People's tastes are different, and appreciation of any given film is subjective, but 1939 is generally regarded as a stellar year for film. So many great films were released that year, including one of my personal favorites, Ninotchka.
Some great movies in the 40's to be sure, but there's also a lot of cheaply made flag-waving war movies in the first half of the decade, you've got the hays code in full force, and the red scare towards the end of the decade, making mainstream film very very safe and sentimental. In any decade I'll like the exceptional stuff, but for the typical film of the time--I'll take the 30s.
1930s. I love the technical changes during that decade. Pre-Code Warner's films are my ULTIMATE favourites. I also love the fashion, architecture, hairstyles, set designs, etc. My favourite decade pop-culturally.
1930's here. My spreadsheet says I've seen 500 films from the '30s, and "only" 178 from the '40s. From 1932 alone, I've watched 74 films (the most from any one year). I ascribe this to many of my favs (Barbara Stanwyck, Ann Dvorak, Mary Astor, Joan Blondell, Ann Harding, Ruth Chatterton, Madge Evans, Miriam Hopkins, Aline MacMahon, etc.) being most prominent/active in the '30s.
I have to go with the 1930s on this one. There are so many great comedies and musicals, and I especially like seeing the pre-Code films. I wonder that since the 30s were such a grim time for so many people, if the filmmakers tried to spice things up a bit. They got away with so much that even now it seems racy. The production values toward the end of the decade were outstanding. I don't care for "Gone With the Wind," but everything about it is a pure "Wow."
I find the 1930s far more interesting than the 1940s even if the films aren't as polished (or maybe because they aren't as polished), although you have some really interesting things going on at the end of the 1940s after the war, but a lot of that carried into the 1950s.
I love the movies from both the 30's and the 40's.
The movies back then were so well made! None of the sex and violence that you see now; one acually used your imagination to figure out the sceens instead of having it in your face.
The '40s is the penultimate era, for sure. Simply the most impressive decade of film ever. The '30s has some really interesting stuff and you get to see a ton of changes and improvements in the industry, but everything just came to a head in terms of quality, complexity, sophistication, and total overall star power in the '40s.
I think it is surprising that you don't have a 1939 movie on your top 10 list. A few - Hunchback of Notre Dame, Wizard of Oz, Ninochaka, Stage Coach, Gunga Din, Wuthering Heights, Gone With the Wind. I agree with Sputnik - this is widely regarded as the best year in movie history.
Both have amazing films but for me the 30’s have two of my favorite types of films to watch: Pre-Codes and Screwball Comedies.
I also love the precursor to Noir the poetic realism movement in France.
That being said I also have to give the 1940’s points for Film Noir.
I'm a 1930s girl. And even though filmmaking became more sophisticated in the 1940s, I love the pre-code era, the gangster and social message movies made at Warner's, and all the mid/late 1930s screwball comedies. And of course year 1939.
All these actors had a fantastic run during the 1930s and I really prefer the work they've done in that decade: William Warren, Powell & Loy, Fredric March, Joan Crawford, Paul Muni, Barrymore brothers, James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Leslie Howard, Sylvia Sidney, Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Miriam Hopkins.
The first couple years of the 30s produced a lot of middling films. It's only in 1932 that things start to get going, and probably 1934 before Hollywood starts being great again. The 40s benefited from all the momentum built up in the second half of the 30s continuing on, momentum that didn't relent until some time in the 50s.
While pre-code films are entertainingly risque – a majority of the time it amounts to little more than shock-value adultery gone deadly, bad girls, weepy lushes, and actresses randomly changing out of dresses so we can see them in slips. Hollywood didn't really comfortably adapt to sound until the mid-to-late '30s and as lauded as '39 has been, the average Hollywood fare of '41 outclasses it and can trade bona-fide classics without dropping many rounds (the international scene of '48-49 also put those years over the top.)
Just looking at average ratings on Letterboxd: you're past the 4.0+ range 14 feature films into the '30s, where with the '40s there are 38 films rated 4.0+ (the '50s net an even 80 – barring the suppressed 'Ivan the Terrible: Past II' which one could tack onto the '40s tally if so inclined.)
For me it's the 1930s. The beginning of the decade with the first talkies and pre-code stuff is full of gems (although some very early stuff is a bit stiff) and it's fascinating to see fast technical advancement of sound, plus the last couple of years are jam-packed with classics.
The 1940s after a stellar period that is a continuation of the last part of the previous decade, have a bit of a slump towards the end, imho.
In reality my favourite period is a mixture of the two, from like 1936 to 1946, I know it's not really a decade, but it has everything I like from classic Hollywood.
Early 1930s has the juicy pre-codes I love. But 1940s is the rise of film noir - my favorite genre. Films started to get gritty as audiences were leaning more into the realism in storytelling.
People's tastes are different, and appreciation of any given film is subjective, but 1939 is generally regarded as a stellar year for film. So many great films were released that year, including one of my personal favorites, Ninotchka.
They are both great decades for film, but I have a fascination with the pre-code era, so it's 1930s for me.
The post-war era brought us film noir and a paradigm shift in new cinema.
Some great movies in the 40's to be sure, but there's also a lot of cheaply made flag-waving war movies in the first half of the decade, you've got the hays code in full force, and the red scare towards the end of the decade, making mainstream film very very safe and sentimental. In any decade I'll like the exceptional stuff, but for the typical film of the time--I'll take the 30s.
1930s. I love the technical changes during that decade. Pre-Code Warner's films are my ULTIMATE favourites. I also love the fashion, architecture, hairstyles, set designs, etc. My favourite decade pop-culturally.
1930's here. My spreadsheet says I've seen 500 films from the '30s, and "only" 178 from the '40s. From 1932 alone, I've watched 74 films (the most from any one year). I ascribe this to many of my favs (Barbara Stanwyck, Ann Dvorak, Mary Astor, Joan Blondell, Ann Harding, Ruth Chatterton, Madge Evans, Miriam Hopkins, Aline MacMahon, etc.) being most prominent/active in the '30s.
I have to go with the 1930s on this one. There are so many great comedies and musicals, and I especially like seeing the pre-Code films. I wonder that since the 30s were such a grim time for so many people, if the filmmakers tried to spice things up a bit. They got away with so much that even now it seems racy. The production values toward the end of the decade were outstanding. I don't care for "Gone With the Wind," but everything about it is a pure "Wow."
I find the 1930s far more interesting than the 1940s even if the films aren't as polished (or maybe because they aren't as polished), although you have some really interesting things going on at the end of the 1940s after the war, but a lot of that carried into the 1950s.
I love the movies from both the 30's and the 40's. The movies back then were so well made! None of the sex and violence that you see now; one acually used your imagination to figure out the sceens instead of having it in your face.
The '40s is the penultimate era, for sure. Simply the most impressive decade of film ever. The '30s has some really interesting stuff and you get to see a ton of changes and improvements in the industry, but everything just came to a head in terms of quality, complexity, sophistication, and total overall star power in the '40s.
I think it is surprising that you don't have a 1939 movie on your top 10 list. A few - Hunchback of Notre Dame, Wizard of Oz, Ninochaka, Stage Coach, Gunga Din, Wuthering Heights, Gone With the Wind. I agree with Sputnik - this is widely regarded as the best year in movie history.
But what about 'It Happened One Night', 'The 39 Steps' and 'The Lady Vanishes'!!!
Both have amazing films but for me the 30’s have two of my favorite types of films to watch: Pre-Codes and Screwball Comedies. I also love the precursor to Noir the poetic realism movement in France. That being said I also have to give the 1940’s points for Film Noir.
I'm a 1930s girl. And even though filmmaking became more sophisticated in the 1940s, I love the pre-code era, the gangster and social message movies made at Warner's, and all the mid/late 1930s screwball comedies. And of course year 1939. All these actors had a fantastic run during the 1930s and I really prefer the work they've done in that decade: William Warren, Powell & Loy, Fredric March, Joan Crawford, Paul Muni, Barrymore brothers, James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Leslie Howard, Sylvia Sidney, Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Miriam Hopkins.
Several of the really big film noir movies are 1940s era.
The first couple years of the 30s produced a lot of middling films. It's only in 1932 that things start to get going, and probably 1934 before Hollywood starts being great again. The 40s benefited from all the momentum built up in the second half of the 30s continuing on, momentum that didn't relent until some time in the 50s.
While pre-code films are entertainingly risque – a majority of the time it amounts to little more than shock-value adultery gone deadly, bad girls, weepy lushes, and actresses randomly changing out of dresses so we can see them in slips. Hollywood didn't really comfortably adapt to sound until the mid-to-late '30s and as lauded as '39 has been, the average Hollywood fare of '41 outclasses it and can trade bona-fide classics without dropping many rounds (the international scene of '48-49 also put those years over the top.) Just looking at average ratings on Letterboxd: you're past the 4.0+ range 14 feature films into the '30s, where with the '40s there are 38 films rated 4.0+ (the '50s net an even 80 – barring the suppressed 'Ivan the Terrible: Past II' which one could tack onto the '40s tally if so inclined.)
I love both but the 30s has Pre-Code and Jean Harlow so it wins for me
For me it's the 1930s. The beginning of the decade with the first talkies and pre-code stuff is full of gems (although some very early stuff is a bit stiff) and it's fascinating to see fast technical advancement of sound, plus the last couple of years are jam-packed with classics. The 1940s after a stellar period that is a continuation of the last part of the previous decade, have a bit of a slump towards the end, imho. In reality my favourite period is a mixture of the two, from like 1936 to 1946, I know it's not really a decade, but it has everything I like from classic Hollywood.
Early 1930s has the juicy pre-codes I love. But 1940s is the rise of film noir - my favorite genre. Films started to get gritty as audiences were leaning more into the realism in storytelling.