# Looking back, the 90's might've been the best decade in movies: **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583 "2014-04-21T04:25:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/22 "2014-04-21T16:08:13Z")
The 90’s was a huge period of change in the movie exhibition industry, which has affected the production industry. During the 90’s the smaller regional chains consolidated into the few larger chains we have now. In the early 90’s a 12 screen complex was considered “HUGE”. Now 18 is more normal if not 24. Films then started opening on more screens. The same number of ‘locations’ but you had more multiple prints at each location. Which is great for the movie consumer. Why, back when I was boy, movies sold out and you had to come back next week or stand around for three hours for the next show. Now, if one screen is sold out, it’s starting 15 minutes later on another screen. This is why movies get ‘played out’ quicker. Supply is able to meet the demand opening weekend. When was the last time you couldn’t get in to see a movie? So now the movies are able to make all their money in 4 to 6 weeks rather than four months. So the distribution has changed. There is much more money spent on advertisement because you have to make money opening weekend. Word of mouth is for netflix views or DVDs. (do people still buy DVDS?) Movies need that ‘hook’ that will guarantee opening weekend numbers. (More remakes, sequels, the need for a ‘marquee’ name star or director) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/23 "2014-04-21T16:10:13Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > [250 Greatest Movies of the 1960s](http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_60s.html) > > [250 Greatest Movies of the 1970s](http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_70s.html) > > [250 Greatest Movies of the 1980s](http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_80s.html) > > [250 Greatest Movies of the 1990s](http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_90s.html) > > [250 Greatest Movies of the 2000s](http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_00s.html) It looks like the 60s and 80s start to peter out after ~20. The 70s, 90s, and 00s seem to start drifting off after ~30. I wouldn’t feel confident of my knowledge of movies before the 60s to make any sort of judgement. But certainly given the relative quantity of films that were produced during the 70s vs. the 90s, I’d have to give the 70s the win. Granted, they won it more out of random experimentation than guided quality, but for a creative endeavor that’s not a bad methodology I guess. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/24 "2014-04-21T16:13:59Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I blame george w. bush for the crap like 3 men and a baby, and all the films matthew broderick made. [Pete] That don’t make no sense!" [/Pete} (to quote an awesome 2000 movie character) The 80s had some good movies too… Raising Arizona, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future, Blade Runner, Fatal Attraction, Conan the Barbarian (a guilty pleasure of mine), Dragonslayer, The Shining, Gandhi, Sophie’s Choice, Rainman, The Princess Bride, Alien, Aliens, The Fly, Risky Business, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Full Metal Jacket, and Platoon, just to name a few. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/25 "2014-04-21T16:40:43Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you want to consider a specific genre, I feel that the golden age for science fiction films ran from 1968 to 1977. It was a period when SF films were often about ideas. Then _Star Wars_ came along and science fiction became sci-fi. I loves me some Planet of the Apes Soylent Green The Omega Man Silent Running Colossus the Forbin Project Westworld Andromeda Strain Didn’t care much for Logan’s Run. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/26 "2014-04-21T16:52:22Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > 70s. End of discussion. It’s certainly 70’s vs. 90’s end of discussion. I’d side with 90’s, truthfully. ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/27 "2014-04-21T17:17:24Z")
Saturday Night Live was arguably at it’s best in the 70’s and 90’s so i’m sure that played a big part on why there were some classic comedys during those two decades. Although alot of 1970’s alum had movies carry over into the 80’s. Resovoir Dogs is another classic 90’s film too. (Not sure if it was mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/28 "2014-04-21T17:36:28Z")
SNL is kind of cyclical; once a decade or so, for about 2-4 years, the cast will really have chemistry, and it’ll be hysterically funny. The rest of the time, it’ll suck balls, like it does now. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/29 "2014-04-21T17:44:49Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I loves me some > > Planet of the Apes > Soylent Green > The Omega Man > Silent Running > Colossus the Forbin Project > Westworld > Andromeda Strain > > Didn’t care much for Logan’s Run. I liked _Logan’s Run_ (even if it ripped off half its plot from _Glen and Randa_). Other SF movies from that period: Barbarella Black Moon A Boy And His Dog Charly A Clockwork Orange Coma Crimes of the Future Dark Star The Day of the Dolphin Death Race 2000 Demon Seed Fantastic Planet The Final Programme The Happiness Cage The Illustrated Man The Man Who Fell to Earth Marooned The Monitors Moon Zero Two No Blade Of Grass The Noah Phase IV The Power Project X Quest for Love Rollerball Slaughterhouse Five Sleeper Solaris The Stepford Wives The Terminal Man THX 1138 Wild in the Streets World on a Wire Zardoz ZPG These obviously weren’t all great movies. But you could feel they were at least trying. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/30 "2014-04-21T21:55:42Z")
Because of this thread, I’m going to have to side with the 70’s. While there may be fewer good movies, the 70’s is going to influence filmmaking forever. Horror: Jaws, Halloween, Night of the Living Dead. Scifi: Star Wars, Alien. Drama: Godfather 1 and 2. Romance: A love story. Just these 8 movies above get echoed 4-9 times a week, every week, week after week. The Matrix and Titanic had it’s imitators, but they quickly faded. In terms of influence, I don’t think you can beat the 70’s on today’s cinema. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/31 "2014-04-21T23:39:30Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Because of this thread, I’m going to have to side with the 70’s. While there may be fewer good movies, the 70’s is going to influence filmmaking forever. > > Horror: Jaws, Halloween, Night of the Living Dead. Living Dead was 1968. ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/32 "2014-04-22T00:00:29Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Living Dead was 1968. Maybe he meant Dawn of the Dead? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/33 "2014-04-22T11:46:54Z")
Superhal writes: \> Oh, another thing to throw into the discussion: there were a lot more movies made \> since the 90’s than any other time in history. I tried to figure out if this is true. It’s possible to use the Advanced Search page on the IMDb to get numbers on this. The following is the number of feature films made in each year. This doesn’t include TV series or episodes or miniseries or movies or films that aren’t feature-length: 2013: 8,748 2012: 8,149 2011: 7,734 2010: 7,048 2009: 6,773 2008: 5,696 2007: 4,922 2006: 4,736 2005: 4,362 2004: 3,867 2003: 3,742 2002: 3,782 2001: 3,748 2000: 3,572 1999: 3,591 1998: 3,444 1997: 3,435 1996: 3,249 1995: 3,218 1994: 3,163 1993: 3,211 1992: 3,357 1991: 3,357 1990: 3,497 1989: 3,186 1988: 3,255 1987: 3,189 1986: 3,077 1985: 3,049 1984: 3,027 1983: 3,019 1982: 3,029 1981: 2,887 1980: 2,951 1979: 2,964 1978: 2,819 1977: 2,744 1976: 2,770 1975: 2,758 1974: 2,806 1973: 2,841 1972: 2,971 1971: 3,085 1970: 3,255 1969: 3,026 1968: 3,226 1967: 2,852 1966: 2,573 1965: 2,544 1964: 2,449 1963: 2,261 1962: 2,306 1961: 2,322 1960: 2,241 1959: 2,174 1958: 2,205 1957: 2,158 1956: 2,062 1955: 1,926 1954: 1,914 1953: 1,856 1952: 1,795 1951: 1,692 1950: 1,681 1949: 1,641 1948: 1,468 1947: 1,334 1946: 1,211 1945: 1,030 1944: 1,134 1943: 1,238 1942: 1,363 1941: 1,442 1940: 1,592 1939: 1,687 1938: 1,735 1937: 1,736 1936: 1,762 1935: 1,673 1934: 1,598 1933: 1,483 1932: 1,560 1931: 1,619 1930: 1,491 1929: 1,455 1928: 1,572 1927: 1,594 1926: 1,550 1925: 1,541 1924: 1,537 1923: 1,492 1922: 1,808 1921: 2,168 1920: 2,337 1919: 2,102 1918: 1,993 1917: 2,056 1916: 1,994 1915: 1,568 1914: 1,083 1913: 669 1912: 364 1911: 222 1910: 162 1909: 159 1908: 33 1907: 16 1906: 16 1905: 10 1904: 5 1903: 9 1902: 5 1901: 3 1900: 12 1899: 10 1898: 22 1897: 0 1896: 0 1895: 2 1894: 1 To summarize, there was a quick increase (with some random variation) in the number of feature films from the point of their invention till the year 1917. After that, there wasn’t much change for a couple of decades, just some random variation in the numbers from year to year, until 1937. Then there was a decrease in the number of films until the year 1945. Then the number of films slowly increased for almost five decades with again a little random variation, until about the year 2003. Since then there has been a very fast increase in the number of films made each year. But I don’t know if these numbers really represent the true number of films made or if this is just an artifact of what films the IMDb knows about. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/34 "2014-04-22T13:10:33Z")
The 1930s: 1. Gone With the Wind - (1939, Victor Fleming) (Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard) 2. The Wizard of Oz - (1939, Victor Fleming) (Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger) 3. The Rules of the Game - (1939, Jean Renoir) (Roland Toutain, Nora Gregor) 4. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - (1939, Frank Capra) (James Stewart, Claude Rains) 5. City Lights - (1931, Charles Chaplin) (Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Harry Myers) 6. M - (1931, Fritz Lang) (Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Otto Wernicke, Inge Landgut) 7. Modern Times - (1936, Charles Chaplin) (Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard) 8. King Kong - (1933, Merian C. Cooper) (Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot) 9. All Quiet on the Western Front - (1930, Lewis Milestone) (Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim) 10. Grand Illusion - (1937, Jean Renoir) (Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim) 11. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - (1937, William Cottrell) (Adriana Caselotti, Lucille La Verne) 12. Little Caesar - (1931, Mervyn LeRoy) (Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) 13. The 39 Steps - (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) (Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim) 14. It Happened One Night - (1934, Frank Capra) (Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Alan Hale) 15. Stagecoach - (1939, John Ford) (John Wayne, Claire Trevor, John Carradine) 16. L’Atalante - (1934, Jean Vigo) (Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté, Gilles Margaritis) 17. Scarface - (1932, Howard Hawks) (Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, George Raft, Boris Karloff) 18. Bringing Up Baby - (1938, Howard Hawks) (Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Barry Fitzgerald) 19. Frankenstein - (1931, James Whale) (Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Frederick Kerr) 20. Freaks - (1932, Tod Browning) (Wallace Ford, Harry Earles, Olga Baclanova) 21. The Adventures of Robin Hood - (1938, Michael Curtiz) (Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland) 22. The Bride of Frankenstein - (1935, James Whale) (Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive) 23. Duck Soup - (1933, Leo McCarey) (Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont, Raquel Torres) 24. The Public Enemy - (1931, William Wellman) (James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Joan Blondell) 25. Grand Hotel - (1932, Edmund Goulding) (Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford) 26. Dracula - (1931, Tod Browning) (Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners) 27. The Thin Man - (1934, W.S. Van Dyke) (William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O’Sullivan) 28. I Am a Fugitive from A Chain Gang - (1932, Mervyn LeRoy) (Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell) 29. A Star is Born - (1937, William Wellman) (Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou) 30. Wuthering Heights - (1939, William Wyler) (Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon, David Niven) 31. My Man Godfrey - (1936, Gregory La Cava) (William Powell, Carole Lombard) 32. Angels With Dirty Faces - (1938, Michael Curtiz) (James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart) 33. They Won’t Forget - (1937, Mervyn LeRoy) (Claude Rains, Lana Turner, Otto Kruger) 34. A Tale of Two Cities - (1935, Jack Conway) (Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan) 35. Manhattan Melodrama - (1934, W.S. Van Dyke) (Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy) 36. Little Women - (1933, George Cukor) (Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Paul Lukas) 37. The Prisoner of Zenda (1937, John Cromwell) (Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll) 38. Zemlya (aka Earth) - (1930, Alexander Dovzhenko) (Stepan Shkurat, Semyon Svashenko) 39. A Night at the Opera - (1935, Sam Wood) (Marx Brothers, Kitty Carlisle, Margaret Dumont) 40. A Day in the Country - (1936, Jean Renoir) (Sylvia Bataille, Georges D’Arnoux, Jane Marken) 41. The Four Feathers - (1939, Zoltan Korda) (John Clements, Ralph Richardson) 42. You Can’t Take It With You - (1938, Frank Capra) (Jean Arthur, James Stewart) 43. The Front Page - (1931, Lewis Milestone) (Pat O’Brien, Adolphe Menjou, Mary Brian) 44. Trouble in Paradise - (1932, Ernst Lubitsch) (Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall) 45. Top Hat - (1935, Mark Sandrich) (Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton) 46. 42nd Street - (1933, Lloyd Bacon) (Warner Baxter, Ruby Keeler, Ginger Rogers) 47. The Blue Angel - (1930, Josef von Sternberg) (Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings) 48. Young Mr. Lincoln - (1939, John Ford) (Henry Fonda, Marjorie Weaver, Alice Brady) 49. Alexander Nevsky - (1938, Sergei Eisenstein) (Nikolai Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov) 50. The Roaring Twenties - (1939, Raoul Walsh) (James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart) 51. Les Misérables - (1935, Richard Boleslawski) (Fredric March, Charles Laughton) 52. Zero for Conduct - (1933, Jean Vigo) (Jean Dasté, Robert le Flon, Du Verron) 53. The Stars Look Down - (1939, Carol Reed) (Michael Redgrave, Margaret Lockwood) 54. Osaka Elegy - (1936, Kenji Mizoguchi) (Isuzu Yamada, Seiichi Takegawa) 55. Of Mice and Men - (1939, Lewis Milestone) (Burgess Meredith, Lon Chaney Jr.) 56. Jezebel - (1938, William Wyler) (Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent) 57. The Informer - (1935, John Ford) (Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster) 58. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - (1939, William Dieterle) (Charles Laughton, Maureen O’Hara) 59. The Good Earth - (1937, Victor Fleming) (Paul Muni, Luise Rainer, Walter Connolly) 60. Dodsworth - (1936, William Wyler) (Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, David Niven) 61. David Copperfield - (1935, George Cukor) (W.C. Fields, Lionel Barrymore, Elsa Lanchester) 62. Show Boat - (1936, James Whale) (Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Hattie McDaniel) 63. The Great Ziegfeld - (1936, Robert Z. Leonard) (William Powell, Myrna Loy, Fanny Brice) 64. Gold Digger of 1933 - (1933, Mervyn LeRoy) (Warren William, Joan Blondell, Ginger Rogers) 65. The Gay Divorcee - (1934, Mark Sandrich) (Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Alice Brady) 66. The Scarlet Pimpernel - (1934, Harold Young) (Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, Nigel Bruce) 67. Mutiny on the Bounty - (1935, Frank Lloyd) (Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Donald Crisp) 68. Gunga Din - (1939, George Stevens) (Cary Grant, Sam Jaffe, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) 69. Captains Courageous - (1937, Victor Fleming) (Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy) 70. Captain Blood - (1935, Michael Curtiz) (Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone) 71. Love Affair - (1939, Leo McCarey) (Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer, Maria Ouspenskaya) 72. Camille - (1936, George Cukor) (Greta Garbo, Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore) 73. Destry Rides Again - (1939, George Marshall) (James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich) 74. Vampyr - (1932, Carl Theodor Dreyer) (Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel) 75. Son of Frankenstein - (1939, Rowland V. Lee) (Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Basil Rathbone) 76. The Mummy - (1932, Karl W. Freund) (Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners) 77. Island of Lost Souls - (1932, Erle C. Kenton) (Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen) 78. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - (1931, Rouben Mamoulian) (Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins) 79. Lost Horizon - (1937, Frank Capra) (Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, John Howard) 80. Animal Crackers - (1930, Victor Heerman) (Marx Brothers, Lillian Roth, Margaret Dumont) 81. Twentieth Century - (1934, Howard Hawks) (John Barrymore, Carole Lombard) 82. Nothing Sacred - (1937, William Wellman) (Carole Lombard, Fredric March) 83. Ninotchka - (1939, Ernst Lubitsch) (Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Bela Lugosi) 84. Holiday - (1938, George Cukor) (Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Lew Ayres) 85. The Awful Truth - (1937, Leo McCarey) (Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy) 86. À Nous la Libertén - (1931, René Clare) (Raymond Cordy, Henri Marchand) 87. The Invisible Man - (1933, James Whale) (Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan) 88. Queen Christina - (1933, Rouben Mamoulian) (Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith) 89. Pygmalion - (1938, Anthony Asquith, Leslie Howard) (Leslie Howard, Wendy Hiller) 90. Dark Victory - (1939, Edmund Goulding) (Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, George Brent) 91. Three Comrades - (1938, Frank Borzage) (Robert Taylor, Margaret Sullavan) 92. Fury - (1936, Fritz Lang) (Spencer Tracy, Sylvia Sidney, Walter Brennan, Walter Abel) 93. The Scarlet Empress - (1934, Josef von Sternberg) (Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge) 94. A Farewell to Arms - (1932, Frank Borzage) (Gary Cooper, Helen Hayes, Adolphe Menjou) 95. The Testament of Dr. Mabuse - (1933, Fritz Lang) (Oscar Beregi Sr., Paul Bernd) 96. The Lady Vanishes - (1938, Alfred Hitchcock) (Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave) 97. The Mystery of the Wax Museum - (1933, Michael Curtiz) (Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray) 98. Love Me Tonight - (1932, Rouben Mamoulian) (Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald) 99. A Day at the Races - (1937, Sam Wood) (Marx Brothers, Maureen O’Sullivan) 100. The Big House - (1930, Paul Fejos, G.W. Hill) (Chester Morris, Wallace Beery) ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/35 "2014-04-22T20:30:08Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > “…The 80’s had some rocking films. I still watch tron, terminator, indy 3, short circuit, the living dead series and robocop. …” Back to Futures Raiders of the Lost Arks Star Wars Romancing the Stone National Lampoon Vacations John Candy movies (Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck) Molly Ringwold (Candles, Pink, etc) Silverado What the 80’s lacked in quantity they made up for in quality. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/36 "2014-04-22T23:33:35Z")
^ strange, you’re not very fond of 80’s blockbusters. Rocky 3-4 Rambo 1-3 Star Treck 2-3 Beast Master E.T. the Extraterrestrial Ghandi Indiana Jones anthology (mentioned) Marty Macfly anthology (mentioned) Goonies Terminator 1 All Brat Pack movies Aliens (2) Top Gun Broadcast News The Untouchables Predator 1 The Naked Gun ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/37 "2014-04-22T23:33:55Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Superhal writes: > > \> Oh, another thing to throw into the discussion: there were a lot more movies made > \> since the 90’s than any other time in history. > > I tried to figure out if this is true. It’s possible to use the Advanced Search page on the IMDb to get numbers on this. The following is the number of feature films made in each year. This doesn’t include TV series or episodes or miniseries or movies or films that aren’t feature-length: > > 2013: 8,748 > 2012: 8,149 > 2011: 7,734 > 2010: 7,048 > 2009: 6,773 > 2008: 5,696 > 2007: 4,922 > 2006: 4,736 > 2005: 4,362 > 2004: 3,867 > 2003: 3,742 > 2002: 3,782 > 2001: 3,748 > 2000: 3,572 > 1999: 3,591 > 1998: 3,444 > 1997: 3,435 > 1996: 3,249 > 1995: 3,218 > 1994: 3,163 > 1993: 3,211 > 1992: 3,357 > 1991: 3,357 > 1990: 3,497 > 1989: 3,186 > 1988: 3,255 > 1987: 3,189 > 1986: 3,077 > 1985: 3,049 > 1984: 3,027 > 1983: 3,019 > 1982: 3,029 > 1981: 2,887 > 1980: 2,951 > 1979: 2,964 > 1978: 2,819 > 1977: 2,744 > 1976: 2,770 > 1975: 2,758 > 1974: 2,806 > 1973: 2,841 > 1972: 2,971 > 1971: 3,085 > 1970: 3,255 > 1969: 3,026 > 1968: 3,226 > 1967: 2,852 > 1966: 2,573 > 1965: 2,544 > 1964: 2,449 > 1963: 2,261 > 1962: 2,306 > 1961: 2,322 > 1960: 2,241 > 1959: 2,174 > 1958: 2,205 > 1957: 2,158 > 1956: 2,062 > 1955: 1,926 > 1954: 1,914 > 1953: 1,856 > 1952: 1,795 > 1951: 1,692 > 1950: 1,681 > 1949: 1,641 > 1948: 1,468 > 1947: 1,334 > 1946: 1,211 > 1945: 1,030 > 1944: 1,134 > 1943: 1,238 > 1942: 1,363 > 1941: 1,442 > 1940: 1,592 > 1939: 1,687 > 1938: 1,735 > 1937: 1,736 > 1936: 1,762 > 1935: 1,673 > 1934: 1,598 > 1933: 1,483 > 1932: 1,560 > 1931: 1,619 > 1930: 1,491 > 1929: 1,455 > 1928: 1,572 > 1927: 1,594 > 1926: 1,550 > 1925: 1,541 > 1924: 1,537 > 1923: 1,492 > 1922: 1,808 > 1921: 2,168 > 1920: 2,337 > 1919: 2,102 > 1918: 1,993 > 1917: 2,056 > 1916: 1,994 > 1915: 1,568 > 1914: 1,083 > 1913: 669 > 1912: 364 > 1911: 222 > 1910: 162 > 1909: 159 > 1908: 33 > 1907: 16 > 1906: 16 > 1905: 10 > 1904: 5 > 1903: 9 > 1902: 5 > 1901: 3 > 1900: 12 > 1899: 10 > 1898: 22 > **1897: 0 > 1896: 0** > 1895: 2 > 1894: 1 > > To summarize, there was a quick increase (with some random variation) in the number of feature films from the point of their invention till the year 1917. After that, there wasn’t much change for a couple of decades, just some random variation in the numbers from year to year, until 1937. Then there was a decrease in the number of films until the year 1945. Then the number of films slowly increased for almost five decades with again a little random variation, until about the year 2003. Since then there has been a very fast increase in the number of films made each year. But I don’t know if these numbers really represent the true number of films made or if this is just an artifact of what films the IMDb knows about. Bunch of slackers. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/38 "2014-04-23T00:37:22Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The 1930s: > > 1. Gone With the Wind - (1939, Victor Fleming) (Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard) > 2. The Wizard of Oz - (1939, Victor Fleming) (Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger) > 3. The Rules of the Game - (1939, Jean Renoir) (Roland Toutain, Nora Gregor) > 4. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - (1939, Frank Capra) (James Stewart, Claude Rains) > 5. City Lights - (1931, Charles Chaplin) (Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Harry Myers) > 6. M - (1931, Fritz Lang) (Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Otto Wernicke, Inge Landgut) > 7. Modern Times - (1936, Charles Chaplin) (Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard) > 8. King Kong - (1933, Merian C. Cooper) (Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot) > 9. All Quiet on the Western Front - (1930, Lewis Milestone) (Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim) > 10. Grand Illusion - (1937, Jean Renoir) (Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim) Not an officianado of films this far back, but I have the feeling like this one is starting to lose strength around the 10 mark. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/39 "2014-04-23T02:04:20Z")
Decades are arbitrary periods. It doesn’t really work to divide movie history into them. I would say that the best periods for films were the following, in this order: 1937 - 1946 1967 - 1976 ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/40 "2014-04-23T05:43:19Z")
> [@](#): > > 1937 - 1946 Captain Courageous Lost Horizon Gone with the Wind Adventures of Robin Hood Citizen Kane Cassablanca It’s a Wonderful Life [That’s all I know] > [@](#): > > 1967 - 1976 In the Heat of the Night The Graduate Oliver! Romeo and Juliet Midnight Cowboy Hello Dolly Love Story Patton Fiddler on the Roof The Godfather 1&2 Deliverance The Exorcist Jaws Rocky 1 Taxi Driver [Wish you’d extend it to '78 so it’ll include Star Wars and The Deer Hunter] Me next! 1981-1984 1990-1994 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583/41 "2014-04-23T16:13:02Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Not an officianado of films this far back, but I have the feeling like this one is starting to lose strength around the 10 mark. You couldn’t be more wrong. The 30s list doesn’t even have masterpieces like _Footlight Parade, Man’s Castle, Only Angels Have Wings, Shanghai Express, The Crime of M. Lange, Make Way for Tomorrow, Shall We Dance, It’s a Gift, Land without Bread, The Tale of the Fox_ or anything by Ozu, all of which I would take over 2/3 of the 70s list. In fact, the biggest selling point of the 70s is what the list posted is missing–the major foreign language films from all around the world that came to prominence around that time (the list posted has fewer than 10). I’d say a list from the 1950s would also beat the 1970s listed posted, despite it being a truly fantastic decade. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-back-the-90s-mightve-been-the-best-decade-in-movies/686583.md?page=3)