Film History

Film History
by Decade

Film History By Decade: Select one of the decade sections below for movie history, or select an individual year. If you're interested in the history of film by genre type, visit the section on Film Genres, or by non-genre film category, visit the section on Non-Genre Film Categories. See also the extensive year-by-year Timeline of Influential Film History Milestones and Turning Points, Film Milestones in Visual and Special Effects (illustrated), and The Most Controversial Films of All-Time (illustrated).

Herein is a series of web articles/pages to provide a comprehensive survey of the history of cinema (motion pictures, film, etc.) - the greatest entertainment art form of the 20th century.

The History of Motion Pictures - The Decades	Individual Years and Timelines
The Pre-1920s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5	Pre-1920s Film History: Early Cinematic Origins, and The Infancy of Film The Greatest Films of the Pre-1920s: 1902 \| 1903 \| 1914 \| 1915 \| 1916 \| 1919 Pre-1900s (to 1889) Film History Milestones Pre-1900s (to 1899) Film History Milestones 1900s Film History Milestones: 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909 1910s Film History Milestones: 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919 History of Sex in Cinema: Pre-1920s Greatest Last Film Lines: 1910s-1930s
The 1920s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4	1920s Film History: The Pre-Talkies and the Silent Era The Greatest Films of the 1920s: 1920 \| 1921 \| 1922 \| 1923 \| 1924 \| 1925 \| 1926 \| 1927 \| 1928 \| 1929 1920s Film History Milestones: 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929 Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1920s Greatest Silent Films Academy Awards Winners (and History): 1927-28, 1928-29, 1929-30 History of Sex in Cinema: 1920-1928 \| 1929-1930 Great Film Quotes - 1920s-1930s Greatest Last Film Lines: 1910s-1930s
The 1930s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6	1930s Film History: The Talkies, the Growth of the Studios and 'The Golden Age of Hollywood' The Greatest Films of the 1930s: 1930 \| 1931 \| 1932 \| 1933 \| 1934 \| 1935 \| 1936 \| 1937 \| 1938 \| 1939 1930s Film History Milestones: 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939 Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1930s Academy Awards Winners (and History): 1930-31, 1931-32, 1932-33, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939 History of Sex in Cinema: 1929-1930 \| 1931 \| 1932 \| 1933 \| 1934-1937 \| 1938-1943 Great Film Quotes - 1920s-1930s Greatest Last Film Lines: 1910s-1930s
The 1940s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6	1940s Film History: The War and Post-War Years, the Beginnings of Film Noir The Greatest Films of the 1940s: 1940 \| 1941 \| 1942 \| 1943 \| 1944 \| 1945 \| 1946 \| 1947 \| 1948 \| 1949 1940s Film History Milestones: 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1940s Academy Awards Winners (and History): 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 History of Sex in Cinema: 1938-1943 \| 1944-1946 \| 1947-1952 Great Film Quotes - 1940s Greatest Last Film Lines: 1940s
The 1950s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6	1950s Film History: The Cold War and Post-Classical Era, the Era of Epic Films and the Threat of Television The Greatest Films of the 1950s: 1950 \| 1951 \| 1952 \| 1953 \| 1954 \| 1955 \| 1956 \| 1957 \| 1958 \| 1959 1950s Film History Milestones: 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1950s Academy Awards Winners (and History): 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 History of Sex in Cinema: 1947-1952 \| 1953-1954 \| 1955-1957 \| 1958-1959 Great Film Quotes - 1950s Greatest Last Film Lines: 1950s
The 1960s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6	1960s Film History: The End of the Hollywood Studio System, and the Era of Independent, Underground Cinema The Greatest Films of the 1960s: 1960 \| 1961 \| 1962 \| 1963 \| 1964 \| 1965 \| 1966 \| 1967 \| 1968 \| 1969 1960s Film History Milestones: 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1960s Academy Awards Winners (and History): 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 History of Sex in Cinema: 1960-1961 \| 1962-1963 \| 1964 \| 1965-1966 \| 1967 \| 1968 \| 1969 Great Film Quotes - 1960s Greatest Last Film Lines: 1960s
The 1970s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6	1970s Film History: The Last Golden Age of American Cinema (the American "New Wave"), and the Advent of the Block-buster Film The Greatest Films of the 1970s: 1970 \| 1971 \| 1972 \| 1973 \| 1974 \| 1975 \| 1976 \| 1977 \| 1978 \| 1979 1970s Film History Milestones: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1970s Academy Awards Winners (and History): 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 History of Sex in Cinema: 1970 \| 1971 \| 1972 \| 1973 \| 1974 \| 1975 \| 1976 \| 1977 \| 1978 \| 1979 Great Film Quotes - 1970s Greatest Last Film Lines: 1970s
The 1980s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6	1980s Film History: Teen-Oriented Angst Films, and the Dawn of the Sequel, with More Blockbusters The Greatest Films of the 1980s: 1980 \| 1981 \| 1982 \| 1983 \| 1984 \| 1985 \| 1986 \| 1987 \| 1988 \| 1989 1980s Film History Milestones: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1980s Academy Awards Winners (and History): 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 History of Sex in Cinema: 1980 \| 1981 \| 1982 \| 1983 \| 1984 \| 1985 \| 1986 \| 1987 \| 1988 \| 1989 Great Film Quotes - 1980s Greatest Last Film Lines: 1980s
The 1990s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6	1990s Film History: The Era of Mainstream Films and Alternative or Independent ("Indie") Cinema; and the Rise of Computer-Generated Imagery; also the Decade of Remakes, Re-releases, and More Sequels The Greatest Films of the 1990s 1990 \| 1991 \| 1992 \| 1993 \| 1994 \| 1995 \| 1996 \| 1997 \| 1998 \| 1999 1990s Film History Milestones: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1990s Academy Awards Winners (and History): 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 History of Sex in Cinema: 1990 \| 1991 \| 1992-1 \| 1992-2 \| 1993 \| 1994-1 \| 1994-2 \| 1995-1 \| 1995-2 \| 1996-1 \| 1996-2 \| 1997-1 \| 1997-2 \| 1998-1 \| 1998-2 \| 1999-1 \| 1999-2 Great Film Quotes - 1990s Greatest Last Film Lines: 1990s
The 2000s Film History Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6	2000s Film History: The New Millennium, an Age of Advanced Special Effects (3-D and Performance Capture), and the Era of Franchise Films The Greatest Films of the 2000s: 2000 \| 2001 \| 2002 \| 2003 \| 2004 \| 2005 \| 2006 \| 2007 \| 2008 \| 2009 2000s Film History Milestones: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 2000s Academy Awards Winners (and History): 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 History of Sex in Cinema: 2000-1 \| 2000-2 \| 2001-1 \| 2001-2 \| 2002-1 \| 2002-2 \| 2003-1 \| 2003-2 \| 2004-1 \| 2004-2 \| 2005-1 \| 2005-2 \| 2006-1 \| 2006-2 \| 2007-1 \| 2007-2 \| 2008 \| 2009 Great Film Quotes - 2000s Greatest Last Film Lines: 2000s