Film

 "A black and white movie isn't lacking something, it's adding something: The world is in color, so we get that for free, but black & white is a stylistic alternative, more dreamlike, more timeless. Moviegoers, of course, have the right to dislike black and white, but it is not something they should be proud of. It reveals them, frankly, as cinematically illiterate. I have been described as a snob on this issue. But snobs exclude; they do not include. To exclude black and white from your choices is an admission that you have a closed mind, a limited imagination, or are lacking in taste." – Roger Ebert

Films from the 1940s are by far my favorite. Pre-1930s movies don't interest me that much at all, and I find that (in general) films from the 1930s are still a little primitive, primarily with audio. Good stuff, though.

Films of the 1950s start to take on a different feel for me, especially the latter part of the decade. Still, there were absolutely great Film Noir movies made during this period, so the 1950s come in second on my list of favorite decades for film.

Technicolor was around and popular, but during the war years color was rarely used (except in some musicals) to cut costs. There were westerns, screwball comedies, war-related, horror, animated, and musicals. Besides all of that, this is the decade that gave birth to Film Noir.

The 1940s were the greatest decade of film making in the history of Hollywood, hands down.. and no one can convince me otherwise! Have you ever heard of The Grapes Of Wrath, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Double Indemnity, It's A Wonderful Life, Shadow Of A Doubt, The Maltese Falcon, All The King's Men, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Key Largo, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir?

The Golden Age of film belongs to the 1940s.