Movies to Watch During Film School
I just finished film school a month ago and wanted to make this list as a guide to anyone who is currently going, or about to start their first year. If you're a young film buff about to start film school, chances are you went through High School knowing about a lot of great movies that many of your peers didn't know or care about. All that will change once film school starts. Here is a small list of movies to be sure you watch before or during your time at film school. Chances are professors and some students will discuss these at some point. Even if you skip film school, these are still good movies to watch if you're interested in learning more about film making and the history behind it.
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- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'This is basically film school 101, and is a great movie to see regardless. Nearly every class I took made some reference to this film in a lecture or on a test.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsJean-Paul BelmondoJean SebergVan DoudeA small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.I personally don't like this movie, but it was highly influential and it will be discussed at some point in film school, most likely in your first class.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartKim NovakBarbara Bel GeddesA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.Out of all the Alfred Hitchcock movies we studied, this one came up the most.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsMax von SydowGunnar BjörnstrandBengt EkerotA knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.Ingmar Bergman has been a film school staple for years and this is his most famous movie.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMachiko KyôMasayuki MoriThe rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.Akira Kurosawa is one of the "Big Three" non Hollywood directors you will hear about in film school, the other two being Ingmar Bergman and Frederico Fellini. Kurosawa has had a great influence on Hollywood movies, including westerns and the original Star Wars films. Rashomon will likely come up in film school due to it's storytelling structure, which will feel familiar since it has been referenced in many places including cartoons.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTakashi ShimuraKeiko TsushimaFarmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.Kurosawa's other masterpiece.
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsMarcello MastroianniAnouk AiméeClaudia CardinaleA harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies.One of Fellini's most well known movies. We never studied it when I was in film school, but we did study Fellini and this is a good one to start with if you want to see more of his movies.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsMalcolm McDowellPatrick MageeMichael BatesIn the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.When asked what their favorite movie is, many film majors will say A Clockwork Orange. Also highly recommended to criminal justice majors and psychology majors.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsJack NanceCharlotte StewartAllen JosephHenry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.David Lynch is a director worth knowing if you're going to be a director or film student. This is arguably his most surreal movie.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsIsabella RosselliniKyle MacLachlanDennis HopperThe discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.Here's another Lynch film worth watching. College students will enjoy Frank Booth's line about Pabst Blue Ribbon.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.A great movie for everyone to see regardless of whether they are a film student or someone who just wants to see a good movie every now and then.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.We barely talked about this in any classes, but it is a very popular movie among college students, especially film majors, and you don't want to be the only one in the classroom who hasn't seen it.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRoy ScheiderRobert ShawRichard DreyfussWhen a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.The movie that started the summer Blockbuster. There are also many great camera techniques that you might be lucky enough to study in some classes.
- DirectorArthur PennStarsWarren BeattyFaye DunawayMichael J. PollardBored waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, stealing cars and robbing banks.One of the first movies that truly shocked audiences because of it's bloody violence. You'll likely hear about this movie at some point in film school.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsDustin HoffmanAnne BancroftKatharine RossA disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.Between a tedious homework assignment and a long analytical lecture, teachers suck the fun out of this movie before many of the students have even had a chance to watch it. When you're done with the long assignments, take a break and enjoy the whole movie without hearing or writing an analysis of each shot. It's a fun movie on it's own.
- DirectorSergei EisensteinStarsAleksandr AntonovVladimir BarskiyGrigoriy AleksandrovIn the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel's officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre.A great achievement in film making, but most film majors will admit they didn't enjoy this movie. Be prepared to hear at least 4 lectures in your first year that analyze each shot of the "Odessa steps" sequence. Also be prepared to be burnt out on Sergei Eisenstein in the first year. Despite that, it is still good to be familiar with him and this film as a film major.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsFaye DunawayWilliam HoldenPeter FinchA television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit, but finds that his message may be difficult to control.If scriptwriting is your main focus, you will love this movie and will benefit greatly from seeing it at least once.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsWilliam H. MacyFrances McDormandSteve BuscemiMinnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.If you're not already familiar with them through recent hits No Country for Old Men and True Grit, it will be good to get familiar with the Coen Brothers. This is widely considered one of their best films.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJodie FosterCybill ShepherdA mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.Also be sure to get familiar with early Scorsese films such as this and Raging Bull.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroCathy MoriartyJoe PesciThe life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.See above.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsDaniel Day-LewisPaul DanoCiarán HindsA story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.I was a college Freshmen when this came out and it was one of the most popular movies among film majors and professors at the time.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.This was also very popular when I started film school.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherLuke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.You likely won't discuss this much in film school unless you talk about how blockbuster films started, but it's definitely worth getting familiar with this movie.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer ConnellyThe drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..If your focus is editing or cinematography and you want to get familiar with recent movies that use very stylistic techniques on a low budget, here's a great movie to watch.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsJason SchwartzmanBill MurrayOlivia WilliamsA teenager at Rushmore Academy falls for a much older teacher and befriends a middle-aged industrialist. Later, he finds out that his love interest and his friend are having an affair, which prompts him to begin a vendetta.I had a bit of a backlash against Wes Anderson when I started film school because I hated the elitist following his movies have. Despite that, he is a good director and if you're a film major it's worth seeing at least one of his movies. If you only want to see one movie, this would be the one I'd recommend.