The Age of Steven Spielberg and Star Wars, from the release of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 to the release of Star Trek III: The Search For Spock in 1984.
You want to find a movie to live your life by?
Don't turn to the Godfather movies. Don't look to a story of gangsters to live your life.
Look to Steven Spielberg's E.T.
To look for friendship, love, and family even and especially with those so different from you, from far-off places.
The original Star Wars trilogy was a metaphorical, in-depth, non-dogmatic introduction to eastern philosophy, introducing the fundamentals of the emotional approach, and a few intellectual ideas, of the fundamental things that Buddhism, Vedanta and Taoism have in common, while throwing in the Judeo-Christian warning against sin (the 'Dark Side of the Force'). All taught metaphorically through fantasy story elements rather than directly, which helps many people learn the basics more easily.
The first Star Wars movie is basically 'Fundamentals of Eastern philosophy 101, taught in metaphor through fantasy'.
The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are graduate school. Earning you an advanced degree in fundamentals of eastern philosophy.
The early Star Trek movies, too. Star Trek: The Motion Picture tells a story examining the nature of the mind and the nature of our relationship to our creators.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock tell stories comparable to Shakespearean tragedy in the conflict with the two villains- villains of an epic grey-area kind comparable to Macbeth perhaps, or more closely in story elements, Captain Ahab in Moby Dick- while examining ideas introduced in Star Trek II and examined more deeply in Star Trek III: the ideas of creation of life and the immortality of the soul, and the ideas of sacrifice associated with the Vulcan maxim 'The Needs of the Many Outweigh The Needs of the Few'- both ideas introduced in Star Trek II and examined more deeply and thoroughly in Star Trek III.
This is just scratching the surface. Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. as movies about contact with the Divine, Indiana Jones movies that mix a little philosophy inspired by the biblical artifacts they search for, an examination of what is special about our human intelligence in The Secret of NIMH, and much more.
There is a reason that I consider this period to be the true Golden Age of Hollywood.
Everything before the release of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 is kid's stuff by comparison.
And we never completely stopped.
These masterpieces became far less common after 1984. But we never stopped making them. A few.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Avatar.
Everything Everywhere All at Once.
These masterpieces have become far less common.
But we have not stopped making them.
And Bollywood makes them too. Look up the movie PK.
The real Golden Age of Hollywood.
God loves you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson