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If we are speaking of cinematic founders, my suggestion is that we should begin not with an individual film or film maker, but in the rise of cinema itself in the United States. We should begin with "nickelodeons," or "nickelet" which began the shift from the vaudevillian stage in the later part of the 19th century and early twentieth century, to what we can begin calling the entertainment industry, the machine used in creating the myths and 'History' of the Untied States in the public's consciousness.
For a nickle, the smallest denomination of currency of the time, a person could witness anything from a fight to actors playing out pieces of American History, say George Washington crossing the Delware or Lincoln in the White House during the Civil War. It is those early attempts at historical recreation, more importantly, the creation of a national narrative through cinema's very early and still theater-bound rules, that is critical for understanding how cinema would very soon become a founding document for creating a universal historical narrative for the United States. It was only a decade after the huge popularity of the nickelodeons that we see the rise of what can be called modern cinema's vocabulary and with it the cementing of certain national myths and racial stereotypes, exemplified in D.W. Griffith's 'Birth of a Nation.'

The Witness! The portrayal of Amish culture in the movie is quite well done, but what fascinates me most is the mainstream American's fascination and imagination of the "other" within their own culture expressed in popular culture.

And of course, Superman that reflects contradictions in American society.

In terms of relatively concrete and political concepts of America, the Michael Moore films have clearly influenced many of my students here in Slovenia. Students gobble up Sicko and Bowling for Columbine and come away with a sense that they (we?) understand American politics completely.
Lasting influence? Hard to say. For the past few years, however, any classroom discussion of health care has been informed - on the students' side - by these films. ...and I don't even teach American studies!

I second Jason for Michael Moore films. At the same time, documentary films (not only Moore's but others as well) always remind me of the concept of "partial truth" in ethnography that "documentary" is also socially constructed and that cultures are more complicated. I will get back when I have more time to think with what I mean by "contradictions"!

I grew up in Canada, in an upper middle class suburb of Ottawa. America was our neighbor. There was no language barrier between us, and so America was everywhere. No one film or book could ever introduce me to America; it was as if I was born knowing all about it. Or so I thought. And as a white, upper-middle-class suburbanite, most of the Americans in film and on television seemed just like me. Sure, America was bigger, and so they had to run the world. But we Canadians were helping them do it; and I figured we'd probably be doing the same things in the same way if the job had somehow fallen to us.
So when I think back to what movies changed how I saw America, I think of the films that first challenged this faith I had that Americans were just like us--that I was essentially a part of America. Two films that did this for me were Apocalypse Now and the Deer Hunter (and later Platoon and Full Metal Jacket). I saw these films when I was young—maybe too young. I think I was around 13 years old. I rented them both on the same night, making a theme of it as I often did.
There was something about the Vietnam War that felt foreign; that made America feel foreign to me for the first time in my then young life. Some of this feeling may have been generated simply by the powerful portrayal of characters from different backgrounds--from different races and 'classes'. But it was more than that. These characters were showing me the differences between our countries in a way that '70s and ‘80s television sit-coms, full of prosperous and educated white people, did not. It was as if the educated and wealthy white upper middle class in our countries had sort of glommed together. We were, in some sense, all the same. But these characters from an ‘other’ America were moved by deep currents—deep American currents—that were wholly unfamiliar to me. I wasn’t even sure we had any deep currents in Ottawa.
The Godfather trilogy and, to a lesser extent, the spaghetti westerns of Clint Eastwood had a similar effect, confirming this feeling of otherness I first felt watching the Vietnam War movies; filling it out by adding new dimensions to it. But my strongest memories are still of watching Apocalypse Now and the Deer Hunter for the first time.

Forrest Gump is a classic film that completely embodies what life was like in America in the 1960s. This movie shaped how I not only viewed America as a whole but how I viewed societies role in the major movements of the 1960s. This movie really shows the differences between Canada and the United States during this period, it made America seem very foreign in comparison to Canada. The film showed the struggles that many people were faced to deal with in this period, it brought my attention to how America developed from the Vietnam war and anti-war movement. This is one of the first films i watched that allowed me to see a different side of America, it stepped away from the classic romantic comedies that i had watched previously, and brought my attention to how different and complicated America was during the 1960s. This film shows a side that is not offered in many educational movies on the realities of life in the sixties dealing with war, protests, drugs, and AIDS. This film touches on so many social and political issues and how America went about dealing with them, it really challenged my idea of America being a superb powerhouse and made me realize that as a nation America has a lot to work on.

Bull Durham (1988)

Love, wisdom, redemption and exceptional talent filtered through the most all-American lens, professional baseball. Kevin Costner plays a journeyman catcher asked to mentor an idiot with a million dollar arm, played by Tim Roth, in the Carolina leagues. Costner hates that his professional career has been reduced to teaching some punk how to make it to The Show, something he only achieved once, and only briefly. Roth hates that he has to listen to this gruff old man tell him what to do. Of course they both fall for the same woman, Susan Sarandon, and compete for her love and attention. Costner's the kind of talented guy who was just good enough to keep playing baseball all his life and did all the right things. Roth is the kind of idiot birthed with once in a generation talent and no clue how to use it. The conflicts between privilege and determination, lust and love, young and old — that's America, at least to me.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Citizen Kane is an American drama film that was co-written, produced by, directed by and starring Orson Welles in 1941. Contemporary movie buffs understand Welles' archetypal connection to Quentin Tarantino; meanwhile, historians continue to consider Welles' role as cinema's 'renaissance man'. Arguably, Citizen Kane's revolutionary role in modern cinema still resonates today. For the most part, Welles' innovations in cinematography and story telling have proven his work to be foundational of modern film production. Whenever I am lead to consider modern film's relationship with modern literature, it is always Citizen Kane that resurfaces. This is likely because of the way in which Welles revolutionized the narrative's place within film. For the first time, the character of Charles Kane and his flashbacks provided audiences with an escape into their own memory; perhaps, it is film's greater capacity to move large audiences that continues to drive individuals to theatres. (on a separate note, it is this effect that reinforces film's connection with emotional universalities) The movie eschews traditional narrative styles by providing multiple narrators that are unreliable and manipulative. While modern film was evolving a tendency to challenge traditional cinematic conventions, as was American modern literature. Even before Citizen Kane was produced, American authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Charlotte Perkins Gilman were challenging the role of the narrator. Moreover, I think this specific similarity between film and literature is something worth considering when discussing the reality of criticism; critics have not only popularized the comparison between film and literature (particularly, as films and books compare as works of entertainment rather than art) but the industry of journalism has made this comparison habitual. Overall, considering how much of this conversation can be credited to Welles' narrative work, it seems fair to suggest that Citizen Kane's screenplay is also deserving of literary recognition.

I saw that Superman was mentioned, and I found myself thinking of Captain America (2011). The first film is fairly recent, so I wouldn't say it 'crystallized' my vision of America but reflecting back on it, the film, which took place during World War II, showed how all Americans came together regardless of gender, status, or ability to support the war effort, and the theme of the movie, which is the 'underdog' rising, draws parallels to America's own struggle with Britain.

The concept of "cinematic foundation" is both broad and yet very refined in its scope. On one hand, a variety of classic American movies quickly emerges in my mind that perfectly fit this title. However, selecting one that takes the title as "cinematic foundation" seems like a daunting task. Naturally, my mind wanders to my favourite American movie of all time, "Good Will Hunting." Though at first glance it may not appear as foundational as the likes of "Gone With The Wind," "To Kill a Mockingbird" " or "A Street Car Named Desire" it nevertheless has always provided me with a clear picture of American life.

At the core of this movie is the concept of the "American Dream," an obsession that seems to infiltrate every individual in America. For those of you who have not yet seen this classic film (and who I urge strongly to see within the near future), a quick summary seems beneficial. Essentially the movie follows the life of a young, poor and unambitious, though wildly intelligent man, who by unfortunate circumstances, is forced to cross paths with a passionate professor-turned- psychiatrist. This young man named Will, is nothing more than a janitor in a prestigious college, who unlike much of America, seems to be unconcerned with the "American Dream." Despite this, and with the help of this passionate professor, Will is motivated to use his extraordinary intelligence to aspire for much more than the rudimentary, and follow his personal "American Dream." In this sense, "Good Will Hunting" paints a wonderful picture of America as a land of opportunity, a foundational element I have always associated with America.

On a deeper and more personal level, this movie redeems the title of both my number one movie and an American "cinematic foundation" for the manner in which Robin Williams' and Matt Damon's characters find the beauty in everyday life. The quote that has forever engraved itself in my mind is when Robin William's character discusses the beautiful flaws of his deceased wife , "she knew all my little peccadillos. People call these things imperfections, but they're not, aw, that's the good stuff. And then we get to choose who we let in to our weird little worlds." It is this simple and yet deeply American mind set of viewing otherwise negative situations in a positive light that makes me choose this movie as cinematically foundational. Moreover, after having read works by the great American poets, Hart Crane and Wallace Stevens in my 20th Century American Literature class, their similar positive tone further reaffirms this foundational American mind set of unrelenting positivity.

Although "Good Will Hunting" may not depict the classic American home in the suburbs of America, this movie will remain as cinematically foundational in depicting American life for the way in which it conveys not the landscape, but instead the heart and passion that is at the very core of America.

At a young age I was introduced to the movie Independence Day. Ah, so many things I could say about the movie today, including that is highly unnecessary for television networks to air it every independence day. This movie shaped my knowledge of America. In the movie the Americans are the ones who figure out how to destroy the alien ships, showing the "innovative nature" of America and the how America obviously still wants to perpetuate their ability to end wars. Yet, as a young child watching the movie, the understanding I grasped was that America is a place of violence and it is unsafe. Sure the movie ends on a good note, yet my vision was fixed. Now, I see the movie as a cheesy and overdone movie that shows Americans trying to prove that they are still one of the best country in the world, which is a highly debatable point.

I saw the movie O Brother Where Art Thou? once when I was a little kid, and definitely read it—mostly thanks to all the southern accents and loud manners—as kind of cartoonishly American. I watched it for the first time since then a couple nights ago and was really impressed with how perfect and layered a representation it is of American pastoral nostalgia. The time period of the film’s setting wasn’t clear to me at first, and I initially placed the story in the 19th century. Its actual time setting starts to come into focus with the introduction of the radio. Folksy music is played in transition from one scene at Pete’s relative’s (a perfect “backwoods settler” type) to another, and in the second scene the music fades, becomes tinny, and a radio announcer says (something like) “can’t get enough of that old timey music!”. In its introduction of the radio the movie places the story in the 20th century by association with technology, portrays the exploitation of a puerile and sentimental pastoral fixation (the musicians are endorsed by a character running for governor who identifies with the music as advertising), calls attention to the mechanism of the film itself by drawing attention to the transitional nature of the music , and also to the film’s motive by in a way declaring itself as also appealing to its audience’s impulse towards the “old timey”. Through this complex referencing to the film as a contemporary object within it’s temporally removed story, and the few scenes (the montage and the siren scene come to mind) suggesting an idyllic American timelessness, the movie actually manages a really interesting portrayal, almost an exposure more than a representation, of whatever it is I had understood as cartoonishly American when I first saw it.

While not the first movie that I have ever come in contact with which gave me an impression of the United States, I think the film San Andreas (2015), perfectly encapsulates the America I've come to know. Starring Dwayne "the rock" Johnson this 3D action thriller centres around the fictional scenario of a massive earthquake. Johnson the hero must work against nature and all odds to rescue his wife and daughter. Over the course of 3 hours Johnson, saves and entire stadium full of people from an after-shock, drives up a tsunami wave in a small boat and uses a helicopter to rescue his wife from the roof of a collapsing building that is on fire. In his role as an all American super-hero Johnson typifies the exceptionalism within the american consciousness that is recognized world-wide. One (american) man is capable of defying nature in order to protect the things that we are taught to value in the American Culture. In this modern-day movie, a puritanical streak can still be detected, Johnson must rescue his wife, because her soon to be new husband is inept, in the end Johnson and his wife reunite and the rival dies- thus the sanctity of marriage is preserved. Johnson's daughter in the film, demonstrates the american ingenuity and resilience which other countries do not posses when she is forced to protect two young british boys who she falls in with in order to escape the quake. The american female must pull a large piece of glass out of the poor british boy's leg as he is too squeamish to do it himself and literally carries him on her back to safety. At the end of the movie, the happy reunited family stands on a hill looking happily into the sunset as an american flag waves in the breeze. This film typifies the continued influences of exceptionalism and puritanism which founded America in the first place and for me encapsulates perfectly how americans view themselves and what sort of idea non-americans are supposed to get from these sorts of representations.

For me, the first movie to really demonstrate American attitudes came from Forrest Gump, which also happens to be one of my favourite novels. To start off with, I know some people dislike Forrest Gump for the same reason that I love it: it takes pieces of every genre and mashes them into one cohesive story. Coming of age, the triumph of the underdog, the war hero, the romance plot to underline everything, Jenny's drug use to demonstrate the 60's, and 70's in America, and Forrest's appearance in the abolitionist movement.

I've been watching this movie all my life, and it's a funny realization that the most quotable parts of the movie tie very closely with different representations of America. "Run, Forrest, run!" This comes in an early scene in which Forrest is being bullied for his mental disability, and in that moment, with his wonky legs, no one can save him but his own two feet. While bullying wasn't something new to me, it was this depiction of a disabled person triumphing over the abled that really stuck it for me. This scene also demonstrates some of Emerson's attitudes towards self-reliance.

Forrest's friendship with Bubba surprised and delighted me as a child, that they could have such a simple friendship in a time when they historically wouldn't have been close. Forrest unconsciously breaks down barriers and creates friendships with people of every background.

The movie demonstrates countless moments of rehabilitation and triumph. It presents characters at their lowest; Lieutenant Dan's post-war depression (due to the loss of his legs), Jenny's heavy drug use that almost causes her to commit suicide, and yet it gives them a chance at redemption. With the help of a simple, caring, loyal man like Forrest, they pick themselves up again. Both are major characters who are represented as some of America's "lowest" citizens. It demonstrates some of the attitudes towards users and the disabled: women call Lieutenant Dan a freak, a low point for his character, and yet considered in contrast with the scene where he jumps off the fishing boat, and swims "with God", he has finally accepted his situation and the hand he has been dealt. From that point on, he no longer feels sorry for himself, and continues on his pursuit of happiness.

There is a real special scene in which Forrest is attending university at the same time that they are allowing people of colour to join his school, and most of the reactions are angry and negative. Forrest looks on the scene, completely puzzled. What's the big deal that they're joining our school? As the woman of colour passes by, she drops a notebook without noticing, and Forrest leaves the crowd of angry protestors and returns her notebook. Not only is he breaking away from normative thinking at the time, he is supporting the education of POC and of women.

I'd like to suggest that it is Forrest's "simple mind" that allows him to love everyone and break down these barriers. In a school bus full of white children, it is a girl who offers her seat to him. In a school bus full of white men, Forrest offers his seat to Bubba. Forrest demonstrates the goodness of a human heart, in a world that will throw rocks at you, belittle you, and continually tell you that you're stupid. Lastly, this movie represents all the possibilities that America has for you: "Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you're going to get."

One of my favourite genres of movies to watch are war movies, particularly about the conflicts during WW1 and WW2, knowing that my grandfathers, great uncles, great aunt, and great grandfathers all played different roles in these various conflicts, my grandfather being part of the Canadian Troops that helped to liberate Holland. Whenever watching these movies about World War Two in particular, I would always feel a certain "American" flavour surrounded them, probably because they were all about American troops fighting valiantly, and winning. ("Saving Private Ryan" comes to mind) I was always disappointed that there were not movies, that were accessible to me at least due to availability or language, about different countries. A few that do come to mind are "Letters From Iwo Jima" and "Joyeux Noel" (thank goodness for subtitles) as well as the Canadian "Passchendaele". That being said I do think that "war movies" are a very interesting examination into what being "American" means, as conflict often has the side effect of nations coming together and looking to define themselves.

Recently after reading Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, I really have been thinking about the discourse of the American Dream. Malcolm X would remark that all he could see was the "American Nightmare" and its seems more than ever that Gatsby, Myrtle and George represent many of us in an age of affluence; we are all outsiders looking in on a culture of exclusions. The rise of reality tv shows such as American Idol, sadly allows for the illusory change to "make it" in an age when the majority of us will live and die in the class we find ourselves in. All of this reminded me of the persistence of the Dream that holds us hostage but we do not have the courage to deconstruct. Take for example the film Forrest Gump, it is a wonderful ride with Tom Hanks on the American experience; however this dalliance with nostalgia is a simulacra that keeps us fixated to yearn for that America where anything is possible. Forrest Gump is a conservative narrative, painting the SDS and Black Panthers as chaotic hoodlums and covering up closure of the American Radical Imagination and provides and invigorated neoliberal American Dream that we are beholden to. Jenny becomes the totem of a wayward generation, cinematically shown as cruel to Forrest, as she mucks about in American counterculture. An antidote to this covering up can be found in Tony Kushner's Angel's in America; which shows the historical carnage of Forest's tender moments during the Aids crisis.