The following classic films are available on the platform Tubi to stream for free.
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Nosferatu (1922), dir. F.W. Murnau
A German real estate agent is sent to Transylvania to purchase a castle owned by a count with a shadowy secret (hint: it rhymes with ‘shampire’). This film is notable for being the earliest surviving – but 100% unauthorised – film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. A highly anticipated remake by Robert Eggers is due to hit cinemas in December of this year, so now is the perfect time to acquaint yourself with the OG bloodsucker.
Country: Germany/UK
Classification: M
Runtime: 95m
What the critics say:
Nosferatu has a weighted average of 3.9 stars on Letterboxd, a 97% score on the Tomatometer, and an 87% audience score. The critics consensus reads:
One of the silent era’s most influential masterpieces, Nosferatu‘s eerie, gothic feel – and a chilling performance from Max Schreck as the vampire – set the template for the horror films that followed.
Rotten Tomatoes
Crazed Fruit (1956), dir. Kô Nakahira
During the course of one carefree summer, two young brothers fall for the same woman, whose charm and good looks may hide more than they they bargained for. It’s noteworthy for depicting Japanese youth as rebels who reject the ways of tradition, following the cultural shift of post-WWII society. The wave of films that explored this theme were collectively known as ‘Sun Tribe’ films.
Country: Japan
Classification: M
Runtime: 109m
What the critics say:
Crazed Fruit has a weighted average of 3.7 stars on Letterboxd, a 100% score on the Tomatometer, and an 82% audience score. Chris Barsanti of Slant writes:
The difference with Crazed Fruit is that it not only took its fresh, exciting look straight from the French New Wave, but also took a straightforward approach to sex previously almost unheard of in teen movies made in both Japan and America.
Slant
Metropolis (1927), dir. Fritz Lang
One of the most significant science fiction films of the silent era. In a futuristic city sharply divided by class, a high society man falls in love with a working-class woman – a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior. This film inspired Star Wars, Blade Runner, and so much more.
Country: Germany
Classification: PG
Runtime: 144m
What the critics say:
Metropolis has a weighted average of 4.3 stars on Letterboxd, a 97% score on the Tomatometer, and a 92% audience score. The critics consensus says:
A visually awe-inspiring science fiction classic from the silent era.
Rotten Tomatoes
The Third Man (1949), dir. Carol Reed
Holly Martins, a pulp novelist, arrives in post-war Vienna to visit a friend who he discovers is dead, with a trail of unanswered questions about his shady dealings left behind. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a ‘third man’ present at the time of his friend’s death, but runs into interference from British officer Major Calloway.
Country: UK
Classification: M
Runtime: 106m
What the critics say:
The Third Man has a weighted average of 4.3 stars on Letterboxd, a 99% score on the Tomatometer, and a 93% audience score. The critics consensus is as follows:
This atmospheric thriller is one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema, and boasts iconic performances from Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles.
Rotten Tomatoes
Steamboat Bill, Jr (1928), dir. Buster Keaton
In this classic Buster Keaton comedy, the bumbling William Canfield Jr, AKA Steamboat Bill Jr, comes home after college to join his hard-nosed father’s crew. When a cyclone rages in town, he must prove himself a hero by rescuing his love and her father from a watery grave. If nothing else, Keaton’s death-defying falling-facade stunt makes Steamboat Bill Jr a must-see.
Country: USA
Classification: PG
Runtime: 70m
What the critics say:
Steamboat Bill Jr. has a weighted average of 4 stars on Letterboxd, a 96% score on the Tomatometer, and a 91% audience score. The critics consensus reads:
If it’s a bit lighter on laughs than some other Buster Keaton pictures, Steamboat Bill Jr. more than makes up for it with some absolutely brilliant set pieces.
Rotten Tomatoes
Le Samouraï (1967), dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
Professional hitman Jef Costello (Alain Delon) prides himself in being calm and thorough, i.e. having ‘samurai’ instincts – but after a piano player witnesses him assassinating the club owner, his efforts to provide himself with an alibi drive him further into a corner.
Country: France, Italy
Classification: MA
Runtime: 105m
What the critics say:
Le Samouraï has a weighted average of 4.3 stars on Letterboxd, with a 100% score on the Tomatometer and a 94% audience score. The critics consensus says:
Le Samouraï makes the most of its spare aesthetic, using stylish – and influential – direction, solid performances, and thick atmosphere to weave an absorbing story.
Rotten Tomatoes
Bicycle Thieves (1948), dir. Vittorio De Sica
In post-war Italy, Antonio’s bicycle is stolen. Already unemployed, this loss greatly affects his ability to find work. Desperate to rectify the situation, he and his son set out on the streets of Rome to find the bike. This film is widely considered(by Martin Scorsese and the like) to be essential viewing of the Italian neo-realist era.
Country: Italy
Classification: PG
Runtime: 89m
What the critics say:
Bicycle Thieves has a weighted average of 4.3 stars on Letterboxd, with a 99% rating on the Tomatometer, and a 94% audience score. The critics consensus says:
An Italian neorealism exemplar, Bicycle Thieves thrives on its non-flashy performances and searing emotion.
Rotten Tomatoes
The Trial (1963), dir. Orson Welles
Based on the Franz Kafka novel, an unassuming office worker (Anthony Perkins) is arrested one morning, but for reasons that won’t be revealed to him. The situation becomes more and more nightmarish as he is forced to stand trial for the mysterious charges. This film is a searing commentary on the unfairness of the justice system and remains relevant to this day.
Country: USA, France, Germany, Italy
Classification: PG
Runtime: 119m
What the critics say:
The Trial has a weighted average of 4 stars on Letterboxd, with an 84% score on the Tomatometer and an audience score of 87%. The critics consensus is as follows:
Orson Welles may take big liberties in his adaptation of The Trial, but the auteur constructs an absurd nightmare that is unmistakably Kafkaesque — grounded by an excellent Anthony Perkins as the befuddled Josef K.
Rotten Tomatoes
Stray Dog (1949) dir. Akira Kurosawa
After having his Colt pistol lifted from his pocket on a bus ride, Murakami (Toshirô Mifune), a young and inexperienced homicide detective, launches a frantic investigation to try to recover it. Meanwhile, the missing gun is implicated in a crime spree.
Country: Japan
Classification: PG
Runtime: 123m
What the critics say:
Stray Dog has a weighted average of 4 stars on Letterboxd, with a 96% score on the Tomatometer, and a 91% audience score. Terrence Raffert of the Criterion Collection wrote:
Stray Dog isn’t an ideally efficient detective thriller; the excitement it provides is deeper and more satisfying than simple suspense.
Criterion Collection
Wings (1927), dir. William A. Wellman
Two rivals from different classes, who are both in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots during World War I. Their love for the woman and the challenges of the US Air Corps both threaten their inseparable bond. Wings took home the Best Picture Oscar from the first-ever Academy Awards, and is famous for containing a trick tracking-shot that defies belief.
Country: USA
Classification: PG
Runtime: 144m
What the critics say:
Wings has a weighted average of 3.7 stars on Letterboxd, with a 94% Tomatometer score and an audience score of 79%. The critics consensus reads:
Subsequent war epics may have borrowed heavily from the original Best Picture winner, but they’ve all lacked Clara Bow’s luminous screen presence and William Wellman’s deft direction.
Rotten Tomatoes
