To Kill a Mockingbird

A well-known book as a well as a movie, To Kill a Mockingbird is a heartfelt film telling of the evils within racial prejudice. The film follows Scout and Jem, the children of a lawyer named Atticus. The film goes as we watch the many struggles that racial prejudice ensues and many lessons are learned by Scout. Atticus is placed to defend a falsely accused black man for the rape of a white woman. The film plays out with the narration by the voice of an older Scout Finch. The audience watches as the town demonstrates prejudice and Atticus struggles against it.

The film was made in 1962 off the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel written by Harper Lee. The film ran for two hours and 10 minutes, receiving 8 Academy Award nominations and winning 3 of its nominations. Atticus is played by Gregory Peck, who received a Best Actor award for his moving performance. This movie was the peak of his career. Gregory Peck made lasting friendships through this film that carried on through his death in 2003.The film also marked the debut of the well-renowned actor Robert Duvalle as the hero Boo Radley. Although he is only in a few minutes of the film, he plays possibly the biggest role.

Greed and Gold

Another classic Humphrey Bogart film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, is a western film about 3 prospectors searching for gold and finding the greed that surrounds it. Although they are warned of the changing nature of the gold, they do not heed the warning and are punished for it later. Greed is not their only enemy. Bandits meet them along the rode. Within the exchange of words and later gunfire, the classic line, “Badges?…I don’t have to show you no stinkin’ badges!” is delivered by the lead bandit. The film embodies the harmful nature of greed and how something such as gold can change people for the worst.

The film had some unique characteristics within the casting and directing. The director, John Huston, cast his father, Walter Huston, for the second time and this time his father received an Oscar for his performance, making John the first director to direct his father to an Oscar. Also, since both John and Walter Huston received Oscars, they became the first son and father winning in the same year. (John later directed his daughter to an Oscar in a separate film.) As usual, Bogart delivers an excellent performance along with the others, but he did not receive any nominations.

White House

The critically-acclaimed classic and a with stander of time, Casablanca consistently makes it on top 10 movies of all time. Casablanca is a black and white film that displays a vivid story of love and war. Set in the Word War II era, the movie illustrates a classic love triangle. The great Humphrey Bogart plays as the protagonist and does an outstanding job while delivering the famous line, “Here’s to looking at you, kid.” The famous line was said to have began with a card game off set; Bogart would say it to the lead actress, Ingrid Bergman, and then later said it on set. Something unique about this movie was that it was filmed almost entirely on studio sets, and the script was being written as it was being filmed. So for most the time, the cast did not even know the ending.

The film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards and was awarded 3 for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Bogart was nominated for Best Actor but surprisingly lost, even though his character, Rick, is one of the most loved characters in cinema. The movie is referenced throughout cinema with many movies paying homage to it in one way or another.

The Citizen

The critically acclaimed and well-renowned film, Citizen Kane, made its cinematic debut in 1941. The film is considered to be one of the most highly rated and well-known films around the world. Coming out in the World War II era, the film did not kick off till a little after the war but soon became a classic.

The film was put under lots of scrutiny for its parallel portrayal to an actual man. The character of Charles Kane, the protagonist, created a caricature of the real man, Congressman W. R. Hearst.  Kane, like Hearst, was a journalist for New York as well as having other similarities to the politician. Hearst was outraged at the movie’s portrayal of him and attempted to use his positions in the press and politics to delay the movie’s success. He in the end failed to do so, as the movie has managed to surpass the test of time.

The movie was the recipient of 9 Oscar nominations with the winning of 1 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The movie made its impact on film-making in several innovative techniques such as camera effects and lighting usage. 

This movie is an excellent example as to how the cinematic universe attempts to have influence in the daily lives of the audience. The movie helps develop opinions of certain situations and individuals which are subtly but obviously there.

In the Land of!… Oz?

The critically-acclaimed classic, The Wizard of Oz, makes its way on this list of meaningful movies soon after the debut of Gone with the Wind. Showing originally in 1939, The Wizard of Oz had tough competition in that year’s Oscars but it did not get blown away by the Wind but soared through the gusty tornado into a new era of film. The movie managed to make itself as a well renowned, musical fantasy film. The movie has been put in plays and musicals time and time again all across the nation. It contains plenty of allegorical references to deepen the story and meaning. The vivid colors and bright scenery gave the film a mystical feel.

The film was directed by 5 different directors although Victor Fleming is the most credited director for the film, but he was pulled off set for the directing of Gone with the Wind. The Wizard of Oz was nominated for 6 Academy Awards. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Color Cinematography, Best Special Effects, Best Song, and Best Original Score. The film won 2 Oscars for musical numbers which is a low amount for the acclaim it received. The film is considered one of the most watched films of all time.

A Windy Western

In 1939, a western classic debuted as Gone with the Wind. Like most of the movies on the list, it surpassed the test of time with flying colors. The movie was based off of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Margaret Mitchell and adapted to script by Sidney Howard. The movie takes place during and after the American Civil War, and follows a young lady looking for love in a crazy time. The film is described as a love-hate romance and a historical epic film.

The actors chosen for this film were well known which drew much of the attention. Gone with the Wind ran for three and a half hours long, being one of the longest films of all time up to that point. It quickly became the highest grossing film of the time and very well should have been after putting 4 million (an outrageous amount at the time) into the production cost.

Its famous and final line of the film was said by the leading male counterpart, saying, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” The use of the explicit word has given the film some recognition as being the film to introduce expletives in other films. It is often given credit for being the first film to use expletives although that is not true.

Snow White

The magnificent tale of a young girl and her seven peculiar, bearded friends has surpassed the test of time as one of Disney’s greatest films. The story telling, film making, and innovation involved in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves  is a first of its kind. The great vision of Walt Disney, combined with the story that the Grimm Brothers gave us combined for an earth shattering film.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was quite possibly Walt Disney’s greatest film he had a personal hand in. The film making process required countless hours and new innovations at many turns. In order to produce the film which such vivid animation and color, hundreds of artists were called in to make thousands of drawings which were put together in a unique way in order to create the fine film. Disney used a multi-plane camera to give the vivid images depth, and the entire process took over 4 years to complete along with an unheard of $1.7 million. Disney won an honorary Oscar for the film for its innovation and joy that it brought to the industry and the world.

The film came out on VHS in 1994 and became the most sold VHS of all time, surpassing other great films such as Aladdin. Needless to say, the film grossed millions of dollars and was a great success and still is today.

The King

In the 1930’s there came a story about a 50 foot ape and a damsel in distress. The horror/fantasy and adventure film version of beauty and the beast was a record setting box office success and made the horror film industry come to life. Starring Fay Wray as the damsel and directed by Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoesdack, the record setting film used unique camera techniques and a low budget for a successful horror film. The great success of the movie spurred on other horror films as well as the sub-genre of “giant beast” films in Japan.

Since the films first release, there has been several re-releases which bring in slight changes to the original cut. There has also been many different takes on the story. Peter Jackson, the director known for his film trilogy Lord of the Rings, gives King Kong a lot of credit for his wanting to be in the film-making business. He showed his love for this movie by his own remake of the original film.

King Kong undoubtedly deserves to be on the list of impactful impact. Its greatest impact was on the horror film industry. The movie utilizes suspense to tell the story of the beauty and great beast.

Simple Beginnings

Films began as silent, black and white motion pictures with nothing but music to listen to as the audience watched the scenes unravel. Due to the inability to have script in a movie, the filmmakers and actors had to use excessively dramatic expressions in order to convey the story. The first film was produced in 1885, and it simply portrayed a train arriving at the station. This was the kick start for many short films after and led to films such as The Birth of  a Nation, which was released in 1915 and was over 3 hours in length. The Birth of a Nation was the first film to display the true ability for the cinematic industry. The film made over 18 million dollars over 20 years which was the highest grossing film until Snow White and her dwarves waltzed into the industry. The Birth of a Nation had evident and oppressive racial implications, which was controversial then as well as now, but that does not negate the cinematic genius that the film was. The film makers used camera techniques which are still used today such as close ups and fade outs. With the films great success and ground breaking techniques, The Birth of a Nation easily makes its way into the list of influential films.

References: (http://www.filmsite.org/mostinfluentialfilms2.html)

 

The Movie Topic

I chose this topic because I enjoy watching and learning about movies. There is a lot of information on the film industry, and there is a lot that is put into making a film. The industry has an illustrious history of significant movies which shaped human thought and attitude. There are now movies coming out every week, all around the world, each putting itself into the histories of film making. The stories, and how they are told, is what catches the interest of the millions of viewers. Movies have negative and positive effects on our minds. They teach us in a discreet manner while keeping our interest.