# 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:** 8
**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 17, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/141 "2013-05-17T12:24:08Z")
1692 - The Crucible ---
**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 17, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/142 "2013-05-17T15:43:40Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Also, I know that **The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly** is set during the Civil War (it’s one of my favorite movies), but I don’t recall that 1864 was ever specifically identified. I’m not saying it wasn’t, I just don’t recall it and would be interested to know the scene. I checked YouTube and Arch Stanton’s grave in the final scene is dated February 1862. I’m not sure if other grave dates are shown. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/143 "2013-05-17T15:58:53Z")
Some additional nominees for years with existing nominations: \* 1863 – Glory 1885 – The Oxbow Incident 1944 – The Longest Day, Anzio 1964 – On the Beach Unclaimed years: 1925 – Inherit the Wind 1926 – The Sand Pebbles 1928 – The Artist 1952 – Hoosiers **2002 – Moneyball** ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/144 "2013-05-17T15:59:37Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > … Also, I know that **The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly** is set during the Civil War (it’s one of my favorite movies), but I don’t recall that 1864 was ever specifically identified. I’m not saying it wasn’t, I just don’t recall it and would be interested to know the scene. A bunch of these movies are in that same boat. We know that a _part_ of the movie was set in a particular year, but also set in years around the one we choose. For instance, _Breaker Morant_. He was executed in February 1902, but the events precipitating the trial were in 1901. Also, I don’t recall for many of these movies if the year was specified within the movie. We know a historical even happened in a given year, but how sure are we that a movie depicting the event actually _says_ the 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 17, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/145 "2013-05-17T16:04:57Z")
For 1634, an alternative movie is Ken Russell’s [_The Devils_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devils_(film)), which was certainly a more influential and controversial film than _Black Robe_. Opinions differed on whether it was very, very good or very, very bad. 🙂 For 1876, John Ford’s _She Wore a Yellow Ribbon_ is better known than _The Molly Maguires._ Regarding _Casablanca_, the movie is set in December of 1941 but began filming in May 1942, so I don’t think it qualifies as a “period piece” under the meaning of the OP. I would relax this criterion for events that took place in the last 10 years, since otherwise we would have nothing but movies set in the future when they were made. ---
**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 17, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/146 "2013-05-17T16:10:34Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > A bunch of these movies are in that same boat. We know that a _part_ of the movie was set in a particular year, but also set in years around the one we choose. For instance, _Breaker Morant_. He was executed in February 1902, but the events precipitating the trial were in 1901. Based on the OP, I’ve been using the criterion that the most significant, important, or climactic parts of the plot unfold in the year in question even if the movie takes place over many years. For example, the climax of _Les Miserables_ takes place during the uprising of 1832, even though the movie extends over several decades. It’s been a while since I saw _Breaker Morant_, but I think the trial and execution are the most memorable/significant parts of the film. > [@](#): > > Also, I don’t recall for many of these movies if the year was specified within the movie. We know a historical even happened in a given year, but how sure are we that a movie depicting the event actually _says_ the year? Per the OP, the date of a historical event depicted in the film is sufficient: > [@Moonchild](#): > > By either graphic or event, it must possible to determine the exact year the movie is set in. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/147 "2013-05-17T16:28:32Z")
Whether or not an event happens in a given year that the movie depicts, the movie is not necessarily “set” in that year. Even _Pearl Harbor_, which I wouldn’t dream of calling a great movie of _any_ year. Most is set prior to 1941 – the guy goes off flying for the RAF, gets shot down and goes missing, yadayadayada. And then there’s the depiction of the Doolittle Raid, which is in the following year. Since the movie starts with the two leads as kids, it is set in a period of maybe 15 years. ---
**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 17, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/148 "2013-05-17T16:39:03Z")
1665 Girl with a Pearl Earring 1667 The Scarlet Letter 1756 The Mission ---
**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 17, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/149 "2013-05-17T16:40:19Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Whether or not an event happens in a given year that the movie depicts, the movie is not necessarily “set” in that year. Even _Pearl Harbor_, which I wouldn’t dream of calling a great movie of _any_ year. Most is set prior to 1941 – the guy goes off flying for the RAF, gets shot down and goes missing, yadayadayada. And then there’s the depiction of the Doolittle Raid, which is in the following year. Since the movie starts with the two leads as kids, it is set in a period of maybe 15 years. Your interpretation of the criteria for selecting movies appears to differ from that of the OP. ---
**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 17, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/150 "2013-05-17T16:52:22Z")
_Bonnie and Clyde_ is a confusing one. It refers to real people and real historical incidents that happened over a three year span (1931-1934), but presents them as if they’re happening at a single point in time. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/151 "2013-05-17T17:06:59Z")
So, as the appointed keeper of the list and the threadstarter, I’m putting Tora! back in for 1941. Not having known how poorly reviewed it was, though (59% on Rotten Tomatoes), I did wonder if **Pearl Harbor** did merit the 1941 slot, but it only drew 25% on RT. (I did think the battle sequences were pretty epic.) To me, Pearl Harbor is clearly set in 1941, even if there pieces to the film from different years. I’m sure there are a lot of questionable dates in the timeline – and certainly worthy for debate. But as Joel’s mom says (per the OP), “Just use your own best judgement.” ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/152 "2013-05-17T17:12:02Z")
2005: The Transformers: the Movie (1986) ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/153 "2013-05-17T17:20:05Z")
The latest 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 208 Red Cliff 460 The Last Legion 528 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court 922 The Thirteenth Warrior 1183 The Lion in Winter 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 1492 1492: Conquest of Paradise 1533 The Royal Hunt of the Sun 1535 A Man for All Seasons 1547 Crossed Swords 1558 Elizabeth 1560 Aguirre: The Wrath of God 1597 Shakespeare in Love 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 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 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 1865 Lincoln 1872 Around the World in 80 Days 1874 Blazing Saddles **1876 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon** 1877 The Last Samurai 1878 Cheyenne Autumn 1879 Zulu 1880 Stagecoach 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 1891 Sherlock Holmes (2009) 1893 Lagaan 1893 Far and Away 1897 The Gold Rush 1898 A Message to Garcia 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 1910 Mary Poppins 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 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 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 1950 Men in War 1951 The Last Picture Show **1952 Hoosiers** 1953 L.A. Confidential 1954 Snow Falling on Cedars 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 1969 Taking Woodstock 1970 Apollo 13 / Apocalypse Now 1972 All the President’s Men 1973 Ratcatcher 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 1985 Back to the Future II 1986 The Squid and the Whale 1987 Fargo 1988 Donnie Darko 1991 The Big Lebowski 1992 Primary Colors 1993 Black Hawk Down 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 2013 The Postman 2019 Blade Runner 2022 Soylent Green 2026 Metropolis 2027 Children of Men 2032 Demolition Man 2035 I, Robot 2057 Sunshine 2074 Looper 2084 Total Recall (the original) 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) Pretty awesome we can debate the merits of two different movies set in 1634! ---
**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 17, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/154 "2013-05-17T17:28:40Z")
1890 - Hello, Dolly! 1896 - The Far Country 1899 - Newsies ---
**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 17, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/155 "2013-05-17T17:39:17Z")
1989 Buffalo Soldiers 1990 Rent 1994 Hotel Rwanda 1995 Invictus 1996 12 Monkeys ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/156 "2013-05-17T18:34:26Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > For 1876, John Ford’s _She Wore a Yellow Ribbon_ is better known than _The Molly Maguires._ Yes, but **The Molly Maguires** has Richard Harris and Sean Connery. SEAN CONNERY! \*\* She Wore a Yellow Ribbon\*\* is a decent film, but not a great one, IMHO. And I think _The Molly Maguires_ has aged better. It is still relevant to a modern audience, albeit more allegorically than literally. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/157 "2013-05-17T18:42:03Z")
1949 - The Man Who Wasn’t There ---
**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 17, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/158 "2013-05-17T19:01:16Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Yes, but **The Molly Maguires** has Richard Harris and Sean Connery. SEAN CONNERY! > \*\* > She Wore a Yellow Ribbon\*\* is a decent film, but not a great one, IMHO. And I think _The Molly Maguires_ has aged better. It is still relevant to a modern audience, albeit more allegorically than literally. _She Wore A Yellow Ribbon_ has John Wayne, and won an Academy Award for Cinematography. It is widely considered a classic among John Ford’s films. It outdoes _The Molly Maguires_ on Rotten Tomatoes (although it’s pretty close): 94% vs. 89% Fresh, 3.7 vs. 3.4 rating. Personally, I find _The Molly Maguires_ a much more interesting film in a lot of ways, but I don’t think it’s necessarily better as a movie. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/159 "2013-05-17T19:58:18Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Also, I know that **The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly** is set during the Civil War (it’s one of my favorite movies), but I don’t recall that 1864 was ever specifically identified. I’m not saying it wasn’t, I just don’t recall it and would be interested to know the scene. > [@Colibri](#): > > I checked YouTube and Arch Stanton’s grave in the final scene is dated February 1862. I’m not sure if other grave dates are shown. If this is the case, I suggest that using **The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly** as an example of a specific 1864 time frame is nebulous. Was there an indication of how long Arch Stanton had been planted or how long they had been looking for the gold? Unless there is more specificity, the movie could have been set in 1862, 63, 64, or 65. I don’t have a hate-on for TGTBATU (it’s one of my top-10 movies of all time). I just noticed it in the list and wasn’t sure it met the specs of the OP. There are probably other nebulous examples in the list as well. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457/160 "2013-05-17T20:12:33Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > There are probably other nebulous examples in the list as well. Umm… yes. But on the whole, the list freaking awesome, IMHO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-movie-set-in-every-year-but-not-made-in-that-year/658457.md?page=9)