Whilst watching “The Crowd” (1928) one central idea kept floating through my head, that of influence. Repeatedly throughout the film, a moment, perhaps a stunning shot of New York, a scene, some dialogue, would remind me of another film, and show how influential King Vidor’s silent film was. This got me thinking of influence and film education, and how someone of my generation is viewing the evolution of cinema backwards. Growing up in the 90’s I, of course,  began watching films from the era, around the turn of the millennium, then of course started delving back into the early 90’s and 80’s (a short phase once i realised the style of film being made in this era). Then back even further to the “New Hollywood” with groundbreaking films from Penn, Coppola, Nichols, Hopper, Bogdanovich, et al. Then travelling back further in time to the “Golden Era” of Hollywood, with the classic noir of Billy Wilder, the stunning westerns from John Ford and Howard Hawks, all the time seeing clues and precursors to the next generation that I have just watched. Then, finally, one last jump to the the silent films of the early 20th century, I remember the first time i watched City Lights, and was just stunned at how engaged i was for the entire length of the film, i don’t think i even blinked.So watching the evolution of cinema in reverse order makes it it easier to find influence from one generation to the next, from one filmmaker to the next, so much of modern comedy owes itself to Woody Allen, who himself owes so much to the Marx Brothers. After watching “The Crowd” (1928) it’s easy to see where Billy Wilder got the inspiration for the sea of desks in the “The Apartment” (1960) or notice the similarities with Woody Allen’s beautiful opening montage of “Manhattan” (1977). Even most recently Matt Weiner’s Mad Men owes a lot to the depiction of New York city as a character in it’s own right. As a film student this link from one generation to the next, is both an inspiration and a goal, surely the mark of a good film is something that will still be admired in the years to come, hopefully long after i’m gone. To make something timeless.   The Crowd (1928) The Apartment (1960)

  
 The Crowd (1928)

   Mad Men (2007)