Since this is a favorite film topic, anything goes including the greatest, the best, the weird & the guilty pleasures. Note a few rules below:
- You should have watched the films in the last 2-3 years (to keep the list relatively current).
- For a decade you list your favorite film, you should have watched at least 5 films from that decade. For e.g., I do not recall watching 5 films from the 1910s in the last 2-3 years, so would not list anything from that decade. The 2020s would be an exception since it is the current decade.
- Avoid repeating directors and film series, therefore, if you list a Kubrick film in one decade, don't list another Kubrick film for any other decade. Similarly, if you list a Mission Impossible for one decade, avoid listing another Mission Impossible film in another decade.
Of course, such lists are live documents so subject to change! ... What is your list?
From the top of my mind recall, the list of my favorite film from each decade (excluding 007 and Hitchcock films, which deserve their own threads for their large body of work & thus choices):
- 1920s: Metropolis (1927) - Set the visual grammar for Sci-Fi films. Captures German expressionism and a Gothic environment well.
- 1930s: Pepe le Moko (1937) - An example of poetic realism, and a film noir film before film noir films were termed as film noir.
- 1940s: Black Narcissus (1947) - A story of challenges faced by a group of nuns at a remote location in the Himalayas. Excellent cinematography and atmosphere in the film.
- 1950s: Seven Samurai (1954) - A timeless classic. Impressive every time.
- 1960s: Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - Technically, a brilliant film.
- 1970s: Godfather 1 (1972) & 2 (1974) - 70s is probably Francis Ford Coppola's decade. Listed both parts as I look at them as one long film split into two parts. Could have listed Apoclaypse Now (1979) too.
- 1980s: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - A trend-setting action-adventure film.
- 1990s: The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Dr. Hannibal Lecter is an iconic character.
- 2000s: In the Mood for Love (2000) - A love story par excellence. Technically mesmerizing too.
- 2010s: Inception (2010) - A different concept where information can be stolen or planted in dreams.
- 2020s (so far): Dune (2021) - A modern masterpiece.