# What are the movies that are most emblematic of the decade in which they were released? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-movies-that-are-most-emblematic-of-the-decade-in-which-they-were-released/589006 "2011-07-14T13:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-movies-that-are-most-emblematic-of-the-decade-in-which-they-were-released/589006/41 "2011-07-15T04:08:13Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > When I think of the 90’s, I think of angst: When I think of the '90s, I think of good cheer and optimism, in sharp contrast to the decades before and after. And I miss raves. Nothing angsty about raves. “Peace, Pot, and Microdot!” A good age! ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-movies-that-are-most-emblematic-of-the-decade-in-which-they-were-released/589006/42 "2011-07-15T06:44:12Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > I’m wracking my brain, but I don’t understand how either **Pulp Fiction** or **Reservoir Dogs** sum up the 90’s. Not trying to be snarky, but could you explain the logic behind this, cause maybe I’m misunderstanding the point of the thread. Either of them seem like they could have been set in any time period and both often feel like they were. > > When I think of the 90’s, I think of angst: Gen-X angst in **Reality Bites** , AIDS angst in **Philadelphia** , or suburban wasteland angst in **American Beauty**. > > I think **Syriana** best encapsulates the '00s: from the sharp rise in international terrorism, urgency over oil, to attempts to modernize the Middle East which is struggling against fundamentalism. Even the method of story telling, [URL=“[Hyperlink cinema - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperlink_cinema)”] was very of the time. my list is simple: either the very best in that decade or (if it’s too much to ask of a decade), the one most watched. 1930s gone with the wind 1940s cassablanca 1950s singing in the rain 1960s the graduate 1970s the godfather 1 1980s ET the extraterrestial 1990s titanic 2000s harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-movies-that-are-most-emblematic-of-the-decade-in-which-they-were-released/589006/43 "2011-07-15T06:49:42Z")
A big, big, big part of 80s movies was the idea of teenagers’ high school experience being considered a worthy topic for exploring in movies. In that way, I would definitely agree that _The Breakfast Club_ is the most '80s movie. The idea of _Top Gun_ being “the most '80s '80s movie” would never occur to me. I feel like the movies, in order to fit this spot, need to encapsulate something that most people of the time period understood and could relate to. Fighter pilots are about the furthest thing possible from that. ETA: Another big hallmark of '80s movies, which hadn’t really been explored before, was the exploration of family issues and dynamics; for that reason, E.T., as stated above, is another good candidate for “most '80s movie.” The movie was not really about an alien. It was about a family. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-movies-that-are-most-emblematic-of-the-decade-in-which-they-were-released/589006/44 "2011-07-15T07:01:55Z")
in my list, i would say the 50s was the most emblazoned decade with singing in the rain. it was about the golden age of hollywood (and how it was slowly deteriorating all the way to the present.) 1990 to 2010 is a bit difficult because all i can think of about those two decades is the rise of youth. titanic is a love story and little else. i would think the harry potter anthology dominated the screens during the 2000s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-movies-that-are-most-emblematic-of-the-decade-in-which-they-were-released/589006.md?page=2)