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THE FIRST FILMSThe first times are almost always special. The first year in college, the first kiss, the first date.....They might not be great but majority of the times, they are memorable. The same is with feature films. Yes, there are brilliant filmmakers who start getting into the groove only with their second or third film. David Fincher is a genius and he started out with a dud like Aliens 3. But having a successful first film does make life easier. Spielberg in a recent interview says,"Thanks to Jaws, I've never had problems working in a studio system. I have always been given full liberties on the sets as well as on the edit table". And then there is Orson Welles who even after directing one of the greatest movies of all times, Citizen Kane, had to contend with the constant bickering and interference of studios on all his later movies. Infact the guy during his lifetime, never ever saw a version that he wanted being relesed in the halls. So, the debate could go on. But yes, in present times having an intelligent first movie under your name does guarantee a position of power. Moreover the first movies speak volumes about the resolve, fortitude and determination about the director. Most of all friends, they speak about taking that path least trodden, chock-full of risks and with no guarantee of leading you to the final destination. The following is a list of first time movies that we at "Film is the Word" think are a must see. All the directors listed in here had a terribly tough time making it past their first films. But they did. And they are icons now; their career stories a legend. The list doesn't follow any ranking order and is a bit skewed in favour of recent movies and more so from Hollywood. But then again Hollywood has always been the most fertile ground for cinematic styles, techniques and inventions. Also it's only during the 90s that the independent film movement really gained momentum. Enough of bullshit. Time to get get started....Click on the movie names for info. |
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