Captain America Blogathon | A Journey Through the Decades Lost

Dear Captain America/ Mr. Rogers,

I heard you've just been unfreezed which is great news and bad news at the same time. It's just a guess, but something bad must've happened or you wouldn't have been melted? Anyway, I'm not as familiar with your story as many other people, not having seen the recent picture based on your achievements in the War nor having read any of the comic books centered around you. However, I'm a big fan of moving pictures - we call them movies or flicks these days - and I have taken the freedom to arrange for you a list of those you may have missed during your... well, absence. There is a movie from each decade since you were frozen and I have tried to choose one that reflected its time very well. I hope this will be a help for you to get used to your surroundings and catch up on the years you've missed.



1940s Double Indemnity

Although this movie was made during the war, I think you'll still enjoy it as it reflects the popular genre of film noir of the time very well. Also, you probably didn't have much time to go to the cinemas, so I'm sure you'll find something new and fresh in this one.

1950s Sweet Smell of Success

This is another film noir, but I didn't find any other movie that represented the 50s as perfectly as this one. The economical boom that left many people hoping to become rich and famous fast is what I associate most with this era. Another movie you might want to check out is Rebel Without a Cause which was one of the first films to depict teenage angst and rebellion correctly.

 1960s Dr. Strangelove

It was a close race between this film and 2001: A Space Odyssey but I think the cold war is a bit more relevant for the 60s than astronomy is. In the general opinion anyway, I personally would always argue that space and science is the most important thing in the world. Anyway, this film right here is a wonderful satire on the frightening goings-on between the West and the East at the time.

1970s Harold and Maude

The 70s were great years for film in general but few of the films expressed the revolutionary anti-authoric spirit of the decade as well as this film. It's an unusual love story that continues to surprise new audiences to this date and teaches a beautiful lesson.

1980s Salaam Bombay!

The 80s have always felt like a very dark era to me, despite my recently discovered love of its colourful, cheerful comedies. It seems like a desperate time, a time in which the flower kids of the 70s were disappearing along with their happy and optimistic views. This film is a very good ambassador of that dark, hopeless feeling.

1990s The Truman Show

As much as I would like to show you the technological advancements that accelerated in the 90s with something like The Matrix, I think that this movie right here expresses the fear of what was already going on then a little better. Also, you will have a better understanding of the media of television after this, which is better than overwhelming you with the internet already.

2000s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

As this is the only whole decade I can remember living and watching a lot of movies in, I had many movies to choose between for the 2000s and found it incredibly hard to narrow it down and find out what the essence of that decade has been. My final choice could be described as a sci-fi movie but it really is about our society today and the question of how far we would take technology, what makes us human and what connects us with each other. It's also told in a rather unusual way so you can see how (some) movies are made these days.

I hope you enjoy this films and are going to seek them out soon, they may well save your life in some situations. Otherwise, they are sure to broaden your mind and strengthen your insight into the years you have lost. 

Sincerely Yours,
anonymous movie buff

The Captain America Blogathon is hosted by Andy Hart of Forgotten Films and The Forgotten FilmCast. It's about putting together a list of movies released between the years of 1943 and 2011, the time frame in which Captain America/ Steve Rogers remained frozen. The list can be anything;  "It could be an historical record of what he missed, something to cheer him up/take his mind of things or just your favourite movies from the period".