7 Best Classic Movies on HBO Max (November 2025): ‘Casablanca’ and More

Sometimes it’s great to dig into the annals of film history and get better acquainted with the classics.

Next to the Criterion Channel, HBO Max might be the best streamer for offering 20th-century film masterpieces from all over the world.

When a film is in black-and-white or subtitled from a foreign language, it might seem intimidating, but it’s a great opportunity to explore art outside your comfort zone.

Watch With Us is highlighting seven of the best classic movies you can find on HBO Max, from the iconic Casablanca to the highly influential Rashomon.

Need more recommendations? Then check out the Best New Movies on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and More, the Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now, the Best Movies on Hulu Right Now and Best Movies on Netflix Right Now.

Nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is an American expatriate living in Casablanca when he discovers that his old girlfriend, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), is in town with her new husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Resistance leader Laszlo is being hunted by the Nazis, and Ilsa knows she can turn to Rick to help her husband get out of the country. But Rick and Ilsa’s reunion brings up unresolved feelings between them.

Easily one of the greatest films of all time, in addition to one of the best Hollywood films of all time, Casablanca snagged the Academy Award for Best Picture back in 1943 and has continued to stand the test of time with its skillful hybridization of engaging romance, drama and gripping political thriller.

Aimless petty criminal Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) aspires to be like Humphrey Bogart and wanders around Paris, but soon finds himself on the lam after impulsively killing a policeman. He hides out with his American girlfriend, Patricia (Jean Seberg), in her apartment while he attempts to scrounge money for the two of them to escape to Italy. But Patricia begins to reconsider the nature of their relationship and Michel’s unpredictable behavior.

French director Jean-Luc Godard’s groundbreaking film is a free-wheeling, unconventional work of avant-garde cinema that was at the forefront of the then-burgeoning French New Wave movement. Breathless features a bold, playful style that recontextualizes the preconceived notions of filmmaking technique, influencing films for generations to come.

The Beatles‘ irreverent feature film debut is an energetic comedy adventure film that follows a day in the life of the Fab Four through mockumentary-style filmmaking. A Hard Day’s Night was released during the apex of “Beatlemania” and thus much of the film showcases the young men dodging hordes of screaming female fans. When they aren’t, they find themselves in various eccentric scenarios, such as with Paul McCartney’s gambling grandfather and Ringo Starr getting arrested.