50 Years of American Cinema
Created by Fidelio.
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Since its first publication in the early sixties and over various updates, "50 ans de cinéma américain" has become the Holy Book of most french cinephiles. Initially published by Jean-Pierre Coursodon and Yves Boisset (with Bertrand Tavernier writing some unsigned articles) as an opuscule called "20 ans de cinéma américain", the book has been totally restructured by Coursodon and Tavernier in the early seventies as "30 ans de cinéma américain", then in 1991 as "50 ans de cinéma américain" and finally updated - for the time being - in 1995.
Due to its form and long sedimentation, division into many sections and the piling up of informations over the years, none list here can really do justice to this book. The highlight and largest section of the book is indisputably the "Dictionary of filmmakers" in which the authors virtually discuss the whole filmographies of more than 250 american directors (this part can't be materialized into a list).
The present list focuses on the first part of the book, a timeline between 1939 and 1993 including the most important and noteworthy movies of each year ("works"). Please note that this section also includes other comments ("facts" and "talents") impossible to transpose here.
The two authors bring up the unmissable masterpieces and commercial triumphs but also a lot of personal picks from overlooked directors or victims of the blacklist (residue of their early years as fervent publicists). They deliberately include some turkeys ("le coin du nanar") and obscurities ("à redécouvrir"), with a strong attention to short features (mainly cartoons).
I hope this list, despite its flaws and restriction to american movies, could be of some utility to ICM users and bring to light which is my favorite book about movies (along with the "Dictionary of Films" from Jacques Lourcelles).
The authors are currently working on a definitive edition of their book - presumably entitled "100 ans de cinéma américain" - that will considerably enlarge the scope, starting from 1914 and to likely reach 2014. Needless to say that most of the previously summoned french cinephiles are awaiting for this like men of God were devotedly expecting the Parousia back in the days.
Missing : "Seven lively arts" (John Hubley, 1959) ???
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221 new
The Day the Earth Stood Still
1951, in 12 top lists Check -
246 new
Red Planet Mars
1952, in 0 top lists Check -
247 new
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
1952, in 0 top lists Check -
267 new
Robot Monster
1953 — a.k.a. Monster from Mars, in 2 top lists Check -
288 new
Them!
1954, in 3 top lists Check -
337 new
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1956, in 19 top lists Check -
387 new
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
1958, in 1 top list Check -
402 new
Plan 9 from Outer Space
1957, in 6 top lists Check -
433 new
Most Dangerous Man Alive
1961, in 0 top lists Check -
455 new
The Nutty Professor
1963, in 11 top lists Check -
483 new
The Creeping Terror
1964, in 0 top lists Check -
507 new
Fantastic Voyage
1966 — a.k.a. Microscopia, in 2 top lists Check -
511 new
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter
1966, in 0 top lists Check -
526 new
The Astro-Zombies
1968, in 0 top lists Check -
530 new
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968, in 45 top lists Check -
537 new
Charly
1968, in 0 top lists Check -
573 new
Horror of the Blood Monsters
1970 — a.k.a. Blood Creatures from the Prehistoric Planet, in 1 top list Check -
580 new
The Andromeda Strain
1971, in 3 top lists Check -
591 new
A Clockwork Orange
1971, in 37 top lists Check -
602 new
Silent Running
1972, in 8 top lists Check -
623 new
Invasion of the Bee Girls
1973, in 0 top lists Check -
679 new
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977, in 23 top lists Check -
684 new
Twilight's Last Gleaming
1977 — a.k.a. Nuclear Countdown, in 2 top lists Check -
710 new
Alien
1979, in 30 top lists Check -
748 new
Blade Runner
1982, in 36 top lists Check -
753 new
The Thing
1982, in 20 top lists Check -
755 new
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982, in 30 top lists Check -
769 new
WarGames
1983, in 2 top lists Check -
784 new
Repo Man
1984, in 9 top lists Check -
785 new
Ghostbusters
1984, in 13 top lists Check -
800 new
Back to the Future
1985, in 25 top lists Check -
818 new
Aliens
1986, in 24 top lists Check -
819 new
The Fly
1986, in 11 top lists Check -
831 new
Innerspace
1987, in 0 top lists Check -
925 new
Jurassic Park
1993, in 23 top lists Check
Last updated on May 13, 2018;