warrrreagl

This is a double question. What do you think is the most influential movie in terms of influencing the times around it, or movie-making in general? And then, what is the movie that had the biggest impact on your life in some way?

As for movie-making, I think Citizen Kane is in a class by itself. Orson Welles devised so many new ways of creating this movie that have appeared in almost every film made since.

As for me personally, it was easily A Hard Day's Night. I was four years old when taken to see this at the theater, and I will NEVER forget the experience. The theater was packed with screaming girls and you couldn't really hear the dialogue. What I remember most was watching how playful The Beatles were, and how utterly cool they were while being chased around everywhere. Long hair. Cool clothes. Musical instruments. Wow. That movie set the course for my life.

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oliver9184

For movie-making it has to be 1973's The Day of the Dolphin. Friendly fun-loving dolphins are taught to communicate properly, in English, by George C Scott only to have bombs strapped onto their strong smooth bodies by shadowy government forces with a nefarious agenda. This landmark film paved the way for other films in which similar animals talked, or acted human, or other things happened, such as Flipper, Andre, and Splash!, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Lion King and A Bug's Life.

For me personally it's without a doubt Big Momma's House 2. Everyone knows that Martin Lawrence simply playing a man = big laughs; you don't need to be a professor of mathematics to realise that Martin Lawrence as a big fat lady (Big Momma) = HUGE laughs x infinity. It's a given that this film is uproariously, thigh-slapping funny but you may still be wondering why it's so influential. Well, without Big Momma's House and Big Momma's House 2 there may have been no Norbit and a world without Norbit would be like a world without the sun.

KellyC

^I would argue that Robin William's Mrs. Doubtfire started the whole thing.

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Reese

I vote for Toy Story. It pretty much killed traditional animation.

I would like to think that Star wars and Star Trek were up there when it comes to influencing real world change. I know for sure they changed my interests as a kid and influenced my interests are a teen and adult.

---------- Post added at 04:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:12 AM ----------

Dustin Hoffman did it before Robin Williams in Tootsie Heck, It was done even earlier than that by Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. I'd say Martin Laurence was more inspired by Nutty Professor than Tootsie though.

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oliver9184

I'll do this seriously now, using some of the IMDB's somewhat uncomfortable genres.

movie-making first

Action - The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938
Animation - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937
Biography - Citizen Kane 1941
Comedy - Fast Times at Ridgemont High 1982
Crime - Bonnie and Clyde 1967
Drama - no idea!
Fantasy - The Lord of the Rings 2001-2003
Film-Noir - ?
History - The Battleship Potemkin 1925
Horror - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 1974
Musical - The Jazz Singer 1927
Mystery - The Maltese Falcon 1941
Romance - It Happened One Night 1934
Sci-Fi - Things to Come 1936
Thriller - Psycho 1960
War - All Quiet on the Western Front 1930
Western - Stagecoach 1939

And now mine,

Action - Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 ("Girls, do you know John Connor?")
Animation - The Jungle Book 1967
Biography - The Bounty 1984 ("Oh, there are rumblings, are there?")
Comedy - Mrs Doubtfire 1993 ("It was a run-by fruiting!")
Crime - Bonnie and Clyde 1967 ("Don't sell that cow!")
Drama - Chungking Express 1994
Fantasy - Beowulf 2007 ("She's no hag, Beowulf... we both know that.")
Film-Noir - The Night of the Hunter 1955 ("It's love that's won, and old left hand hate is down for the count!")
History - Back to the Future 1985/Back to the Future Part III 1990 ("Speak, McFly, speak!")
Horror - American Psycho 2000 ("Because I want to FIT IN.")
Musical - Yankee Doodle Dandy 1942 ("My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you.")

Mystery - The Fugitive 1993 ("I don't care!")
Romance - One Fine Day 1996 ("My face is on buses.")
Sci-Fi - Independence Day 1977
Thriller - Runaway Train 1985 ("What about this bitty spot!?")

War - The Blue Max 1966
Western - Shane 1953 ("Shane! Come back!")

Cynthetiq

Ummmm... no Tootsie... (Dustin Hoffman was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance)


^^

Ummmm... no Bosom Buddies. (not a movie)

^^

Ummmm... no, go with the original Some Like it Hot (Jack Lemon was nominated Best Actor in a Leading Role)


for me, Star Wars. It is the most pervasive yet it just built on common myth and already known film techniques. It appears in so many spaces and places.

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