1960s Films: Best Movies, Directors And Trends
Bond, kitchen sink realism and the new wave, with the Hays Code finally gone.
Below: the films worth watching from the 1960s, the directors behind them, what was changing in cinema, and the year-by-year screen highlights from 1960 to 1969.
Useful for a film night, a themed party, a quiz round or working out what someone grew up watching.
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Best films of the 1960s
- Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963), Hitchcock.
- Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960).
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), David Lean.
- Dr No (1962) and Goldfinger (1964) - Bond begins.
- A Hard Day's Night (1964), Richard Lester.
- My Fair Lady (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965).
- Kes (1969), Ken Loach.
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Stanley Kubrick.
- The Italian Job (1969).
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).
Directors who defined the 1960s
- Stanley Kubrick, in Britain from the mid-decade onwards.
- David Lean at the height of the epic.
- Ken Loach and Tony Richardson, taking cameras out of studios and into streets.
- Richard Lester, who made pop films look like pop music.
- Sergio Leone, remaking the western from outside America.
Cinema trends of the 1960s
- British new wave and kitchen sink drama: northern, working class, shot on location.
- Swinging London on film, for about four years, then gone.
- The Hays Code is replaced by a ratings system in 1968 and content opens up.
- The studio system collapses and independent production takes over.
- Cinema admissions keep falling as colour television approaches.
Going to the pictures
- The X certificate, and the business of looking old enough to get in.
- Double bills, with the supporting feature nobody remembers.
- Roadshow presentations of big films, with reserved seats and an interval.
- Local cinemas beginning to close or split into two screens.
Film and television, year by year
- 1960 - Coronation Street began on 9 December.
- 1961 - The Avengers began on ITV.
- 1962 - Dr. No opened in October and James Bond was on screen for the first time.
- 1963 - Doctor Who began on 23 November, the day after the Kennedy assassination, and the first episode was repeated a week later.
- 1964 - Top of the Pops began on 1 January.
- 1965 - The Sound of Music was released and ran in some cinemas for years.
- 1966 - Cathy Come Home was broadcast in November and led directly to the growth of Shelter.
- 1967 - BBC Two began colour broadcasts on 1 July, starting with Wimbledon.
- 1968 - Dad's Army began on 31 July.
- 1969 - BBC One and ITV began colour broadcasts in November.
Years covered in the 1960s
- 1960 - Coronation Street began, national service ended and the sixties had not started yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1960
- 1961 - The Beatles started playing the Cavern and Yuri Gagarin went into space. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1961
- 1962 - Love Me Do, the first James Bond film and the Cuban missile crisis. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1962
- 1963 - The big freeze, Beatlemania, Doctor Who and the assassination of President Kennedy. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1963
- 1964 - Top of the Pops, pirate radio, mods and rockers, and BBC Two. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1964
- 1965 - Churchill's funeral, the 70mph limit and the Beatles at Shea Stadium. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1965
- 1966 - England won the World Cup, and then Aberfan happened in October. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1966
- 1967 - Sgt. Pepper, Radio 1, colour television and the summer of love. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1967
- 1968 - Manchester United in Europe, Dad's Army and a year of protest. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1968
- 1969 - The moon landing, the Beatles on the roof and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1969
- That is every 1960s year we have written up so far: 1960 to 1969.
How to use this
- Film night: one film from the decade, the matching party playlist before it, and a quiz round after.
- Quiz round: read a film and ask for the year, or read a director and ask for the film.
- Reminiscence: ask what the first film they saw at the cinema was, and who took them.
- Anyone born in 1960 turns 50 in 2010, 60 in 2020 and 70 in 2030.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop prints and posters Look back to 1960 Look back to 1961 Look back to 1962
How to write it so it lands
- Check the UK release date as well as the year - plenty of American films reached Britain months later.
- For a themed night, pick the film from the year someone turned eighteen, not the year they were born.
- Ask what the first film they saw at the cinema was. It gets a better story than asking their favourite.
Where to shop next
- Look back to 1960
- Look back to 1961
- Look back to 1962
- Look back to 1963
- Look back to 1964
- Look back to 1965
- Look back to 1966
- Look back to 1967
- Look back to 1968
- Look back to 1969
- 1960s books, films and TV
- 1960s calendar: year by year
- 1960s trivia: fun facts
- 1960s music: albums, artists and songs
- 1960s shopping guide
- The 1960s: the whole decade
- Retro gift guide: the 1960s
- 1960s party playlist
- Playground games by region
- Knock down ginger
- Conkers rules
- Marbles rules
- School dinners we all remember
- Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
- Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
- Decade films: best films and directors by era
- Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
- Decade shopping guides by era
- Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
- Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
- Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
- Decade calendar: every year from 1920
- Decade trivia: fun facts by era
- Decade trivia game: play for points
- Nostalgia gift shop
- Guess the year quiz
- Milestone birthday cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Sympathy and bereavement cards
- Sympathy cards guide
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What are the best films of the 1960s?
Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963), Hitchcock. The full list above names real films with their release years, from the 1960s.
Which directors defined the 1960s?
Stanley Kubrick, in Britain from the mid-decade onwards. The directors section above covers the rest.
What was cinema like in the 1960s?
British new wave and kitchen sink drama: northern, working class, shot on location. The trends and going-to-the-pictures sections above cover both the industry and the experience.
Do you sell films or DVDs?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a film night.