Best films turning 50 in 2023

Paramount Pictures // Getty Images As 2022 draws to a close, many film enthusiasts are already looking ahead to their most anticipated releases of 2023. However, it’s also never too soon to start appreciating film anniversaries in the new year, and 2023 is chock-full of them. In fact, many iconic films are turning 50, marking half a century since some of the most exciting cinematic debuts of the 1970s. The year 1973 in film involved some highly notable events. The iconic and controversial possession classic “The Exorcist” pushed the limits of what a horror film could be and became the exceptional horror film to receive a Best Picture nomination. American auteurs like Martin Scorsese and Terrence Malick announced themselves as exciting cinematic storytellers with their breakout features “Mean Streets” and “Badlands,” respectively. Elsewhere, the year proved notable for Asian voices in cinema–“Enter the Dragon” mainstreamed martial arts films in a new way, while “Lady Snowblood” laid out an unbeatable template for samurai-driven revenge films. Still, you might be wondering, which films turning 50 in 2023 are the best? To find out, Stacker gathered data on all movies turning 50 in 2023 and ranked the top 50 by IMDb user ratings, with ties broken by the number of votes. In order to qualify, each film had to have at least 1,000 user votes and be released theatrically in 1973. Metascores are provided for critical context when available. You may also like: 50 best WWII movies of all time #50. The Way We Were Columbia Pictures – Director: Sydney Pollack – IMDb user rating: 7.0 – Metascore: 61 – Runtime: 118 minutes “The Way We Were” centers on the unlikely coupling of political activist Katie (Barbra Streisand) and WASP-y traditionalist Hubbell (Robert Redford). When the pair move to Hollywood after World War II so Hubbell can pursue screenwriting, he becomes worried that continued activism will threaten his career as the blacklist looms. While the film’s politically opposed romance doesn’t necessarily hold up today, it remains an interesting portrait of the House Un-American Activities Committee’s impact on art and American freedom of expression, as the story is based on writer Arthur Laurents’ own experiences with the committee. #49. Soylent Green Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) – Director: Richard Fleischer – IMDb user rating: 7.0 – Metascore: 66 – Runtime: 97 minutes “Soylent Green” presents a dystopian, ecologically ravaged vision of a futuristic New York City, in which police detective Robert (Charlton Heston) investigates an executive’s murder at the mysterious Soylent Corporation. Loosely based on Harry Harrison’s 1966 sci-fi novel “Make Room! Make Room!,” the film’s prescient vision of a world ravaged by climate change, capitalism, and poverty has aged better than some melodramas of its genre. #48. The Spook Who Sat by the Door Bokari – Director: Ivan Dixon – IMDb user rating: 7.1 – Metascore: data not available – Runtime: 102 minutes Adapted from Sam Greenlee’s groundbreaking book of the same name, “The Spook Who Sat by the Door” tells the story of the fictional Dan Freeman (Lawrence Cook), who becomes the CIA’s token Black espionage employee, before becoming disillusioned with the agency and using his skills to train young freedom fighters in Chicago. The film was quickly removed from theaters due to its critical view of the CIA, and only became widely accessible again when it was rereleased on DVD in 2004. #47. Turkish Delight Verenigde Nederlandsche Filmcompagnie (VNF) – Director: Paul Verhoeven – IMDb user rating: 7.1 – Metascore: data not available – Runtime: 108 minutes This popular, Academy Award-nominated Dutch film centers on a free-spirited young woman named Olga (Monique van de Ven), who becomes involved in a fraught romance with sculptor Eric (Rutger Hauer) after offering him a ride. The story soon turns into a sexploitation dark comedy and is one of the most successful films in the history of Dutch cinema. #46. Theater of Blood Harbour Productions Limited – Director: Douglas Hickox – IMDb user rating: 7.1 – Metascore: 81 – Runtime: 104 minutes Horror icon Vincent Price gives arguably one of his best performances as jaded Shakespearean actor Edward Lionheart in “Theater of Blood.” After he is saved from suicide, the failed actor begins to kill off his critics using methods reminiscent of murder scenes in Shakespeare’s plays, right after quoting their negative reviews of his work. You may also like: 100 best fantasy movies of all time #45. La Grande Bouffe Mara Films – Director: Marco Ferreri – IMDb user rating: 7.1 – Metascore: data not available – Runtime: 130 minutes Italian provocateur Marco Ferreri reached new heights of cult controversy with “La Grande Bouffe,” which follows four wealthy men who decide to gorge themselves to death on fine dining, in between trysts with sex workers. The black comedy’s lewd criticisms of the bourgeoise took aim at the consumerist tendencies of the era’s wealthy. #44. The Three Musketeers Este Films – Director: Richard Lester – IMDb user rating: 7.1 – Metascore: 77 – Runtime: 106 minutes This ’70s adaptation of “The Three Musketeers” injects plenty of swashbuckling comedy into author Alexandre Dumas’ classic tale of chivalry. Director Richard Lester originally conceived the adaptation as a project for the Beatles, with whom he had already made “A Hard Day’s Night” and Help!” A sequel, “The Four Musketeers,” was released in 1974. #43. Sleeper Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions – Director: Woody Allen – IMDb user rating: 7.1 – Metascore: 77 – Runtime: 89 minutes Taking inspiration from classic comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, this sci-fi comedy stars Woody Allen as Miles, an ordinary man who’s cryogenically frozen and awakens two centuries later. Finding himself amid a rebellion against a dystopian regime, Miles joins the rebellion and falls in love with local woman Luna (Diane Keaton). Allen’s films have been viewed in a new, negative light following more recent accusations of molestation and sexual abuse against the director. #42. The Iceman Cometh The American Film Theatre – Director: John Frankenheimer – IMDb user rating: 7.2 – Metascore: 76 – Runtime: 239 minutes Dubbed “one of the single richest cinematic re-imaginings of any American play” by Kanopy, “The Iceman Cometh” is, indeed, based on Eugene O’Neill’s acclaimed play of the same name. Lee Marvin stars as Theodore “Hickey” Hickman, who encourages his fellow alcoholics to give up their lofty dreams of better lives, as dark secrets from his own past surface. #41. Emperor of the North Twentieth Century Fox – Director: Robert Aldrich – IMDb user rating: 7.2 – Metascore: data not available – Runtime: 118 minutes Originally titled “Emperor of the North Pole,” this film centers on Great Depression-era hobo A No. 1 (Lee Marvin), whose street smarts are challenged when he teams up with younger hobo Cigaret (Keith Carradine) to face off against strict, anti-stowaway railroad conductor Shack (Ernest Borgnine). Many of the film’s events are based on Jack London’s 1907 travel memoir “The Road.” You may also like: Top 25 LGBTQ+ films, according to critics #40. The Last of Sheila Warner Bros. – Director: Herbert Ross – IMDb user rating: 7.2 – Metascore: data not available – Runtime: 120 minutes One of the primary inspirations for Rian Johnson’s whodunit films “Knives Out” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” this movie follows Hollywood producer Clinton (James Coburn), who attempts to identify his wife’s murderer by hosting six suspects aboard his yacht. The script was written by acclaimed composer Stephen Sondheim and “Psycho” star Anthony Perkins. #39. The Paper Chase Twentieth Century Fox – Director: James Bridges – IMDb user rating: 7.2 – Metascore: 65 – Runtime: 113 minutes In “The Paper Chase,” first-year Harvard law student James (Timothy Bottoms) gets an unpleasant surprise when he discovers that his girlfriend Susan’s (Lindsay Wagner) father is the school’s harshest law professor, Charles (John Houseman). Houseman later reprised his role in a TV show of the same name, which told the story of James’ subsequent three years of law school. #38. Scarecrow Warner Bros. – Director: Jerry Schatzberg – IMDb user rating: 7.2 – Metascore: 72 – Runtime: 112 minutes “Scarecrow” stars Gene Hackman and Al Pacino as an ex-con and a former sailor, respectively, who become unlikely friends as they travel from California in hopes of starting a business in Pittsburgh. Although the film received the prestigious Grand Prix du Festival award at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, it was a box-office bomb upon its initial release. #37. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) – Director: Sam Peckinpah – IMDb user rating: 7.2 – Metascore: 53 – Runtime: 122 minutes In this Western, aging Sheriff Pat Garrett (James Coburn) is hired by a group of wealthy New Mexico barons to go after his former friend, the outlaw Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson). The film was heavily re-edited due to conflicts between director Sam Peckinpah and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, causing it to receive lackluster reviews upon its initial release. However, the original edit was eventually released in the 1980s, leading to a critical reevaluation of “Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid” as one of the director’s best films. #36. Don’t Look Now