Classic movies are a great source of familiar comfort. There’s nothing like returning to an old classic or getting lost in a bygone era. But where exactly do you go for those movies?
The good news is that classic films haven’t been discarded in the age of streaming. You just need to know where to look, and it’s not as far as you may think.
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The Criterion Channel
The Criterion Channel is more than just a repository of the distributor’s most acclaimed preservation of film. That said, it’s absolutely worth the price for the iconic samurai films of Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai), as well as the challenging Soviet-era sci-fi of Andrei Tarkovsky (Stalker). Some of the best movies from around the globe reside here, and many of them have become the greatest inspiration for modern filmmakers.
The highlight of the Criterion Channel is that some of the films come bundled with the special features found on their Blu-rays. These supplemental videos include interviews, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes features, and, perhaps most exclusive, audio commentary tracks.
Here are the essential classics to check out on The Criterion Channel:
- Seven Samurai (1954)
- The Seventh Seal (1957)
- Modern Times (1939)
- The Battle of Algiers (1966)
- 8½ (1963)
- Stalker (1979)
The Criterion Channel
The Criterion Channel has plenty of classic films that have been lovingly restored.
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Tubi
Browsing through Tubi is like taking a trip to your best friend’s basement filled with obscure VHS tapes. There’s no shortage of odd films present that you can’t find anywhere else online. But what’s more impressive is the free service’s selection of recognizable classics.
Tubi doesn’t so much have a little bit of everything, but a lot of every genre. Delving into their menu of cult classics, you can find such wild pictures as the iconic blaxploitation romp Coffy and Ralph Bakshi’s musical animated epic American Pop.
These are the classics you should seek out on Tubi:
- The Magnificent Seven (1960)
- The Apartment (1960)
- Metropolis (1927)
- 12 Angry Men (1957)
- The Great Escape (1963)
- American Pop (1981)
- Coffy (1973)
- Kill, Baby, Kill (1966)
Tubi
Tubi has plenty of classic films from old Hollywood as well as lesser-known films you can’t find anywhere else online.
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MUBI
MUBI is more specific in its selection of classic movies. The catalog is mostly arthouse and foreign, considering the app boasts films from festivals around the globe. Essentially, MUBI is for the cinephile who wants to boast about how many obscure movies they’ve watched.
There’s a consistent freshness to how MUBI rotates its catalog, constantly adding new and classic films. You can easily go from watching Lars Von Trier’s 1998 provocative classic The Idiots to something as recent as the revered body horror, The Substance. We’ve covered MUBI’s service in more depth as well.
Here are the rare gems you can expect on MUBI:
- The Idiots (1998)
- Breaking the Waves (1996)
- You Hide Me (1970)
- Candy Mountain (1987)
MUBI
MUBI has a rotating series of arthouse movies that includes classic films from around the world.
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Max
Oddly enough, despite the great Discovery purging of streaming titles, Warner Bros hasn’t skimped on the classics for Max. Well, one part of Max, anyway. Navigate around the various hubs and you’ll find Turner Classic Movies.
Longtime cinephiles know Turner Classic Movies’ historical importance on television. The cable channel still exists today as a commercial-free broadcast for 20th-century cinema. Most of the channel’s offerings end up on Max, from the intoxicating musical numbers of Singin’ in the Rain to the surreal sci-fi of 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are even some classic time-travel movies if you’re into that.
(L-R) Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, and Gene Kelly from Singin’ in the Rain.
While Max doesn’t boast the same curated host segments as watching TCM on cable, it still has a fine selection of old movies worth watching. Richard Donner’s Superman remains one of the best superhero films ever made, thanks to its balance of stunning special effects and charming writing. You can learn as much about superhero cinema from that film as you can about existentialism from The Seventh Seal, also on Max.
It should be noted that Max has a lot of titles from The Criterion Channel. Since Criterion boasts a more eclectic selection and special features, Max might be the lesser option. But if you’re already using the service for watching The Last of Us, it’s good to know you can access Criterion classics like Akira Kurosawa’s somber Ikaru and Yasujiro Ozu’s melodrama Late Spring.
Here are some of the classic titles you can find on Max:
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- Superman: The Movie (1978)
- The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- Carrie (1976)
- Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
- Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
- Taxi Driver (1976)
MAX
Max’s Turner Classic Movie section has plenty of classic films from more than just the Warner Bros. vault.
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Pluto TV
If sorting through the myriad classic cinema offerings feels like a chore, Pluto TV is the simple— and cheapest —choice. The free ad-based stream app, similar to Tubi in some respects, boasts live channels over on-demand selections. So, if you’re unsure which classic movies to watch, Pluto TV will choose them for you on either their classic or decade-specific movie streams.
The on-demand classic movie choices are stellar. Pluto TV carries a vast collection of classic movies, with subgenres organized by genre and actor. There’s an entire section specifically for Jerry Lewis films, and the selection is relatively large, spanning from The Nutty Professor to The Patsy. The service is also noteworthy for its bulky selection of Westerns, so numerous that John Wayne’s pictures get their own category.
These are the classics you can expect on Pluto TV:
- Some Like it Hot (1959)
- A Night To Remember (1958)
- The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
- The Italian Job (1969)
- The African Queen (1951)
- The Killing (1956)
- Detour (1945)
Pluto TV
Pluto TV has a collection of classic films that can either be selected or watched on the various classic film streams.
These channels serve a purpose far greater than providing the comfort of classic cinema. Historical insight and filmmaking techniques are worth studying in these revered pictures. So don’t be afraid to load up these services and seek out something new from the past. There might be a new favorite waiting in the depths of Tubi’s Westerns or Criterion’s samurai epics.
