Film History

Film History
by Decade

Select one of the chapters (by decade) 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 Milestones and Turning Points in Film History, Film Milestones in Visual and Special Effects (illustrated), and The Most Controversial Films of All-Time (illustrated).

The History of Motion Pictures
- By Decade -

Individual Years and Timelines

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.

Pre-1920s Film History

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Early Cinematic Origins, the Infancy of Film

The Greatest Films of the Pre-1920s
1902 | 1903 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1919

Timeline of Pre-1900s Film Milestones and Turning Points
Timeline of 1900s Film Milestones and Turning Points
Timeline of 1910s Film Milestones and Turning Points

History of Sex in Cinema: Pre-1920s

1920s Film History

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

The Pre-Talkies and Silent Era

The Greatest Films of the 1920s
1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929

Timeline of 1920s Film Milestones and Turning Points

Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1920s

History of Sex in Cinema: 1920-1928 | 1929-1930

1930s Film History

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

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

Timeline of 1930s Film Milestones and Turning Points

Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1930s

History of Sex in Cinema: 1929-1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934-1937 | 1938-1943

1940s Film History

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

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

Timeline of 1940s Film Milestones and Turning Points

Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1940s

History of Sex in Cinema: 1938-1943 | 1944-1946 | 1947-1952

1950s Film History

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

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

Timeline of 1950s Film Milestones and Turning Points

Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1950s

History of Sex in Cinema: 1947-1952 | 1953-1954 | 1955-1957 | 1958-1959

1960s Film History

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

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

Timeline of 1960s Film Milestones and Turning Points

Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1960s

History of Sex in Cinema: 1960-1961 | 1962-1963 | 1964 | 1965-1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969

1970s Film History

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

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

Timeline of 1970s Film Milestones and Turning Points

Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1970s

History of Sex in Cinema: 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979

1980s Film History

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

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

Timeline of 1980s Film Milestones and Turning Points

Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1980s

History of Sex in Cinema: 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989

1990s Film History

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

The Era of Mainstream Films and Alternative or Independent ("Indie") Cinema; and the Rise of Computer-Generated Films; 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

Timeline of 1990s Film Milestones and Turning Points

Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 1990s

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

2000s Films

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

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

Timeline of 2000s Film Milestones and Turning Points

Top 10 Box Office Hits of the Decade (and by Year) of the 2000s

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

Film History By Genre Type or By Scenes

Action Films

Adventure Films

Animated Films

Biographical Films ("Biopics")

Comedy Films

Crime & Gangster Films

Cult Films

Detective/Mystery Films

Disaster Films

Documentary Films

Drama Films

Epics/Historical Films

Fantasy Films

Film Noir

'Guy' Films

Horror Films

Melodramas or Women's "Weepers"

Musicals (Dance) Films

Road Films

Romance Films

Science Fiction Films

Sexual or Erotic Films

Sports Films

Supernatural Films

Thrillers/Suspense Films

War (Anti-War) Films

Westerns