Favorite Films By Decade

I have listed the top movie from each decade starting in 1910 that I most enjoy. Keep in mind that while almost all of these movies are critical and box-office hits, they are not necessarily the best the decade has to offer. They are simply my personal favorites.
To give credit where credit is due, I got this idea from the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons.
Along with each favorite movie, I have included some close runners-up that I felt needed some deserved praise.
Now on with the list:
1910-1919: Birth of a Nation (1915) – While other countries were making films that were multiple reels long, America’s Hollywood was sticking to short, one-reel wonders. D.W. Griffith’s Civil War epic showed local moviegoers that stories could be woven among numerous movie reels and still hold our attention for more than 12 minutes. This is the film that changed movie making in Hollywood like Citizen Kane did three decades later. Honorable Mention: Intolerance (1916)
1920-1929: Metropolis (1927) – You will see when you get to the other titles given honorable mention in this decade that the best directors of this decade were not in America. Metropolis is a story that tackles a serious issue of the working poor vs. the prosperous capitalist owners and put it to a science fiction theme. It has great visuals and is a classic in silent film cinema. Honorable Mention: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligeri (1920), Nosferatu (1922).
1930-1939: King Kong (1933) – The 1930s and 1940s are considered the Golden Age of filmmaking, and from the list of movies to choose from for my favorite from these two decades it is easy to see why. A 9-year-old child watching the 1933 classic King Kong today would probably think he could do a better job of special effects and stop motion photography, but at the time it was akin to today’s animation in a Pixar film and the Star Wars prequel CGI. I could watch Kong and original scream queen Fay Wray hours upon end because it illustrates the creativity Hollywood had to use before computers. Honorable Mention: Frankenstein (1931), Gone With the Wind (1939)
1940-1949: Casablanca (1942) – This film has everything: drama, comedy, romance, songs and it’s all set during World War II, adding another genre. The chemistry among all the actors from Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Raines on down to Paul Henreid, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Conrad Veidt and Dooley Wilson. The dialogue and cinematography is some of the best you will find in film, with iconic quotes and shots having become a part of pop culture. I can safely say this film is about as perfect as it gets. Honorable Mention: The Great Dictator (1940), The Maltese Falcon (1942), The Third Man (1949)
1950-1959: The Asphalt Jungle (1950) – This is likely the most obscure film on this list. A dark, methodical crime drama that shows the inner-workings of planning and executing a heist, The Asphalt Jungle is outstanding in its storytelling and acting. If you are into movies like Heat and The Italian Job, then check this out and the payoff will be worth it. Honorable Mention: On the Waterfront (1954), North by Northwest (1959)
1960-1969: From Russia With Love (1963) – Of course I am going to have a Bond movie somewhere on this list. Its utilization of fewer gadgets lets Bond use his wits rather than an Omega watch with built-in laser. There are twists and turns throughout the film, which begins during the first Bond pre-title sequence where our hero is hunted down by a homicidal assassin, fabulously played by Robert Shaw. I enjoy this film more than the formulaic Bond movie because it is more authentic than any other film in the series. Honorable Mention: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
1970-1979: The Godfather (1972) – This is the quintessential mafia movie. It is the litmus test of other gangster flicks. From the first glimpse of the title being held up by a puppeteer to the final scene of Diane Keaton having the door closed on her to hide a meeting between the other family, you are shown the greatest thing ever put to celluloid. Every time I watch The Godfather I want to start it over and watch it again. Honorable Mention: The Godfather: Part II (1974); Jaws (1975); One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
1980-1989: Back to the Future (1985) – From a pure entertainment point of view, this and From Russia With Love are my two favorite movies to watch. The amount of quotable lines from this movie is endless. I sometimes even find myself walking around just saying them out loud, with no context whatsoever. I’m sure when I am mumbling, “Save the clock tower! Save the clock tower!” it gets me a few quizzical looks from passersby. My brother and I wore this movie’s videocassette out at our house when we were younger. Another great aspect of this movie is that it doesn’t lose value from its sequels. Despite the third movie not being near what number one and two are, all three mesh together very well for a quality trilogy. Honorable Mention: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
1990-1999: Saving Private Ryan (1998) – This movie was robbed at the Academy Awards of a Best Picture Oscar. There is no way if voting was held again on all the movies from that year that Shakespeare in Love would beat out this superior work. Although the scenes tacked on to the beginning and end seem a little cheesy, they are perfect bookends to what is – in my humble opinion – the greatest war movie ever made. The 20-minute storming of Normandy rocked moviegoers and proved that war really was hell in those days. Beautiful cinematography, well-paced storytelling, and exceptional performances from every actor makes this movie a must see for any fan of film. Honorable Mention: Forrest Gump (1994); Swingers (1996)
2000-2009: The Incredibles (2004) – I discovered in my mid- to late-20s that I was a comic book geek. I had a small stash of comic books when I was a kid, but I wasn’t really into the whole scene of waiting outside the store for the latest edition of Spider-man or Superman. However, once the genre blew up in movie theaters in the late 1990s I was scouring Wikipedia wanting to know all about these characters I was watching. Then Pixar came along with their superhero family. The greatness of Pixar has been well documented and it would be a waste of time to go into great detail about what makes their movies superior to everyone else’s. Let’s just say Pixar makes movies for themselves and their fans. They don’t do it for advertising dollars. The Incredibles is my favorite of the Pixar movies, not because it is the best, but because it leaves me laughing and entertained every time I watch it. Edna Mode alone is worth coming back for more. Honorable Mention: Finding Nemo (2003); The Dark Knight (2008)