What is your favorite decade in film?

[The Good]

What is your favorite decade in film?

My favorite happens to be the 1960s, and here's why; I believe that some of the greatest films made come from the decade, including but not limited to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Le Samourai, For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, Psycho, To Kill a Mockingbird, Yojimbo, Rocco and his Brothers, Lawrence of Arabia, Cool Hand Luke, and many more. I appreciate films from other decades as well, mostly including the 1940s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1950s, in that order.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I love the 1930s. Of course I love the decades before that, too, but 1930s is the pinacle of filmmaking in my opinion. The decade started out with creaky early talkies, the early 30s gave us some of the sexiest films ever until the fascinating Production Code of 1934. Then after the 1934 films kind of took a nosedive for a few years until they finally perfected their art with the super-movies of 1939.

All the changes are so fascinating to me. I also love the era and the movies are a wonderful inspirational window.

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

1930's for me too. However, I love many movies 1920s-1950's.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'll watch a good movie from any era, but given a choice I'll take 1929-39 every time. There seems to have been much more of a willingness to try just about any screwy idea at least once than in the more formulaic decades to follow.

 

[skyvue]

Lizzie posts for me. The 1930s, followed by the '40s, '20s, '50s, and pre-Twenties, in that order.

I certainly have many movies I like from each of the past five decades, as well.

 

[Yeps]

I really like the 30s, and I love a whole bunch of movies from all over, but I think I will have to agree with Blondie and go for the 60s. He pointed out some really good films there (Lawrence of Arabia for the win). A bunch of great Italian films in the 60s too (besides the westerns that is). Ieri, Oggi, Domani is one of my favorites (well, Sophia Loren is one of my favorites).

 

[BinkieBaumont]

I'm saying 1940's, Film Noir, Musicals in Technicolor, "Woman s" movies, wartime propaganda, and then that wonderful post ww2 era, I love the 30's for the Sets and Costumes, but they were father lame when it came to plotlines

 

[Widebrim]

Great idea for a poll! I'm with Binkie: 1940s. Noir, Italian Neo-Realism, WWII movies, the best Republic Pictures serials ever, Poverty Row horror films, and the return of Shemp to The 3 Stooges...

After that, I'd say '30s, '50s, '20s, 60's, '70s, and that's about it...

 

[Pompidou]

Every decade has been about equally hit or miss, in my opinion, so I'm going to vote for the dawn of movie making. I do like Meilles' Voyage de la Lune - the one with the iconic cheese face moon and the bullet rocket. All of the most primitive movies give me a strange feeling in my stomach. It's like being in another time. Once movies became established, they lost a lot of that charm. The earliest ones were all about just seeing what was possible, and it's fun to watch.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I'd say the 80s was the last hurrah for classics. Blues Brothers, Caddy Shack, Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II.
I had to vote 70's as my favorite movie of all time is the 1973 classic, American Graffiti.

 

[Tomasso]

Gun to my head....30's.....

 

[Blackthorn]

I'll watch a good movie from any era, but given a choice I'll take 1929-39 every time. There seems to have been much more of a willingness to try just about any screwy idea at least once than in the more formulaic decades to follow.

Lizzie said it better than I could. So....ditto.

 

[Serial Hero]

That's a tough call. The 30's, 60's and 80's are all in close running but I had to go with the 80's in the poll. It had Indiana Jones, Empire Strikes Back, Ghostbusters, Die Hard (my favorite Christmas movie) and John Hughes films to name a few. Having grown up during that decade, those are the movies of my youth. The 30's had gangster movies, screwball comedies and the greatest year for films ever (1939). The 60's, too many classics to name.

-SH-

 

[Berlin]

The 1940s.
I am addicted to film noir.

 

[Widebrim]

The 1940s.
I am addicted to film noir.

:arated:

 

[FinnSpinn]

I am a real black and white junky, so the 30's is my favourite era. Followed by the 40's and 50's film noir.

 

[John in Covina]

I can't really say that there is a best decade for film for me, however I can say that the 1970's and early 80's had a plethora of truly awful films that were sophmoric, stupid and/or predictable with some of the worst anti-hero heros imaginable. Here in LA there is an open air channel called "This" that was 5.2 now is 5.3 and they will play some of the worst films imaginable. Some of these films are lower than low end made for TV movies of the same period.

The 70's are a warning to us all.

 

[martinsantos]

:eusa_clap

Completelly agree! 70s is a tragic period...

But there are a few exceptions about movies. "The Sting" is a great movie - and made people remember again Scott Joplin. Or some of the last films by John Houston.

But my heart is with noir films, so the 40s are my choice.

Martin

I can't really say that there is a best decade for film for me, however I can say that the 1970's and early 80's had a plethora of truly awful films that were sophmoric, stupid and/or predictable with some of the worst anti-hero heros imaginable. Here in LA there is an open air channel called "This" that was 5.2 now is 5.3 and they will play some of the worst films imaginable. Some of these films are lower than low end made for TV movies of the same period.

The 70's are a warning to us all.

 

[John in Covina]

:eusa_clap Completelly agree! 70s is a tragic period... But there are a few exceptions about movies. "The Sting" is a great movie - and made people remember again Scott Joplin. Or some of the last films by John Houston. Martin

Yes there are a number of great films made n the 70's, but it was more of the small / inexpensive films and even average films for the time fell to abysmal levels of shoddy workmanship.

(It was a common complaint in the seventies that many things were poorly made. US consumer goods and much of everything else made in the USA then simply had lost in quality control and design. Like the US cars struggling under the new for then pollution control were awful! "Is it supposed to keep running after you shut it off?")

 

[LizzieMaine]

Best film of the '70s, by far -- Network. One of the few films of that era that's even more relevant today than when it was first made, and it ought to be forced viewing before any American can subscribe for cable TV.