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Dedicated to the Decades in August

A woman kisses a man’s forehead. Retro decor and text read, “Dedicated to Decades in August: 1920s to 2020s.”.

Which decade had the best films? Explore Kanopy’s Dedicated to the Decades collection and discover standout movies from the past 100 years. Your next favorite is waiting at kanopy.com/category/91253.

Cartoon character of a smiling man with brown hair, wearing a black suit and purple tie.
Jason Tyrrell
Kanopy General Manager
Vintage poster for “A Night at the Opera” with illustrated Marx Brothers at the opera, Kanopy logo bottom left.

A Night at the Opera

Milan. Seedy promoter Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho Marx) guarantees patroness (Margaret Dumont) a position in high society if she bankrolls an opera. The plan hinges on signing egotistical tenor Rodolfo Lassparri (Walter Woolf King), but Driftwood meets his match in talent manager Fiorello (Chico Marx), who represents “the world’s greatest tenor” — actually the more-deserving, but unknown Ricardo Baroni (Allan Jones), who’s also in love with the opera’s soprano, Rosa (Kitty Carlisle). When Driftwood’s deal falls through, the promoter, his patroness, tenors, soprano and many more must make a madcap Atlantic steamship crossing. Now, New York’s Metropolitan Opera will never be the same when the Marx Brothers stage Il Travatore in the Big Apple.

Mars Attacks! movie poster with aliens, two women, flying saucers, and headshots of main cast below.

Mars Attacks

In this chaotic sci fi comedy, flying saucers descend on Earth and unleash a gleeful alien invasion, leaving politicians, celebrities, and everyday citizens scrambling for survival. President Dale (Jack Nicholson), news reporter Nathalie Lake (Sarah Jessica Parker), and retired boxer Byron Williams (Jim Brown) are among the many caught in the Martians’ gleeful path of destruction. Directed by Tim Burton (Sleepy Hollow), the film blends 1950s B-movie homage with gleaming absurdity.

Illustrated movie poster for “Meet Me in St. Louis” with Judy Garland in period costume and a Ferris wheel.

Meet Me in St. Louis

Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien star in this heartwarming tale of the emotional trauma the colorful members of an early 20th century St. Louis family experience when they learn their father has been transferred–and they will have to move to New York.

Silhouette of a couple kissing in a hallway, with a beach visible in the background.

Punch-Drunk Love

Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is a small business owner with seven sisters whose abuse has kept him alone and unable to fall in love. When a harmonium and a mysterious woman (Emily Watson) enter his life, his romantic journey begins.

Man in blue turtleneck stands next to large “SHAFT” text with city lights in the background.

Shaft

A gritty action thriller that helped define the Blaxploitation sub-genre, Gordon Parks’ landmark film follows private detective John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) as he prowls the streets of Harlem to rescue a mobster’s kidnapped daughter for crime boss Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn).

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