Cahiers du cinéma n°562 - November 2001 (2001-11)Cahiers du cinéma
Taking stock
For Cahiers, the selection of the 10 best movies of the decade, which is by nature always a little subjective, is above all an opportunity to highlight the major esthetic and technical developments in the making in cinema.
Cahiers du cinéma n°542 - January 2000 (2000-01)Cahiers du cinéma
Cahiers has not always published these retrospective top picks (the 1950s, 1960s, and 1980s were exempt), and the form they took varied from one issue to the next.
Cahiers du cinéma n°308 - February 1980 (1980-02)Cahiers du cinéma
The 1970s
In Cahiers no. 308 (February 1980), only each individual's top movies from the 1970s were published, and they didn't form the main part of the issue (which remained focused on current releases).
Each editor discussed their personal picks and elaborated on them. Fragmented and piecemeal writing took center stage, taking precedence over the desire to report on developments. Serge Daney, however, provided a broad diagnosis of the state of cinema.
Cahiers du cinéma n°542 - January 2000 (2000-01)Cahiers du cinéma
The 1990s
Issue no. 542 (January 2000), on the other hand, was wholly based around an informed and varied assessment of the 1990s, on which the editors of the magazine, moviemakers, and technicians worked together.
In a substantive article titled "Numériquement vôtre" (Digitally Yours), film critic Thierry Jousse revisited the digital turning point and the potential of this revolution.
Cahiers du cinéma n°652 - January 2010 (2010-01)Cahiers du cinéma
The 2000s
Issue no. 652 (January 2010) and 761 (December 2019) followed the same general structure, even though the tone of this celebration of cinema was a little more disenchanted, and less feverish than it was at the dawn of the new millennium.
Cahiers du cinéma n°761 - December 2019 (2019-12)Cahiers du cinéma
The 2010s
In issue no. 761, the choice of Twin Peaks: The Return (season three) by David Lynch as first place was bold (as it's a TV series).
This culminated in a double spread in issue no. 761 discussing a set of purely visual similarities between Holy Motors by Leos Carax, awarded second place by the editorial team, and several movies that stood out that decade.
In defense of individuality
Though general content is important, the issues dedicated to top picks each decade also offer editors the opportunity to discuss their individual tastes, and to give readers their own personal perspective on the past decade.
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