My Top Classic First-Time Watches of 2023

A cinematic countdown unveiling the hidden treasures that I discovered that year

Remember when a film reaches in, touches your heart, and stays with you? Or when you see yourself reflected in a movie in ways you didn’t expect? Or also when you witness a bizarre but beautiful world that you would love to live in? Some of the films that I watched for the first time last 2023 had all those effects on me in different ways. First time experiences watching a movie are quite unique and hard to match. During a whole year and, certainly over time, some of those moments might fade into obscurity, that is why I wanted to encapsulate my top favorite discoveries of 2023, spanning various genres, hailing from different countries and scattered across the decades.

In this post, I'll take you on a cinematic tour, offering insights into the stories that captivated me, the performances that resonated the most, and the magic that continues to make films such a crazy stunning wonderful source of joy and self-discovery. From captivating silent masterpieces to contemporary international films, this list is, as Hugh Grant may say, a little rough around the edges but, when you look closely, absolutely beautiful. And the only one of her kind¹. So, if you are ready and eager, welcome to my 14 classic film discoveries of 2023.

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1/14. Dead Ringer by Paul Henreid

Is there a way to get more Bette Davis fun out of a film? By all means, make sure Paul Henreid directs it and that Bette Davis plays two parts as identical twins. I had already experienced such cinematic bliss in A Stolen Life (1946) but Henreid floored me with Dead Ringer (1964), providing a darker spin that I so thoroughly enjoyed. I won’t comment much on its plot just in case you haven’t watched it yet, because I feel less details are the better here. Let me tell you, though, about the fantastic cast of this film with the likes of Karl Malden, George Macready, Jean Hagen –sadly in her final role, Monika Henreid, Peter Lawford or Philip Carey. The last thing I will say is that aside from Davis, it was Peter Lawford who surprised me the most with a performance far removed from the parts that made him popular and that I mostly associated him with. What a superb heel and what a great stylish suspenseful thriller that I wish I could watch for the first time all over again!

Buy Dead Ringer Blu-ray here

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2/14. A New Leaf by Elaine May

Every now and then, you stumble upon a film that makes you feel you have sorely missed a friend all this time and you didn’t know it. A New Leaf (1971) was that kind of cinematic experience for me. A film that is truly one of its kind, and that I should have discovered earlier as it secretly falls into a category I treasure of unusual romantic comedies starring Walter Matthau alongside great female counterparts such as Cactus Flower (1969), with Ingrid Bergman, or House Calls (1978) with the late Glenda Jackson, which I love. In this case, Elaine May is not only costarring but, as many of you know, she also wrote and directed A New Leaf. Despite the movie’s troublesome production and Paramount’s significant re-cut from Elaine’s original vision, this story, in its preserved form was so endearing, hilarious and my absolute kind of quirky. I loved the relationship that these two exceptional and diametrically opposed characters build together and how, against all odds, they find the best in one another and help each other become the best version of themselves. Find yourself someone who would name a new species of fern after you.