5 Movies Every Photographer Should See

I visited this site the other day called 10 movies every photographer should see (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/ten-movies.shtml)and it sparked my interest. Although I had never seen any of the movies listed, I understood what the writer was saying about movies that make you want to have a camera in your hands and take pictures immediately after watching them. So this made me start thinking about movies that inspire me and I came up with my own list of movies that I deemed worthy. My list only consists of 5 movies, but they all inspire me for different reasons. So here goes...
5. The Wizard of Oz
This is a classic that reminds me of the basics of film photography and how much things have changed over the years. The contrast of black and white film and the creative, bright colors in this movie make me appreciate both forms of photography that I love. Black and white photography is simple and shows the contrast of darks and lights. Color on the other hand shows the true vibrance of the portrait and seems to bring it to life for the viewer. This movie has always been a favorite of mine, but just recently I was able to appreciate the signifcance of it's technical beauty.
4. Memento
Very similar to The Wizard of Oz, this movies tells two completely different stories, one in black and white and one in color. The section of the movie that is in black and white begins from the end of the movie and works to the middle. The section of the movie that is in color starts from the beginning of the movie and works to the middle. The part of this movie that truly inspires me is the "end" or the middle where the story stops and all the pieces come together and the black and white picture fades into color. This movie reminds me of the beauty of the artwork of photography and how if one takes the time one can bring interesting features to any photo. It also reminds me of how much fun it is to work in the dark room with film to distort the picture and add color to make it look completely different from the original.
3. Moulin Rouge
This movie is full of bright and viberant colors, costumes, and characters that amiably portray the life at the Moulin Rouge in the 1900's. The use of color and light in this movie severly reflects the mood of each scene and how this time is portrayed for the viewer. The difference in light settings reminds me of the different moods one can create in photography by adding or subtracting light. This important aspect can make or break a photo and a film for that instance. This movie makes me want to take pictures with drastic lighting to create emotionally different photos.
2. Mona Lisa Smile
I think the reason that this movie inspires me is because it is about a teacher who tries to get her students to truly consider and appreciate art. I feel the same way about film photography. I feel like I am constantly trying to take amazing photos to show other that film photography is not a dying art and that it should be truly appreciated. Much like the main character, I do not expect everyone to understand my obsession with photography, but what I do expect is that they consider is and maybe even learn to appreciate it.
1.Frida
For me this is the most inspiring movie as an artist and as a photographer. Frida Kahlo was a revolutionary artist who had to work hard to get her art recognized. She was known for her portraits and her use of magical realism. The struggle that this artist endured and the creativity that lived within her is truly inspiring for any artist. I am especially impressed by this movie because of it's use of still life pictures in its scenes. The director of this movie used still portraits of Kahlo's work to transition into different, important scenes in the movie which made both the film and the artwork very emotional. What Frida did with her artwork, I hope to do with my photography- I want people to feel emotion about film photography.