
Ulysses (1955)
Ulysses (1967)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall his Past Lives (2010) Thailand, France
Unforgiven (1992)
Up in Smoke (1978)
Vanishing Point (1971)
Vibes (1988)
Victor / Victoria (1982)
Videodrome (1983)
W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings (1975)
Waking Life (2001)
What Time is it There? (2001) Taiwan, France
Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989)
Willow (1988)
Witches Brew (1980)
Witches of Eastwick, the (1987)
Wings of Desire (1987) Germany
Wizard of Oz, the (1939)
Working Girl (1988)
You Can’t Take it With You (1938)
Young Doctors in Love (1982)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Zoolander (2001)
Zorba the Greek (1964)
antilariUth
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything like this just before. So nice to find somebody with some original thoughts on this topic. realy thank you for starting this up. this web site is some thing that is necessary on the internet, a person with a small originality. useful job for bringing some thing new to the internet!
Michael
Thanks. Glad you like it.
history freemasonry
Hey there! I’ve been following your website for some time now and lastly got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Lubbock Tx! Simply wanted to state keep up the good job!
Michael
Thanks. Hope you keep reading.
antilariUth
You should take part in a contest for among the best blogs on the internet. I will advise this site!
EnsurnTutvist
Amazing Post.thanks for share..additional wait ..
Michael
Thanks.
SteersGrark
quite nice post, i surely love this webpage, maintain on it
Michael
Thank you.
pommonconculk
Hello! I just would like to give an enormous thumbs up for the good info you’ve got here on this post. I are going to be coming back to your weblog for even more soon.
Michael
Thank you.