Most of us get a little nostalgic about our favorite movies. Maybe we were inspired by the personification of a great leader or we fell in love a little with a Hollywood star. Great films transform us, take us out of everyday life, and expand our imagination. This year’s Oscars sparked conversations among all of our community members about favorite movies of the past, as well as the latest Oscar winners.

We offer our congratulations to Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell for their recent awards for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. Did you know that it was filmed only 52 miles from Ardenwoods, in Sylva, NC?

We decided to ask around and find out what movies were favorites in our community. The question started conversations all over the place, so we’ll include staff comments as well as from residents.

We started with a simple question, “What’s your all-time favorite movie?”

And, the winner is…

The Sound of Music

It’s no surprise that this 1965 film, directed by Robert Wise, is a hit with our community. We didn’t even plan that the favorite movie would be set in the same time and country as our last post: Resident Spotlight: Hedi Pope. Themes of heroism and escape from the Nazis touch the real lives of members of our community. The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical won 5 Oscars in 1966, including Best Picture. Trivia: Actor Christopher Plummer, who played Captain Von Trapp, was nominated in 2018 for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in All the Money in the World.

Two movies from 1939 tied for second place in the Ardenwoods movie poll. Gone with the Wind won eight Oscars and and The Wizard of Oz won two. What a year for great movies! Imagine going to the movies in 1939. In addition to those blockbusters, moviegoers could see Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights, Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Irene Dunne in Love Affair.

Take a look at these iconic scenes:

Here’s a list of other favorites on the list:

An Affair to Remember (1957)

Pillow Talk (1959)

A Bridge Too Far (1977)

Singing in the Rain (1960)

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Rebecca (1940)

Mary Poppins (1964)

Forrest Gump (1994)

1942 (1984)

Sayonara (1957)

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Les Mis (2012)

Almost Famous (2000)

All of the Harry Potter Movies!