1950 is an interesting, if arbitrary breaking point. Had you said 1960 the question would have been much more difficult (the 50s were just that good).
Anyway, back to your question. Battleship Potemkin springs to mind. It’s the original shock trauma movie, a piece of political propaganda wrapped in artistry unparalleled in its time. A bold piece of work from a time when bold was dangerous in a literal sense.
As well, that Odessa Steps sequence is one of the most influential filmmaking achievements of all-time, informing a number of movies from countless great storytellers.
Most of all, it’s an incredible story. It proves that with nothing but images and music a great storyteller can bring an audience emotionally to one side of a fight. In this case, it’s the fact that we are helplessly attracted to the cause of the rebellious sailors. It’s a film that connects with its audience on a very basic emotional level. More than 80 years later, there are still plenty of filmmakers who haven’t mastered that skill. And they get to use dialog.
Posted on Saturday, 26 June 2010
