What is your favorite decade of film? Give some reasons why. The reasons can be actors, films, music, etc.

I really want to reply to this one, but the thing is that I could make a case for almost every decade. Also, it could lead to a tome-sized post.

I could talk about the silents of the 20s with their use of physical comedy (Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd) and haunting visuals (Murnau, von Stroheim, Seastrom, Vidor.)

I love the 30s for screwball comedies, Frank Capra, Ernst Lubitsch, Cary Grant, William Powell, James Cagney, Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Hitchcock.

The 40s is when my favorite actor, Bogart, rose to prominence, as well as social dramas, film noir, neorealism, Preston Sturges, John Huston, Billy Wilder, Hitchcock, Orson Welles (for wong.)

I'm going to have to stop, at least temporarily. I'm glossing over so many things and I haven't even gotten to some of the best decades yet. I have plenty to say, but the whole thing is such an enormous task, that I have to stop to keep from getting a headache. Somebody else carry the ball for awhile.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,

Hmm ... I'm torn between the 1930s and the 1960s

The 30s mostly for the first half of the decade before the Code was instituted. There were some absolutely fantastic films made here, and it's almost reassuring to look back and see that it wasn't necessarily a much more innocent time, the way we sometimes think it was. Also, some of my favorite actors were doing some great stuff back then: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Carole Lombard, Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable, etc. etc. etc.

The 60s is a decade I really like as well, despite the decline in US film production at the time due to the rise of television. I love the early 60s "style" -- the fashions, as well as set decoration. The 60s also seemed to herald a rise in foreign films making their way to the US. There are a lot of fantastic British films from this decade, including the "Angry Young Men" films like "Look Back in Anger" and "Billy Liar." Some of my favorite films of all time come from this decade including "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "The Manchurian Candidate," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?," 'Charade," "Dr. Strangelove," "The Pink Panther," "Blow Up," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "The Graduate," "Bullitt" and 'Rosemary's Baby" (among many other great films).

My favorite decade is the '00's! I mean, you've got a load of great films like Battlefild Earth (one of Jakal's favorite films! hehe) Glitter, Adventures of Pluto Nash, Dreamcatcher, Scooby Doo and Garfield, just to name a few! This reply has more to do with filmmaking than a particular decade. We could go on for hours about our favorite decades. I have favorite films that span the entire 20th century (and a few good ones from the last few years), but I am more concerned about the overall decline in filmmaking as of late. There have always been bad films, but for the most part, the directors as least tried to tell a story. With the trash that has hit the silver screen in recent years, it seems many directors/producers are more concerned with bringing in pre-teens and their parents to drop some serious coin at the opening weekend of the Princess Diaries that making a film that can appeal to all ages and touch the lives of countless generations like E.T. and Star Wars. There are those few directors that we can count on, for the most part, to bring us great, or at least entertaining and thought provoking cinema: spielberg, Scorsese, David Mamet, Steven Soderbergh and the Coen Brothers are a few. Lets hope these great directors can continue to put out films of a large enough scale to drown out the useless garbage.

The 1950's without a single doubt or other close contender. Sure I love all decades of films, but there's a mythic quality about movies of the 1950's, and I'm talking about the good ones, not the cheesy B-flying saucer movie stuff (though there were a few good ones).

In second place would be the 1970's but really could never truely challenge the 1950's as my favorite.

I'll go into detail later, but gotta run now.

Great question though.