Classic Dramas on Netflix
Last updated December 11, 2023
Imitation of Life
1959 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsLora, a white widow with a daughter, and Annie, a black single mother, move in together and face a huge challenge as they try to raise their children. Annie's daughter favors her light-skinned father and comes to resent her mother's black identity.
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The Red Balloon
1956 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsA young Parisian boy (Pascal Lamorisse) finds a balloon -- or does the balloon find him? Together, boy and balloon wander the streets of Montmartre and the adjacent neighborhoods, encountering adults and gangs of local kids as the balloon becomes the boy's inseparable companion. Directed by Albert Lamorisse (who won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar), the fanciful 34-minute film also won a special BAFTA Award.
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Double Indemnity
1944 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsSmitten insurance man Walter Neff plots the perfect murder with femme fatale client Phyllis Dietrichson: staging her husband's "accidental" death to collect double indemnity on his life insurance and absconding with the loot.
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The Grapes of Wrath
1940 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsTom Joad, a Depression-era everyman, leads his poor family on a harrowing journey from Oklahoma's Dust Bowl to the promised land of California in this adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novel.
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Sherlock Jr.
1924 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFrom comedy icon Buster Keaton comes this masterwork about a hapless projectionist whose sweetheart is pursued by an unscrupulous rival. After being falsely accused of theft, Buster dreams himself into an exciting detective movie and cracks the case.
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Man with a Movie Camera
1929 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis landmark silent film highlights the buzz of everyday city life (shops, traffic, children, coal miners, nature) as seen through the eyes of a roving cameraman. Filmic devices are used to comment on life, Marxism and modernity in the Soviet Union.
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Becket
1964 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsWhen King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) names his former drinking partner Thomas à Becket (Richard Burton) the new Archbishop of Canterbury, he counts on his friend's unbending loyalty when it comes to religious matters. But he doesn't expect Becket to take his job so seriously. O'Toole, Burton and co-star John Gielgud turn in a trio of Oscar-nominated performances in this critically acclaimed drama rooted deep in English history.
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Zulu
1964 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsBased on a real-life battle, this action epic follows a group of British soldiers stationed in South Africa who must defend their tiny outpost against an attack by an overwhelming force of Zulu warriors.
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The Other Side of the Mountain: Part 2
1978 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsA sequel based on the real-life struggles of alpine ski racer Jill Kinmont. After suffering some traumatic losses, Jill is bouncing back. But the arrival of a new man in her life prompts her to question whether she's ready for love.
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Brian's Song
1971 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThis Emmy-winning drama focuses on the friendship between Chicago Bears fullback Brian Piccolo and running back Gale Sayers, which becomes a mutually motivating gridiron rivalry and inspiring strength when Piccolo is diagnosed with cancer.
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Kagemusha
1980 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThree warlord clans are battling for control of medieval Japan. When the leader of the Takeda clan, Lord Shingen (Tatsuya Nakadai), is mortally wounded, he orders that his death be kept secret from his enemies. The clan searches for a "shadow warrior," an exact double, to take his place. Now, a thief named Kagemusha (Nakadai in a double role) must fight for an empire in this stunning film from legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.
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Miracle on 34th Street
1955 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThe holiday spirit is alive and well in this televised take on the 1947 film that earned Edmund Gwenn an Oscar for his portrayal of Kris Kringle. In this version, Thomas Mitchell dons Santa's suit to play a man who could be capable of miracles. Sandy Descher stars as the little girl who hangs on to her skepticism, with Teresa Wright co-starring as her mother, a hardworking woman with no time in her schedule to believe.
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Cleopatra
1963 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThis epic saga of love, greed and betrayal stars Elizabeth Taylor as the Egyptian queen who's determined to hold on to the throne and seduces Roman emperor Julius Caesar. When Caesar is murdered, she redirects her attentions to his general.
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People Will Talk
1951 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsDr. Praetorius is a professor at a dull Midwestern college who impresses those around him with his unorthodox ways of teaching. Out of the blue, Praetorius falls in love with an unattached pregnant woman, spiraling him into uncharted territory.
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Charlie Chaplin Collection: Shorts
1914 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsSilent-film legend Charlie Chaplin dishes out long laughs in this collection of comedic shorts that finds the mischievous Tramp portraying a waiter, a drunk and a man mistakenly accused of shoplifting, among many other characters.
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The Other Side of the Mountain
1975 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsBased on a true story, national skiing champion Jill Kinmont's life takes a tragic turn when, during a competition in 1955, the Olympic prospect suffers a near-fatal accident that leaves her paralyzed from the neck down in this made for TV movie.
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8 1/2
1963 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsDog-tired movie director Guido Anselmi retreats to thoughts of yesteryear when his producers, his wife and his mistress all pressure him to start making another movie in director Federico Fellini's rumination on the joys and rigors of filmmaking.
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The Sand Pebbles
1966 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsNavy engineer Jake Holman (Steve McQueen) finds himself surrounded by conflict when, during the Chinese revolution of the 1920s, he's assigned to an American gunboat in the Yangtze River. His cynical and antagonistic personality has ensured his status as a loner, and the political situation creates more questions than answers. This epic and romantic drama from The Sound of Music director Robert Wise earned multiple Oscar nominations.
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Call Northside 777
1948 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsJames Stewart stars in this documentary-style legal drama based on a true story. During Prohibition, Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte) is falsely accused and imprisoned for killing a cop in a speakeasy. His mother, Tillie (Kasia Orzazewski), has a fierce belief in her son's innocence, but it's only when reporter P.J. McNeal (Stewart) starts investigating the crime 11 years later that the truth comes to light. Lee J. Cobb costars as McNeal's editor.
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All About Eve
1950 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsWriter-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's sharp script anchors this story about New York City theater life, with Bette Davis playing an aging Broadway diva who employs a starstruck fan (Anne Baxter) as her assistant, only to learn the woman is a conniving upstart. The now-classic All About Eve won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Mankiewicz), Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders).
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Charlie Chaplin Collection
1914 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsSilent-film legend Charlie Chaplin dishes out long laughs in this collection of comedic shorts that finds the mischievous Tramp portraying a waiter, a drunk and a man mistakenly accused of shoplifting, among many other characters.
Details about Charlie Chaplin Collection
West Side Story
1961 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsWinner of 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, this classic musical set among the tenements of New York City finds star-crossed lovers Maria and Tony caught in the midst of a turf war between rival street gangs.
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Tora! Tora! Tora!
1970 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsNamed for the Japanese phrase that signals the start of an attack, Tora! Tora! Tora! tells both the American and Japanese versions of the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor that catapulted the United States into World War II.
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Steamboat Bill, Jr.
1928 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsA young dandy gets caught in the midst of a feud between his father, Steamboat Bill Sr., and rival riverboat proprietor J.J. King. As Bill Sr. goes about toughening up his foppish son, Junior is busy falling for King's daughter.
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Romeo & Juliet
1968 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsFalling in love against the wishes of their feuding families, star-crossed lovers Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet defy their destiny and elope in secret, only to suffer the ultimate tragedy.
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