1926 THE GENERAL ⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (Keaton)
This is heresy I know but I suspect in the end this will become my least favorite Keaton (I have trouble overcoming plots that ennoble the Confederacy, however glancingly), and I actually find it to be a stodgy example of his overall oeuvre, but even a lesser (according to me and me only) Keaton is a good time, and the set pieces and stunts are, of course, top notch. Bridge collapse is deservedly legendary.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1926.)

1927 SUNRISE (Murnau) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Surreal melodrama slash allegorical morality play holds the lasting emotional power of vivid dreams. The dog chasing the boat haunts me, as do about 1-4 dozen other images.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1927)

1928 THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Dreyer) ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Truly unique in its vision and execution. A masterpiece of modern art; almost an immersive experience rather than a film. Falconetti gives one of the greatest performances in the medium's history.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1928)

1929 MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Vertov) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
How can it be breaking the rules when it's making the rules even as it's breaking them? Watching the language of cinema be discovered and revealed in 68 short minutes. Best paired with the Cinematic Orchestra's score.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1929)

1930 ANIMAL CRACKERS (Heerman)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of the top 4 Marx Brothers movies (also as you'll see among the far-too-few movies from the 1920s and 30s I've seen; must correct that). Outside of the top 4, it's hard to judge. Inside the top 4 it's hard to read. But that's errelephant. The nerve; evoking an elephant on Mastodon. I'd put this joke to bed but I have no idea how to get a mammoth into my pajamas. It's wooly hard to do.

This movie makes me laugh wooly hard. Hooray for Captain Spaulding.

1931 M (Lang) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Fritz Lang's impressionistic nightmare—the first serial killer story? Thorny social commentary expertly blended with pulp. A grim descent into a realm of layered human abuse, where systems of justice are less connected to community than are systems of crime; where predators are cultivated and victims abandoned, and wherein even the predators find themselves compelled to dispense rough vengeance, if only to restore their own semblance of order.

Also notable: City Lights

1932 HORSE FEATHERS (McLeod) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Why I'd horsewhip you if I had a horse."

The lesser of the 4 great Marx movies is still pretty damn good, with classic bit after classic bit and classic line after classic line. "Whatever it is, I'm against it" may be Groucho at his most quintessential. Anything further, Father? The idea! I married your mother because I wanted children. Imagine my disappointment when you arrived.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1932)

1933 DUCK SOUP (McCarey)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
Marx Brothers off the leash. If you ever wondered "well why not just make the whole movie Marx Brothers zaniness" this is the one; you can almost see the Looney Tunes formula (less anvils) being created. It's the consensus pick for the greatest Marx, and whenever I'm having a strange interlude, it's mine. Mirror scene is rightfully lauded but it's all good. This duck is verified.

Also notable: saw King Kong but didn't like it.

1934 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (Kapra) ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
The invention of the modern romantic comedy? At first I was distracted by the ludicrous premise and by the sheer bulk of the rom-com tropes (tropes which yes, this movie basically invented), but before long Gable and Colbert’s chemistry and comic chops (Colbert for everything but especially the hilarious face she pulls just before she makes her last-second dash to the car) brought my walls of Jericho down.

Also notable: L'Atalante was...OK.

1935 ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐ A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (Wood)
Saw Animal Crackers as a child and imprinted on it like a baby bird; it's my favorite. Duck Soup is the consensus pick, and it's the zaniest. Horse Feathers loses a point b/c the interludes drag most, but it's a solid pick. This one is in my opinion the best movie. Everything (even every musical number) works, everything pops, sharp as a tack, endless classic bits.
No need to argue though: they're ALL the best.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1935)

1936 MODERN TIMES (Chaplin) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Less a Chaplin guy than a Keaton guy, though I'm woefully unstudied in both. However this is my favorite Chaplin (so far): the funniest, the most complete, the best leading lady, and the most dare I say ... modern? Almost prescient? Anyway this thing pays off like a slot machine of classic set pieces while essaying a structured, even affecting, story. Maybe suffers by peaking early with the factory, but what a peak.

Also notable: Swing Time was pretty good.

1937 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES (Hand) ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
To be honest, I don't love this Disney classic (a little too antiquated, a little too cloying) but its impact and vision is undeniable (to say nothing of its artistry), and it's not without its dark magic.

Also it was this or posting about my only other choice, a *fifth* Marx Brothers movie, and honestly I'm just realizing I need to watch a lot more movies made before 1950.

Also notable: A Day At The Races is lesser Marx, but it is still Marx

1938 BRINGING UP BABY (Hawks)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Listen to me. This movie is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it will not stop until you are laughing.

Top-shelf patter. Screwball glory. Cary Grant at his most put-upon; Hepburn at her most blithe. This goddam thing is a machine.

Also notable: none

1939 THE WIZARD OF OZ (Fleming) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of the most troubled sets of all times produced this miracle. Not sure what to say, and even if I did, being a Christian woman, I'm not sure I could say it. Let's say this: it anchors the lineup of what is widely seen as one of the greatest years in Hollywood movies. It's one of the perfect films. You've seen it. Even if you haven't seen it, you've seen it.

Also notable: The Rules of the Game, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Women

1940 HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Hawks) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
Just edging out The Philadelphia Story. Fans of that film mustn't blame me; instead, blame Rosalind Russell. She like this movie simply has what the French call ... the French call ... well I don't know what it is, but she's sui generis, and Grant here gives smooth as good as he gave flustered in 1938's entry.

Also notable: The Philadelphia Story, Fantasia

1941 THE MALTESE FALCON (Huston) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
The greatest detective story of all time wins in a strong year, but this movie just won't be denied. My favorite Bogie performance (yes, even better than that one) an expert slow hard-boil as a man of *almost* no principles who finds his line at last. Ridiculously deep supporting cast, plot just twisty enough, environs perfectly seedy, ending grim and jaded, just like McPoyles like it.

Also Notable: Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve

1942 CASABLANCA (Curtiz) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

As if it was ever going to be anything else.

You must remember this: flawless is just flawless.

Also notable: Yankee Doodle Dandy was pretty good.

1943 THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (Pressburger & Powell) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
The Archers score for the first but definitely not the last time. As with all their films, it's a feast for the eyes, but it might be the most thematically rich, as a then-famous caricature of blinkered and antiquated late 19th century British military jingoism is humanized, reimagined, and forced to contend with the insanity of fascism and industrialized warfare.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1943)

1944 ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐ DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Wilder)
Great noir, or the greatest noir? No greater femme fatale than Stanwyck, in any case. The smolder levels are unworldly, and while Fred MacMurray acquits himself well, it's her show. I usually wait for a second viewing before adding the final half-star, but this one's straight down the line. Might be the best movie I've only seen once; a fact I should correct very soon.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1944)

1945

By some strange accident, I haven't seen any features released in the year 1945.

Incidentally, this is the last time we'll have a year I've seen either no movies or just one movie. There's a handful more where it's only 2 or 3, but by the mid 50s my pick will be from a considerably wider selection.

Now I'm just excited that I have so many movies from 1949 or earlier to watch.

1946 NOTORIOUS (Hitchock) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Surprised that Cary Grant shows up so often on this list, and displaying such range in performances while consistently appearing beside leading ladies who were nevertheless outshining him. Best Supporting Actor in Lead? But this is Bergman's film, as a socialite who goes as deep cover as possible, marrying into a Nazi plot; she gives a slow burn of brave terror. Directed by some "Hitchcock" dude; this is my 2nd favorite of his films.

Also notable: The Big Sleep

1947 BLACK NARCISSUS (Powell & Pressburger) ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
The Archers score again! This one might be a little left of the bullseye for me—I found it took a little while to get to the point, and did so slowly—but it builds in power and intensity as it goes until it reaches its grandiose conclusion, and drops enough stunningly surreal visuals along the way to hint at what's to come in a couple years. Has strong potential to improve upon rewatch.

Also notable: n/a

1948 THE RED SHOES (Powell/Pressburger) ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐
The Archers' masterpiece, an impossibly gorgeous Technicolor wonder that's enchanting enough as a sort of precursor mashup of A Star Is Born and Whiplash—posing love and artistic grandeur as oppositional and mutually exclusive forces ... and then delivers the 20 minute titular ballet itself, a surrealist masterpiece danced by leading lady Moira Shearer, that I'd nominate as the single greatest scene in cinema.

Also notable: nothing comes close

1949 THE THIRD MAN (Reed) ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐
Great noir, or the greatest noir? The zippy zither, the breezy narration, and the slow slow slide into the ☝️ hell, (or 👇 heaven) of divided postwar Vienna. The best batch of character actors this side of Casablanca. The cat, the balloons, the ultimate reveal. The ferris wheel, the ants, the cuckoo clock, old man. The chase through the sewers. The perfection of the final shot.

Damn. I want to go watch this again right now.

Also notable: n/a

1950 SUNSET BOULEVARD (Wilder) ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐
Great noir, or the greatest noir? One of the first about The Industry; after approximately a half century, it's already going to seed. Hollywood eats its own, starting with the actresses and the writers. Holden's our ostensible protagonist, but Swanson demands the spotlight, giving pathetic and dignified simultaneously. Never any doubt on whose side Wilder's sympathies lie—he even casts fellow directors to take her part.

Also notable: All About Eve, Rashomon

1951 A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Kazan) ⭐️⭐⭐⭐
It's unmissable metatext time, as Old Hollywood meets the new hotness, and the new hotness rampages all over it without concern for its delicacy or depths. Kazan's adaptation of Tennessee Williams' gothic drama is justly lauded. Leigh is ferocious in her own way, but in the end, just as there's no denying Stanley, there's no denying Brando (except at the Oscars, where he was the only un-statued member of the cast).

Also notable: Alice in Wonderland

1953 UGETSU (Mizoguchi) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A dark fable, inscrutable mystery, ghost story, and morality play. The sustained tone becomes more entrancing the further we fall into the dream of two men falling into their foolish dreams of wealth and glory, juxtaposed with the grim reality of the women they leave behind.

Also notable: Tokyo Story

1954 REAR WINDOW (Hitchcock) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
My favorite Hitchcock (though I have to watch The Birds again) is his pulpy meditation on watching and being watched. Manages to make a single courtyard feel like the world, an inert protagonist (as opposed to a hero) feel dynamic, and builds tension from the slightest motion. The set feels like a stage you could just keep falling into. Grace Kelly's finest screen performance, right? It's Jimmy Stewart's for sure. I love this thing.

Also notable: Seven Samurai

1955 THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Laughton) ⭐️⭐⭐⭐⭐
Famously the greatest of one-off directorial efforts: Laughton made a single perfect film and then dropped the mic and walked off. Maybe he lost interest, maybe he thought he couldn't never top himself, or maybe he just said all he had to say. It's miraculous either way. A film with a completely different time zone. Nightmare logic from a child's subconscious. Gish vs. Mitchum in a confrontational sing-off will give you chills.

Also notable: Ordet

1956 NIGHT & FOG (Resnais)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Some date confusion here, as Letterboxd puts this as a 1955 release, but Wikipedia puts it in 1956; regardless, this documentary short deserves attention. A meditation on the Shoah featuring stock footage and contemporary color footage of abandoned WWII death camps, which refuses to dismiss the reality of something that happened in the then very recent past, or to let the memory of truth fade into the mist. It's a difficult but vital watch.

Also notable: n/a

1957 A FACE IN THE CROWD (Kazan) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This year presents a feast; hurts to choose just one, but aw hell, let's go with Elia Kazan's in-my-opinion greatest film. Marred only by an overly optimistic ending, headlined by an absolutely ferocious Andy Griffith (yes, that's right), this dark drama looks at populism and media and points with almost perfect aim up the line from then to now.

Also very very notable: Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal, Nights of Cabiria, Paths of Glory, 12 Angry Men

1958 TOUCH OF EVIL (Welles) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Great noir, or the greatest noir? OK, there is a flaw: you have try to get past the casting of Chuck Heston as a Mexican lawman, but otherwise it's all good badness, one good man's quick slide into corruption in a border town where the bad guys are bad and the good guys might be worse, and keeping your hands clean isn't an option. Opening tracking shot is legendary for a reason. Marlene Dietrich gets the final word.

Also notable: No Time For Sergeants

1959 THE 400 BLOWS (Truffaut) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The French New Wave's introduction to both itself, François Truffaut, and Truffaut's semi-autibiographical screen muse, Antoine Doinel, here an intelligent but neglected boy gone almost feral, curious about a world that seems incurious about him. It's been 20 years since I watched this and its overdue for a refresh; I mean my God, that's 20 blows per year.

Also notable: Some Like It Hot

1960 THE APARTMENT (Wilder) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
One of the best films ever to win Best Picture, and still my favorite from a stacked year. An inky comedy with a deceptively hopeful heart, about loneliness, moral complicity, and abusive systems that make both inevitable—a description that really makes it seem like a drag rather than the glorious bitter fizz that it is.

Also notable: L'Aventura, Psycho

Not quite my cup of teeth, but deserving of rewatch/mention: Breathless and La Dolce Vita

1961 THE HUSTLER (Rossen) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This spare, lean movie is—like The Apartment, now that I think about it—about loneliness, moral complicity, and abusive systems that make both inevitable. But there's no hopeful heart this time; this is a mean dog and it eats whatever it can catch. Entire cast is astonishing, anchored by an early-peak Newman performance that demonstrates his willingness (eagerness?) to use his insuppressible charm in service of playing genuine bastards.

Also notable: n/a

1962 THE MUSIC MAN (DaCosta) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This movie is so much fun from start to finish and gets better every time I watch it—which my family does about once a year. Just one of those movies where everything works, stuffed with quotable lines and indelible comedic performances. Robert Preston and Harold Hill is one of those cases of the actor finding the perfect role, or maybe vice versa. What do you call this one? You call this one Shipoopi.

Also notable: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

1963 8½ (Fellini) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
A movie that seems more modern than its time, in part because it's creating modernity. Fellini's surrealist postmodern meta-fable manages to sustain its dreamlike flopsweat intensity, but more than that it manages to be simultaneously exude self-aware cool and self-deprecating comedy, with Marcello Mastroianni effectively becoming Fellini (or letting Fellini see himself as Mastroianni?), here seen as a filmmaker who can't make a film.

Also notable: The Birds, Contempt

1964 MY FAIR LADY (Cukor) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
Hepburn and Harrison and Holloway, oh my! Another pitch-perfect 60s musical that I watch with my family about once a year. This one is so enduringly delightful—and so clearly in Eliza's corner by inviting us to revel in Higgins' boobery—that I can't help but forgive the flop of the last 5 seconds. (In my headcanon it is a figment of Higgins' imagination.) Stunningly gorgeous, perfectly hilarious.

Also notable: Mary Poppins, Dr. Strangelove (it was close)

1965 THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Wise) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Climb every mountain! Might strike people as a corny pick, but I love it. It's Andrews' best role, the songbook is great, it's very funny in a wholesome sort of way, and the vistas! It's Christopher Plummer's Captain Von Trapp that gives this thing a beating heart, though. These days, it's not too hard to relate to a man watching his beloved country overrun by people of monstrous intent.

Also notable: n/a