THE ESSENTIALS

An Introduction

For twenty years, the TV network Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in the United States aired a weekly program every Saturday night titled The Essentials, where the hosts would select a classic film that they deemed to be must-see material for any cinephile, and talk about why they thought it was so great. The films selected would usually be from Hollywood’s so-called “Golden Age” of the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, with a smattering of international and more contemporary films here and there.

Robert Osborne was the main host for much of the series’ lifespan, with the list of other hosts including Peter Bogdanovich, Sydney Pollack, Rose McGowan, Drew Barrymore, Sally Field, Ava DuVernay, Brad Bird, and best of all, Alec Baldwin. (“That one did not age quite so well!”)

The program began in 2001, and was retired following the Great Disruption of 2020, after which there would be regime changes which severely cut the network's funding. It does not appear, at the moment, that TCM has any plans to revive The Essentials.

Hey, why not us then?

I like the idea of having a regular spotlight on classic films, so why not do the same on “It's Only A Movie”? That's why we're starting our own series on the publication called The Essentials.

At least once a week, we intend to select one of our writers to draft a piece on a film that they believe everyone should see at least once. It can be a big-budget Hollywood film, or a low-budget indie darling, or an international arthouse staple. The one criteria will be that the film be at least 40 years old, so that the focus remains on the classics.

We may be slightly discerning with some of the selections. For example, you may believe that Cheech & Chong’s Still Smokin’ is must-see cinema, but it will be very difficult to convince us that you’re being sincere. We want to see some genuine praise and/or thoughtful analysis. Jokes are for April Fools.

If you are interested in participating in this series, you can leave a comment down below, or send me an email at itsonlyamovieshow@gmail.com.

I would also recommend checking out our other publication called “The Early Years”, if you are interested in writing about cinema of the silent era, or other public domain media published before the 1930s.

You can read the first installment of The Essentials here. It is an essay by C.W. Spoerry on Ingmar Bergman’s Persona.

Thank you for reading.