Hollywood movie milestones revisited

Recently, it emerged that The Hangover, the stag night film set in Las Vegas, is now the most-watched On Demand movie of all time in the US.

According to ScreenCrave, data taken from a sample of more than 14 million homes in the US shows that the 2009 blockbuster tops the list of the 20 most watched On Demand films followed by Twilight at number two, and Clint Eastwood’s Gran Tarino at number three.

We thought it was a good time to look at some other movie milestones.

World’s First Motion Picture: A 46-second 1895 French film, The Workers Leaving the Lumiére Factory, directed by Louis Lumiére, is considered the first motion picture ever made. The film consists of a single shot of mostly female workers leaving a factory.

First Talkies: A 1927 American musical, The Jazz Singer, is credited with the launch of the talkies. Produced by Warner Bros, it stars Al Jolson, who performs six songs.

Longest Movie: A 2010 French movie, Cinématon, clocking 152 hours, is the world’s longest movie ever made. The film consists of a series of more than 2,000 silent vignettes, each three minutes and 25 seconds long, of various celebrities, artists, journalists and friends of the director, Gérard Courant.

Longest Movie Title: A 2005 comedy, Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Hellbound, Flesh-Eating Subhumanoid Zombified Living Dead, Part 3, holds the honour for the longest movie title. The film is a follow-up to Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Alien, Flesh Eating, Hellbound, Zombified Living Dead Part 2: In Shocking 2-D (1991).

Movie with Most Deaths: A 2003 Peter Jackson film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, has more than 836 deaths, the most for any Hollywood motion picture. The fantasy-adventure film is based on the second and third volumes of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Most Banned Movie: A 1980 film, Cannibal Holocaust, of four documentarians who journey deep into the Amazon Rainforest to film indigenous tribes, was reportedly banned in more than 50 countries. In 2006, Entertainment Weekly magazine named it as the 20th most controversial film of all time.

First Kissing Scene: The first on-screen kiss was shown in 1896’s The May Irwin Kiss ­- the 20-second film loop, with a close-up of a nuzzling couple, was denounced as shocking and pornographic.

Best Film Score: Composer John Williams’ score for Star Wars (1977) is considered the best film score in American cinema. In a career spanning 60 years, Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in Hollywood history, including Superman, Home Alone, the first three Harry Potter movies and all but two of Steven Spielberg’s feature films.

Best Movie Quote: Clark Gable’s last line to Vivien Leigh, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”, in 1939 movie Gone With the Wind has been voted the number one movie quote of all time. The line is memorable not only because it contains a swear word, but because it shows that Rhett Butler has finally given up on Scarlett O’Hara.

Greatest Movie: A 1941 film, Citizen Kane, is considered the greatest movie of all time and is particularly praised for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. It examines the life and legacy of Charles Foster Kane, played by director Oscar Welles, a character based upon the American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and Welles’ own life.
 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.