FilmQuake: The Most Disruptive Films in Cinema

by Ian Haydn Smith

Discover films that dared to be different, risked reputations and put careers in jeopardy. This is what happens when filmmakers take tradition and rip it up.

In FilmQuake, Ian Haydn Smith selects the 50 movies that shook the cinematic world, telling the fascinating stories behind their creation, reception and legacy. Causing fascination and intrigue in some and rejection and scorn in others - these cutting-edge totems, which celebrate novelty, technology and innovation, help define what cinema means today. From unbelievable developments in technology (Citizen Kane) to feminist triumphs (Wanda); films that kickstarted New Queer Cinema (Paris is Burning) to others that challenged law-makers (A Short Film About Killing) - FilmQuake presents the fifty most ground-breaking movies ever made. By discussing each film with the context of its production in mind, the book will give readers true insight into why they were so pivotal. FilmQuake is an alternative introduction to cinema, focusing on the stories of 50 key movies that questioned boundaries, challenged the status quo and made shockwaves we are still feeling today.



This second book in a new series introducing the most disruptive cultural moments of the past 150 years. See also ArtQuake (September 2021), MusicQuake and FashionQuake (both September 2022).

Genres: Media Tie In, Film, Nonfiction

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2021

About the author

Ian Haydn Smith is the editor of Curzon and BFI Filmmakers magazines. He has written and broadcast widely on film and photography.

Reviews

[Nicolò Grasso · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who is well versed in the history of cinema, a book like FilmQuake is definitely more helpful to someone unfamiliar with film history. Ian Haydn Smith's writing is simple and straightforward, chronicling the major changes in cinema through 50 landmark films, including not only beloved classics like Citizen Kane or Do The Right Thing, but also feminist and queer films like Wanda, Atlantique, and Paris Is Burning. Having seen all of the films already, the book did not give me anything new, but it was still a pleasant watch, and it can be very rewarding to anyone who is yet to discover these gems and their context in the history of cinema and the world.

3.5/5

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having studied for a degree in film, I am obsessed with anything to do with movies - of old and new. Any bit of trivia or opinion I can learn improves the viewing experience for me. I’m used to reading about the positives and the glory of film, so I found it an interesting avenue to write a book about disruptive films, and what makes them disruptive, and whether I agree or not.

What I found interesting was not just the idea of a particular film being disruptive, but the exploration that film in and of itself was a disruptive medium.

The layout of this book is easy to read and well defined, with an excellent choice of photographs. Each chapter is well thought out and allows the reader to dip in and out as desired.

It also explores the relatively short time between the advent of film to popular blockbusters to TV series and streaming services. The industry has come a long way in a little over 100 years since the Lumiere brothers showed their first moving picture, and these new advents present these films to an ever increasing audience.

I admit I haven’t seen a lot of the films chosen in this book, but Ian’s written about them so passionately that I might just look them up. I’m glad he chose one of my favourite films - Brokeback Mountain - which is a worthy addition. For all its “disruptiveness”, it is a truly magical movie. But the one thing I will disagree on - quite controversially - is that I don’t believe Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever made, in fact, I thought it was really rather terrible.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another dim bureaucrat walking the wide and boring path. An unoriginal list made because Smith (even the name is dull) wanted to see his name on a book, and because during a long and useless career he made enough friends so they would pull some ropes to get him published.

Back in the 70s, when the Internet was decades in the future, these lists would make some sense. In 2022 only a publisher leeching money from the Government would pad its list with such junk. And the list is not even sincere. This is not what this clown thinks is relevant, but rather what he thinks it would be trendy enough to get him quoted, maybe show his monkey face on a Morning TV show.

The text is mostly anecdotes picked up from the Wikipedia page, or some other folkloric source. It rehashes the Soviet propaganda of Eisenstein. Or the weak productions of Godard, always careful to keep the establishment friendly. No, Citizen Kane was not ”unbelievable developments in technology”, they just didn't know what the limits were supposed to be.

And Get Out is on this list? For what? For a very racially loaded Stepford Wives?

In the end I have noticed that the only measure, apart maybe Citizen Kane which is the famous ”on all top 10 lists”, are simply movies that cater to an extreme left critic audience. So it's not about ”the most”, but rather about box office successes on Smith's political side.

Which makes even more relevant the Nouvelle Vague crowd: those were the people who bit the bullet and made films back in the day when everything was hard. Smith is a worm feeding with many like him on the corpses of films that are relevant because the establishment keeps bringing them back in the spotlight.

A pointless book, from a pointless being.

[Genevieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

a decent book i picked up from the library- good to get a very broad overview of famous movies from the last 100 years or so, not the best written (quite a few spelling/grammatical errors) but gave me a few films for my watch list. dont think I would recommend it though

[Kate Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this book had been around when i was doing my film degree!
This book is fascinating!!! I really enjoyed this, and learnt a lot too!

I love how accessible this book was, despite it being a very academic book.

I think this would make the perfect gift for any film buff, film lover, or film student!

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

FilmQuake: The Most Disruptive Films in Cinema, by Ian Haydn Smith, is a wonderful addition to the Culture Quake series. This is a history of film focusing on changes, or disruptions, rather than a narrative history that would spend a lot more time on periods of little change but great popularity.

The selection of films will be familiar to most readers who have studied film history, whether formally or informally. In other words, these are not, for the most part, films you haven't seen. If you love movies but haven't gone back to look at the history this will introduce you to some films you may not have seen. Going back to watch them isn't even really important if your interest is primarily in understanding how we progressed from the short reels to today's blockbusters, this book walks you through how each of these films helped move the art form toward where it is today.

The writing is very accessible, this is not an academic book. That said, it is not a book that just talks about how "god" or "bad" a film is. This is about context, historical and cultural, and change within the form.

For the reader who has some knowledge of film history this is still a valuable book. Only the most arrogant will claim they learned nothing they didn't know. Those things are facts, and those facts take on different importance when we consider them from different perspectives. So the self-proclaimed "well-versed" are more like trivia kings, they know facts but lack understanding. This book offers understanding, and even those of us who have used film in teaching can be reminded of context without the posturing of claiming "I learned nothing," leave that for the young posers.

A word about the movies included. I would guess that if you asked a bunch of film scholars to come up with 50 films that were disruptive, about 40 or so of these would be on every list. The other ten might not be on every list but each would likely be represented through the inclusion of a similar film. While I agree with the inclusion of Rome, Open City I think someone else could make the same point, within the context of this book, with a different Italian Neorealist film.

Also, this isn't about liking or disliking any given film. That is, for this book, completely beside the point. In fact, I have to wonder about someone who complains about Citizen Kane's inclusion because they don't like it but they, by their silence, must like Birth of a Nation. I can't stand Birth of a Nation but it included here because it is important in film history.

I could see myself, if I were still teaching, using this book as a supplemental text. Especially in a humanities course (as compared to a film department course) where the students likely won't go to film school and may not even take advantage of the film school courses as nonmajors. I would probably include a nice narrative history (a recent one I like is Dixon & Foster's A Short History of Film, 3e from Rutgers UP) as well as Gianetti's classic Understanding Movies. Combined with essays on topics I would want to focus on, these books would help the students see both the seamless appearance of film history as well as the disruptive history.

I would highly recommend this for both the cinephile with a lot of background as well as the casual reader who just wants to better understand how we got here. Even just as a list of important films to watch in your lifetime this would be a fun book.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Quarto Publishing Group- White Lion for an advanced copy of this book on film history.

The effect of art is sometimes hard to register. A portrait, a poem, a song, a book, and a movie can appear and fade from the mainstream quickly, but to those who pay attention, or are lucky to find it, the ground might shift and the world might not be as dull as it was earlier. Sometimes the public might notice, censorship might be threatened, public trials and public burnings scheduled, and again those paying attention can be seismically shifted forever.

FilmQuake: The Most Disruptive Films in Cinema by Ian Haydn Smith is a series of fifty essays on fifty films that made the Earth shake, at least according to the author. Books like these are very much in the pen of the beholder, but are fun because of discussions they raise, and the points that they validate in their arguments. Movies on war, love, sexuality, history, racism, are discussed from around the world from the origins of film to today. The directors are familiar Sergei Eisenstein and Luis Buñuel, and new , Jordan Peele and Bong Joon-ho. All share a singular vision in telling their story, which are described in essays telling of film, making of and reception and controversies.

The writing is very good, and the illustrations feature behind the scenes, influences, posters and other ephemera. A perfect gift for a burgeoning cinephile, or for someone who just loves to read about film like myself. This book reminds the reader why films do matter, and why as a movie lover we love sitting in the dark and watching the pretty pictures.

[Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely an interesting read. It looks how the film making practice and peoples changing views on what they want to watch including great cinematic controversies. Starting from the very first films. Also looking at the change in sounds and technology used. I enjoyed the layout of the book. I thought the time line at the beginning of each chapter was very useful. Which looked at key events that occurred during that time period. I enjoyed learning about the different introductions of technology, and changes in film use and different director's. However, I didn't really know many of the films that were included and just wanted to learn more from each one. Just as it started getting interesting it moved on to the next film. I would class it as an introduction to films that cause quakes in the visual art of cinematography. I also really would of loved to learn about films that caused great controversies and feedback from some critics or from people who watch them. I finished the whole book and did learn quite a bit from it so that is always a good thing and im glad I experienced the book. I was just left wanting a bit more information. That is just my opinion and I am one person. I always recommend that you try a sample of the book to make up your own mind or get it out from your library and give it a go as I'm sure other people will love this title more than I did. Many thanks to the author and publishers for producing an Great insight into the changes in world cinematic.

[Paul Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find myself collecting film guides, that’s my excuse. I should stop. This one hasn’t got much to say to us guys who can remember renting from Blockbuster, but if you’re just starting out, this guide could even be useful.

Regarding the subtitle : “THE MOST DISRUPTIVE FILMS IN CINEMA”

As Mr Smith proceeds it becomes clear that “most disruptive films” doesn’t mean I Spit on your Grave or The Human Centipede or Dogtooth or Irreversible - films that would disrupt anybody, I would think - but instead it means Brokeback Mountain, Parasite and Get Out – good stuff but not what you’d call headbangers. None of his choices are bad but I don’t think some of them even disrupted the tea breaks of the actors making them.

So I think in this case “disruptive” means “somewhat left of centre”, films that are on a mission, that have a message – La Haine, Tangerine, For Sama – socially and politically engaged cinema. Nothing wrong with that!

There are useful two-page timelines for the decades covered as well. In 2019 we read that Avengers Assemble became the highest grossing film of all time, not adjusted for inflation, and the Covid 19 virus was first identified.

What a world….things just keep on happening! You can’t stop them !



They must have seen all 50 movies in this guide!

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that provides for a wonderful look at cinema history, or at least of its more notable, press-worthy and water-cooler moments. It is constructed around fifty more noteworthy films, but I was helped in defining it as a history not just in the chronological order, and the context-giving timelines available, but because you only get the one film and then you're reading an aside about female directors – a part of the general overlook, and not the singular moments. Three films more, and its German Expressionism that is the subject of a further, gap-filling aside. So nothing rests in isolation, but becomes a part of a bigger picture – the growth of sound, the emergence of propaganda classics, and so on.

This then is a great way of discussing cinema, and the author is great at doing it, both for the whole artform in a flowing history and film by film. Fifty films as a canon really does allow for much argument – no Lean, Lynch or Leone – but those small windows onto the big screen provided really do show the progression of it all, with of course the obvious, post-Covid question as to its survivability as a medium to close. If big screen projection really is in closing-down mode, it's been a hell of a ride. And with this having the scope to include films I'd never heard of, this is a worthy tribute. Four and a half stars.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really 2.5 stars, to be fair.
I approach books like this wanting to learn something or find out something new. But of the 50 films featured here, I had seen well over half of them and had a decent knowledge about many of the rest (I just have not got round to seeing them/no interest in seeing them); indeed, there were only two that I hadn't heard of.
Each of the film and genre chapters only really scratch at the surface, like well-written introductions to Wikipedia articles. Also some of the choices here for the "most disruptive films" in cinema history are a bit, ahem, wild.
It may be a better read for a more casual film watcher wanting to learn more about cinema history.

[Thomas Ogley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and informative read, and it’s focus on marginalised groups and cultures within cinema throughout its history, and their important roles in both the establishment and evolution of the medium, makes for a refreshing experience. My only major gripe with the book would be that it spent too little time on each chapter, with great writing that I could’ve easily spent much longer on. A great introduction to books about films in general.

[Jim Hanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Film Quake is a wonderful look back at the history of cinema. Each decade is represented with some stand out movies i.e. Psycho, Jaws, and these are given some extra expert analysis. Also included is a look at the trends that film has gone through over the years with a focus on the French new wave, or new Hollywood. Overall this is definitely a great book for film lovers.

[Noah King · Rating 3 out of 5]

FilmQuake is a perfectly fine book about the short history of film as a creative medium, best suited for people beginning in the world of filmmaking or film criticisms. The authors compiles a list of note worthy films throughout periods in film's history. Where he falls short is his innability to observe anything new, leaving his descriptions of films base level and at times, uninteresting.

[Alexandra Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a free ecopy of 'FilmQuake' from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so thank you NetGalley and thank you Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion!)

I've been thinking a lot about canonicity lately (the idea that certain books, movies, works of art etc. are superior, timeless and representative of culture) so I was interested to read 'FilmQuake: The Most Disruptive Films in Cinema'. To be clear, Ian Haydn Smith does stick to the brief, though he often seems to interpret "disruptive" as "new", justifying many of the entries by citing whichever technique or style revolutionised the form and set trends. As a result, the usual suspects of "canon" films show up, like Citizen Kane, Birth of a Nation and 2001: A Space Odyssey. He explains his technical terms and breaks the book down into sections by decade so, from a film history point of view, this would definitely be a useful primer. I also liked that each subsection includes a little timeline of key historical events to put the movies into context.

I would have liked more detail on what he means by "disruptive" and more reflection on the ethics of some of his choices. For example, Smith includes Birth of a Nation due to its impact on the history of cinema and race relations. He's very clear about the film's heinous racism and real world impact, clearly demonstrating that movies and popular culture matter and influence real world behaviour, ideology and politics. In that way, I suppose, it was "disruptive", both in terms of its technical innovations and the boost it gave to the KKK. But should it really still be taught and included in books like this? Does its inclusion validate and elevate it as a piece of art? What about directors who were known to be abusive or predatory towards members of their casts? What message does it send to film students (and future film makers) that we still admire and teach their work? Does it normalise abuse? These are important questions and it's a shame Smith doesn't explore them. Acknowledging and discussing the ethical issues surrounding his selection process would have strengthened the book overall, especially if it is aimed at students.

That said, I appreciate that Smith clearly was trying to be inclusive in the films he features and side panels handily highlight important ideological shifts and movements in cinema (i.e. feminist film, LGBT film, Black cinema etc.). I hadn't heard of some of the older feminist films and directors he mentions (I'm not a film expert), for example, so Film Quake is definitely a great resource in that sense. And its clear, chronological presentation and Smith's succinct, readable entries make it an accessible read, whether or not you're a film buff. The glossary and further reading section at the end is also very handy for both film students and fans (like me!). It has definitely given me a list of movies to check out, in any event!

[Joni Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely interesting look into the history of film. From the very beginning until today. I definitely enjoyed learning about all the old movie stars and how film has evolved into what it is today.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very educational on the history of films. I now have a list of older movies to find & watch.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read this book, as evinced by this review.

[lucy 🦋 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Coby Friesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference of cinematic history at its most disruptive. Still subjective, so I definitely feel like important films were missed but overall quite comprehensive.

[Andrew Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brisk overview of important films and styles/genres/trends that Smith is clearly aware is short, given the importance of these films, by including a Further Reading section.