# What was the best year for movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [October 9, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598 "2020-10-09T23:26:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/1 "2020-10-09T23:26:05Z")
Was reading a copy of the 40th anniversary of Rolling Stone and indulged in a moment of nostalgia. I was thinking which actual calendar year had the best overall music. The question of which year has the best overall movies came naturally. Being a fan of old movies, I would vote 1946, (_Notorious, The Big Sleep, It’s A Wonderful Life_) but I’m guessing many Dopers would choose 1974 or other years. So, which is it? As a primer, here is an article from the 2018 Washington Post with their top seven. > **[The best year in movie history was 1939. Or 1974. Or was it 2007?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2018/12/28/feature/what-was-the-best-year-in-movie-history/)** > > Seven writers argue for their favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/2 "2020-10-09T23:43:16Z")
1. American Beauty The Matrix Fight Club The Sixth Sense Galaxy Quest Being John Malkovich ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/3 "2020-10-10T00:21:13Z")
1969 _Easy Rider_ and _Midnight Cowboy_ Kids… we’re not in Neverland anymore! It wouldn’t be until years later that I got my Dad to take me to see them at the drive-in, but even as a preteen in 1969 I knew there was a movie revolution going on. ---
**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:** [October 10, 2020, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/4 "2020-10-10T00:30:42Z")
[1939](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_in_film), obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/5 "2020-10-10T00:36:20Z")
For me? 1973. _Soylent Green Westworld Fantastic Planet Live and Let Die American Graffiti The Exorcist The Sting Battle for the Planet of the Apes Psychomania The Golden Voyage of Sinbad The Three Musketeers_ Maybe not the “best”, but certainly the most fun. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/6 "2020-10-10T00:51:22Z")
1994: Pulp Fiction, True Lies, Clerks, Reality Bites, Forrest Gump, The Lion King, The Shawshank Redemption, This Was Over When I Said Pulp Fiction. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/7 "2020-10-10T02:43:02Z")
**1994** was an incredible year for movies. My top choice. I would add Nell to your list. Honorable mention for The Usual Suspects & Wolf. * * * **1939** of course is the benchmark year for this. My second choice I would say. * * * **1990** was pretty amazing. Goodfellas, Misery, Edward Scissorhands, Witches, Awakenings, Hunt for Red October, King of New York, Mermaids Memorable movies: Ghost, Pretty Woman, Total Recall, Dick Tracy, Dances with Wolves, Home Alone. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/8 "2020-10-10T02:46:57Z")
Yeah, but that’s based largely on Gone With The Wind. It’s a great movie. But I can think of dozens I like more. “But no!”, you say. “Wizard of Oz. Stagecoach. Mr. Smith”. Yes, good movies all. But not the best. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/9 "2020-10-10T02:51:43Z")
Wizard of Oz is a beloved classic and you forget Ninotchka, Goodbye Mr. Chips and The Women. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/10 "2020-10-10T02:55:51Z")
Fair enough. I agree _Wizard_ is a beloved classic. Loved it when I first saw it. Groundbreaking. Clever. Not in a hurry to see it yet again. I’ve seen _The Women_ ages ago and think I liked it. I think people like it due to its historic casting. Remember the book _Mr. Chips_ more than the film made from it. Don’t think I saw _Ninotchka_, so cannot fairly judge. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/11 "2020-10-10T03:02:49Z")
Honestly for 81 year old movies to still be good to watch is amazing. 1939 had a lot of them. I feel like I’m missing one still. Test of time is amazing. _Ninotchka_ is a good movie that has dated to some degree. When I watched it I tried to credit it for 1939. Yes, I watch a lot of TCM. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/12 "2020-10-10T03:14:45Z")
**1986** : A Room with a View (US release) Blue Velvet Platoon Children of a Lesser god Stand by Me Aliens 9 1/2 Weeks The Fly (David Cronenberg) The Name of the Rose Flight of the Navigator Peggy Sue Got Married Hoosiers Sid & Nancy The Hitcher Hannah and Her Sisters The River’s Edge Lady Jane She’s Gotta Have It Something Wild Salvador Down by Law There’s more, but I’ll stop. I’m even leaving off tons of foreign-language films, like _Manon of the Spring_. This was the peak year for indie films in the US, before Hollywood caught on, and started making indie-style films, and people stopped financing the real ones. I will even allow that there may have been greater years, like 1939 & 1946 (1927 was pretty good too, giving us _Wings_ & _Metropolis_), but I submit 1986 as the best year I personally lived through (I was born in 1967). ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/13 "2020-10-10T11:11:36Z")
I like 1962. Lawrence of Arabia To Kill a Mockingbird Cape Fear Days of Wine and Roses Dr. No Lolita The Manchurian Candidate The Miracle Worker Jules et Jim Whatever Happened to Baby Jane ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/14 "2020-10-10T20:00:33Z")
2017 had Baywatch, The Mummy, The Emoji Movie, Fifty Shades Darker, The House, Justice League, Kong: Skull Island, Snatched, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Spark: a Space Tail, Rough Night, The Book of Henry, Alien: Covenant, The Dark Tower, Mother!, Boo 2: A Madea Halloween, Wish Upon, King Arthur: the Legend of the Sword, Monster Trucks, The Boss Baby, Eyes on Me, Fist Fight, Daddy’s Home 2, Bad Moms Christmas… Oh wait. I said the **best** year. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/15 "2020-10-11T16:08:53Z")
My initial reaction as well – _Stagecoach, Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dark Victory_, and so many more. ---
**Author:** ![Aescwynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Aescwynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aescwynn)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/16 "2020-10-11T18:33:33Z")
In 1969 I was a hippy slacker, so the movies that stick in my mind are Alice’s Restaurant and Putney Swope, both great! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/17 "2020-10-12T00:57:16Z")
You could argue that 1980 was the This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things year: _Empire Strikes Back_ is the blockbuster sequel that shows off the full potential of blockbuster sequels, right as _Superman II_ leads the way for can-you-top-this superhero sequels; and _Airplane!_ sets the gold standard as a to-be-oft-emulated type of parody, right as _The Blues Brothers_ is so good as to pave the way for ill-advised future SNL adaptations — right as _Friday The 13th_ wows audiences to kick off its own set of diminishing returns? And, sure, _Raging Bull_ gets robbed when the Oscar goes to _Ordinary People_ — but it also has everything from _The Shining_ to _Fame_ to _The Elephant Man_ to _Caddyshack_ going for it, which is nice. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/18 "2020-10-12T03:24:46Z")
I remember reading an article, probably in the Washington Post a few decades ago, that argued that GWTW wasn’t the best picture of 1939, and wasn’t even the 39th best picture of 1939, naming most of the titles mentioned above. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/19 "2020-10-12T19:02:19Z")
I know 1974 is a cliche answer for this question (although nobody seems to be saying it in this thread) but there really were some great movies released that year. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore Blazing Saddles Chinatown The Conversation F for Fake The Front Page The Gambler The Godfather Part II The Great Gatsby Harry and Tonto Hearts and Minds Lenny Thieves Like Us That’s Entertainment A Woman Under the Influence Young Frankenstein In terms of movies that were more memorable than great, we had: Airport 1975 The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Benji Big Bad Mama The Black Godfather Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Buster and Billia Caged Heat Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter Dark Star Death Wish Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry Earthquake For Pete’s Sake The Four Musketeers Foxy Brown Freebie and the Bean The Golden Voyage of Sinbad Gone in 60 Seconds The Groove Tube It’s Alive The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams The Longest Yard Macon County Line McQ Mr Majestyk Murder on the Orient Express The Parallax View Report to the Commissioner Rhinoceras SPYS Sugar Hill The Sugarland Express The Super Cops The Taking of Pelham One Two Three The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Thunderbolt and Lightfoot TNT Jackson The Towering Inferno Uptown Saturday Night Where the Lilies Bloom Where the Red Fern Grows ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/20 "2020-10-14T22:07:56Z")
A plug for 1954: - On the Waterfront - Sabrina - Rear Window - Seven Samurai - Godzilla - A Star is Born - The Barefoot Contessa - The Caine Mutiny - Young at Heart - White Christmas - 20000 Leagues Under the Sea - The Country Girl - Executive Suite [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598.md?page=2)