Shaun Samson Knihy

The 40s marked a pivotal decade for cinema, characterized by a blend of propaganda and escapist entertainment amidst global conflict. As directors sought to engage audiences during the pre-television era, a movement towards realism emerged in various countries. Italy's neorealism, exemplified by De Sica's Bicycle Thieves (1948), inspired filmmakers worldwide. In Hollywood, the decade represented an unparalleled creative surge, producing edgy and experimental films. Citizen Kane (1941), Orson Welles's groundbreaking debut, set the stage for the film noir genre, which featured romantic antiheroes and femmes fatales, becoming a defining aspect of cinema for many enthusiasts. The atmospheric black-and-white world of noir showcased stars like Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, and Lauren Bacall as timeless icons, while Humphrey Bogart epitomized coolness following his role in The Big Sleep (1945). Concurrently, another genre was reshaping America's identity: the Western. John Ford's films revitalized this genre, with Monument Valley symbolizing the nation's grandeur, and John Wayne emerging as the quintessential figure of the wild frontier. Together, these cinematic movements captured the complexities of the era and left an indelible mark on film history.

Jürgen Müller's overview of the films of the 1960s has over a hundred A to Z entries that include synopses, film stills, cast and crew listings, box office figures, trivia and actor and director biographies. The book covers examples of Italian, French, German and American movies that strongly characterized the 1960s.

Gaga for Ghostbusters? Get the guide. Step right up and get your fill of 80s nostalgia with the movie bible to end all movie bibles. We’ve diligently compiled a list of 140 of the most influential movies of the 1980s that’s sure to please popcorn gobblers and highbrow chin-strokers alike. The 80s was a time for adventurers, an era of excess, pomp, and bravado. In the era when mullets and shoulder pads were all the rage, moviegoers got their kicks from flicks as wide-ranging as Blade Runner, When Harry Met Sally, and Blue Velvet. Without a doubt, sci-fi was the most important genre of the decade, with non-human characters like E.T. winning the hearts of millions while the slimy creatures from Aliens became the stuff of nightmares and movies like Ghostbusters and Back to the Future fused comedy and sci-fi to the delight of audiences everywhere. In fact, the 1980s saw the invention of a new reality, a movieworld so convincingly real - no matter now far-fetched - that spectators could not help but abandon hemselves to it. Now that’s entertainment, folks.