Movies of the 60's

04 July 2008

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The sixties were a time of great change as Hollywood was in decline as more movies were being shot on location or at other studios, in particular Pinewood in London.

1963 was the worst year for US film production as they produced just 121 releases, the lowest in fifty years. Plus the number of foreign releases in America soared as 361 overseas pictures made it into US cinemas.

French director Jean-Luc Godard was leading the way as the French New Wave was gaining momentum during the early part of the decade with releases such as Breathless and Jules et Jim.

But despite this pressure from international cinema and the growth of television Hollywood still produced some of the biggest movies. Musicals were one of the most popular genres as The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and My Fair Lady were massive box office and Oscar successes.

In 1964 Julie Andrews won Best Actress for her role as the friendly nanny and My Fair Lady Won Best Picture, a year later The Sound of Music scooped Best Picture.

Cinema became more risque as movies such as Easy Rider focused on the drugs culture of the time as well as becoming more sexually explicit when Barbarella was released which showed Jane Fonda undress in zero gravity.

Directors came to prominence in the period as Stanley Kubrick broke the mould with his release 2001: A Space Odyssey and Roman Polanski adapted Ira Levin's novel Rosemary's Baby, both movies have gone on to be cult classics.

The decade saw the death of the shoe and sandal epic as Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, was a financial disaster. However Lawrence of Arabia was a major hit and went on to win the Best Picture Oscar.

The sixties also brought the birth of the greatest spy of all time as James Bond came to the big screen for the very first time. Sean Connery was in the lead role of 007 as Dr. No (1962) or Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965) all hit the cinema enjoying major success.

The Western was also another popular genre of the decade as Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly led the spaghetti western and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a major box office hit.

The film launched the career of Robert Redford and cemented Paul Newman as a quality leading man and heartthrob.

Other stars dominating the box office included Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn, who were both at the height of their box office power.

Despite the decline that Hollywood was facing the competition from other countries only proved to be a success for the film industry as a whole as some of cinema's most famous movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany's and Doctor Zhivago were released in this time.

Top Movies of the Decade

1. Dr No

Dr No launched the franchise of 007 as Sean Connery stepped into the role of super spy and ladies man James Bond for the first time in 1962.Despite mixed reviews on release the film grossed $388,037,628, the fourth lowest film in the James Bond series. However over the years the film has become to be seen as a classic in the franchise.

2. The Sound of Music

An adaptation of the broadway musical The Sound of Music was released in 1965 to major global success. With a gross of $158 million at the American box office it over took Gone with the Wind as the top grossing movie.It went on to be nominated for ten Academy Awards, going on to scoop five including Best Picture. Just a years after her Mary Poppins success Julie Walters secured a seond Best Actress nomination.

3. Dr Zhivago

Dr Zhivago was the major romantic movie of the decade and was loosely based on the famous novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak.The film was a massive box office success and a string of Oscar nominations, losing out Best Picture to The Sound of Music, the film has stood the test of time and is still popular today.

4. The Graduate

In 1967 The graduate took the box office by storm starring Dustin Hoffman, in his breakthrough role, and Anne Bancroft.The film tells the story of Ben Braddock (played by Dustin Hoffman), a recent college graduate with no well-defined aim in life, who is seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) and then falls in love with her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross).

5. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The 1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, directed by George Hill encapsulated the very meaning of the Western dramatic chase scenes on horseback to daring robberies of banks and trains all based around a friendship where either would die for the other.The film went on to gross $102.3 million in the U.S. alone, the film now ranks amongst the top hundred grossing movies of all time.Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. It went on to win four: Best Cinematography, Best Music - Original Score, Best Music - Song and Best Screenplay.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

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