20 Most Influential Films of All Time....

[PeruvianSkies]

This list is not of films that I think are "the best" or "my favorite", but rather films that have in many ways helped to forge the medium by being highly influential on it's predecessors and has made such an impact on the film community that it is still talked about, imitated, and inspiring.

Here is my top 20 most influential films (English-Language)....

BLADERUNNER - redefined the Science Fiction genre for the new age
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - redefined the Science Fiction genre
PSYCHO - Invented the Slasher flick and endless other things
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - one of the most talked about films of all time
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS - animation like never before
CITIZEN KANE - the list of this films influences is endless.
JAWS - turned the horror genre on it's head
HALLOWEEN - The Shape becomes popular again
BONNIE AND CLYDE - re-invented the editing style
THE GENERAL - popularized comedy in a whole new narrative way
CHAPLIN (early silent films) - without these who knows what would have happened to film
STAR WARS as much as I am not a fan, it's hard to not notice the imitators.
THE WIZARD OF OZ - color like never before
THE GODFATHER - do I really need to say why?
ENTER THE DRAGON - single handedly made Martial Arts a reputable genre
RAGING BULL - helped to re-invent the editing process
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA - one of the greatest epics ever made and took the format to new levels.
THE EXORCIST - spun the horror genres head literally
SEVEN - modern horror genre gets a facelift
PULP FICTION - modern audiences are introduced to the non-linear narrative in a popular way.

[Groundbeef]

that it is still talked about, imitated, and inspiring.

You mean like Tommy Boy? My friends and I talk about that one all the time. Especially the part where Tommy has the huge welt across his face. Or when he lights the guys desk on fire.

Like that?

[Groundbeef]

Alright, I actually put some thought into this post.

1. Sixth Sense: At this point the director is a concieted ass, but it was a shocker at the end of this one. Amazing that people went out of their way NOT to blow the ending for those who hadn't gone to see it.

2. Schindlers List

3. Planet Earth: Film done right. In HD its astounding. In SD it's amazing. The time spent filming was incredible. I heard on NPR that just 1 section of one part of the film took 6 MONTHS to film, and the "money shot" didn't happen until the last day. The camera man was literally in tears when he walked out of the jungle. Also, there were new species found during the film, and alone is pretty cool.

4. Titanic. Can't argue with the money. Proved that big budget love stories do sell.

5. T3 Special effects are still amazing. CGI really got a boost from this one.

I don't watch enough movies to list 20.

6. Maybe Toy Story. Really put Pixar on the map, and look at all the copy cats now.

[Smokey]

And here are few more.......


Metropolis: Its influence is even felt today such as Queen’s Radio GAGA music video.


Winchester '73: The director Anthony Mann brought back western movies into main stream after WWII. Its theme........heroes are not perfect.


Shaft: No more Uncle Tom

[PeruvianSkies]

And here are few more.......


Metropolis: Its influence is even felt today such as Queen’s Radio GAGA music video.


Winchester '73: The director Anthony Mann brought back western movies into main stream after WWII. Its theme........heroes are not perfect.


Shaft: No more Uncle Tom

METROPOLIS would easily make my list, except for the fact that it was a German film, which doesn't meet my criteria in this case: English-speaking. Although clearly the film is one of the most innovative and important Sci-Fi films of all time and was light years ahead of it's time.

[Smokey]

METROPOLIS would easily make my list, except for the fact that it was a German film, which doesn't meet my criteria in this case: English-speaking.

I must have missed that part. Here is a substitution.


Jason and the Argonauts: Stop acton motion at its best.

[PeruvianSkies]

I must have missed that part. Here is a substitution.


Jason and the Argonauts: Stop acton motion at its best.

Fair enough. lol.

[SlumpBuster]

I'm not sure if these would replace any on Peru's list, but I would almost have to find place to work them in:

CLERKS - I wrestle with replacing Pulp Fiction with Clerks. Clerks was an important movie in the fan becomes director category. Sure, tarantino fits in that category too, but Clerks seems like the more pure version. Tarantino had already sold his scripts for True Romance and Killing Zoe by the time he did Pulp Fiction.

WILD BUNCH - Ushered in a new era of screen violence. You see Wild Bunch's influence in everything from the good: Saving Private Ryan, to the bad: Smoking Aces.

MIDNIGHT COWBOY - The only X-rated (wtf!) movie to win the Oscar. While it was the film Blowup that officially broke the Hays Production Code, Midnight Cowboy legitimized the death of the Production Code. A few years later, LAST TANGO IN PARIS would legitimize on screen sex the same way.

Three Way Tie - The Holy Trifecta of POLTERGEIST, GREMLINS, and TEMPLE OF DOOM all three led up the the introduction of PG-13 with RED DAWN. I always wonder what would have happened if RED DAWN flopped. But it didn't so, PG-13 in turn led to the 20 year hiatus of the R rated blockbuster. At least until WEDDING CRASHERS. PG -13 is what allowed TITANIC to be the biggest movie of all time with Boobies intact.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER - Introduced the popular music soundtrack. It had been done before with fair like THE GRADUATE, but SNF made it essential changing both movies and music.

[Groundbeef]

Three Way Tie - The Holy Trifecta of POLTERGEIST, GREMLINS, and TEMPLE OF DOOM all three led up the the introduction of PG-13 with RED DAWN. I always wonder what would have happened if RED DAWN flopped. But it didn't so, PG-13 in turn led to the 20 year hiatus of the R rated blockbuster.

I thought that Steven Spielburg was instrumental in the PG-13 rating for Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom.

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

The Great Train Robbery - First movie with plot/story/narrative (1903). All movies/Tv after this will use its formula of cuts/intercuts/views/and basic editing. Historically this does for motion pictures what "lets put words left to right" did for written language. AAt the same time the genre picture is invented, I guess a Western/Crime.

Dracula - In 1931 "talky" movies were still a novelty. Drac was the first studio major production sound film with a HUGE popular audience. This single film forced a large majority of theaters to carry sound equipment, and studios to produce more movies. Remember in the late 20s The Jazz Singer wasn't even shown in most venures because of its racial content. The advent of sound also killed a few careers of some squeeky voiced lookers (contrary to popular belief, Rudolph Valentino wasn't among them. He stopped working in Hollywood do to a severe case of death in 1926).

Dante's Inferno (1912) - Full frontal nudity!

The Big Parade (1925) - First cuss word! ('damn' and '*****es')

.......and the road to cable TV is paved......

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS - animation like never before

SWATSD was also the first feature length animated feature, animation was only for shorts until then.

Also Fantasia (1941) was the first use of stereo music reproduction, 12 years before RCA would mass-produce the home stereo. Of course Fantasia was(is) a bizarre movie, it doesn't have a central narrative, and the populace at larger cared about Avant-Garde cinema as much in 1941 as they do now (ie. it BOMBED). Of course now its a "historic" "amazing" work of cinema. Frying your brain with some dank nugs certainly doesn't hurt when watching Fantasia.

The current DVD release has also censored the centaurs during Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring. Appearently Disney thinks children will spontaniously explode if they happen to see animated horse-girl boobies or something.

[jim goulding]

Howard Hughes for getting sex going (the movie with Jane Russell). It was before my time but Baby Doll got a rod from me.

In The Heat Of The Night for showing that it was possible for a black man to be smarter than a white man.

Panic In Needle Park for exposing the life of junkies.

Blazing Saddles for showing that a western could be funny.

Deep Throat.

[kexodusc]

This list is not of films that I think are "the best" or "my favorite", but rather films that have in many ways helped to forge the medium by being highly influential on it's predecessors and has made such an impact on the film community that it is still talked about, imitated, and inspiring.

Here is my top 20 most influential films (English-Language)....

BLADERUNNER - redefined the Science Fiction genre for the new age
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - redefined the Science Fiction genre
PSYCHO - Invented the Slasher flick and endless other things
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - one of the most talked about films of all time
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS - animation like never before
CITIZEN KANE - the list of this films influences is endless.
JAWS - turned the horror genre on it's head
HALLOWEEN - The Shape becomes popular again
BONNIE AND CLYDE - re-invented the editing style
THE GENERAL - popularized comedy in a whole new narrative way
CHAPLIN (early silent films) - without these who knows what would have happened to film
STAR WARS as much as I am not a fan, it's hard to not notice the imitators.
THE WIZARD OF OZ - color like never before
THE GODFATHER - do I really need to say why?
ENTER THE DRAGON - single handedly made Martial Arts a reputable genre
RAGING BULL - helped to re-invent the editing process
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA - one of the greatest epics ever made and took the format to new levels.
THE EXORCIST - spun the horror genres head literally
SEVEN - modern horror genre gets a facelift
PULP FICTION - modern audiences are introduced to the non-linear narrative in a popular way.

That's a pretty good list PS - and I wouldn't argue any of them really.

I might add either Patton or Full Metal Jacket as a the token war/history flick to the list - in terms of influence, I'd lean to Full Metal Jacket - I see more of the depiction of solider's Kubrick presented in just about every war film since then than I've seen Patton's big speeches and epic shots influence film, but I can't help but wonder if Patton didn't influence the public more? Wasn't around back when it came out but the world had given up on WW II movies and Patton defied a lot of odds.