Movies which are referenced by other movies are not just in the zeitgeist that little bit more. They stand a better chance of being considered more cultural and historically valuable, reports The A.V Club. “This revelation comes from a study published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that found IMDB’s “Connections” feature to be the most accurate predictor of whether a film would later be deemed ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant’ by the U.S. Library Of Congress. The films that received the most nods in other film and TV works 25 years or more after their release were also the ones most likely to be included in the National Film Registry, making a Simpsons parody even more significant than was previously thought.”
According to statisticians, the algorithm is 91% accurate in predicting a film’s cultural worth. Films that should soon be inducted by the Library of Congress – according to the math – include The Shining, Spartacus and Dumbo. (I would have thought Dumbo was already up there in the Pantheon.) No mention is made of the much-loved, recently-inducted The Big Lebowski, but that’s just like, the author’s opinion, man. The Dude’s far-out movie connections are here. A list of the most referenced movies of all time is here.
