Eminent film critic Roger Ebert defined cinema as “empathy machine” that can transport you to other realities and show them to you from different points of view. The main thing is immersion. Due to its audiovisual nature, a film (ideally seen in a cinema) has the unique ability to monopolize your senses, making you forget about yourself. This is why there are films that changed the world, because the social impact of cinema is enormous.
Nowadays, the seventh art is forced to fight for people’s attention, facing the powerful competition that social networks represent. It’s an unequal battle because watching tiktok is much easier and faster than watching a movie.. But even so, what cinema offers to humanity has not yet been surpassed by its competitors.
There are even stronger films that, intentionally or accidentally, for better or worse, They managed to profoundly change the world in which we live.. Below are 10 films that changed the world.
Fight club
He Fight club is an inspiring family story about two lonely men who want to find meaning in their lives through a little terrorism. It shows the birth of the cult of disillusioned men around Tyler Durden. essentially the character that Andrew Tate based his entire personality on.
As everyone but David Fincher expected, many men around the world made Tyler Durden their idol instead of despising his ideals. Fight club It became the favorite movie of boy groups who hated the world, especially women. It turns out that if you cast Brad Pitt, the coolest actor of the time, to play the charismatic and sensual cult leader, many would think his ideas were great.
Godfather

As we told you before, Godfather Not only is it considered by many people to be the best film ever made, but it also had a huge social impact. to such an extent that it completely changed the functioning of the Mafia.
On the eve of the premiere Godfather The Mafia was a criminal organization like any other: ruthless and dishonest. Mafiosi did not follow the “code”, but betrayed all their friends if there was even the slightest opportunity to serve less time in prison. The film’s impact was such that Real-life gangsters began to dress smartly, speak smartly, call their bosses “Godfather” and use the most iconic phrases from the film in their relationships..
Soundless

Speechless has one of the most disturbing plots in cinema history. And the worst thing is that it is based on a real event.. It’s about a teacher who is hired to teach art classes at a school for the deaf. Little by little he realizes that the children’s withdrawn and fearful behavior implies something sinister: school administrators sexually abused them for years.
Silenced sparked the birth of a social movement in South Korea. as the film shows that the culprits barely received punishment for their horrific crimes. The public was so outraged by what they saw that they demanded justice from their politicians. Thus was born the Dogani Law (after the title of the film in Korean), which ended the absurd legal mechanisms that protected rapists from getting what they deserved.. The school for the deaf, where the crimes occurred, also had to be closed.
Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation is a real tragedy because no one can deny how brilliant it is from a cinematic point of view, to the point that its technical excellence changed the way films are made forever. At the same time, it is perhaps the most racist film in history..
He presents the Ku Klux Klan as a saving force against the threat of violent blacks. They are the heroes of the American South, devastated by the Civil War. The film was a major factor in helping the Klan reach millions of members. Later, David Duke, the group’s longtime leader, used The Birth of a Nation as a recruiting tool.
According to the film’s director, D. W. Griffith, Southern slaveholders were the true victims of the movement that sought to free black people, who were portrayed as beasts. This was the first film shown at the White House..
Shark

Steven Spielberg doomed an entire generation to fear sharks. An image of a giant prehistoric monster stalking the coastline in search of distracted swimmers. It turned out to be so creepy that it forever damaged the reputation of sharks.
Although cow attacks are more likely to cause death than shark attacks, fear of sharks has made mass hunting of sharks a “necessary” common practice. The word “shark” has become associated with the bloodthirsty killings seen in movies, and the world’s shark population has plummeted.to such an extent that many shark species are now endangered.
Bambi

Bambi had the opposite effect Shark. While Spielberg’s film motivated a massive shark hunt, Bambi made us see the hunter who killed the protagonist’s mother as the worst person to ever exist.
This has given rise to the so-called Bambi effect: the resistance we feel when we think about hunting animals considered beautiful or noble. no one feels pain or pity when killing a cockroach.
best gun

When I was about to leave Top Shot: Maverick I was curious to see the original and was impressed by the exciting action scenes. I developed a frustrated desire to become a naval pilot. The sequel’s cinematography and practical effects are much better, but the thrilling performances of the original remain intact..
Many of you may have been thinking the same thing as me since the original movie saw an 8% increase in US Navy recruits. Previously, the media reported a five hundred percent increase, but it has already been proven that this is a lie. The US military made both films possible, and the investment paid off.
Victim

In the sixties, when homosexuality in England was considered a fairly serious crime, a film was released that challenged all social conventions. Victim tells the story of a man who is blackmailed for being homosexual, which was a fairly common practice during those times. because a single accusation of homosexuality can completely destroy someone’s reputation.
Victim had a huge cultural impact, beginning to change public perceptions of homosexuality. He is credited with influencing legislators to the extent that they passed the Sexual Offenses Act in 1967, legislation that decriminalized homosexuality. Lord Arran, who was responsible for introducing the law to the English Parliament, sent a letter of thanks to the actor leading the film, who risked his career and even his life playing a homosexual. It’s available right now on YouTube.
J.F.K.

There are many conspiracy theories that attempt to explain the murder of President John F. Kennedy. Director J.F.K.Oliver Stone decided to put them all in his movie at the same time. Which makes it quite interesting, but also historically accurate. Inglourious Basterds.
The official version became less and less reliable. J.F.K. had a huge impact on how the public thought about the Kennedy assassination, leading to the creation of the Assassination Records Review Commission. declassify many government documents relating to the president’s death, as they themselves admit in their report. This calmed the conspiracy theorists, at least for a while.
Short film about murder

The death penalty is a controversial punishment. Many people wonder whyr why some governments can kill justly, although it is considered the greatest crime that exists. When this particular issue was being discussed in Poland, “A Short Film About Murder” was released.
The film explores the complexities involved in passing a sentence as severe as the death penalty. In Poland, it enjoyed considerable success, which led to many conversations about whether the death penalty is really a justifiable punishment. It is believed that A Short film about murder had a great impact, so much so that the practice was abolished in Poland in the year of its premiere. Another example of cinema that goes beyond art and directly influences the social and political world.
Source: Hiper Textual
