Jazz was not common to musical theatre when this debuted on the stage in the late 50s. Complementing here the Leonard Bernstein score and street-tough lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, the brilliant color and hip dance style add to what may be the most stunning widescreen musical ever made. It went on to win the Best Picture oscar for 1961.

The cocktail lounge has never been so cool. Accompanied by the slick retro tunes of the late 50s-early 60s, everything from the style of the clothes and cars to the smoky cocktail lounges make this 1990 film a winner. Joe Pesci's chilling performance won Best Supporting Actor.

Jules Dassin popularized the heist film with this thrilling 1964 gem. Although a perfect cast, Peter Ustinov steals this one with his Academy Award-winning performance. Shot in Istanbul, with a brilliant score from Manos Hadjidakis, who also scored Dassin's "Never on Sunday".

Perhaps the best thing to come out of postwar France, director/writer/actor/comic Jacques Tati's comic masterpiece of man vs. machine surpasses all other films of this topic. Mr.Hulot(Tati's resident character) leads a simple life while his sister resides in the ultimate modern ranch home, with all the electronic amenities one could ever want.

Swinging 60s style abounds, from fast cars to the most architecturally impressive ski lodge ever seen by the naked eyes of James Bond. Diana Rigg, of the hip Brit TV intrigue 'The Avengers', complements the theme of what may be the best Bond ever made. The slick costumes and romantic Louis Armstrong song add to this '69 beauty, with the most exciting bobsled chase ever filmed.

Its the sets that are the real star of this one, from the modernist design of the League of Nations building(or, at least, what the creators imagined it to look like, having not been allowed inside) to the stunningly contemporary final 'hideout' of the villains to the majesty of Mt.Rushmore, seeing really is believing in this '59 mistaken identity picture postcard.

There are really two leads in this 1968 Blake Edwards comedy, Peter Sellers-and the contemporary party quarters of a movie mogul. Played out similarly to above's "Mon Oncle", it's man vs. machine, again. Where the technical achievement are the sets as opposed to the film, Sellers is simply hilarious. Claudine Longet sings lovely 'Nothing to Lose'.

Retro sets abound, from a swinging bachelor pad to a tiki lounge, which, now a dream pad for many a swinging contemporary bachelor, in this 1959 winning comedy its ironically played for laughs.

Vegas never had it so good! Although no masterpiece(but miles better than the remake), this is likely the coolest Vegas picture ever made, starring the Rat Pack's Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. Shot on location, the viewer receives a virtual tour of 1960 Vegas, when the town was in its heyday and the Pack were headlining.

The 'contemporary' office of yesteryear, adorned in the colors of the day make this 1967 musical another retro art direction achievement. Robert Morse is great as he lies and cheats his way to the top, with just as enjoyable of a performance from 1920s crooner Rudy Vallee.

Easily one of the worst Sean Connery Bond films, second only to it's 80s remake "Never Say Never Again"(which was Connery's final stab @ the character). However, the sets, cars, and island attire explode with retro style and class, as do the Oscar-winning special effects. The underwater scenes, though, are dead weight-and are sadly the film's prime action.

2004 biographical journey on the life of blues/jazz/gospel musician-singer Ray Charles played to the tune of Oscar for Best Actor Jamie Foxx. The costumes and sets are pure retro, from the singer's snazzy stage attire to his teakwood abode.