3) The General
What they said then:
Film criticism in 1926 – far from being the open and continuously flourishing field it is today – wasn’t too accommodating of Buster Keaton’s The General. Variety called it “far from funny,” the New York Times wrote that “the fun is not exactly plentiful” and the Los Angeles Times declared that “it drags terribly.”
What they say now:
Buster Keaton’s most accomplished work, and a milestone in movie comedy, The General is now in its 89th year and the critical consensus just keeps getting warmer. It was one of Roger Ebert’s favorites, and in the 2012 Sight & Sound poll it made 34th place. It also contains some of Keaton’s most bats**t stunts, which make most modern stars look like damn cowards.
2) Night Of The Hunter
What they said then:
Critical and audience reception to 1955’s Night of the Hunter was so poor that director – normally actor – Charles Laughton decided never to make another movie. The acting – particularly from Robert Mitchum – was generally praised, while some admitted the film was “interesting,” but words like “pretentious” and “inexperienced” were used to describe Laughton’s style.
What they say now:
A great, weird noir, from a rare actor who may have actually had more to give from behind the camera than in front of it. Beautifully composed in stark monochrome, and with a strange, hypnotic vibe, Night of the Hunter has since influenced so many backwards tales of Americana. The critics were right the first time on one thing though: Mitchum is incredible.
