New year, new decade, and with Sony Movies Classic you now have a new place to watch some of the most iconic films from Hollywood’s past. Launching on the 7th of January, the new channel joins Sony’s other free to air movie channels, Sony Movies and Sony Movies Action. Their remit is simple: to offer every home a curated selection of the very best from the Golden Age of Hollywood and beyond.
It’s a corner of the market that many of the subscription streaming services have neglected in recent years, and with the recent controversy surrounding classic films we need a place to see these films more than ever.
What’s encouraging about this new channel is that they casting a wide net. While classic Hollywood films will be well served, there is a distinct leaning towards classic British films too. One of their early offerings will be the groundbreaking drama Saturday Night and Sunday Morning starring Albert Finney, as well as Alan Sillitoe’s brutal coming of age film, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.
Other classics are present in the form of the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup, Clint Eastwood’s dark thriller Play Misty for Me, and the complex drama of The French Lieutenant’s Woman.
Here is a glimpse of some of the films coming soon to the service, and below we take a look at some stone cold classics which will be screening on Sony Movies Classic.
From Here to Eternity
Fred Zinnemann’s stirring drama of love and loss under the darkening skies of Hawaii garnered Oscars and recognition in the hallowed halls of the United States’ National Film Registry. With a cast of the likes of Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed this is a wonderful evocative film, and that classic beach scene still has its majestic, sweeping power.
Oliver!
Another Oscar-winner here, as Lionel Bart’s musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale was brought to thrilling life by director Carol Reed. Many of the songs are as catchy today as they ever were, and with some career-defining turns from the likes of Oliver Reed and Ron Moody this is a joyful adaptation that’s well worth catching.
Gandhi
Guess what? ANOTHER Oscar favourite, with Richard Attenborough winning a well deserved Best Director award along with statues for Best Picture, Screenplay and Actor for Ben Kingsley. Debate has raged since the film was released as to the authenticity of elements of the man’s life on screen, however there is a passion and a purpose to the film which is carried through impeccably.
The African Queen
Finally we come to the film Bogie won his only Oscar for, and another entrant into the National Film Registry. John Huston’s adaptation of C. S. Forester’s The African Queen teamed Bogart up with Katherine Hepburn, a pairing that is utterly scintillating and compelling. The adventure and romance of the film depends entirely on the casting of the two leads, and they spark off each other as the film’s journey reaches its end.
These are just some of the films worthy of your time, and there are many more coming. If you’re looking to catch up on some beloved classics, or want to widen your cinematic horizons, Sony Movies Classic is just the place for you.
SONY MOVIES CLASSIC, the new home of classic cinema, will be available on: Freeview 50, Freesat 303, Sky 319 and Virgin 424.
