NationStates Jolt Archive

There is no doubt there are books that have had a direct (and indirect) impact on historical events and some have even changed the course of history itself. However, I can't think of a single movie for which the same can be said.

Certainly there are movies that have influenced movie making and the film industry, but has any movie had a direct effect on historical events?

It doesn't seem that Michael Moore's most recent movie had the impact he intended. There are films that have broken down social barriers concerning race (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, To Kill a Mockingbird), religion (Gentleman's Agreement), or sexual orientation (Philadelphia), but did they lead those movements or just acknowledge what was already going on in society? The same might be said for films that promoted nationalism and patriotism (Battleship Potemkin, Leni Riefenstahl's films). I don't think any of these movies actually changed history.

I'm at a loss.

Any nominations for films that have changed the world?

Brave heart...it lead to the independence of Scotland...or Ireland (I cannot remember)

Brave heart...it lead to the independence of Scotland...or Ireland (I cannot remember)
ROFL

Birth of a Nation. It was largely responsible for the revival of the Klueless Klutz Klan.

Brave heart...it lead to the independence of Scotland...or Ireland (I cannot remember)
Almost every word in that sentence is wrong

Brave heart...it lead to the independence of Scotland...or Ireland (I cannot remember)

It is Scotland.

Since Braveheart came out the Scottish National Party (the Scottish independence party) has doubled its seats in Parliament - but only from 3 to 6. Still not much groundswell for separation, although Scotland did get a devolved Scottish Parliament.

Maybe the movie had some impact, but I'm not convinced (it is such horrible history, but then again it is not Hollywood's job to get history right). Any Scots care to weigh in with an opinion?

"The new barbarians" a.k.a. i nuevi barbari.

Since Schindler's List came out three American states - Florida, Illinois, and California - have mandated holocaust lessons be taught in public high schools. Certainly the movie helped influence those decisions, so maybe Spielberg's film is an example of a film with some minor impact on events.

Since Schindler's List came out three American states - Florida, Illinois, and California - have mandated holocaust lessons be taught in public high schools. Certainly the movie helped influence those decisions, so maybe Spielberg's film is an example of a film with some minor impact on events.

Not nearly as big as Birth of a Nation, though. :(

Star Wars restored the balance in the Force again

Not nearly as big as Birth of a Nation, though. :(

You have a point, especially after President Woodrow Wilson endorsed the movie, and by extension, the Klan. They briefly flourished during the '20s, but didn't really leave much of an impact.

Right now I would agree, though, that Birth of a Nation gets the initial nod for most influential movie.

"Fight Club"... well, it influenced me....

def erin brockivich. (however you spell it.) WOMEN EMPOWERMENT! haha jk
i choose fight club.

"The new barbarians" a.k.a. i nuevi barbari.
"Fight Club"... well, it influenced me....
def erin brockivich. (however you spell it.) WOMEN EMPOWERMENT! haha jk
i choose fight club.

Hmmm.

The idea is not which movies were influential to individuals. Certainly some people have had their lives changed by film.

However, is there a movie that changed a society or history, even in a modest way?

Yes, propaganda like Schindler's List has convinced deluded morons that over 6,000,000 Jews supposedly were killed in some sort of "holocaust." People actually take crap like that seriously!
Well, as they say:
There's no business like Shoah business... :p

Yes, propaganda like Schindler's List has convinced deluded morons that over 6,000,000 Jews supposedly were killed in some sort of "holocaust." People actually take crap like that seriously!
Well, as they say:
There's no business like Shoah business... :p

Oh, God. Do they growth these people in a laboratory Petri dish? This will NOT become a forum for neo-Nazis to debate the holocaust and peddle their ignorance.

Go pop in your DVD of Birth of a Nation or Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of Will.

It always seems to come back to great books. Most of the best and most influential movies were books first.
I'm trying to think of one that wasn't but it's not happening for me.

Yes, propaganda like Schindler's List has convinced deluded morons that over 6,000,000 Jews supposedly were killed in some sort of "holocaust." People actually take crap like that seriously!
Well, as they say:
There's no business like Shoah business... :p

Ah yes, whereas your understanding of history is that all concentration camps operating in Germany during WWII were operated by Jewish interests in order to enslave the 'Goyim', yes?

Perhaps it is unfair to expect movies to have had any great impact on events at this point. After all the film industry is only a century old. How many books influenced history a century or even several centuries after the development of writing?

It occures to me that Taxi Driver is a movie which did influence world events in that it was the movie that John F. Hinckley claimed drove him to attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.

Pulp Fiction and Fight Club have influenced the way I act. \

Tyler Durden is my hero.

Pulp Fiction and Fight Club have influenced the way I act. \

Tyler Durden is my hero.

And how exactly have you influenced history or changed world events because of the movie?

There is no doubt there are books that have had a direct (and indirect) impact on historical events and some have even changed the course of history itself. However, I can't think of a single movie for which the same can be said.

Certainly there are movies that have influenced movie making and the film industry, but has any movie had a direct effect on historical events?

It doesn't seem that Michael Moore's most recent movie had the impact he intended. There are films that have broken down social barriers concerning race (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, To Kill a Mockingbird), religion (Gentleman's Agreement), or sexual orientation (Philadelphia), but did they lead those movements or just acknowledge what was already going on in society? The same might be said for films that promoted nationalism and patriotism (Battleship Potemkin, Leni Riefenstahl's films). I don't think any of these movies actually changed history.

I'm at a loss.

Any nominations for films that have changed the world?

And how exactly have you influenced history or changed world events because of the movie?

I can't think of one that changed the world, but "I am a fugitive from a Chain Gang" (1930's) led to the reform of the US penal system in the south.

I can't think of one that changed the world, but "I am a fugitive from a Chain Gang" (1930's) led to the reform of the US penal system in the south.

Really? I didn't know that. Thanks.

That is an influence that changed part of the world, so I would say it counts.

I found this bit from the History Channel:

The Georgia chain gang system was single-handedly exposed by one man, Robert E. Burns, who escaped not once, but twice from Georgia chain gangs. His Depression-era best-seller "I Am a Fugitive from the Georgia Chain Gang!" was made into a hit movie "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" starring Paul Muni, and initiated prison reform in the state of Georgia, eventually leading to the dismantling of the chain gang system of punishment.

Burns was a WWI vet who fell on hard times, drifting about, doing odd jobs. He eventually fell in with a couple bad characters and the three of them robbed a grocer of $5.80. Burns and his compatriots were caught and convicted; Burns was sentenced to 6 to 10 years hard labor.

Georgia chain gang conditions were brutal. Men were put out to work, swinging 12lb sledge hammers for 16 hours a day, malnourished on a diet of corn pone and chowder peas. Prisoners were shackled together, unable to move their legs a full stride. The shackles rubbed against their legs and the resulting wounds often became infected, leading to illness and death. Prisoners who could not keep up with the grueling pace of labor were beaten. Prisoners were regularly whipped for disobeying orders. Particularly recalcitrant prisoners were shut in a sweat box, a small coffin-like enclosure with no ventilation, under the merciless Georgia sun. Sweat box prisoners suffered severe dehydration, hallucinations and frequently, death.

Publication of Burns' memoir and the release of the movie made from it, infuriated Georgia officials, who characterized Burns' account as a pack of Yankee lies. The state of Georgia countered first with denial, then with a public-relations campaign. Despite negative publicity and the dismantling of chain gangs by other states, Georgia continued the use of chain gangs as late as 1962, the last state in the United States to do so.

As part of the "get tough on crime" political atmosphere at the end of the 20th century, the states of Alabama, Florida, Arizona and Iowa have passed laws allowing chain gangs; other states are considering similar laws. Arizona has instituted the first female chain gang.

This write-up inspired and informed by The History Channel http://www.thehistorychannel.com/ feature The Big House: Chain Gang Breakout, aired Saturday June 16, 2001 4pm.

Hmmm.

The idea is not which movies were influential to individuals. Certainly some people have had their lives changed by film.

However, is there a movie that changed a society or history, even in a modest way?

In that case, I choose the first movie, ever. Whatever it's called. :)

In that case, I choose the first movie, ever. Whatever it's called. :)

Monkeyshines. Made by Edison.

Pulp Fiction and Fight Club have influenced the way I act.

That's positively terrifying.

What is the criteria for world changing? Which book are we using as a yardstick?

Narrative films have much more in common with theater than they do with literature, so that would be a closer comparison. But even then, there are still questions.

Film itself has signifigantly changed the world and how we percieve it.

Some things have to be taken into account about how films are made, additionally. From concept to green light takes a while, and you haven't even started filming yet. Not to mention the amount of money it takes to make even the most modest films. As a result, more often than not films will be behind the curve.

Movies do fuel discussion, like the ones mentioned. As well as things like The Day After (the 80s movie of the week about post-nuclear war) that underline concern or bring it to the forefront. Thelma & Luise fueled discussion which lead to changes in public perception. The Life and Times of Harvey Milk, Thin Blue Line-documentaries that have had influence, if localized. Wag the Dog shaped the discussion of the last four years of Clinton's presidency-and that's competing with a film that was trying really hard to do the same thing (Primary Colors).

There are ripple effects that can be felt from films every year. People have mentioned Fight Club in this thread-after that film came out there was a rash of "Fight Clubs" that met once (where everyone found out that getting hit isn't cleansing, it just hurts.) The book had been out for years and that didn't happen.

So one film that changed everything is too much to hope for-but if you look at film over-all you'll find that it has dramaticlly changed the world.

What is the criteria for world changing? Which book are we using as a yardstick?

Narrative films have much more in common with theater than they do with literature, so that would be a closer comparison. But even then, there are still questions.

Film itself has signifigantly changed the world and how we percieve it.

Some things have to be taken into account about how films are made, additionally. From concept to green light takes a while, and you haven't even started filming yet. Not to mention the amount of money it takes to make even the most modest films. As a result, more often than not films will be behind the curve.

Movies do fuel discussion, like the ones mentioned. As well as things like The Day After (the 80s movie of the week about post-nuclear war) that underline concern or bring it to the forefront. Thelma & Luise fueled discussion which lead to changes in public perception. The Life and Times of Harvey Milk, Thin Blue Line-documentaries that have had influence, if localized. Wag the Dog shaped the discussion of the last four years of Clinton's presidency-and that's competing with a film that was trying really hard to do the same thing (Primary Colors).

There are ripple effects that can be felt from films every year. People have mentioned Fight Club in this thread-after that film came out there was a rash of "Fight Clubs" that met once (where everyone found out that getting hit isn't cleansing, it just hurts.) The book had been out for years and that didn't happen.

So one film that changed everything is too much to hope for-but if you look at film over-all you'll find that it has dramaticlly changed the world.

I see what you are saying and yes, collectively I do believe film has had an impact on society. However, not in the direct and dramatic sense that some books have.

Books that most obviously have had an enormous effect on world events include the Torah, the New Testement, and the Qur'an. However, on a lesser scale, so have the writings of Aristotle and Plato, Copernicus' De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, Isaac Newton's Principia, Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams, Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Karl Marx' Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, Benjamin Spock's The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, to name just a few.

These books gave us science, mathematics, philosophy, and psychology; capitalism and communism; sparked the women's rights movement and the environmental movement. There have been books that contributed to bringing a nation to war (Uncle Tom’s Cabin) and influenced the way an entire generation of children was raised (Spock's The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care).

So far I don't think there is a single movie that has had that type of influence. Maybe it is waiting to be made or maybe the medium is one that, given it emphasis on entertainment rather than education, is not likely to alter the world in a significant way, other than in how we spend our free time.

I see what you are saying and yes, collectively I do believe film has had an impact on society. However, not in the direct and dramatic sense that some books have.

Books that most obviously have had an enormous effect of world events include the Torah, the New Testement, and the Qur'an. However, on a lesser scale, so have the writings of Aristotle and Plato, Copernicus' De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, Isaac Newton's Principia, Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams, Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Karl Marx' Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, Benjamin Spock's The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, to name just a few.

These books gave us science, mathematics, philosophy, and psychology; capitalism and communism; sparked the women's rights movement and the environmental movement. There have been books that contributed to bringing a nation to war (Uncle Tom’s Cabin) and influenced the way an entire generation of children was raised (Spock's The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care).

So far I don't think there is a single movie that has had that type of influence. Maybe it is waiting to be made or maybe the medium is one that, given it emphasis on entertainment rather than education, is not likely to alter the world in a significant way, other than in how we spend our free time.
You are asking for something far to specific for the form. Only one of those things you mentioned is a narrative (Uncle Tom's Cabin, and films like Sgt. York have had similar influences in that regard) but the others-

Holy texts-No, you're right. A major religon that spans the globe is not goint to come from a film. Though there are those who 'believe' in the force.

Science texts-Not many scientests you find are going to record thier findings on film. It's just not practicle. Though films that explain that science after it's been established effect the way things are read. Even if sometimes it's bad science (Brief History of Time vs. Jurassic Park.)

Political establishment-Eisenstien and Reifenstal(I never spell eithers name right) films effected more of the change than the books that influenced them. But again, you tend not to make Republic into a film-the form doesn't lend itself to that. However, films like Metropolis, Easy Rider, Strike!, Wall Street, Can Dialectics Break Bricks, or A Situation or the like have all had philosophies, and effect.

But film doesn't lend itself to the comparisons that you are making and as such has no chance of matching that yardstick. You'd be better comparing film to theater (Is there a film as influential as Lysistrata, say...)

You have a point, especially after President Woodrow Wilson endorsed the movie, and by extension, the Klan. They briefly flourished during the '20s, but didn't really leave much of an impact.

Right now I would agree, though, that Birth of a Nation gets the initial nod for most influential movie.
the original klan was largely defunct when birth of a nation came out. the second klan, with its perhaps 5 million members was largely a response to the movie(and the post ww1 social forces). the modern klan traces its fractured lineage to the third klan of the 50s. the second klan however was by far the largest and most powerful(also probably the least violent at least in relationship to its size). i'm not sure how much organizational connection there was between the second and third but it certainly influenced it.

It occures to me that Taxi Driver is a movie which did influence world events in that it was the movie that John F. Hinckley claimed drove him to attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.
it probably more provide him with a template to mimic and a character who shared a similar pathology. travis binkle was a character based on certain types of antisocial pathology, and the movie illustrated how they same impulses can be either interpreted as evil madness or valiant heroism by society.

if hinckley hadn't had this rather complex model, he probably would have been drawn toward a more simplistic action hero to imitate, whether this imitation would have lead to him acting out in the same way is something we can never know. its interesting that hinckley chose not to follow the same course as binkle but instead to follow the course travis ultimately rejected. this may tend to imply his pathology was going to manifest in a severely antisocial manner regardly and his choice of role models was only of limited importance.