# The best movie set in every year... but not made in that year **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457 "2013-05-15T22:13:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![williambaskerville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@williambaskerville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williambaskerville)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/181 "2013-05-18T07:38:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If _Snow Falling on Cedars_ is moved, I have a good replacement for 1954: _My Favorite Year_. I thought of that for 1954, too. There’s also another possible candidate for that year :- “Heavenly Creatures”. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/182 "2013-05-18T15:48:10Z")
Since the dating of **The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly** is in doubt, I suggest **Cold Mountain** as a replacement. Most of the action is in 1864, following the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg. So: 1864 **Cold Mountain** ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/183 "2013-05-18T15:48:11Z")
I feel that _Summer of '42_ is a better choice for 1942. _Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo_ is from 1944 and so is virtually contemporary. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/184 "2013-05-18T15:51:47Z")
**140 The Eagle** ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/185 "2013-05-18T15:59:58Z")
I notice we have _The Lion in Winter_ for 1183. Peter O’Toole is in that playing Henry II of England, but he played the very same character in _Becket_, which was supposed to be set some years earlier than _Lion in Winter_. Does anyone know if _Becket_ can be tied down to a particular year? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/186 "2013-05-18T17:54:24Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Since the dating of **The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly** is in doubt, I suggest **Cold Mountain** as a replacement. Most of the action is in 1864, following the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg. So: > > 1864 **Cold Mountain** I agree that would be a better choice. > [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > I notice we have _The Lion in Winter_ for 1183. Peter O’Toole is in that playing Henry II of England, but he played the very same character in _Becket_, which was supposed to be set some years earlier than _Lion in Winter_. Does anyone know if _Becket_ can be tied down to a particular year? The movie covers Thomas Becket’s time as Archbishop of Canterbury, from 1162 to 1170. Since the murder of Becket in 1170 is climax of the movie I would consider that as the best date for it. 1170 Becket ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/187 "2013-05-18T18:12:12Z")
If we accept the criterion of the climax of a movie whose events take place over several years as the effective date, we have a few additional candidates: 1485 Richard III 1536 Anne of the Thousand Days 1601 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/188 "2013-05-18T18:12:22Z")
Too much to ask to reconsider **A Bronx Tale** for 1968? Not saying it should _replace_ **Unbearable Lightness of Being** because, you know, it has Daniel Day Lewis and based on a book – penned by a Czech author no less – so it must be important. But both are essentially even on Rotten Tomatoes (96% for ABT vs. 95% for ULoB) and A Bronx Tale has a legitimate lead on IMDB (7.7 to 7.3). (If only IMDB had legitimate ratings.) Bronx Tale was originally the 1968 entry but overruled by ULoB. I say they should cohabit-ate the spot. And really, how much different could Prague look from 1968 to 1988? Or from 1968 to present day, for that matter? Ironically, I wish a case could be made for another DDL movie, **In the Name of the Father** , which begins its story in 1974. But the whole court process and prison time seems to extend over too many years to make for a specific year (taking this from memory). ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/189 "2013-05-18T18:17:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If we accept the criterion of the climax of a movie whose events take place over several years as the effective date, we have a few additional candidates Plus _Bonnie and Clyde_ for 1934 ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/190 "2013-05-18T18:20:14Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If we accept the criterion of the climax of a movie whose events take place over several years as the effective date, we have a few additional candidates: > > 1485 Richard III > 1536 Anne of the Thousand Days > 1601 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex OP states: “The majority – either in terms of minutes or theme – of each movie must must occur in the specific year…” “Just use your own best judgment.” – Joel’s mom. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/191 "2013-05-18T18:23:32Z")
Updated list BC One Zillion BC, October 9th - Caveman BC 1,000,000 One Million BC BC 1200 Troy BC 480 300 BC 326 Sikandar (1941) BC 72 Spartacus BC 44 Julius Caesar 33 Life of Brian / The Passion of the Christ 40 Caligula 140 The Eagle 180 Gladiator 208 Red Cliff 460 The Last Legion 528 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court 859 House of Flying Daggers 922 The Thirteenth Warrior 1170 Becket 1183 The Lion in Winter 1187 Kingdom of Heaven 1199 Robin Hood (2010) 1242 Alexander Nevsky 1298 Braveheart 1327 The Name of the Rose 1415 Henry V 1424 Andrei Rublev 1431 The Passion of Joan of Arc 1482 The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1485 Richard III 1492 1492: Conquest of Paradise 1533 The Royal Hunt of the Sun 1535 A Man for All Seasons 1536 Anne of the Thousand Days 1547 Crossed Swords 1553 Lady Jane 1558 Elizabeth 1560 Aguirre: The Wrath of God 1597 Shakespeare in Love 1601 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex 1607 The New World 1625 The Three Musketeers 1630 Hara-kiri 1634 Black Robe / The Devils 1665 Girl with a Pearl Earring 1667 The Scarlet Letter 1692 The Crucible 1712 Rob Roy 1756 The Mission 1757 The Last of the Mohicans 1776 1776 1779 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 1787 Robinson Crusoe 1788 The Madness of King George 1789 Mutiny on the Bounty 1791 That Night in Varennes 1794 Danton 1798 The Wild Child 1799 The Marquise of O / Sleepy Hollow 1805 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 1808 The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade 1815 Waterloo 1816 Gothic 1827 Children of Paradise 1828 The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser 1832 Les Miserables 1836 The Alamo 1841 Amistad 1854 The Charge of the Light Brigade 1857 Mangal Pandey: The Rising 1858 Django Unchained 1860 The Pony Express 1862 The General 1863 Gettysburg / Glory 1864 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly / Cold Mountain 1865 Lincoln 1872 Around the World in 80 Days 1874 Blazing Saddles 1876 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon / The Molly Maguires 1877 The Last Samurai 1878 Cheyenne Autumn 1879 Zulu 1880 Stagecoach / True Grit (2012) 1881 Tombstone 1882 The Man Who Would Be King 1884 3:10 to Yuma 1885 Topsy Turvy / Back to the Future III / The Oxbow Incident 1886 Geronimo: An American Legend 1888 From Hell 1889 Mayerling 1890 - Hello, Dolly! 1891 Sherlock Holmes (2009) 1893 Far and Away / Lagaan 1895 The Four Feathers 1896 - The Far Country 1897 The Gold Rush 1898 A Message to Garcia 1899 The Prestige / Newsies 1900 Picnic at Hanging Rock 1901 The Shootist 1902 Breaker Morant 1903 Tom Horn 1904 Meet Me in St. Louis 1905 Battleship Potemkin 1906 Ragtime 1907 Viva Maria! 1909 Fanny and Alexander 1910 Mary Poppins 1911 1911 1912 Titanic 1913 The Wild Bunch 1914 The African Queen 1915 Gallipoli 1916 Paths of Glory 1917 Lawrence of Arabia 1918 War Horse 1919 Eight Men Out 1920 Matewan 1921 Sunrise at Campobello 1922 The Great Gatsby 1924 Chariots of Fire 1925 Inherit the Wind 1926 The Sand Pebbles 1927 Singin’ in the Rain 1928 The Artist 1929 Some Like It Hot 1931 Cabaret 1932 King Kong (2005) 1933 Sounder 1934 Pennies from Heaven / Bonnie and Clyde 1935 The King’s Speech 1936 Raiders of the Lost Ark / The Sting 1937 Chinatown 1938 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1939 To Be or Not to Be (the original) 1940 The Spirit of the Beehive 1941 Tora! Tora! Tora! 1942 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo / Summer of '42 1943 Come and See 1944 Saving Private Ryan / A Bridge Too Far / Pan’s Labyrinth / The Longest Day 1945 Schindler’s List 1946 The Godfather 1947 42 1948 Devil in a Blue Dress 1949 - The Man Who Wasn’t There 1950 Men in War / Snow Falling on Cedars 1951 The Last Picture Show 1952 Hoosiers 1953 L.A. Confidential 1954 My Favorite Year / Heavenly Creatures 1955 Back to the Future 1957 The Battle of Algiers 1958 The Godfather Part II 1959 Diner / Stand By Me 1960 Grease 1961 61\* 1962 American Graffiti / Animal House 1963 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 1964 Mississippi Burning 1965 Moonrise Kingdom 1966 JFK 1967 Platoon 1968 The Unbearable Lightness of Being / A Bronx Tale 1969 Taking Woodstock 1970 Apollo 13 / Apocalypse Now 1971 Remember the Titans 1972 All the President’s Men 1973 Ratcatcher 1974 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 1975 The Deer Hunter 1976 Dazed and Confused 1977 Summer of Sam 1978 Lords of Dogtown 1979 Argo / Super 8 1980 No Country for Old Men 1981 Wet Hot American Summer 1982 Waltz with Bashir 1983 Heartbreak Ridge 1984 1984 1986 The Squid and the Whale 1987 Fargo 1988 Donnie Darko 1989 Buffalo Soldiers 1990 Rent 1991 The Big Lebowski 1992 Primary Colors 1993 Black Hawk Down 1994 Hotel Rwanda 1995 Invictus 1996 12 Monkeys 1997 Amélie 1998 Escape from New York 1999 Strange Days 2000 Escape from Los Angeles 2001 2001: A Space Odyssey / World Trade Center / Flight 93 2002 Moneyball 2004 The Hurt Locker 2005 Transformers: the Movie (1986) 2010 2010: The Year We Make Contact 2011 Zero Dark Thirty 2012 I Am Legend 2013 The Postman 2019 Blade Runner 2022 Soylent Green 2026 Metropolis 2027 Children of Men 2032 Demolition Man 2035 I, Robot 2044 Looper 2057 Sunshine 2074 Looper 2084 Total Recall (the original) 2093 Prometheus 2122 Alien 2150 Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. 2160 Avatar 2173 Sleeper 2179 Aliens 2199 The Matrix 2214 The Fifth Element 2274 Logan’s Run 2293 Zardoz 2491 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century 2500 Waterworld 2505 Idiocracy 2517 Serenity 2805 Wall-E 3978 Planet of the Apes (1968) 5021 Planet of the Apes (2001) 12090 Vampire Hunter D 40000 Barbarella 802,701 The Time Machine (2002) ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/192 "2013-05-18T19:09:50Z")
1908 Fanny and Alexander ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/193 "2013-05-18T19:41:42Z")
> [@Moonchild](#): > > OP states: “The majority – either in terms of minutes or theme – of each movie must must occur in the specific year…” > > “Just use your own best judgment.” – Joel’s mom. Depends on what exactly you mean by the “majority of the theme,” and “majority of minutes.” Based on what you said in the OP, I’ve been interpreting “majority of the theme” to mean the most important/most emphatic elements of the plot. Take for example _Les Miserables_. The story begins in 1815, and the plot develops over several decades. But the resolution of all the plot elements, and the climax, takes place in 1832. And does “majority of minutes” mean “more minutes than any other year,” or “more than half of the movie”? I suspect that 1832 takes up more minutes of the film than any other, but not more than half. Likewise, _War Horse_ takes place over the time period 1914-1918. The most dramatic elements and the resolution of the plot take place in 1918. However, I’m not sure if the most minutes take place in 1914 or 1918. In my best judgement, I would pick 1832 for _Les Miserables_ and 1918 for _War Horse_. But you’re the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/194 "2013-05-18T20:08:31Z")
I can’t help but imagine an alien civilization trying to piece together Earth’s history with this list. _“Things got reeeally weird around what they called the year 2000, sir. Aparently humanity was on the brink of extinction, but then somehow the planet became overpopulated… and then there’s those years the humans were overrun by apes. Don’t ask. It’s hard to tell apart what happened in the real world and what was part of the virtual reality from the time they were controlled by a Matrix.”_ ---
**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:** [May 18, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/195 "2013-05-18T20:12:59Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > _“Things got reeeally weird around what they called the year 2000, sir. Aparently humanity was on the brink of extinction, but then somehow the planet became overpopulated… and then there’s those years the humans were overrun by apes. Don’t ask. It’s hard to tell apart what happened in the real world and what was part of the virtual reality from the time they were controlled by a Matrix.”_ _“And then Jane Fonda started taking her clothes off and I didn’t care anymore.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/196 "2013-05-18T23:38:41Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Depends on what exactly you mean by the “majority of the theme,” and “majority of minutes.” Based on what you said in the OP, I’ve been interpreting “majority of the theme” to mean the most important/most emphatic elements of the plot. > > Take for example _Les Miserables_. The story begins in 1815, and the plot develops over several decades. But the resolution of all the plot elements, and the climax, takes place in 1832. > > And does “majority of minutes” mean “more minutes than any other year,” or “more than half of the movie”? I suspect that 1832 takes up more minutes of the film than any other, but not more than half. > > Likewise, _War Horse_ takes place over the time period 1914-1918. The most dramatic elements and the resolution of the plot take place in 1918. However, I’m not sure if the most minutes take place in 1914 or 1918. > > In my best judgement, I would pick 1832 for _Les Miserables_ and 1918 for _War Horse_. But you’re the OP. Those rules (guidelines, really) were put into place to maintain the integrity of the list, which to me at least, has been very much maintained. If a movie starts to have some sort of “Gumpian” timeline where many different eras (as perceived by the moviegoer), then probably best to leave it out. But if a movie – and Les Miserables is an excellent example – has a glut of its story in a certain year, 1832 as you noted, that makes sense to put it there. If a movie merely ends or has its climax in a certain year, but the overwhelming majority of the movie happened in other years, then should probably be reconsidered. All that said, there’s perhaps a bit of a judgement call to be considered when we are considering, say, the 1830’s versus, say, 1978, I guess because of how the perception time compresses the farther you go back. Writing “the majority” in the OP was probably a poor choice of words. But then, I wasn’t quite expecting such a thorough list or such thoughtfulness being put into it. I think we’ve all learned an important lesson: don’t underestimate a Doper! ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/197 "2013-05-19T20:40:23Z")
So, being inspired by the timeline, I actually watched **Back to the Future II** last night. Based on the DVD chapters: 7/20th of the film happens in 2015; 5/20th of the film happens in 1985 (the opening scene and the alternate reality after Biff gets his hands on the Gray’s Sports Almanac); 7/20th of the film happens in 1955. (The other 1/20th the end credits.) The plot points are fairly evenly divided by the three eras. BttF II was actually originally entered in the 1985 slot on this timeline but I yanked it because: a.) as I recall, it didn’t feel it like it had enough 1985 screen time; and b.) the movie came out only four years after that. But opon further review, the 1985 alternative reality segment makes for a legitimate 1985 slot and there are only slightly fewer minutes in 1985 than the others. BUT, 2015 has more screen time and a bigger divergence from present day (circa 1989, when the film was made). Soooo… Back to the Future II, to be added to the 2015 slot! ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/198 "2013-05-19T20:45:29Z")
So, the latest – and last??? – epic movie period piece timeline: BC One Zillion BC, October 9th - Caveman BC 1,000,000 One Million BC BC 1200 Troy BC 480 300 BC 326 Sikandar (1941) BC 72 Spartacus BC 44 Julius Caesar 33 Life of Brian / The Passion of the Christ 40 Caligula 140 The Eagle 180 Gladiator 208 Red Cliff 460 The Last Legion 528 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court 859 House of Flying Daggers 922 The Thirteenth Warrior 1170 Becket 1183 The Lion in Winter 1187 Kingdom of Heaven 1199 Robin Hood (2010) 1242 Alexander Nevsky 1298 Braveheart 1327 The Name of the Rose 1415 Henry V 1424 Andrei Rublev 1431 The Passion of Joan of Arc 1482 The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1485 Richard III 1492 1492: Conquest of Paradise 1533 The Royal Hunt of the Sun 1535 A Man for All Seasons 1536 Anne of the Thousand Days 1547 Crossed Swords 1553 Lady Jane 1558 Elizabeth 1560 Aguirre: The Wrath of God 1597 Shakespeare in Love 1601 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex 1607 The New World 1625 The Three Musketeers 1630 Hara-kiri 1634 Black Robe / The Devils 1665 Girl with a Pearl Earring 1667 The Scarlet Letter 1692 The Crucible 1712 Rob Roy 1756 The Mission 1757 The Last of the Mohicans 1776 1776 1779 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 1787 Robinson Crusoe 1788 The Madness of King George 1789 Mutiny on the Bounty 1791 That Night in Varennes 1794 Danton 1798 The Wild Child 1799 The Marquise of O / Sleepy Hollow 1805 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 1808 The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade 1815 Waterloo 1816 Gothic 1827 Children of Paradise 1828 The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser 1832 Les Miserables 1836 The Alamo 1841 Amistad 1854 The Charge of the Light Brigade 1857 Mangal Pandey: The Rising 1858 Django Unchained 1860 The Pony Express 1862 The General 1863 Gettysburg / Glory 1864 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly / Cold Mountain 1865 Lincoln 1872 Around the World in 80 Days 1874 Blazing Saddles 1876 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon / The Molly Maguires 1877 The Last Samurai 1878 Cheyenne Autumn 1879 Zulu 1880 Stagecoach / True Grit (2012) 1881 Tombstone 1882 The Man Who Would Be King 1884 3:10 to Yuma 1885 Topsy Turvy / Back to the Future III / The Oxbow Incident 1886 Geronimo: An American Legend 1888 From Hell 1889 Mayerling 1890 - Hello, Dolly! 1891 Sherlock Holmes (2009) 1893 Far and Away / Lagaan 1895 The Four Feathers 1896 - The Far Country 1897 The Gold Rush 1898 A Message to Garcia 1899 The Prestige / Newsies 1900 Picnic at Hanging Rock 1901 The Shootist 1902 Breaker Morant 1903 Tom Horn 1904 Meet Me in St. Louis 1905 Battleship Potemkin 1906 Ragtime 1907 Viva Maria! 1909 Fanny and Alexander 1910 Mary Poppins 1911 1911 1912 Titanic 1913 The Wild Bunch 1914 The African Queen 1915 Gallipoli 1916 Paths of Glory 1917 Lawrence of Arabia 1918 War Horse 1919 Eight Men Out 1920 Matewan 1921 Sunrise at Campobello 1922 The Great Gatsby 1924 Chariots of Fire 1925 Inherit the Wind 1926 The Sand Pebbles 1927 Singin’ in the Rain 1928 The Artist 1929 Some Like It Hot 1931 Cabaret 1932 King Kong (2005) 1933 Sounder 1934 Pennies from Heaven / Bonnie and Clyde 1935 The King’s Speech 1936 Raiders of the Lost Ark / The Sting 1937 Chinatown 1938 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1939 To Be or Not to Be (the original) 1940 The Spirit of the Beehive 1941 Tora! Tora! Tora! 1942 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo / Summer of '42 1943 Come and See 1944 Saving Private Ryan / A Bridge Too Far / Pan’s Labyrinth / The Longest Day 1945 Schindler’s List 1946 The Godfather 1947 42 1948 Devil in a Blue Dress 1949 - The Man Who Wasn’t There 1950 Men in War / Snow Falling on Cedars 1951 The Last Picture Show 1952 Hoosiers 1953 L.A. Confidential 1954 My Favorite Year / Heavenly Creatures 1955 Back to the Future 1957 The Battle of Algiers / **Far From Heaven** 1958 The Godfather Part II 1959 Diner / Stand By Me 1960 Grease 1961 61\* 1962 American Graffiti / Animal House 1963 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 1964 Mississippi Burning 1965 Moonrise Kingdom 1966 JFK 1967 Platoon 1968 The Unbearable Lightness of Being / A Bronx Tale 1969 Taking Woodstock 1970 Apollo 13 / Apocalypse Now 1971 Remember the Titans 1972 All the President’s Men 1973 Ratcatcher 1974 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 1975 The Deer Hunter 1976 Dazed and Confused 1977 Summer of Sam 1978 Lords of Dogtown 1979 Argo / Super 8 1980 No Country for Old Men 1981 Wet Hot American Summer 1982 Waltz with Bashir 1983 Heartbreak Ridge 1984 1984 1986 The Squid and the Whale 1987 Fargo 1988 Donnie Darko 1989 Buffalo Soldiers 1990 Rent 1991 The Big Lebowski 1992 Primary Colors 1993 Black Hawk Down 1994 Hotel Rwanda 1995 Invictus 1996 12 Monkeys 1997 Amélie 1998 Escape from New York 1999 Strange Days 2000 Escape from Los Angeles 2001 2001: A Space Odyssey / World Trade Center / Flight 93 2002 Moneyball 2004 The Hurt Locker 2005 Transformers: the Movie (1986) 2010 2010: The Year We Make Contact 2011 Zero Dark Thirty 2012 I Am Legend 2013 The Postman **2015 Back to the Future II** 2019 Blade Runner 2022 Soylent Green 2026 Metropolis 2027 Children of Men 2032 Demolition Man 2035 I, Robot 2044 Looper 2057 Sunshine 2074 Looper 2084 Total Recall (the original) 2093 Prometheus 2122 Alien 2150 Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. 2160 Avatar 2173 Sleeper 2179 Aliens 2199 The Matrix 2214 The Fifth Element 2274 Logan’s Run 2293 Zardoz 2491 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century 2500 Waterworld 2505 Idiocracy 2517 Serenity 2805 Wall-E 3978 Planet of the Apes (1968) 5021 Planet of the Apes (2001) 12090 Vampire Hunter D 40000 Barbarella 802,701 The Time Machine (2002) Also added Far from Heaven to 1957. Not as revered as Battle of Algiers, but an excellent movie nonetheless and a terrific recreation/cinematographic style of a 1957 movie. When I tried to go onto SDMB this morning, but was not able to get in, I was sure this thread crashed the site due to the long entries. Umm, hope not! ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/199 "2013-05-19T21:11:57Z")
**1943: Captain America: The First Avenger** ---
**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:** [May 19, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/200 "2013-05-19T21:37:18Z")
1923: _The Hours_ The movie tells three parallel stories and one of them is set in 1923. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457.md?page=11)