lists of great movies .pdf

8/20/2019 lists of great movies .pdf

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Filmmaker Retrospective:

The Surrealistic Cinema of Satoshi Kon

The late Satoshi Kon was amongst the foremost prominent Japaneseanimators, whose works transcended the world of anime and manga,thus creating a modern division of the genre, which chiefly addressed toa mature audience. However, he did not accomplish that via sex andviolence, but through the profundity of his themes and a complex style ofpresentation.

The former becomes evident in his nightmarish worlds of terror that arebased on concepts like fixation, publicity and the perspective of realityand personal identity, while the latter is clear through the mixture offantasy and reality in the surrealistic environments of his movies.Additionally, he was equally elaborative as a designer and animator;hence, his works amount to masterpieces, both visually and in content.Satoshi Kon was born on October 12, 1963 in Kushiro, Hokkaido. Earlyon, he became a fan of anime and manga, chiefly “Mobile Suit Gundam”and “Space Battleship Yamato”. After his junior high school graduation,he aspired to become an animator, and he enrolled at Musashino ArtUniversity to study visual art communication design.As is the usual practice in Japan, the road to animation passes throughthe manga medium; therefore, Kon’s early works are in that domain. In

1985, he published his initial project, “Toriko”, in Young magazine, whichis owned by Kodansha Comics. During his cooperation with themagazine’s staff, he met Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of “Akira”, who becamehis biggest influence.In 1987, he graduated from Musashino and in 1990, Kodanshapublished his first complete manga, “Kaikisen”, a fairy tale occurring in afishing village.

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Gradually, his interest shifted to animation, where he began working in1991. The following list is a complete account of all his works in thisparticular field, in chronological order, as much as a tribute to one of theforemost influential artists of his generation.

1. Roujin Z (1991, Hiroyuki Kitakubo)

2. World Apartment Horror (1991, Katsuhiro Otomo)

3. Hashire Melos! (1992, Masaaki Osumi)4. Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993, Mamoru Oshii)

5. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Dio’s World: Kakyoin – Duel in the Barrier6. Memories: Magnetic Rose (1995, Koji Morimoto)7. Perfect Blue (1997)8. Millennium Actress (2001)9. Tokyo Godfathers (2001)10. Paranoia Agent (2004)

11. Paprika (2006)12. Good Morning (2007)

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10 Famous 21st Century Filmmakers Hugely Influenced

by Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick casts an impressive shadow. It would not be hyperbolic tosay he’s one of the most influential film directors of all time. In hislifetime, he directed an enviable stretch of films that encompass amultitude of genres, from sci-fi to erotic thriller. Any true connoisseur ofcinema has their favourite Kubrick film, be it piercing satire of Dr.

Strangelove, the ultra-violence of A Clockwork Orange, the lingeringterror of The Shining, or the war-is-hell dichotomy of Full Metal Jacket.As such, his work has countless disciples and imitators. The psychopathsof Martin Scorsese, the surreal horror of David Lynch, the science-fiction-obsessions of both Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott and the genre-mastering of Danny Boyle – all these elements have a Kubrickianinfluenced. While all these directors were they inspired by him, they were

also his contemporaries. Despite his creative drought between 1987’sFull Metal Jacket and 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut, he was still a functioningfilm-maker until his death.Who has appeared in his absence to vainly attempt to fill his place?Directors with a caustic view of humanity, that deal with emotionallydetached, often mentally unhinged characters, who are obsessed with

obsession, perfectionism and splashes of violence. Directors who delightin extended alien camera movements, symmetrical one-pointperspective framings and the occasional Kubrick Stare. These are the 21stCentury Kubrick Protégés.

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1. David Fincher

When most people think of perfectionist directors in this day and age,

David Fincher’s name is the one that comes to mind first. His post-Kubrickworks are meticulously crafted affairs: the gutter-punk nihilism of FightClub, the piano-wire tight tension of Panic Room, Zodiac’s coiledreinvention of procedural drama, The Social Network’s modern dayCitizen Kane-story telling and Gone Girl’s dual murder mystery/inter-gender warfare plotting.Fincher shares Kubrick’s bleak outlook on humanity, his love for staccato

bursts of ultra-violence, spookily robotic extended camera movementsand general perfectionism on set. While most directors can get the shotand performance they require in three or four takes, Fincher can beknown to go upwards of thirty for simple set-ups, while the beginningbreak-up scene in The Social Network was repeated 99 times. Stanleywould be proud.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: Gone Girl (2014)

Since Fight Club, Fincher has made films alternatively for the studio andhimself. For every uncharacteristic cash-in (The Curious Case of BenjaminButton, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) there is a film made for Fincher’senjoyment, a personal projects that says something about the humancondition. Arguably Gone Girl is a bit of both: an adaptation of a

previously known property but made with the same punk-rock fury thatmade his 1999 opus so incendiary.One cannot help but respect Fincher for creating the quintessential anti-date movie – a battle of the sexes that deftly pits opposing protagonistsagainst each other, both equally relatable and repulsive to ensure viciouspost-movie relationship discussions.

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Despite his methodical nature, Kubrick was not one for tight clockwork-like plotting, preferring instead to linger on themes. That said, one wouldexpect the intense procedural of Zodiac and the macabre mystery ofGone Girl to be the kind of film that Kubrick would enjoy. Gone Girldiscussion is a spoiler minefield, so stop reading here if you have yet tosee it. Amy Dunne in the opening shot unleashes a Kubrickian stare thatcolours the rest of the film.A rare female cinematic psychopath, her scheme is immaculatelythought-out and she is unafraid to spill considerable blood to get what

she wants. The overall tone of Gone Girl is coloured by an overwhelmingmistrust of human morality, a tone with which Kubrick is all too familiar –the orchestrated offing of former lovers is blindly reminiscent of Lolita.

2. Paul Thomas Anderson

Vying for the position as greatest director of the new millennium, PaulThomas Anderson’s four post-2000 films are all genius in their own way:Punch Love Drunk for making Adam Sandler briefly credible, There WillBe Blood for its depiction of man versus greed while giving Daniel Day-Lewis a much-needed catchphrase; The Master for its beautifullyrendered mental breakdowns, and Inherent Vice for making a lesscoherent, period-set The Big Lebowski.His adventurous Steadicamed one shots, obsession with obsession, and

courting of potential controversy with The Master is where Kubrick’sinfluence is most felt. Anderson also poached Tom Cruise while he wasfilming Eyes Wide Shut for Magnolia. Great minds think alike.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: The Master (2012)

Currently in a five way tie for greatest Paul Thomas Anderson film, TheMaster, earlier this year, was voted by the A.V. Club as the best film of the

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decade so far. One thing that immediately draws one’s eye is its 65mmhyper-resolution, producing a picture quality that Joaquin Phoenix’sdamaged sometime-photographer would be proud of – details resonate:the stressed lines on Phoenix’s face, the crimson Phillip SeymourHoffman’s face goes while drunk, the rippled waves behind the boat.A quick dip into its ocean of disillusionment reveals a tale of man lost atsea, searching for answers. A psychotic character study, Phoenix’s FreddieQuell is a PTSD-suffering, sexual obsessive with an alcohol problems notunlike Jack Nicholson’s Jack Torrance from The Shining; Quell’s journey

instead is reversed, going from the breakdown and lashing out beforebeing “healed” by Hoffman’s Don Lancaster.These two powerhouse actors give exactly the kind of intenseperformances that Kubrick is known for, especially in ultra-focusedprocessing scene and the post-arrest reactions – Phoenix all broken-toiletraging-id with Hoffman as the calm counterpoint.With The Master’s definitely-not-Scientology-but-it-totally-is cult fixation,

Eyes Wide Shut is an obvious reference point and, while the scene makehave been just a subconscious projection of Freddie, the naked women/clothed men song and dance clearly resembles the latter’s famous orgysequence. Though very much in the background of the film there is adefinite anti-war lean to the film, even if it is never as explicit as in Pathsof Glory, or Full Metal Jacket.

3. Christopher Nolan

If you’re even mildly interested in film you should know who ChristopherNolan is – hailed as a cinematic messiah, the saviour of the superherogenre, and often, around the release of Inception, the new Kubrick. Theunderwhelming Insomnia aside, Nolan has had an impressive run offilms this century – Memento, The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Prestige,

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Inception and Interstellar all characterised by their smart plotting, twistsand unique internal logics.The similarities to Kubrick’s work is striking: though all essentiallythrillers, Nolan’s films have a genre-hopping quality, his characters are allobsessives, and his film’s plots and imagery are refined to methodicalprecision. Heath Ledger’s Joker even pulls off one of the most iconicKubrick Stares in modern cinema. While more interested in crowd-pleasing spectacle akin to classic Spielberg or Hitchcock, the Kubrickinfluence is definitely present.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: Interstellar (2014)

Though never officially stated, Interstellar could be a thematic sequel toInception, a theory that extends beyond both of them having the samedirector and starting with the prefix “In”. Inception travels deep into thesubconscious (four layers deep) to explore Christopher Nolan’s obsessionwith the inner workings of the mind. Interstellar conversely travelsoutwards exploring the infinities of space and other dimensions.Both have finely turned internal logics that change to increase tensionand have protagonists that want to return home to their children but areunable to. Interstellar is awe-inspiring, visually impeccable and worthy ofheavy discussion and overall its mysteries and plotting fare better than itsspiritual prequel to the endless probing and movie-science nitpicking.

While Inception’s caper plotting could have been stolen from The Killing,its unlikely. The influence from Kubrick was mostly in ideology ratherthan form – that ideology that audiences are smarter than the MichaelBays of the world would let us believe, able to unravel the mysteries offilms that are high on spectacle without having to dumb down.Interstellar takes this concept to the next logic step. It is a film that can beenjoyed on the first viewing, but to truly understand a few more

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screenings are necessary – similar to 2001: A Space Odyssey. BothInterstellar and 2001 are set mostly in space and deal with humanevolution.The final thirds of both have much in common; beyond their inherentimpenetrability, Nolan steals the Monolith iconography for the televisionsets in Cooper’s retirement home and fourth-dimensional travel fromKubrick’s masterwork. There is also a hat-tip to Kubrick early in Interstellarto his apparent faked Apollo moon landing, which is an accepted fact inthe film’s reality.

4. Nicolas Winding Refn

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn has arguably only made oneclassic film: 2011’s Drive, but all that is truly great about Drive is not onlypeppered throughout the rest of his back catalogue but also that ofKubrick. Single-minded psychopaths, visually inventive shots, splatters ofultra-violence and a perfect ear for matching music to imagery.The protagonists of Bronson, Vanhalla Rising, Drive and Only GodForgives are extensions of A Clockwork Orange’s Alex and his emotionallydetached censor-baiting persona. The surrealist elements of Bronsonmimic the more out there moments of The Shining, while bucketsbloodier and locationally more Scandinavian, Vanhalla Rising’s historicalcontext reflect that of Spartacus.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: Drive (2011)

Rewatching Drive four years later one cannot help but be struck by theincredibly lucky casting: Not only featuring Ryan Gostling in atransformative performance from indie darling, in films like BlueValentine and Lars and The Real Girl, to credible lead-man, but Bryan

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Cranston and Christina Hendricks mid-way through their respective rolesin two of the greatest recent television shows.Plus on top of that Inside Llewyn Davis and Star Wars VII’s Oscar Isaac as afather in a bind. Winding Refn’s neon thriller combines sizzling tension,crippling violence and an 80’s inspired electro pop-soundtrack to createone of the most iconic films of the new decade.As stated above A Clockwork Orange is a huge influence on WindingRefn’s work, and Drive’s bursts of bone-crunching violence is in tune withthat of Kubrick’s controversial thriller, as is The Driver’s seemingly

disconnected demeanour when perpetrating these actions. Yet theseoutbursts are motivated beyond sheer whim, and therefore he is not apsychopath akin to Alex or his Drooges, but his emotional detachment ispure Kubrick.Even the soundtrack’s synth pop has ultra-cool detached vocals toreplicate The Driver’s outward facade. Visually Drive is has the same kindof urban nightmare motifs that are used throughout Eyes Wide Shut.

5. Wes Anderson

While way too many of these protégés are influenced by Sci-FiRevolutionary Kubrick, Wes Anderson is indebted to Mise-en-sceneMaster Kubrick. Anderson’s perfectly arranged symmetrical fetishism ismirrored in Kubrick’s work, especially in his habit of creating one-point

perspective shots, such as in the hallways of the Overlook Hotel or theopening shot of A Clockwork Orange.Admittedly theme-wise Anderson and Kubrick are slightly at odds:Kubrick work suffers from a complete lack of quirk, while Anderson dwellsforever in a non-psychotic zone. The broken family units of Anderson’soeuvre (Moonrise Kingdom’s and The Grand Budapest Hotel’s orphan

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protagonists, the central family in The Royal Tenenbaums) sync up withKubrick’s rare family set ups (Lolita, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining).The cold arsehole tendencies of Barry Lyndon’s titular character seems tohave inspired Anderson to create characters with which to be analysedrather than emphasised, a sterile approach that signifies both auteurs’work.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Though The Grand Budapest Hotel may not be Wes Anderson’s best film,

what is not arguable is how it is currently his purest expression of hisstyle. With a greater budget than previously afforded to him, Andersoncan production design his film to its nth degree, creating a diorama-fakeworld set in the nostalgically false country of Kubrowka.Compared with the other Oscar nominees last year (Whiplash, Birdman,Boyhood, American Sniper) the differences are striking: tonally with itsrapid-fire farce, visually with its pastel palette, audibly with its faux-Eastern European Balalaika-punctuated score and even performance-wise. Ralph Fiennes channels an old-school mixture of Clark Gable, ErrolFlynn and Charlie Chaplin for his suave and scheming M. Gustave –something that Bradley Cooper is unlikely to attempt anytime soon.The influence from Kubrick on The Grand Budapest Hotel is two-fold: inthe framing and the subtle anti-war agenda. Anderson is known for his

iconic framing in which he uses a centralised motif, in that the subject isalways in the middle of frame, a device that Kubrick used a lot, but withAnderson’s new-found infatuation with a ghostly sideways trackingmovement extends the homage even further than in his earlier work.Aside from the occasional music video ripping it off Dr. Strangelove or:How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is perhaps Kubrick’sfilm with least influence over modern cinema but …Budapest Hotel’s

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characters’ gloom and overreaction in the face of looming World War issurprisingly parallel in sentiment to the events of the war-room.Additionally the continuing appearances of Bill Murray throughoutAnderson’s work in vastly disparate guises is much the same as PeterSellers’ dual roles in Dr Strangelove and Lolita.

6. Jonathan Glazer Before making the leap to feature films Jonathan Glazer directed musicvideos for the misanthropically disenfranchised Radiohead (“Karma

Police” and “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”) and Blur’s “The Universal”.Utilising Kubrick’s visually symmetrical one point-perspective throughmost of the promotional clip as well as aping A Clockwork Orange’s iconicopening shot and eye-make-up, Glazer’s direction on “The Universal”wears his idol’s influence for all to see. Psychotic characters aresomething that Glazer has learnt from Kubrick: Ben Kingsley’s colourfullyprofane Don Logan from Sexy Beast has shadows of Full Metal Jacket’s

Sgt. Hartman in his use of inventive cursing, while Under the Skin’sanonymous protagonist has the same icy disregard for human life as AClockwork Orange’s Alex or 2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL.The choice to replace Birth’s original actress Christina Applegate for theless sexually averse Nicole Kidman was no doubt inspired by her role inEyes Wide Shut.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: Under The Skin (2013)

Black Widow herself, Scarlett Johansson, drives a truck around thehighland villages of Scotland to ensnare unsuspecting men in her web.Boundaries between fiction and reality become blurred due to thecinéma vérité documentary footage of Johansson seducing actual men

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while in character, yet the question remains: How did one of the biggestnames in Hollywood go completely unrecognised by the general public?Think about how much unsuccessful footage was shot. The surrealistelements go further than her unexplainable anonymity, with a pitch blacktone and her potential suitors sucked into oblivion within her lair, UnderThe Skin is a tangle of unanswered questions about identity, humanityand sexuality.As explained above, Johansson plays a stereotypical Kubrickian character,with her detached alien emotions and killing-compulsion – almost like a

personified HAL. Narratively Under The Skin is twinned with The Shining;both place a monster in the protagonist role, have strong hygnagogicimagery and, while Under the Skin’s monster-to-human transformation isthe reverse of Jack Torrance’s arc, both characters end the film defeated.In fact their ends have converse duality, one by flame, one by ice –perhaps a conscious decision on Glazer’s part. Even her true formresembles the aliens in A.I., though that was probably not a conscious

decision of Kubrick.

7. Alfonso Cuaron

Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón made quite a name for himself with2013’s megahit Gravity, one of the few widely successful films fromrecent years that wasn’t a sequel, remake, reboot or based on some

already ingrained license. Starting out the 2000’s with sex-filled roadtripflick Y Tu Mamá También, then directing a Harry Potter (and the Prisonerof Azkaban) before releasing his dystopian action/sci-fi masterworkChildren of Men.His use of extended, now-mostly robot controlled one shots is his mainsimilarity to Kubrick, but his interest in pushing for new filmic

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technologies, A Clockwork Orange-inspired wrong-futures and 2001-cribbed visions of space also draw comparisons.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: Gravity (2013)

Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity is the story of a medical engineer and herattempts to survive a catastrophe while orbiting Earth on a satellite. A rareoccasion where a space-set film is not automatically science-fiction, in factthe events of Gravity, the crying in space notwithstanding, could happenlater today and therefore is science-fact. The narrative, where Sandra

Bullock is fighting against the odds for her life, makes the film a thriller.As well as being obviously technologically ambitious and impressive, it isstructurally irregular, akin to The Raid: Redemption or Mad Max: FuryRoad, in the fact that after ten minutes of set-up it is an unceasing roller-coaster of action and emotions until finally letting up as the credits roll.Kubrick, as much as innovator stylistically and narratively, was also greatlyinterested in new technology that would improve his craft, from thestunningly realistic special effect work on 2001: A Space Odyssey to theNASA-manufactured lens that was used in Barry Lyndon so that he wasable to shoot effectively in candlelight. Cuarón and his director ofphotography Emmanuel Lubezki’s work on Gravity is an evolution ofKubrick’s technological enthusiasm.The use of computer-assisted robot-armed camera rigs mimic and better

the inhumanly ghostly Steadicamed tracks from The Shining, while thedigital landscapes and advanced composition techniques upgrade theeffects work on 2001.

8. Duncan Jones

It only makes sense that the son of the man who sang “A Space Oddity”would be fascinated by the science fiction genre. Duncan Jones has, as of

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yet, only completed two films: Sam Rockwell-led lunar-set Moon, and theGroundhog Day-esque Source Code, but both have more than a touch ofKubrick to them. Jones’ upcoming cinematic adaptation of Warcraft couldindeed continue this trend.Though Kubrick never quite made it to the current age of franchise over-penetration, he did re-model an array of non-original ideas: fromVladimir Nabokov’s Lolita to Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. Whilesome of these reworkings were not popular with their original author(Stephen King’s The Shining for example), they showed a willingness to

revise the prototypal concepts for cinematic purposes, which is ideallywhat Jones needs to do with his videogame-to-film conversion.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: Moon (2009)

One of the first of the current clutch of smart science-fiction films (withSunshine, District 9, and Looper), Moon traded sci-fi’s rigour Star Warsvisuals and The Matrix pseudo-intellectual techno-babble for actualapplied science theory.Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, an astronaut who is the lone humaninhabitant of a base on the Moon, tasked with harvesting helium-3, thefuel of the future. Coming to the end of his three years in solitude, Samhas an accident which makes him question his mission. As a film itsinfluence is still felt: this year’s The Martian plays on the same “alone in

space” narrative quirk with admittedly different results.2001: A Space Odyssey’s influence on Moon and all right-minded sciencefiction since 1969 is pretty obvious; to present a future that goes furtherthan Buck Rogers-style adventures and War of the Worlds-invasions andconnects human evolution with possible theoretical outcomes for thehuman race always has Kubrick’s masterwork as a starting point.

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What is also present, albeit in the spoilerific final third, is the imprint ofDr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bombparticularly Peter Sellers playing multiple characters, and the endingitself is eeriely stolen from The Shining (“you’ve always been thecaretaker”).

9. Shane Carruth

Former software engineer Shane Carruth created an instant name forhimself in the world of independent cinema with his debut, the micro-

budgeted time-travel melon-twister Primer. The eight years betweenPrimer and next film Upstream Color were spent making the sadlyunrealised project A Topiary; Kubrick had a similarly unmade project inthe form of A.I. Artificial Intelligence but this was more due to his deathas opposed to a lack of funding.Carruth’s films follows Kubrick’s lead by being meticulously craftedaffairs, with an eye for detail and an interpretability that is absent frommost modern cinema. What is Upstream Color really about? It is up to theaudience to decide and Carruth’s unwillingness to give easy answers andimpenetrability mirrors that of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s concludingsequences.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: Primer (2004)

The problem with time-travel, aside from the paradoxes and potentialbutterfly effects, is keeping track of what is happening, what hashappened and what will happen in the near future. It is a rare film wherea chart is needed to truly understand its twisted timelines but Primer isone of those films, and it is infinitely more complex than the in-moviealternative 1985 diagram used in Back to the Future Part II.

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With little money, as Carruth had when creating Primer, one must bemore inventive to stand out, and, with Primer’s mind-bending plottingthat film-geeks are still dissecting years later, it was always going tobecome a cult classic.While Upstream Color flirted with the narrative lyricism of TerrenceMalick, Carruth’s debut Primer is very much more indebted to Kubrick,especially his methodical, scientific mind. Like Moon, it explores scienceand technological advances the same logical way that 2001: A SpaceOdyssey does, while its razor-sharp plotting is reminiscent of Kubrick’s

The Killing – its race-track robbery replaced with time-travel-assisted stockmarket exploitation.Carruth has said that he found it hard to find actors who could “break …the habit of filling each line with so much drama”, as such the non-professionals that make up the cast deliver dialogue in a monotone that,though semi-unintentional, mirrors the emotional detachmentassociated with Kubrick characters.

10. Todd Field

With only two features to his name, Todd Field is in no way a cinematicheavyweight, though both of his films were very well received: 2002’sBest Picture nominee In The Bedroom and 2006’s Little Children.Field’s relationship with Kubrick is more than just artistic theft,

considering that he played the piano player in Eyes Wide Shut andtherefore an actual protégé of the great man. His dealings with familiesin cinema, in a darkly constrictive, unconventional manner is fairlyKubrickian, as is his cold view of humanity in general.

Most Kubrick Indebted Film: In The Bedroom (2002)

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Todd Field’s debut has a stellar cast: Sissy Spacek, Tom Wikinson, MarisaTomei together in a tale of love, sex and manslaughter. Like Candymanand Happiness before it, In The Bedroom is gifted with a misleading title,that one would assume would set-up a steamy erotic thriller.This is not the case. Its moniker is a reference to lobsters traps colloquiallyknown as “bedrooms”, and the belief that if there’s more than twolobsters in one bedroom trouble will occur – a metaphor that is extendedthroughout the film’s central events.On first viewing Field’s debut In The Bedroom doesn’t feel immediately

Kubrickian. There are no inhuman looking Steadicam tracks, no overtpsychotic episodes. Look a little closer and Kubrick’s influence is clear, hiscoldness towards humanity, his inability to not create overly emotionalyet sketchy female characters, William Mapother’s character even flashesa particularly sinister Kubrick Stare.While other directors are more enamoured with Kubrick’s technicaldetails and science fiction effects, rarely is his ability with actors or

dealings within the family unit commented upon. Field, having formerlybeen directed by Kubrick, draws wounded and vengeful performancesout the whole cast, especially Wilkinson and Spacek, while Tomei atcertain parts feels like she is channelling The Shining’s hysterical ShelleyDuvall. In Lolita, The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut Kubrick deals withfamilies as fractured, broken and untrusting, shot through with his

trademark cynicism and this is how the family unit is shown by Field.A further winking homage to Kubrick is a deleted scene featured Spacekand Wikinson watching Barry Lyndon claiming it to be the first film thecouple saw together.

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18 Important Film Movements Every Movie Buff Should Know

A film movement is a wave of films usually following a particular trend incinema of the time. Most trending movements in cinema are regionalbut influence world cinema. These films have cultural origins usuallyinfluenced by national tragedy, popular culture, or social issues.Experimental techniques can be used to create the innovating filming

styles. Boundaries in editing are also pushed to the limit at times to givethese films a unique identity. These innovating films impact Hollywoodand are very important in not only the history but also the future ofcinema.

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Wegenar)

“Metropolis” (1927 dir. Fritz Lang)

“M” (1931 dir. Fritz Lang)

“Pandora’s Box” (1929 dir. G.W. Pabst) German Expressionism was killed off when the Nazi regime took powerbut its influence would live on. Frtiz Lang and F. W. Murnau went on towork in Hollywood. The traits of German expressionism can be seen inAlfred Hitchcock’s early silent work. Many of Tim Burton’s films arethought to be modern expressionism.

Werner Herzog directed “Nosferatu the Vampyre” in 1979 as a tribute toNosferatu and in 2000 the making of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu wasfictionalized into the film: “Shadow of the vampire”. “Metropolis”inspired the art direction on futurist films such as “Blade Runner” (1982dir. Ridley Scott) as well as others.George Lucas also took inspiration from Metropolis for “THX1138” (1971) and Star wars. In 1984 music producer Giorgio Moroder

revamped Metropolis. The New restoration was colourized and rescoredwith 1980’s pop music.Metropolis was even adapted into a manga and in 2001 a feature lengthanime film titled Metropolis was adapted from the manga. Francis FordCoppola wanted to do a live action remake but has since abandoned theproject after several attempts.

It’s very possible that these films will continue to not only inspire but alsoeven be remade. And there’s still the hope that missing scenes and lostfilms will resurface somewhere in the world. Thankfully The FriedrichWilhelm Murnau Foundation will be active in continuing to restore theseimportant films.“I was called the greatest director in Europe, but I was just a hard worker.” – Fritz Lang.

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2. French New Wave Young film critics in the late 1950s writing for Cahiers du cinema, had awide knowledge of films and were growing tiresome of themonotonousness industry. Keen on innovation, they got to work. Thegroup consisted of friends and help out one another to achieve the goalof changing cinema. Other French filmmakers soon followed.The films had low budgets but were stylized with tracking shots, fast pansand handheld camera work and most famously, Jump cuts. Many filmsand Hollywood worked on a formula of editing. The French new wave

broke the rules and would jump cut scenes to change the timing andgive the film more energy.Major Figures: Francois Truffaut

Jean-Luc Godard

Eric Rohmer

Claude Chabrol

Jacques Rivette Notable Films: “The 400 Blows” (1959 dir. Francois Truffaut)

“Jules and Jim” (1962 dir. Francois Truffaut)

“Breathless” (1960 dir. Jean-Luc Godard)

“Le beau Serge” (1958 dir. Claude Chabrol)

“Sign of Leo” (1962 dir. Eric Rohmer)“Paris Belongs to Us” (1961 dir. Jacques Rivette) French new wave didn’t die but evolved and changed film editing. Somemodern Hollywood films now feature jump cuts. In 1983, Breathless hada modernised American remake but was met with mix reviews. However,Quentin Tarantino is a fan of the remake and has even named hisproduction company A Band Apart films which is a play on words of the

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Jean-Luc Godard continues to make films in a similar style butunfortunately the once innovating filmmaker has progressed in hisexhibit of Marxist ideology and xenophobia towards Americans.“The film of tomorrow will not be directed by civil servants of the camera,

but by artists for whom shooting a film constitutes a wonderful and

thrilling adventure.” – Francois TraffautCheck out our essential French New Wave film list.

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3. New Hollywood

In the 1960s, the United States was radically changing. The old

Hollywood studio system had set formulas for filmmaking, whichcouldn’t even compete with television sitcoms of the time. And with thewar in Vietnam and race riots, people grew tired of films like “The soundof music”. Hollywood was loosing money and filmmakers who had goneto film school and watched foreign films started directing newHollywood.There was no set style, just influences from foreign films. These films were

not for the entire family. Promiscuous sex, drugs and at times violencebecame apart of these films. The films didn’t have glamorous aestheticsand were gritty.Major Figures: Martin Scorsese

Terrence Malick

John Cassavetes

Francis Ford Coppola

Mike Nichols

Arthur Penn Notable Films: “Taxi Driver” (1976 dir. Martin Scorsese)

“Dog Day Afternoon” (1975 dir. Sidney Lumet)

“Easy Rider” (1969 dir. Dennis Hopper)“The Graduate” (1967 dir. Mike Nichols)

“Bonnie and Clyde” (1967 dir. Arthur Penn)

“Midnight Cowboy” (1969 dir. John Schlesinger)

“Two-Lane Blacktop” (1971 dir. Monte Hellman)

“Badlands” (1973 dir. Terrence Malick)

“The Deer Hunter” (1978 dir. Michael Cimino)

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“The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” (1976 dir. John Cassavetes)

“The Conversation” (1974 dir. Francis Ford Coppola) New Hollywood pushed both American independent and Hollywoodfilms. Hollywood continues to make a few great thought provoking grittyfilms each year and take influence from world cinema as well asinfluencing films across the world. American new wave never stopped, its

just not new.“You don’t make pictures for Oscars.” – Martin ScorseseCheck out our essential New Hollywood film list.

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4. Italian Neo-Realism

After the Second World War Italy was in ruins. With an attitude that began

to hate happy go luck films from Hollywood, filmmakers began makingpoetic realism films.These films wouldn’t be afraid to show realistic and gritty locations. Thestories didn’t need to have a happy ending. Poverty, crime, simplistic joysand sadness were seen as realistic and that’s what was portrayed.Major Figures: Federico Fellini

Roberto Rossellini Vittorio De Sica

Luchino Visconti Notable Films: “Rome, Open City” (1945 dir. Roberto Rossellini)

“The Bicycle Thieves” (1948 dir. Vittorio De Sica)

“I Vitelloni” (1953 Federico Fellini)

“Umberto D.” (1952 dir. Vittorio De Sica)

“La Terra Trema” (1948 dir. Luchino Visconti) The Italian neo realist filmmakers continued working in the Italian filmindustry and later were involved with co-productions with the French newwave artists whom they had helped inspire.A big fan of Neo realism is Martin Scorsese who not only made a

documentary about neo realism but also has made mainstream realisticand gritty films inspired by neo realism. Italian neo realism has helpedthe French new wave and new Hollywood and continues to influencemodern cinema.“I’ve lost all my money on these films. They are not commercial. But I’m

glad to lose it this way. To have for a souvenir of my life pictures like

Umberto D. and The Bicycle Thief.” – Vittorio De Sica

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5. Cinema du look

The 1980s culture changed a lot. Video games, fashion, adverts and

music videos became very important in 1980s and early 90s pop culture.Even with government support to help boost France’s film industry,filmmakers still had to work their way up on heavily stylized and colourfulmusic videos and adverts. Three young stylised French directors madefilms which critics began calling a movement of cinema du look.Style was used to make the films look good. Most films were verycolourful just as the current adverts or music videos were. Where as

movements before were focused on story, these filmmakers wanted tomake their films look cool and their charters at times looked like popstars. Modern pop culture was interweaved and dramatic looks wereabandoned.Major Figures:

Jean-Jacques Beineix

Luc Besson

Leos Carax Notable films: “Betty Blue” (1986 dir. Jean-Jacques Beineix)

“Les Amants du Pont-Neuf” (1991 dir. Leos Carax)

“Leon: The Professional” (1994 dir. Luc Besson)

“La Femme Nikta” (1990 dir. Luc Besson)

The words cinema du look can be used for films today. Bright lookingfilms have seemed to not only have great posters and trailers but also outsell story driven dramas however Star treks lens flares is not wherecinema du look lives on. Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” (1989) is agood example.It’s possible that it was either influenced by the on going movement ortook similar inspirations for style. “Do the Right Thing”, then influenced

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later films in the movement like Leos Carax’s Les Amants du Pont-Neuf(1991). Luc Besson continues to make films and continues to createwonderful ascetics.“I think we have the wrong notion of commercial and intellectual or

artistic film. Because all films are commercial.” – Luc BenssonCheck out our essential Cinema du look film list.

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6. Dogme 95

Dogme 95 is one of the few movements to have an official set of rules

documented in a manifesto. The Manifesto was written and signed bydirectors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. Dogma, as in a set ofprinciples and the number 95 as in the year.It was an update of a 1954 article wrote by French new wave directorFrancois Traffaut. All films had to be approved to be considered apart ofthe Dogme 95. Although dogma 95 started in Denmark the movementwas worldwide.

The style was set from the rules known as the “vow of chastity”. But ruleswere broken and confessions were made. One of the original rules was toonly use 35mm film, which was then changed to videotape. Films wereshot handheld without filters and although broken on many occasions,the rules said to shoot on location, with no added sound, lights or props.That caused these films have somewhat of a documentary style.As for story, genre movies were a no no and so were superficial actionslike murder. The other rules stated that the telling of the location the filmwas set in was forbidden and so was the director to be credited. Althoughthe secret is out and we now know which directors take credit.Major Figures: Lars von Trier

Thomas Vinterberg

Notable Films: Dogma 1 “The Celebration” (Denmark 1998 dir. Thomas Vinterberg)

Dogma 2 “The Idiots” (Denmark 1998 dir. Lars von Triee)

Dogma 4 “The king is Alive” (Denmark 2001 dir. Kristian Levring)

Dogma 6 “Julien Donkey-Boy (USA 1999 dir. Harmony Korine. The movement is now over as of 2005 but the filmmakers around theworld that took part have moved on and keep making films. Natural light,

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hand held shots and documentary style films are more popular. Oneimportant thing dogme 95 taught us was that a good story could survivea low budget, something that has inspired new and veteran filmmakers.“Basically, I’m afraid of everything in life, except filmmaking.” – Lars vonTrier

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7. Hong Kong New Wave Whilst most films in China were made in Mandarin Chinese and filmedon stages, a few Cantonese speaking Hong Kong filmmakers who hadstudied European films, decided to break apart from the mainstream. Theculture and history of Hong Kong is very different from the rest of Chinaand these filmmakers show it.The new wavers made films grittier and in their natural Chinese dialect.They were inspired by Italian and French cinema and used real locations.They pushed for their own identity. A lot of films were thrilling crime films

about the Triad gangs or Martial art films. Those that were of a differentgenera like comedy or romance would have a fast energy like an actionfilm.Major Figures: Wong Kar-Wai

John Woo

Ann Hui

Tsui Hark Notable Films: “Boat People” (1981 dir. Ann Hui)

“Days of Being Wild” (1990 dir. Wong Kar-Wai)

“A Better Tomorrow” (1986 dir. John Woo)

“The Butterfly Murders” (1979 dir. Tsui Hark)

This is another movement that never really died. Hong Kong cinema isnow a big industry in world cinema and inspires action films across theglobe. Without this movement, Hong Kong would not have suchincredible films as it does to days, which have inspired Quentin Tarantino.“My films are never about what Hong Kong is like, or anything

approaching a realistic portrait, but what I think about Hong Kong and

what I want it to be.” – Wong Kar-Wai

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8. No Wave

No wave wasn’t just a film movement but also a music and art movementby a group of young creative people living on the Lower East Side of NewYork City. Money was tight but their minds were free.The films were mostly made on either Super 8 or 16mm film in aguerrilla filmmaking style inspired by French new wave. The stories weretransgressive. It was a great practice for the filmmakers who would go onto have successful careers. Vincent Gallo and Steve Buscemi both gottheir start by acting in no wave films.

Major Figures: Amos Poe

Jim Jarmusch Notable Films: “Rome ’78” (1978 dir. James Nares)

“Subway Riders” (1981 dir. Amos Poe)

“Stranger Than Paradise” (1984 dir. Jim Jarmusch)

These films boosted American independent cinema and helped pushtrasngresive films. Jim Jarmusch and Amos Poe continue to work. VincentGallo went on to direct a few transgression films after the movement hadfinished. They didn’t wait for a studio, they just did it their way andinspired filmmakers to not focus on mainstream subjects. With a do-it-yourself attitude it was the precursor in American independent cinema to

Mumblecore.“When I left Ohio when I was 17 and ended up in New York and realizedthat not all films had the giant crab monsters in them, it really opened up

a lot of things for me.” – Jim Jarmusch

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9. Nuevo Cine Mexicano

New Mexican cinema is a current ongoing wave of films and filmmakers

coming from Mexico that began in the early 1990s. These films stay awayfrom the typical Narcoculture and instead take inspiration from Americanand European films.The films focus on person expression and changed Mexican cinema to aserious force in world cinema. They have a flare of Mexican culture,realism and romanticism.Major Figures:

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Alfonso Cuaron

Carlos Reygadas

Guillermo del Toro Notable Films: “Danzon” (1991 dir. Maria Novaro)

“The Devil’s Backbone” (2001 dir. Guillermo del Toro)

“Amores Perros” (2000 dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

“Battle in Heaven” (2005 dir. Carlos Reygadas)

“Y Tu Mama Tambien” (2001 dir. Alfonso Cuaron)

“Biutiful” (2010 dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

“Japan” (2002 dir. Carlos Reygadas) These films are still being made and many directors are making their way

and working in mainstream Hollywood. It is influencing the film worldwith a Mexican flare and helping to grow Mexicos film industry.“I have a real thing for Mexican directors. And I love Guillermo del Toro

and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.” – Emma WatsonCheck out our essential New Mexican film list.

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10. South Korean New Wave

South Korea cinemas started to sell more tickets of domestic films

apposed to foreign in 1998. In recent years South Korean films havebecome sought after and watched by film lovers. The peninsula had beenknown for years for its animation work for American cartoons like TheSimpsons, but now they have a live action voice by filmmakers from aunique culture.What makes the films different is very much the culture. To the North isthe oppressed North Korea that threatens their country. A few defectors

have luckily made it across the boarder. Oldboy shows the isolationsimilar to North Korea and “The Host” (2006 dir. Bong Joon-ho) showsfears of invasion. They also have a dark way of telling stories and push thelimits.The films take inspiration from not only western and Japanese new wavefilms but also from Pansori: a Korean style of story telling. Korean filmshave rich stories but are at times criticised for going outside comfortzones when it comes to violence and horror.Major Figures: Park Chan-wook

Ki-duk Kim

Kim Jee-Woon

Bong Joon-ho

Notable Films: “Memories of Murder” (2003 dir. Bong Joon-ho)

“A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003 dir. Kim Jee-woon)

“Oldboy” (2003 dir. Park Chan-wook)

“Mother” (2009 dir. Bong Joon-ho)

“Pieta” (2012 dir. Ki-duk Kim)

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“Secret Sunshine” (2007 dir. Lee Chang-dong)

“Samaritan Girl” (2004 dir. Ki-duk Kim) The Korean new wave is starting to transform. The South Korean filmindustry is producing more films because of the wave and filmmakersPark Chan-Wook and Bong Joon-ho have began work in Hollywood. Bong

Joon-ho has also worked alongside French filmmakers Michel Gondryand Leos Carax in “Tokyo!” (2008). The film Oldboy inspired and wasremade in 2013 by Spike Lee. There is also an unlicensed Indian remake.“There is a lot of extreme emotion in Korean film. It’s because there are a

lot of extremes in Korean society.” – Bong Joon-hoCheck out our essential South Korean New Wave film list.

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11. Japanese New Wave

After the American occupation following world war two, the film industryboosted. Samurai films would later go onto inspire star wars. Ozu’smelodramas would inspire western films. And Kaiju monster and sci-fifilms would also gain worldwide notoriety whilst being a metaphor forthe destruction of Japan during world war two as well as boosting thegrowing toy industry. This was a golden age for Japanese cinema. Butother filmmakers wanted to be more expressive with the new freedom.Thus came the Japanese new wave. They strayed away from the norm andwent for more realist gritty thrillers. Touching on taboo subjects and

controversial themes, they didn’t hold back and scored their films with Jazz music. Just as new Hollywood, the Japanese studios stopped onlymaking films that were appropriate for families to watch. Killings were nolonger implied or suggested by giant monsters or heroic samurais butcommitted by sick criminals.Major Figures: Seijun Suzuki

Nagisa Oshima

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Shohei Imamura

Hiroshi Teshigahara

Masahiro Shinoda Notable Films: “Branded to Kill” (1967 dir. Seijun Suzuki)

“Tokyo Drifter” (1966 dir. Sijun Suzuki)

“Intentions Of Murder” (1964 dir. Shohei Imamura)

“The Face of Another” (1966 dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)

“Japanese Summer: Double Suicide” (1967 dir. Nagisa Oshima)

“Double Suicide” (1969 dir.

Masahiro Shinoda) The taboo yakuza crime stories inspired many. Hong Kong new wavedirector John Woo was inspired to make thrilling triad crime films thatwould go on to inspire many of Hong Kong’s filmmakers like Johnnie To.No wave director Jim Jarmusch was inspired to push taboo subjects andfilmmaker Quentin Tarantino also took inspiration from these films.

Japanese new wave has also inspired the new wave of South Korea,

which at times, feature horrific taboo subject maters.“Why make a movie about something one understands completely? I

make movies about things I do not understand, but wish to.” –SeijunSuzukiCheck out our essential Japanese New Wave film list.

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12. Parallel Cinema (India)

The second largest film market is India. The market has attracted the likesof Disney. The biggest part of Indian cinema has always been Bollywood:Hindi language films made in Mumbai (formally Bombay) that basestyles on historical Indian epics, ancient Sanskrit dramas, Parsi andHollywood musicals. Indian cinema has become known for lavish dance

sequences and romantic music numbers. Films were rushed out for profitand realism was a rarity in Indian cinema.However realism was apparent in a few films such as 1946’s “NeechaNagar” which Indian filmmakers from the state of West Bengal chariest.Rather than copy the style of Hindi language films like other areas ofIndia had done during the Indian golden age, Bengali filmmakers wereinspired by Bengali literature and Italian neo realism and loathed the

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intrusive dances. The new wave would then extend to other regions inIndia.Major Figures: Satyajit Ray

Ritwik Ghatak

Mrinal Sen Notable Films: “Aparajito” (Language: Bengali 1956 dir. Satyajit Ray)

“The Rat Trap” (Language: Malayalam 1981 dir. Andoor Gospalekrishnan)

“Parama” (Language: Bengali 1984 dir. Aparna Sen)“Ajantrik” (Language: Bengali 1958 dir. Ritwik Ghatak)

“Akaler Sandhane” (Language: Bengali 1980 dir. Mrinal Sen)

“Do Bigha Zamin” (Language: Hindi 1953 dir. Bimal Roy)

“Do Aanken Barah” (Language: Hindi 1957 dir. V. Shantaram) The Indian new wave changed Indian cinema forever. Mainstream Indiancinema still consists of dancing. Even though this movement grew in the

1970s and 80s, it struggled with money and distribution in the early1990s but allowed and inspired Indian filmmakers to make filmsdifferent from Bollywood.This new wave pushed the way and allowed Indian directors like MiraNair, Deepa Mehta, and Mani Ratnam to make thought provokingdramas. As more and more parrell type films are coming out of Indian

and gaining recognition such as 2004’s Hindi film “Black Friday”, thereseems to be the possibility of resurgence. These films also inspiredfilmmakers outside of India by winning awards at the top film festivalsaround the world.“I think they quite like me when I work because I’m one of the safer

directors to back, because even if my films don’t bring their costs in back

home, once they’re shown outside of India they manage to cover the

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13. Iranian New Wave

Iranian cinema is extremely unique and different. Although it had beengoing for years, the industry didn’t start up until the ruling regime finallyallowed the 1969 release of “The Cow”. Government censorship is strictbut the government started allowing more films to be made. Because ofthe countries strict censorship, only a few western films are allowed intothe country, however the Internet now allows Iranians to watched bannedfilms.Iranian films are made with censorship in mind. Scripts are submitting tothe government before they are allowed to be made. Filmmakers must

hide political messages. Women must not be shown not wearing a veiland therefore films normally never show a woman at home, alone withher family. Sex and nudity is never allowed. In the first wave, many filmswere banned, only a few were released after heavy editing.In the second wave, filmmakers not only took inspiration from neorealism but documentaries. Iranian filmmakers have kept rolling whenan actor gets frustrated and loses charter. Improvisation is favored and in

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actors. Some films are re-enactments of real life events acted by eitheractors or those who lived them.Major Figures:

Jafar Panahi

Abbas Kiarostami

Mohsen Makhmalbaf Notable Films: “The Cow” (1969 dir. Daryush Mehrjui)

“Offsides” (Banned in Iran 2006 dir. Jafar Panahi)

“Ten” (Banned in Iran 2002 dir. Abbas Kiarostami)“Close up” (1990 dir. Abbas Kiarostami)

“A Moment of Innocence” (1995 banned until 1997 dir. Mohsen

Makhmalbaf)

“A Separation” (2011 dir. Asghar Farhadi)

“This Is not a Film” (Illegally made / Banned in Iran 2011 dir. Jafar Panahi

and Mojitaba Mirtahmasb)

This is an ongoing wave, which may die under censorship. Some filmshad to be smuggled out of Iran such as “This is not a film”, which wasapparently done so with a flash drive hidden inside of a birthday cake.Some filmmakers are threatened with jail sentences. Director MartinScorsese has admired these films along with film critic and filmmakerMark Cousins whom has documented Iranian cinema numerous times.

Since a lot of the Iranian films are almost documentaries, westerndocumentaries have begun to blur the lines and make films about realevents using real people rather than a traditional documentary. This wasdone in the 2012 documentary “The Act of Killing”.“When you take a tree that is rooted in the ground, and transfer it from

one place to another, the tree will no longer bear fruit. And if it does, the

fruit will not be as good as it was in its original place. This is a rule of

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14. New German Cinema

On the twenty eighth of February 1962, twenty-six young German

filmmakers signed the Oberhausen Manifesto. This ideal of West Germancinema fueled the New German cinema wave, which developed yearslater.Much like other movements they were fed up with the norm. Theywanted to make expressive films inspired by the French new wave thatthe studios wouldn’t allow.

The filmmakers made low budget art films and covered the issue ofpolitics in West Germany, something the studios didn’t want. With hardwork by creative filmmakers, they did what the studios couldn’t andweren’t afraid to take the story in new directions. Despite the films allbeing apart of the same movement, each director had different styles andmade different films.Major Figures:

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Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Werner Herzog

Wim Wenders

Volker Schlondorff Notable Films: “Paris, Texas” (1984 dir. Wim Wenders)

“The Tin Drum” (1979 dir. Volker Schlondorff)

“Ali: Fear Eats the Soul” (1981 dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

“Stroszek” (1977 dir. Werner Herzog)

The films were accepted by audiences and gained the recognition thatwas deserved. German cinema changed just as New Hollywood hadchanged Hollywood. Werner Herzog has inspired Harmony Korine.Fassbinder sadly passed at the age of thirty seven in 1982 from a drugoverdoes. The others still continue to make films today, inspiring newfilmmakers“I’d like to be for cinema what Shakespeare was for theatre, Marx for

politics and Freud for psychology: someone after whom nothing is as it

used to be.” – Rainer Werner Fassbinder

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15. Taiwan New Wave

In the 1980’s the home video market boosted but most of the films in

Taiwan, the home of the Golden Horse film festival, were from HongKong. Desperate for some of the market, the CMPC (Central MotionPicture Corporation) funded new filmmakers in order to boost theTaiwanese film industry and compete with Hong Kong cinema.Because films were easier to get funding for, these new filmmakers wereable to make artistically expressional films taking inspiration from Neo

realism. This was the First wave. What’s known as the second wave startedin 1990 when films began to change to take on the competition ofHollywood. The second new wave still retained artistic expression but wasless serious to fight against the blockbusters in box office.Major Figures:

Ang Lee

Edward Yang

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Hou Hsiao-Hsien

Tsai Ming-Liang Notable Films: “Eternal Summer” (2006 dir. Leste Chen)

“Three Times” (2005 dir. Hou Hsio-Hsien)

“Vive L’amour” (1994 dir. Tsai Ming-Liang)

“Taipei story” (1985 dir. Edward Yang)

“Prince of Tears” (2009 dir. Yofan)

“A City of Sadness” (1989 dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien)

“Yi Yi” (2000 dir. Edward Yang)“Pushing Hands” (1992 dir. Ang Lee) With a high level of the Taiwanese films being pirated, the wave startedto struggle against the high budgeted foreign films. Although the secondwave has died, it’s possible for a third wave to come as Taiwanesefilmmakers still have hope and have become recognized by film festivalsaround the world.

However, Taiwanese television could become a bigger market thancinema and prevent a third wave in cinema. American Taiwanesefilmmaker Ang Lee, one of the most well known out of the second wave,has brought styles from the Taiwanese new wave and adapted them forHollywood.“I look at American movies, the big muscles, and try to apply that to

Chinese film-making.” – Ang Lee

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16. British New Wave

The cinema of the United Kingdom was strong. Walter Disney used hisprofits from the British box office to re-invest in British made Disney

films. Stanley Kubrick moved to Hertfordshire, England with his Britishwife and made his films in Britain even if they were set elsewhere likeVietnam. GPO Film Unit was a subdivision of the UK General Post Office,which helped fund the industry. Hammer and Ealing studios films werepacking cinemas around the world.However, the films that were being made were much like Hollywood and

left out realism. French new wave and Kitchen sink realism of the Britishtheatre, art, novels, film and television of the time influenced a fewfilmmakers that shot in a cinema vertie documentary style similar to thefree cinema documentary movement.Major Figures: Ken Loach

Tony Richardson

Lindsay Anderson

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Richard Lester

Karel Reisz Notable Films: “This Sporting life” (1963 dir. Lindsay Anderson)

“The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” (1962 dir. Tony Richardson)

“if….” (1968 dir. Lindsay Anderson)

“Kes” (1969 dir. Ken Loach)

“A Hard Day’s Night” (1964 dir. Richard Lester)

“Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” (1960 dir. Karel Reisz)

“The L-Shaped Room” (1962 dir. Bryan Forbes)“Tom Jones” (1963 dir. Tony Richardson) The films helped the British film industry. The movement ended whenHollywood blockbusters and mainstream Bond films won the popularitybut ideals of the British new wave continued to inspire and can be seenevery so often in British cinema and televison dramas after the 1960s.“If the cinema is any kind of force for social change, then it’s a force for the

bad, because most films are about one guy with a gun solving a problem” – Ken LoachCheck out our essential British New Wave film list.

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17. New French Extremity

When audiences first watched “The Great Train Robbery” in 1903, theending shot of a man shooting at the screen terrified cinemagoers fordear life. 1990’s “Goodfellas” paid homage to that shot. Despite beingmore violent, audiences were desensitised and had become accustomedto media portraying these types of acts.If filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino wanted to shock, they were forced toresort to more extreme methods showing the brutal severing of an ear ora toe. Horror became the biggest selling genre besides pornography.French filmmakers became inspired by David Cronenberg and wanted to

take things to an extreme leave whilst remaining artistic usingtransgressive stories. Not all the films are horror but they feature extremeelements and exploits realism during sex, murder, and rape scenes.Major Figures: Gaspar Noe

Xavier Gens

Pascal Laugier Notable Films:

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“Frontier(s)” (2007 dir. Xavier Gens)

“Martyrs” (2008 dir. Pascal Laugier)

“Baise-Moi” (2000 dir. Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi)

“High Tension” (2003 dir. Alexandre Aja)

“Irreversible” (2002 dir. Gaspar Noe)

“Pola X” (1999 dir. Leos Carax)

“Trouble Every Day” (2001 dir. Claire Denis) French Extremity is inspiring and expanding. It’s now a Europeanmovement that includes Lars von Trier, who has portrayed real sex and an

infant child falling from a window. It’s also inspiring films world wide topush the limits. They face criticism and some films struggle withdistribution because of extreme content. However, extremist FilmmakersAlwxandre Aja and Xavier Gens have made it to Hollywood.“There is no line between art and pornography. You can make art of

anything. You can make an experimental movie with that candle or with

this tape recorder. You can make a piece of art with a cat drinking milk.

You can make a piece of art with people having sex. There is no line.

Anything that is shot or reproduced in an unusual way is considered

artistic or experimental.” – Gaspar NoeCheck out our essential French Extremity film list.

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“12:08 East of Bucharest” (2006 dir. Cornellu Porumboiu)

“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” (2007 dir. Cristian Mungiu)

“California Dreamin’ (2007 dir. Cristian Nemescu)

“Child’s Pose” (2013 dir. Calin Peter Netzer) More and more films are coming from the Romanian new wave andgaining notable recognition. After years of oppression and governmentcensorship, Romanians are finding ways to express themselves withoutfear of government interference. The movement is not dead yet and willcontinue and inspire.

“I had the experience of working on a film for somebody else, on a foreign production. They were very nice people, but I discovered it is very difficult

for me to have somebody else interfere with my film. I wouldn’t like to

work on anything unless I have complete control.” – Cristian MungiuCheck out our essential Romanian New Wave film list.

Author Bio: The international filmmaker, Anthony Crossland was born

24th November 1989 in Watford, UK and holds duel citizenship with the

U.S.A. In 2012 Anthony graduated from Full sail university with a degree

in film studies and has since gone on to work in the film and television

industry.

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Heaven’s Gate: The Film That Changed Hollywood

And Filmmaking Forever

The Sixties, particularly the latter part of that decade, saw morality andstandards change dramatically in regards to film content and filmmaking. After a string of costly musicals such as “Star!”, “Hello Dolly” and“Doctor Doolitle”, all of which flopped horrendously at the box office, onething became clear. The powers that be in Hollywood were experiencingsomething of a disconnect with what they thought their audiences

wanted to see.Enter stage left people like Dennis Hopper, Bob Rafelson, Peter Fondaand Roger Corman. Very much part of the counterculture of the time, theflagship film that ushered in a completely unorthodox and new approachto film making was the 1969 film “Easy Rider”. Made for about $300,000which in that day and age was considered low budget, it made several

times that amount at the box office. This ushered in what the Frenchcalled the ‘auteur’ theory, where the director was seen as the true artistand the ‘author’ of the film.The result of this was that the floodgates opened for aspiring film makersto do things their way. Hence the beginning of New Hollywood Cinema, arich and exciting time for movies. These films were highly character basedand had something relevant to say about the world around them,

particularly in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the subsequentimpeachment of President Richard Nixon.The political and world change resulted in some astounding, intelligentand thought provoking films over the next decade or so. Some of theseincluded “The Godfather” (1972), “Harold & Maude” (1971),“Network” (1976), “Shampoo” (1975), “Badlands” (1973), “Nashville(1975), “Taxi Driver” (1976) and many, many others. These were films

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that didn’t treat their respective audiences like a pack of five year oldsand gave them food for thought in regards to the movies they watched.Director Michael Cimino was, along with the likes of Hal Ashby, SidneyLumet, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and others,one of the directors to rise up during this phenomenal period of cinema.Like Icarus, he was also the one that flew too close to the sun and crashedand burned as a result. What was the reason for this spectacular fall fromgrace? The 1980 film he directed, “Heaven’s Gate”.Cimino made his directing debut with 1974’s “Thunderbolt And

Lightfoot”, a crime comedy/drama starring Clint Eastwood and JeffBridges. A highly enjoyable film, Eastwood served as producer, and hisstrong hand is evident in the finished product. While an astoundingvisual stylist, Cimino has, as a director, always had a major issue inregards to knowing when enough is enough, whether it be in regards tovisual style or storytelling. With Eastwood’s ‘less is more’ approach,“Thunderbolt And Lightfoot” is probably Cimino’s most consistent and

well-rounded film.His next film was to make his name around the world. 1978’s “The DeerHunter” was one of the first films to directly address the Vietnam War,and its effect upon America. While a film of great power, it is also a highlybloated and self-indulgent one. Example: half an hour spent on awedding sequence? A stronger director could have made the same points

in five or ten minutes with the use of a good editor. There are manymoments like this in “The Deer Hunter” that exceed that point where youthink a scene should hit its natural conclusion. There is also a ridiculousamount of unnecessary detail, which doesn’t really add anything ofworth.Finally, the infamous Russian Roulette scenes, while having a raw powerto them, drew a rather hostile response from Vietnam war veterans and

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protestors such as Jane Fonda for the fact that there was no documentedincidents of this during the war.Long story short, “The Deer Hunter” cleaned up at the Oscars, winningfive in total, including Best Picture, Best Director for Cimino and BestSupporting Actor (a striking, unforgettable performance from ChristopherWalken).As a result, Cimino was white hot as far as Hollywood was concerned. Thestudio United Artists was founded in 1919 by D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford,Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, and was one that prided itself on

making edgy, thought provoking films such as John Slesinger’s 1969masterpiece “Midnight Cowboy” and the 1974 Bob Fosse film “Lenny” toname but two.United Artists, wanting to get on the Michael Cimino bandwagon at anycost, pretty much gave him a blank cheque to make his dream project,“Heaven’s Gate”. This was a production that, quite frankly, was doomedfrom the get go. A sprawling western, a genre that was considered box

office poison until Kevin Costner’s multi-award winning 1990 film“Dances With Wolves”, the first of many insurmountable hurdles thatCimino, his cast and crew were about to hit.The stories of Cimino’s egomania, possibly fuelled by heavy cocaine use,are legendary. Sets were torn down because he felt they didn’t ‘lookright’. Extras were dressed head to to in ridiculously expensive attire.

Some extremely misguided and suspect casting decisions were made,such as severely talented French actress Isabelle Huppert, with herborderline impenetrable accent and less than strong grasp on theEnglish language, playing an American bordello madam. Moredisturbingly, there were constant allegations of animal abuse against thehorses used in the film, such as the use of tripwires to make the animalsfall.

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“Heaven’s Gate” is seen as a symbol of the ‘auteur’ theory gone made.Left to his own devices in Wyoming to film, the film escalatedspectacularly from its original budget of $7.5 Million to a whopping $44Million-probably in the ballpark of $300 Million in today’s figure afteradjustment for inflation.If he had created a masterpiece, all would have been forgiven. Instead,Cimino created a work that was nearly four hours long with basically nostory to it. Apparently, the original cut went five and a half hours!Needless to say, the executives at United Artists were besides themselves

with worry as to what they had let themselves into and contemplatingwhat their chances were of making their money back at the box office.Sure, there’s physical beauty to the film, beautifully shot by mastercinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. However, it feels like something of ahollow and empty vessel. For an ‘epic’ to truly work, an audience has tobe able to engage with the characters. In other words, there has to beheart as well as beauty. Director David Lean truly understood this,

creating such benchmark works as “Lawrence Of Arabia” (1962) and“Doctor Zhivago” (1964). In the case of “Heaven’s Gate”, Cimino was soobsessed with creating physical beauty at any cost that he completelyforgot the heart.Even at nearly four hours, it appears more like a series of unconnectedand disjointed sequences strung together rather than a coherent film

with a strong story. What many people forget is that Cimino had hadprevious form with blowing out budgets. “The Deer Hunter” ran twice itsallotted budget, but everyone forgot that come Oscar time.The fallout of all this was swift and incredibly brutal. “Heaven’s Gate” diedan utterly spectacular death at the box office. United Artists, going intodamage control, released a two and a half hour version of the film, but tono avail.

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Cimino immediately became a pariah in the world that once celebratedhis talents. He was made the whipping boy for all that was wrong withNew Hollywood. This ushered in a cinema industry where the studioswere in significantly more control than what they had been. Although hehas made a few films since this debacle, such as 1985’s “Year Of TheDragon” and 1990’s “Desperate Hours”, Cimino’s name is still mud as faras Hollywood is concerned. His last feature film “The Sunchaser”, wasmade in 1996.“Heaven’s Gate” well and truly put an end to the high profile of the

‘auteur’ theory in Hollywood at large. This film is also most infamous forbankrupting the company that made it, United Artists. They were soonbought up by MGM, forming a conglomerate, MGM/UA, of the twocompanies. It is perhaps this single reason alone why Cimino has beensingled out in particular for the death of New Hollywood cinema.“Heaven’s Gate” and the ramifications for filmmaking in general hasproved one thing. If there’s one thing that the film world will crucify you

for, it’s failure.Now that we are some years on from when this all took place, the film hasreceived something of a reassessment. It has been recently released onthe Criterion Collection DVD label, the Rolls Royce of boutique DVDcompanies.Many critics and audiences are also beginning to reappraise the film,

without the cultural baggage it had upon release. While a deeply, deeplyflawed film, it does have some interesting aspects to it. However, thereare infinitely worse films out there and this one, unfortunately, happenedto be made in the wrong time and definitely in the wrong place.It also ushered in, along with a new American government, a period oftime when films questioned the world around them less and less. TheEighties were all about ‘escapism’ and entertainment, with some

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produced-“Top Gun’, anyone?!? The death of “Heaven’s Gate” proved tobe something of a double edged sword, a blessing and a curse for wherefilm making was to head over the subsequent decade following itscrucifixion.

Author Bio: Neil is a journalist, labourer, forklift and truck driver. In a

previous life, he was a projectionist for ten years. He is a lifelong student

of cinema.

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10 Ways The French New Wave Changed Cinema Forever

10 November 2015 Features, Other Lists by Joshua Price

The French New Wave could very well be the most important movementin cinema history. There is a good chance you have heard of this

movement, but you may not be familiar with just how influential it was,how many rules it broke and exactly how they did it. As Quentin Tarantinosaid about the movement: “Whatever books that said this is how it had tobe done, they burned them”.

Having been initiated by some amateur French filmmakers who feltdissatisfied with the current state of mainstream movies due to a lack ofinnovation in the industry. They felt that movies had reached a format in

which they were consistently sticking to instead of attempting to reachbeyond the established boundaries such as casting a different actor, orutilizing different formulas.

They also disagreed with the emphasis of commercialisation, do not thinkof them as critical knit pickers though, they were still huge fans ofcinema, but they wanted to see it made differently once or twice.

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They felt that it should express truth, be handled by a singular vision andcomplex like any other art form. This meant that whatever methods theirpredecessors had been using to make movies had exploited, they had tofind an alternative. What this new style of filmmaking did was simplystaggering.

It completely changed the landscape of movies in so many ways beyond just among high brow film critics, audiences started paying moreattention to foreign cinema and even the American filmmakers of thetime recognised its significance and tried to emulate it with their own

style of making of movies, which brought on the New Hollywoodmovement, and that in turn directly changed western movies forever.

This list comprises of ten reasons of why and how the movement hadsuch a huge influence on so many.

1. Low Production Values

Perhaps the first thing you should know about the movement is that itscreators were not established figures in the film industry prior to theactual genesis of the French New Wave.

This was simply a group of film enthusiasts meeting to discuss film, andeventually concluding that they wanted to make their own moviesinstead of just talking. Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Jaques Rivetteand Claude Chabrol all had some interesting ideas concerning film, butthey had no studio backing and very little money to put their ideas intoaction.

Despite this set back, they still elected to at the very least attempt to enactthese theories. However in the economic depression of a post-World WarII France, they found difficulty just making a film with their own verylimited budget. Dues to this, they sought low budget alternatives to the

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standard production techniques that big budget studios would use ontheir films.

This expenditure difficulty has led some to question whether themethods of the French New Wave were intentional or circumstantial, butregardless these directors used what little resources they had to conveytheir vision onto the screen.

Such a drive and determination, and the success of accomplishing somuch artistic quality within the films on such a low cost makes it ratherunsurprising that some of the largest admirers of the New Wave today

are indie filmmakers (such as Tarantino, as previously shown) that cameto prominence during the rise of independent filmmaking in thenineties. Without the French New Wave doing it first, it is unlikely thatanyone would even consider taking the risk of relying more onindependent directors.

2. Editing

Perhaps the most noticeable thing about a film from this movement is itsediting style. What makes it so influential and ground-breaking is the factthat prior to the movement, the purpose of editing was primarily touphold continuousness and keep the picture moving at a regular pace(more on that later). Editing was supposed to be invisible, disguisedunder a set of rules concerning how the style and order of shots shouldbe presented so that the audience never notices it.

That may be the first thing the New Wave directors wanted to avoid, theystrove to be noticed and discussed. The audience should become moreaware of the techniques being used to create the film and using a shot tocontrast opposing shots preceding them. This reduced the restriction of

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something like Taxi Driver with Martin Scorsese? Today, directors are seenas the primary creative force behind movies, displaying their own visionand techniques onto the screen instead of being dominated by studiocontrol.

This was solidified in the French New Wave as a filmmaking techniquecalled Camera-Stylo that meant that a director should use their camera inthe same way that a writer would use their pen.

It was a simple concept, but it meant so much. The idea of a directorusing their own visual trademarks and techniques to personalise their

own films and could follow their own specific vision. It can relate to theirown personal opinions, messages they themselves want to convey andthe themes that ring true to their own style of filmmaking rather thanbeing contractually obliged to direct a project that would be under heavyscrutiny from the studio.

As a result, today we recognise a film mainly through its directorial style

and associate it with particular directors. We consider them to be themain driving force and decision maker within the project, even if that isnot the actual case.

5. Pacing

]The editing stylisation of the movement eventually became a method inits own right. The directors would look at each scene and ask if it wasnecessary to the message, plot or themes of the film. If it was not, then itwould be cut. Then they went a step further and started cutting outmoments that were not important to the scene itself. This wholetechnique sped up the film drastically, forcing the audience to payattention and crafting a much faster pace in their movies.

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Today movies are often criticised for being faster and more intense, but atthe time of the new wave, many saw it as an improvement on the slowerand sometimes melodramatic pacing that was found in the majorHollywood movies.

Even in transitional scenes, the pace was altered as rather than showsomething to represent the character’s journey, the new wave filmmakerswould just jump straight to that location, leaving the audience to connectthe dots. It all stemmed from a rule about filmmaking that was ‘showdon’t tell’. The French directors concluded that sometimes, they didn’t

even need to do either. 6. Moving Cameras

Another classic rule was that to establish a new location one needed toset up a new shot, emphasise the change in environment and scenery.But more than a few times, the directors of this movement would simply

pan the camera towards their new location if it was in close proximity.The idea of moving a camera may not seem like much, but at the time anunencumbered filming style was a rarity. It was exclusively used fordocumentary films, but the new wave filmmakers wanted to differentiatethemselves and used it to a much greater extent, and with multiplevariations. Whereas Godard would track at a low angle in front of hischaracters, Truffaut would use quick panning shots.

Moving their cameras could rapidly change the space of an environmentwithin that film, a closed space could become an open one within asingle shot, or vice versa. The film is less encapsulated and shows anopen world around the characters rather than the world existing purelywithin the frame.

An audience could subconsciously sense a much wider world and beyond

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and the real world, and if a film felt more relevant to reality the audiencewere more likely to pay closer attention to its message and apply it totheir own lives.

7. Playing with the Framing

Traditionally, a director was limited to their frame within the screen, theycould play with tone and atmosphere through their camera techniquesand movements, but they would always be limited to their own screen.Remember though, if there was any possibility that such a feeling could

be accomplished using a different method, the New Wave creators wouldexperiment with it. So instead of allowing themselves to be restricted bytheir framing, they played with it.

The reason other filmmakers had avoided this was because they felt thatsuch an act would break the illusion of the film. But the French were notworried about maintaining an illusion, they wanted people to notice their

techniques and therefore had no issues alter

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