Most original movies ever made?

The title pretty much says it all.

The Fountain
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414993/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HIsiYEhzvI

Memento, Being John Malkovich, Repman, Unbreakable, Oldboy, Caché, Fight Club, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski—there's plenty there, and that’s without me even diving into the older stuff. For instance, I'd say Jodorowsky is pretty much one-of-a-kind.

Memento, Being John Malkovich, Repman, Unbreakable, Oldboy, Caché, Fight Club, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski—and there are plenty more, I won't even bother listing the older stuff, though I'd say Jodorowsky is quite unique in his own way.

I’m on board with all of those, except for NCFOM... I mean, in what way is that film actually original?

Well, probably just some experimental stuff. 🤷 From what I’ve actually sat through—think films by Mark Snow, Stan Brakhage, or maybe even Peter Tscherkassky...

Which ones actually work, and which ones were based on books but still missed the mark?
Personally, I'd throw Borac Club in there.

Take the original Star Wars (1977), for example. It’s basically just a mashup of Westerns, samurai flicks, and Sci-Fi.

In my estimation, the concept of an "original film" refers to a work that serves as a pioneer within some specific dimension—be it through its narrative structure, its method of storytelling, its cinematography, or its visual presentation. To me, such films include:

-2001: A Space Odyssey
-Star Wars: A New Hope
-Matrix
-Inglourious Basterds
-Fight Club
-Seven
-12 Monkeys
-Sixth Sense
-Memento
-Inception...

mistyotter35 said:In my estimation, the concept of an "original film" refers to a work that serves as a pioneer within some specific dimension—be it through its narrative structure, its method of storytelling, its cinematography, or its visual presentation. To me, such films include:

-2001: A Space Odyssey
-Star Wars: A New Hope
-Matrix
-Inglourious Basterds
-Fight Club
-Seven
-12 Monkeys
-Sixth Sense
-Memento
-Inception...

12 Monkeys is definitely something special 👍

Richard Wilson4 said:12 Monkeys is definitely something special 👍

It's actually a reimagining of an old film by Chris Marker.

Karen Smith9 said:It's actually a reimagining of an old film by Chris Marker.

WTF?!
What's the title?

Karen Smith9 said:It's actually a reimagining of an old film by Chris Marker.

short film
inspired by a scene from La Jetée

La Jetée

The real question is how much we can actually credit Inglourious Basterds with true originality. It’s definitely unconventional and creative, sure, but when a movie relies so heavily on nods and tributes to other works, you have to wonder if "original" is really the right word to use.

I agree, Inglourious Basterds definitely isn't an original concept, even if it is an excellent movie.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind🙂

It really makes you wonder how much credit we can actually give Inglourious Basterds when it comes to pure originality. Don't get me wrong—it’s definitely unconventional and creative in its own right—but when a film leans that heavily on specific references and stylistic homages, one has to question if "originality" is even the right word to use here.

It appears someone has managed to outmaneuver me in the comments. 🙂

It’s always the same story with these kinds of threads. You get one group that can only recall the latest blockbusters everyone’s talking about, while the other extreme starts rattling off obscure experimental flicks just to prove a point. If we’re actually following the logic of what makes something truly "original," we should probably be looking at the films that defined entire genres or pioneered specific cinematic techniques for the first time. By that standard, *The Last Fight* is an incredibly original piece of work, even if some people might disagree—so I guess the thread title doesn't exactly capture the full scope of the debate. :P

The Last Fight
?

Rachel Ortiz33 said:short film
inspired by a scene from La Jetée

La Jetée

Exactly—bravo—I completely overlooked that detail... Honestly, it’s tough to even discuss "originality" anymore... especially with modern movies, since it's so easy to throw in a nod to something from way back when—particularly something obscure that most people haven't seen... It’s the same story in music and literature, really.

mistyangler86 said:

It really makes you wonder how much credit we can actually give Inglourious Basterds when it comes to pure originality. Don't get me wrong—it’s definitely unconventional and creative in its own right—but when a film leans that heavily on specific references and stylistic homages, one has to question if "originality" is even the right word to use here.

It appears someone has managed to outmaneuver me in the comments. 🙂

It’s always the same story with these kinds of threads. You get one group that can only recall the latest blockbusters everyone’s talking about, while the other extreme starts rattling off obscure experimental flicks just to prove a point. If we’re actually following the logic of what makes something truly "original," we should probably be looking at the films that defined entire genres or pioneered specific cinematic techniques for the first time. By that standard, *The Last Fight* is an incredibly original piece of work, even if some people might disagree—so I guess the thread title doesn't exactly capture the full scope of the debate. :P

Exactly. That movie was a total revolution for its time (of course, being Godard's work—not that anyone would mistake it for some junk involving Richard Girica). But obviously, no film just drops out of thin air; there's always something preceding it that they're building upon or referencing. For instance, Citizen Kane was the first to really utilize deep focus for artistic effect, even if he wasn't technically the very first to use it (well, not in a film, but Orson did)

You really have to bring up Metropolis in this context. You could even make a case for Psycho, given how early the protagonist gets taken out, though obviously, the book was the source material there. Personally, I find myself wondering which films actually managed a genuine twist at the end. These days, it’s such a tired trope that nothing feels surprising anymore; movies practically market themselves based on their "shocking" endings, so the element of surprise has been completely bled dry by the hype. 😢

mistyangler86 said:You really have to bring up Metropolis in this context. You could even make a case for Psycho, given how early the protagonist gets taken out, though obviously, the book was the source material there. Personally, I find myself wondering which films actually managed a genuine twist at the end. These days, it’s such a tired trope that nothing feels surprising anymore; movies practically market themselves based on their "shocking" endings, so the element of surprise has been completely bled dry by the hype. 😢

Back then, they were filming things that would be remade and reimagined constantly, even by today's standards. M and Metropolis are perfect examples. It actually just occurred to me—there’s this old piece of Danish Sci-Fi from around 1916 or 1918 called Himmelsknibet. It was later adapted as Journey to Mars. Makes you wonder what counts as an "original" anymore, doesn't it?