poll: desert island decade for film & music (1 Viewer)

[george kaplan]

That's right, a poll, not a tourney.

I was responding to a thread over in the movies section about the 80s as a decade of film, and realized that decades mean a hell of a lot more to me for music than they do for movies. I could pick a favorite music decade far, far easier than selecting one for films.

So, the question is this. If you were on a desert island and you could have a complete library of films and music, but the films all had to be from one decade, and the music all had to be from one decade (they two decades can be different), which one would you choose? Also, which one decade would you most easily do without.

For music purposes, I'm limiting this to recorded music, and the year it came out. So, for instance, Carlos Kleiber's version of Beethoven's symphony 5 counts as the 70s.

For films, anything predating 1930 counts as one decade

As much as I love music from different decades, I would easily choose the 60s.

I would most easily do without the current decade (music, IMO, has been getting steadily worse since 1980).

Film is much, much harder for me, and I'm going to have to think about it.

 

[SteveGon]

Music: the 60's

Film: the 40's


FWIW, good music is still being made, but ya gotta look for it. College radio stations are a good place to start...


As for which decade I could do without, I'd say the 80's for music. I'll plead the fifth on film.

 

[Jan H]

'70's for both:

Music: Zeppelin, The Who, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, the Eagles, I could go on and on.


Film: this is tougher, but gotta go with the decade that produced the first two Godfather films, Star Wars, A Clockwork Orange, 2 great Bunuel films, and countless movies that had a fearless honesty that had never been seen before like Last Tango in Paris (sorry, George ), Five Easy Pieces, etc.

 

[Jim_K]

My taste in music is geared to the mid/late 60's & 70's (except for Disco ) The Who in their prime 65-73, Zep in their prime 68-75, Floyd 71-80, Beatles, Stones in their prime 63-72, Doors, Elton John early/mid 70's, Cream, Derek & the Dominoes, Allman Brothers, Hendrix, etc.

The last time I got excited about current music was the early 90's grunge craze - before it got repetitive.

The decade I can do without is the current one (I know this makes me an old fart). Rap, Boy-Bands, Teen-Idols, & Queen Divas aren't my thing. Sorry.

Film is much more difficult as my tastes are widely spread out. I can't decide.

Least favorite would be pre-30's because my exposure to silent films is rather limited compared to other decades.

 

[ChuckDeLa]

I'd probably pick 80's for both.

 

[rhett]

Film: 70's
Music: 80's

 

[ChuckDeLa]

And if I had to make a list of 10, it'd look something like this:

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
El Norte (1983)
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Amadeus (1984)
Ran (1985)
Mishima (1985)
Brazil (1985)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

Runner-ups:
Airplane! (1980)
The Elephant Man (1980)
The Shining (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The King of Comedy (1983)
Zelig (1983)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
The Terminator (1984)
Aliens (1986)
Hannah and her Sisters (1986)
River's Edge (1986)
Evil Dead II (1987)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)


A music list would take me a while... maybe later.

 

[Bill J]

For film I would have to say the 70s.

I don't know about music because I don't listen to it...

 

[Andy Olivera]

Music: 80s, ever so easily.

Film: 80s, though I'd greatly miss the visual style that's been devoloped in the 90s.

 

[ErikG]

Without question, the 80's for both.

 

[Steve Christou]

60's for music.

70's for film.

 

[george kaplan]

You know, I feel bad that I can't answer my own question. I was just going to go by how many films I own from each decade, but the 90s wins out there and I know that has more to do with availability than anything else. I know my favorite decade is between the 40s and 80s but I'll have to narrow it down later.

As far as the one I could most do without, 1929 and before. Some great films (e.g., The Gold Rush), but easily the fewest that I'd miss.

 

[Gabe D]

Music: '60s
Movies: '90s

Live without: pre-'30s, for movies or music.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Music:

1932-1942 (Glen Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, etc swing)

Movies:

1922-1932

Metropolis
City Lights
Nosferatu
Napoleon
Ben-Hur
Potemkin
The Strong Man
Speedy

 

[Elizabeth S]

Music: The 80's (when hard rock/heavy metal had a great heyday)

Films: The 70's

 

[Brook K]

Film - Very tough, I guess I'd go with the 70's but I would really hate doing without the 50's

Music - again, I guess I'd go with the 60's because of The Beatles, Hendrix, Doors, Miles Davis, Coltrane, etc, but the 80's has a lot of my favorite bands.

 

[Angelo.M]

1970's for both...

 

[LukeB]

Music: Probably the 60s
Film: Either the '80s or '90s, probably have to say the '90s since I've seen more films that I liked from that decade, and they're the most watchable to me.

 

[Rand]

For music it's very easy, the 60's.

Film is much more difficult, guess I'll go with the 40's.