by Dave DeBord
Here is a list of nine movies that had an impact on me. Not necessarily the greatest movies ever made (although a few are definitely classics), nor is this a list of my top favorite movies. It is, as I said, a list of movies that, when I saw them, had an impact on me. An influence I can vividly remember today or that makes me re-watch whenever I can.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
(1956)
Writers: Jack Finney, Dan Mainwaring, Sam Peckinpah (uncredited)
Director: Don Siegel
Probably the first movie I remember that scared me. I identified with the main
character, played by Kevin McCarthy. Someone who knows something but cannot
convince others of the truth or has to deal with others who do know the truth
but who are part of the problem. It has what I now consider to be too convenient
of an ending, but when I first saw the movie I was relieved that in the end,
someone realized that McCarthy’s character was telling the horrible truth.
We would all be saved. I know now of course about how this movie was a parable
to another McCarthy, the senator from Wisconsin and his hunt for Communists
in the movie industry and the rest of the United States. The theme of replacement
was replicated in a later book and movie by Ira Levin, “The Stepford Wives.”
By the way, I refuse to watch the Donald Sutherland remake of Body Snatchers,
which had Kevin McCarthy in a bit part as the running man, so I will never know
if it is quality or not.
Invaders From Mars (1953)
Writers: John T. Battle, Richard Blake
Director: William C. Menzies
Another science fiction/horror movie, made before Body Snatchers, although I
did not see it until it appeared on late-night television. This too was a scary
movie, and I again identified with the main character, a young boy. He discovered
that invading Martians controlled adults, including his parents, and he had
to find someone he could trust so he could tell them. The sand-collapsing scenes
made trips to my own back yard a bit more cautious. “Body Snatchers”
and “Invaders” launched my interest in science fiction. The actor
(Jimmy Hunt) who played the young boy was in the 1986 remake, but I’ve
never seen that new version either.
Bridge On the River Kwai
(1957)
Writers: Michael Wilson, Carl Foreman
Director: David Lean
I was touring with a youth group and the chaperons herded forty-eight to ten-year-olds
into a theater in downtown Omaha, and this movie kept us quiet for two hours.
A simple, straightforward story with heroic characters, a music score and special
“song” that even a ten-year-old appreciated, and a dramatic climax
at the end. Really the first big movie, in a theater, in which I can remember
the experience. I had seen countless movies at Saturday matinees, but this was
different. This was a Film.
Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Writer: Charles B. Griffith
Director: Roger Corman
Definitely not an “A” movie, but as a kid, when this came on the
Friday night horror TV show, it was an event not to be missed event. My brothers,
cousins and I would make popcorn and baloney sandwiches, get bottles of Coke
(a special treat back then), and sit in fascination enjoying the whole experience.
No memorable plot and I barely remember the climactic end, if there was one,
but will always remember the hilarious “Feed Me!” dialog. I have
since seen the play based on the movie in an Off-Broadway production, and the
1986 movie based on the play and the original movie. Still, the original is
the best and most memorable.
Easy Rider (1969)
Writers: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper
Director: Dennis Hopper
Okay, I grew up in conservative central Iowa. I had these odd feelings about
who I was and what I believed in, and what I didn’t believe in, and where
I was going with my life. I had never really been challenged; I’d had
it pretty easy as a kid. So, I came out of this movie angry. Excited and angry.
I found myself questioning so many things about my own life. I still am in awe
of a movie that could evoke such dramatic emotions from me. It may not be a
great movie, but at that moment in my life, it changed who I was and sent me
down a different road in life.
Back to the Future (1985)
Writers: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale
Director: Robert Zemeckis
A simple premise that still fascinates me in its execution. The foreshadowing
is blatantly shown, plot holes are dramatically wide, characters are often simply
caricatures, and there are foley effects (finger snapping by the male dancer
during the Johnny B Goode number) that jump off the soundtrack. However, when
this comes on some cable channel I have to watch because it is simply a fun
movie. Marty McFly and screen friends are involved in the simple goal of getting
him back to the future without screwing it up. A great, simple premise, well
done. And, any movie with “ . . . you made a time machine out of a DeLorean?”
has got to be a classic.
Tremors (1990)
Writers: S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock
Director: Ron Underwood
A simple little movie that is so much fun to watch. A horror movie with
mysterious, underground, human-consuming monsters and a band of survivors who
must escape. Great repartee between the two main characters (a buddy movie)
with a minor love story (the original script did not have the couple get together
in the end), but a driving plot line of escaping from, and finally killing off,
the monsters. All done with humor and no amount of seriousness. Fun, Fun, and
Fun.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Writer & Director: Quentin Tarantino
Yes, many people hate this movie or find it highly overrated. I love the density
of dialog and the great repartee between Travolta and Jackson. They are two
average working guys (note the “Royale with Cheese” scene) just
trying to do their jobs (complaining about their tools “We should have
shotguns for this.”) that happen to be on the odd side of the law (never
did see a cop). A musical score that to me will forever be tied to certain dramatic
scenes. Some intense scenes that often get relaxed by addition of a humorous
moment. An out of order scene sequence that though done in other movies before
and since, adds to the tension of the plot line.
Chasing Amy (1997)
Writer & Director: Kevin Smith
Not the greatest movie but it is important to me for one very simple reason:
I heard the movie before I saw it. I was in a hotel with thin walls and the
adjoining room must have gotten the movie through a pay-per-view service. I
listened to the dialog and followed the storyline from beginning to end. No
visuals, no faces to the characters, and no dramatic close-ups, dolly shots,
establishing shots, or other camera magic. It was like reading the script where
the dialog evoked the images and I had to supply my own visuals. An interesting
experience for a writer.