It Was a Cultural Reset

Throughout film history, movies have acted as cultural landmarks with great creative innovation. In this list, we explore 10 of the most impactful films in history and how their influence can be seen.

People around the world flock to cinemas (or now streaming services) to laugh, cry, learn, or even to escape for the meagre duration of two hours. During their runtime, movies have the ability to capture the zeitgeist of a moment in history, to tell stories from unique perspectives, and influence a generation of moviegoers. In this list, I will examine a few of the pictures that have greatly affected our culture, socially or historically.

1. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

This psychological thriller is responsible for much iconic imagery in modern pop culture, from the creepy and menacing Victorian house on the hill to the notorious shower murder scene. Along with this imagery comes the iconic score by Bernard Herrmann, which is now widely recognized and oftentimes parodied. The business side of this film is also what makes it special. By mainly financing it himself, Hitchcock was able to turn a great profit upon its success. Hitchcock was penny-pinching during its production, which led him to use black and white film rather than color. This film’s ending was catastrophic at the time and one of the first real plot twists in cinema.

2. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s work has carved out an important place for them in film history and contemporary culture. Studio Ghibli’s animation offers some of the most impressive and stunningly beautiful animation that cinema has ever seen. In addition, many of their productions introduced people all over the world to classic Japanese folk tales and were some of the first foreign-language films that gen Z kids experienced. Whether it’s to your taste or not, Spirited Away takes the cake for incredible storytelling and worldbuilding, and challenged animators to truly bring their ‘A’ game.

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014)

This was a masterpiece in terms of production design (like most Wes Anderson works) and also storytelling. The subtle, dry, even black humor used in The Grand Budapest Hotel is a delight for viewers of all ages and also complements the darker themes of war and fascism that the movie deals with. As Anderson’s highest-grossing feature to date, this film had an impact not only on the film bros, but also on the general public, making the art of film more accessible for the average joe.

4. The Breakfast Club (John Hughes, 1985)

John Hughes’ golden age produced many teen classics and high school film tropes, but none have resulted in the immense cultural iconography of The Breakfast Club. This movie depicts archetypes such as the jock, the rebel, the bookworm, and more, who all reconcile with their teen angst and suburban anguish in detention. The success of this film was not short-lived, as it has maintained its popularity and influence to the present day. Homages like the episode of Nickelodeon’s Victorious entitled “The Breakfast Bunch” play on this established story, as though it’s a customary part of culture.

5. The Birth of a Nation (D. W. Griffith, 1915)

Before you watch this, it may be helpful to know some background on why this film has become so famous––or, rather, infamous. The most glaring issue with this picture is its deeply racist tone and handling of the subject matter. Tropes such as the “Lost Cause,” (which repaints the South’s attempts in the Civil War as heroic acts rather than racist, greedy, and hateful ones,) along with a sympathetic, if not glorified, portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan run rampant throughout the three hours. Unfortunately, it has cemented a spot in film history as the first big-budget Hollywood epic, the longest film to be made at the time, and as the New Yorker states, “the founding work of cinematic realism.” Even upon release in 1915, audiences were outraged by the outright racism of the film, and screenings were met with protestors. Nevertheless, in a Jim Crow era America, this film became kindling for the resurgence of the near dormant Ku Klux Klan and propaganda for new recruits for years to come.

6. Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017)

The pre-Get Out and post-Get Out Americas are distinct eras in my mind. As his debut feature, Peele expertly crafts a thriller filled with his usual hilarity and easter eggs for rewatches, which is all underscored by the terror of police brutality and racial inequality. Following known racist Trump’s inauguration, Get Out swiftly embarked on an epic artistic and activist feat like none before it. References to “the sunken place” and the eponymous phrase “get out” in music and internet memes shows its great cultural effect. I mean, my mom liked it and she can’t stand most horror.

7. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

If Citizen Kane did not appear on this list, I would probably have to delete my Letterboxd account and resign from the film community. If you ever want to feel bad about yourself, just know that Orson Welles directed, produced, co-wrote, and starred in his first film, all whilst he was 25 years old. Oh, and it’s widely considered the greatest film of all time, which I will neither agree with nor deny. Welles revolutionized cinematography with his unique angles that show ceilings for the first time in a movie and even displays actors’ shoes. Another innovation is the nonlinear narrative structure, a device which many directors have since utilized in movies such as Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994). Tarantino may have also found inspiration from Welles’ novel depiction of shoes, but then took it a bit further with his onscreen, (and alleged offscreen), foot fetish.

8. Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)

As a pioneer in the science-fiction genre, the German silent film Metropolis tackles issues of industrialization and class struggle in a dystopian city. With nightmarish expressionist imagery drawn from the Bauhaus and Cubist movements, this film boasts artistic and creative genius. Lang’s film attracted attention from Nazi propagandists and even Hitler himself, which prompted their offer for him to make Nazi propaganda films. Although Lang did not wish to do so and fled to America, the question remains: is Metropolis pro-Nazi? The theme of the greater good of a nation and the negative light of the workers’ uprising can be seen to align with Nazi ideals. However, there are many elements that contrast with Nazism such as discouraging the idolatry of a leader, the portrayal of the fictional fascist dictatorship as a dystopia, and more.

9. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)

During the race to the moon, Kubrick’s sci-fi space epic tackles themes of existentialism, with humans as well as artificial intelligence. The film’s definitive message is highly debated, with interpretations ranging from apocalyptic cynicism to staunch optimism in humanity. Admittedly, the film is at times a slow burn, but a gorgeous one at that. The expansive scenes of deep space and the repetitive rows of buttons within the spacecraft are hypnotic. The imagery, incredible visual effects, and open-ended narrative blazed the trail for cinematography and storytelling for years to come.

10. Shrek (Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson, 2001)

The DreamWorks animation studio is notorious for outlandish movies riddled with contrived narratives such as Bee Movie (Simon J. Smith, Steve Hickner, 2007), where a woman falls in love with a bee, committing bee-stiality, and The Boss Baby (Tom McGrath, 2017). Somehow, this studio pulled out all the stops with Shrek. This movie is one of the most distinctive and nonchalantly humorous children's movies ever. With its iconic soundtrack, the world is immersive and the plot is believable. These traits resulted in the film’s success, which encouraged more animated movies to take risks and tell stories that are only possible through the medium of animation.

From the profits of an independent theatre in San Francisco to multi-million dollar Bollywood productions, the movie industry has a monetary motive, but oftentimes there is also a dogmatic motive at play. When consuming art, whether highly commercialized or otherwise, it’s important to take a step back and examine its messages and voice. Artistic analysis comes in tandem with this practice. The next movie you see could create a new trend in cinematic history.

**All photos used belong to Google Images