Timeline of Influential Milestones and Turning Points in Film History

Timeline of Influential Milestones and Important Turning Points in Film History

1990s

Herein is a detailed timeline of the key film milestones, important turning points, and significant historical dates or events (organized by decade) that have had a significant influence on the world body of cinema and shaped its development. For more detailed accounts of many items, also see this site's extensive narratives on Film History by Decade, Film Milestones in Visual and Special Effects, and a comprehensive History of the Academy Awards.

Index to Timeline of Greatest Film Milestones and Turning Points

(by decade)

Pre-1900s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

1990s - Part 2

Year	Event and Significance
1994	Best Picture winner Forrest Gump used revolutionary digital photo tricks to insert the film's main character into archival historical footage with past Presidents (John F. Kennedy and LBJ) and other situations. It would encourage the trend of physically inserting actors into old existing footage, making it appear like the characters were interacting with each other. Shortly afterwards, this technique - which expanded to advertising commercials - controversially presented dead stars hawking products (i.e., James Cagney and Louis Armstrong appeared in Diet Coke ads, and John Wayne was in a Coors Light commercial).
1994	Tom Hanks won two consecutive Best Actor awards (presented in ceremonies in 1994 and 1995) for Philadelphia (1993) and for Forrest Gump (1994). He became the fifth performer to win back-to-back acting Oscars, and the second performer to win a consecutive Best Actor Oscar (the first was Spencer Tracy in 1937-1938).
1994	Director Oliver Stone's controversial work on the media's exploitative precoccupation with violence by following the path of two serial killers on a murder spree, Natural Born Killers, came under critical fire for its own graphic, on-screen violence.
1994	Writer/director and B-movie fanatic Quentin Tarantino delivered the non-formulaic and inventive hit Pulp Fiction - an 'independent' film distributed by Miramax, that featured guns, femmes fatales, deadly hit-men, and drugs; it brought new fame to star John Travolta (in an ensemble cast) and a revolutionary script structure with its three interwoven (and fragmented) stories told in non-linear order. The unpredictably shuffled, post-modern film, winner of Cannes' prestigious Palme d'Or, shocked with its hip combination of violence, sex, drugs, and profanity (including 269 F-words).
1994	A Harvard School of Public Health study showed that violence occurred just as frequently in PG, PG-13, and R-rated films. The study was repeated a decade later, illustrating the existence of "ratings-creep", meaning that more risqué and violent scenes were being allowed in films rated G, PG, PG-13 and R than in the past. For example, The Santa Clause (1994) was rated PG, yet it had less sex and nudity, violence, gore and profanity than The Santa Clause 2 (2002), which was rated G.
1994	The theatrical run of Il Postino in New York City stretched for almost two years -- it was still in theaters after the video release and its premium cable run.
1994	SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound), a digital sound-on-film format in which the digital information was optically printed in two continuous strips along both edges of the 35 mm. film, was introduced. The revolutionary system avoided the need for separate CD-ROM soundtracks and synchronization codes. SDDS supported increased surround-sound options by offering eight channels of sound.
1995	The R-rated biopic-documentary Crumb sympathetically portrayed counter-cultural, sex-obsessed cartoonist R. Crumb, known for 1960s-era underground comic books, the character of Mr. Natural, the phrase: "Keep on Truckin'", Fritz the Cat, and the cover art for Janis Joplin's best-selling record Cheap Thrills.
1995	The ILM spin-off company named Pixar, owned by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, was formed as an independent company in 1986. Pixar Studios (and director John Lasseter) and Disney (with their first collaboration) entered into a 1991 deal worth $26 million, to jointly develop, produce, and distribute up to three feature-length animated films.
1995	The cutting-edge Toy Story was the first totally-digital (or computer-generated) feature-length animated film. It was noted as being Pixar's first feature to be released in theaters. The visuals were entirely generated from computers, creating a wonderfully-realistic 3-D world with lighting, shading, and textures, that included real toys in supporting roles (Etch-A-Sketch, Slinky Dog, the plastic toy soldiers, Mr. Potato Head, etc.).
1995	IMAX 3-D was introduced with the 40-minute movie Wings of Courage, which cost $15 million to make. It was viewed through high-tech goggles with liquid crystal lenses.
1995	Miramax announced the creation of the short-lived Rolling Thunder Pictures, a "specialty label" headed by Quentin Tarantino, to bring rare and independent films into theaters. Its first acquisition was from Hong Kong cinema: Chunking Express by director Wong Kar Wai. The company closed in 1998 when Miramax pulled support due to poor sales.
1995	Warner Bros. created the WB Network, a TV broadcast outlet for its TV properties. (Some of the new network's earliest shows were Buffy The Vampire Slayer, 7th Heaven, and Dawson's Creek -- curiously none of which were produced by Warners.)
1995	Danish director Lars von Trier announced the manifesto of the Dogme 95 collective and movement, a return to simplicity in film-making. Ten goals or principles of the collective's 'Vow of Chastity' included on-location shoots, use of hand-held cameras and use of digital-video (DV), an uncredited director, no special effects or fixes in post-production, and no major enhancement of sound or light even on set. This type of low-cost, non-genre film-making stood in sharp contrast to Hollywood's big-budget blockbusters.
1995	Two weeks prior to the release of his comedy Nine Months, British actor Hugh Grant was arrested in Los Angeles (in a car on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard) when found engaging in "lewd conduct" (oral sex) with prostitute Divine Brown. Although fined $1,180 and placed on two years probation, Grant was able to resurrect his career by confessing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ("I did a bad thing"). Surprisingly, Nine Months surpassed his previous hit Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) (at $52.7 million) with $69.7 million box-office business.
1995	The first feature film with a digitally-created, CG character that took a leading role (almost 40 minutes of film time) was Casper, derived from the Harvey Comics character..
1996	Planet Hollywood, a restaurant chain (noted for its collection of movie & TV memorabilia) with backing and celebrity investments by movie stars (including Sly Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger), went public. Its stock skyrocketed initially, but in just two years, it lost its appeal and many of the restaurants would be closed by the turn of the century.
1996	Kenneth Branagh's excellent, opulent Hamlet (set in 19th century England) was the first unabridged, 'full-length' cinematic version in film history of William Shakespeare's penultimate work. It was also the first British film to be shot in 70-mm. in over 25 years (and the first 70-mm. film since director Ron Howard's Far and Away (1992); also as of the winter of 2005 the last film to have been shot entirely with 70-mm. film), and one of the few films in history to exceed a four hour running time (with an intermission at the 2:40 mark.)
1996	The Coen Brothers' Fargo, an off-beat, absurdist morality tale from the creative and original producing/writing/directing collaborative team of Joel and Ethan Coen, was very unlike many of their previous films, with a straight-forward, realistic narrative devoid of their typically quirky and bizarre sequences. From its seven Academy Awards nominations (including Best Picture), it won for Best Original Screenplay (Joel and Ethan Coen), and Best Actress (Frances McDormand, Joel Coen's real-life wife).
1996	The infamous and satirical black comedy, The Cable Guy, which starred comic Jim Carrey as the malevolent and pathological cable installer (an atypical character for him), was directed by comic Ben Stiller. The film was universally criticized, under-appreciated by audiences, and did poor box-office at the time of its release, but it was significant because it was the first film to break the $20 million salary barrier for an actor.
1996	Director Cameron Crowe's most quotable script was for Jerry Maguire, a romantic comedy and sports-related film known for its catchphrases: "Show me the money!" "You complete me" and "You had me at hello!" The film was a breakout film for Renee Zellweger, won Best Supporting Actor honors for Cuba Gooding, Jr., and received nominations for Best Actor (Tom Cruise), Best Screenplay, and Best Picture.
1996	The genre of teen slasher and horror films was revitalized by the tongue-in-cheek, self-reverential horror film Scream from famed horror director Wes Craven. The half-parody and half-tribute film (with nods to Hitchcock's films, Friday the 13th (1980) and Halloween (1978), among others) gave rise to two sequels (1997 and 2000) and other copycat films (i.e., I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and The Faculty (1999)), including the silly Scary Movie franchise.
1996	In the US, Twister was rated PG-13 for "intense depiction of very bad weather." Twister was also the first film released on DVD.
1997	James Cameron's Titanic, the most expensive film of all time at the time of its release, also soon became the highest grossing film in Hollywood history (at $600.8 million domestic gross box-office receipts, and $1.8 billion total worldwide). Delays during production and a budget of $200 million threatened to 'sink' the film, but didn't affect its overall success. Repeated theatrical viewings by young teens (enthralled by the romance between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) were partly responsible for the film's high returns. The bulk of the state-of-the-art visual effects (CGI and miniature models) were provided by Cameron's own company, Digital Domain. And the film was backed or co-produced by two studios in order to foot the bill -- Fox and Paramount. The blockbuster film had a record-tying fourteen nominations and won a record-tying eleven Academy Awards, including those for Best Picture and Best Director. When adjusted for inflation, however, Cleopatra (1963) had the highest budget of any film, and Gone with the Wind (1939) remained the highest grossing.
1997	Slim DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), the new generation of optical disc storage technology, began to be sold to consumers. By 2003, there were over 250 million DVD playback devices worldwide, one of the most successful consumer electronics products of all time. It was destined to replace the laser disc, videotape (bulky VHS), and videogame cartridges. In mid-2003, DVD rentals first topped those of VHS.
1997	Writer/director Paul Thomas' Boogie Nights was a significant film for authentically portraying the Southern California pornography industry in the late 1970s and early 1980s, through the character of Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) - based upon the life of porn actor John C. Holmes, who became well-endowed porn star Dirk Diggler.
1997	Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-Wai's haunting and melancholy film Happy Together (aka Cheun Gwong Tsa Sit, HK) about a gay couple, was released. It was controversial for its portrayal of Chinese male homosexuality, and was banned in Singapore, among other places.
1997	George Lucas released re-vamped Special Editions of the Star Wars Trilogy. Episodes IV, V, and Vi were remastered and re-released for theatrical showings. Most of the changes were cosmetic - various scenes or images were cleaned up or restored, but some changes were made to the films as well.
1998	The American Film Institute (AFI) announced its list of the Top 100 American Films of All Time, with Orson Welles' classic Citizen Kane (1941) ranked # 1.
1998	Steven Spielberg's war epic of D-Day, Saving Private Ryan, gave its director his second Best Director Oscar. The film was noted for its half-hour, spectacularly-bloody, realistically-filmed opening of the Omaha Beach landing. It also inspired dialogue between generations regarding the events of World War II.
1998	After the FCC approved the digital television standard in late 1996, the first HDTV receivers were introduced to consumers, and HDTV broadcasts began to appear in the US.
1998	Netflix, a revolutionary online DVD rental service started in 1997, first began to offer shipping of rented DVDs on its website to subscribers.
1998	Miramax turned its release Life Is Beautiful, the wildly successful, bittersweet, comedy-drama Italian Holocaust fable, into the most successful foreign-language film in US history, up to that time. It was the first foreign language film to receive seven Academy Awards nominations - the most-honored foreign-language film in Oscar history up to that time (until surpassed by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) with 10 nominations). It had three wins - and was the first film since Z (1969) to be nominated for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film. Its three wins were for Best Actor (for Roberto Benigni), Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Dramatic Score. Miramax backed both Life is Beautiful (as distributor) and Shakespeare in Love (as producer) with millions of dollars in an expensive publicity blitz before Oscar time, and their aggressive efforts paid off handsomely - with a total of 20 nominations between the two films (and 10 wins, including Best Picture).
1998	Bruce Willis became the first prominent actor to act in a Sony PlayStation arcade-style game when he had his voice and movements digitized for the action-oriented, shoot-'em-up Apocalypse game published by Activision.
1998	The Farrelly Brothers' audacious, gross-out, and bad-taste R-rated comedy There's Something About Mary was an unexpected hit (due in part to its widely-advertised 'hair-gel' scene between its two relatively unknown stars: Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz), eventually earning $176 million. Comic actor Ben Stiller created a loser-persona that remains his trademark. The film was the precursor to even cruder teen films such as the R-rated American Pie films (1999 and 2001), and other non-PC films such as The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005).
1998	Wes Anderson's coming-of-age comedy Rushmore told of a love triangle between a rich, middle aged businessman (Bill Murray), a widowed elementary schoolteacher (Olivia Williams), and an eccentric Rushmore Academy student (Jason Schwartzman). The film launched comedian Murray's 'second' career as a serious actor in independent films.
1998	The Last Broadcast was the first film to be directly broadcast into theatres via satellite for its premiere screening (to five US theatres) - and shown on digital cinema projectors. It was also the first "film" to be made entirely digitally (in its filming, editing, and screening) - without the use of celluloid film. Its theatrical debut was less than three months before The Blair Witch Project (1999) was shown at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival - with a similar storyline told in faux documentary style.
1999	The first of three prequels (released from 1999-2005), George Lucas' highly-anticipated Star Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace, opened and became the top grossing film of its year. It made $28.5 million in its first day of showing, and passed the $100 million level in a record five days. It eventually grossed over $400 million. It was the first film with a Dolby Digital Surround EX soundtrack. This film undoubtedly contained more computer animation and special effects than any previous film - over 90%. It also featured a completely CGI-generated (all digital), fully-articulated main humanoid character named Jar Jar Binks (voice of Ahmed Best), a widely-derided aspect of the feature film.
1999	The pseudo-documentary, low-budget (budgeted at about $30,000), media-savvy cult film The Blair Witch Project, grossed $249 million worldwide, making it the most profitable film in Hollywood history (with a record budget/box office ratio of 1:10,931). Low-cost Internet advertising (suggesting that the story was true) and video production contributed to its financial success for the small-time distributor (Artisan Films) - making it the first independent blockbuster. The surprise hit was mostly shot with Hi-8 camcorders and looked like a home-made film with no-name actors.
1999	This was the debut year of the popular TiVO device, a personal digital video recorder (PVR or DVR) -- also dubbed a hard-disc recorder (HDR), with the capability of recording episodes of favorite programs, quickly skipping past the commercials and even pausing and rewinding live TV.
1999	Pokemon: The First Movie (released in Japan in 1998 and in the US in 1999) became the most successful foreign animated film at the box office in U.S. history.
1999	Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut was threatened with an NC-17 rating for its most talked-about sequence - an upper-class masked, choreographed orgy function which began with incantations by a high-priest, a circle of cloaked figures, and many naturally-endowed, almost-nude, G-stringed, masked females in an inner circle who were there to ritualistically service the masked men in anonymity and isolation; the sequence included tracking shots of tuxedoed, caped, and masked doctor Harford (Tom Cruise) roaming through the ornate mansion's rooms filled with emotionless, loveless copulating couples (in a 69 sexual position, in a lesbian three-some, and other mechanical stances of intercourse); these scenes were heavily digitally edited (or digitally censored, obscured and obstructed in various releases to prevent an NC-17 rating). In some instances, computer-generated people were placed over explicit sexual images in order to secure the R-rating.
1999	The writing/directing team of the Wachowski Brothers released the hugely-successful, profound and influential sci-fi thriller The Matrix with amazing action and digital effects sequences. Its popularity led to a trilogy of films: The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). The first film in the series made reference to prototypical elements of the 21st century high-tech culture, such as hacking and virtual reality, and included bullet-dodging (digital effects dubbed "flow-mo" and "bullet time" - slowed-down rotating action - were created with suspending actors on wires, and filming segments with multiple still cameras from multiple angles), cyber-punk chic, time-freezing, shoot-outs, wall-scaling, virtual backgrounds, and airborne kung fu. These tremendous visual effects were combined with Eastern world-denying philosophy, metaphysical Zen statements, Japanese anime, neo-Cartesian plot twists, film noir, and Lewis Carroll references.
1999	South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, an animated comedy feature film (by producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone) was filled with political satire (and based on the hit TV show South Park); it was originally rated NC-17 (for its foul-mouthed profanity and obscenity), and then reduced to an R-rating after being edited down. The notorious film was notable for having the most profanity of any animated film (with 140 F-words).
1999	M. Night Shyamalan's ghost story and psychological thriller The Sixth Sense - with the catchphrase: "I see dead people" - was his first major film with his trademark plot-shifting twist revealed by the film's conclusion, known as the "Shyamalan twist".