The 1960s was an undeniably interesting and important decade, with various cultural, social, and political events defining it as such within the public consciousness. It can be viewed now as a radical and groundbreaking 10 years' worth of history, and so fittingly, it follows that the movies released during said decade were also varied, interesting, and — in many ways — boundary-pushing.
Letterboxd is certainly not around in the 1960s, being a social media app based around movies that lets users rate, review, and keep a diary of various watched titles. But it does allow users to rate and review movies from throughout cinema’s history, with the following movies being the highest-rated according to the app’s users from each year of the 1960s, beginning with 1960 and ending with 1969.
10’The Apartment' (1960)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.4/5
Billy Wilderwas one of the greatest American filmmakers of all time and released various classics throughout his decades-long career. He was arguably at his peak from the mid-1940s until the early 1960s, withThe Apartment(1960) fitting comfortably within this particularly great run of movies he released.
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It’s a romantic comedy that’s centered around a new worker at a large company who wants to do anything he can to please the higher-ups, including letting them use his apartment as a place for them to conduct their extramarital affairs. It’s witty enough to hold up well more than 60 years on from its release and holds the distinction of winning the Best Picture Oscar and being, effectively, the best picture of the year according to Letterboxd users, too.
9’The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer' (1961)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.5/5
The third part of a mammoth trilogy that ranks as one ofthe greatest war movies of all time,The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer, is a grueling and powerful watch. It concludes the story of Kaji — a conscientious objector turned soldier in World War II — in dramatic fashion, following his struggle to survive harsh Manchurian conditions and return to Japan alive.
The first two movies inThe Human Conditiontrilogy both came out in 1959 and are similarly beloved on Letterboxd, withPart Ialso having a 4.5/5 rating andPart IIhaving a rating of 4.4/5. None of the three are easy to watch, being grim and confronting anti-war films, but they are essential, collectively adding up to form one remarkable epic.
8’Harakiri' (1962)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.7/5
The star ofThe Human Conditiontrilogy,Tatsuya Nakadai, is also the star ofHarakiri, which is not only the highest-rated film of 1962 on Letterboxd, but the highest-rated film overall, according to the app’s users. It’s a particularly grim and realistic samurai movie and features less frequent action than most films belonging to the genre.
Despite this, it remains entirely engrossing, offering a critical look at the samurai culture and presenting a dark tale of revenge, told largely through flashbacks. Alongside many of the bestsamurai films made by the legendaryAkira Kurosawa,Masaki Kobayashi’sHarakiriultimately showcases the samurai genre at its very best.
7’High and Low' (1963)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.6/5
Speaking of Akira Kurosawa, the Japanese filmmaker directed two movies in the 1960s that are the highest of their respective years, with the first of those beingHigh and Low. And speaking of Tatsuya Nakadai, he also appears inHigh and Low, significantly featuring in three movies in a row that are beloved enough by Letterboxd users to be the highest-rated of their respective years.
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It’s a movie that also stars another legend of Japanese cinema,Toshiro Mifune, with him playing a wealthy executive who finds himself wrapped up in an extortion plot after his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped and held for ransom. It’s a crime/thriller film that’s aged amazingly well, and on top of being the highest-rated film of 1963 on Letterboxd, it also cracks the site’s all-time top 10, currently sitting at #8.
6’Woman in the Dunes' (1964)
The fourth Japanese film in a row to top its respective year, according to Letterboxd,Woman in the Dunesis further evidence that Japan’s film industry was producing some amazing stuff during the 1960s. It’s a particularly unusual film, centering on an entomologist who gets held captive by the inhabitants of a small seaside village.
It runs for almost two-and-a-half hours and has an intentionally slow pace, meaning it’s unlikely to be the kind of film for everyone. That being said, those who use Letterboxd have viewed it favorably, perhaps showing that even though it’s a challenging film to watch, it is ultimately a rewarding — and radical — one that’s worth putting in the effort to experience.
5’Red Beard' (1965)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.3/5
1965 continues Japan’s reign over the 1960s, according to Letterboxd users, withRed Beard— thelast collaboration between Toshiro Mifune and Akira Kurosawa— being 1965’s highest-rated. It’s a drama with an epic length of 185 minutes, following a young doctor being mentored by an older — and remarkably stern — doctor at a small country clinic.
It’s a film that’s a good deal quieter and perhaps more intimate than many others directed by Kurosawa that star Mifune, seeing as it’s neither a samurai nor crime film (there is one brief fight sequence where Mifune gets to show off his physical acting, though). It has a runtime and narrative that may turn some off, but it’s one film that’s more than worth checking out for fans of the director and the actor.
Italian filmmakerSergio Leonemade several great movies, butThe Good, the Bad, and the Uglymight well be his very best. It’s one of the most iconic Westerns of all time for a reason, featuring memorable characters, an epic story, fantastic music fromEnnio Morricone, great performances, and one of the more incredible endings in movie history.
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This film about three men pursuing a fortune buried somewhere in the desert is an undeniable classic and one of the most acclaimed Westerns of all time, with it unsurprisingly being beloved by Letterboxd users, too. It’s the 17th highest-ranked film on the site overall, and is ranked even higher on IMDb, where it currently sits at #10within that site’s Top 250.
3’The Young Girls of Rochefort' (1967)
Jacques Demy’s1964 filmThe Umbrellas of Cherbourgmight bethe director’s best-known musical, but there’s an argument to be made that 1967’sThe Young Girls of Rochefortis his overall best. It’s overall cheerier and more comedic, and also feels like a slightly more traditional musical, as it features people breaking into song at certain points (whereas inThe Umbrellas of Cherbourg, there are little to no traditional songs, as every line of dialogue is sung).
It’s a very charming romantic comedy musical, feeling light on plot and revolving around two sisters looking for love in the titular city. But it doesn’t need a complex narrative when the colorful visuals, catchy songs, and various comedic moments are more than capable of keeping one’s attention for the film’s entire duration.
2’Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968)
Two years afterThe Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Sergio Leone revisited the Western genre and made another masterpiece within it:Once Upon a Time in the West. It’s a more slower and somber film than his Western from 1966, effectivelydepicting the final days of the Old Westin a bittersweet and operatic fashion.
It’s far from a slog to sit through, however, because the slow pace succeeds in building tension throughout, and the film also has a surprisingly good sense of humor, with comedic relief characters and memorable one-liners being used appropriately throughout. Westerns simply don’t get much better thanOnce Upon a Time in the West, ensuring its position as the highest-rated film of 1968 on Letterboxd is well-deserved.
1’Army of Shadows' (1969)
Jean-Pierre Melvillewas a legendary French filmmakerwell-known for his crime/thriller movies, makingArmy of Shadowssomething of a change of pace within his filmography. It is still a thriller, but it’s also a war movie, centering on a man who joins the French Resistance during World War II, fighting against Nazi Germany while also trying to seek revenge on an informant responsible for him being temporarily held in a prison camp.
Army of Shadowsis a steadily paced yet always tense film and unfolds expertly over a paranoia-inducing two-and-a-half hours. It’s far from Melville’s only great movie, but it’s certainly up there with his very best, and is a movie that Letterboxd users understandably love.
