Breakthrough Films

Hi Phoenix. I am not sure if this is what you mean or if I am correct but would "Apocalypse Now" be the first film about the war in Viet Nam?

pieman- I think that would qualify.

What would also be interesting would be to find out which movie was the first to be about a war!

The Deer Hunter came out first. (1978) I think.

its really sad but i think the first film about the 1st Gulf war was Polly Shore's "In the Army Now"

Jurassic Park was definietly a Breakthrough film with its use of computor Graphic special effects. I also think Toy Story in being the first full length computor generated film is an important milestone.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078788/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077416/

Cinderwolf is correct. Deer Hunter DID come out in '78!

Easy Rider, maybe?
One of the first (as I remember) sound & image road movies. Many, many films of the same formula followed.

Bwana Devil was the first 3-D movie where you looked through two color glasses. It was NOT the first 3-D movie though.

http://www.badfads.com/pages/activities/3dmovie.html

Well of course "The Jazz Singer"

and 2001 for special effects.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032455/

"Fantasia" combined classical music, live acting, and animation. It was originally released in 1939. It had 5 track sound, including one in the rear.

(No, I was NOT at the premiere! )

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0046094/


"The Moon is Blue" was the breakthrough film that finally ended the grip of the Hayes Office.

[quote]The Moon is Blue broke the Moral Code of the Hays Office and started its liquidation, not by its content, but by its use of words that were not accepted by the code, such as virgin and seduction. For that reason, it was important and controversial in 1953 [/quote]

Rocky ??? breakthrough for episodes ???

Husker- Yeah- I wonder how we would categorize the Hope/Crosby "Road" films? They were all different, yet there is a common thread.

Lightwizard- Where are you when I need you!

And Bond, and Charlie Chan and Andy Hardy and on and on!

How were they breakthroughs?

"Bwana Devil" was filmed in color and the Poloroid process -- there was a black-and-white film, "Man in the Dark" that first used the red and green 3-D glasses but then later black-and-white began to use the Poloroid system.

I would say "A Clockwork Orange" in its unabashed use of social satire was a breakthrough and also Kubrick's "The Killing" began the long string of heist films (and it's still one of the best).

Birth of a Nation (1915) is about the Civil War - possibly the first war movie, possibly the first epic.

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0004972/

The Abel Gance "Napoleon" was the first wide screen movie shot with three cameras but the first to use the anamorphic process which later became CinemaScope was "The Long Trail" with John Wayne (and it's sometimes shown letterboxed on TV). Of course, "The Robe" was the first wide release of a wide screen movie along the first Disney wide screen animated short, "The Grand, Grand, Grand Canyon." "This is Cinerama" was the first wide screen in the three camera process and gigantic curved screen and "Windjammer" was the first film released in 70 MM Super Panavision billed as "Cinemagic."

Not breakthroughs, they, like the "road" picts were series or sequels way before Rocky.

LW- This looks like a pretty good site on widescreen!

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/lobby.htm?