Films That Invented Now Commonplace Cliches Or Genres
Films That Invented Now Commonplace Cliches Or Genres
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Cantaloupe

Original Poster:

1,056 posts

82 months

Wednesday 5th June 2019
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It's said that Bullitt was the first film to feature a car chase [ sequence of fast, dangerous driving usually unconnected to the plot ]

Although I'm thinking The Great Escape and McQueen on the bike, not technically a car, but he was chased by cars.

Any other films that were instrumental in creating film cliches ?

Halmyre

12,242 posts

161 months

Wednesday 5th June 2019
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Cantaloupe said:
It's said that Bullitt was the first film to feature a car chase [ sequence of fast, dangerous driving usually unconnected to the plot ]

Although I'm thinking The Great Escape and McQueen on the bike, not technically a car, but he was chased by cars.

Any other films that were instrumental in creating film cliches ?
Bullitt director Peter Yates had earlier directed the film 'Robbery' which had a car chase - Steve McQueen saw it and got Yates hired on the strength of it. There's probably even earlier examples, but Bullitt was certainly a milestone of the genre.

Don't know it it's really a cliche, but I believe Psycho was the first film to kill of its leading character halfway through (spoilers be damned, I'm sure you've all seen it...)

entropy

6,180 posts

225 months

Thursday 6th June 2019
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Gun fu AKA bullet ballet

Dynamic gunplay action sequences usually jumping around and shooting with a gun in each hand. Unrealistic but entertaining to watch.

Started off in the 1980s by Hong Kong director John Woo before Hollywood beckoned: A Better Tomorrow 1&2, The Killer, Hard Boiled; often seen in the Heroic Bloodshed genre of HK action films - brotherhood, chivalry, honour, justice; interspersed with bloody violence - see films by Ringo Lam eg. City On Fire (inspired/ripped off by Tarantino/Reservoir Dogs), Full Contact.

Proliferated in Hollywood in the 2000s onwards but notably influenced Robert Rodriguez's 90s movie Desperado and its sequel.

Johnspex

4,948 posts

206 months

Thursday 6th June 2019
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Dirty Harry. Rogue cop with a big gun.

swisstoni

21,920 posts

301 months

Friday 7th June 2019
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I think it was Sam Peckinpah films that first engendered the phrase ‘gratuitous violence’.

For example a scene where some cowboy or other is shot with a shotgun. The camera is behind the victim and the shooter can be seen through the hole in the still standing victim.

Relatively tame stuff today but shocking when you were used to gunshot victims just politely falling over in 100 westerns.

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

283 months

Friday 7th June 2019
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The Right Stuff. The Team walks side by side in slow motion to imply something or other.

London424

12,946 posts

197 months

Friday 7th June 2019
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Die Hard...first time the hero got the crap kicked out of him. Before that it was all superficial flesh wounds. (I think)

generationx

8,793 posts

127 months

Friday 7th June 2019
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"Bullet time" - popularised (but not invented by) The Matrix.

Halmyre

12,242 posts

161 months

Friday 7th June 2019
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London424 said:
Die Hard...first time the hero got the crap kicked out of him. Before that it was all superficial flesh wounds. (I think)
Hold my beer...


SlimJim16v

7,377 posts

165 months

Saturday 8th June 2019
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Probably not the first, but Shane, the reformed bad guy, who hung up his gun/sword/fists trying to live peacefully. Unfortunately events force him to do what he was good at.

Also very well and amusingly parodied in Cat Ballou, by the great Lee Marvin.

The Big Boss.
Rocky V.
Rambos.
Steel Dawn.
Etc.

Time Fly

39 posts

83 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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The original Hollywood movie King Kong seems to have greatly influenced 'eyewitness' perceptions of what the Loch Ness monster looks like- even to this day.

There are scenes in it that depict dinosaurs one of whom is a plesiosaur- a long necked large water borne lizard with a humped back.

This was a hugely popular movie released in 1933 but before then nobody had described Nessie in that way.


anonymous-user

76 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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I may be wrong but I think that Juggernaut - a cracking film from 1974 is the first to do the "do I cut the red wire or the blue" scenarion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXoPEmh39ls

motco

17,276 posts

268 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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"Round up the usual suspects" from 'Casablanca' in 1942

Cantaloupe

Original Poster:

1,056 posts

82 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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Carrie for the sneaky "shocker" at the epilogue.

" Whaaaaat " Les Diaboliques for the awesome plot twist denoument [ must be earlier examples, but this one is the bee's knees ]

Forbidden Planet for using a Shakespeare play as a script template ?

Blair Witch Project for the Found Footage genre that we're all heartily fed up of.

RichFN2

4,171 posts

201 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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Cantaloupe said:
Blair Witch Project for the Found Footage genre that we're all heartily fed up of.
That was the first thing that popped into my head is that Blair Witch Project must be responsible for the really annoying hand held shaky cam footage that became popular in films

motco

17,276 posts

268 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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Cantaloupe said:
Carrie for the sneaky "shocker" at the epilogue.

" Whaaaaat " Les Diaboliques for the awesome plot twist denoument [ must be earlier examples, but this one is the bee's knees ]

Forbidden Planet for using a Shakespeare play as a script template ?

Blair Witch Project for the Found Footage genre that we're all heartily fed up of.
Forbidden Planet 1956 Throne of Blood (Kurosawa) 1957. Pretty close run thing! Similarly 'West Side Story' stage version 1957. I didn't realise Forbidden Planet was as early as it was.

Halb

53,012 posts

205 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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SlimJim16v said:
Probably not the first, but Shane, the reformed bad guy, who hung up his gun/sword/fists trying to live peacefully. Unfortunately events force him to do what he was good at.
.
Not sure, but you may have one there. Most of the ones mentioned have not been firsts, usually done first by Westerns...ooo as I type this I just thought of Destry Rides Again.


Trying to rack my brain for a genuine first...The Godfather probably has one but can't think of it. biggrin

The Maltese Falcon might be the 'rogue cop' (yeah Sam isn't a cop) theme.

Halb

53,012 posts

205 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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Time Fly said:
This was a hugely popular movie released in 1933 but before then nobody had described Nessie in that way.

How was it described?

Pothole

34,367 posts

304 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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Halb said:
Trying to rack my brain for a genuine first...The Godfather probably has one but can't think of it. biggrin
Origin of the commonly used phrase "an offer you [he/she/they] can't refuse"?

Pothole

34,367 posts

304 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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Grand Prix premiered split screen, didn't it?