The Most Important film of ALL Time. Influential, Artistic. Made a dif

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Poll question: The Most Important film of ALL Time. Influential, Artistic. Made a dif

Really. Below is what I have thought of in a short time. I'm sure there are many I have missed. Please nominate any film I have overlooked and PLEASE give your reasons for voting or nominating whichever film you feel is the most influential of our time to date.

Ten choices are far too few, and I'm not talking quality or popularity. I'm looking for films that MADE A DIFFERENCE. Changed people's minds and influenced society. Consider it an amateur exercise in anthropology. Please help fill in the blanks.

[tjdee]

1. I've never heard of Wings---oh lord, I'm a failure!

Um...what's that?

[flamingyouth]

4. Allow the silent movie geek to step in here...

"Two young men fall in love for the same same girl. After US enters WWI, both join the Air Corps and become aces. They remain friends, but their relationship with the girl threatens their friendship." - from imdb.com

Starred Clara Bow and Buddy Rogers and came out in 1927. Good movie.

On edit, fixed mistakes in what I stole from IMDB. :D

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

8. Wow! You're fast! EOM

[miss_kitty]

58. i know it had the first colour footage (the ballroom scene)

but wasn't it silent+talkie, because of the advent of talk, or was it all silent? i've seen it a couple times, but can't remember

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

7. IMHO, significant only for it's place as a first drama that captured the

hearts and minds of American Film goers.

Wings is a 1927 movie about fighter pilots during World War I (Charles Buddy Rogers and Richard Arlen), who vie for the same girl (Clara Bow). The film was the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture (then called "Best Picture, Production", in 1927. It was also the only film to ever win the Academy Award for Engineering Effects. The film was written by John Monk Saunders (story) and Louis D. Lighton and Hope Loring, and directed by William A. Wellman.

The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

[tjdee]

12. Billy and flamingyouth---so basically Pearl Harbor ripped off this plot?

Thanks for the clue in. I thought I was a movie person, but I drew a complete blank on Wings--it was scary! I need to watch more silent movies...the only one I've seen in its entirety is City Lights.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

27. Puh-LEEZE Check out Modern Times

with Chaplin.... That should have been on the list.

[sir_captain]

88. hell yeah

you are extremely correct

[flamingyouth]

60. PM me if you want some silent film recommendations

It will probably take me a while to get back to you. (sorry in advance)

I would recommend anything with Buster Keaton, if you like Chaplin. :hi:

[Fenris]

2. Office Space

Think about it.

[Lovecrafty]

16. Dawn of the Dead for me because..

Underneath the obvious horror movie overtones lies a film with both biting satire and political relevance. The collapse of our moral barricades we put in place to hold society together, the mindless consumerism of modern America and the dawning realization that WE ARE ALREADY THE LIVING DEAD wandering the shopping malls with only thoughts of consumption on our minds! I still have recurring dreams of living in a post-apocalyptical, zombie infested world holed up inside my local shopping mall! I seem to always wake up when the zombies rush in and retake the mall...

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

34. And that's why I picked it. It was practically subliminal in its

approach. At least a classic.

[henslee]

38. Kind of long in parts. I'm more a night of the living dead guy.

Guess watching it on TV every year as a kid hooked me. they used to have a scroll that said, "this is not real, this is a dramatization"

[Radius]

62. cheery movie

you are on point though. Still it functions well as a good zombie flick...

The remake isn't bad either. Killer soundtrack.

[Xipe Totec]

21. What About Its Thematic Predecessor, "Falling Down"

I like Office Space, very Dilbertian and funny. But for impact on the subject of alienation at work, "Falling Down" drives the point across better.

(edit for typo)

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

30. Ouch! Another sleeper that recieved a large audience and

maintained a strong social statement.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

29. Great choice! Comedy that says a lot about the social condition.

[henslee]

36. Yes. Yes. Yes. Love it. But not enuf flare to be greatest of all time.

[DS1]

3. Battleship Potempkin

Russian Revolution, has more nods towards it than any of those movies above

[flamingyouth]

11. I agree with you here

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

37. I haven't seen it. I will look for it now.

[Xipe Totec]

53. Me Too. Heard So Much About it, Yet Never Seen it n/t

[sundog]

56. Interesting tidbit I just read on imdb...

"In 2004, British pop duo Pet Shop Boys were commissioned to write a new score for the film. It will premiere on a live concert and screening in Trafalgar Square, London, on 12 September 2004."

Anyone heard of this?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015648/trivia

[KittyWampus]

61. In Potempkin Look For Scene With Baby Carraige & Stairs

it is a classic bit of manipulative cinematic storytelling.

[Maple]

5. No film as yet has

'made a difference'

It's still books I'm afraid.

Films are entertainment only.

[kcwayne]

20. Nonsense

A vast majority of books are entertainment as well.

Films are essentially just books presented in a different medium.

Truly educational books such as biochemistry or differential equations are typically not presented in film format, but that is a matter of economics more than medium. They could be if it there was a market for them.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

22. That's what got me thinking about this.... (I deal in rare books)

Guttenberg is being replaced by Kodak, I'm afraid. The masses now get their information and entertainment from moving pictures rather than the written word. Sad, but I'd bet dollars to donuts that the statement would prove true.

The explosion of the printed word was at first held to Latin so the common man couldn't dig in and ask questions. That fell away and the Coverdale Bible was published and look how that fucked up the Church.

Now, with the same vigor, people in power try to control the moving pictures the masses see and do the best they can to assure that the message brought across is the one they want. Less and less attention is paid to the printed word, hence the popularity of the internet for those that pursue their perceived truth.

[miss_kitty]

65. "Birth of a Nation"

http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/birth.html


When Griffith released the film in 1915, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (or NAACP) and other groups protested; the NAACP published a 47-page pamphlet titled "Fighting a Vicious Film: Protest Against The Birth of a Nation," in which they referred to the film as "three miles of filth." W. E. B. Du Bois published scathing reviews in The Crisis, spurring a heated debate among the National Board of Censorship of Motion Pictures as to whether the film should be shown in New York. However, President and former history professor Woodrow Wilson viewed the film at the White House and proclaimed it not only historically accurate, but like "history writ with lightning." Like Woodrow Wilson, many whites felt it a truthful and accurate portrayal of racial politics, so much so that they flocked to join the rejuvenated Ku Klux Klan. The years after Griffith released The Birth of a Nation saw massive race riots throughout the country, peaking especially in the North in 1919; many historians lay the blame for this racial conflict on Griffith's The Birth of a Nation.

[argyl]

80. "Birth of a Nation" as a film is a true historical document.Not as an

accurate portrayal of the post Civil War era but rather as an account of racial feelings in the early 20th century.The film was made 90 years ago but only 50 years after the end of the Civil War.

The film and the reaction to it are a telling picture of the state of race relations at the time it was made.

[miss_kitty]

84. i was replying to post # 5

which stated unequivocally:

"No film as yet has

'made a difference'

It's still books I'm afraid.

Films are entertainment only."


In light of the rejuvenation of the Klan and the race riots that went on for years following its release, I felt it was an exception to that statement...it INDEED 'made a difference' In fact, it was scheduled to be screened and the screening was canceled, due to threats and protest. Within the last 6 weeks:

"Aug. 14, 2004
NPR's Scott Simon takes a moment to note the story of movie theater owner Charlie Lustman, who wanted to show D.W. Griffith's early film Birth of a Nation, but decided to cancel the showing after receiving threats from people offended by a movie that glorifies the Ku Klux Klan."

SO it is STILL making a difference and, as you say, a telling picture of race relations, but not only at the time it was made, also now, I might add.

[Kenneth ken]

85. thanks - those were intersting posts

regarding Birth Of A Nation. I wasn't aware of how it was received at the time of its release.

I was thinking, that despite the content, it ought to have been in the poll simply as the first feature-length film (I believe that it was anyway) ever made; and so demonstrated some of what the power of the medium could be.

[LWolf]

74. I agree.

I've only seen 4 on the above list, and I don't have any particular urge to see them again. My books, on the other hand, are read over and over and over. I have books that I've been reading since the 70s, and I'm always adding to them. Must be why there's never any room in my office.

Don't get me wrong; I like to see a movie now and then. I appreciate the medium. But I don't think movies "make a difference."

A movie is a more passive activity, while a book is a more active activity, as far as the brain goes. And books deal with their subject with more depth, complexity, and finesse, imo. There are more layers to a good book; more thought to give to whatever issue is raised that might "make a difference."

Still, the possibility is there. If F/911 convinced a small fraction of undecided voters to swing away from *, it made a difference.

If people actually put the constructive ideas promoted in movies into action, rather than the violent, "Pay it Forward" might make a difference. Ironically, even that movie couldn't portray "making a difference" without violence.

[kcwayne]

6. The Deer Hunter

I think this film captured the senseless brutality of war and its intersection with blind American idealism. It was an echo for those that were not sentient during the Viet Nam era, and was a reflection for those that were.

Its impact was short lived however, for within 3 years of its release, we had rampant revisionism with the ushering in of the Reagan era.

[Xipe Totec]

19. Oh Yes, The Deer Hunter Rocks!

I have it on DVD in my permanent collection. Has never stopped haunting me.

Reagan can osculate my sphincter.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

39. Ack! i meant to put that in the list.....

Out with Python.... (Man, that hurts).

[yardwork]

9. I voted for Strangelove

but where the hell is Citizen Kane?

[DS1]

13. or failsafe, umberto D

honestly, these choices are pretty insignificant

[obiwan]

89. I almost died from diabetes 2 years ago...

... and my attending physician, Doctor Gurana, was a dead ringer for Dr. Strangelove, minus the wheelchair. I thought I was hallucinating!

[NightTrain]

10. There is no such film as DAWN OF THE LIVING DEAD.

Besides, nothing by George Romero deserves mention in such heady company. Those "Living Dead" films were crap, IMHO.

[Lovecrafty]

23. Blaspheme!

Dawn of the Dead was brilliant! It has a sense of realism rarely found in modern movies, a harrowing potrayal of society winding down and feeding on itself! The news footage periodically aired throughout the movie was CHILLING!

[henslee]

24. Dawn of the Living Dead. That is brilliant.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

52. Don't diss the Dead films, Tom Savini is a straight up guy and as

deserving as Wells for accolade. I guess Romero did okay as well.

[Tamyrlin79]

14. Several of these I have not seen....Most, actually.

A little before my time, I guess.

[skooooo]

25. You HAVE to see Dr. Strangelove...

In fact, it is scheduled to be on some cable channel (TNT? TMC?) October 7th with John Edwards hosting the show -- no kidding!!!

Take that as an opportunity.

[rwenos]

35. "What Kind of Uniform is That?"

Mandrake: "It's a Royal Air Force Uniform, Major!"

Major Bat Guano: "It looks like some kind of prevert uniform to me. Looks like you're starting some sort of rebellion of the preverts."

Mandrake: "Blast, I'm a few coins short. Major, can you . . . "

Major Bat Guano: "If you don't get the President of the United States on that phone, you're going to have to answer to the Coca Cola Company!"

Sound of machine gun fire, then a deluge of quarters.

(One of my favorite scenes in all of film.)

[yardwork]

78. I think General Ripper found out about your preversions

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

45. I tried to give representation to a wide time span since it was a

"most influential" sort of poll. I could have included Red Dawn, Braveheart, Gladiator and others, but while fun flicks, I didn't feel that they actually influenced ociety by their release.

I did consider Star Wars because of its forcing the realm of imagination.

[hyphenate]

15. Star Wars

Without a doubt, one of the most important contributions to film in film history.

The Godfather rang in a new era of realism in film.

2001: A Space Odyssey

To Kill A Mocking Bird

the original Halloween--introduced the world to slash and hack films
in an important way

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Raiders of the Lost Ark brought back the film world of serials, and gave us a new way to look at legendary heroes

Blazing Saddles--perhaps somewhat mild now, this film opened a lot of doors and pushed the edge of a lot of envelopes.

Fantasia brought the world of animation to a zenith, as well as introducing millions to the world of classical music.


I could think of more, but it would be way too many to list.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

55. I felt I could only include 2 Kubrick films and regretted that Spielberg

makes great stuff but the most influential (IMHO the pinocchio take off) was ripped by the critics and got too small an audience. But maybe down the road....

[tjdee]

17. No Jaws???

I heard that it scared the shit out of people for the longest time. That is "influencing behavior", right?
Unless my parents lied to me, LOL, and Jaws had no effect on anyone anywhere. :(

Still deciding on my choice....

[hyphenate]

26. I was going to add Jaws to my list

I saw it in the theatres several times when it was first out. I went solely for the audience reaction. After I saw it and it scared the bejesus out of me, I had to see how the audiences reacted after that. Two scenes--when the fisherman's head pops out of the bottom of the boat, and when Brody is chumming and Bruce comes out of the water--well, those two scenes in particular were stupendous for scaring the crap out of the audience. I watched in glee to see those reactions.

[NightTrain]

18. Critics generally hail "Citizen Kane" as the most important film ever.

In that one, Orson Welles pioneered numerous filmmaking techniques that have long-since been regarded as the industry standard in Hollywood.

[Xipe Totec]

32. I Think "Citizen Kane" is Over Rated

From the perspective of plot line it is marginal at best. "The Fountainhead" is a better story and it's not nearly as pretentious about cinematic technique.

[kodi]

82. there was one kind of film before citizen kane and many others after it.

all one has to do is watch films before orson welles' CK and after it to see its impact on the fundamentals of the art form. never had there been before or since so many innovations in the art of film making packed into a single film. it is surpassed as a watershed in the craft of cinema only by the introduction of sound or color...and only the work of charlie chaplin can arguably be compared to welles' for its impact on the art form.

we're losing our history NT. its shown by the failure to recognize the impact of pioneers in many, many fields.

[Rabrrrrrr]

96. Nicely said

Citizen Kane is the one that people should be voting for - and it's not even in the poll list!

We are indeed losing our history.

[rwenos]

28. Strangelove, Then . . .

2. To Kill a Mockingbird is hard to keep off any "Top Ten" list. As good a the book was, the movie reached more people, and demonstrably helped the country focus on civil rights. (Also

3. Triumph of the Will: A powerful, terrifying piece of Nazi propaganda, glorified the 1934 Nazi Convention in Nuremberg (Leni Riefenstahl, 1934).

4. Seven Days in May: showed the roadmap for a military takeover of the United States government. Beware General James Matoon Scott!

5. Spartacus: A VERY big deal in the old Soviet Union -- they named their youth core the "Spartacus Youth League."

It's hard to know how many people around the world are really influenced by American movies, which is why #2 is on the list.

[Xipe Totec]

41. Definitely "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Made an enormous impression on me.

And Spartacus as well, but what about Ben Hur, then? It's in the same league as Spartacus, don't you think?

[rwenos]

43. Ben Hur Not so Political

Ben Hur is a magnificent film, but I don't think it's as blatently politica as Spartacus. Spartacus was blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo's first screen credit since the McCarthy era -- recall the slave rebel army scenes glorifying anarchical government?

Both are wonderful, but do you really think Ben Hur is political? If so, how?

[Xipe Totec]

51. Ah, I Wasn't Thinking About it as Politically Influential

Just influential as a story. Moving and Memorable. Has the elements of Homer's Odyssey.

[rwenos]

57. Homeric

in scope definitely. Actually, it does have a political agenda. Notice how the Jew (Judah Ben-Hur) and the Arab (the sheikh with the four horses) band together to take down Messala?

Now that we've seen the Middle East for 40 more years, a little cooperation like that would really help, eh?

[Xipe Totec]

69. I Loved the Names of the Horses

Al-Tair Al-Debaran, Antares, and Rigel. Four stars whose names are now embedded in American culture as names of computers, companies, and projects, as well as fictional planetary systems in Sci-fi movies and TV series. Every time I hear those names I think of Ben Hur.

I had forgotten the political message you mention, but it is definitely there. I also hope that someday, somehow, Semites will see each other again as brethren.

[henslee]

31. This poll is fixed. Dr. Strangelove is great but come on.. #1??

Chinatown does it for me.

[henslee]

33. Chinatown.

[rwenos]

40. "Chinatown" is a Documentary, You Know

I was litigating a case once, sitting in the DWP headquarters in downtown LA. Tongue inserted in cheek, I asked the DWP lawyer where in the building Hollis Mulray's office was located.

She said "Who?" then denied ever seeing the movie. (Riiiigghht!)

Then one of the other lawyers leaned forward, spoke to me in a conspiratorial tone:

"It's a documentary, you know."

I laughed so hard they had to stop the deposition.

[henslee]

50. I was paying my DWP bill and I saw that big exhibit with the old photos

of Mullholland standing in a big pipe, the Owens valley, and stuff. They also had plaques and surveying equipment. When Chinatown was on TV the other night, I swear the Noah Cross photos looked exactly the same. That film just nails it. There was a doc. on about the filming of it... how they tried so hard to have everything feel dry and parched..... That film has such a sense of place. It is historically. Nicholson has never been better. Dunaway, never prettier. It has romance, murder, incest, corruption, fistfights, a cameo by Polanski. Great dialogue. One scene propels you into the next. Its beautiuful...much like the Conformist, a gorgeous film. And everytime you see it you see something else.

And to digress.....

Folks talk of Citizen Kane being the greatest -- it is technically an amazing film but its sort of loses me. I like the Third Man much better. Orson Welles was a genius and a lot of fun. He really got shafted by many. I think even Spielberg wouldnt return his call in his later years.

I think Raging Bull is an awesome film. So is Mr. Smith goes to Washington. And yeah, someone said To Kill a Mockingbird is great. It sure is. But for me, Chinatown is lush. Polanski is a genius.

BTW, Rosemary's Baby is great too.

[rwenos]

54. "She's my sister. She's my daughter."

Best thing about Chinatown was the way LA is a character in the movie. And, obviously a character rotten to the core.

Perhaps the most horrifying moment I'd seen in a movie to that point, is when old Noah Cross grabs Elizabeth Mulwray's daughter, after the cops shoot Elizabeth. The old guy wins in the end.

"Inspires pity and fear," in the words of Aristotle.

Best movie ever made about LA, in my book.

[flamingyouth]

63. "Forget it Jake!"

Great movie! :D

[skooooo]

48. No fighting in the war room!!!!

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

93. A truly classic line!

[obiwan]

90. You had to be there during the height of the Cold War...

...in the 1960's... a lot of us were. Life was surreal. People built fallout shelters under their driveways. Duck And Cover Drills. Atmospheric nuclear tests. Knowing that there were missile silos on the farm just down the road. Living near SAC headquarters and seeing B-52's overhead all the time.Seeing Strangelove was uncomfortable because at the time it was all too plausible. You could see and taste it.

Two great appetizers that go along with Strangelove:

Failsafe
The Atomic Cafe

[Xithras]

42. Most important movie ever? "The Day After", hands down

The acting was borderline lousy, the cinematography was poor, the special effects were abysmal, the score was straight out of Little House on the Prarie, and the storyline was predictable, but "The Day After" is often credited as one of historiess most important movies because it was the first film to realistically portray the world after a nuclear war. Many conservatives, pro-military types, and hawks that had previously seen a nuclear war as a "winnable" option were forced to rethink their positions when actually shown the undeniable reality of what a post apocalyptic America would look like. People who had previously supported the idea of a strong nuclear deterrent or had been neutral about the concept often changed their minds after watching the film...most famously among them, then President Ronald Reagan. According to people inside the Reagan administration, he swore off nuclear war after watching the movie, and began extending diplomatic feelers towards the Soviet Union that resulted in the 1987 treaty that destroyed nearly 2000 nuclear warheads in the two countries.

There may be better shot, better written, and more moving films out there, but I don't think any film has had quite the same effect as The Day After. It very realistically may have saved the world.

[yardwork]

79. That was a very influential movie

We need a movie like that now. I think that "The Day After Tomorrow" was an attempt at the same thing, focused on global warning. Unfortunately, it sucked.

[sendero]

44. To Kill A Mockingbird...

... would be my choice. With "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" a close second.

[Xipe Totec]

46. BRAZIL! How Could I Forget!

Now there's a film I would rate best of all time, made a difference, and Artistic.

I have the collector's edition with both versions plus "the making of" documentary. Cost me a fortune but it was worth it!

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

49. I thought about Brazil & 12 Monkeys as well... Even Baron Munchausen

... Even Time Bandits.


Gotta love Gilliam.

[sam sarrha]

47. Yellow Submarine

[rednek_Liberal]

59. Apocylpse Now

I love the smell of Napalm in the morning...It smells like .. Victory.

Robert Duvall Rules

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

64. Another one I should have included.... BUT just how many SK

films can you include?

[rednek_Liberal]

72. All of them...

Except Eyes Wide Shut(not because I didn't like it, but I haven't seen it)

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

91. Don't see it as it is bound to disappoint.

[KittyWampus]

66. Rocky Horror Picture Show & The Idea: Don't Dream It- Be It.

for every kid who ever felt like a freak.

Do The Right Thing- Spike Lee

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

67. Good ones! I'm afraid I missed both of those completely.

[miss_kitty]

68. when you say "sweep' what do you mean?

"Wings (the 1st to sweep the acadamy)...
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (2nd and only other sweep)..."

because "It Happened One Night" was considered a sweep-best movie, actor and actress; as a matter of fact from IMDb: "This was the first film to win the Oscar "grand slam" (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Screenplay)"
although i would not consider it to be anything other than great entertainment...

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

73. Picture, actor, Actress, Director

From "Sweeping the board" http://www.eudesign.com/oscars/osc-curi.htm

A complete sweep of all five major Oscars (for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor and Actress) has only occurred three times: for IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), for ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975), and for SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991).

Wings got best pic and a couple of lesser awards. I thought it was a sweep, but only the first best picture. My bad.

[miss_kitty]

76. actually, in 1927, the awards were just starting up: only 12 awards

were given that year, with 2 special awards. in 1928 only 7 awards were given out, in 1930, just 8
also, if i recall, 'Wings' was a silent film, which is almost a different art form, almost comparing apples to oranges imho...I liked it a lot though-I've watched it a couple times.

i finally got of my ass and got out my academy awards book when i read your reply here :) thanks!

[PittPoliSci]

70. other: Battleship Potemkin

riveting, revolutionary, and practically invented propaganda film. amazing movie, with great plot and great everything. easy to enjoy for years and years to come.

[Bombtrack]

71. The 3 most important Oliver Stone films. Platoon, JFK, Nixon

And hopefully we'll get one some day that takes place in the 00's

[Zorro]

75. A Clockwork Orange got my vote

a brilliant visionary film of what seems to be the near future. Now almost 30 years old, that vision with the old ultraviolence still seems to be right around the corner. It is Kubrick's masterpiece, notwithstanding his direction of Spartacus.

[Dookus]

77. I didn't read the whole thread

but it has to be Citizen Kane.

[nickgutierrez]

81. Requiem for a Dream

I've only seen it once, though.

Well, I tried to watch it a second time. I put it in my DVD player, pressed play, watched the special features, and... remembered that I almost :puke: when they showed the lead character's arm near the end of the movie, and decided against it. :)

If there ever was a more meaningful movie, I haven't seen it -- and that includes F-9/11.

[grannylib]

83. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. All time fave, I think....made a huge

impact on me.

[sir_captain]

86. The Great Dictator

probably ought to be on here as well. It was the only film made during the war that dealt at all with the plight of European Jews.

[sir_captain]

87. The Best Years of Our Lives

could be on here as well.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

92. Grapes of Wrath.... How did I forget that one?

[mopaul]

94. Cabin Boy

haven't been the same since i've seen it

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

98. The great Daniel Stern and the importance of clean pipes...

That explains a lot, mopaul! LOL :toast:

[orpupilofnature57]

95. to kill a mocking bird

Besides showing racism at it's ugliest,it showed a need for social responsibility.

[librechik]

97. The Jazz Singer--First Sound movie! n/t

[theemu]

99. A few answers

While there's no one most important film, I think there are a few which could arguably hold the title:

The Birth of a Nation (1915, Griffith)- Griffith's film is, despite all critical acclaim, not that artistically influential for its time, as all of its 'innovative' technique was actually developed six years earlier in Griffith's short film A Corner of Wheat. However, from a political standpoint, The Birth of a Nation can be credited for reviving the entire nativist movement in America, setting the role of blacks in the south back about twenty years and bringing about the reinstitution of the KKK.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1921, Wiene) - While art had always been at least partially in mind in film, Caligari was the first film to explicitly look at film as an art unto itself and in turn launched the first real film art movement, German Expressionism.

The Jazz Singer (1927, Crosland) - Not the first sound film, as sound as part of the film medium had been experimented with for years, but popularized 'talkies' due to its integration of popular music into its sound sequences.

Rome, Open City (1945, Rosselini) - Roberto Rosselini's story of Rome during World War II was not the first Italian Neorealist film, but certainly the one which had the greatest influence. Moved filmmaking, at least to an extent, out of the studios and onto the streets of cities.

Breathless (1960, Godard) - With his first feature, Jean-Luc Godard took the cue from Italian Neorealism and basically created the art film of the latter half of the 20th century. Godard was the first director to actively disrupt the audience's viewing experience, thus allowing for the most postmodern of mediums to enter its true golden age.

Deep Throat (1972, Damiano) - Say what you will about Cassavetes, Van Peebles, Paul Morrissey, and even Russ Meyer, but it was Gerald Damiano's Deep Throat, a $100 million grossing porn film, which more than any other created a viable market for independently produced cinema. Deep Throat took the exploitation cinema market, which had been a part of American filmmaking since the institution of the Hays Code and travelling 'hygiene' films of the 1930s, and made it the primary American cinema market. If you doubt me, consult the fact that the adult video industry grosses more per annum than the legitimate American film industry.