Discussion Thread: What films do you feel are most important to cinema.

[Jackasscoley15]

*sorry to post this twice, I didn't know that the other thread was a double post*

I would definately say a lot of Orson Welles stuff. The things he did with the camera and the pacing of every scene could almost have you mistake his films as modern films in black and white. I'm not sure about shaping film history, but I'd also like give Nosferatu some credit. It was one of the first silent films that I've seen that give off a really strong atmosphere. That and Joan of Arc. Those two were definately ahead of their time. I'll be back with more if I can think of some.

 

[Motown Marvel]

damn, while this thread interests me, i just woke up and dont really have the ability for intelligent discussion right now. though, just to throw some things out there for the time being:

while i havent seen it, i've heard a lot about 'man with a movie camera'? uh, it's been a long while since i've seen it, but i remember 'the seventh seal' being quite interesting, but my memory on it is a bit hazy. as cliche as it sounds, you cant talk about influential films without mentioning 'citizen kane'. 'the maltese falcon' is probably one of the most influential noir films of all time. lately, i've been meaning to go back and check out all the hammer horror films, i've heard they're excellent films which pretty much set the standard for the horror genre.

 

[The Shape]

Anything from Hitchcock. Seriously.

Psycho may be the one that stands out, but his collective work shows why he was the master or suspense and twists. He is still a huge influence today.

 

[Motown Marvel]

Anything from Hitchcock. Seriously.

Psycho may be the one that stands out, but his collective work shows why he was the master or suspense and twists. He is still a huge influence today.

specifically psycho because it was not only the first time a toilet was shown on the big screen, but GASP!, it was also flushed

 

[tinister]

If the discussion is about films - as opposed to movies - then my short list would include:

Akira Kurosawa
Specifically his samarai epics - have had a HUGE influence on film making, direction, character development, and storytelling.

Solaris (1972)Andrei Tarkovsky
Forget the Clooney remake. Watch the original and you will not forget the images and the texture of the material.

2001: A Space Odyssey
The only movie that I can truly say was an experience in every meaning of the word. Film makers who don't even get it will still emulate it.

A Clockwork Orange
Even with the level of gore and violence in movies today - CO still has all of them beat with its psychologically jarring depiction of a cold, violent future.

Planète sauvage, La (Fantastic Planet)
Watch this animated film and you will never be able to endure another Disney talking animal movie again. Anime fans will dig this movie.

 

[ultimatefan]

An Andalusian Dog - The movie that Bunuel and Salvador Dali used to bring the surrealist movement from the world of painting to the screen. It made okay not only to heighten reality, as the expressionist moviment did, but to completely distort it. The scene where you see the horizon reflected on an eye and a knife cuts through it is one of the most important meta-language moments in history.

 

[ultimatefan]

Anything from Hitchcock. Seriously.

Psycho may be the one that stands out, but his collective work shows why he was the master or suspense and twists. He is still a huge influence today.

Hitchcock built up the whole language of what we know know as the suspense and mystery thrillers.

 

[ultimatefan]

bump don´t let this thread die.

 

[The Shape]

Hitchcock built up the whole language of what we know know as the suspense and mystery thrillers.

Exactly.

 

[JLBats]

Nicholas Ray's "They Live By Night": one of the first films to use helicopter shots, to open the film no less.

Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane": Popularized several new cinematography techniques, a bizarre, non-linear storyline, put Orson Welles on the map.

Fritz Lang's "M": One of the darker entries into the psychology of character. Not quite as mindblowing as Metropolis, but I felt more connected to the characters. Put Peter Lorre on the map too.

Elia Kazan's "On The Waterfront": Popularised method acting, brought in Brando.

Hitchcock's "Vertigo": Popularized the Vertigo zoom.

Godard's "Breathless": Tarantino owes everything to him. Cool, self-concious pop culture references, jump cuts, smart plotting, etc.

I'm leaving out so many, but these are the contributions that immediately sprang to mind.

 

[Kurosawa]

I guess any discussion of historically important films has to start with Birth of a Nation. It's still maybe the most offensive movie I've ever seen and it was made in 1915. Still it's important in terms of filmmaking techniques and it was also the first major feature-length film, running at a time over 3 hours. But I can't say that I like it, but I guess one could say I recognize it's place in history.

Definately Metropolis HAS to be mentioned. It's the first great science-fiction film and it hold up well today.

I think Tod Browning's Freaks is an overlooked film. It's a precursor to both exploitation and reality genres. It's not a reality movie, but the Carnival performers in it were real circus people with real handicaps.

And of course, Gone With the Wind has to be mentioned. Another example of a movie with epic length, of course, it definately was the pinnacle of old Hollywood and it of course is in actuality the highest-grossing movie ever adjusted for inflation. I think it's overrated somewhat myself, but in many ways it CAN'T be overrated.

Of course I feel that the films of Akira Kurosawa were huge accomplishments; not just his samurai films either. Kurosawa films like Stray Dog and High and Low were just as innovative as Seven Samurai or The Hidden Fortress.

Really so so many to list. And that doesn't even include the original Star Wars.

 

[The Shape]

Yeah. Metropolis. Definitely.

You can't learn about film without hearing about this film.

 

[ToddIsDead]

Charlie Chaplin.

Don't really think I need to explain it. The biggest movie star of all time. Everyone knows who he is, or atleast will recognize him upon seeing him. Anything by him is pure gold.

 

[Sandman138]

Buster Keaton

 

[bluejake01]

"One of us...one of us..."

 

[Sandman138]

Freaks

Can we talk about how amazing Google Video is?

 

[bluejake01]

Awesome...

 

[bluejake01]

I think we would be overlooking a very important filmmaker if we ignore the achievements of Thomas Edison. Hell...I think we need to explore silent film, early talkies, serials, animation, propaganda, news reels, etc. It is important to note that in it's infancy film was such an amazing spectacle that you could film grass growing and draw an audience. Even still certain early films and film-makers pushed the envelope so far that people actually believed that men were shot from a gun and landed on the moon in "Voyage dans la Lune" 1902.

Just a free flowing thought regarding the moon...it was a thing of mystery and myth...a religious figure to early man...a magical omen...and that is reflected in films throughout movie history...before and after the moon landing.

 

[ultimatefan]

Since we´re talking so much about Metropolis, here goes a little curiosity... Lang regreted the end of the movie, where workers and businessmen shake hands, almost immediately after it was finished. He realized that they would NEVER become friends...

 

[Sandman138]

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Most cite Metropolis as the best example of German Expressionism, and while I agree, I want to adress Caligari first because it both predates Metropolis by seven years, and because I think in many ways it is a better example of the philosophy behind the movement. The general consenseus in the world of contemporary film theory seems to be what Gregory Currie (1995) labled transperancy: that film, by its nature, “reproduces rather than merely represents” the real world, since, unlike painting or literature, photography captures the object itself rather than creating a signifier for it. This has led to most films striving for a strong degree of verismilitude in the attempt to present the world as we see it. In stark contrast to this trend, German Expressionist films followed in the steps of Kandinsky and synaesthetics, attempting to use line and shape to suggest states of mind and stimulate the other senses. Caligari, is perhaps the best example of this idea, as the design elements tie into the plot, which is tied to state of mind itself. The movement shared more commonality with modern theater than its peers or succesors, and I personally find many of the sets in Caligari reminiscent of a style that Svoboda would later champion and evolve independent of cinema (though through the use of multimedia). I find it interesting that the use of vingette* seems to fit incredibly well within the rest of the design of this film. Conrad Veidt is in top form in this film, most on these boards will probably only know his name for his role in The Man Who Laughs, but just as Max Schreck defined a style of vampire, Veidt's Cesare defined a style of zombie and phantasm that is still alive to this day. It's really a shame that so few directors today are not as willing to experiment with visuals as this film and the other German Expressionists were since, at its heart, film is a visual medium, and they were masters of visual storytelling.

* The vingette technique is an interesting convention and I want to talk about it a bit more, but it will have to wait till later.

 

[ultimatefan]

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Most cite Metropolis as the best example of German Expressionism, and while I agree, I want to adress Caligari first because it both predates Metropolis by seven years, and because I think in many ways it is a better example of the philosophy behind the movement. The general consenseus in the world of contemporary film theory seems to be what Gregory Currie (1995) labled transperancy: that film, by its nature, “reproduces rather than merely represents” the real world, since, unlike painting or literature, photography captures the object itself rather than creating a signifier for it. This has led to most films striving for a strong degree of verismilitude in the attempt to present the world as we see it. In stark contrast to this trend, German Expressionist films followed in the steps of Kandinsky and synaesthetics, attempting to use line and shape to suggest states of mind and stimulate the other senses. Caligari, is perhaps the best example of this idea, as the design elements tie into the plot, which is tied to state of mind itself. The movement shared more commonality with modern theater than its peers or succesors, and I personally find many of the sets in Caligari reminiscent of a style that Svoboda would later champion and evolve independent of cinema (though through the use of multimedia). I find it interesting that the use of vingette* seems to fit incredibly well within the rest of the design of this film. Conrad Veidt is in top form in this film, most on these boards will probably only know his name for his role in The Man Who Laughs, but just as Max Schreck defined a style of vampire, Veidt's Cesare defined a style of zombie and phantasm that is still alive to this day. It's really a shame that so few directors today are not as willing to experiment with visuals as this film and the other German Expressionists were since, at its heart, film is a visual medium, and they were masters of visual storytelling.

* The vingette technique is an interesting convention and I want to talk about it a bit more, but it will have to wait till later.

Yeah, we had a lot of debates over that kinda thing in college, art as an attempt to present reality/subjectivity. It´s kind of a circular debate, though. Yes, art is always a subjective representation of the world, but even when it´s an abstract representation of the subconscious mind, it´s meant to portray a level of reality - the reality of the mind. If it´s possible to be true to some extent to the reality of the mind, it´s possible to be true to some extent to the reality of the world outside the mind. These days I think of it in a story-per-story basis. I think some stories work better being presented in a more expressionist/surrealistic fashion, while others are better in a more naturalistic way. It´s up to the story and also to the storyteller´s style and sensibilities.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Since we´re talking so much about Metropolis, here goes a little curiosity... Lang regreted the end of the movie, where workers and businessmen shake hands, almost immediately after it was finished. He realized that they would NEVER become friends...

The finale of Burton's Batman is taken right from Metropolis.

 

[mister Lennon]

Its difficult to say because there are a lot of great films and a lot of great films being important to cinema. I would try on post some ones:

Metropolis
the cabinet of doctor caligari
Nosferatu the vampire
The birth of a nation
Intolerance
October
Potemkin
The phantom of the opera
Freaks
Dracula
Frankenstein
Bride of frankenstein
King Kong
Metropolis
The general
The golden rush
Sherlock jnr
City Lights
Modern times
The great dictator
Gone with the wind
Duck soap
A night at the opera
Citizen Kane
Mr Smith goes to whasington
The maltese falcon
Touch of evil
The apartament
Singing in the rain
Some like it hot
The big sleep
Stagecoatch
Its a wonderful life
The seven samurais
Phsicho
Vertigo
The birds
North by northwest
2001: an space oddissey
a clockwork orange
Lawrence of Arabia
Doctor Zhivago
The searchers
Rio Bravo
High Noon
The man who shot liberty vallance
The Philadelphia Story
Bringin up baby
Planet of the apes
River on the bridge kwai
Ben Hur
Rashomon
the strada
8 1/2
The godfather
The godfather 2
Blade Runner
Alien
Star Wars
Empire strikes back
Once upon a time in the west
The good, the bad , the ugly
Goodfellas
Taxi driver
THe elephant man
rainging bull
Rebel without a cause
An streetcar named desire
Goldfinger
Doctor no
Shane
Laura
White Heat
Angels with dirty faces
Breakfast at tyffanys
Roman Holiday


Next time , ill try to post some others. But really, i think that all those movies are very important in cinema story, in their genre and their style.

 

[The Hero]

Lucas created the Blockbuster idea, the toy marketing and commecialism based on films.

If I'm not mistaken,Jaws is generally regarded as the first Blockbuster,though Star Wars was a close second.

You could argue that these two films destroyed American cinema (though I wouldn't go that far).Before the blockbuster,a film was considered a success as long as it made a profit.Now,if a film doesn't break box office records,it's a failure.Because of this,studios are terrified to take risks,which results in them giving more original,subversive ideas the shaft,choosing instead a legion of adaptations and remakes that they know will be hits.

 

[mister Lennon]

Totally right, jaws was the first blockbsuter movie released on summer.

And off course , jaws will be in my in my list of most important movies to cinema.