I posed a challenge to myself. If I were only able to pick one movie from each year since 1930, which ones would I choose? I went through each and every year and I managed to select one per year, although there are some honorable mentions from each decade.
This is all about personal preference; in the end there is some variation but it’s all about what movie from each year do I enjoy the most.
If you’re a movie fan I highly recommend this fun little exercise. It’s a good way to pass the time. Plus, in your research, you might find some interesting movies you’d want to check out. I did.
I started with the year 1930 and went all the way into this year. Here are my picks 1960 –
1969:
1960. Psycho - Very likely Hitchcock's most intricate film. The symbolism in every shot is stacked up in layers. One of my favorite films to analyze, for a very good reason. Hitchcock made this movie with such a clarity and attention to detail. The story is of a woman who takes some money from her boss and runs into more trouble with the owner of the Bates Motel.
1961. West Side Story - Much like Psycho there is a lot watch for with West
Side Story. A lot of attention and effort went into making and shooting this film. It was only after I learned about its creation that I began to appreciate it more. When I first saw it, it just a musical about racial tension, gangs, and growing up in New York City. Office Krupke
1962. The Man who Shot Liberty Valence - My personal favorite western for several reasons. It is a John Wayne/John Ford team-up, which are always golden. Secondly, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin are also very strong presences in the film. All three play very stereotypical roles, their characters are not a big stretch. Lee Marvin is the unflinching villain, John Wayne is the roughneck local who doesn't take any crap, and Jimmy Stewart is the educated idealist who won't back down. And they are the best in each of their cinematic niche. More than just a western, it is the story of what makes a man.
1963. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - The best ensemble comedy of all time. From top to bottom there are amazing comedians and comedic actors. It would be nearly impossible to assemble this kind of group again. Spencer Tracy, Buster Keaton, The Three Stooges, Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Phil Silvers, Jimmy Durante, and Jerry Lewis among countless others star in various capacities. The comedy itself is decent, not anything special, but the joy comes from being able to see this multitude of comedic talent in one movie.
1964. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb -
Stanley Kubrick weaves a twisted tale about the fragility of the Cold War. Peter Sellers stars several times and he is a standout in every scene. This movie is iconic and it has spawned a lot of imitation. A great political satire, many memorable scenes, and "gentleman there's no fighting in here, this is the war room."
1965. Doctor Zhivago - Another David Lean classic. This time he takes on the Russian epic by Boris Pasternak. Great visuals in Lean's standard style, the scope is large and at the same time remarkably
personable. The cast is great; Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, and Alec Guinness.
1966. The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - In the original Italian it is Il buono, il cativo, il cattivo; but the American title is The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly. A masterful western from director Sergio Leone, it is the final in his Dollars triology. A brilliant display of brute force
1967. Cool Hand Luke - Cool Hand Luke is just one of those really cool movies from the '60s. It has that vintage '60s look. Paul Newman delivers a strong and gripping performance as Luke, a convict always trying to prove
himself and escape. Plastic Jesus and "what we have here is a failure to communicate."
1968. The Producers - This is Mel Brooks' first movie, and it is one of his best. Though it is not a parody, it is a very funny story of two men who want to produce the worst play ever and make lots of money off of it. Zero Mostel plays the old, washed-up Broadway producer and Gene Wilder plays the innocent account that gets taken into Mostel's schemes. Their chemistry on screen is perfect. They play off of each other so well, in the grand old comedic duo fashion. One of my favorite comedies.
1969. Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid - Paul Newman and Robert Redford in a great buddy western about the real life Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. One of the first big Hollywood movies to display the new style of filmmaking. A great team up, it set up how buddy comedies were to be made even to this day.
Honorable Mentions:
1960. The Apartment - A wonderful romantic-comedy from Billy Wilder starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley McClaine as a man and woman who work in the same building and begin to build feelings for each other. Their chemistry is at times touching and tender and at other times very emotional. Their interplay, the dialogue and the perfectly professional way its shot are all great positives.
1962. To Kill a Mockingbird - A great courtroom drama, I'd say second best only to 12 Angry Men. One of the best film adaptations from a book, it stays very true to the original novel by Harper Lee. Gregory Peck in his finest performance plays a lawyer who is defending an African-American man in a murder trial. A very powerful movie.
1967. Guess who's Coming to Dinner - A wonderful film about the clash of generations and of racial tension. Real life married couple Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn must deal with their daughter brining home her new African-American fiance. Terribly touching not only because of the subject matter, but also because this was Spencer Tracy's final movie. He and Hepburn were aware of this, so their chemistry is much more emotionally driven.
1969. True Grit - The movie that won John Wayne his Oscar. A story about a young girl who must befriend two gunslingers to find her father's killer. A great western, it does have more of a liberal, relenting feel than nearly all John Wayne movies. A clear sign of the times. John Wayne is the man.
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