The Best Classic Movie Released Every Year Since 1950

Special Report

December 3, 2021 9:00 am

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

1980: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
> Average IMDb rating: 8.7 (1,214,511)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 94%
> Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams

Source: Courtesy of Triumph Films

1981: Das Boot
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (242,119)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 98%
> Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch

Source: Courtesy of Embassy Pictures

1982: Fanny and Alexander
> Average IMDb rating: 8.1 (61,374)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin, Kristina Adolphson, Börje Ahlstedt

Source: Courtesy of Kino International

1983: The Ballad of Narayama
> Average IMDb rating: 7.9 (7,930)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari, Aki Takejô

24/7 Wall St.
Teams With the Most Hall of Famers

Source: Courtesy of Cinecom Pictures

1984: Stop Making Sense
> Average IMDb rating: 8.6 (14,668)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: David Byrne, Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steven Scales

Source: Courtesy of New Yorker Films

1985: Shoah
> Average IMDb rating: 8.7 (9,096)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Simon Srebnik, Michael Podchlebnik, Motke Zaïdl, Hanna Zaïdl

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

1986: Aliens
> Average IMDb rating: 8.3 (683,932)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94%
> Tomatometer: 97%
> Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser

Hara Kazuo from "Reiwa Uprising" at Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2019 by Diсk Thomas Johnson

Hara Kazuo from "Reiwa Uprising" at Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2019 (CC BY 2.0) by Diсk Thomas Johnson

1987: The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On
> Average IMDb rating: 8.2 (1,727)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Kenzo Okuzaki, Riichi Aikawa, Masaichi Hamaguchi, Toshio Hara

Source: Courtesy of GKIDS

1988: Grave of the Fireflies
> Average IMDb rating: 8.5 (255,791)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Yoshiko Shinohara

Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

1989: A City of Sadness
> Average IMDb rating: 7.9 (4,589)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91%
> Tomatometer: 100%
> Starring: Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Shu-Fen Hsin, Sung-Young Chen, Jack Kao