I'm hereby adding new criteria to the mix -- to "define" a decade, a film needs to be in some way inherently "in and of" that particular decade. In some way, it needs to reveal or reflect the decade's current events, social issues, trends, tastes, mores, creative sensibilities or significant artistic styles.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not specifically excluding historical dramas, period pieces, or any other films, but come on... a decade's "defining" film should have qualities that identify or represent the prevailing nature, qualities and characteristics of that decade (or at least the prevailing nature, qualities and characteristics of filmmaking during that decade.)
With this in mind, I'm starting a new series with my own list of the defining films of the decades, beginning with the 1930's.
Runners Up
King Kong (1933)
The giant ape on top of the Empire State Building is one of the most enduring film images in all of early cinema. King Kong pioneered the use of special effects (including miniatures, rear projection, and the stop-motion animation) that would eventually evolve into today’s CGI and dazzled audiences in the process. The film was also one of the very first to feature a completely original score.
The 30's were the golden age of the grand Hollywood musical. Top Hat was the classiest of these and introduced the song "Cheek to Cheek" by legendary composer Irving Berlin.
Taking a stand against government corruption and bureaucracy, Jimmy Stewart, as in many of his films, was the personification of the 1930's everyman.
When you adjust for inflation, remarkably, this 70 year old epic is still the highest grossing movie of all time.
THE Defining Film of the 1930's:
A nearly perfect film in every respect, from the casting, to the costumes, to the score, and it’s lasting moral –- no matter where you go in life, there’s no place like home.
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