Most Influential Films in History
This is a list of films that had a cinematic, cultural, monetary, or political impact throughout the history of film. Feel free to voice your opinion. I am an American citizen with limited knowledge of foreign films and their historical impacts, so if a non-American influential film is not listed here, you know why.
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- DirectorEadweard MuybridgeStarsGilbert DommSallie GardnerThe clip shows a jockey, Gilbert Domm, riding a horse, Sallie Gardner. The clip is not filmed; instead, it consists of 24 individual photographs shot in rapid succession, making a moving picture when using a zoopraxiscope.The oldest motion-picture to date. It's a 12 second shot of a horse running, and the purpose was to see if there was a point where all four hooves left the ground. No spoilers here.
- DirectorLouis LumièreWorkers leaving the Lumière factory for lunch in Lyon, France in 1895; a place of great photographic innovation and one of the birth places of cinema.First actual 'film' shown on a projector to an audience. Before this, films were restricted to peep-show booths and were struggling to assume a role in high-brow entertainment. (There will be a lot of firsts on this list)
- DirectorGeorges MélièsStarsGeorges MélièsVictor AndréBleuette BernonA group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.A magician by the name of Georges Méliès was tinkering around with film strips and footage and found out that through the use of editing, he could manipulate what you see on the strip of film. It also created the famous shot of the the Rocket in the Moon's eye. Méliès had made film before and after this, another equally impressive one being 'The Impossible Voyage,' but this remains the most well known. Brought up the concept of 'Fantasy' in film.
- DirectorEdwin S. PorterStarsGilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' AndersonA.C. AbadieGeorge BarnesA group of bandits stage a brazen train hold-up, only to find a determined posse hot on their heels.What many consider the first true Film, The Great Train Robbery sparked the dramatic increase in popularity and recognition of cinema. It had a definitive plot, a beginning, middle, & end, and also amused audiences of a final shot of a gunman aiming directly at the camera.
- DirectorAndré CalmettesCharles Le BargyStarsCharles Le BargyAlbert LambertGabrielle RobinneFrance, at the end of the sixteenth century. Henry III decided to eliminate his rival, the Duke of Guise, and, therefore, calls him in the castle of Blois. The mistress of the duke, warned of the King's intentions, informs him, but the noble, sure of his own authority, went there anyway. In Cabinet-Vieux castle Duke is stabbed by guards of the King, while he attends the murder hidden behind the curtains. Eventually, Henry III does burn the duke body to discard.First film with music. No one did it before, but everyone did after. Also an epic by 1908 standards at 15 minutes.
- 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.Brought animation to light. There were several animated film prior to Gertie, but this film was shown around the world and caught the attention of every soon-to-be aspiring animator. It also created the first cartoon character (Gertie), which eventually led to more well known characters like Mickey Mouse.
- DirectorGiovanni PastroneStarsItalia Almirante-ManziniLidia QuarantaBartolomeo PaganoCabiria is a Roman child when her home is destroyed by a volcano. Sold in Carthage to be sacrificed in a temple, she is saved by Fulvio, a Roman spy. But danger lurks, and hatred between Rome and Carthage can only lead to war.First epic. The next film probably made a bigger impact on history, but it's important to know that America and Europe were making big strides at about the same pace. Some film schools may mention “Cabiria movements,” which are moving shots over a large set, concieved first in Cabiria
- 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.This is the big turning point in American Cinema. D.W. Griffith defined the Narrative, using sequences of shots, story, close-ups, battle scenes, and iris shots. The only downside? It's pro-KKK.
- DirectorRobert WieneStarsWerner KraussConrad VeidtFriedrich FeherHypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.Brought on German Expressionism, the Horror genre, and custom sets.
- 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.Birth of the Documentary. Also, it is still widely debated as to whether or not some of the film was staged.
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsEmil JanningsMaly DelschaftMax HillerAn aging doorman is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbors and society after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious hotel.A big advancement in storytelling, this silent film has no subtitles or dialogue, and relies on visuals only. Also brought on some unique techniques, like using a free-moving camera.
- 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.First use of the Montage to convey a message. Also a very controversial propaganda film banned throughout most of Eurasia during it's release.
- 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.Began the grueling transition to 'Talkies.' There was sound in film before, but again, not as widely anticipated as in the Jazz Singer.
- 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.Sparked the Sci-Fi genre, as well as the setting for every 'dis-Utopian future' film ever, as well the birth of the man-like Machine. Lead to other staples on Sci-fi like Blade Runner's sets.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsPierre BatcheffSimone MareuilLuis BuñuelLuis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.Popularized Surrealist films with it's metaphor between the cloud cutting the moon and a woman's eye being split open.
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsLew AyresLouis WolheimJohn WrayA German youth eagerly enters World War I, but his enthusiasm wanes as he gets a firsthand view of the horror.Cinema and War go hand and hand, and this is the first instance of what an impact it can have. Really helped to polarize the look of WW1.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsColin CliveMae ClarkeBoris KarloffDr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.Added one of the many Horror sub-genres, the Monster Movie. Alongside this was Dracula (which came out the same year.)
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsClark GableClaudette ColbertWalter ConnollyA rogue reporter trailing a runaway heiress for a big story joins her on a bus heading from Florida to New York and they end up stuck with each other when the bus leaves them behind at one of the stops along the way.the quintessential Romantic Comedy, also the first.
- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsAdolf HitlerHermann GöringMax AmannThe infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.This is one of several films that only made a big impact at it's time of release, but this film definitely changed a lot. A propaganda film advertising the Nazi Party. It worked, as the Nazi Party grew from dozens in 1933 to a steady increase to onmillion starting in 1935. Like Birth of a Nation, the film is good in it's technical aspects, but is not one that many enjoy.
- 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.People started taking animation seriously after this came out, and it set the standards high.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartJean ArthurClaude RainsA naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries to forge ahead despite attacks on his character.A challenge to the U.S. government, and the first American political propaganda film.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneClaire TrevorAndy DevineA group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process.The long-standing formula for most Westerns.
- 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.Shattered conventional movie budgets, run time, and revenue for a film. Allowed American cinema to re-popularize epic films.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'No commentary needed.
- 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.A significant aid in the American movement from isolation to wartime. Based on a play written very shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, this film was re-written for the screen, produced, and released in a span of 7 months. It is a propaganda film designed to get America involved in WW2. On top of that, it has remained influential in film schools ever since and demonstrates every film cliche done right.