This 'list of years in film' indexes the individual ''year in
film'' pages. Each year is annotated with the significant events as a reference point.
__NOTOC__
★
19th century in film
★ 20th century in film:
★
★
1900s -
1910s -
1920s -
1930s -
1940s -
1950s -
1960s -
1970s -
1980s -
1990s
★ 21st century in film:
★
★
2000s
----
19th century in film
''See also:''
19th century in film
★ '
1886' -
Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince is granted an American dual-patent on a 16-lens device that combined a motion picture camera with a projector.
★ '
1888' - The ''
Roundhay Garden Scene'', shot in
Leeds,
West Yorkshire,
England by
Le Prince, is credited as the first film. It is recorded at a groundbreaking 20 frames per second and is the earliest surviving film.
Thomas Edison describes the concept of the
Kinetoscope, an early motion picture exhibition device.
★ '
1889' -
Eastman Kodak is the first company to begin commercial production of film on a flexible transparent base,
celluloid. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film are made in
Hyde Park,
London by
William Friese Greene.
★ '
1890' -
William Dickson completes his work for
Thomas Edison on the Kinetograph cylinder either in this year or 1889. ''
Monkeyshines No. 1'' becomes the first film shot on the system.
★ '
1891' -
Thomas Edison files for a patent of the
motion picture camera.
Thomas Edison holds the first public presentation of his
Kinetoscope for the
National Federation of Women's Clubs.
★ '
1892' - The
Kinetoscope is completed by
W.K. Dickson, at the employ of
Thomas Edison. In
France,
Charles-Émile Reynaud begins to have public screenings in
Paris at the
Theatre Optique, with hundreds of drawings on a reel that he wound through his Zeotrope projector to construct moving images that continued for 15 minutes. The
Eastman Company becomes the
Eastman Kodak Company.
Max Skladanowsky develops a camera and shoots his first footage this year, but its unusual interleaved image format leaves him ultimately unable to exhibit it until work is completed on the Bioskop projector in late 1895.
★ '
1893' - [Thomas Edison]] is granted Patent #493,426 for "An Apparatus for Exhibiting Photographs of Moving Objects" (The
Kinetoscope).
Edison builds "America's First Movie Studio", the
Black Maria, in
West Orange,
New Jersey. The premiere of the completed Kinetoscope is held on May 9 at the
Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences: The first film publicly shown on the system was ''
Blacksmith Scene'' (aka Blacksmiths).
★ '
1894' -
W.K. Dickson receives a patent for
motion picture film.
Thomas Edison records
Fred Ott's sneeze.
Auguste and Louis Lumière patent the
Cinématographe, a combination movie camera and projector.
★ '
1895' - The
cinématographe is patented. First footage ever to be shot using it is recorded on March 19.
The Lumière brothers hold their first private screening of projected motion pictures on March 22. The Lumières give the first public screening at L'Eden, the world's first and oldest cinéma (
theater), located in
La Ciotat, France, on September 28.
Gaumont Pictures is founded by the engineer-turned-inventor,
Léon Gaumont. In the US, the
Dickson Experimental Sound Film presents two men dancing to the sound of a violin player, in what the
The Celluloid Closet calls the first gay cinema reference. The first screening of movies at which admission was charged takes place on December 28, in
Paris, at the Salon Indien du Grand Café. This historical screening is based on ten short films, in the following order (and respective length): ''
Sortie de l'usine Lumière à Lyon'' (Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory), 46 seconds; ''La Voltige'' ("Horse Trick Riders"), 46 seconds: ''La Pêche aux Poissons Rouges'' ("Fishing for Goldfish"), 42 seconds; ''Le Débarquement du Congrès de Photographie à Lyon'' ("The Disembarkment of the Congress of Photographers in Lyon"), 48 seconds; ''Les Forgerons'' ("Blacksmiths"), 49 seconds; ''Le Jardinier (
l'Arroseur Arrosé)'' ("The Gardener, [The Sprinkler Sprinkled]"), 49 seconds; ''Le Repas (de Bébé)'' ("Baby's Meal"), 41 seconds; ''Le Saut à la Couverture'' ("Jumping Onto the Blanket"), 41 seconds; ''La Place des Cordeliers à Lyon'' ("Cordeliers Square in Lyon - a Street Scene"), 44 seconds; ''La Mer (Baignade en Mer)'' ("The Sea [Bathing in the Sea]"), 38 seconds . In Germany,
Emil and
Max Skladanowsky develop their own film projector - they project from November 1 in
Berlin. The
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company motion pictures was founded in New Jersey by the KMCD Syndicate of
William Kennedy Dickson,
Henry Marvin,
Herman Casler and
Elias Koopman.
Woodville Latham and his sons develop the Latham Loop - the concept of loose loops of film on either side of the
intermittent movement to prevent stress from the jerky movement. This is debuted in the
Eidoloscope, which is also the first widescreen format (1.85:1).
Herman Casler of American Mutoscope Company, aka
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company manufactures the
Biograph 68 mm camera, which will become the first successful large format 68mm (70mm) film.
★ '
1896' -
Pathé Frères is founded. In
Britain,
Birt Acres and
Robert W. Paul developed their own film projector, the
Theatrograph (later known as the
Animatograph).
Georges Méliès buys an English projector from
Robert William Paul and shoots his first films. A projector called the
Vitascope is designed by
Charles Francis Jenkins. The first
theater in the US dedicated exclusively to showing motion pictures is
Vitascope Hall, established on Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. The first screen kiss takes place between between
May Irwin and
John Rice in ''
The Kiss''. The first female film director,
Alice Guy-Blaché, presents ''
The Cabbage Fairy''. Cinema reaches
India by way of
The Lumière brothers ' Cinematography, unveiling six silent short films at the Watson Hotel in
Bombay, namely ''Entry of Cinematographe'', ''
La Mer (Baignade en Mer)'', ''
L'Arrivée d'un Train en Gare de la Ciotat'', ''A Demolition'', ''Ladies & Soldiers on Wheels'' and ''Sortie de l'usine Lumière à Lyon''. The tour of the Lumière brothers covers also London and New York.
★ '
1897' -
Vitagraph is founded in New York. In
England, the
Prestwich Camera is patented.
Harischandra Sakharam Bhatvadekar, alias Save Dada, imports a cine-camera from London at a price of 21 guineas and films the first Indian
documentary film, a wrestling match in
Hanging Gardens,
Bombay. Daily screenings of films commence in
Bombay by
Clifton and Co.'s Meadows Street Photography Studio. 125 people die during a film screening at the Charity Bazaar in
Paris after a curtain catches on fire from the ether used to fuel the projector lamp.
★ '
1898' - Méliès starts producing under the brand Star Film and directs brief commercials.
Hiralal Sen starts filming scenes of theatre productions at the
Classic Theatre in
Calcutta.
★ '
1899' - The first film long footage (over 100 meters) films with montage are made: ''
The Dreyfus Affair'' and the first film version of ''
Cinderella'' are both released by Méliès; the latter it is the first film to use a photographic dissolve (or fades).
Georges Méliès also writes and directs ''
Jeanne d'Arc'', a film about Joan of Arc, which removes the viewer from spatial relations and institutionalized the use of the close-up.
1900s
''See also:''
1900s in film
★ '
1900' - The first French Union Cinematography Chamber is founded by
Georges Méliès.
★ '
1901' -
Edison's Black Maria shuts down.
★ '
1902' - ''
A Trip to the Moon'' by
George Méliès is released.
Pathé acquires the Lumière brothers patents. The first permanent structure designed for screening of movies in the US is
Tally's Electric Theater, in Los Angeles, California.
★ '
1903' - ''
The Great Train Robbery'' by
Edwin S. Porter, has a cowboy firing a gun at the camera. The movie is a breakthrough in techniques: cross cutting, double exposure composite editing, camera movement and on location shooting. The three elder
Warner Bros. begin in the exhibition business. Gaston Méliès, Georges' brother, opens a branch of Star Film in New York to defend its production's copyrights.
★ '
1904' - The Great Train Robbery, a remake by
Siegmund Lubin.
Loews Theaters is founded by
Marcus Loew; it will be the oldest theater chain operating in North America by the time it merges with AMC in 2006.
Touring cinema begins in
India, as
Manek Sethna starts the
Touring Cinema Co. in
Bombay. All Méliès films begin being made with two negatives, the second of which is sent to New York to serve the American market.
★ '
1905' - The first "
Nickelodeon" is born when Harry Davis and John P. Harris open their small, storefront theatre under that name on Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Swamikannu Vincent, a draughtsman for the railways in
India, sets up a touring cinema going around small towns and villages in the South of India.
Maurice Costello, who will become the first of the matinee idols, stars in his first film, ''
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''.
★ '
1906' - The world's first feature film, ''
The Story of the Kelly Gang'', released in Australia.
★ '
1907' - ''
Ben Hur'', directed by
Sidney Olcott.
Louis B. Mayer opens his first movie theater in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Pathé opens an office in
India.
Florence Turner, the "
Vitagraph Girl", makes her debut in ''
Cast Up by the Sea''.
★ '
1908' -
Thomas Edison forms the
Motion Picture Patents Company, also known as the Edison Trust, also known as the First Oligopoly, a trust of all the major film companies (Edison, Biograph, Vitagraph, Essanay, Selig, Lubin, Kalem, American Star -Méliès-, American Pathé), the leading distributor (George Kleine) and the biggest supplier of raw film, Eastman Kodak.
Pathé invents the
newsreel that was shown in theaters prior to the feature film. In
Paris,
Méliès presides over the first International Cinema Congress, attended by all major producers in the world. Jean, the
Vitagraph Dog and the first Dog Hero of the silver screen, makes his screen debut with Director / Trainer
Laurence Trimble.
★ '
1909' -
Matsunosuke Onoe, who would become the first superstar of
Japanese cinema, appears in his first film, ''
Goban Tadanobu''.
Carl Laemmle starts the Yankee Film Company with partners Abe and Julius Stern, the seed to what will be
Universal Studios. Again in
Paris, Méliès presides over the second International Cinema Congress, obtaining the landmark decision of standard perfuration for film, enabling international projection.
1910s
★ '
1910' - The first film shot in
Hollywood is
D. W. Griffith's ''
In Old California'', starring
Mack Sennett in a supporting role. The first film version of ''
Frankenstein'' is released.
Florence Lawrence, then known as the "Biograph girl", is promoted by
Carl Laemmle in what may be the first instance of a studio using a film star in its marketing.
★ '
1911' -
Nestor Studios opens the first motion picture studio in
Hollywood, at the corner of
Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. The distribution of the Méliès productions is given to Pathé.
★ '
1912' -
Lillian Gish, who would be hailed as "The First Lady of the Silent Screen", stars in her first movie. ''
From the Manger to the Cross'', directed by
Sidney Olcott, is shot on location in
Palestine. It earned a reported $ 1 million vs. its $ 35,000 production cost. The first American feature film, ''
Oliver Twist'', is made. Laemmle merges IMP with eight smaller companies to form the Universal Film Manufacturing Company (the name will be soon shortened to
Universal Pictures Company). The
Famous Players Film Company is launched by
Adolph Zukor.
Jesse L. Lasky opens his
Lasky Feature Play Company with money borrowed from his brother-in-law, Samuel Goldfish (later to be known as
Samuel Goldwyn). Lasky hires a stage director with no film experience,
Cecil B. DeMille, who shoots his first film, ''
The Squaw Man'' in
Hollywood.
Mack Sennett founds
Keystone Studios in Edendale,
California; his first commedienne is
Mabel Normand. The
United States Supreme Court cancels the patent on raw film, dealing a blow to the MPPC.
Enrico Guazzoni's ''
Quo Vadis?'', often regarded as the first successful feature-length motion picture, is released in
Italy, with over 60 minutes.
★ '
1913' - The first
Charlie Chaplin movies are made.
D. G. Phalke's ''
Raja Harishchandra'' is the earliest Indian fiction film made by an Indian director. ''
Traffic in Souls'' is the first feature released on
Broadway not based on a famous novel or play and also the first film of more than three reels produced by IMP (it was a six-reel movie). This year is called the highpoint in European cinema:
Victor Sjöström's masterpiece ''
Ingeborg Holm'' is released in Sweden;
Mario Caserini's ''
Ma l'amor mio non muore'',
Léonce Perret's ''
L'Enfant de Paris'' and
Stellan Rye and
Paul Wegener's ''
Der Student von Prag'', are released across Europe.
★ '
1914' -
W. W. Hodkinson starts
Paramount Pictures, the first successful nation-wide distributor.
Pathé launches the very popular silent ''
Perils of Pauline'' cliffhanger serial, shown in weekly installments and featuring
Pearl White. Its success prompts ''
The Exploits of Elaine'', another film serial in the genre of ''The Perils of Pauline'', also featuring
Pearl White, that will outgross that serial in ticket sales. ''
Tillie's Punctured Romance'' produced by
Mack Sennett, stars
Marie Dressler,
Charlie Chaplin, and
Mabel Normand.
Gloria Swanson begins her career as an extra in ''
The Song of Soul''. A masterpiece of European cinema,
Giovanni Pastrone's ''
Cabiria'', is released.
★ '
1915' - ''
The Clansman,'' based on the novel and play by Thomas W. Dixon and directed by
D.W. Griffith, premieres in Los Angeles. Later, Dixon suggests that the film be retitled ''
The Birth of a Nation.''
Charles Chaplin signs with
Essanay Studios, releasing thirteen films featuring Charlie and becoming a star. ''
The Country Girl'', starring
Florence LaBadie.
Louis B. Mayer and
Richard A. Rowland create
Metro Pictures Corporation based in
New York City. The world's largest motion picture production facility,
Universal City Studios is opened in Hollywood. Sennett, Griffith and
Thomas Ince join efforts to form the Triangle Pictures Corporation. Again, the
United States Supreme Court deals a blow to the MPPC, cancelling all MPPC patents.
★ '
1916' -
D. W. Griffith's second monumental production, ''
Intolerance'' is released.
Zukor maneuvers a three-way merger of his Famous Players, the Lasky company, and Paramount, in what will be the company of the stars,
Paramount Pictures.
Universal Pictures sets up
Hollywood's first Indian agency. The first South Indian feature is
Rangaswamy Nataraja Mudaliar's ''
Keechaka Vadham''.
★ '
1917' -
Technicolor is introduced. Final blow to the MPPC, as the
United States Supreme Court under the
Sherman Antitrust Act ends the oligopoly.
Ufa, Germany's largest film studio in the 1920s, is founded.
Charles Pathé, distressed with the relatively artisanal stage of French movies, writes an article called "La crise du cinéma".
Mack Sennett organizes his own company, Mack Sennett Comedies Corporation, producing longer comedy short films and a few feature-length films.
Rangaswamy Nataraja Mudaliar makes ''
Draupadi Vastrapaharanam'', featuring Anglo-Indian actress
Marian Hill.
★ '
1918' - The
Warner Bros. studio opens on
Sunset Boulevard in
Hollywood. ''My Four Years in Germany'' is the first Warner Brothers production. First National releases the first
Tarzan film, starring
Elmo Lincoln.
Sid Grauman begins the trend of theatre-as-destination with his ornate
Million Dollar Theater, which opens on Broadway in downtown
Los Angeles.
★ '
1919' - United Artists is founded by
Douglas Fairbanks,
Mary Pickford,
Charlie Chaplin and
D. W. Griffith.
Emelka, a German film studio who would become the second largest in the 1920s, is founded.
1920s
''See also:''
1920s in film
★ '
1920' -
Buster Keaton begins starring in shorts and in ''
The Saphead'', his first feature and his last smile ever on screen, at Metro.
Erich Von Stroheim's ''The Devil's Passkey'' stars
Mae Busch at Goldwyn. ''
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'', one of the earliest, most influential and most artistically acclaimed
German Expressionist films, is released in
Germany.
Irving Thalberg becomes in charge of production at
Universal City.
★ '
1921' -
Laurel and Hardy's first film together, ''
A Lucky Dog''.
Charles Chaplin directs, produces and stars in ''
The Kid''.
Rudolph Valentino stars in ''
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'' and ''
The Sheik'', appealing almost exclusively to women audiences, and into stardom.
★ '
1922' -
F. W. Murnau's ''
Nosferatu'', the first vampire film, is released in
Germany. Also, ''
Our Gang'' series begins at
Hal Roach studios. ''
Nanook of the North'', considered the first feature-length documentary, is released.
Rin Tin Tin has its first big break in ''The Man From Hell's River''.
★ '
1923' -
Harold Lloyd's ''
Safety Last'' produced by Hal Roach, released by Pathe.
Charles Chaplin releases ''
A Woman of Paris''. In Germany,
Erich Pommer becomes head of production at
Ufa.
★ '
1924' -
Irving Thalberg leaves Universal to join the Mayer venture.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer begins with
Louis B. Mayer at the helm, as a result of
Marcus Loew's acquisitions of
Metro Pictures,
Goldwyn Pictures and
Mayer Pictures.
Erich von Stroheim's
magnum opus, ''
Greed'', is released. In Sweden, a star is born when
Mauritz Stiller directs
Greta Garbo in ''
The Story of Gösta Berling''. In Germany,
Ufa releases ''
Michael/Chained'' and ''
Der letzte Mann/The Last Laugh''.
Fritz Lang's two-part epic ''
The Nibelungs'' premieres in February and April, in Berlin.
Léonce Perret's ''
Madame Sans-Gêne'', an adaptation of the eponymous stage play starring
Gloria Swanson, is the first joint Franco-American film production.
★ '
1925' -
Lon Chaney's ''
The Phantom of the Opera'' is released by Universal with color sequences.
Sergei Eisenstein directs ''
Strike!'' and ''
The Battleship Potemkin'' in the
Soviet Union.
Warner Bros. buys
Vitagraph. ''
The Big Parade'', directed by
King Vidor, is
Thalberg's first major triumph at
MGM.
Ufa premieres ''
Tartuffe'' and ''
Variety''. In financial stress,
Ufa borrows 4 million dollars from
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and
Paramount, in exchange of 50% of the screen time of its cinemas. The first film version of
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World (also the first film to portray
prehistoric creatures, like
dinosaurs, and based on the
book of
the same)is released.
★ '
1926' - First Vitaphone feature, ''
Don Juan'' starring
John Barrymore, released by Warner Brothers.
Greta Garbo begins her American career with ''
The Torrent'', ''
The Temptress'' and ''
Flesh and the Devil''.
Valentino's last film, ''
The Son of the Sheik'', is released posthumously.
Ufa releases
F. W. Murnau's ''
Faust''.
Grauman's Chinese Theater opens its doors.
Pudovkin's ''
Mother'' is released in the
Soviet Union.
★ '
1927' -
Al Jolson movie ''
The Jazz Singer'' popularizes sound motion pictures.
Buster Keaton stars in ''
The General''. In Germany,
Fritz Lang's groundbreaking ''
Metropolis'' is released by
Ufa; at the time, it was the most expensive movie ever made. The Hugenberg group takes over
Ufa and reorganizes it to meet customer demand, effectively ending "the centre of creative filmmaking". In the UK, the
Cinematograph Films Act 1927 introduces protective measures, leading to a faltering production recovery.
★ '
1928' - First talkie
cartoon, ''
Dinner Time'' is produced. The second talkie cartoon, ''
Steamboat Willie'', by
Walt Disney, is released a month later. The first all-talking feature, ''
Lights of New York'', is released by Warner.
MGM releases the first all-color sound feature (in
Technicolor and including a synchronized score and sound effects but no spoken dialogue), entitled
The Viking.
Sergei Eisenstein releases ''
October''. The First Party Conference on Cinema is held in the
Soviet Union, as a first step to a Five Year Plan for Cinema.
★ '
1929' - The first
Academy Awards, or Oscars, are distributed: ''
Wings'' wins the
Best Production or Best Picture and ''
Sunrise'' the
Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Production. In France,
Luis Buñuel and
Salvador Dalà make ''
Un chien andalou (An Andalusian Dog)'', the most famous of surrealist movies. In Germany,
Louise Brooks stars in
G. W. Pabst's ''
Pandora's Box''. ''
On with the Show'', the first all-color, all-sound movie is released by
Warner Bros.; it's soon followed by ''
Gold Diggers of Broadway'', that became the most successful film of the year and went on to play in theatres until 1939. In the
Soviet Union,
Eisenstein releases ''
Old and New''.
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Blackmail'' is regarded as the first British sound feature. It was a part-talkie with a synchronized score and sound effects. Later, the first all-talking British feature, ''
The Clue of the New Pin'', is released.
1930s
''See also:''
1930s in film
★ '
1930' - The first
Busby Berkeley musical film, ''
Whoopee!'' starring
Eddie Cantor, is released by Goldwyn in color. The Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA), which later became the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), adopts the
Production Code.
Marlene Dietrich stars in
Josef von Sternberg's
The Blue Angel, the first German-language
talkie. At
Warner Bros., the ''
Looney Tunes'' cartoons begin, starring
Bosko.
MGM releases
The Rogue Song, which becomes their first all color all-talking feature (in
Technicolor). They purchase the rights to distribute a series of cartoons that star a character named Flip the Frog - the first cartoon in this series (entitled Fiddlesticks) was also the first sound cartoon to be produced in
Technicolor. The first all-colour all-talking British feature, ''
Harmony Heaven'', is released.
★ '
1931' -
Laurel and Hardy's first feature, ''
Pardon Us'', is released by MGM.
Fritz Lang's ''
M'' starring
Peter Lorre is released in
Germany.
Darryl F. Zanuck becomes head of production at
Warner Bros.. The ''
Merrie Melodies'' cartoons begin, distributed by Warner.
Manoel de Oliveira, still active in 2007, directs his first film, ''
Douro, Faina Fluvial'', a silent documentary. The first
Portuguese sound
film, is
Leitão de Barros's ''
A Severa''.
★ '
1932' -
Shirley Temple's film career begins.
Katharine Hepburn, to date (2007) the holder of the
Academy Award for Best Actress record with four golden statuettes, stars in her first movie,
George Cukor's ''
A Bill of Divorcement''. An officially christened ''
Betty Boop'' begins a cartoon serial in short ''
Minnie the Moocher''. The
Venice Film Festival (''Italian Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica di Venezia''), the oldest film festival in the world, begins.
★ '
1933' - The box office is ruled by
Mae West, taking the #1 position with ''
I'm No Angel'' and the #3 with ''
She Done Him Wrong''; the musical ''
42nd Street'' takes the #2, starring
Dick Powell,
Ruby Keeler and
Ginger Rogers.
Walt Disney's ''
Flowers and Trees'' premieres, the first film produced in the three-strip
Technicolor process. The
Czech film starring
Hedy Lamarr, ''
Ecstasy'', which shows simulated sex, shocks audiences.
Fred Astaire's first acting role pairs him with
Ginger Rogers as supporting characters in ''
Flying Down to Rio''. ''
King Kong'' is released. Other releases include a pre-Code edited ''
Baby Face'', starring
Barbara Stanwyck, ''
Duck Soup'', starring the
Marx Brothers, ''
Dinner at Eight'', featuring an all-star cast, ''
Dancing Lady'', starring
Joan Crawford and
Clark Gable and ''
Queen Christina'', starring
Greta Garbo.
Mary Pickford stars in her last film, ''
Secrets''.
Twentieth Century Pictures is founded by
Darryl F. Zanuck. ''
The Private Life of Henry VIII'' becomes the first British film to win an American
Academy Award. The
British Film Institute is founded. The first
Portuguese sound
comedy film,
Cottinelli Telmo's ''
A Canção de Lisboa'', is released and its success sparks the "Golden Age of Portuguese cinema". ''
Popeye the Sailor'' theatrical cartoon shorts for
Paramount Pictures begin. To battle the
Great Depression's effect on box office attendance (shrunk by one third from 1930), the studios begin the double-bill: the B-movie is born. Unable to counter the effects of the Depression,
Mack Sennett goes bankrupt. The first
drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.
★ '
1934' - ''
It Happened One Night'' sweeps the five major Oscars - Best Picture, Best Director (
Frank Capra), Best Screenplay, Best Actor (
Clark Gable) and Best Actress (
Claudette Colbert), a first ever achievement that would not be matched until 1975.
Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to ''
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' from Frank J. Baum.
Shirley Temple becomes a star. The
Production Code is amended to require all films to obtain a certificate of approval. The code is effectively enforced for the first time with the removal of nude scenes from the movie ''
Tarzan and His Mate''. Top of the box office is occupied by ''
Viva Villa'', a biopic of Pancho Villa, followed by ''
The Black Cat'', starring
Boris Karloff and
Bela Lugosi. Other releases include ''
Cleopatra'', directed by
Cecil B. DeMille and starring
Claudette Colbert, ''
The Gay Divorcee'', starring
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers, ''
L'Atalante'', directed by
Jean Vigo, ''
Of Human Bondage'', starring
Leslie Howard and
Bette Davis (who becomes a star), ''
The Scarlet Empress'' by
Josef von Sternberg'' starring
Marlene Dietrich'' and the first of ''
The Thin Man'' series, starring
William Powell and
Myrna Loy. The
Venice Film Festival starts awarding "The Mussolini Cup" for Best Picture and Best Foreign Picture. From 1938 to 1942, the winning Best Foreign films are all from Germany.
★ '
1935' - ''
Top Hat'' with
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers leads the box office.
Clark Gable's ''
Mutiny on the Bounty'' earns Best Picture.
Greta Garbo is
Anna Karenina. ''
Triumph of the Will'', a Nazi propaganda film directed by
Leni Riefenstahl, is released. The first feature-length motion picture in three-strip
Technicolor,
RKO's ''
Becky Sharp'', is released.
Twentieth Century Pictures buys Fox Studios to become
Twentieth Century-Fox.
★ '
1936' - ''
San Francisco'' starring
Clark Gable,
Spencer Tracy and
Jeanette MacDonald is the top gross movie of the year, followed by another Jeanette MacDonald film ''
Rose Marie'', co-starring
Nelson Eddy. ''
The Great Ziegfeld'', starring
William Powell,
Myrna Loy and
Luise Rainer (who wins the first thespian Award for playing a real-life person), earns Best Picture.
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers star in both ''
Follow the Fleet'' and ''
Swing Time''.
Greta Garbo is ''
Camille''. The first ''
Porky Pig'' animated cartoon is released.
Thelma Todd's ''An All-American Toothache'', co-starring
Patsy Kelly and
Mickey Daniels, is released. The ''
Flash Gordon'' serial, starring
Buster Crabbe, is released. The UK witnesses an all-time production high of 192 films.
★ '
1937' -
Luise Rainer is the first thespian to win two Academy Awards, back-to-back. ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'', the first American feature-length animated movie, is released to occupy the year's top at the box office. The second highest-grossing movie is ''
Conquest'' and two French movies make the top seven (''
La Grande Illusion'' by
Jean Renoir - the first foreign movie to be nominated for a Best Picture award - and ''
Pépé le Moko''). Other releases include ''
A Star Is Born'', starring
Janet Gaynor and
Fredric March, ''
Stella Dallas'', starring
Barbara Stanwyck and ''
The Awful Truth'', starring
Irene Dunne and
Cary Grant . The
Rank Organisation, a British entertainment company, is formed. ''
Wings of the Morning'', Britain's first colour feature film in the new three colour Technicolor process, is released. In the UK, the replacement
Cinematograph Films Act 1938 provided incentives for UK companies to make fewer films of higher quality and, influenced by world politics, encourages American investment and imports.
★ '
1938' -
Spencer Tracy stars in ''
Boys Town'' and
Bette Davis is ''
Jezebel''. They both earn
Academy Awards for their performances. ''
The Adventures of Robin Hood'', a
Technicolor extravaganza starring
Errol Flynn and
Olivia de Havilland, and Soviet director
Sergei Eisenstein's ''
Alexander Nevsky'' are released.
Cary Grant and
Katharine Hepburn star together in both
Howard Hawks's ''
Bringing Up Baby'', released to a cold box-office reception, and
George Cukor's ''
Holiday''. A poll taken by motion picture exhibitors elects performers as "box office poison":
Katharine Hepburn,
Greta Garbo,
Joan Crawford,
Fred Astaire,
Marlene Dietrich and
Mae West make the list.
Leni Riefenstahl's ''
Olympia'' wins the Mussolini Cup.
★ '
1939' -
Hollywood's ''
Annus Mirabilis'':
Clark Gable and
Vivien Leigh star in what is arguably the most popular film of all time, ''
Gone with the Wind''; Judy Garland sings ''
Over The Rainbow'' in ''
The Wizard of Oz'';
John Wayne rides the ''
Stagecoach'';
Jimmy Stewart stars in ''
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'';
Garbo laughs in ''
Ninotchka'';
Laurence Olivier and
Merle Oberon star in ''
Wuthering Heights'';
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers tell ''
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle'';
Jean Renoir directs ''
The Rules of the Game (La Règle du Jeu)'';
Norma Shearer,
Joan Crawford,
Rosalind Russell,
Paulette Goddard and
Joan Fontaine are ''
The Women'' for director of women
George Cukor; and
Bette Davis achieves a ''
Dark Victory''. The
Cannes Film Festival is founded, with the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film going to
Cecil B. deMille's ''
Union Pacific''. Due to the break-out of WWII, the Festival would only resume in 1946.
1940s
''See also:''
1940s in film
★ '
1940' - The world at war is reflected upon the movie industry.
Charlie Chaplin's ''
The Great Dictator'', a satire social commentary film on Nazi Germany's Hitler, is released.
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Rebecca'' earns the Best Picture Oscar.
Walt Disney's ''
Pinocchio'' is released and takes the top of the American box office.
Tom and Jerry and
Bugs Bunny make their official debut.
Walt Disney also releases ''
Fantasia'', the first film to be released in a multichannel sound format. ''
Fantasia'' also marks the first use of the click track while recording the soundtrack, overdubbing of orchestral parts, simultaneous multitrack recording and leads to the development of a multichannel surround system. Columbia releases Charley Chase's last film, ''South of the Boudoir''. ''
Broadway Melody of 1940'', starring
Fred Astaire and
Eleanor Powell, is the final film of the series. ''
Boom Town'', ''
His Girl Friday'', ''
The Philadelphia Story'' and ''
The Shop Around the Corner'' are released.
★ '
1941' - War propaganda movies rule the box office, which is topped by
Howard Hawks' ''
Sergeant York'', a biographical film about the life of Sergeant
Alvin York, the most decorated American soldier of
World War I, followed by
Abbot and Costello's ''
Buck Privates''. Top Academy Awards are won by
John Ford's ''
How Green Was My Valley'', ''
Sergeant York'' (
Gary Cooper, Best Actor) and ''
Suspicion'' (
Joan Fontaine, Best Actress). Other war-driven movies include
Michael Powell's ''
Forty-Ninth Parallel'', ''
In the Navy (film)'',
Bob Hope's ''
Caught in the Draft'' and ''
Keep 'Em Flying''.
Orson Welles' ''
Citizen Kane'' and
John Huston's ''
The Maltese Falcon'', starring
Humphrey Bogart, premiere.
Barbara Stanwyck and
Henry Fonda star in
The Lady Eve.
Disney releases ''
Dumbo'' and the animated short film series for
Woody Woodpecker begins.
★ '
1942' - Inspirational war film ''
Mrs. Miniver'', by
William Wyler, rules the box office and takes six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (
Greer Garson) and Best Screenplay (garnering another six nominations). ''
Yankee Doodle Dandy'' earns Best Actor for
James Cagney. A special Academy Award is given to ''
In Which We Serve'', a
David Lean film war film that tells the story of the British destroyer HMS Torrin, as told in flashbacks by the survivors as they cling to a life raft. ''
Bambi'' is released. ''
Casablanca'', starring
Humphrey Bogart and
Ingrid Bergman, is released.
Orson Welles releases ''
The Magnificent Ambersons''. The
Venice Film Festival awards its last Mussolini Cup. It will resume in 1947.
★ '
1943' - The 1st
Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best achievements in 1943 filmmaking, are held late in January 1944: ''
The Song of Bernadette'' wins the top honor. The box office is led by ''
For Whom the Bell Tolls'', starring
Gary Cooper and
Ingrid Bergman, followed by ''The Song of Bernadette'', ''
This Is the Army'' and ''
Stage Door Canteen''. ''
Casablanca'' wins the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director (
Michael Curtiz). ''
Lassie Come Home'' introduces
Lassie. The
Laurel and Hardy short film series comes to an end. Animated short film series for
Chip and Dale and
Droopy Dog begin. In Italy, ''
Ossessione'' (''Obsession'') based on the novel, ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'', by James M. Cain, is Luchino Visconti's first feature film and is considered by many to be the first Italian neorealist film.
★ '
1944' - ''
Going My Way'', a light-hearted drama about a new young priest (
Bing Crosby) taking over a parish from an established old veteran, takes the box office and wins seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (
Leo McCarey), Best Actor (Crosby) and Best Screenplay. The last of the ''
Our Gang'' shorts, produced by MGM, is released. Other releases include ''
Gaslight'', that earns
Ingrid Bergman the Best Actress Academy Award, ''
Meet Me In St. Louis'', starring
Judy Garland, war movie ''
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'', ''
Double Indemnity'', starring
Fred MacMurray,
Barbara Stanwyck and
Edward G. Robinson, ''
Laura'' starring
Gene Tierney,
Laurence Olivier's ''
Henry V'' and the first part of ''
Ivan the Terrible'', directed by
Eisenstein in the Soviet Union.
★ '
1945' - ''
The Bells of St. Mary's'', a
Leo McCarey sequel to previous year's successful ''
Going My Way'' and starring
Bing Crosby and
Ingrid Bergman, takes the top of the box office, followed by ''
Mom and Dad'', produced by the exploitation filmmaker and presenter
Kroger Babb.
Billy Wilder's ''
The Lost Weekend'' wins Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor Oscars (
Ray Milland), with
Joan Crawford winning Best Actress for ''
Mildred Pierce''. A strike between the set decorators' union and the studios boils over and became what is now considered
Hollywood Black Friday, on October 5. Also released are
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Spellbound'', with a
Salvador Dali designed-scene and starring
Gregory Peck and
Ingrid Bergman, ''
Leave Her to Heaven'', starring
Gene Tierney,
David Lean's ''
Blithe Spirit'' and ''
Brief Encounter'', and
Roberto Rosselini's ''
Rome, Open City'' (''Roma Città aperta''). 1944-released ''
National Velvet'' brings
Elizabeth Taylor to prominence.
Casper debuts in ''
The Friendly Ghost''.
★ '
1946' -
Frank Capra's ''
It's a Wonderful Life'' premieres to a lukewarm reception. The year's box office belongs to 1945-released ''
The Bells of St. Mary's'' and ''
Leave Her to Heaven''. ''
The Best Years of Our Lives'' wins the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (
William Wyler) and Best Actor (
Fredric March). The
Cannes Film Festival resumes, with 11 movies from different countries receiving the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film. Also released are
Jean Cocteau's ''
Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête)'' with
Jean Marais, ''
The Blue Dahlia'', ''
The Big Sleep'', starring
Humphrey Bogart and
Lauren Bacall, the western ''
Duel in the Sun'', directed by
King Vidor and starring
Gregory Peck,
Jennifer Jones and
Joseph Cotten, ''
Notorious'', directed by
Alfred Hitchcock, starring
Cary Grant and
Ingrid Bergman, ''
The Razor's Edge'', starring
Tyrone Power and
Gene Tierney, ''
The Postman Always Rings Twice'' and ''
The Spiral Staircase''.
★ '
1947' - The
United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress votes 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "
Hollywood Ten." The
Waldorf Statement is released by the executives of the United States motion picture industry, marking the beginning of the
Hollywood blacklist. ''
The Best Years of Our Lives'' and ''
Duel in the Sun'', released in the previous year, rule the US box office.
Elia Kazan's ''
Gentleman's Agreement'' wins Best Picture and Best Director. Also released are ''
Black Narcissus'', ''
Miracle on 34th Street'', ''
Quai des Orfèvres'' and
Cecil B. DeMille's ''
Unconquered''. The
Actor's Studio is founded by Elia Kazan,
Robert Lewis, and
Cheryl Crawford, and
Oskar Fischinger films ''
Motion Painting No. 1''. The
Venice Film Festival resumes, with the attribution of the ''Gran Premio Internazionale di Venezia'' (Grand International Prize of Venice) to the Best Picture. The year's award is won by
Siréna, a Czechoslovakian film about striking miners.
★ '
1948' -
Laurence Olivier's ''
Hamlet'' becomes the first British film to win the American
Academy Award for Best Picture, winning also the
Venice Film Festival's award. Olivier won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Other releases include ''
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' and ''
Key Largo'', both starring
Humphrey Bogart, ''
Johnny Belinda'', starring Jane Wyman and earning her the Best Actress Oscar, ''
Easter Parade'' and ''
The Pirate'', both starring
Judy Garland, ''
Red River'' with
John Wayne and
Montgomery Clift, ''
The Red Shoes'' by
Michael Powell and
Emeric Pressburger, ''
Rope'' by
Alfred Hitchcock with
James Stewart, ''
Joan of Arc'', starring
Ingrid Bergman and
Vittorio de Sica's ''
Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette)''.
Edgar Kennedy's final short for RKO is released.
★ '
1949' -
Robert Rossen's ''
All the King's Men'' wins the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor (
Broderick Crawford).
Joseph L. Mankiewicz wins Best Director for ''
A Letter to Three Wives''.
George Cukor's ''
Adam's Rib'', starring
Katharine Hepburn and
Spencer Tracy, rules the American box office. Also released are ''
Sands of Iwo Jima'', directed by
Allan Dwan, ''
The Heiress'', starring
Olivia de Havilland (Academy Award winner for her role) and
Montgomery Clift, ''
Twelve O'Clock High'' starring
Gregory Peck and UK's black comedy ''
Kind Hearts and Coronets''. ''
The Barkleys of Broadway'' reunites
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers after ten years apart, for their last film together and the only one shot in color.
Jacques Tati releases ''
Jour de Fête''. The
Cannes Film Festival ''Grand Prix du Festival International du Film'' is awarded to
Carol Reed's ''
The Third Man''. The award of the
Venice Film Festival changes its name into the
Golden Lion of St. Mark - the first recipient is France's ''
Manon'', directed by
Henri-Georges Clouzot.
1950s
''See also:''
1950s in film
★ '
1950' - The growth of television prompts the studios and companies to seek new motivations to put audiences back in theaters, using grandiose technology, epics and new genres, most notably B movies and science fiction. ''
Samson and Delilah'', produced and directed by
Cecil B. DeMille and starring
Victor Mature and
Hedy Lamarr, rules the US box office.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz's ''
All About Eve'' breaks Academy Award records by earning 14 nominations. It wins 6 Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Judy Holliday wins Best Actress for ''
Born Yesterday''. ''
Sunset Boulevard'' wins the
Golden Globe for Best Picture, with star
Gloria Swanson winning Best Actress and
Billy Wilder winning Best Director.
Disney's ''
Cinderella'' is released.
Laurel & Hardy's final film, ''
Atoll K'', is made in Europe. ''
Destination Moon'' inaugurates a decade of science-fiction B movies. In France, ''
Orpheus (Orphée)'', directed by
Jean Cocteau and starring
Jean Marais. In Italy,
Roberto Rosselini directs
Ingrid Bergman in ''
Stromboli''. In Japan,
Akira Kurosawa directs ''
Rashomon''. In Italy,
Federico Fellini has his directorial debut with ''
Luci del Varietà '' (co-credited with
Alberto Lattuada).
★ '
1951' -
Historical epic film ''
David and Bathsheba'' and
musical ''
Show Boat'' take the top spots at the US box office.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''
An American in Paris'' wins Best Picture at the
Academy Awards, with Best Director going to
George Stevens for ''
A Place in the Sun'', starring
Elizabeth Taylor and
Montgomery Clift, Humphrey Bogart winning Best Actor for
John Huston's ''
The African Queen'', also starring
Katharine Hepburn, and
Vivien Leigh winning Best Actress for
Elia Kazan's ''
A Streetcar Named Desire'', also starring
Marlon Brando. ''
On the Riviera'', earns
Danny Kaye a Best Actor
Golden Globe, also starring
Gene Tierney. Other releases include
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Strangers on a Train'' and ''
Quo Vadis'', starring
Robert Taylor and
Deborah Kerr. The
Cannes Film Festival resumes. ''
Rashomon'', directed by
Akira Kurosawa, wins the
Golden Lion. The
Berlin Film Festival begins.
★ '
1952' -
Cinerama is introduced.
Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, ''
The Greatest Show on Earth'' wins the Best Picture Oscar and is #1 at the box office, followed by ''
Quo Vadis'' and ''
Ivanhoe'', starring
Robert Taylor,
Elizabeth Taylor and
Joan Fontaine. Also released are ''
The Snows of Kilimanjaro'', starring
Gregory Peck,
Ava Gardner and
Susan Hayward, ''
5 Fingers'', directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, ''
High Noon'',
Charles Chaplin's ''
Limelight'',
Orson Welles' ''
Othello'' and musical ''
Singin' in the Rain''.
★ '
1953' - ''
The Robe'' debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen
CinemaScope film and takes the top of the box office. It stars
Richard Burton and
Jean Simmons. It is followed by Best Picture
Academy Award winner ''
From Here to Eternity'', starring
Burt Lancaster,
Montgomery Clift,
Deborah Kerr,
Donna Reed, and
Frank Sinatra; ''
Shane'', starring
Alan Ladd,
Jean Arthur,
Van Heflin,
Brandon de Wilde, and
Jack Palance; ''
How to Marry a Millionaire'', starring
Lauren Bacall,
Marilyn Monroe,
Betty Grable, and
William Powell; ''
Peter Pan'' (
Disney); ''
Hans Christian Andersen'', starring
Danny Kaye and
Farley Granger; ''
House of Wax'', the first
3-D movie to ever make the box office top ten, starring
Vincent Price; ''
Mogambo'', starring
Clark Gable,
Grace Kelly, and
Ava Gardner; and ''
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'', starring
Jane Russell and
Marilyn Monroe.
Audrey Hepburn wins Best Actress Oscar for ''
Roman Holiday'', also starring
Gregory Peck and
William Holden wins for ''
Stalag 17''. Cartoon serial ''
Speedy Gonzales'' debuts. The
Academy Awards are televised for the first time.
★ '
1954' - ''
On the Waterfront'' wins the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director
Elia Kazan and Best Actor
Marlon Brando.
Judy Garland and
James Mason star in ''
A Star Is Born''. The box office is led by ''
White Christmas'', starring
Bing Crosby,
Danny Kaye,
Rosemary Clooney and
Vera-Ellen, followed by the ''
The Caine Mutiny'', starring
Humphrey Bogart,
Jose Ferrer,
Van Johnson,
Fred MacMurray and
Lee Marvin, ''
The Glenn Miller Story'', starring
James Stewart and
June Allyson, ''
The Egyptian'', in
CinemaScope, and
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Rear Window'', starring
James Stewart,
Grace Kelly,
Thelma Ritter,
Wendell Corey and
Raymond Burr.
Godzilla makes his debut by appearing in ''
Godzilla (1954 film)''. Other releases include ''
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', ''
3 Ring Circus'', starring
Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis, ''
Désirée'',
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Dial M for Murder'', starring
Grace Kelly (who won the Best Actress Academy Award in ''
The Country Girl''), musical ''
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'',
Marilyn Monroe's vehicle ''
River of No Return'', ''
Sabrina'' starring
Humphrey Bogart,
Audrey Hepburn and
William Holden and
Federico Fellini's ''
La strada''.
★ '
1955' - The top grossing films are Disney's ''
Lady and the Tramp'' and ''
Cinerama Holiday''. The
Best Picture is won by ''
Marty'', winning also Best Director (
Delbert Mann), Best Actor (
Ernest Borgnine) and the
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival). Italian star
Anna Magnani wins the Best Actress Oscar ''
The Rose Tattoo''. ''
Rebel Without a Cause'' and ''
East of Eden'', starring
James Dean (who would die later this year), are released, as are ''
Bad Day at Black Rock'' with
Spencer Tracy, ''
Guys and Dolls'', starring
Marlon Brando and
Frank Sinatra, ''
The Night of the Hunter'', ''
Picnic'' with
William Holden and
Kim Novak, ''
Rififi'' (''Du rififi chez les hommes''), ''
The Seven Year Itch'' with
Marilyn Monroe, ''
Sissi'' with
Romy Schneider, ''
Summertime'' , directed by
David Lean, with
Katharine Hepburn and
Rossano Brazzi and
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
To Catch a Thief'' and ''
The Trouble with Harry''. The last ever
Republic serial, ''
King of the Carnival'', is released. The
Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival) is won by ''
Ordet'' (''The Word''), directed by
Carl Theodor Dreyer, Denmark.
★ '
1956' - ''
The Ten Commandments'', starring
Charlton Heston, is the top grossing film, followed by ''
Guys and Dolls'' and ''
The King and I'', starring
Yul Brynner and
Deborah Kerr. The Best Picture Academy Award is won by ''
Around the World in Eighty Days''. Best Director is
George Stevens, for ''
Giant'', starring
Rock Hudson,
Elizabeth Taylor and
James Dean. Other releases include ''
High Society'',
Ingrid Bergman's ''
Anastasia'', ''
Invasion of the Body Snatchers'', ''
The Man Who Knew Too Much'', ''
Moby Dick'', ''
The Searchers'' with
John Wayne,
Douglas Sirk's ''
Written on the Wind'' and ''
War and Peace'', starring
Audrey Hepburn.
Elvis Presley's first film, ''
Love Me Tender'', opens. The
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival) is won by ''
The Silent World'' (''Le monde du silence''), directed by
Jacques-Yves Cousteau and
Louis Malle, from France. The
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival) goes to ''
Invitation to the Dance'', directed by
Gene Kelly.
★ '
1957' - ''
Jailhouse Rock'', starring
Elvis Presley.
★ '
1958' -
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Vertigo''.
★ '
1959' - ''
Ben-Hur'' premieres to win an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
1960s
''See also:''
1960s in film
★ '
1960' -
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Psycho''
★ '
1961' - ''
West Side Story'' premieres
★ '
1962' - ''
Lawrence of Arabia'' and ''
To Kill a Mockingbird'' premiere
★ '
1963' -
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
The Birds''
★ '
1964' -
The Beatles star in ''
A Hard Day's Night''
★ '
1965' - ''
The Sound of Music'' premieres
★ '
1966' - ''
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?''
★ '
1967' - ''
The Graduate''
★ '
1968' -
Stanley Kubrick's ''
★ '
1969' - ''
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''
1970s
''See also:''
1970s in film
★ '
1970' - ''
Patton'' and ''
M
★ A
★ S
★ H'' are released
★ '
1971' - ''
The French Connection'' premieres
★ '
1972' - ''
The Godfather'' premieres
★ '
1973' - ''
The Sting'' and ''
The Exorcist'' are released
★ '
1974' - ''
Blazing Saddles''
★ '
1975' -
Steven Spielberg's ''
Jaws'', the first summer
blockbuster movie is released
★ '
1976' - ''
Rocky'' premieres
★ '
1977' -
Woody Allen's breakthrough film
Annie Hall is released, as is
George Lucas' science fiction film '' and
The Bee Gees sing in ''
Saturday Night Fever''
★ '
1978' - ''
National Lampoon's Animal House'', ''
Halloween'', ''
Dawn of the Dead'', ''
The Lord of the Rings'', ''
Superman''
★ '
1979' -
Francis Ford Coppola's ''
Apocalypse Now''
1980s
''See also:''
1980s in film
★ '
1980' - '', ''
Friday the 13th ''
Caddyshack'' are released
★ '
1981' - The
George Lucas/
Steven Spielberg collaboration, ''
Raiders of the Lost Ark'', premieres
★ '
1982' - ''
Porky's'' premieres
★ '
1983' - '', ''
The Big Chill'', and ''
The Right Stuff'' are released
★ '
1984' - ''
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'', ''
Ghost Busters'', ''
Amadeus'', and
The NeverEnding Story are released
★ '
1985' -
Steven Spielberg's film version of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ''
The Color Purple'' premieres
★ '
1986' - ''
Hoosiers'' and
David Lynch's ''
Blue Velvet'' premieres
★ '
1987' - ''
Fatal Attraction'' premiers and
The Princess Bride is released
★ '
1988' - ''
Rain Man'' starring
Dustin Hoffman and
Tom Cruise
★ '
1989' - ''
Batman'', directed by
Tim Burton, ''
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' starring
Sean Connery, ''
The Abyss'' directed by
James Cameron
1990s
''See also:''
1990s in film
★ '
1990' - The first ''
Home Alone'' is released. ''
Dances with Wolves'' takes Best Picture
★ '
1991' - ''
The Silence of the Lambs'' is released
★ '
1992' - '', ''
Aladdin'', ''
Alien 3'' and ''
Batman Returns'' are released
★ '
1993' - ''
Schindler's List'', ''
Jurassic Park'' ''
Super Mario Bros'' are released
★ '
1994' - ''
Forrest Gump'', ''
Pulp Fiction'', and ''
Street Fighter''
★ '
1995' -
Mel Gibson directs and stars in ''
Braveheart''
★ '
1996' - ''
Fargo'', ''
The English Patient'', ''
iD4'', and ''
The Stupids are released
★ '
1997' - '' and ''
Men in Black''
★ '
1998' -
Matt Damon &
Paul Giamatti stars in ''
Saving Private Ryan'';
Dreamworks releases
The Prince of Egypt and
Antz altering animated film market
★ '
1999' - '', ''
The Matrix'', '' and ''
Fight Club are released
2000s
''See also:''
2000s in film
★ '
2000' -
★ '
2001
★ '
2002'
★ '
2003'
★ '
2004' -
★ '
2005' - ''
Doom'', ''
Domino'', ''
The Devil's Rejects'', '', ''
King Kong'', ''
Batman Begins, '', ''
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire''
★ '
2006' -
★ '
2007' - ''
300
★ '
2008' - films scheduled to be released in
2008
★ '
2009' - films scheduled to be released in
2009
2010s
★ '
2010' - films scheduled to be released in
2010
References
★ ''
The Silent Cinema Reader'' edited by Lee Grieveson and Peter Kramer
★ ''
Movies of the 30s'', edited by Jürgen Müller,
Taschen
★ ''The Magic of Méliès'', documentary by Jacques Mény, special collector's edition DVD, Spain
External links
★
Box office grosses 1900-2006
★
'IMDb:' In This Year ...