A Flickchart Guide to TCM in February, Part 1
February on TCM is always the 31 Days of Oscar, TCM’s way of celebrating the Academy Awards by airing a month’s worth of films that have all been nominated for Oscars. Now, this could’ve been an Oscar nomination for Best Sound Recording in 1933, so you still get some obscurities, but, by and large, the films playing in February are certified Great Films, and you’ll see what I’m talking about when we get to the Movies You Must See Before You Die section – there are a LOT of Flickchart’s Top 1000 films playing this month.
In the meantime, it makes the most sense to do a day-by-day list of top-ranked and Wild Card films, since there isn’t a specific Spotlight series or a Star of the Month in February. The “Top Pick” every day is Flickchart’s top-ranked film playing that day along with a good double feature choice (some of them are basically double features on TCM, with shared actors or subject matter, but others I’ve just chosen because they seemed like a good pairing), plus a Wild Card that’s lower ranked or underseen but still worth checking out.
Check out TCM’s full schedule for other films playing during the month.
Monday, February 1
TOP PICK: Lawrence of Arabia (1962; ranked 147 by 19636 users) – Jumping right in with 1962’s Best Picture winner, one of the most enigmatic and intimate of all epics, a character study of T.E. Lawrence wrapped up in a WWI desert power struggle. It may be four hours long, but it’s one of the most fascinating and rewatchable four-hour movies ever. Playing 2/1 at 10:00pm
DOUBLE FEATURE: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957; ranked 179 by 14426 users) – Follow up a WWI film with a WWII one, about British and American POWs in a Japanese prison camp, featuring an unforgettable (and Oscar-winning) Alec Guinness as a British colonel too focused on doing quality to work to realize he’s helping the enemy. Playing 2/2 at 2:00am
WILD CARD: Edward, My Son (1949; ranked 18650 by 8 users) – One of the more obscure films playing today, with only 8 Flickchart users ranking it; this one interests me because it catapulted Deborah Kerr to international acclaim. Playing 2/2 at 5:00am
Tuesday, February 2
TOP PICK: The Sting (1973; ranked 140 by 18802 users) – Following up the success of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford reunited for another period piece, this time about con artists in the 1930s instead of outlaws. Fairly slight for a Best Picture winner, but a lot of fun. Playing 2/2 at 8:00pm
DOUBLE FEATURE: The Verdict (1982; ranked 512 by 1400 users) – A built-in double feature of Paul Newman films. Playing 2/2 at 10:15pm
WILD CARD: Bad Day at Black Rock (1955; ranked 651 by 520 users) – Still a Movie to See Before You Die, so maybe not THAT much of a wild card, but it’s worth catching up with this dark western political allegory if you haven’t already. Playing 2/2 at 3:30pm
Wednesday, February 3
TOP PICK: The Third Man (1949; ranked 35 by 8210 users) – Flickchart users rank this incredibly high and for good reason – it’s amazing noir in an unusual post-war European setting, plus some of the best cinematography ever, plus Orson Welles in one of his smallest but most iconic roles. Playing 2/3 at 10:00pm
DOUBLE FEATURE: The Fallen Idol (1948; ranked 1794 by 174 users) – If you’re only familiar with director Carol Reed for The Third Man, do yourself a favor and check out some of his other stuff, like this mystery-through-a-child’s-eyes that manages to be about a lot more than just that. Playing 2/3 at 12:00M
WILD CARD: Little Women (1933; ranked 3376 by 204 users) – One of the earliest versions of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, and still one of the best. Katharine Hepburn is a spunky Jo March, and the film is warm and sweet with a great supporting cast. Playing 2/3 at 6:30am
Thursday, February 4
TOP PICK: Cool Hand Luke (1967; ranked 89 by 9912 users) – One of Paul Newman’s most iconic roles, as the uncooperative chain gang prisoner Luke, renowned for his egg-eating prowess and failure to communicate. Playing 2/4 at 8:00pm
DOUBLE FEATURE: The Wild Bunch (1969; ranked 169 by 3841 users) – Sam Peckinpah was known for his ultraviolent westerns about the end of the Old West, and this one perhaps befits that reputation the best, with an aging group of outlaws trying to adjust to the 20th century. Playing 2/5 at 1:00am
WILD CARD: Stage Door (1937; ranked 2247 by 157 users) – I will never not promote this movie when it’s playing, because it’s just so special to me. An outstanding ensemble cast fills a boarding house of wannabe theatrical actresses, each with their own goals and desires, and some of the best one-line zingers ever put on film. Ginger Rogers and Katharine Hepburn are the main draws, but Eve Arden, Lucille Ball, Ann Miller, and many more are also along for the ride. Playing 2/4 at 9:30am
Friday, February 5
TOP PICK: It Happened One Night (1934; ranked 74 by 3399 users) – One of the foundational screwball comedies, with heiress on the run Claudette Colbert running into reporter Clark Gable, who wants her story. Battle of the Sexes, independent women, as much innuendo as the Code would allow, with iconic scenes like Colbert stopping traffic with her leg, the fall of the Walls of Jericho, and an undershirtless Gable. Playing 2/5 at 11:45pm
DOUBLE FEATURE: The Smiling Lieutenant (1931; ranked 4718 by 90 users) – For a peek at a younger Colbert, check out this charming Ernst Lubitsch musical starring Maurice Chevalier as the titular lieutenant, who winks at his girl (Colbert) and accidentally catches the eye of the princess (Miriam Hopkins) instead. This one actually is Pre-Code, so there are some fun conversations about the relationship between sex and marriage. Playing 2/5 at 10:00pm
WILD CARD: Leave Her to Heaven (1945; ranked 1532 by 253 users) – An unusual Technicolor noir, with Gene Tierney’s piercing blue eyes taking center stage, the eyes of one of the most ruthless and cold-hearted femme fatales in all of cinema. Playing 2/5 at 4:00pm
Saturday, February 6
TOP PICK: Rebel Without a Cause (1955; ranked 254 by 5699 users) – James Dean’s classic teenage angst movie hasn’t aged TOO well, perhaps, but as a snapshot of some of the emotions simmering under the surface of the seemingly idyllic 1950s, it still packs a punch. Playing 2/7 at 2:15am
DOUBLE FEATURE: Easy Rider (1969; ranked 608 by 6617 users) – If Rebel Without a Cause captures the beginning of youth culture, Easy Rider is the quintessential ’60s-’70s counterculture movie. Once films like this hit Hollywood, there was no going back. Playing 2/7 at 12:30am
WILD CARD: The Wind and the Lion (1975; ranked 3914 by 209 users) – If youth culture isn’t really your thing, how about Berber kidnappings and rescue missions with Sean Connery in early 20th century Morocco? Playing 2/6 at 9:15am
Sunday, February 7
TOP PICK: North by Northwest (1959; ranked 23 by 25257 users) – One of Hitchcock’s best and most fun films – cross-country chases, mistaken identity, espionage, Cary Grant. Odds are you’ve seen this, but if you haven’t, get on it! Playing 2/7 at 9:45am
DOUBLE FEATURE: Key Largo (1948; ranked 340 by 1721 users) – Okay, not much connecting this with North by Northwest, except they’re both…really…good? This one is the last Bogart-Bacall film, with them and others kept prisoner on Key Largo by a gangster and also a hurricane. Playing 2/8 at 2:15am
WILD CARD: The Fortune Cookie (1966; ranked 1664 by 398 users) – Billy Wilder’s streak of unqualified successes ended in 1962, but there are plenty of pleasures to find after that, including this pre-Odd Couple Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau collaboration. It’s cynical, but with a heart. Playing 2/7 at 12:15pm
Monday, February 8
TOP PICK: The Graduate (1967; ranked 138 by 33550 users) – Mrs. Robinson is indeed trying to seduce recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock; some think it hasn’t aged well, but I find its post-college malaise quite identifiable. Playing 2/9 at 3:30am
DOUBLE FEATURE: The Hustler (1961; ranked 159 by 3708 users) – Pool prodigy Fast Eddie (Paul Newman) comes up against professional pool shark Minnesota Fats, setting off a rivalry that consumes his life. Playing 2/9 at 1:00am
WILD CARD: Mister Roberts (1955; ranked 904 by 640 users) – Ten years after WWII ended, it was ripe for comedy about being on a ship stationed in a backwater and not seeing combat; all-star cast on this one including Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell (his last role), and Jack Lemmon (one of his first). Playing 2/8 at 7:00am
Tuesday, February 9
TOP PICK: A Clockwork Orange (1971; ranked 48 by 58311 users) – Flickchart loves its Kubrick; just to give you an idea, this one is globally #48, and there are two other ones above it! This tale of ultraviolence and brainwashing is a bit hard to watch at times, but also rather fascinating. Playing 2/10 at 1:30am
DOUBLE FEATURE: Barry Lyndon (1975; ranked 266 by 4388 users) – What better way to complement a Kubrick film than with…another Kubrick film? Playing 2/9 at 10:15pm
WILD CARD: Cabaret (1972; ranked 693 by 2305 users) – Bob Fosse’s late Weimar-set musical won the Best Director Oscar in the year of The Godfather. It maybe should’ve won Best Picture. But that’s just me. Playing 2/9 at 8:00pm
Wednesday, February 10
TOP PICK: The Great Escape (1963; ranked 141 by 16307 users) – When it comes to WWII POW films, it doesn’t get more fun than this one – a bunch of prisoners plan an escape with the painstaking preparation of master criminals planning a heist; meanwhile, Steve McQueen makes his own, more flamboyant moves for freedom. Playing 2/10 at 8:00pm
DOUBLE FEATURE: Bullitt (1968; ranked 468 by 3247 users) – From one of the greatest POW films to one of the greatest car chase films, Steve McQueen’s got us covered. Bullitt as a whole is a pretty good cop/crime thriller, but that car chase through the hills of San Francisco is unbeatable. Playing 2/10 at 11:00pm
WILD CARD: Our Dancing Daughters (1928; ranked 9268 by 35 users) – If you’ve only seen Joan Crawford in stuff like Mildred Pierce or even later camp like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, seeing her in Our Dancing Daughters is a revelation – she was very popular in the late ’20s as a quintessential flapper, a persona she’d shed very quickly in the ’30s (enabling her to continue, you know, finding work). Playing 2/10 at 11:45am
Thursday, February 11
TOP PICK: Top Hat (1935; ranked 391 by 1005 users) – MAYBE the best Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movie, though Swing Time has a convincing claim on the title a well; this one does have a more fun, if more ridiculous, plot featuring mistaken identity and miscommunication. Playing 2/11 at 11:45pm
DOUBLE FEATURE: Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933; ranked 1825 by 229 users) – Fred and Ginger with the sophisticates of 1930s musical comedy; Warner Brothers musicals were the gritty realists (at least until Busby Berkeley’s choreography kicks in), and Gold Diggers of 1933 is the crowning achievement of early 1930s Berkeley cycle. Hilarious, socially conscious and simply incredible musical numbers. Playing 2/11 at 10:00pm
WILD CARD: She Done Him Wrong (1933; ranked 5619 by 208 users) – Even in a Pre-Code film, Mae West had to tone down the bawdiness from her stage show, but She Done Him Wrong is probably the most quintessential Mae West film we’ve got, right down to Diamond Lil’s invitation to “Come up sometime and see me.” Playing 2/11 at 6:45pm
Friday, February 12
TOP PICK: Goodfellas (1990; ranked 12 by 61128 users) – This is the highest-ranked film playing all month, with Scorsese winning the crown from Hitchcock and Kubrick – if nothing else, it deserves it for the tour-de-force tracking shot introducing us to the world of the mob. Playing 2/13 at 3:15am
DOUBLE FEATURE: The Deer Hunter (1978; ranked 196 by 22395 users) – This is one of the few Best Picture winners I haven’t seen, about a trio of steelworkers in the Vietnam War. Mostly double-featured as the second-highest ranked film playing today. Playing 2/12 at 12:00M
WILD CARD: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931; ranked 1596 by 380 users) – Fredric March won his first Oscar for his role transforming into the hideous Mr. Hyde from the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll. A lot is accomplished with makeup in this version, but March’s performance shines through, making this probably the best version of the story. Playing 2/12 at 10:30am
Saturday, February 13
TOP PICK: Days of Heaven (1978; ranked 122 by 1736 users) – With his second feature, Terrence Malick went for a middle America dreamscape with a sort of a take on the Abraham and Sarah story – lovers pretend to be brother and sister, which gets complicated when the owner of the plantation they take migrant jobs at falls in love with the women. Shot mostly at twilight’s “magic hour”, the film is gorgeous and evocative even when its emotions are opaque. Playing 2/13 at 7:45am
DOUBLE FEATURE:
Lolita (1962; ranked 406 by 4357 users) – Speaking of complicated love affairs, meet Humbert Humbert, who’s married to a woman his age, but lusts after her prepubescent daughter. “How did they ever make a movie of Lolita?” the ads asked? Probably by leaving a lot out of the book, to be honest. Playing 2/14 at 12:30am
WILD CARD
The Story of Three Loves (1953; ranked 12932 by 20 users) – This is a true wildcard – quite obscure on Flickchart and also potentially only likely to appeal to a few people. But it’s worth pointing out as a rare classic-era anthology film – one story tells of a ballerina with a heart condition (The Red Shoes‘ Moira Shearer), the second of a young boy who speaks an incantation and finds himself a young man and in love with his governess (Leslie Caron), the third and most interesting about pair of trapeze artists (Kirk Douglas and Pier Angeli) seeking ever greater stunts. Playing 2/14 at 3:15am
Sunday, February 14
TOP PICK: Casablanca (1942; ranked 14 by 40722 users) – I don’t need to tell you to watch Casablanca. Unless you haven’t seen Casablanca, in which case, watch Casablanca. Playing 2/14 at 8:00pm
DOUBLE FEATURE: The Philadelphia Story (1940; ranked 95 by 2774 users) – I’m always surprised but pleased to find that Flickcharters rank this lovely screwball comedy-drama as highly as they do; it’s one of Katharine Hepburn’s most charismatic performances despite the inherent irritatingness of her character, and you can’t get much better than having both Cary Grant and James Stewart tagging along. Playing 2/14 at 12:00N
WILD CARD: Wuthering Heights (1939; ranked 1651 by 437 users) – In a year with Gone with the Wind and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington duking it out on the awards circuit, the New York Film Critics Circle decided to give it to this William Wyler adaptation of Emily Bronte’s classic gothic novel. It may have taken advantage of a split vote, but regardless, the film is a pretty great version of the story, with Laurence Olivier making his first big splash on American screens. Playing 2/14 at 2:15am
For the 15th-29th, look for Part 2 in a couple of weeks!
Best Picture Winners
Since the whole point of this month is celebrating the Oscars, here are all the films playing that have won Best Picture, in chronological order.
The Broadway Melody (1929; ranked 6769 by 256 users) – Playing 2/10 at 9:45am
It Happened One Night (1934; ranked 74 by 3399 users) – Playing 2/5 at 11:45pm
The Great Ziegfeld (1936; ranked 5002 by 227 users) – Playing 2/11 at 1:30pm
The Life of Emile Zola (1937; ranked 3949 by 223 users) – Playing 2/11 at 8:30am
Casablanca (1942; ranked 14 by 40722 users) – Playing 2/14 at 8:00pm
From Here to Eternity (1953; ranked 462 by 1695 users) – Playing 2/3 at 12:30am
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957; ranked 179 by 14426 users) – Playing 2/2 at 2:00am
Gigi (1958; ranked 2800 by 595 users) – Playing 2/1 at 6:00am
Ben-Hur (1959; ranked 689 by 15146 users) – Playing 2/1 at 4:00pm
Lawrence of Arabia (1962; ranked 147 by 19636 users) – Playing 2/1 at 10:00pm
Patton (1970; ranked 329 by 6255 users) – Playing 2/8 at 10:00pm
The Sting (1973; ranked 140 by 18802 users) – Playing 2/2 at 8:00pm
The Deer Hunter (1978; ranked 196 by 22395 users) – Playing 2/12 at 12:00M
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979; ranked 660 by 4325 users) – Playing 2/12 at 10:00pm
Movies to See Before You Die
Okay, here we go. All the films playing from the 1st-14th that are in the Flickchart Top 1000. This is a great chance to make a big dent!
Goodfellas (1990; ranked 12 by 61128 users) – Playing 2/13 at 3:15am
Casablanca (1942; ranked 14 by 40722 users) – Playing 2/14 at 8:00pm
North by Northwest (1959; ranked 23 by 25257 users) – Playing 2/7 at 9:45am
The Third Man (1949; ranked 35 by 8210 users) – Playing 2/3 at 10:00pm
A Clockwork Orange (1971; ranked 48 by 58311 users) – Playing 2/10 at 1:30am
It Happened One Night (1934; ranked 74 by 3399 users) – Playing 2/5 at 11:45pm
Cool Hand Luke (1967; ranked 89 by 9912 users) – Playing 2/4 at 8:00pm
The Philadelphia Story (1940; ranked 95 by 2774 users) – Playing 2/14 at 12:00N
Days of Heaven (1978; ranked 122 by 1736 users) – Playing 2/13 at 7:45am
The Graduate (1967; ranked 138 by 33550 users) – Playing 2/9 at 3:30am
The Sting (1973; ranked 140 by 18802 users) – Playing 2/2 at 8:00pm
The Great Escape (1963; ranked 141 by 16307 users) – Playing 2/10 at 8:00pm
Lawrence of Arabia (1962; ranked 147 by 19636 users) – Playing 2/1 at 10:00pm
The Hustler (1961; ranked 159 by 3708 users) – Playing 2/9 at 1:00am
The Wild Bunch (1969; ranked 169 by 3841 users) – Playing 2/5 at 1:00am
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957; ranked 179 by 14426 users) – Playing 2/2 at 2:00am
The Magnificent Seven (1960; ranked 195 by 4830 users) – Playing 2/13 at 9:30am
The Deer Hunter (1978; ranked 196 by 22395 users) – Playing 2/12 at 12:00M
Rebel Without a Cause (1955; ranked 254 by 5699 users) – Playing 2/7 at 2:15am
Barry Lyndon (1975; ranked 266 by 4388 users) – Playing 2/9 at 10:15pm
Being There (1979; ranked 269 by 3236 users) – Playing 2/13 at 10:15pm
White Heat (1949; ranked 317 by 832 users) – Playing 2/5 at 10:15am
The Dirty Dozen (1967; ranked 321 by 3733 users) – Playing 2/4 at 10:15pm
Patton (1970; ranked 329 by 6255 users) – Playing 2/8 at 10:00pm
Key Largo (1948; ranked 340 by 1721 users) – Playing 2/8 at 2:15am
Top Hat (1935; ranked 391 by 1005 users) – Playing 2/11 at 11:45pm
Sabrina (1954; ranked 392 by 2346 users) – Playing 2/14 at 6:00pm
Lolita (1962; ranked 406 by 4357 users) – Playing 2/14 at 12:30am
The Man Who Would Be King (1975; ranked 416 by 1545 users) – Playing 2/6 at 11:15am
From Here to Eternity (1953; ranked 462 by 1695 users) – Playing 2/3 at 12:30am
Bullitt (1968; ranked 468 by 3247 users) – Playing 2/10 at 11:00pm
The Asphalt Jungle (1950; ranked 479 by 1020 users) – Playing 2/7 at 6:00am
Forbidden Planet (1956; ranked 483 by 2379 users) – Playing 2/2 at 1:45pm
East of Eden (1955; ranked 489 by 859 users) – Playing 2/4 at 6:00pm
Papillon (1973; ranked 491 by 3025 users) – Playing 2/11 at 1:00am
The Awful Truth (1937; ranked 495 by 715 users) – Playing 2/14 at 1:15am
Easy Rider (1969; ranked 608 by 6617 users) – Playing 2/7 at 12:30am
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955; ranked 651 by 520 users) – Playing 2/2 at 3:30pm
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979; ranked 660 by 4325 users) – Playing 2/12 at 10:00pm
Ben-Hur (1959; ranked 689 by 15146 users) – Playing 2/1 at 4:00pm
Broadcast News (1987; ranked 691 by 1971 users) – Playing 2/6 at 8:00pm
Cabaret (1972; ranked 693 by 2305 users) – Playing 2/9 at 8:00pm
Adam’s Rib (1949; ranked 805 by 847 users) – Playing 2/14 at 2:00pm
Mister Roberts (1955; ranked 904 by 640 users) – Playing 2/8 at 7:00am
Remember, check back mid-month for Part 2, with even more Movies to See Before You Die!
Kinda makes me wish I still had TV service! I love your capsule for “Casablanca”, incidentally.
Me too, Travis. Me too. :/ I love writing these posts, but it’s definitely a bit more bittersweet since we cut cable.
Thanks for bringing The Wind and the Lion to my attention. I’d have missed it otherwise. Not only do I hope to complete Connery’s filmography someday, but this is about the British and Arabia, one of my favorite topics!
I actually thought about you when I chose The Wind and the Lion for that slot. It sounds like such a David movie. I haven’t seen it either, so I’m curious to see your thoughts when you do.
Turns out that the best thing about The Wind and the Lion is Brian Keith! I’ve always liked him, but this is my new favorite of his. It’s an OK movie, but it doesn’t rise to the level it aims for except in Keith’s scenes. What it tries to do with Connery is done better in The Man Who Would be King and Robin & Marian. There are some excellent horse scenes, though.