Question: Films from a by-gone age

I remember that when I was a little girl, BBC2 used to show old black and white films on a Saturday afternoon. I loved to curl up on the sofa and watch these, while waiting for the football results to come on, which were followed by tea. (Don't worry, there is a point and I'm getting to it) Although, I enjoyed most of these films (with the exception of musicals) my favourites were the old Ealing comedies, they had a style and charm that was very much a product of the age in which they were made, one which would be hard to replicate nowadays.

So, my question is do you think certain films are representative of a particular time? Do you think it would be possible to reproduce such films in the modern world?

Foreign Language Films: Dubbing or Sub-titles?

If you are a fan of films in a language other than your own, do you prefer to watch them dubbed (a sound track is added in your language) or sub-titled? If you have a preference, why?