Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of films set in the past


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was delete. postdlf (talk) 13:19, 22 July 2016 (UTC)

List of films set in the past

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Indiscriminate list - could have included any historic movie. Also, how far are you going to go? Star Wars movies? Despite the sci-fi trappings, the films are set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away". Lord of the Rings? Tolkien made it clear in his writings that the books are set in the past of the real world. (This would be better handled by categorization.) Initially, I wanted to include List of films set in the future in the nomination; instead, I have created a separate nomination for the other list. - Mike Rosoft (talk) 06:17, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete. 'Set in the past' is insufficiently specific to have value as a list. --Michig (talk) 06:51, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Keep. The list can be divided into category-sections and explained in each of them. New information such as the genre or theme of the films may also be included. I don't think deleting it is a clever idea. The same applies to List of films set in the future. - Alumnum (talk) 07:55, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Also, I don't think Tolkien "made it clear" that the Middle-earth was a period of the real world. He was actually vague about this and called it a possible "different period of imagination" from what I can recall. - Alumnum (talk) 08:06, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Film-related deletion discussions. Shawn in Montreal (talk) 14:32, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Lists-related deletion discussions. Shawn in Montreal (talk) 14:32, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of History-related deletion discussions. Shawn in Montreal (talk) 14:34, 10 July 2016 (UTC)


 * As I state at Articles for deletion/List of films set in the future (2nd nomination), a browsable, sortable list does offer advantages over a category. Yes, such a list will certainly never be complete. And any contemporary film which is set in the present day will, by the time of its release, be set in the "past" – which is somewhat problematic. But these are surmountable problems at most and I still think we should keep, as with the other "future" list. For the ability to sort chronologically seems essential for this topic, and a category will never allow you to do that. Shawn in Montreal (talk) 22:02, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
 * And any contemporary film which is set in the present day will, by the time of its release, be set in the "past" - Despite the description I created states that only films unambiguously set in the past must be included, and films depicting our contemporary reality with no setting date shown can well be called present films, your observation remembered me that some films may have a difference of one or more years between its making and release, which sometimes interfere in the setting year if it is stated on-screen, giving the film a past setting according to the description. Notwithstanding, I don't think a slight rewording won't solve this problem. - Alumnum (talk) 04:53, 11 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Oh yes the existing description does cover it. That's fine. My bad. Shawn in Montreal (talk) 13:58, 11 July 2016 (UTC)
 * A list of films set in the future is not as bad as this list, since a minority of films are set in the future, and the future setting is generally relevant to the plot. Would still only be a fairly weak keep though.-- Jeffro 77 (talk) 23:31, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

 Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
 * Either specify better criteria for inclusion in this highly arbitrary category (used generically, not a Wiki 'category') or Delete. E.g. a film set only 10 years before the movie release would need to be about some fairly significant event (i.e. not 'Harry Potter') to justify inclusion. (That is, the film being set in the past should have some relevance to the plot beyond 'the book it's based on was written a few years ago'.) Otherwise, the majority of all films ever produced&mdash;only a minority of films are set in the future&mdash;would 'qualify' for this list.--- Jeffro 77 (talk) 23:21, 15 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete -- vague and arbitrary inclusion criteria which invites OR. K.e.coffman (talk) 09:08, 16 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Keep Determining that 1066 < 2016 is not OR, inclusion criteria are not vague, and this allows sorting and grouping of films set in various time periods in a way that a bare category will not. Jclemens (talk) 21:17, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, &mdash; Music1201  talk  21:36, 17 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete; I find the inclusion criteria to be indeterminate, and the list to be, unfortunately, not really that justifiable or necessary. The list regarding films set in the future, however, I find agreeable due to its clearer rules. -- Matthew  - (talk · userpage · contributions) 21:46, 17 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Comment: The inclusion criteria need refining.  I immediately think of Back to the Future which was set in its present (1985 - now our past) and its past (1955), and its future (2015 - now our past).  Schmidt,  Michael Q. 03:26, 18 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete - Does not look to be an appropriate topic for a list. The inclusion criteria is completely unclear, unless we presume the broad, literal interpretation, which would not be a workable scope. If a film is released in January 2016, and is set in 2015, would it be included? Every movie with a flashback? Movies primarily set in the past, but told through a narrator in the present? Only the distant past? Nearly all documentaries? Only films that are set in the past as a genre convention? &mdash;  Rhododendrites talk  \\ 04:25, 18 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete. WP:LISTCRUFT and lacks any secondary sources to make it the least bit worthy of an article. Ajf773 (talk) 08:44, 18 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete. An uncountable number of films are set in the past. I might support a series of lists with concrete dates (e.g. List of films set in the 17th century) and a master "Lists of films set in the past" page, but this is clearly not that. Patar knight - chat/contributions 20:02, 18 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete - As noted by multiple commenters above, the inclusion criteria is far too vague for this to be a useful reference, and it's also woefully incomplete. List of historical period drama films already exists and is already much more detailed and complete than this page, despite having a cleaner and narrower focus.  I couldn't find an equivalent "list of historical period comedy films", but it seems like effort would be better spent there in creating that page, than duplicating effort on a page that already exists and contains a list of films unambiguously "set in the past". Shelbystripes (talk) 15:06, 19 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete - Unencyclopedic list. In a sense, every film not set in the future is "set in the past" as soon as it is made... No definite parameters for inclusion, a universal set that is so massive as to be useless. Carrite (talk) 16:04, 21 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete per WP:LISTCRUFT and Carrite. Has no reliable sources and a category would do the trick. ✉cookiemonster✉ 𝚨755𝛀   18:23, 21 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Delete as other editors have noted a category makes more sense here. This seems like more of a fan piece or listicle type entry than some of encyclopedic value. News Team   Assemble! [talk?] 11:42, 22 July 2016 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.