# 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:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/21 "2020-10-14T23:55:18Z")
Imho, rankings may change as I see fit, at whim: 1. 1994 (best year of movies where I was old and mature enough to appreciate them.) 2. 1974 (best year of movies in my lifetime.) 3. 1939 (best year of movies outside my lifetime.) The one-two punch of Wizard and GWTW makes '39 pretty unbeatable- WoO itself is the most referenced work of fiction in American history, and GWTW… problematic as it is… showed the future of Hollywood in big budget, gloriously shot, beautiful technicolor scenes, with no expense spared on practical and special effects. It _is_ the prototype of the blockbuster. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Earl\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/22 "2020-10-14T23:57:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 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. Ya forgot Taxi Driver starring a young Robert De Niro. I think that and Chinatown were really the shining movies of 1974. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/23 "2020-10-15T00:00:45Z")
… ugh. Who wants to tell him? 😉 ---
**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 15, 2020, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/24 "2020-10-15T00:03:55Z")
> [@Earl\_Grey](#): > > Ya forgot Taxi Driver starring a young Robert De Niro. I think that and Chinatown were really the shining movies of 1974. I won’t argue with you over the worth of _Taxi Driver_; it’s a great movie. But it was released in 1976. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Earl\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/25 "2020-10-15T00:04:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I won’t argue with you over the worth of _Taxi Driver_ ; it’s a great movie. But it was released in 1976. Son of a bitch, been a long damn day, not all the cylinders are firing. Gotta have another cuppa tea. ---
**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 15, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/26 "2020-10-15T00:50:07Z")
I think 1974 may have this unique attribute; it’s rare for any filmmaker to make two great movies within a single year. But two filmmakers - Mel Brooks and Francis Ford Coppola - did it in 1974. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/27 "2020-10-15T12:38:00Z")
My favorite year for movies was 1982. That may just be a personal choice, because I was able to see a lot of movies that year, and did. But there were a lot of memorable ones, especially in fantasy and science fiction, and especially in the summer. It had more money and spare time that year, and moved near an art cinema: In all fairness, I hated E.T. and The Last Unicorn, and didn’t see some on this list. But I saw all the fantasy/SF movies. It was also the first time I was able to watch Bambi. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/28 "2020-10-15T12:46:27Z")
My favorite year for movies was 1982. That may just be a personal choice, because I was able to see a lot of movies that year, and did. But there were a lot of memorable ones, especially in fantasy and science fiction, and especially in the summer. It had more money and spare time that year, and moved near an art cinema: Tron The Thing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Bladerunner E.T. – The Extraterrestrial The Sword and the Sorceror The Last Unicorn Bambi Airplane II Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid Annie Swamp Thing The Dark Crystal Firefox Grease II The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas First Blood (the first Rambo movie) Rocky III The Atomic Cafe Koyaanisqatsi The Grey Fox Liquid Sky Tootsie Victor/Victoria The Verdict The Secret of NIMH The Return of Martin Guerre Q Poltergeist Megaforce Zapped! Gandhi Deathtrap Cat People Android In all fairness, I hated E.T. and The Last Unicorn, and didn’t see some on this list. But I saw all the fantasy/SF movies. It was also the first time I was able to watch Bambi.Gandhi and Atomic Cafe were great films, and I got my Bad Movie thrill from Sword and the Sorceror (although it contained more genuine Robert E. Howard than Conan did), Megaforce, and Zapped! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/29 "2020-10-15T12:50:43Z")
I can tell you it ain’t 2020. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/30 "2020-10-15T15:16:31Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Wizard of Oz is a beloved classic and you forget Ninotchka, Goodbye Mr. Chips and The Women. Coincidentially, I just watched Goodbye Mr Chips last night from TCM, and Ben Mankiewicz made the case for 1939 as well. ---
**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 15, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/31 "2020-10-15T15:24:56Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > It _is_ the prototype of the blockbuster. The first blockbuster was actually _Birth of a Nation_, in the sense of lines around the block to get into the theater, and people turned away at the box office. And for lavish sets, special effects, and big budgets, there was _Intolerance_, in 1916. Both were also longer than GWTW. ---
**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 15, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/32 "2020-10-15T15:33:10Z")
True. But there aren’t a lot of movies which have aged worse than GWTW… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/33 "2020-10-15T17:15:31Z")
Yea, I mean Birth of a Nation was just on. I think it was a double feature with Triumph of ther Will. ---
**Author:** ![bumble\_ardee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc348/32.png) [@bumble\_ardee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bumble_ardee)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/34 "2020-10-20T00:29:22Z")
When did Singing in the Rain come out, 1952? Ok then, it’s 1952. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598/35 "2020-10-20T16:44:25Z")
You forgot the greatest movie released in 1982… _The Beastmaster_ starring Marc Singer!!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-year-for-movies/922598.md?page=1)