5 Hollywood classics new to Prime Video in May 2024 that are essential cinema

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Prime Video is one of the best streaming services to frequent if you’re all about ticking off the movies in your watchlist. For May 2024, there’s a huge wave of new titles arriving on the platform with over 100 movies on the first day – and it’s great if you’re a fan of classic Hollywood. 

Of all the new arrivals classic Hollywood is one of the most popular movie categories this month, so naturally, we’ve narrowed it down to five that you have to catch. Each of our selections are fantastic examples of early cinema, and each offer something different – whether that’s slapstick comedy, tense unfolding drama, or whether you just like to watch for the familiar faces of early cinema. 

If classic Hollywood isn’t your thing, there’s a shedload of other movies in the full list of titles coming to Prime Video in May 2024. But if you’re fond of a good black and white movie, these five are the ones to watch. 

Some Like It Hot 

Director: Billy Wilder
Runtime: 121 minutes
Age rating: PG
Available to stream from: May 1

A timeless Hollywood classic with leading lady Marilyn Monroe that combines crime with slapstick comedy. After bearing witness to a Mafia murder, saxophone player (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, accompanying them on a train to Florida where they find themselves infatuated with the band’s singer, Sugar (Monroe). 

Vertigo 

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Runtime: 128 minutes
Age rating: PG
Available to stream from: May 1

Alfred Hitchcock has many movies under his belt, but Vertigo is considered to be his crowning achievement. James Stewart stars as John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson, a detective who is forced to retire after the death of a fellow officer and a girl he was hired to follow triggers an extreme fear of heights. Following the incident, Ferguson sees a doppelgänger of the girl which leads into a spiral of manipulation and madness.

12 Angry Men 

Director: Sidney Lumet
Runtime: 95 minutes
Age rating: U
Available to stream from: May 1

12 Angry Men brings the tension of American theater to the silver screen. Lumet’s classic is set in the backdrop of a New York jury where 12 men decide if a teenage suspect in question is responsible for the death of his father. As the jury dives deeper into the case, their doubts and suspicions grow stronger leading to a dramatic eruption where the jurors start to question each other’s morals and preconceptions about the trial. 

On The Waterfront

Director: Elia Kazan
Runtime: 108 minutes
Age rating: PG
Available to stream from: May 1

Elia Kazan’s crime drama was just one Oscar short of winning The Big Five, earning Marlon Brando the first of his two Oscars. Dockworker and ex-boxer Terry Malloy (Brando) witnesses the murder of a fellow docker, instigated by mob boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). When he meets the victim’s sister, Edie (Eva Saint Marie), Terry urges to stand up to the bosses and testify against Friendly and his lawyer, Terry’s brother. 

Psycho 

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Runtime: 109 minutes
Age rating: R
Available to stream from: May 1

Hitchcock took a risk with Psycho because of its themes of violence, sexuality, and unsettling behavior – and it became an instant classic. When Marion (Janet Leigh) is sent to bank $40,000 for her employer, she sees this as a chance to flee and start a new life. She stops at the Bates Motel for the night where she meets the manager Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who becomes smitten with her, but he can’t seem to shake off his complicated relationship with his mother. 

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