The histories of film is an account of the historical development of the medium known variously as cinema, motion pictures, film, or the movies
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Was Dr. Strangelove originally intended to be serious?
The legendary Kubrick comedy Dr. Strangelove is based on the book Red Alert which is in no way comedic. At the time of release, not long after the Cuban Missile Crisis, apocalyptic pessimism was the ...
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How were zombies first depicted in film?
I would like to know in what ways and why the concept, appearance, and manner of the zombie has changed from its original conception (early 20th century) to today's?
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First appearance of a weapon with the power of a nuclear bomb?
Atomic Bomb Predicted Before It's Time
Written literature that predated the atomic bomb made references to man creating a weapon that could set the sky on fire.
H.G. Wells book The Time Machine ...
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Which film or TV-Show was the first to use a '555-' phone number?
[Toy Story 3]
Using a fictional '555-' phone number is not uncommon in American films and television shows.
Watch a compilation of films using a '555-' number
My Question:
Which film or ...
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2answers
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Did George Lucas try to acquire the rights to 'The Lord Of The Rings' / 'The Hobbit'?
[Source]
This review of the movie Willow, which was produced by George Lucas, claims:
George Lucas was desperately attempting to secure the rights to the Lord of the Rings series and its ...
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1answer
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When did theaters first start showing matinees or giving matinee discounts?
I'm trying to figure out if matinees (and the subsequent matinee prices) have always been a part of movie history or if they were adopted later on. I know matinee was adopted by the English from the ...
10
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4answers
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What was the first case of a celebrity playing a fictionalized version of her/himself?
James Van Der Beek in Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 is one of the more recent examples of
celebrities playing a fictionalized version of themselves
To be clear, I'm not talking about a ...
6
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1answer
166 views
What was the first film to have a fight on top of a moving train?
The earliest I could locate was a Mexican film El Tren fantasma as described here.
The General (1926) starring Buster Keaton was known for its action in a train, but I am unable to reliably establish ...
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The first human robot?
Can anyone find an example of the first human appearing robot? The earliest I can think of is in the 1973 film Westworld. I'm looking for the first cinematic android that was created not to replace a ...
6
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419 views
Adjusted Worldwide Box Office
Whenever I read a list of the top box office of all time adjusted for inflation, it's always just domestic. I understand you've got different currencies and what not. But, it isn't impossible to ...
9
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1answer
179 views
What is the first movie to show slicing through a candle to show sword prowess
The nearest I can find is The Mark of Zorro. It shows the villain (played by the wonderful Basil Rathbone) slicing through a candle with rage and then the hero slicing through a candle but seemingly ...
7
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1answer
514 views
What technology did each Pixar movie introduce?
I recall reading years ago that each Pixar film included some new technology or capability that they they'd developed as part of making that film. Monsters Inc. for example introduced fur. This ...
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1answer
829 views
Annual revenue for film industry by year adjusted for inflation
Have a theory about my question about the reasoning behind the average length of feature length films, but that theory is based on finding the annual revenue for film industry by year adjusted for ...
12
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2answers
379 views
What was the first instance of a movie reboot?
Apparently so called reboots are the new answer to Hollywood running out of original ideas.
In the last years several franchises have been "rebooted" such as Spiderman, Batman, Star Trek and so on.
...
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5answers
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What was the first crossover movie like The Avengers, using only movie franchises?
The Avengers is taking 4 separate movie franchises (Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America) and combining them all into one huge movie with all the main characters from each movie.
Doing some ...
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4answers
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Era of profanity in movie scripts
The quote "Frankly, my dear I don't give a damn" from Gone with the Wind was famous largely because of the early use of profanity in the script.
My question:
In films from the 90s to the present, ...
8
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1answer
839 views
What was the first full-length feature film shot completely with digital cameras?
Nowadays almost every movie is shot with digital cameras. I would like to know what was the first full-length feature film shot completely with digital technology instead of celluloid.
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What was the first film shot completely with a subjective point of view?
What was the first full-length feature film shot completely with a subjective point of view, i.e. with a subjective camera where shots simulates what a character actually sees (audience, character, ...
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3answers
601 views
What is the first instance of a disaster movie coming true?
Think movies like Twister, Dante's Peak and Hard Rain as general examples, but feel free to expand on them. Avoid movies like The Day After Tomorrow because they're not as clear-cut and may lead to a ...
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3answers
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Andy Kaufman / “Friday's” Incident: Why did Michael Richards refuse to portray himself?
In the 1999 film "Man on the Moon" starring Jim Carrey as the infamous comic Andy Kaufman, the movie takes great pains to recreate specific points in Kaufman's life. In a somewhat unorthodox fashion, ...
