100 Most Influential Films of All Time
Welcome to Cinema Appreciation. This list of the 100 Most Influential Films of All Time is designed as an introduction to cinema appreciation and the impact that film has had on American art, culture and civilization. As such, the list is weighted towards American films and those non-American films that have impacted American culture. When a foreign film appears on the list it does not represent the best of a particular foreign genre, but rather the impact that film has had on American culture. Last updated by Cinema Appreciation Spring 2023.
This list them combines the four dominant ways that we can evaluate film objectively:
Greatest accomplishments in film history
-Aesthetics of film
-Film's impact on society
-Technological advances in film
-Film as business (commercial success)
Note: This list is not a 100 Greatest Films of All-Time as created by AFI, American Film Institute. In fact, every semester my film classes evaluate which films to eliminate from the list and which films to add.
Professor Frazier
This list them combines the four dominant ways that we can evaluate film objectively:
Greatest accomplishments in film history
-Aesthetics of film
-Film's impact on society
-Technological advances in film
-Film as business (commercial success)
Note: This list is not a 100 Greatest Films of All-Time as created by AFI, American Film Institute. In fact, every semester my film classes evaluate which films to eliminate from the list and which films to add.
Professor Frazier
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- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'Influence: Orson Welles masterpiece of contrast and low key lighting leads to film noir aesthetic, sounds off screen that signal changes in the narrative, disjointed narrative that the audience needs to put together, mastery of special effects where almost 60% of the film is unnoticable special effects. Often considered the greatest film every created.
- DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsLillian GishMae MarshHenry B. WalthallThe Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.Influence: Perfection of Classical Cutting with such features as the 180 degree rule, eyeline match, close-ups for emotional impact, cutting on movement, thematic editing across two stories that converge, parallel editing (cross-cutting), title cards, and cutting to continuity. Every film afterwards owes an enormous debt to D.W. Griffith's masterpiece.
- DirectorGeorges MélièsStarsGeorges MélièsVictor AndréBleuette BernonA group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.Influence: Melies masterpiece creates a trend in films of Formalism, where the directors obvious editing techniques impact the interpretation of the film. This film is also the first impactful science fiction film of all time and incorporated color through the use of handcolored images. Early example of developing editing techniques.
- DirectorSergei EisensteinStarsAleksandr AntonovVladimir BarskiyGrigoriy AleksandrovIn the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel's officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre.Inlfuence: Eistenstein's ode to the Russian Revolution in which he revolutionized the language of film montage through juxtaposing and contrasting images next to one another to create a new meaning--an idea promoted by fellow Russian theorist Kuleshov and filmmaker Pudovkin. Eisenstein's 5 theories of montage are:
Metric-Cutting to the beat (usually every 2 seconds)
Rhythmic-Cutting to the rhythm of action in a shot
Tonal-Concerning changing tones within a shot
Overtonal-Concerning changing tones within a large sequence
Intellectual or Ideological-Cutting based upon ideas. (Most important) - DirectorFritz LangStarsBrigitte HelmAlfred AbelGustav FröhlichIn a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.Influence: Fritz Lang's materpiece that introduces the world to a dystopian future where uber-elites rule over the working masses who are controlled by machines. This film introduces us to the modern mad scientist image of Doc in Back to the Future, creating robots and cyborgs, search for love in a science fiction film, and society led by machines.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherLuke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.Influence: Science fiction as a huge commercial success for the masses and the incredible marketing of film products. Most valuable film franchise on the planet worth an estimated $70 billion. Revolutionized the use of models, space travel (expanded from Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey), Campbell's heroic myth, and sound technology.
- DirectorAuguste LumièreLouis LumièreStarsMadeleine KoehlerMarcel KoehlerMrs. Auguste LumiereA train arrives at La Ciotat station.Influence: Lumiere Brothers, the Father of Realism in movies, silent film experiment of a stationary camera capturing the arrival of a train. The film was called an actuality.
- DirectorWinsor McCayStarsWinsor McCayGeorge McManusRoy L. McCardellThe cartoonist, Winsor McCay, brings the Dinosaurs back to life in the figure of his latest creation, Gertie the Dinosaur.Influence: Windsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur is a 1914 animated short film as an interactive part of his vaudeville act; the frisky, childlike Gertie did tricks at the command of her master.
Although Gertie is popularly thought to be the earliest animated film, McCay had earlier made Little Nemo (1911) and How a Mosquito Operates (1912). Gertie being a character with an appealing personality distinguished McCay's film from these earlier "trick films". Gertie was the first film to use animation techniques such as keyframes, registration marks, tracing paper, the Mutoscope action viewer, and animation loops. It influenced the next generation of animators like Walt Disney. McCay's first three films were the earliest animated works to have a commercial impact; their success motivated film studios to join in the infant animation industry. - DirectorVictor FlemingKing VidorStarsJudy GarlandFrank MorganRay BolgerYoung Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.Influence: The transition from black and white to color film reveals a magical world of wonder. The costumes were so realistic that they frightened other studio employees of the day. And who hasn't thought of rainbows as a wonderful natural phenomenon after this film.
- DirectorWilliam CottrellDavid HandWilfred JacksonStarsAdriana CaselottiHarry StockwellLucille La VerneExiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.Influence: First commercially successful full-length animated featured. With this film Disney changed animation and film forever. He realized the potential of animation and hired an entire team of animators as well as a story development department. Disney has more Oscar nominations and wins than anyone else in history.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTakashi ShimuraKeiko TsushimaFarmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.Influence: Akira Kurosawa is a true auteur filmmaker whose ideals such as developing music throughout a film, worn costumes, use of weather, superhero samurai themes of love with non-superheros, working in groups together, ue of telephoto lenses, and the wipe transition used to such great effect in George Lucas' Star Wars. This film leads to the creation of the spaghetti Western genre of the Magnificent Seven.
- DirectorAlan CroslandStarsAl JolsonMay McAvoyWarner OlandThe son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.Influence: The first feature length film with synchronized sound--the Talkie.
- DirectorRobert J. FlahertyStarsAllakariallakAlice NevalingaCunayouIn this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.Influence: Robert Flaherty was an early pioneer in documentary filmmaking, romanticizing his subjects as they lived 100 years before filming. This approach calls into question what a documentary film is as parts of his film are staged for better camera effects with the new technology of his day.
- DirectorUb IwerksWalt DisneyStarsWalt DisneyMickey Mouse is a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat that is under the command of the tyrannical Captain Pete.Influence: Walt Disney's first commercially successful cartoon is also the first cartoon with synchronized sound thanks to the earlier release of the Jazz Singer. Even though this was Mickey and Minnie Mouse's third cartoon, it was the first cartoon released to the public thus creating the jugernaut that would become one of the most influential entertainment companies in the world.
- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsAdolf HitlerHermann GöringMax AmannThe infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.Influence: Leni Riefenstahl's masterpiece of Nazi propaganda depicting the full-fledged love of the German people for one of the world's most notorious leaders, Adolph Hitler. Another early documentary film to challenge what a documentary film is like Nanook of the North. The film is one of the most controversial in the history of cinema.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsJean-Paul BelmondoJean SebergVan DoudeA small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.Influence: As one of the founding members of the French New Wave, Jean-Luc Godard experimented with and created a new film language about the youthful exuberant culture of post-World War II Paris. The French New Wave challenged most of the film rules of Classical film editing as established in Birth of a Nation and Citizen Kane and the hallmarks are seen in all modern films (especially in Tarrantino, Scorcese, Wes Anderson and Speilberg). Features include: moving camera, discontinuity editing like jump cuts, breaking the 4th wall, long tracking shots, current social issues shot on location with portable handheld equipment, breaking the 180 degree rule, rapid scene changes, improvised dialogue, and existential themes such as stressing the individual and the acceptance of the absurdity of human existence.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsMax von SydowGunnar BjörnstrandBengt EkerotA knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.Influence: Ingmar Bergman is one of the greatest auteur filmmakers of all time. This philosophical film on the nature of life and death (as seen through a chess match between a Medieval knight with the grim reaper) shows many of Bergman's characteristic features:
-deal with existential questions of mortality, loneliness, and religious faith.
-while these topics could seem cerebral, sexual desire found its way to the foreground of most of his films.
-his female characters are usually more in touch with their sexuality than the men, and unafraid to proclaim it, sometimes with breathtaking overtness. - DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPaulette GoddardHenry BergmanThe Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.Influence: In the early 20th century Charlie Chaplin was the best known person on earth. His fame and influence would rival any group of people that you could think of day. Modern Times is a social commentary on the industrialization of America and its workforce. Modern Times is generally considered his acting and directing masterpiece and includes his characteristic style:
-stationary camera. Chaplin said, "Close-ups for tragedy. Long-shots for comedy."
-Chaplin diverged from conventional slapstick by slowing the pace and exhausting each scene of its comic potential, with more focus on developing the viewer's relationship to the characters.
-Chaplin's silent films typically follow the Tramp's efforts to survive in a hostile world.
-social commentary was a feature of Chaplin's films from early in his career, as he portrayed the underdog in a sympathetic light and highlighted the difficulties of the poor. - DirectorJames AlgarSamuel ArmstrongFord Beebe Jr.StarsLeopold StokowskiDeems TaylorThe Philadelphia OrchestraA series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.Influence: Walt Disney's innovative look at animation. The soundtrack was recorded using multiple audio channels and reproduced with Fantasound, a pioneering sound reproduction system that made Fantasia the first commercial film shown in stereophonic sound. It received mixed critical reaction and was unable to make a profit because World War II cut off distribution to the European market, the film's high production costs, and the expense of leasing theatres and installing the Fantasound equipment for the roadshow presentations. Fantasia has grossed $76.4 million in domestic revenue and is the 22nd highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. when adjusted for inflation. Fantasia, as a franchise, has grown to include video games, Disneyland attractions, a live concert, and a theatrically released sequel (Fantasia 2000) co-produced by Walt's nephew Roy E. Disney in 1999. Fantasia is widely acclaimed, and in 1998 the American Film Institute ranked it as the 58th greatest American film in their 100 Years...100 Movies and the fifth greatest animated film in their 10 Top 10 list.
- DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsLamberto MaggioraniEnzo StaiolaLianella CarellIn post-war Italy, a working-class man's bicycle is stolen, endangering his efforts to find work. He and his son set out to find it.Influence: Vittorio de Sica's masterpiece of Italian Neorealism about a man who lands a good job in a difficult economic situation only to have the bicycle stolen. Italian neorealism films mostly contend with the difficult economic and moral conditions of post-World War II Italy, representing changes in the Italian psyche and conditions of everyday life, including poverty, oppression, injustice and desperation. The film ends in a question about what is moral during a difficult economic situation.
- DirectorDziga VertovStarsMikhail KaufmanElizaveta SvilovaA man travels around a city with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling invention.Influence: Dziga Vertov's documentary which has no real characters and narrative as it explores Russian modern industrial life. This film is famous for the range of cinematic techniques Vertov invents, deploys or develops, such as double exposure, fast motion, slow motion, freeze frames, jump cuts, split screens, Dutch angles, extreme close-ups, tracking shots, footage played backwards, stop motion animations and self-reflexive visuals (at one point it features a split-screen tracking shot; the sides have opposite Dutch angles).
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsMax SchreckAlexander GranachGustav von WangenheimVampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.
- DirectorMerian C. CooperErnest B. SchoedsackStarsFay WrayRobert ArmstrongBruce CabotA film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.Influence: Everyone knows King Kong from numerous spin-offs and later re-makes including a later battle with Godzilla. Include the stop action special effects that popularized that technique in feature length movies and you have yourself an impactful film.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsCharlton HestonJack HawkinsStephen BoydAfter a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.Influence: William Wyler's MGM Production of an epic that at that time had the largest production cost and sets in movie history. Winning 11 Academy Awards, this film proved that audiences were willing to return to the movie theater multiple times to see epic scenes. The 9-minute chariot race and film score has become one of the most famous in the history of film. The film also indicated that the American audience was intersted in religious themed epics.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.Influence: This is Alfred Hitchcock's shocking thriller masterpiece that pioneered the slasher film. The film script was so shocking that no film studio wanted to finance the project, and Hitchcock had to burden the financial responsibility himself. He also came up with a marketing strategy to heighten the film going experience by not allowing anyone to enter the film late. And finally in one of the greatest scenes in film history, the shower scene, the main character dies early in the film putting the audience in suspense. Many of Hitchcock's film features are here:
-cameos (appearing in 39 of his 52 films, holding such high honors as “Man Walking Dogs,” “Guy on the Bus,” and “That Dude Over There")
-“The Master of Suspense,” Hitchcock toyed with his audience with twist endings, shadows, mistaken identities, and decoy plots called a MacGuffin)
-inserting viewers into the film using the camera as the eyes of a character to give the effect of voyeurism.
-likeable criminals
-blondes in leading roles
-signature profile shot
-filming on the studio lot where he could control the lighting and pretty much everything else. - DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.Influence: Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey invents how space travel and life looks on film as space travel was just beginning to happen. The consummate professional, every Kurick shot is its own artwork. Kubrick characteristics on display here are:
-incessant use of the one-point perspective
-"Kubrick Stare"--shot of a character with his head down and eyes up
-long tracking shots down hallways with parallel walls
-challenging viewer's expectations of film language- concludes with: “The End.”
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.Influence: Sergio Leone's spaghetti Western (based loosely from Kurosawa's samurai films) is considered the best Western genre film directed by a European. Quentin Tarrantino has praised the film as a major impact on his work like Django Unchained and stated that it is the best directed film ever.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRoy ScheiderRobert ShawRichard DreyfussWhen a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.Influence: Steven Spielberg may be the greatest storyteller in the history of film. Jaws popularized a new type of horror film--natural horror--with a realistic scary animal out of control and little man can do to protect himself except, "stay out of the water." This film changed movies forever as it started the summer blockbuster genre, which previously had been a time when Hollywood released some of their garbage as audiences did not go to the movies. And one of the greatest motif theme songs in cinematic history. Spielberg characteristics on display here are:
-tell his story through emotion.
-"Spielberg Face"--extreme close-up of a character’s face to show emotion.
-Like Scorsese, Spielberg also employs a handful of other techniques, such as: reflections, shadows, and using circles to go against the natural square/rectangle frame of movies.
-ordinary characters searching for or coming in contact with extraordinary beings or finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
-The most persistent theme throughout his films is tension in parent-child relationships.
-Tends to use a 90-degree character shot: positioning the two cameras parallel to each other, putting both characters in profile. - DirectorIrvin KershnerStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherAfter the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.Influence: George Lucas' Science fiction sequel to Star Wars: A New Hope was a huge commercial success for the masses and the incredible marketing of film products. Most valuable film franchise on the planet worth an estimated $70 billion. Revolutionized the use of models, space travel (expanded from Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey), Campbell's heroic myth, and sound technology. Star Wars opened up the path for making commercially successful sequels to movie which dominates our movie industry today.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsCharlton HestonRoddy McDowallKim HunterAn astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.Influence: Planet of the Apes underlying theme was on the 1960s controvery of race relations. Planet of the Apes received popular and critical attention well after production ended on the original films and television. Fans continued their interest in the franchise through publications like Marvel Comics' Planet of the Apes magazine and science fiction conventions, where the series was sufficiently popular to inspire "apecons" – conventions devoted entirely to films involving apes – in the 1970s, Planet of the Apes had a wide impact on subsequent popular media. In terms of production, the series' success with sequelization, spinoffs, and merchandising established a new model of media franchising in Hollywood filmmaking, in which studios develop films specifically to generate multi-media franchises.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsMalcolm McDowellPatrick MageeMichael BatesIn the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.Influence: Stanley Kubrick's science fiction thriller asks philosophical questions that we still do not know how to answer--can we recondition violent criminals. This film was banned for decades due to its gratuitious violence which would make Quentin Tarrantino cringe. Typical Kubrick features in this film are:
-incessant use of the one-point perspective
-"Kubrick Stare"--shot of a character with his head down and eyes up
-long tracking shots down hallways with parallel walls
-pivotal scenes take place in the bathroom (Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket, The Shining).
-challenging viewer's expectations of film language
-concludes with: “The End.” - DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneJeffrey HunterVera MilesAn American Civil War veteran embarks on a years-long journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches after the rest of his brother's family is massacred in a raid on their Texas farm.Influence: John Ford's The Searchers is considered by many as the best Western film ever. This film expands the Western genre to show a cowboy whose hatred is so great with the Comanche Native Americans that he wants to defile their body so that they can't even enter into the afterlife and may kill his own kin after rescuing her for fear that she has been defiled by Native Americans. John Ford characteristics are:
-frequent use of location shooting
-long shots, in which his characters were framed against a vast, harsh and rugged natural terrain
-his heroes .... may appear simply to be loners, outsiders to established society, who generally speak through action rather than words. But their conflict with society embodies larger themes in the American experience.
-the musical score, often variations on folk themes, plays a more important part than dialogue in many Ford films.
-he was relatively sparing in his use of camera movements and close-ups, preferring static medium or long shots, with his players framed against dramatic vistas or interiors lit in an Expressionistic style.
-exciting tracking shots, such as the attack on the Comanche camp in The Searchers.
-recurring visual motifs include trains and wagons.
-many Ford films begin and end with a linking vehicle such as a train or wagon arriving and leaving—doorways, roads, flowers, rivers, gatherings (parades, dances, meetings, bar scenes, etc.)
-he also employed gestural motifs in many films, notably the throwing of objects and the lighting of lamps, matches or cigarettes. - DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.Influence: Gone with the Wind was immensely popular, becoming the highest-earning film made up to that point, and when adjusted for monetary inflation, it is still the most successful film in box-office history. Gone with the Wind and its production have been explicitly referenced, satirized, dramatized and analyzed on numerous occasions across a range of media, especially the scene where Rhett Bulter carries Scarlett O'Hara up the passion-laden red staircase to bed. The film won 10 Academy Awards, the most of any film at that time.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom HanksMatt DamonTom SizemoreFollowing the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.Influence: Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan is an American epic war drama film set during the Invasion of Normandy in World War II. The film is notable for its graphic portrayal of war, and for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which includes a depiction of the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944. The film's use of desaturated colors, hand-held cameras, and tight angles has profoundly influenced subsequent films and video games.
Spielberg Features:
-tells his story through emotion.
-"Spielberg Face"--extreme close-up of a character’s face to show emotion.
-Like Scorsese, Spielberg also employs a handful of other techniques, such as: reflections, shadows, and using circles to go against the natural square/rectangle frame of movies.
-deal with ordinary characters searching for or coming in contact with extraordinary beings or finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
-most persistent theme throughout his films is tension in parent-child relationships.
-tendency to focus on inanimate objects (the ration tin filled with dirt in Saving Private Ryan)
-tends to use a 90-degree character shot: positioning the two cameras parallel to each other, putting both characters in profile.
-In later years, his films began addressing humanistic issues such as the Holocaust (in Schindler's List), the transatlantic slave trade (in Amistad), war (in Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, and War Horse), and terrorism (in Munich).
-Spielberg known for long-takes called Spielberg “ones,” usually 3 minutes long and focused on dialogue and setting up a “path.”
-Focuses on wide shots with realistic features. - DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsDuane JonesJudith O'DeaKarl HardmanA ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.Influence: George Romero's zombie movie was originally rated X because of the graphic violence of a cannibalistic scene. With the final R-rated cut, a new genre of horror was established--the undead--which still dominates our screens today (#1 Tv show in the world is the Walking Dead). Also revolutionary from the time was the depiction of an African-American man as the hero during the tumultuous Civil Rights movement.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHenry ThomasDrew BarrymorePeter CoyoteA troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.Influence: E.T was an immediate blockbuster, surpassing Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time—a record it held for eleven years until Jurassic Park, another Spielberg-directed film, surpassed it in 1993. It is the highest-grossing film of the 1980s. Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, critics acclaimed it as a timeless story of friendship, and it ranks as the greatest science fiction film ever made in a Rotten Tomatoes survey. The Hershey Company's profits rose 65% due to its prominent use of Reese's Pieces. ET was the first major film to be seriously affected by video piracy. On September 17, 1982, It was screened at the United Nations, and Spielberg received the U.N. Peace Medal. It was selected as the fifth best film of all time and the best science fiction film. One of the best scenes in the history of film is ET flying through the air in Elliot's bike basket. And who can forget, "E.T. phone home."
- DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossWhen a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.Influence: The Matrix is a science fiction film written and directed by The Wachowskis. The Matrix is known for popularizing a visual effect known as "bullet time", in which the heightened perception of certain characters is represented by allowing the action within a shot to progress in slow-motion while the camera's viewpoint appears to move through the scene at normal speed. The film is an example of the cyberpunk science fiction genre. It contains numerous references to philosophical and religious ideas, and prominently pays homage to works such as Plato's Allegory of the Cave. The film has since appeared in lists of the greatest science fiction films.
The Matrix had a strong effect on action film-making in Hollywood. The film's incorporation of wire fu techniques, including the involvement of fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping and other personnel with a background in Hong Kong action cinema, affected the approaches to fight scenes taken by subsequent Hollywood action films, moving them towards more Eastern approaches. The success of The Matrix created high demand for those choreographers and their techniques from other filmmakers, who wanted fights of similar sophistication: for example, wire work was employed in X-Men (2000) and Charlie's Angels (2000). The Matrix's Asian approach to action scenes also created an audience for Asian action films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) that they might not otherwise have had. The combined success of the Matrix trilogy, the Lord of the Rings films and the Star Wars prequels made Hollywood interested in creating trilogies. - DirectorJohn LasseterStarsTom HanksTim AllenDon RicklesA cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.Influence: Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy comedy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The directorial debut of John Lasseter, Toy Story was the first feature-length computer-animated film and the first theatrical film produced by Pixar. Taking place in a world where anthropomorphic toys pretend to be lifeless whenever humans are present, the film's plot focuses on the relationship between Woody, a pullstring cowboy doll (voiced by Tom Hanks), and Buzz Lightyear, an astronaut action figure (voiced by Tim Allen), as they evolve from rivals competing for the affections of Andy, their owner, to friends who work together to be reunited with Andy as his family prepares to move to a new home. Toy Story had a large impact on the film industry with its innovative computer animation. After the film's debut, various industries were interested in the technology used for the film. Graphics chip makers desired to compute imagery similar to the film's animation for personal computers; game developers wanted to learn how to replicate the animation for video games; and robotics researchers were interested in building artificial intelligence into their machines that compared to the film's lifelike characters. In addition, Toy Story left an impact with its catchphrase "To Infinity and Beyond", sequels, and software, among others.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.Influence: Quentin Tarrantino's modern interpretation of a gangster film. QT often pays homage to earlier films, especially French New Wave.
-Tarantino often uses graphic violence that has proven seductive to audiences, and he has been harshly criticized for his use of gore and blood in an entrancing yet simultaneously repulsive way.
-His films have been staunchly criticized and scorned for their use of violence, blood and action as a "color" within cinema, and rebuked for allegedly using human suffering as a punchline.
-He often seeks to harness, manipulate and ultimately imitate the aesthetic elements and conventions typically used in the cartoon medium.
-More specifically, he often attempts to meld comic strip formulas and aesthetics within a live action film sequence, in some cases by the literal use of cartoon or anime images.
-Tarantino often manipulates the use of commodities in order to propel plot development or to present an intriguing juxtaposition that ultimately enhances his notorious combination of humor and violence, equating a branded genre with branded consumption.
-He often pairs bizarre props with an equally bizarre scene, in which the prop itself develops into something of higher substance.
-Likewise, he often favors particular brand names of his own creation to make promotional appearances. The typical brands he uses within his films are "Acuña Boys Tex-Mex Food", "Big Kahuna Burger", "G.O. Juice", "Jack Rabbit Slim's", "K-Bill", "Red Apple cigarettes", "Tenku Brand Beer" and "Teriyaki Donut". ______________________________________________________
Camera Angles and Shots
-Quentin Tarantino has trademarked the trunk shot camera angle and he's used it in every movie he has directed.
-He also uses reverse trunk shots with characters being watched from outside the trunk.
-The Corpse POV
-The God's Eye POV. This shot is filmed with the camera directly above the actors. It is used to convey something bigger than the characters is watching them and what they are doing. In other words, a cinematic inner conscious. In Kill Bill, the Gods Eye POV seems to be accompanying The Bride on her justified journey of revenge.
-QT has had black and white sequences in two of his films. They appear in Kill Bill and Death Proof.
-These sequences are definitely inspired by his love of the way movies looked in the early days of cinema up to the way it was used in the French New Wave era. ______________________________________________________
Recurring Themes
-The Mirror Shot Tarantino characters often speak and look at themselves in a mirror. It literally reflects the intimate moments of being alone.
-The Dance Scene Tarantino dance scenes are (usually) a very joyous time.
-The Torture Scene The torture scenes in Tarantino films are what make audiences squirm the most. When these characters are being held hostage it feels like we are too!
-The Bathroom Scene
-The Black and White Suits Tarantino has stated that these are his characters' suits of armor.
-What is on Television? - DirectorTerry GilliamTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseEric IdleKing Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.Influence: The birth of the modern spoof comedy. In the US, the film was selected as the second best comedy of all time in the ABC special Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time. In 2005 the film spawned a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical smash hit knockoff, Spamalot.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.Influence: Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is considered one of scariest 5 horror films of all time. Jack Nicholson's performance of a man descending into madness is riveting and used by many other method actors as inspiration. This film uses the following Kubrick features:
-incessant use of the one-point perspective
-"Kubrick Stare"--shot of a character with his head down and eyes up
-long tracking shots down hallways with parallel walls especially as we follow the child around the hotel
-pivotal scenes take place in the bathroom like the improvised line, "Here's Johnny."
-challenging viewer's expectations of film langauge and
-concludes with: “The End.” - DirectorIshirô HondaStarsTakashi ShimuraAkihiko HirataAkira TakaradaAmerican nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast.Influence: The film became popular enough to spawn 27 Toho sequels, three American re-productions, (Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, King Kong vs. Godzilla and Godzilla 1985) two American films (a 1998 American reimagining and a 2014 American reboot) and inspire countless ripoffs, knockoffs, imitations, parodies and tributes. Since his debut, Godzilla has morphed into a worldwide cultural icon. The monster is created to help the Japanese deal with the aftermath of radioactivity from the U.S. nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsDaveigh ChaseSuzanne PleshetteMiyu IrinoDuring her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.Influence: Japanese anime fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film became the most successful film in Japanese history, grossing over $289 million worldwide and receiving widespread critical acclaim. The film overtook Titanic (at the time the top-grossing film worldwide) in the Japanese box office to become the highest-grossing film in Japanese history. Spirited Away is frequently ranked among the greatest animated films.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.Influence: Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather is a 1972 American crime drama chronicling the family under the patriarch Vito Corleone, focusing on the transformation of Michael Corleone (Pacino) from reluctant family outsider to ruthless Mafia boss. The film was the highest-grossing film of 1972 and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made. It was followed by sequels The Godfather Part II (1974) and Part III (1990). The Godfather is widely regarded as one of the greatest films in world cinema and one of the most influential, especially in the gangster genre. The Godfather epic, encompassing the original trilogy and the additional footage Coppola incorporated later, is by now thoroughly integrated into American life and, together with a succession of mob-theme imitators, has led to a highly stereotyped concept of Italian American culture. The Godfather increased Hollywood's negative portrayals of immigrant Italians in the aftermath of the film and was a recruiting tool for organized crime.
The concept of a mafia "Godfather" was an invention of Mario Puzo's and the film's effect was to add the fictional nomenclature to the language. Similarly, Don Vito Corleone's unforgettable "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse"—voted the second most memorable line in cinema history in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes by the American Film Institute—was adopted by actual gangsters. - DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.Influence: Ridley Scott's creation of a cross-over genre of film--the horror science fiction film and the empowerment of one of the most iconic female heroines, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver).
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartKim NovakBarbara Bel GeddesA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.Influence: This is Alfred Hitchcock's thriller masterpiece that pioneered the Vertigo Effect camera movement of zoom/dolly at the same time. Many of Hitchcock's film features are here:
-cameos (appearing in 39 of his 52 films, holding such high honors as “Man Walking Dogs,” “Guy on the Bus,” and “That Dude Over There")
-“The Master of Suspense,” Hitchcock toyed with his audience with twist endings, shadows, mistaken identities, and decoy plots called a MacGuffin)
-inserting viewers into the film using the camera as the eyes of a character to give the effect of voyeurism.
-likeable criminals
-blondes in leading roles
-signature profile shot
-filming on the studio lot where he could control the lighting and pretty much everything else. - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineDaryl HannahAfter awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.Influence: Quentin Tarrantino's modern interpretation of a samurai revenge classic replete with gory violence. QT often pays homage to earlier films, especially French New Wave.
-Tarantino often uses graphic violence that has proven seductive to audiences, and he has been harshly criticized for his use of gore and blood in an entrancing yet simultaneously repulsive way.
-His films have been staunchly criticized and scorned for their use of violence, blood and action as a "color" within cinema, and rebuked for allegedly using human suffering as a punchline.
-He often seeks to harness, manipulate and ultimately imitate the aesthetic elements and conventions typically used in the cartoon medium.
-More specifically, he often attempts to meld comic strip formulas and aesthetics within a live action film sequence, in some cases by the literal use of cartoon or anime images.
-Tarantino often manipulates the use of commodities in order to propel plot development or to present an intriguing juxtaposition that ultimately enhances his notorious combination of humor and violence, equating a branded genre with branded consumption.
-He often pairs bizarre props with an equally bizarre scene, in which the prop itself develops into something of higher substance.
-Likewise, he often favors particular brand names of his own creation to make promotional appearances. The typical brands he uses within his films are "Acuña Boys Tex-Mex Food", "Big Kahuna Burger", "G.O. Juice", "Jack Rabbit Slim's", "K-Bill", "Red Apple cigarettes", "Tenku Brand Beer" and "Teriyaki Donut". ______________________________________________________
Camera Angles and Shots
-Quentin Tarantino has trademarked the trunk shot camera angle and he's used it in every movie he has directed.
-He also uses reverse trunk shots with characters being watched from outside the trunk.
-The Corpse POV
-The God's Eye POV. This shot is filmed with the camera directly above the actors. It is used to convey something bigger than the characters is watching them and what they are doing. In other words, a cinematic inner conscious. In Kill Bill, the Gods Eye POV seems to be accompanying The Bride on her justified journey of revenge.
-QT has had black and white sequences in two of his films. They appear in Kill Bill and Death Proof.
-These sequences are definitely inspired by his love of the way movies looked in the early days of cinema up to the way it was used in the French New Wave era. ______________________________________________________
Recurring Themes
-The Mirror Shot Tarantino characters often speak and look at themselves in a mirror. It literally reflects the intimate moments of being alone.
-The Dance Scene Tarantino dance scenes are (usually) a very joyous time.
-The Torture Scene The torture scenes in Tarantino films are what make audiences squirm the most. When these characters are being held hostage it feels like we are too!
-The Bathroom Scene
-The Black and White Suits Tarantino has stated that these are his characters' suits of armor.
-What is on Television? - DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott GlennA young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.Influence: Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs is also the first (and so far only) Best Picture winner widely considered to be a horror film, and only the third such film to be nominated in the category, after The Exorcist in 1973 and Jaws in 1975. In 1998, the film was listed as one of the 100 greatest films in the past 100 years by the American Film Institute.[45] In 2006, at the Key Art Awards, the original poster for The Silence of the Lambs was named best film poster "of the past 35 years". The Silence of the Lambs placed seventh on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments for Lecter's escape scene. The American Film Institute named Hannibal Lecter (as portrayed by Hopkins) the number one film villain of all time, and Clarice Starling (as portrayed by Foster) the sixth greatest film hero of all time.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.Influence: Titanic still reigns supreme as the highest grossing film of all-time at over $2 billion. The underwater technology used for the recovery efforts and the overwhelming set design set this film apart from its contemporaries. And who has never uttered the phrase, "I'm the king of the world."
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSam WorthingtonZoe SaldanaSigourney WeaverA paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.Influence: James Cameron is a modern master of marketing and pure visual entertainment. He is known for his over the top remarkable sets that transport you into another world. Avatar in its day was visually stunning, overwhelming the senses and transporting the audience into an alien world. This film also revolutionized CGI motion capture technology originally developed as part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungA small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.Influence: The film, made on a budget of just over $1 million and shot in 28 days, was a sleeper hit; it earned $225 million in global box office receipts, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1976, and went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture. Rocky is considered to be one of the greatest sports films ever made and was ranked as the second-best in the genre, after Raging Bull, by the American Film Institute in 2008.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsSam NeillLaura DernJeff GoldblumA pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.Influence: Steven Spielberg may be the greatest storyteller in the history of film. Jurassic Park popularized a new type of special effects and helped to create the Spielberg face of awe by a character as they first see the dinosaurs. This story and special effects were so good in this film that it became one of the first films ever to reach $1 billion in box office sales as the highest grossing movie of all time until Titanic. Spielberg characteristics on display here are:
-tell his story through emotion.
-"Spielberg Face"--extreme close-up of a character’s face to show emotion.
-Like Scorsese, Spielberg also employs a handful of other techniques, such as: reflections, shadows, and using circles to go against the natural square/rectangle frame of movies.
-ordinary characters searching for or coming in contact with extraordinary beings or finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
-The most persistent theme throughout his films is tension in parent-child relationships.
-Tends to use a 90-degree character shot: positioning the two cameras parallel to each other, putting both characters in profile. - DirectorRidley ScottStarsSusan SarandonGeena DavisHarvey KeitelTwo best friends set out on an adventure, but it soon turns around to a terrifying escape from being hunted by the police, as these two women escape for the crimes they committed.Influence: Ridley Scott's Feminist power movie re-examining the buddy comedy in a new way. The final freeze frame scene has become one of the most iconic in film history. Numerous parodies have been made of this movie, and it is inspired a whole series of songs about a sexual assault in the movie, including Tori Amos' "Me and My Gun."
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsDaniel RadcliffeRupert GrintEmma WatsonAn orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.Influence: The film, the first installment in the Harry Potter film series that follows Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his magical education. Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the book in 1999 for a reported £1 million. J. K. Rowling insisted that the entire cast be British or Irish. It received positive critical reception, made more than $970 million at the worldwide box office (placing it 2nd at the time behind Titanic). As of December 2015, it is the 30th-highest-grossing film of all time and the second-highest-grossing film in the series behind the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMartin SheenMarlon BrandoRobert DuvallA U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.Influence: Francis Ford Coppoloa's Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic war film directed, updateing the setting of Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness to that of the Vietnam War and draws from Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972). The film revolves around Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Sheen) on a secret mission to assassinate Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, a renegade who's presumed insane. It is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. The film was also ranked No. 14 in the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound greatest films poll in 2012. The film ranks #7 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHeath LedgerAaron EckhartWhen the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.Influence: Christopher Nolan's gritty, reality-based depiction of Batman is considered as the best superhero film of all time. The Oscar Award winning acting performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker is one of the truly revolutionary method acting performances ever.
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsDanny ElfmanChris SarandonCatherine O'HaraJack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.Influence: Tim Burton's most successful film of Gothic stop action animation which combines the elements of many film genres: horror, animation, musicals and holiday films. Tim Burton's signature style is almost all here:
-coming from an art and animation background, the first thing you’ll notice in Burton’s films is a strict adherence to gothic color palettes, production design, and costume design.
-film and production tend to employ designs that harken back to expressionist filmmaking, specifically German filmmakers like Fritz Lang or Robert Wiene's silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920).
-honor of being the “dark” director of Hollywood, frequently using a black-and-white color scheme along with sharp contrasts (often red) to give his films a gothic look.- identify a Burton film based on his signature creatures, ominous characters, and their battle between the light and dark world.
- regularly casts Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in his films, and for whatever reason, the man loves putting his characters in snow.
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsCharlton HestonYul BrynnerAnne BaxterMoses, raised as a prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's household, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people from slavery.Influence: The film was treasured by film buffs for DeMille's "cast of thousands" approach and the heroic but antiquated early-talkie-type acting. Filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai and the Sinai Peninsula, the film was DeMille's last and most successful work. At the time of its release on November 8, 1956, it was the most expensive film made. Yul Brynner won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his role as Rameses. It is also one of the most financially successful films ever made, 7th most successful film of all-time when the box office gross is adjusted for inflation.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.Influence Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings is a film series consisting of three high fantasy adventure films considered to be one of the biggest and most ambitious film projects ever undertaken, with an overall budget of $281 million (some sources say $310-$330 million). The entire project took eight years, with the filming for all three films done simultaneously and entirely in New Zealand. The series was a major financial success, with the films collectively being among the highest-grossing film series of all time. The films were critically acclaimed and heavily awarded, winning 17 out of 30 total Academy Award nominations. The final film in the series, The Return of the King, won all of its 11 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, which also tied it with Ben-Hur and Titanic for most Academy Awards received for a film. The series received wide praise for its innovative special and visual effects.
- DirectorFrançois TruffautStarsJean-Pierre LéaudAlbert RémyClaire MaurierA young boy, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.
- DirectorJim SharmanStarsTim CurrySusan SarandonBarry BostwickA newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.Influence: The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 musical comedy horror film which is a parody tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through early 1970s. Blane stated that costumes from the film have directly impacted the development of punk rock fashion trends such as ripped fishnets and dyed hair. Although largely critically panned on initial release, it soon became known as a midnight movie when audiences began participating with the film at the Waverly Theater in New York City in 1976. Audience members returned to the cinemas frequently and talked back to the screen and began dressing as the characters, spawning similar performance groups across the United States. This "shadow cast" mimed the actions on screen above and behind them, while lip-syncing their character's lines. Still in limited release four decades after its premiere, it is the longest-running theatrical release in film history. It is often shown close to Halloween. Today, the film has a large international following.
- DirectorRobert ClouseStarsBruce LeeJohn SaxonJim KellyA Shaolin martial artist travels to an island fortress to spy on an opium lord - who is also a former monk from his temple - under the guise of attending a fighting tournament.Influence: Enter the Dragon is a 1973 Hong Kong-American martial arts film starring Bruce Lee in his final film appearance before his death on 20 July 1973 at age 32. Often considered one of the greatest martial arts films of all time, in 2004, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film was often thought of as the one that sparked the "Kung Fu Kraze" both in the United States as well as beyond. The popular video game Mortal Kombat borrows multiple plot elements from Enter The Dragon. The popular 1980s martial arts video game Double Dragon features two enemies named Roper and Williams, a reference to the two characters Roper and Williams from Enter The Dragon.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.Influence: Influenced by the 1985 documentary film Shoah, Spielberg decided not to plan the film with storyboards, and to shoot it like a documentary. Forty percent of the film was shot with handheld cameras, and the modest budget meant the film was shot quickly over seventy-two days creating a spontaneity. Spielerg filmed without using Steadicams, elevated shots, or zoom lenses, "everything that for him might be considered a safety net." This matured Spielberg, who felt that in the past he had always been paying tribute to directors such as Cecil B. DeMille or David Lean. The decision to shoot the film mainly in black and white contributed to the documentary style of cinematography, which cinematographer Janusz Kamiński compared to German Expressionism and Italian neorealism.
Spielberg Features:
-tells his story through emotion.
-"Spielberg Face"--extreme close-up of a character’s face to show emotion.
-Like Scorsese, Spielberg also employs a handful of other techniques, such as: reflections, shadows, and using circles to go against the natural square/rectangle frame of movies.
-deal with ordinary characters searching for or coming in contact with extraordinary beings or finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
-most persistent theme throughout his films is tension in parent-child relationships.
-tendency to focus on inanimate objects (the ration tin filled with dirt in Saving Private Ryan, the necklace in Catch Me If You Can, the rolling ball in Minority Report).
-tends to use a 90-degree character shot: positioning the two cameras parallel to each other, putting both characters in profile.
-In later years, his films began addressing humanistic issues such as the Holocaust (in Schindler's List), the transatlantic slave trade (in Amistad), war (in Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, and War Horse), and terrorism (in Munich).
-Spielberg known for long-takes called Spielberg “ones,” usually 3 minutes long and focused on dialogue and setting up a “path.”
-Focuses on wide shots with realistic features. - DirectorDavid LeanStarsPeter O'TooleAlec GuinnessAnthony QuinnThe story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.Influence: Lawrence of Arabia and Peter O'Toole's performance are considered the best in the history of film. Film director Steven Spielberg states that this is the film that compelled him to become a filmmaker. The Tattoine scenes in Star Wars are also remarkably similar to the North African landscape in this film.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.Influence: David Fincher's dystopian world with a surprise existential ending. Fight Club was one of the most controversial and talked-about films ever. Fight Club was recognized as an innovator in cinematic form and style since it exploited new developments in filmmaking technology. After Fight Club's theatrical release, it became more popular via word of mouth, and the positive reception of the DVD established it as a cult film that David Ansen of Newsweek conjectured would enjoy "perennial" fame.
Following Fight Club's release, several fight clubs were reported to have started in the United States. Fight Club was voted by Empire readers as the eighth greatest film of all time. Total Film ranked Fight Club as "The Greatest Film of our Lifetime." in 2007 during the magazine's tenth anniversary. In 2007, Premiere selected Tyler Durden's line, "The first rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club," as the 27th greatest movie line of all time. In 2008, readers of Empire ranked Tyler Durden first on a list of the 100 Greatest Movie Characters. - DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsEllen BurstynMax von SydowLinda BlairWhen a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksRobin WrightGary SiniseThe history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.
- DirectorRyan CooglerStarsChadwick BosemanMichael B. JordanLupita Nyong'oT'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.
- DirectorRobert StevensonStarsJulie AndrewsDick Van DykeDavid TomlinsonIn turn of the century London, a magical nanny employs music and adventure to help two neglected children become closer to their father.
- DirectorDanny BoyleLoveleen TandanStarsDev PatelFreida PintoSaurabh ShuklaA teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.Influence: Daniel Boyle's Oscar award winning film combining the genres of drama and Bollywood, the most successful commercial film industry on the planet.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsChristopher ReeveMargot KidderGene HackmanAn alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsHarrison FordRutger HauerSean YoungA blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonTony RobertsAlvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.Influence: The only comedy to ever win the Academy Award for best picture. Initialy Woody Allen filmed this movie about his character, and then realized during editing that Diane Keaton's character and lines stole the show. This fillm introduces us to the neurotic New York world of Woody Allen as he breaks the 4th wall many times to talk to the audience.
- DirectorJon FavreauStarsRobert Downey Jr.Gwyneth PaltrowTerrence HowardAfter being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceJamie Lee CurtisTony MoranFifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
- DirectorRoger AllersRob MinkoffStarsMatthew BroderickJeremy IronsJames Earl JonesLion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonMarty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKaren AllenPaul FreemanIn 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
- DirectorBob PersichettiPeter RamseyRodney RothmanStarsShameik MooreJake JohnsonHailee SteinfeldTeen Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his universe and must join with five spider-powered individuals from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroRay LiottaJoe PesciThe story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
- DirectorSam MendesStarsDean-Charles ChapmanGeorge MacKayDaniel MaysApril 6th, 1917. As an infantry battalion assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsAudrey HepburnGeorge PeppardPatricia NealA young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPaulette GoddardJack OakieDictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsJulie AndrewsChristopher PlummerEleanor ParkerA young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.
- DirectorJerome RobbinsRobert WiseStarsNatalie WoodGeorge ChakirisRichard BeymerTwo youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellWilford BrimleyKeith DavidA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
- DirectorRobert WieneStarsWerner KraussConrad VeidtFriedrich FeherHypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.
- DirectorKatsuhiro ÔtomoStarsMitsuo IwataNozomu SasakiMami KoyamaA secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
- DirectorPete DocterBob PetersonStarsEdward AsnerJordan NagaiJohn Ratzenberger78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSam WorthingtonZoe SaldanaSigourney WeaverJake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.
- DirectorDaniel KwanDaniel ScheinertStarsMichelle YeohStephanie HsuJamie Lee CurtisA middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.
- DirectorThomas KailStarsLin-Manuel MirandaPhillipa SooLeslie Odom Jr.The real life of one of America's foremost founding fathers and first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Captured live on Broadway from the Richard Rodgers Theater with the original Broadway cast.
- DirectorGary RossStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.
- DirectorNick CassavetesStarsGena RowlandsJames GarnerRachel McAdamsAn elderly man reads to a woman with dementia the story of two young lovers whose romance is threatened by the difference in their respective social classes.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppGeoffrey RushOrlando BloomBlacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.
- DirectorAndrew AdamsonVicky JensonStarsMike MyersEddie MurphyCameron DiazA mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.