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Movies That Were Signs of the Times in 1964
These six classic films from a turbulent era remain relevant
At the impressionable age of fifteen in 1964, nothing impressed me more than going to the movies. It was a bona fide entertainment experience. In those days, movie theaters were large, majestic showplaces with huge red curtains. Most of us kids sat in the balcony with our friends. We’d often look back at the projection booth, fascinated by the guy who changed reels of real film.
For about one dollar, we could see a first-run movie and escape from the real world for a few hours. At least that’s what we thought.
But as with most eras, motion pictures reflected the time — and what a time it was. Space exploration was advancing, racial tensions were intensifying, America was coping with President Kennedy’s recent assassination, the Cold War was a hot topic, conflicts were spreading across the globe, and the world was getting an inkling of what climate change would look like.
Motion pictures back then provided moviegoers with a remarkable escape from the turbulent era with a range of content from comedy to drama, from musicals to dystopian fiction. Here are six classic films from sixty years ago that reflected the year 1964 — and still have relevance today.
