Over the past six months, Prime Video has become my favorite streaming service for watching classic movies. While its rivals like Netflix and Max tend to focus on 21st-century flicks, Amazon’s streamer isn’t afraid to look to the past.
Now, just to clear up any confusion, when I say classics here I’m not referring to movies that are a couple of years old, or even films that were released in my lifetime. I’m talking about movies that launched in (and just after) the Golden Era of Hollywood. And yes, that does mean that some of these picks are presented in black and white, but that’s a bonus to me.
This month Prime Video has gone especially hard on James Bond movies with the superspy’s entire collection of action-adventures now available to stream, but there are also some classic picks for viewers who don’t drink martinis and drive a vintage Aston Martin. Here are my top picks of the classic movies added to Prime Video in October 2024.
‘Dr. No’ (1963)
“Dr. No” kickstarted a juggernaut franchise that remains ongoing more than 60 years later. Based on the Ian Fleming novel of the same name, this action thriller sees suave MI6 spy James Bond (Sean Connery) travel to Jamaica to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a fellow British agent. There he meets the alluring Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) and faces off against the eponymous villain, Dr. Julius No (Joseph Wiseman).
This first installment in the Bond cannon introduces many of the franchise’s most iconic elements, including that theme song. Plus, even all these years later it remains one of Bond’s most enjoyable adventures, with a thrilling finale and a winning performance from Connery. Later Bond movies would refine the formula, and deliver a more complete spy narrative, but “Dr. No” came first, and still holds up to this day. Any self-respecting Bond fan must watch it.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Stream it on Prime Video now
‘Goldfinger’ (1965)
Speaking of Bond movies that refined the formula, “Goldfinger” is pretty much the perfect distillation of everything great about the spy series. Connery’s third effort as the MI6 agent sees him investigating a gold tycoon named Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), and eventually uncovering a sinister plot to contaminate the United States gold reserves at Fort Knox and crash the global economy. Along the way, he also meets arguably the most iconic Bond girl Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman), and memorable villain henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata).
Considered the first true “blockbuster” in the franchise — with a budget that eclipses the previous two Bond movies combined — “Goldfinger” is a relentlessly enjoyable action romp. Right from the start, when Bond first encounters the gold magnate at a Miami Beach hotel the stakes are raised, and the action soon flows freely. To this day, it’s a must-watch Bond movie that packages together everything that makes the series so beloved.
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Stream it on Prime Video now
‘Henry V’ (1944)
The legendary Laurence Olivier directs and stars in this adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play, which was produced as a morale booster for the British public during World War II. And even after so many decades have passed, it’s still capable of captivating and entertaining even now. It’s also a remarkable creative way of framing the theatrical source material, as Olivier presents the work both on a stage and in historical locations.
The movie follows the English monarch (played by Olivier) as he demonstrates his abilities as a commander and leader during the Hundred Years’ War. In the middle of this ongoing conflict, Henry V looked to unite a fractured English army to conquer France in 1415. This ‘40s flick also stars Renée Asherson as Princess Katherine, Robert Newton as Ancient Pistol, Felix Aylmer as the Archbishop of Canterbury and Leslie Banks as part of the Chorus. The movie was so well received, that Olivier won an honorary Oscar for his work.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Stream it on Prime Video now
‘Holiday Inn’ (1942)
Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” is a holiday staple that you’ll hear played across shopping malls and grocery stores every single year, but did you know that it was actually written for “Holiday Inn”? The song was one of several written especially for this Bing Crosby and Fed Astaire musical, and its enduring legacy has subsequently surpassed the movie itself.
But that’s no reflection on “Holiday Inn”, as this feel-good musical will have your toe-tapping throughout. It opens with Jim (Crosby) and Lila (Virginia Dale) preparing to leave their New York-based musical act to open a country hotel together. But when Lila reveals she’s fallen in love with the group’s charming dancer Ted (Astaire), Jim must set up the inn alone and with a broken heart. His outlook improves when he books and falls for Linda (Marjorie Reynolds), but soon enough a newly single Ted arrives with eyes on the same girl….again.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Stream it on Prime Video now
‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1956)
One of the most influential sci-fi horror movies ever made, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” made such an impression on American audiences when it hit movie theaters in 1956 that it coined a new slang expression, “pod people.” And while some of its scares are slightly less effective more than 65 years later, the nerve-shredding tension and the movie’s uncomfortable sense of paranoia remain highly impactful. You’ll find yourself second-guessing who is a friend, and who is secretly harboring an alien parasite, throughout this chilling motion picture.
Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy), a doctor in the fictional town of Santa Mira, California, is confused when several of his patients claim emotionless imposters have replaced their loved ones. Miles is initially dismissive of the notion but eventually begins to believe that an army of shapeshifting aliens is slowly invading the town. With his ex-girlfriend (Dana Wynter) and friend (King Donovan) by his side, he sets out to stop the invasion once and for all.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Stream it on Prime Video from October 31
From Russia with Love (1964)
If you’re not sick of James Bond after watching “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” then you’ll want to watch the other beloved Connery 007 movie, “From Russia with Love.” While the Scot would make six EON-produced Bond movies (and one without the traditional Bond distributor, 1983’s “Never Say Never Again”), his first three are considered the peak of the first era of Bond, and “From Russia with Love” is a real fan-favorite (even though I think “Goldfinger” is better).
This time Bond faces a race against time to stop the secret crime organization known as S.P.E.C.T.R.E from getting its hands on a Russian decoding machine, while also romancing a Soviet Consulate clerk, Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), who is looking to defect to the West in exchange for vital information. In this global trotting adventure, Bond travels from Istanbul to Venice, and there are plenty of superspy hijinks along the way. Be sure to watch out for the memorable fight sequence set on a train, it’s the work of action movie magic.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Stream it on Prime Video now
Judgment At Nuremberg (1961)
Taking a hard turn away from the cinematic thrills of James Bond, “Judgement At Nuremberg” is a heavy legal drama with themes of justice and ignorance that feel increasingly relevant to our current society. Directed by Stanley Kramer, it’s a towering drama that was deemed culturally and historically significant enough to be selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry housed in the Library of Congress.
The movie centers on the military tribunal held in Nuremberg, Germany, where four men are accused of crimes against humanity for their involvement in the atrocities committed under the German regime during World War II. American judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) is given the task of reaching a fair verdict, while the Cold War bubbles in the background. It’s a pressure cooker situation, that sees Haywood at the center of an extremely tricky trial that could have ramifications beyond the fate of the four men accused.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Stream it on Prime Video now
