The Best Movies of 1963

Updated August 17, 2020 3.9k votes 253 voters 9.0k views107 items

List of the best movies of 1963, with movie trailers when available. With President Kennedy being assassinated in 1963, many Americans turned to movies to take their mind off of the tragedy. These top movies of 1963 are listed by popularity, so the movies with the most votes are at the top. This list consists of all different movie genres - from The Birds to Cleopatra - but each film was released in 1963. You can filter this list of films that came out in 1963 for various bits of information, such as who directed the movie and what genre it is. Think the best 1963 movie isn't as high as it should be? Vote up your favorite so it will rise to the top.

List ranges from The Great Escape to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and more.

This list answers the questions, "What are the best movies from 1963?" and "What are the most popular movies of 1963?"

1963 was a great year for movies, since a lot of classic films were released in 1963. This is a crowd sourced list that has been voted on by many people, so these top films of 1963 aren't just one persons opinion.

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From Russia with Love
Sean Connery, Robert Shaw
Released: 1963
Directed by: Terence Young
From Russia with Love is the second James Bond film made by Eon Productions and the second to... more
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The Great Escape
Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough
Released: 1963
Directed by: John Sturges
The Great Escape is a 1963 American WWII epic film based on an escape by British and... more
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The Birds
Alfred Hitchcock, Tippi Hedren
Released: 1963
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
The Birds is a 1963 suspense/horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the... more
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Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni
Released: 1963
Directed by: Vittorio De Sica
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow is a 1963 comedy anthology film by Italian director Vittorio de... more
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The Nutty Professor
Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens
Released: 1963
Directed by: Jerry Lewis
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 American comic science fiction feature film produced, directed,... more
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Contempt
Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance
Released: 1963
Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard
Contempt is a 1963 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, based on the Italian novel A Ghost at... more
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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Mickey Rooney, Spencer Tracy
Released: 1963
Directed by: Stanley Kramer
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American epic comedy film produced and directed by... more
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Hud
Paul Newman, Yvette Vickers
Released: 1963
Directed by: Martin Ritt
Hud is a 1963 Western film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas... more
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McLintock!
John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara
Released: 1963
Directed by: John Wayne, Andrew V. McLaglen
McLintock! is a 1963 comedy Western directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring John Wayne,... more
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Jason and the Argonauts
Honor Blackman, Patrick Troughton
Released: 1963
Directed by: Don Chaffey
Jason and the Argonauts is a 1963 British Columbia Pictures fantasy Greek Mythology feature... more
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The Pink Panther
Peter Sellers, Claudia Cardinale
Released: 1963
Directed by: Blake Edwards
The Pink Panther is a 1963 Technicolor American comedy film filmed in 70mm Super Technirama... more
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Cleopatra
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton
Released: 1963
Directed by: Darryl F. Zanuck, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Rouben Mamoulian
Cleopatra is a 1963 epic historical drama film chronicling the struggles of Cleopatra VII, the... more
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Charade
Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant
Released: 1963
Directed by: Stanley Donen
Charade is a 1963 Technicolor American romantic comedy/mystery film directed by Stanley Donen,... more
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Donovan's Reef
John Wayne, Lee Marvin
Released: 1963
Directed by: John Ford
Donovan's Reef is a 1963 American film starring John Wayne. It was directed by John Ford and... more
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Beach Party
Vincent Price, Annette Funicello
Released: 1963
Directed by: William Asher
Beach Party was the first of several beach party films from American International Pictures... more
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The Trial
Orson Welles, Anthony Perkins
Released: 1962
Directed by: Orson Welles
The Trial is a 1962 film directed by Orson Welles, who also wrote the screenplay based on the... more
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Captain Newman, M.D.
Robert Duvall, Gregory Peck
Released: 1963
Directed by: David Miller
Captain Newman, M.D. is a 1963 film starring Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson,... more
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Who's Minding the Store?
Jerry Lewis, Jill St. John
Released: 1963
Directed by: Frank Tashlin
Who's Minding the Store? is a comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Jerry Lewis.... more
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Diary of a Madman
Vincent Price, Nancy Kovack
Released: 1963
Directed by: Reginald Le Borg
Diary of a Madman is a 1963 horror film directed by Reginald Le Borg and starring Vincent... more
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Spencer's Mountain
Maureen O'Hara, Henry Fonda
Released: 1963
Directed by: Delmer Daves
Spencer's Mountain is a 1963 film written, directed, and produced by Delmer Daves from a novel... more
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The List of Adrian Messenger
Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas
Released: 1963
Directed by: John Huston
The List of Adrian Messenger is a 1963 black and white crime thriller about a retired British... more
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How the West Was Won
John Wayne, James Stewart
Released: 1962
Directed by: Henry Hathaway, George Marshall, John Ford, Richard Thorpe
How the West Was Won is a 1962 western film written by James R. Webb and John Gay and directed... more
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55 Days at Peking
Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner
Released: 1963
Directed by: Nicholas Ray, Guy Green, Andrew Marton
55 Days at Peking is a 1963 historical epic film starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and... more

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The Raven
Jack Nicholson, Vincent Price
Released: 1963
Directed by: Roger Corman
The Raven is a 1963 American independent B movie/horror-comedy film produced and directed by... more
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Toys in the Attic
Dean Martin, Gene Tierney
Released: 1963
Directed by: George Roy Hill
Toys in the Attic is a 1963 American drama film starring Dean Martin, Geraldine Page, Yvette... more