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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
2000s Films The New Millenium, an Age of Advanced Special Effects, and the Search for the Perfect Blockbuster	The Greatest Films of the 2000s 2000 \| 2001 \| 2002 \| 2003 \| 2004 \| 2005 \| 2006 \| 2007 \| 2008 Timeline of 2000s Film Milestones and Turning Points
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	Greatest Classic Chase Scenes in Films (illustrated) Greatest James Bond Girls (illustrated) Funniest Movie Moments and Scenes (illustrated) Greatest Plot Twists, Spoilers, and Surprise Endings (illustrated) Greatest Disaster Film Scenes (illustrated) Greatest Crowd Film Scenes (illustrated) Greatest Femmes Fatales in Classic Film Noir (illustrated) Scariest Movie Moments and Scenes (illustrated) Greatest Movie Death Scenes (illustrated) Greatest Tearjerker Films, Moments and Scenes (illustrated) Greatest Musical Song/Dance Movie Moments and Scenes (illustrated) Best and Most Memorable Film Kisses of All Time in Cinematic History (illustrated) Robots in Film (a comprehensive illustrated history) History of Sex in Cinema: The Greatest and Most Influential Erotic / Sexual Films and Scenes (illustrated) Greatest War Films (illustrated) Additional Film-History Related Sections Academy Awards (Oscars) History Greatest Film Speeches and Monologues (illustrated) Visual and Special Effects Milestones in Film History (illustrated) Alfred Hitchcock's Memorable Cameo Appearances (illustrated) Greatest Box-Office Bombs, Disasters, and Flops The Most Controversial Films of All-Time (illustrated) Greatest Movie Entrances of All-Time (illustrated) Best Film Editing Sequences (illustrated)