ARTH 270 Final Exam Study Guide PDF

ARTH 270—STUDY GUIDE for FINAL EXAM Students should be familiar with the following topics in preparation for the final exam. Consult assigned lecture notes, text readings and the screened film titles. ***Final exam scheduled Tuesday Dec 10, 12:30 pm! --with the coming of sound, what were the (2) ke...

ARTH 270—STUDY GUIDE for FINAL EXAM Students should be familiar with the following topics in preparation for the final exam. Consult assigned lecture notes, text readings and the screened film titles. ***Final exam scheduled Tuesday Dec 10, 12:30 pm! --with the coming of sound, what were the (2) key problems in early attempts? (note: amplification & synchronization) which synchronous-system won out? what film is generally considered the first sync-sound film (year, studio)? how did "sound" further impact the industry? --know the importance of Oscar Micheaux and Alice Guy/ Solax: what topics were addressed in their films? why is Micheaux also the "Father of Amer- ican Independent Film"? --Hollywood in the thirties: know the Production Code and the key issues addr- essed and how that impacted specific genres and the rhetoric of Hollywood. --major studios of the '30s --be able to define: genre, theme, & icon --understand how genres are analyzed critically by origin, definition, & function; understand what is meant by the term “pro-social” ? (note: the genre forms reinforce/reaffirm the status quo, i.e., pro-social) --screwball as genre--origination,definition (note: lacks identifiable setting/icon- ography, look to inner form's essential conflicts); It Happened...as 'road film' --the gangster as genre--origination, definition; what is the basic narrative struc- ture of the early gangster films (note: the rise and fall of protagonist anti-hero) --know the importance of Hitchcock— how is the “thriller” elevated in his hands? what are his major themes and why is he often referred to as an auteur? for which studio in Britain did he do his best work? --literary adaptation and The Grapes of Wrath--problems in "adapting" novel-to- film; The Grapes of Wrath as a quintessential "road film"; whose film is it? producer Zanuck's, novelist Steinbeck's, screenwriter Johnson's, or director John Ford's (note: Ford won Oscar for Best Director) --be able to compare/contrast the structures of the following films: 39 Steps/It Happ- ened One Night/ Grapes of Wrath and Citizen Kane --understand Renoir’s style (rooted in mise-en-scene) and use of sequence shot in Grand Illusion; be able to compare/contrast the representations of the (4) major characters; what might be the “illusion” referred to in the film and in the title? how did Renoir use sound in the film? --understand why Citizen Kane is considered to be the “first modern sound film”; know the (5) characters whose memories of Kane comprise the story; how does Citizen Kane signal a departure thematically and aesthetically from ‘30’s films? Welles' and Toland's style--the cinematography (deep focus, sequence shot) and use of sound --"film noir": Maltese Falcon --approx. years of "noir"cycle, (2) key "noir" films of '41; how is "film noir" defined? as a style rather than a genre?