What classic films do you think hold most appeal to children ? Not necessarily children's films but say name a good feature for a young audience from each of the genres on the board.

Its gotta be "Wizard Of Oz" in first place, surely? I loved watching my niece watching Oz when she was about five... she was gripped from beginning to end... I think I got more satisfaction watching her re-action to it than the actual movie.. LOL...

THen secondly it would probably be "Snow White" 1937, by Disney.. ??

Both good choices but fairly obvious children's or family films : would they appeal to all children ? They do to the child in us all.

Kids' tastes these days are so varied. I still believe short comedies would be a good intro, from watching my nephews Laurel and Hardy still work and the Three Stooges. Silents are a harder sell now what about a Keaton or a Lloyd short ? Do these films still work with those with no preconceptions ?

One member once wrote on the board (sorry can't remember his/her name) that the key to acquiring a good appreciation of film was to start with what you know or like and work from there.

Do children love action films well show them a Flynn swashbuckler like Adventures of Robin Hood surely a good one with its vibrant colours ? Is black and white a barrier ? Do the kids love horror films : on the recent podcast on Universal Horror Maria said this was a way in for young people as they know of Dracula or Frankenstein before they see the originals.

I would be interested to hear people's experiences not just with children's reactions but perhaps others who are sceptical about the continuing appeal of the classics.

I don't know what classic films hold most appeal to children but since classic films have no bad language, sex scenes ect a variety of them would be suitable for them.

My little brother who is nine began watching classic films with me when he was 8 coz i was watching them so much. Some of the comedies he doesn't understand as the jokes go right over his head but he knows which bits are funny bcoz of my laughing and is beginning to enjoy them.

At the beginning of the year I bought the fred and ginger boxset and he has seen i think all of their films now. He adores their dancing and the comedy used in their films since its quite simple and sometimes over the top. He also gets quite annoyed when I might say someone was more beautiful or a better dancer than ginger with fred coz he thinks they are the best together. We have seen lots of musicals together and I think that is his prefered genre.

This sort of comedy in musicals is likewise used in screwball which my brother sometimes enjoys as long as he can undersatnd it. I think therefore musicals appeal more coz great music and great dancing speak for themselves.

Overall I think it is the influence of parents and relatives which will cultivate a childs love for classics as my brother is influenced by my love and opinions on different classic films since he is too yong to form his own.

Definitely The Wizard of Oz of course. My niece and nephew love that movie. Including me...lol. :P

Other classic films that might interest children...hmm. I would have to say the Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin films. When I was kid I couldn't get enough of Jerry Lewis. I also think most of Gene Kelly's films are very appealing to kids, like Singin' in the Rain or Du Barry was a Lady (especially this one, considering it stars the hilarious Red Skelton).

All of these above that I've listed, and even the Fred & Ginger films, and The Marx Brothers; my niece and nephew love. Well, my nephew is crazy about Fred and Ginger, lol, but then again...he's a boy. Haha. I guess that's pretty understandable.

There's a lot of classics out there that are among the favorites of adults, but also would appeal very much to kids. There are even certain type of dramas that could actually capture the attention and imagination of children if you really think about it. Not that often, no, but there are some. My niece watched My Foolish Heart (Susan Hayward & Dana Andrews) once with my sisters and I and she got so into it that she cried. She's even watched To Kill a Mockingbird and It's a Wonderful Life as well.

Anyhow...there's plenty of classic movies out there that can appeal to children, even if they're not specifically made for children.



Miss Spaulding

I've been watching classic movies since I was about 6 thanks to my grandpas huge VHS classic movie collection. I remember watching Singing in the Rain at about that age and loving the dancing and the music. I also remember watching Good News, Hit the Deck and Meet Me in St. Louis when I was pretty young. Maybe I was just an exception to the rule :lol: I think younger kids would love watching classic musicals with all the dancing and singing if they were given the chance to see the movies

My three-year-old grandson (one of my 10 grandchildren) loves to watch old movie musicals with me. Two of his favorites are "Singin' In The Rain", and because of the little dance Gene Kelly does with Jerry the Mouse, "Anchors Aweigh".

There are parts of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" that he likes, and he loves to watch "The King and I" because of the music. You should his imitation of Yul Brynner learning to dance with Deborah Kerr, he has those steps down pat.

Zachary also likes some of the more modern musicals like the recently released to DVD "Hairspray". He dances all around the room to that one.

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