15 Movies That Made A Real World Impact

Movies CAN change the world THIS IS FOR THE EDITORIAL FELLOWSHIP

Recently the question was posed on the Reddit thread r/Movies by u/Crasshumor what movies had made a real impact on the world. The comments were very interesting and I also decided to do a deep dive myself. These are the examples that I have compiled.

1). Jesse James (1939)

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Audiences and lawmakers had already started to speak out against the treatment of animals in film when Jesse James was released.

In the 1939 film, a stuntman races a blindfolded horse off of the edge of a cliff and into the water. While the man survived, the horse fell to its death. This caused an uproar at the time with producers who were worried about how the event would make them look in the public eye.

The American Humane Association was called on to supervise productions with animals from then on.

2). Bambi (1942)

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As recent as 2018, a monthly viewing of the film Bambi was added to a poacher's prison sentence. The 1942 film was responsible for "The Bambi Effect." This is a way to refer to increased environmental activism. Pretty much, humans being more protective of animals they deem as "cute."

3). Casablanca (1943)

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In 1943, the film Casablanca was released amidst the turmoil of the second World War. At the time, the Allied Powers were holding the "Casablanca Conference" which was a meeting between President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill. This meeting cemented the Allied strategic plans against the Axis powers.

The film being released in such a timely manner inspired Americans to change their perception on intervention into foreign events. This attitude continued into the Gulf War later on in the 90s and continues to impact Americans to this day.

4). The Seven- Year Itch (1955)

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Back in the early days of Hollywood, actors were required under contract to let film studios control their entire lives. This meant that studios got to decide what they did in their personal lives, what professional image they projected, and the roles that they would be typecast into. Actors were not allowed to expand their image in any way outside of what the studio allowed.

Marilyn Monroe, at the time was typecast as a "dumb blonde." She was also the top money-maker for 20th Century Fox, and decided to use this to her advantage when the time came for her contract to be renewed. Monroe told the studio that she wanted to have the freedom to make films with different studios and independent producers. 20th Century Fox did not want to lose her, so they agreed.

This event caused more and more actors to negotiate their contracts and gain more creative control. Eventually, this led to the dissolution of the studio system completely.

5). Psycho (1960)

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Before the release of Psycho in 1960, moviegoer etiquette was quite different to how it is today. It was common in those days for people to show up to the cinema in the middle of the showing.

Hitchcock did not agree with this style of movie watching as he thought that watching in this laissez-faire style ruined the experience.

The first thing that he did to address these issues was to refuse to let there be an early screening for critics so that the movie twist would be a surprise to everyone. He also worked with theaters to establish actual concrete viewing times for his film. Once the film started the doors were locked so that people could not come in late.

Theaters found that they were actually able to make more money this way as they could sell more tickets and also have time to clean up in between showings.

So the next time you head out to your 6:30 PM movie, thank Hitchcock.

6). Victim (1961)

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In 1961 when this film was released, there were still laws that criminalized homosexuality in England. The film starred a very famous actor of the time and followed a young gay man who was being blackmailed.

The film was a stunning character piece and crime drama. The movie painted a sympathetic picture of homosexuality and later led to the passing of the Sexual Offences Act in 1967 which made homosexuality legal in England.

7). The Thin Blue Line (1988)

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This 1988 movie actually led to an innocent man being released from prison. The director of the film was originally conducting research for a film project about Dr. James Grigson. Dr. Grigson was a psychiatrist who was often called to give evidence in criminal trials.

Dr. Grigson' nickname was actually "Doctor Death" as evidence he provided had sent nearly 100 men to Death Row. The filmmaker, Morris, also decided to interview some of the men on Death Row. He found a man named Randall Adams. Adams claimed that he was completely innocent

At the time, Morris was extremely interested in Adams and changed his project to exploring Adams' story instead. This research led to the film The Thin Blue Line and Adams was pardoned a few months after the release of the film in 1988.

8). Back to the Future 2 (1989)

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The Actor, Crispin Glover, who played Marty McFly's father in Back to the Future, did not approve of the script for the sequel. The filmmaker's refused to find someone else to play him and so they took a face mold they had from the first film and placed it on another actor.

Glover, the original father decided to file a lawsuit in 1990 because he felt as though this was a violation on his right of publicity. He added that he " had a unique and distinctive likeness and voice."

This lawsuit led to new clauses being created in the Screen Actors Guild collective-bargaining agreements.

9). Schindler's List (1993)

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When Schindler's List opened in theaters in December of 1993, it was like nothing moviegoers had ever seen before. The influence of the movie went as far as the President of the time, Bill Clinton, urging Americans to see the film.

The film shed some light on events that people still liked to deny even happened. Spielberg also developed and founded The Shoah Foundation, which documented the testimonies of thousands of Holocaust survivors. Spielberg said he wanted these accounts as proof to future generations.

10). Die Hard 3 (1995)

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The bank heist featured in Die Hard 3 was so good that it caught the attention of the FBI.

In the film, the villain and his team are disguised as subway workers and make their way through the NYC water tunnel system in order to get into the Federal Reserve Bank.

Screenwriter, Jonathon Hensleigh, was approached by the FBI and the script was being vetted by authorities. The FBI felt as though they had "too much information about the bank" and that the set was eerily similar to that of the actual Federal Reserve basement vault.

As a result of this interaction, Hensleigh was informed that the FBI was going to be taking extra measures since a "normal" guy like Hensleigh had been able to devise such a plan.

11). Rosetta (1999)

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The 1999 film follows its main character, Rosetta. Rosetta is a young teenager living in a Belgian trailer park with her alcoholic mother. The film follows her day to day job hunting and being paid measly wages as a young worker.

The movie is extremely bleak, just when you think things cannot be worse for Rosetta, they are. Filmgoers were so moved by the young actresses' performance, that it led to a change of labor laws in Belgium.

The "Rosetta Law" forbade employers from paying their teenage workers less than minimum wage.

12). Supersize Me (2004)

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Supersize Me is a documentary about the experience of a man who ate only McDonald's for 30 days straight. The creator of this film, Morgan Spurlock wanted to investigate claims that people had made that Mcdonald's was the reason they had become obese.

As the result of this documentary, Spurlock gained 18 pounds within the month, and McDonald's got rid of its supersize option. They claim that the movie had no effect on this decision.

13). The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

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The 2004 film, The Day After Tomorrow, changed the way Americans thought about climate change forever.

There is a scene, about midway through the film, where the scientists are discussing the cause of the freak accidents that have happened during the beginning of the movie. One of the scientists concludes, "I think we're on the verge of a major climate shift."

A survey done a week after the release of the film found that many more Americans were interested in the topic of climate change and would actively participate in voting on the issues in the upcoming elections at that time.

14). Blackfish (2013)

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The 2013 documentary Blackfish, shows the impact of whale captivity at Seaworld. The film focuses on the story of Tilikum, a whale who was involved in the deaths of three people, including a Seaworld trainer.

Before this film, most people were unaware of the background of marine captivity and its negative impacts on the whales lives'. Even the Seaworld trainers themselves had been told that the whales were happy and cooperative. Learning that they were not had viewers questioning the morality of holding these animals in tanks.

Following the release of the documentary, attendance at Seaworld fell by one million visitors. The next year in 2014, Seaworld announced an 84% drop in income. Two years later, Seaworld finally announced that they would be phasing at their orca shows and breeding program altogether.

15). Get Out (2017)

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The 2017 horror film Get Out directed by Jordan Peele opened the eyes of people everywhere. The film deconstructs racism through the main character Chris and his experience with meeting his white girlfriend's parents for the first time.

The film shows the many layers of microaggressions that black people experience on a daily basis. This movie ultimately brought to light, albeit in a horrifically magnified way, the racism that is still present in our current day.