Film critic Leonard Maltin began publishing his movie guides in 1969, but in 2005, he launched a companion series - Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide. These books focus exclusively on films made at the beginning of the motion picture industry through 1965. On Tuesday, the third edition will be released and it’s the first new edition of the book since 2010.
While you might wonder what could change in the classic movie world in five years, the truth is that there have been a lot “new” old movies for Maltin to add to his list. Movies from the silent era that were long thought lost are discovered each year and Maltin added several of them to the guide.
The third edition of the Classic Movie Guide includes over 10,000 entries, with everything from beloved movies like Casablanca and The Wizard of Oz to the most obscure. No matter what page you open to, there’s bound to be several films you’ve never even heard of. It’s probably the only place where you’ll see the noir classic The Killers listed near 1954’s Killers From Space. Flip to another page and you’ll see the original version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty listed near The Secret of Blood Island.
In addition to the main alphabetical listings, Maltin also includes indices that list films by star and director. Also, Martin marks the film’s availability, letting you know if a movie is available on DVD, VHS or even Laserdisc.
With the TCM branding clearly on the cover, the book is also useful for those who find the TV listings sub-par. You can find a title on your cable or satellite guide, look it up in this book and get a better idea of whether or not you should tune in (or set your DVR).
Maltin’s new Classic Movie Guide is more useful than you may think and a must-have for any classic movie fan. Now if I can just figure out how to get a copy of some of the outrageous Bombs listed.
For those interested, TCM is running a special primetime event on Monday, featuring films that are new to this edition of the Classic Movie Guide.
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