20 (or so) movies you need to see on the big screen

There are artists who work on such a large scale that seeing their art in person for the first time can completely change your impression of a piece, no matter how many times you’ve seen it before in reproduction. Some filmmakers are like that too. Take Denis Villeneuve, for instance, who is currently wowing theatrical audiences with the massive scope of Dune: Part Two. He’s just one of a handful of directors, including Stanley Kubrick, James Cameron, and Christopher Nolan, with big ideas and even bigger executions of them. If you’ve only seen their films on a TV screen, you’re missing out on a unique sensation. They may not have a say in how their films are viewed once they’re out in the wild, but their artistic intent is clear—they were meant to be seen on the largest screen possible in a theater with ideal viewing conditions (minimal stray light, a proper projection system, and state-of-the-art sound, for starters).

You could make the argument that this is the intent behind most movies that aren’t produced specifically for streaming, digital on demand, or, in increasingly rare instances, direct to disc. And while that’s true enough—your favorite film may indeed look better on a big screen—the films we’re singling out here are the ones that lose something vital in the transition from theaters to home viewing. Whether it’s a matter of spectacular scenery, fine detail, or full immersion, seeing them for the first time in the right setting can fundamentally change your relationship to them. You can still watch any of them on a TV screen, a laptop, or even a phone, of course. In some cases, that may be the only way to see them. But if the opportunity ever arises, we recommend treating yourself to what’s sure to be a revelatory experience.

How To Marry A Millionaire

In the 1950s, a night at the movies was treated as something special. This was the era of ornate movie palaces with just one or two screens. In answer to the growing popularity of television as an entertainment alternative, studios went big—bigger theaters, bigger pictures, bigger sound (the more things change…). They came up with new technology like 3D and stereophonic sound to lure viewers out of their homes and into theaters. One of these innovations was CinemaScope, a widescreen lens that produced a picture almost twice the width of the industry standard at the time. How To Marry A Millionaire, starring Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall as gold diggers hoping to score rich husbands in New York City, was the first film released in the format. Billed as “the modern miracle you see without special glasses,” (that’s an inside joke for those who have seen it) it’s a colorful portrait of the lives of this trio of single girls in the city. But unless you’ve seen it in a theater, you probably haven’t seen all of it. Literally. Director Jean Negulesco made the most of his large canvas, filling the picture from edge to edge as much as he could. Subsequent attempts to translate it to smaller screens have resulted in awful pan-and-scan versions, severe letterboxing, or simply cutting off the edges to match narrower aspect ratios. This classic screwball comedy deserves to be seen in its entirety without such indignities.