Prime Video is one of the best streaming services to visit if you want to check off the movies on your watch list. A huge wave of new titles are arriving on the platform for May 2024 with over 100 films on the first day – which is great if you’re a fan of classic Hollywood.
Of all the newcomers, classic Hollywood is one of the hottest movie categories this month, so naturally we’ve narrowed it down to five you need to see. All our selections are fantastic examples of early cinema, and they all offer something different – whether that’s slapstick comedy, suspenseful drama, or if you simply enjoy watching the familiar faces of early cinema.
If classic Hollywood isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other films in the full slate of titles coming to Prime Video in May 2024. But if you love a good black and white movie, these five are the ones to watch.
Some love it when it’s hot
Director: Billy Wilder
Duration: 121 minutes
Age classification: PG
Available to stream from: May 1
A timeless Hollywood classic with leading actress Marilyn Monroe who combines crime with slapstick comedy. After witnessing a mob murder, saxophonist (Tony Curtis) and his friend Jerry (Jack Lemmon) plan to quickly flee Chicago to spare their lives by disguising themselves as women. They join an all-female jazz band and accompany them on a train to Florida, where they fall in love with the band’s lead singer, Sugar (Monroe).
Fear of heights
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Duration: 128 minutes
Age classification: PG
Available to stream from: May 1
Alfred Hitchcock has many films to his name, but… Fear of heights is considered his crowning achievement. James Stewart stars as John “Scottie” Ferguson, a detective forced to retire after the deaths of a fellow officer and a girl he was assigned to follow trigger an extreme fear of heights. After the incident, Ferguson sees a doppelgänger of the girl, leading to a spiral of manipulation and madness.
12 angry men
Director: Sidney Lumet
Duration: 95 minutes
Age classification: YOU
Available to stream from: May 1
12 angry men brings the excitement of the American theater to the silver screen. Lumet’s classic is set against the backdrop of a New York jury, where twelve men decide whether a teenage suspect is responsible for the death of his father. As the jury delves deeper into the case, their doubts and suspicions grow stronger, leading to a dramatic outburst where the jurors begin to question each other’s morals and prejudices about the trial.
On the water side
Director: Elia Kazan
Duration: 108 minutes
Age classification: PG
Available to stream from: May 1
Elia Kazan’s crime drama was just one Oscar short of winning The Big Five, which gave Marlon Brando the first of his two Oscars. Longshoreman and ex-boxer Terry Malloy (Brando) witnesses the murder of a fellow longshoreman, instigated by mob boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). When he meets the victim’s sister, Edie (Eva Saint Marie), Terry insists on standing up to the bosses and testifying against Friendly and his lawyer, Terry’s brother.
Psycho
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Duration: 109 minutes
Age classification: R
Available to stream from: May 1
Hitchcock took a risk with Psycho for its themes of violence, sexuality and disturbing behavior – and it became an instant classic. When Marion (Janet Leigh) has to bank $40,000 for her employer, she sees it as an opportunity to flee and start a new life. She stops for the night at the Bates Motel, where she meets manager Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), who falls in love with her, but can’t seem to shake his complicated relationship with his mother.