Didn’t Alexander Korda direct Pagnol’s Marius? I’m pretty sure Pagnol’s first credited director’s job was a few years later
The First Features List
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The First Features List
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: The First Features List
Yep. His premier, unseen by me, is from 1933.
- Rayon Vert
- Green is the Rayest Color
- Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:52 pm
- Location: Canada
- Contact:
Re: The First Features List
oh yes, sorry about that
- jazzo
- Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:02 am
Re: The First Features List
Other considerations:
Wes Anderson’s BOTTLE ROCKET
Tamara Jenkins’s SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS
Barry Levinson’s DINER
Jonathan Glazer’s SEXY BEAST
Macon Blair’s I DO NOT FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE
Peter Bogdanovich’s TARGETS
Ida Lupino’s NOT WANTED
Jack Clayton’s ROOM AT THE TOP
Ron Underwood’s TREMORS
Jane Campion’s 2 FRIENDS
Wes Anderson’s BOTTLE ROCKET
Tamara Jenkins’s SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS
Barry Levinson’s DINER
Jonathan Glazer’s SEXY BEAST
Macon Blair’s I DO NOT FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE
Peter Bogdanovich’s TARGETS
Ida Lupino’s NOT WANTED
Jack Clayton’s ROOM AT THE TOP
Ron Underwood’s TREMORS
Jane Campion’s 2 FRIENDS
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The First Features List
Targets and Bottle Rocket were mentioned, but Sexy Beast is good insulated fun and Diner is a wonderful composite of the challenges of youthful personas transitioning into adulthood. Definitely a strong list-contender.
- Rayon Vert
- Green is the Rayest Color
- Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 10:52 pm
- Location: Canada
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- bottled spider
- Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2009 2:59 am
Re: The First Features List
Glad to hear this had more than local or national popularity, something I've wondered about that.Aunt Peg wrote: ↑Sun Jun 13, 2021 10:18 amI saw My American Cousin at the 1985 or 1986 Sydney Film Festival. It wasn't scheduled to play but as something else didn't turn up it got screened instead. The audience went ga-ga for it and rightfully so - an utter delight of a film. It was released on video a few months later and was a big renter. One of those many gems that sadly appear lost these days.
Love Serenade (Shirley Barrett). Another successful first feature by a female director who didn't direct much else afterwards. Somewhat to my surprise, the arch conservative Bowman loved it. It's the kind of film that rewards multiple viewing because of the little details one notices in the room furnishings, clothing, or throwaway nuances of performance.
- Pavel
- Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2020 2:41 pm
Re: The First Features List
I'm using the Wikipedia page about debuts to find films to prioritize, but that's missing some lesser-known films like Dover Kosashvili's Late Marriage, which doesn't stand much of a chance of making my list, but I think it got some votes in the previous 2000s project and is a film most don't think of as a first feature
- Aunt Peg
- Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2012 5:30 am
Re: The First Features List
That certainly is a comprehensive list, though a couple of omissions like Jack Fisk, Marleen Gorris, Ray Lawrence, etc.
- Ghersh
- Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2016 7:05 pm
Re: The First Features List
Oh boy, this is an intriguing list project, but I'm afraid I won't be able to contribute, not in the short amount of time.
Just for completion and curiosity: Would Shaun of the Dead count as Edgar Wrights feature debut, since his almost no-budget film which he did at age 20 (Fistful of Fingers) is often ignored anyway? Or do you know no mercy in that regard?
Just for completion and curiosity: Would Shaun of the Dead count as Edgar Wrights feature debut, since his almost no-budget film which he did at age 20 (Fistful of Fingers) is often ignored anyway? Or do you know no mercy in that regard?
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: The First Features List
A Fistful of Fingers got a cinema release upon its original completion (i.e. not retrospectively, to take advantage of Wright’s subsequent fame), and so unquestionably counts as his first feature.Ghersh wrote:Just for completion and curiosity: Would Shaun of the Dead count as Edgar Wrights feature debut, since his almost no-budget film which he did at age 20 (Fistful of Fingers) is often ignored anyway? Or do you know no mercy in that regard?
- jazzo
- Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:02 am
Re: The First Features List
Speaking of Edgar, his friend and occasional writing partner, Joe Cornish, had a delightful debut with ATTACK THE BLOCK.
- Maltic
- Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 1:36 am
Re: The First Features List
This seems to me an easier project to complete, since there's such a huge field of candidates that I wouldn't feel bad about not having watched/rewatched enough films before submitting a list.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The First Features List
Yeah, I already have a list of 50 perfect debuts without watching anything new. Cutting it down to 25 with revisits will be my priority in addition to filling in those early-year gaps for directors I haven't bothered with yet.
There are going to be some situations where I may just need to cancel a few out due to feeling iffy on the 'first' for a director. For example, Being John Malkovich is a terrific debut, all the more admirable for its clever direction of difficult-to-adapt material. However, Charlie Kaufman seems to share auteur status- and conversely, his own debut, Synecdoche, New York, while clearly darker and more esoteric compared to his prior writer-only works, doesn't feel like as much as of a "first feature" qualifier after his brand of eccentricity had been out in the stratosphere for nearly a decade already. This will all of course come down to personal preference, but as swo said earlier, there are going to be some interesting subjective considerations for how a director's work stands out for inclusion/de-prioritization.
There are going to be some situations where I may just need to cancel a few out due to feeling iffy on the 'first' for a director. For example, Being John Malkovich is a terrific debut, all the more admirable for its clever direction of difficult-to-adapt material. However, Charlie Kaufman seems to share auteur status- and conversely, his own debut, Synecdoche, New York, while clearly darker and more esoteric compared to his prior writer-only works, doesn't feel like as much as of a "first feature" qualifier after his brand of eccentricity had been out in the stratosphere for nearly a decade already. This will all of course come down to personal preference, but as swo said earlier, there are going to be some interesting subjective considerations for how a director's work stands out for inclusion/de-prioritization.
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: The First Features List
Yeah, that’s part of why I’m making a funky self restriction I’m not following to heavily of voting for films I have seen at least a few films of.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The First Features List
On the other hand, there are some debuts that are such strong one-offs that it feels criminal to discount on the basis of wondering if the talent would persist. Night of the Hunter is the obvious example, but One-Eyed Jacks is in some ways even more impressive to me, and of course while we'll have to wait and see if Fennell remains consistent, Promising Young Woman is such a bold, complex, and tonally-risky film that it's everything one can ask from a first feature and will place highly for me, perhaps even over films I like more that are 'safer' firsts.
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: The First Features List
One of those is part of my not following my rules at all.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The First Features List
So given domino's flexible adjustment to the rules, is anybody planning to vote for or consider The Mother and the Whore as Eustache's first feature, as well as Extraordinary Stories for Llinas? Obviously I don't want to throw away votes on a project already challenging to narrow down, but these two are pretty obviously "first features" to me and I'm curious if others feel similarly
- swo17
- Bloodthirsty Butcher
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: SLC, UT
Re: The First Features List
I wouldn't have room for those, but I certainly will for Medvedkin's Happiness and Pee-wee's Big Adventure!
- Pavel
- Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2020 2:41 pm
Re: The First Features List
This was asked before but never answered definitively, so let me ask again: is Michael Mann's Thief eligible?
- swo17
- Bloodthirsty Butcher
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: SLC, UT
Re: The First Features List
The new rules allow for more leniency with regard to film duration but don't say anything about TV movies. To recap: Jericho Mile is a 97-minute film made for U.S. TV but distributed theatrically outside the U.S. At least some of those theatrical screenings happened before Thief received a release. Personally, I would say the fact that it's 97 minutes matters more than it being made for TV, but I suppose it would be helpful to have a ruling on whether TV movies count
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The First Features List
In case anyone was thinking of checking it out, I recently watched Robert Altman's debut, The Delinquents, and it's terrible. A social problem pic whereby the 'wrong crowd' our lead hangs out with really is as terrible as everyone says as they devolve into sociopathy just in time for a clearcut diagnostic finish. At least it's not as bad as the TV movie he made shortly after, Nightmare in Chicago, but we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
For fans of cringe comedy, this year's Shiva Baby is a quiet masterpiece that proves itself to be one of the best in the genre, made by a director who knows her milieu and situational dynamics inside and out. The film walks a fine line between social horror and the comedy born from that familiar overstimulation of exhausting Murphy's Law theatrics triggering our self-consciousness. Emma Seligman's movie makes Larry David look like Barny. Highly recommended.
For fans of cringe comedy, this year's Shiva Baby is a quiet masterpiece that proves itself to be one of the best in the genre, made by a director who knows her milieu and situational dynamics inside and out. The film walks a fine line between social horror and the comedy born from that familiar overstimulation of exhausting Murphy's Law theatrics triggering our self-consciousness. Emma Seligman's movie makes Larry David look like Barny. Highly recommended.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The First Features List
Here's my narrowed-down list of 50 for anyone who wants to use as a viewing guide:
A few more spotlights:
The Color of Fear: The best documentary/focus group about racial dynamics I've ever seen. After countless Dynamics of Racism classes through undergrad and grad school, this was the film to sober me to the layered acceptance, not-knowing curious approach, and gentle (yet urgent) introspective responsibility-processing that's necessary to engage in any meaningful dialogue on the subject, via authentically acknowledging and then minimizing defense mechanisms through said recognition without an asterisk. Victor Lee Lewis is a powerhouse advocate, and everyone should friend him on social media.
Hod Rod: This is pretty much the opposite kind of movie, a silly dumb comedy that's actually incredibly intelligent in its construction of surreal humor. The edits going into some jokes are profoundly layered in the establishment of what makes them funny (my favorite being the jump-cut to McBride's hand-slapping 'talent' that literally has no discernible elision to explain its impressiveness in our conceivable reality), right from the freeze-framed 'stunt' the title-card is imposed on. Also the plot is deliciously absurd, and if you've seen Le schpountz, it's uncanny how many specific narrative beats and character dynamics overlap between films! I'm convinced Pagnol's movie's first half was the blueprint for this underappreciated comic masterpiece.
SpoilerShow
The 7th Victim
10 Cloverfield Lane
Adieu Philippine
Alice (‘88)
The Baxter
The Blackcoat’s Daughter
Blood Simple
Bone
Boy Meets Girl
Breathless
Brick
Brigitte et Brigitte
Buffalo ‘66
The Color of Fear
Ce soir ou jamais
Ceremony
The Color Wheel
Diner
Dutchman
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Extraordinary Stories
Fucking Amal
Funny Ha Ha
Gone Baby Gone
Good News
Hot Rod
It’s Such a Beautiful Day
Junebug
Little Murders
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Metropolitan
Michael Clayton
The Mother and the Whore
Night of the Hunter
On the Town
One-Eyed Jacks
Paris Belongs to Us
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
Pretty Poison
Promising Young Woman
Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical
Repo Man
The Room
The Sandlot
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Shotgun Stories
Thoroughbreds
The Virgin Suicides
Wet Hot American Summer
You Can Count on Me
10 Cloverfield Lane
Adieu Philippine
Alice (‘88)
The Baxter
The Blackcoat’s Daughter
Blood Simple
Bone
Boy Meets Girl
Breathless
Brick
Brigitte et Brigitte
Buffalo ‘66
The Color of Fear
Ce soir ou jamais
Ceremony
The Color Wheel
Diner
Dutchman
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Extraordinary Stories
Fucking Amal
Funny Ha Ha
Gone Baby Gone
Good News
Hot Rod
It’s Such a Beautiful Day
Junebug
Little Murders
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Metropolitan
Michael Clayton
The Mother and the Whore
Night of the Hunter
On the Town
One-Eyed Jacks
Paris Belongs to Us
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
Pretty Poison
Promising Young Woman
Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical
Repo Man
The Room
The Sandlot
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Shotgun Stories
Thoroughbreds
The Virgin Suicides
Wet Hot American Summer
You Can Count on Me
The Color of Fear: The best documentary/focus group about racial dynamics I've ever seen. After countless Dynamics of Racism classes through undergrad and grad school, this was the film to sober me to the layered acceptance, not-knowing curious approach, and gentle (yet urgent) introspective responsibility-processing that's necessary to engage in any meaningful dialogue on the subject, via authentically acknowledging and then minimizing defense mechanisms through said recognition without an asterisk. Victor Lee Lewis is a powerhouse advocate, and everyone should friend him on social media.
Hod Rod: This is pretty much the opposite kind of movie, a silly dumb comedy that's actually incredibly intelligent in its construction of surreal humor. The edits going into some jokes are profoundly layered in the establishment of what makes them funny (my favorite being the jump-cut to McBride's hand-slapping 'talent' that literally has no discernible elision to explain its impressiveness in our conceivable reality), right from the freeze-framed 'stunt' the title-card is imposed on. Also the plot is deliciously absurd, and if you've seen Le schpountz, it's uncanny how many specific narrative beats and character dynamics overlap between films! I'm convinced Pagnol's movie's first half was the blueprint for this underappreciated comic masterpiece.
- Never Cursed
- Such is life on board the Redoutable
- Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 12:22 am
Re: The First Features List
A quick question for those who have seen it: which is the correct runtime/language for Microcosmos (which I believe is eligible for this list), 80 minutes/75 minutes and English/French?