WORDS Eoin McCague

Mixing the groundbreaking creativity of New Hollywood in the 1970s and the popularity of event movies that characterised the 80s, the 90s represented the perfect marriage of art and commerce. The Disney Renaissance that began with 1989’s The Little Mermaid grew from strength to strength with 1991’s Beauty and the Beast becoming the first animated film to garner a Best Picture nomination, while The Lion King, Hercules and Tarzan received widespread critical acclaim. Independent cinema, downtrodden and forgotten during the manic franchise-obsessed 80s, was revitalised due to studios such as Miramax, New Line and Lionsgate taking chances on auteur-driven works. These gambles paid off more often than not, with Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh and the Coen brothers becoming household names. The 90s were primarily an American decade in film, with many masters releasing their best works. Whether it was Scorsese’s Goodfellas, Spielberg’s Schindler’s List or Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, audiences flocked in droves to digest hard-hitting cinema. With the home entertainment industry still a fledgling concept and the sceptical reception of DVDs, the 90s truly represented the final decade where the cinema reigned paramount. With original, thought-provoking and commercially successful films like Being John Malkovich, Fight Club, The Matrix, and Boogie Nights being released; and complete studio faith in visionaries, the decade came to symbolise the best of the two that preceded it.