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Re: Best Years For Film

CA Dreamin — Fri, 15 May 2020 03:32:17 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 05/15/2020 07:32

BozoTyrannus wrote:

I've found a disproportionate number of my favorite films are from 1962, and since then I've passionately defended it as the best year for film.

L'Eclisse (my hands down favorite film)
Jules and Jim (which, while French New Wave had started in '59, I feel this film defined the movement)
Lawrence of Arabia
The Exterminating Angel
Harakiri
The Trial
Long Day's Journey Into Night
To Kill a Mockingbird
Lolita

Etc etc etc

I don't know about best year for film, but I would certainly agree 1962 was an excellent year. In addition the titles above, we also had:

Manchurian Candidate
Cleo from 5 to 7
Birdman of Alcatraz
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Pressure Point
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Knife in the Water
Experiment in Terror
Cape Fear

Re: Best Years For Film

BozoTyrannus — Thu, 14 May 2020 21:05:21 GMT

Author: BozoTyrannus

Posted: 05/15/2020 01:05

I've found a disproportionate number of my favorite films are from 1962, and since then I've passionately defended it as the best year for film.

L'Eclisse (my hands down favorite film)
Jules and Jim (which, while French New Wave had started in '59, I feel this film defined the movement)
Lawrence of Arabia
The Exterminating Angel
Harakiri
The Trial
Long Day's Journey Into Night
To Kill a Mockingbird
Lolita

Etc etc etc

Re: Best Years For Film

PurpleHazel — Fri, 6 Dec 2019 02:46:44 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 12/06/2019 07:46

Hayden wrote:

I know very little about Out 1 apart from the fact it's good and I can't find it anywhere.

And I'm thinking of maybe doing a marathon of the first three Star Wars movies, simply so I know what everyone's talking about :lol:.

Always plenty of films to watch :mrgreen:

Yeah, the more I watch, the more I want to see. I'd watch All The President's Men and Last Picture Show (which is B&W and has a semi-indie feel to it) over MASH. If you haven't seen California Split or The Long Goodbye (or maybe even Thieves Like Us), I'd prioritize them over MASH too. Never saw Return of the Jedi and who knows if I'll ever get to it.

What I know about Out 1 is it's almost 13 hours long, RIvette directed it and Jean-Pierre Leaud's one of the main actors, but you probably knew that much already. It was briefly released on DVD/Bluray in the U.S. and the British Bluray's in print -- since it's been digitized in hi def it shouldn't be to hard to find, though don't expect it to be on a major streaming site soon or ever.

Re: Best Years For Film

Hayden — Thu, 5 Dec 2019 10:45:38 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 12/05/2019 15:45

PurpleHazel wrote:

Obviously, you know more or less know the reps of all these films, but based on your poll list submissions etc., the ones I'd rec first are: Nashville (obviously a New Hollywood high point), The Passenger (Antonioni's bending of a thriller-adjacent premise to his iconoclastic style's quite intriguing) and The Deer Hunter. The next two I'd rec are major New Hollywood films, but a little less overtly arty: All the President's Men (huge influence on Zodiac among other journalistic investigation films, and timely as well 😁 ) and The Last Picture Show. Though MASH's obviously culturally significant, it's Exhibit A in Altman sometimes getting tagged as sexist, so no rush there (Nashville's not sexist; good roles for the actresses). Haven't seen Out 1 and 1900 because they're so long. Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake's good, but one of the least essential. Rocky goes to the bottom of your to-watch list.

Out of what I mentioned, the one I plan to see the most is The Passenger. I might even get around to it sometime soon. Both of Altman's pictures are in the queue as well. Might watch The Deer Hunter simply because it's a Best Picture winner, but I can't say the same for Rocky (watched Creed... that's about all I need to see...). I know very little about Out 1 apart from the fact it's good and I can't find it anywhere. Could take or leave any of the horror flicks.

And I'm thinking of maybe doing a marathon of the first three Star Wars movies, simply so I know what everyone's talking about :lol:. Also, The Empire Strikes Back was #1 on our 80s list, so I can't be all bad.

Always plenty of films to watch 😁

Re: Best Years For Film

PurpleHazel — Thu, 5 Dec 2019 02:41:16 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 12/05/2019 07:41

Hayden wrote:

Nah, you're going about it logically, but it's almost the opposite 🤣

I tried to profile you, dude. 🤣

Quote:

I haven't seen-

MASH, The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist, Out 1, Blazing Saddles, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jaws, Nashville, The Passenger, All The President's Men, Carrie, Rocky, Star Wars, The Deer Hunter, Halloween, or Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

Quote:

And everything considered, it is quite something Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Sullivan's Travels, Double Indemnity, The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp, and The Lost Weekend came out during those years. Forget the 40s, those are some heavyweights for all-time.

Absolutely, though it just occurred to me that the 1941 movies came out before or around the time of Pearl Harbor (I was the one who wrote "1941-45" -- oops 😄 ).

Re: Best Years For Film

Hayden — Wed, 4 Dec 2019 23:20:22 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 12/05/2019 04:20

Quote:

Since I didn't know what films on the list you haven't seen, I went with one that's tied for the hardest to see (the other one's The Mother and the Whore).

Nah, you're going about it logically, but it's almost the opposite 🤣

I haven't seen-

MASH, The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist, Out 1, Blazing Saddles, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jaws, Nashville, The Passenger, All The President's Men, Carrie, Rocky, Star Wars, The Deer Hunter, Halloween, or Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (among a dozen or so others... 1900, Shampoo, Coming Home...).

I've seen The Mother And The Whore.

Quote:

there were probably less Hollywood movies made during WWII. The significant proportion of WWII films to promote the war presumably meant fewer other types of movies, and I think that diminishes the number of good films from 1941-45, because the motives to make the movies were something other than creative ones.

Re: Best Years For Film

PurpleHazel — Wed, 4 Dec 2019 22:28:09 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 12/05/2019 03:28

Hayden wrote:

I saw a low-quality version of Celine And Julie Go Boating a while back, and thought it was pretty good. It's just a long film to watch, especially at a frustrating quality. I think my eyes glazed over for a good portion of the middle. It's a film I've been meaning to rewatch one day. I think it'll go over better with me in HQ.

Since I didn't know what films on the list you haven't seen, I went with one that's tied for the hardest to see (the other one's The Mother and the Whore). I like Celine and Julie Go Boating to a degree, but don't love it. But I recced it to you because, for an art film buff such as yourself, it's essential viewing, even if you ended up not liking it. Sounds like your reaction's not that different than mine, though bad PQ can sometimes really interfere with experiencing a film.

Hayden wrote:

Haven't seen the numbers of films for decades, but it makes sense. In addition to there being fewer 40s movies because movies were younger, there were probably less Hollywood movies made during WWII. The significant proportion of WWII films to promote the war presumably meant fewer other types of movies, and I think that diminishes the number of good films from 1941-45, because the motives to make the movies were something other than creative ones. Of course, 1941-45 is also when the noir films establishing the genre (style/cycle) came out.

Making the lists was time-consuming, but fun and enlightening. When I have some free time, maybe I'll do one for the 60s. Curious to see what the best year for foreign film was.

Re: Best Years For Film

Hayden — Wed, 4 Dec 2019 15:39:03 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 12/04/2019 20:39

Quote:

What movies are you pegging 1966 and 1947 on? Not questioning the picks, just interested in people's choices for those decades.

'47's decent (Out Of The Past, Monsieur Verdoux, Odd Man Out, Black Narcissus, The Lady From Shanghai). Pivotal year for the "classic film poster". Don't think it'd be my pick for the 40s though... I don't even think it'd be in my top 5 years of the 40s.

The 40s are tricky, because there were significantly less films than any decade since, so even a year with 6-7 bangers is notably significant. Overall, I think I'd have to go with 1948, 1946, or 1940.

('48)
The Red Shoes
Bicycle Thieves
Naked City
Oliver Twist
Rope
Germany, Year Zero
Drunken Angel
Letter From An Unknown Woman
Red River
A Hen In The Wind
(And according to my log, apparently I've seen a film called Portrait of Jennie and thought it was pretty good, but I can't remember the damnedest about it.)

('46)
It's A Wonderful Life
Gilda
Paisan
Shoeshine
A Matter Of Life And Death (which I only watched for the first time this week and thought was fantastic)
Notorious
The Big Sleep
The Killers
The Best Years of Our Lives
My Darling Clementine
Beauty And The Beast
The Stranger

And '40 has some heavy-hitters off the top (The Great Dictator, Fantasia, Rebecca, His Girl Friday, Grapes of Wrath, Pinocchio), but I'm not sure how much further it goes.

My pick for the 30's would probably be '31 (maybe '39). Pick for the 50's would be a very easy '57, followed by '59. 60's are too hard to choose.

Re: Best Years For Film

PurpleHazel — Tue, 3 Dec 2019 20:10:10 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 12/04/2019 01:10

CryingGameDahlin wrote:

Movie release years can be hard to define since it can vary a lot between countries and if you count commercial runs v initial festival releases.

Yeah, particularly indie and foreign films (apologies to anyone who doesn't live in North America for using the term "foreign film" -- just the easiest way to put it).

Killer of Sheep's a somewhat unique situation, because it was shot over several years on the weekends and barely got released. Kind of like Boyhood, except it was financial necessity, not choice. 😁

CryingGameDahlin wrote:

If I had to say best years of each decade

2012 (I'm behind on 2010's viewing so this means nothing)
2001
1997
1986
1975
1966
1959
1947

What movies are you pegging 1966 and 1947 on? Not questioning the picks, just interested in people's choices for those decades. 1975's definitely a contender for best year of the 70s. Saw 1959 cited elsewhere.

Re: Best Years For Film

cestuneblague — Tue, 3 Dec 2019 14:37:04 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 12/03/2019 19:37

Movie release years can be hard to define since it can vary a lot between countries and if you count commercial runs v initial festival releases. If I had to say best years of each decade

2012 (I'm behind on 2010's viewing so this means nothing)
2001
1997
1986
1975
1966
1959
1947
Then I donno know

Re: Best Years For Film

Hayden — Tue, 3 Dec 2019 12:52:58 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 12/03/2019 17:52

Quote:

Gonna stick with 1977 for Killer of Sheep. I see IMDb has it as 1978, but they're known to get release dates wrong every once in a while. Charles Burnett's copyright for the film's dated 1977:

Interesting 🤔

Suppose that confirms it came out in '77. I'll gladly add it to my case 🤣

Quote:

Have you seen Celine and Julie Go Boating? Not an easy film to find, but based on what I know of your tastes, pretty much a must-see.

Re: Best Years For Film

PurpleHazel — Tue, 3 Dec 2019 04:59:00 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 12/03/2019 09:59

I ranked it second to last.... Some good foreign films, though.

Re: Best Years For Film

CA Dreamin — Tue, 3 Dec 2019 03:14:53 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 12/03/2019 08:14

I stand by my claim '77 was not a good year.

Re: Best Years For Film

PurpleHazel — Mon, 2 Dec 2019 21:23:42 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 12/03/2019 02:23

Gonna stick with 1977 for Killer of Sheep. I see IMDb has it as 1978, but they're known to get release dates wrong every once in a while. Charles Burnett's copyright for the film's dated 1977:

https://www.killerofsheep.com/images/KOSfinalPK.pdf

And Roger Ebert's original review came out in '77.

Hayden wrote:

If I had to comb over the 70s, I might have a difficult time picking a favourite year 🤔

Can relate. Picking from 1971-75 is, for me, almost as much an intellectual exercise as a serious critical ranking. 1978 as the worst's a slightly easier call.

Hayden wrote:

Also, if you haven't watched Autumn Sonata, it's an easy pick for my fav of 78. I only got around to watching The Devils for the first time earlier this month and thought it was... well, definitely unique. I get why it was panned at the time. Xala's also worthwhile if you're looking for something different. Tonnes up there I haven't seen myself though.

Will watch The Devils soon since it's on the Criterion Channel only till the end of the year -- shame it's not the longest cut. Warner Brothers has suppressed the film from being released on DVD/Blu-ray in the U.S. and they only allowed the British label BFI to release it on DVD (wouldn't allow a Blu-ray).

Want to see Xala. I have seen two other Sembene films, Black Girl and Ceddo.

Will get around to Autumn Sonata, but since I've seen 15 Bergman movies, I'm not in a rush. Seen 94% of the films on the lists, but I have the advantage of being the one who made them and I've been chipping away at the TSPDT? list for at least a dozen years.

Have you seen Celine and Julie Go Boating? Not an easy film to find, but based on what I know of your tastes, pretty much a must-see.

Re: Best Years For Film

Hayden — Mon, 2 Dec 2019 09:36:49 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 12/02/2019 14:36

PurpleHazel wrote:

1977 (12/16)
Annie Hall
Eraserhead
Star Wars
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Suspiria
That Obscure Object of Desire (Bunuel)
3 Women
Stroszek (Herzog)
Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett)
Opening Night HS
The American Friend (Wenders)
Saturday Night Fever

Killer Of Sheep isn't '77, but it'd definitely help my case if it was. On the otherhand, The Ascent (Shepitko) is definiely 1977, and one of my favs from the year. House (Obayashi), A Special Day (Scola), and Ballad of Orin (Shinoda) are also great missing picks.

If I had to comb over the 70s, I might have a difficult time picking a favourite year 🤔 your lists are making me think over 79 and 72.

Also, if you haven't watched Autumn Sonata, it's an easy pick for my fav of 78. I only got around to watching The Devils for the first time earlier this month and thought it was... well, definitely unique. I get why it was panned at the time. Xala's also worthwhile if you're looking for something different. Tonnes up there I haven't seen myself though.

Re: Best Years For Film

PurpleHazel — Mon, 2 Dec 2019 09:03:45 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 12/02/2019 14:03

Famously, many of the New Hollywood (1967-1980-ish) directors had slumps in the late 70s, like Bogdanovich, who went into more-or-less permanent decline after 1973, William Friedkin, who only made two critically-panned movies between 1973 and the decade's end (Sorcerer's stock has risen over the years), Alan Pakula, whose films were never quite on the same level after 1976, and Altman, who, after one of the great film streaks of the decade from 1970-75, made mostly subpar movies in the second half of the decade (the exception being 3 Women). Though there are many great late-60s New Hollywood films, the movement seems to peak in 1971-1975.

The 1960s were the best, or at least deepest, decade for foreign film, so it's only logical that the best years for non-English-language films in the 70s are the first few. Given these two factors, it's no surprise that the first half of the decade's generally better than the second. A lot of trying-to-be-psychedelic garbage came out in 1970-71, but that subsided steadily afterward. 1971-75 are the best years in my opinion. 1979 makes a surprisingly good showing as some new blood like David Lynch and Ridley Scott release breakout films, though it's not a deep year. 1972 (surprisingly) isn't that deep a year either, but is arguably the best foreign film year with The Godfather as the cherry on top. Though there are many great films in the second half of the decade, I can personally testify as someone who was 14 in 1979 that in 1977-80, in the U.S., a deluge of shite came out (my guess is Hollywood ramped up movie production in the wake of Godfather films, Jaws, Star Wars and Saturday Night Fever) -- remakes, sequels, bad imitations, bad Mel Brooks imitations (Gene Wilder starred in three and even directed two of those), bad disco movies, bad Bond movies (Bond was never really the same in the decades between Lazenby and Daniel Craig), bad late-period disaster movies (Rollercoaster!), bad post-Death Wish Charles Bronson movies and bad Henry Winkler and Richard Pryor vehicles. It was a little like the music business in the late 70s -- maybe it was all the blow.

Best Years For Film

PurpleHazel — Mon, 2 Dec 2019 01:48:00 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 12/02/2019 06:48

CA Dreamin wrote:

Interesting. When I look at my LB, I find the best years from the 70s were 71, 73, and 79. Funny how we get to different conclusions on this topic.

Hayden wrote:

Bizarre... I think '76 was actually quite weak 🤣 Possibly the weakest of all the 70s. The only films I've seen from that year that I like are Taxi Driver, The Fifth Seal, Cria Cuervos and Insiang. I like Network enough too I suppose, but that's about it for me (will note I've never seen Carrie). Taxi Driver's possibly my fav from the 70s overall, but it doesn't hold up an entire year for me.

79 was also a banger. Three Palme D'ors and Stalker to boot (also the very underappreciated Wise Blood).

Until the 80s the Palme D'or juries got it wrong more than it got it right, so the award means very little till after the 70s. But that's a subject for another time.

Until Friday, I'd never given much thought as to which year was the best of the 70s. Was only familiar with the common wisdom that 2007, 1999 and 1939 were some of the best years for film, at least for their decades. Also I Also knew that 1976 is considered to be one of the best years for Oscar Best Picture nominees and infamously, Rocky beat out Taxi Driver, All the President's Men and Network (1975 may actually be one of the best Best Pic Nom years of all time). I don't have rated or favorite film lists on Letterboxd, so I approached the 1970s with a relatively open mind. I made film lists for each year of the decade, drawing primarily from the They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? Top 1000 list, which is probably the best film list online, at least as far as lists of more than 100 films. I supplemented it by scanning lists of movies releases for each year on Wikipedia, because the TSPDT? list was missing some New Hollywood films like Klute and Serpico and a few foreign classics. I tried to base these choices on critical consensus, but also used my own judgment. No list is perfect and no list will satisfy everyone, but I do think the TSPDT? Top 1000 list is as good an online critical consensus list as is realistically achievable.

Based on these lists, this how I rank the years:

1. 1974
2. 1972
3. 1975
4. 1973
5. 1979
6. 1971
7. 1970
8. 1976
9. 1977
10. 1978

So going by the lists, I think 1974 and 1972 are the two best years (1975 is a contender too) and 1978's the worst. 1976 didn't fare that well, but it ain't the worst. 1973's the year with the most films on the TSPDT? list, but doesn't have one of the best top 5s. Probably the deepest year. The reason I put 1972 is #2 is that it's the best year for foreign film, plus... The Godfather.

The numbers next to each year (00/00) are respectively: the number of films on each list / the number of films for each year on the TSPDT? list. The HS next to some films means I haven't seen it.

Best Films Of The 1970s By Year

1970 (17/17)
The Conformist
El Topo
Five Easy Pieces
Le cercle rouge (Jean-Pierre Mellvile)
Deep End (Jerzy Skolimowski)
Gimme Shelter
Patton
The Wild Child (Truffaut)
MASH
Performance
Husbands
Claire’s Knee (Eric Rohmer)
Dodes’ka-den (Kurosawa)
Little Big Man
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Jaromil Jires)
Tristana (Bunuel)
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

1971 (16/17)
A Clockwork Orange
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
Harold and Maude
The Last Picture Show
Klute
Walkabout
The French Connection
Death in Venice (Luchino Visconti)
Out 1 (Jacques Rivette) HS
Two-Lane Blacktop
Dirty Harry
Two English Girls (Truffaut)
Get Carter
A Touch of Zen (King Hu)
Straw Dogs
The Devils (Ken Russell) HS

1972 (14/12)
The Godfather
Aguirre: The Wrath of God (Herzog)
Solaris (Tarkovsky)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise (Bunuel)
Last Tango in Paris
Cries and Whispers (Bergman)
Deliverance
Cabaret
Love in the Afternoon (aka Chloe in the Afternoon) [Eric Rohmer]
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Fassbinder)
Pink Flamingos
Fellini’s Roma HS
Fat City
Frenzy

1973 (20/21)
Mean Streets
Badlands
The Mother and The Whore (Jean Eustache)
Don’t Look Now
The Exorcist
Amarcord (Fellini)
Day for Night (Truffaut)
Scenes from a Marriage (Bergman)
The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice)
Serpico
The Long Goodbye
The Last Detail
The Holy Mountain (Jodorowsky)
F for Fake (Welles)
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Enter the Dragon
Touki Bouki (Djibril Diop Mambéty)
The Wicker Man
Paper Moon
O Lucky Man (Lindsay Anderson) HS

1974 (18/18 )
The Godfather II
Chinatown
A Woman Under the Influence
The Conversation
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Fassbinder)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (Herzog)
The Phantom of Liberty (Bunuel)
Celine and Julie Go Boating (Jacques Rivette)
Young Frankenstein
California Split
Blazing Saddles
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Alice in the Cities (Wim Wenders)
Lacombe Lucien (Louis Malle)
Phantom of the Paradise
The Parallax View
Thieves Like Us

1975 (17/22)
Nashville
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
The Mirror (Tarkovsky)
Jaws
Dog Day Afternoon
Barry Lyndon
The Passenger (Antonioni)
Salo
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Dersu Uzala (Kurosawa)
Night Moves
Seven Beauties (Lina Wertmuller)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Xala (Ousmane Sembene) HS
Deep Red
Shampoo
Graveyard of Honor (Kinji Fukasaku)
The Man Who Would Be King
Jeanne Dielman (Chantal Ackerman)

1976 (13/18 )
Taxi Driver
All the President’s Men
Network
Kings of the Road (Wenders)
Carrie
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
In the Realm of the Senses (Oshima)
The Tenant
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Ascent (Larisa Shepitko)
Cria cuervos (Carlos Saura) HS
Rocky
1900 (Bertolucci) HS
Assault on Precinct 13
The Outlaw Josey Wales

1977 (12/16)
Annie Hall
Eraserhead
Star Wars
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Suspiria
That Obscure Object of Desire (Bunuel)
3 Women
Stroszek (Herzog)
Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett)
Opening Night HS
The American Friend (Wenders)
Saturday Night Fever

1978 (11/7)
Days of Heaven
The Deer Hunter
Dawn of the Dead
Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ermanno Olmi)
Halloween
Coming Home
Animal House
Autumn Sonata (Bergman) HS
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Last Waltz
In a Year of 13 Moons (Fassbinder)

1979 (12/11)
Stalker
Apocalypse Now
Manhattan
Alien
Being There
The Marriage of Maria Braun (Fassbinder)
The Tin Drum (Volker Schlondorff) HS
All That Jazz
Monty Python’s Life of Brian
Vengeance is Mine (Shohei Imamura)
Nosferatu the Vampyre (Herzog)