What Makes A Film Qualify As "Old"?

Interesting subject popped up on Movies That Made You Cry thread...

What really qualifies a movie as being "old"?

Is it subject matter? Sheer age of the film in question? The overall decade in which it was made?
Or quite simply, the perception of the viewer and their age?


Bearing in mind Jurassic Park is 20 years old this summer, technically they finished filming Jurassic Park pretty much 20 years ago now... I still class JP as being a relatively modern movie, classic yes, but modern, though somebody who is, say, 15 or 16 years old, would probably class it as Old...

... films like The Matrix are now pushing 15 years as well... but is it old?

Another side of it, for me at 31 years old, is a film like Aliens or The Karate Kid... made pushing 30 years ago, to me, I'd class those as old... whereas someone in their 40s or 50s would maybe not.


Have a look at the choices above, think about the options and think about the films that were around during that time span, and give your vote...

Please reply as well, give reason for your choice, is it your age, the subject of the film, the decade, the sheer age... what is it?...

... and if you don't mind, give your age as well...

It'd be interesting to see and hear points of view and explanations as to what makes a film qualify as Old.

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Logically,if the filmmaking started approximately in 1900,ten film industry is 113 years old.That would mean that everything before 60s is old and anything after 1960 is new.

Usually people,who are not very much into films,tend to think that anything what is 5-10 years old is old.

Personally, I divide films like that:
pre 60s - old
70s-00s - modern
00s+ - new

As a general definition I'd say anything before the 90s, but I wouldn't use that myself. I think when you want to describe something old you have to assess each title individually and in comparison to similar films in terms of genre, techniques etc. The Matrix although I'd describe it as a modern film people will call it 'old' because of what type of film it is, creative sci-fi, now younger viewers are often seeing advanced effects used in the majority of films so may look at it as outdated from that perspective, if you get me.

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I know what you mean... but for you personally... what is it that makes the film old?

I voted 21-30 years.
For me, it's the sheer age of the film rather than anything else.

I mean, in my original post above, I said I class the 20 year old Jurassic Park, and for that matter films from 1993/1994 like JP, Schindler's List, Groundhog Day, Cliffhanger etc as being relatively modern but pushing the boundary of old... but give it a couple of years or so, when they start getting into the 21-30 Bracket... I'd start thinking of them differently... thinking of them as old.

Terminator 2 is an example. I started classing it as old about a year or two back, when it reached the 21-30 year old bracket... before that time, I classed it as kinda modern, newish etc.

So, for me personally, being 31 years old myself... movies 21 and over are old.

But what is it for you personally? Age of the film? Your age compared to the age of the film? The film's decade? What?
I'm seeing a lot of votes, but no personal explanations...


I just think it's be interesting to hear personal viewpoints of the populous. Maybe there's a common factor involved etc.

Probably 1969 and before is old, something around that. I like Gabrielle's definition is spot on actually. For my parents anything older than 90s is old.

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I consider anything made before 1970 to be an "vintage movie," as the 60's & 70's were a time of considerable change in both filmmaking styles and the industry itself, as well as when huge leaps were made in the cost-effectiveness of color film.

Even so, I don't like to refer to anything as "an old movie" regardless of what I personally consider to be vintage or not. I prefer to simply state what decade or era it was made in, such as "that pre-code movie" or "films from the 1930's."

Oh, and I am 23 years old.

I know people who think 2010 movies are old, but I try not to talk to them. The thing about movies is that they are a great time machine, no matter when they and you were made. They [should] transport you to another time and place. Some are more successful than others, but it also depends on the knowledge and experiences of the viewer. Some 1930s movies seem as fresh as yesterday while some very recent movies seem very old-fashioned. The thing is different viewers will say different films. All I know is that the answer will not be found by polling people, even if it's a legitimate exercise.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

I tend to think of movies made in the 1970s or earlier as "old," except for the classic Disney movies I grew up with. Basically anything made before I was born or that wasn't part of my childhood.

Though recently someone was talking about "old" movies (can't remember if it was here or irl, most of my coworkers are younger than me) and mentioned The Breakfast Club. My reaction to that was "That movie's not old." Then I realized that movie came out 28 years ago and that just made me feel old.

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I generally consider anything before the 70's classic or "old". I do think that can vary depending on who your talking to or the film your talking about though. I am 37, and work with a lot of 20 somethings and younger and they can make me feel old when I mention a movie or television show from my childhood and I get a blank stare back.

I agree that I believe its down to each individual, their perception and age as to what they class as old.

As OP mentions Matrix, I don't generally think that is old, but then when I watch it, it hits me how long ago it was made. (and makes me feel old in doing so)



I agree with poster above, seanc, people I work with will generally have no clue when I make reference to a show from my childhood (case in point someone older than me, I am 25, she is 36, and she did not have the foggiest what Thundercats was... because me being me was singing the theme.)

Also that being said, friends closer to my age still don't know about a lot of movies cause they aint movie geeks, and certainly would not have the first clue about a movie forum or how passionate we are about movies... two friends haven't seen the sixth sense (and thats the sort of movie i expect everyone to have seen, whether they are into movies or not)


As for what I class as old, anything from before I was born I guess.

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@fake_shemp

1-10 years.

A movie released in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, so on... is OLD.

Not REALLY OLD, but old.

You would be a fool to run up to someone and say, "I just saw this great new movie! It's called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind!" That's not a new movie -- it's OLD.

All movies could be thought of as eternally young -- things which have dipped themselves into the fountain of youth, something denied to humans and all other living creatures -- but a ten year old movie is OLD. Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty year old movies are just OLDER. Going further, things get ANCIENT.

But all movies that came out in 2004 are OLD.

You might consider a 2004 movie old (for advertising purposes) but I consider it young. I'd never call a person born in 2004 old, just older than someone born in 2005.

Also, people who think that movies made in the 80's and 90's are new are absolutely crazy, and people who think that movies made in the 60's and 70's are also technically new need to be put into an insane asylum immediately with Powderfinger.

Yeah even a movie thats had its theatrical run and its on home release if someone asks me about it I don't class it as "New".

In everyday conversation I refer to a "New" movie one in the cinema. :/

Movies are not people, though, and no, I wouldn't consider a 2004 movie old simply because of "advertising." Movies released in 2004 are old because many years have gone by since 2004 and, besides the fact that movie age is also determined by the length of time someone has had to get a chance to see it, the history of movies has also expanded since 2004. There are more and more movies that have come into existence since then. Those films are newer, but unless they're recent films, they're not new, either.

I'd say movies have only one year to qualify as new. After that, they could be deemed "recent" for maybe another year or two or three, but then we have to officially start seeing them as old.

Why is there even a problem with this? With calling a film "old?" Is it the same stigma we put on older people? Are we all just so disturbed and upset by the concept? Are we all scared of "old?"

I consider anything pre-90s and from the early 90s to be old. A movie has to be 20+ years old for me to consider it really old.

For example, I could always recognize movies that were made in the 80s even when I didn't watch films regularly and wasn't a huge film fan. They always used to make me think "this looks like quite an old movie, it looks like it's from the 80s", while movies made in the 90s, especially late 90s, never gave me that "old movie" feeling. There are some movies made in the 90s that look like they were made in the 2000s.

Who said anything about being scared or there being a problem with calling a film old?

It's just a simple and genuine question... when and how do you define a film becoming old?

Simples.


The conversation in the other thread just sparked an interest so I started this poll.
I find it interesting to hear how people define things about film.

I'm not scared of old movies, but my sister is.

She will never forgive me for making her watch 'Them!'


I'm more scared of movies I don't automatically think of as old, as mentioned The Matrix, realizing how old they are... in terms of my life, and that making me feel old. I'm 25... that may as well be 30, we round up in my family ok.

We're just trying to point out that there's no concrete answer. People in the Movie Questions subforum often say they saw an "old" movie, using the term as Sexy does. When you don't know if it's two years old or seventy years old, the term has no meaning (except to mean it's probably not at the theatre right now). It's difficult to help people find an old movie with little info about how old.

I'll be 30 in a few months. 25 is not 30. Savor your last 5 years.