Movies that capture the essence of a time period

[floridaswamprat]

I was watching Almost Famous for the umpteen time the other day and commented to my wife that I felt it captured the essence of that early seventies time period perfectly (my adolescent years).

I was curious as to what other movies capture the essence of a period. Not just taking place during a certain era, but one that exemplifies that era.

Another that I believe does (though it was a touch before my cognitive time - I was born in 1960) is American Graffiti.

Coincidentally, both these movies strongly emphasis the role of music in an era.

So . . . what are your thoughts as to other movies that capture that essence of a time?

[DanTheMan]

Dazed and Confused

From the locations, to the outfits, the music, the vehicles, to the actors portraying the characters themselves. It oozed everything dreamy about the ‘70s.

[Himmel]

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

It's very funny, and raunchy at times. It's also one of the better movies about teenage life, and did a great job capturing an authentic snapshot of the early '80s.

[AKORIS]

Saturday Night Fever, Aloha Bobby and Rose, Dog Day Afternoon are movies I've seen recently that are a wonderful memory of the 70's.....

[Jay H.]

Real Genius. It even features the ultimate '80s song during the end credits.

[Atomic Salad]

Akira (1988) perfectly captured the essence of Tokyo Olympic Games cancellation-ness like no other film I've ever seen.

[traths]

American Pie takes me back to my senior year in high school. That was the year it was released.

[DragonOfTheBlackPool]

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

[Eschenpod]

Boogie Nights.

[Monterey Jack]

The House Of The Devil nailed the look and feel of an early-80's horror movie better than anything made in the last twenty years I can think of. From the camera movements to the gorgeously grainy Fuji film stock to the title fonts, it honestly felt like some great, forgotten horror movie from 1983 that was dusted off, meticulously restored and presented by Scream Factory or another one of the specialty labels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsSZGTeyM_Q

[Thomas Veil]

Back to the Future kinda gives you a two for one.

[Leslie Dame]

Carrie (1976). My oldest sister's best friend in the 1970s was pretty much a dead ringer of the Helen (Edie McClurg) character. She even had the same oversized eyeglasses. Another great time capsule is Eyes of Laura Mars (1978).

I thought they did a very good job at recreating the 1970s in The Conjuring 2.

The Spirit of '76 (1990) is oozing with authentic and authentic looking 1970s kitsch.

[PipesDonatello]

Super Dark Times had a perfect mid-90s feel to it.

[L.J.]

Two Lane Blacktop does a good job at this.

[CreasyBear]

Django Unchained.

[Star Lord]

There Will Be Blood

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

[hagios]

Psycho (1960)
The Birds (1963)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Easy Rider (1969)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Spartacus (1960)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Hustler (1961)
Goldfinger (1964)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Weekend (1967)
Breakfast at Tiffany's
The Longest Day (1962)
Point Blank (1967)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Bullitt (1968)
Mary Poppins (1964)
Hud (1963)
In Cold Blood (1967)
The Pawnbroker (1965)
The Innocents (1961)
The Great Escape (1963)
Yellow Submarine (1968)
Repulsion (1965)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Lilies of the Field (1963)
Ride the High Country (1962)
The Pink Panther (1963)
The Haunting (1963)
Cape Fear (1962)

[Goldash]

I'm gonna go with American Graffiti, Easy Rider, Vanishing Point, The Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, Ms. 45, The Warriors, Koyaanisqatsi, Buckaroo Banzai, Repo Man, To Live And Die In L.A., and Paris, Texas.

A lot of these movies do well to convey the aesthetics and atmosphere of their respective eras through their cinematography. The latter three films I listed had Robby Müller as DP, who was one of the best ever as far as I'm concerned. His work during the 80's embodies the feel of that era in ways I can't really explain.

A sentimental favorite to me is Terminator 2 in spite of its sci-fi elements. It just feels like the early 90's to me, from the visuals to the sound design and the overall mood (Guns n' Roses and Public Enemy all over the place didn't hurt either). It's just too bad the 4K UHD Blu-ray release was such a farce. I hope we get a 4K fan-scan of T2 sometime soon or a more faithful remaster for its 30th anniversary.

Documentaries are a completely different beast altogether. They're pretty much time machines. For that, it has to be long form documentaries that use extensive period footage. The World At War, Sans Soleil, O.J.: Made In America and many of the docs included in Criterion's 100 Years of Olympic Films box set --- big surprise given my post history --- are fine examples.

Freaks and Geeks and Stranger Things are examples of modern filmmakers using great detail in reviving past eras. Joker also did really well in adapting Taxi Driver's aesthetic for a new generation.

[MJD64]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

The House Of The Devil nailed the look and feel of an early-80's horror movie better than anything made in the last twenty years I can think of. From the camera movements to the gorgeously grainy Fuji film stock to the title fonts, it honestly felt like some great, forgotten horror movie from 1983 that was dusted off, meticulously restored and presented by Scream Factory or another one of the specialty labels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsSZGTeyM_Q

Couldn't agree more. When I saw THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL for the first time years ago and the title came up over a freeze-frame as the music kicked in - sounding like a cheesy rip-off of The Cars' "Moving In Stereo" - I knew I was in good hands...and bonus points for '80s queen Dee Wallace being in that opening scene as "The Landlady".

[PluggedSpider]

Most don’t. Most period films hone in on the upper class because people love to live through them vicariously. If a film really wanted to capture a time period it would feature the lower classes just as much, beyond just camera ready faces.