Conspiracy Theory
PWR 1 Fall Quarter 2008
Jonah G. Willihnganz
Stanford University

 

Conspiracy Narratives in Film

This is a selected list of about 100 films that develop some sort of conspiracy narrative. Films are listed as director, title, release date and the list is still under construction, so more entires will be added.

 


Lang, Metropolis, 1927
Hitchcock, The 39 Steps, 1935
Hitchcock, Vertigo, 1958
Hitchcock, North by Northwest, 1959
Hitchcock, The Birds, 1963
Arnold, It Came from Outer Space, 1953
Douglas, Them!, 1954
Farrow, The Big Clock, 1948
Welles, The Trial, 1962
Kubrick, Dr. Strangelove, 1963
Frankenheimer, The Manchurian Candidate, 1962
Frankenheimer, Seven Days in May, 1964
Anotnioni, Blow Up, 1966
Polanski, Rosemary’s Baby, 1968
Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968
Roullet, Benito Cereno, 1969
Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange, 1971
Pakula, Klute, 1971
Wise, The Andromeda Strain, 1971
Fleischer, Soylent Green, 1973
Miller, Executive Action, 1973
Pakula, The Parallax View, 1974
Polanski, Chinatown, 1974
Coppola, The Conversation, 1974
Pollack, 3 Days of the Condor, 1975
Schlesinger, Marathon Man, 1976
Pakula, All the Presidents Men, 1976
Anderson, Logan's Run, 1976
Hyams, Capricorn One, 1977
Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977
Kaufman, Invasion Body Snatchers, 1978
Chrichton, Coma, 1978
Schaffner, The Boys From Brazil, 1978
Richert, Winter Kills, 1979
DePalma, Blow Out, 1981
Lisberger, Tron, 1982
Scott, Blade Runner, 1982
Cronenberg, Videodrome, 1983

 

 

 

Radford, 1984
Gilliam, Brazil, 1985
Lynch, Blue Velvet, 1986
Parker, Angel Heart, 1987
Donaldson, No Way Out, 1987
Wenders, Wings of Desire, 1988
Verhoeven, Total Recall, 1990
Robinson, Sneakers, 1992
Reed, The Third Man, 1993
Carter, The X-Files: Fight the Future, 1993
Janis, The Feminine Touch, 1994
Carpernter, Village of the Damned, 1995
Lasseter, Toy Story, 1995
Stone, JFK, 1991
Lynch, Mulholland Drive, 2001
Winkler, The Net, 1995
Gilliam, 12 Monkeys, 1995
Singer, The Usual Suspects, 1995
Mitchell, The Innocent Sleep, 1996
Hampton, The Secret Agent, 1996
Oshii, Ghost in the Shell, 1996
Niccol, Gattica, 1997
Natali, Cube, 1997
Donner, Conspiracy Theory, 1997
Levinson, Wag the Dog, 1997
Hanson, L.A. Confidential, 1997
Mamet, The Spanish Prisoner, 1997
Sonnenfeld, Men in Black, 1997
Fincher, The Game, 1997
Weir, The Truman Show, 1998
Levinson, Sphere, 1998
Scott, Enemy of the State, 1998
Proyas, Dark City, 1998
Smith, Dogma, 1999
Fincher, Fight Club, 1999
Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense, 1999
Cronenberg, eXistenz, 1999
Wachowski, The Matrix, 1999

 

 

 

Pellington, Arlington Road, 1999
Mann, The Insider, 1999
Rusnak, The 13th Floor, 1999
Nolan, Memento, 2000
Rintaro, Metropolis, 2001
Amenabar, The Others, 2001
Kelly, Donnie Darko, 2001
Speilberg, Minority Report, 2002
Shyamalan, Signs, 2002
Liman, The Bourne Identity, 2002
Lumet, Network, 2002
Natali, Cypher, 2003
Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind, 2004
Moore, Fahrenheit 9/11, 2004
Turtelaub, National Treasure, 2004
Greengrass, The Bourne Supremacy, 2004
Schwentke, Flightplan, 2005
Bay, The Island, 2005
Pollack, The Interpreter, 2005
Meirelles, The Constant Gardner, 2005
Gaghan, Syrania, 2005
Whedon, Serenity, 2005
Johnson, Brick, 2005
Jennings, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, 2005
Wimmer, Ultraviolet, 2006
McTeigue, V is for Vendetta, 2006
Linklater, A Scanner Darkly, 2006
von Donnersmarck, The Lives of Others, 2006
Wright, Hot Fuzz, 2007
Schumacher, The Number 23, 2007
Greengrass, The Bourne Ultimatum, 2007
Joseph, Zeitgeist, 2007
Gilroy, Michael Clayton, 2007
Marcus, Conspiracy, 2008