Welcome to the 8th annual Classic Film Challenge! The challenge was originally created by Christian Alec, then run by Aurora, and I took over in 2022.
This year I'm trying to channel my disappointment in current events by creating a challenge celebrating some of the pioneering and groundbreaking women in film, both in front of and behind the camera. Otherwise, as with the previous two years, things are organized in roughly chronological order, and we have the return of paragraphs about each of the prompts in the notes if you're interested in reading them – with the obligatory warning for being wordy. :)
Participants: sailordanae (your host) | madison | UnlovelySara | Nick Atkins | Ann A.🌱 | David Diamond…
Welcome to the 8th annual Classic Film Challenge! The challenge was originally created by Christian Alec, then run by Aurora, and I took over in 2022.
This year I'm trying to channel my disappointment in current events by creating a challenge celebrating some of the pioneering and groundbreaking women in film, both in front of and behind the camera. Otherwise, as with the previous two years, things are organized in roughly chronological order, and we have the return of paragraphs about each of the prompts in the notes if you're interested in reading them – with the obligatory warning for being wordy. :)
Participants: sailordanae (your host) | madison | UnlovelySara | Nick Atkins | Ann A.🌱 | David Diamond | Carlos (Hache) | dana | Mara 🦋 | Jo | Limey66Helena | Layodi | Jo Schachi | Julia | Alex Simeon | Penny S | Cortes Cortes | Germano Dutra Jr | art_fanatic_313 Peter Looles | cj | ellen | ophelia darling ☾ ⋆*・゚:⋆*・゚ | Alessia | Gemma | Borstig | violatorghoul | Una_Nancy_Owen | Scruggs | Lily 🔪
The Rules:
1. All films must be from before 1970.
2. Unwatched films are preferred
3. Please write a review for everything you watch and tag it with 'classicschallenge25' so we can read about what you've watched.
4. You can watch in any order, whenever you want, between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
5. Have fun!
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
1. Watch a film serial
2. Watch a film directed by Émile Reynaud
3. Watch a film starring Florence Lawrence - the first film star publicly named
4. Watch a film starring Helen Gardner - the first actor to own a production company
5. Watch a film released in Kino's Cinema's First Nasty Women set
6. Watch a Pre-Code Gangster film
7. Watch a film featuring Madame Sul-Te-Wan - the first black actress to sign a Hollywood contract
8. Watch a film starring Janet Gaynor - the first winner of the Best Actress Oscar
9. Watch a film starring Ramon Novarro
10. Watch a film directed by Germaine Dulac - female French surrealist and impressionist director
11. Watch a two-strip technicolor film
12. Watch a film featuring Gale Sondergaard - the first winner of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar
13. Watch a film featuring Hattie McDaniel - first black person to win an Oscar
14. Watch a film directed by James Whale
15. Watch a Betty Boop cartoon
16. Watch a WWII film made during the 30's or 40's
17. Watch a film starring Michèle Morgan - first winner of Best Actress at Cannes
18. Watch a film with costumes designed by Bonnie Cashin - a pioneer in sportswear and fashion design
19. Watch a film directed by Mary Ellen Bute - creator of some of the first electronically generated film images
20. Watch a film from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. here is a representative list, but basically any Mexican film made during the period is fair game.
21. Watch a Science Fiction film from the 1950's
22. Watch a film starring Rock Hudson
23. Watch a film with hairstyles by Helen Hunt
24. Watch a film directed by George Cukor
25. Watch a film that Evelyn Lambart - the first female Canadian animator - worked on
26. Watch a film from my Daring Films in the 1960's list
27. Watch a film featuring Rita Moreno - the first Latina actress to win an Oscar
28. Watch a film starring Vincent Price
29. Watch a film starring Joanne Woodward - the first actor with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
30. Watch a film released by American International Pictures
31. Watch a film condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency
32. Watch a film preserved by The Film Foundation
33. In honor of Christian Alec, the creator of this challenge, watch a film they rated 5*
34. In honor of our previous host, Aurora, watch a film they have rated 5*
35. Finally, watch the film on your watchlist that was released the earliest