Combined Notes from Class 1 to 4 PDF

The History of the Cinema LIBA 9314 Fall 2024 Instructor: Adam Cook George Brown College  Course Description This course will cover the major movements and styles in film history since its inception. Learn the history of Hollywood from the silent era...

The History of the Cinema LIBA 9314 Fall 2024 Instructor: Adam Cook George Brown College  Course Description This course will cover the major movements and styles in film history since its inception. Learn the history of Hollywood from the silent era to the development of specific genres (the Musical, the Gangster Film, the Horror Film, the Western, Film Noir) through to the movement of ‘New Hollywood’ and into our digital era. Moreover, the major European traditions (the Russian montage theorists, German Expressionism, Italian Neorealism, French New Wave) will be addressed. Trends & movements in Global cinema will also be included. Films from each period by representative filmmakers will be viewed and analyzed.  Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, you will have demonstrated the ability to… 1. Describe the history of the cinema from its origin to present. 2. Assess the fundamentals of the syntax and grammar of film & video language. 3. Compare different approaches to film production throughout history and in different industrial contexts. 4. Explain how the development of particular film styles and genres were influenced by the social and political milieu of the times in which they were created.  Assessment ASSIGNMENT PERCENTAGE DUE DATE Weekly Responses + Discussion 40% Ongoing Midterm Quiz 20% Oct. 17th Final Project 40% Nov. 20th  Weekly Discussion Posts & Responses – Ongoing – 40% Weekly discussion posts & responses add up to 40% of your overall mark (4% each week) and are a great way to stay engaged with the course material throughout. Each week there will be a prompt or set of prompts to choose from in our Discussion Forum related to that week's topic. Discussion Posts are due by 11:59pm on the Sunday following each session and are worth 2 marks (2% of your overall grade). For full marks, these must be at least 150 words in length but you are welcome to exceed that length by as much as you like. You will be graded for participation, meeting the word count requirement, and for coherently responding to the prompt. You will not be graded for spelling or grammar. Peer Responses are due by 11:59pm on the following Wednesday. You are expected to respond to one of your fellow student's Discussion Posts. If someone has already responded to a student's post, please select a different Discussion Post to respond to. That way, each student should receive a response. The Peer Response only has a minimum of 50 words but you are welcome to exceed that length. All I ask is that you respond thoughtfully and respectfully to your classmates. This is also worth 2 marks (2% of your overall grade). You are encouraged to respond multiple times beyond this requirement both to the student you initially replied to and/or other Discussion Posts in the forum. The more discussion the better!  Midterm Quiz – Oct. 17th – 20% The quiz will cover our first 4 sessions and will be administered over Zoom and Brightspace. Details on the format for the quiz will be circulated and discussed in advance. Final Project – Nov. 20th* – 40% You can choose between the following final projects: Essay (1500+ words) Video Essay (8-12 min.) Presentation (8-12 min.) Short Film (8-12 min.) I am also open to alternative proposals (a portfolio of shorter pieces; formal close readings and/or textual analyses, etc.). The final project should be an opportunity for you to be creative and work on something you care about while also applying what you have learned throughout the course. I am also open to discussing the length of video + film proposals depending on their content, format, and any supplemental material (ex. a shorter video essay + a short written report, etc.). Any alternative proposals to the Final Project must be approved no later than November 7th!  Discussion Forum In addition to the Weekly Discussion Posts & Responses, there is a general thread for you to discuss anything you find interesting in the course (or off topic within reason). Email Policy I am available on email throughout the week to answer any questions but please expect replies to take up to 72 hours. Readings & Screenings There is no textbook required, and there will also be no reading handouts. Students are encouraged to take notes. Screenings will be held in class time pending a class discussion today. Supplemental screenings outside of class will be recommended each week but are not mandatory. Session 1: The Birth of Cinema Today Course overview The Invention of Cinema The Silent Era / Early Cinema Screening: Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924, 45 min., USA) + The Immigrant (Charlie Chaplin, 1917, 30 min.) Session 2: German Expressionism & Soviet Montage Thurs Sept. 26th German Expressionism The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu) Fritz Lang (Metropolis) Soviet Montage Theory Sergei Eisenstein (The Battleship Potemkin) Dziga Vertov (The Man with a Movie Camera)  Session 3: The Golden Age of Hollywood Pt. I The Studio Era Wed Oct. 3 The rise of the studio system The arrival of sound Pre-Code Hollywood Hays Code Classical Hollywood Style Genres (Musical, Western, Gangster…) Ernst Lubitsch, John Ford, Howard Hawks…  Session 4: Italian Neorealism Wed Oct 10th World War II & Italian Neorealism Roberto Rossellini (Rome Open City) Luchino Visconti (The Earth Trembles) Vittorio De Sica (Bicycle Thieves) Session 5: The Cinemas of France & Japan Wed Oct 17th Midterm Quiz Post-WWI -> Post-WWII French Cinema Jean Vigo (Zero for Conduct, L’Atalante) Jean Renoir (The Rules of the Game) The Japanese Film Industry in the 30s-50s The masters from Pre- to Post-WWII era Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai) Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story) Maybe more…..  Session 6: The Golden Age of Hollywood Pt. II After the Studio Era Wed Oct 24th Post-War Hollywood Film Noir The evolution of genres Melodrama CinemaScope Technicolor TV  Session 7: The French New Wave & Arthouse Cinema Wed Oct 31st *** French New Wave Modern Film Style Jean-Luc Godard (Breathless) Francois Truffaut (The 400 Blows) Arthouse Ingmar Bergman (Persona) Federico Fellini (La dolce vita) Andrei Tarkovsky (Stalker) Session 8: New Hollywood + Modern Film Movements Wed Nov. 7th*** New Hollywood Bonnie & Clyde Coppola, Scorsese, Lucas, De Palma, Spielberg John Cassavetes (A Woman Under the Influence) The Blockbuster Clint Eastwood Modern Film Movements New German Cinema (Wenders, Herzog) Hong Kong (Shaw Bros., John Woo, Johnnie To) Post-Revolutionary Iranian Cinema (Kiarostami) American indies (Jarmusch)  Session 9: Non-Fiction Cinema(s) Wed Nov. 14th*** Documentary Cinema & Its History John Grierson & the NFB Verité & “truth” in cinema docu-fiction  Session 10: Modern Film Movements cont. + Contemporary Cinemas Wed Nov. 21st*** Modern Film Movements / Contemporary Cinema Taiwanese New Wave (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Tsai Ming-liang) Berlin School (Petzold) French Extremism (Gasper Noe, Claire Denis) Dogme 95 (Lars von Trier) The Digital Era (Mann, Fincher, Soderbergh, Korine)  Today’s Agenda Course Overview Introductions – Name/Pronouns/Interest in the Course and Film(making)/Favourite Movie Breaks Screenings + Streaming Halloween Topics Open Discussion Lecture Screening “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” “The past is never dead. It's not even past.” "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." “You know the greatest films of all time were never made.” “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” L.P. Hartley “The past is never dead. It's not even past.” William Faulkner "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Maxwell Scott, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance “You know the greatest films of all time were never made.” Taylor Swift  The Industrial Revolution A rush of innovation + invention… 1822: the photograph 1876: the telephone 1877: the phonograph 1885/6: the automobile 1888: earliest surviving motion picture 1895: the first projected motion picture Roundhay Garden Scene (Louis Le Prince, 1888)  The Five Preconditions of Cinema 1. Persistence of Vision (the discovery of) 2. Ability to project a rapid series of images on a surface (a mechanical apparatus) 3. Rapid photography (rapid exposure time) 4. Ability to print “photographs” on a flexible material that could run through a camera + projector quickly (celluloid film) 5. Intermittent mechanism for cameras + projectors to precisely control the film strip (gears/notches/ridges – used initially for other inventions such as the sewing machine)  Before Cinema… 1600s: Magic Lantern Manually projects a series of still images (paintings/prints/eventually photographs on inverted glass slides)  Before Cinema… 1832/33: Phenakistiscope / Zoetrope a series of drawings on a narrow strip of paper inside a revolving drum Persistence of Vision: the human eye will perceive motion if a series of slightly different images is placed before it in rapid succession —minimally, around 16 per second  Before Cinema… 1878: Eadweard Muybridge’s Motion Studies Developed a way of studying a horse’s gait set up a row of 12 cameras, each making an exposure in one-thousandth of a second recorded one-half-second intervals of movement Sallie Gardner at a Gallop (Eadweard Muybridge, 1878-80)  Before Cinema… 1882: Étienne-Jules Marey & the Chronophotographic Gun inspired by Muybridge studied the flight of birds and other rapid animal movements Invented photographic gun Shaped like rifle exposed 12 images around edge of a circular glass plate that made a single revolution in one second  Before Cinema… 1888: Étienne-Jules Marey cont. Marey built a box-type camera that used an intermittent mechanism to expose a series of photographs on a strip of paper film at speeds of up to 120 frames per second first to combine flexible film stock and intermittent mechanism in photographing motion  Who Invented Cinema? We cannot attribute the invention of the cinema to a single source. There was no one moment when the cinema emerged. Rather, the technology of the motion picture came about through an accumulation of contributions, primarily from the United States, Germany, England, and France…  Edison, Dickson, and the Kinetoscope Thomas Edison (inventor of the telephone + electric lightbulb) decided to design machines for making+showing moving photographs …the work was mostly done by his assistant, W. K. L. Dickson 1889: saw Marey’s camera in Paris which used strips of flexible film 1891: the Kinetograph camera and Kinetoscope viewing box were ready to be patented and demonstrated Dickson sliced sheets of Eastman film into strips 1 in. wide (roughly 35mm) w/ 4 perforations and spliced them end to end… These early decisions influenced the entire history of the cinema! 35mm + 4 perforations was norm for over 100 years  European Contributions Berlin, Germany Max and Emil Skladanowsky invented the “Bioscop” held two strips of film, each 31⁄2 inches wide, running side by side; frames of each were projected alternately showed a 15 min. program at a vaudeville theater in Berlin Nov. 1, 1895… …nearly two months before the famous Lumière screening at the Grand Café too cumbersome did not establish a stable production company  European Contributions Lyon, France Louis & Auguste Lumière invented projection system that helped make the cinema a commercially viable enterprise internationally “Lumière Frères” = biggest European manufacturer of photographic plates local Kinetoscope exhibitor asked them to produce short films that would be cheaper than Edison’s designed the Cinématographe used 35mm film and an intermittent mechanism modeled on that of the sewing machine could serve as a printer AND a projector (when mounted w/ magic lantern) as well! Shot their films at 16 frames per second, rather than the 46 per second used by Edison became the standard for approx. 20 years Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory (Louis Lumière, 1895) Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (Louis Lumière, 1896) European Contributions Great Britain Kinetoscope premiered in London in 1894 R. W. Paul was asked to make extra machines 1895: invented a camera to make films to go with his duplicate Kinetoscopes 1896: Acres showed some of his films to the Royal Photographic Society gave other demonstrations, but he did not exploit his projector and films Paul went on improving his camera, invented a projector, and sold his machines Sped up film industry in Great Britain and supplied filmmakers and exhibitors abroad who were unable to get other machines …among them was one of the most important early directors, Georges Méliès…  American Developments Projection systems and cameras were also being devised in the United States. 3 important rival groups competed to introduce a commercially successful system…. 1 - Woodville Latham and his sons began work on a camera + projector in 1894 and were able to show one film to reporters on April 21, 1895 opened a small storefront theater, ran for years projector did not attract much attention because cast dim image One considerable contribution to film technology: added simple loop to create slack and thus relieve the tension, allowing much longer films to be made (most films could only last 3 min.)  American Developments 2 - C. Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat exhibited their Phantoscope projector at a commercial exposition in Atlanta in October 1895, showing Kinetoscope films dim, unsteady projection, couldn’t compete Jenkins and Armat split ways Armat went on to improve the projector renamed it the Vitascope Because the Kinetoscope’s initial popularity was fading, Edison agreed to manufacture Armat’s projector and supply films for it. For publicity purposes, it was marketed as “Edison’s Vitascope”  American Developments 3 - Herman Casler patented the Mutoscope, a flip-card device in 1894 needed a camera; sought advice from W. K. L. Dickson who had terminated his working relationship w/ Edison formed the American Mutoscope Company By 1896, Casler and Dickson had their camera, but the market for peepshow movies had declined, and they decided to concentrate on projection camera and projector were unusual, employing 70mm film that yielded larger, sharper images programs played theaters around the country touring with vaudeville shows exhibited at penny arcades By 1897 was the most popular film company in the country During the first decade of cinema, films were shown in many countries but the making of films was concentrated largely in France, England, and the United States. Types of Early Films: Actualities – non-fiction (most common) Topicals - news events Scenics - short travelogues offering views of distant lands Fiction - brief staged scenes The Growth of the French Film Industry The Lumière Brothers Sent operators to tour abroad and show films in rented theaters and cafés catalogue rapidly expanded to include hundreds of views of Spain, Egypt, Italy, Japan, and other countries remembered for their scenics and topicals, they also produced many staged films, usually brief comic scenes Some of the Lumière operators’ films were innovative Eugène Promio, for example, is usually credited with originating the moving camera The Lumières’ early screenings were successful but the brothers believed that film would be a short-lived fad (!) 1897: began selling their Cinématographes  The Growth of the French Film Industry Charles Pathé was a phonograph seller Main rival in France was a smaller firm and exhibitor in the early 1890s formed by inventor Léon Gaumont 1901: switched focus to film began producing films in 1897 production mostly made by Alice Guy-Blaché, 1902: built a glass-sided studio and the first female filmmaker began selling the Pathé camera 1905: new production studio made became the world’s most widely Gaumont more prominent used camera until the end of the largely through the work of director 1910s Louis Feuillade (ex. Les vampires)  The Growth of the French Film Industry In 1906, Pathé also started buying Gaumont also expanded rapidly theaters. From 1907 on, the rental system Started producing prestige pictures encouraged the opening of cinema Pathé enlarged its production by opening theaters. studios in such places as Italy, Russia, and By 1910, screenings in cafés and traveling the United States. From 1909 to 1911, its programs dwindled, and large film Moscow branch made about half the theaters were the rule films produced in Russia. 1911: started manufacturing film stock  Alice Guy-Blaché 1894: worked as Léon Gaumont’s secretary Made lots of contacts, became interested in production made her first film in 1896 (La Fée aux Choux) 1896-1906: Guy-Blaché was Gaumont's head of production generally considered the first filmmaker to systematically develop narrative filmmaking made dance and travel films, often combining the two 1906: made a big budget production The Life of Christ married Herbert Blaché who was production manager for Gaumont's operations in the United States Resigned from position as a result Later became the first woman to run her own studio when “There is nothing connected to the staging of a she created Solax in Gaumont's Flushing studio motion picture that a woman cannot do as easily Directed movies until 1919 as a man, and there is no reason why she cannot completely master every technicality of the art.” - Alice Guy-Blaché The Cabbage-Patch Fairy (Alice Guy-Blaché, 1900) George Méliès a performing magician who owned his own theater after seeing the Lumière Cinématographe in 1895, he decided to add films to his program, but the Lumière brothers were not yet selling machines… 1896: obtained projector from R. W. Paul and, by studying it, was able to build his own camera 1897: built the Star Studio, a small glass enclosed studio remembered mainly for fantasy movies stop-motion and other special effects to create more complex magic and fantasy scenes These tricks had to be accomplished in the camera 1905: fortunes slowly declined (couldn’t meet demand) 1912: deep in debt, Méliès stopped producing The Four Troublesome Heads (George Méliès, 1900)  Siegfried Kracauer – “Basic Concepts” from Theory of Film Divides cinema into basic and technical properties Basic properties are identical with the properties of photography reproductive medium uniquely equipped to record and reveal physical reality Technical properties go beyond photography Of all the technical properties of film the most general and indispensable is editing The Realistic Tendency versus The Formative Tendency Lumière versus Méliès “Lumière’s lens did open on the world... Méliès ignored the workings of nature out of the artist’s delight in sheer fantasy” (150, 152)  Tom Gunning – “The Cinema of Attractions” from The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded “The history of cinema generally, has been written and theorized under the hegemony of narrative films” (381) Meaning: always contextualized as a storytelling medium — but is that accurate? Argues against looking at Lumière and Méliès as opposing types of cinema Rather than seeing Lumière as non-narrative filmmaking and Méliès as narrative filmmaking, Gunning sees their ambition as similar: the creation of spectacle Neither tell stories so much as present “a series of views to an audience” (382) Gunning labels this “the cinema of attractions” dominates cinema until about 1906-07 Fantasmagorie (Émile Cohl, 1908)  Other Industries… Italy 1905: its film industry grew rapidly and soon resembled that of France 1910: Italy was probably second only to France in the number of films it sent around the world Denmark 1906: entrepreneur Ole Olsen formed a production company, Nordisk, and immediately began opening distribution offices abroad UK England remained a significant force in world film markets led by Cecil Hepworth’s production company Japan 1908: earliest systematic production in Japan most films made there were records of kabuki plays  Competition in the United States USA = by far the largest market for motion pictures had more theaters per capita than any other country American Mutoscope Company did particularly well during the late 1890s 1899: changed name to American Mutoscope and Biograph (AM&B) hampered by a lawsuit brought against it by Edison, who consistently took competitors to court for infringing patents and copyrights 1902: AM&B won the suit because its camera used rollers rather than sprocketed gears 1908: employed one of the most Officials of the American Mutoscope Company (including W. K. L. Dickson, second from right) important silent-era directors, D. W. in the firm’s new rooftop studio Griffith —rotated on rails to catch the sun  Competition in the United States 1897: American Vitagraph founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith also threatened with patent and copyright infringement lawsuits by Edison rise in production at AM&B and Vitagraph obliged Edison’s company to make more films to counter their competition make longer films shot in the studio employed Edwin S. Porter – the most important American filmmaker of this early period Directed The Great Train Robbery (1903), most popular film pre-1905 and one of the most important for film language Crosscutting: cutting together separate actions to illustrate moments that take place simultaneously  The Nickelodeon Boom 1905-1907: rapid multiplication of theaters typically small stores installed < 200 seats Admission was usually a nickel (hence nickelodeon) almost always some sound accompaniment exhibitor might lecture along with the film piano or phonograph accompaniment was more common. opened films to a mass audience, many of them immigrants clustered in business districts and working- class neighborhoods in cities 1908: nickelodeons the main form of exhibition most films came from abroad: Pathé, Gaumont, Hepworth, Cines, Nordisk, and other European firms  D.W. Griffith 1908: started directing films at AM&B Experimented with crosscutting scenes explored possibilities of framing his actors more closely wanted to replace the typical pantomimic gestures of the era with a more subtle acting style Worked with Lillian Gish, Blanche Sweet, Mae Marsh, and Mary Pickford, to register a lengthy series of emotions using slight gestures and facial changes D.W. Griffith & Film Language Often credit for “inventing” film grammar (ex. the medium shot or “plan américain”) Closer to the truth is that he took the building blocks established by Guy-Blaché, Méliès, Porter, et al. and assembled them together into a sophisticated whole  D.W. Griffith & The Birth of a Nation (1915) Story about the American Civil War centering on two families who befriend each other but are on opposite sides in the conflict The Ku Klux Klan is portrayed as a heroic force, necessary to preserve American values, protect white women, and maintain white supremacy roused heated controversy ultimately inspired a revived support for the KKK Black leaders realized the need for African American–produced films to counter racism, but funds were lacking Oscar Micheaux emerges (directs Within Our Gates in 1920)  D.W. Griffith & Intolerance (1916) In an attempt to make amends, Griffith immediately set out on his most ambitious project: Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Throughout the Ages consists of four parallel stories spanning 2,500 years that demonstrate humankind's persistent intolerance throughout the ages Went on to make one of the first (positive) portrayals of interracial romance: Broken Blossoms (1919)  Béla Balász – “The Close-Up” from Theory of the Film The movie camera reveals hidden things to us that are right under our nose Small details become heightened, given new emphasis A new way of seeing what is already there The Close-Up “…can show us a quality in a gesture of the hand we never noticed.” (274) Can provide dramatic expressions Ex. Medium shot of a conversation that seems calm; cut to close-up of trembling fingers fumbling an object The Silent Soliloquy “…in which a face can speak with the subtlest shades of meaning…” (277) Helps us see the difference between truer expressions and conversation “…a deeply moving tragedy with the greatest economy of expression.” (279)  Silent Comedy: French Origins Vaudeville – a popular form of entertainment that emerged in 19th century France Variety shows with comedy sketches, short plays, juggling, magic, etc. Silent comedy also emerges from France The first comedy was directed in 1895 by Louis Lumière (L’arroseur arrosé) Max Linder: the first international silent comedian star (1907-1914) Chaplin once referred to Linder as his “professor” and himself as Linder’s “disciple” One of the first comedians to develop a distinct on-screen persona (a debonair but bumbling gentleman) and to begin to move beyond sketches to narratives L'Arroseur Arrosé (The Waterer Watered, Louis Lumière, 1895)  Silent Comedy in America 1912: Producer-director Mack Sennett founds the “Keystone Company” Produces hundreds and hundreds of short comedies including the “Keystone Cops” series This is where Chaplin gets his start Hal Roach: becomes a rival to Sennett produced films with the young Harold Lloyd (pictured on right) Buster Keaton: born into a vaudeville family (performed as early as 3!) Worked independently with producer Joseph M. Schenck + filmmaker Edward F. Cline Becomes one of the most popular genres in America (alongside Western)  Silent Comedy Slapstick humour from exaggerated physical activity Sight gags Pantomime Inventive use of props Social commentary and satire especially Chaplin Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. (1924, 45 min., USA) Born Joseph Frank Keaton in 1895 Nicknamed “Buster” as a child for his ability to take a tumble and emerge unscathed Silent comedy pioneer One of the great comic — and action! — performers “The Great Stone Face” was known for his deadpan expression An early “meta” movie!  Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) Chaplin was an English music-hall / vaudeville performer Performed in various capacities since childhood (including as a clog dancer!) Grew up in poverty in London Father an alcoholic who died when Chaplin was a boy Mother committed to insane asylum when Chaplin was 14, would later take care of her as a teenager His entire oeuvre reflects these experiences in spite of his eventual fame: a commitment to portraying social realities Signed at the age of 19 and brought to the United States 1914: began acting for Keystone Studios / Sennett 1918: one of the world’s most recognizable stars  The Kid (Charles Chaplin, 1921, 54 min.) First full-length film as a director Builds on the narrative sophistication in his short films Greater emphasis on drama and character At this point Chaplin is the most famous star in the world Very successful: 2nd highest grossing film of 1921 Stay after the film ends to hand in your screening response The History of the Cinema Week 2 / Part 1 Soviet Montage LIBA 9314 Fall 2024 Instructor: Adam Cook George Brown College  The Rise of the Soviet Montage Movement Post-revolution Soviet cinema falls into three periods… War Communism 1918-1920 film industry struggling while Soviet Russia in civil war New Economic Policy 1921-1924 film industry slowly recovers with focused efforts initiated by Lenin Man with a Movie Camera Soviet Montage Movement 1925-1933 (Dziga Vertov, 1929) renewed government control leads to growth experimentation of the montage movement leads to flourishing and internationally revered national cinema short-lived: Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan in 1928 initiates a decline that phases out the movement Revolution(s) in Russia 1917: Two Revolutions! February eliminated the Tsar’s aristocratic rule reformist provisional government set up did not satisfy the radical Bolshevik party, which favoured a Marxist revolution… October …Bolshevik cause gained support Vladimir Lenin led a second revolution that created the USSR created a far greater disruption in Russian life  War Communism 1918–1920 Civil war in the USSR - Reds (Bolsheviks) vs. Whites (Russian opposers w/ foreign support incl. USA + UK) People’s Commissariat of Education (“Narkompros”) assigned to oversee the cinema created favourable conditions for filmmakers! 1918: Dziga Vertov put in charge of newsreels for Narkompros + Lev Kuleshov makes directorial debut Soviet industry disorganized during this period 1919: Lenin nationalizes film industry, uncovers and exhibits existing films 1919: Narkompros establishes State Film School 1920: Bolsheviks win!  The Kuleshov Effect Kuleshov joins the faculty of the State Film School and creates a workshop where he trains directors/actors (who would go on to be important) explored an editing principle we call the Kuleshov effect refers to the phenomenon where the meaning or emotional impact of a shot in a film is influenced by the shot that precedes it took a neutral shot of actor w/ emotionless expression and intercut it with various other shots — the subsequent shot determines the audience’s interpretation of his expression  The Kuleshov Effect Kuleshov = filmmaker + teacher at State Film School explored an editing principle we now call the Kuleshov effect refers to the phenomenon where the meaning or emotional impact of a shot in a film is influenced by the shot that precedes it took a neutral shot of actor w/ emotionless expression and intercut it with various other shots — the subsequent shot determines the audience’s interpretation of his expression  Recovery Under the New Economic Policy 1920: hardships of civil war + disorganized gov’t causes famine 1921: Lenin formulates New Economic Policy (NEP) limited + temporary reintroduction of private ownership film production by private firms + government groups increased 1922: Lenin makes two influential statements… issued the so-called “Lenin proportion”, stating that film programs should balance entertainment + education “Of all the arts, for us the cinema is the most important” gov’t creates Goskino a central distribution monopoly — controls all import and export 1923-1924: national production ramps up + new Soviet films become popular w/ Soviet audiences 1925: The Soviet Montage Movement Begins 1924: Lenin dies but his passionate belief in the importance of cinema influences policy and outlook 1925: Goskino fails to organize film industry as planned + scales down production, government creates Sovkino However, Goskino produces the most influential Soviet Montage film: Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925) A triumph in the USSR and abroad! Sovkino opens urban theaters + sends agit-trains (w/ portable cinemas!) to the countryside to reach workers and peasants Mostly propaganda 1926: Mother (Pudovkin) is another big success domestically and abroad USSR solidified as a major national cinema  The Influence of Constructivism 1913-1916: Cubo-Futurism combination of French Cubism + Italian Futurism The Knife Grinder (Principle of Glittering) (Kazimir Malevich, 1912–13)  The Influence of Constructivism 1913-1920s: Suprematism founded by Kazimir Malevich spiritual, abstract, anti- materialist, anti-utilitarian Supremus 55 (Malevich, 1916)  The Influence of Constructivism 1915-1930s: Constructivism founded by Vladimir Tatlin & Alexander Rodchenko Propaganda + education artists compared to engineers using tools and/or science compared art to a machine, calculated to elicit a particular reaction Constructivists stressed that art was put together from Books (Please)! In All Branches of Knowledge parts — they called this (Advertisement Poster for the Lengiz Publishing House) process montage… (Rodchenko, 1924) The Influence of Constructivism Soviet Montage had similar formal & ideological goals… experimental rejected traditional artistic forms aimed to contribute to the construction of a new, socialist society functional design and the integration of art into everyday life  MONTAGE! Soviet Montage Movement: a revolutionary formalist filmmaking approach with an emphasis on the importance of editing and the juxtaposition of shots for artistic and ideological impact in particular However, approaches varied from filmmaker to filmmaker… Key Figures: Lev Kuleshov Vsevolod Pudovkin Sergei Eisenstein Dziga Vertov  Lev Kuleshov (1899-1970) The youngest in years but oldest in experience Designed and directed films before the revolution Only mildly experimental / most conservative of the Soviet montage theorists Taught at the State Film School Taught / influenced Pudovkin… By the Law (1926)  Vsevolod Pudovkin (1893-1953) Intended to train as a chemist until he saw D. W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1919)! Joined Kuleshov’s workshop 1926: Helped found the movement with Mother the most popular of the the Soviet Montage films within the USSR Mother (1926)  Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948) Saw a Méliès film and became fascinated by the cinema at age 8 Participated in the revolution + built bridges during the civil war 1923-1924: starts in theater, moves to film after gaining experience as an editor 1925: Initiates the movement with Strike and quickly follows it up with the most important and iconic film of the movement, Battleship Potemkin Strike (1925) Rigorous + radical!  Dziga Vertov (1896-1954) Wrote poetry and sci-fi before leading Narkompros’s newsreel series in 1917 1924: begins to make feature documentaries that become increasingly experimental Embody his concepts of the “kino-eye” A (radical) commitment to reality and cinema’s ability to serve as an extension of the human eye Constructivist who emphasized social utility of documentary Worked closely with his brother Mikhail Kaufman (cinematographer) and wife Yelizaveta Svilova (editor) The Eleventh Year (1928) 1929: releases his most radical film, Man with a Movie Camera  The First Five-Year Plan and the End of the Montage Movement 1927-1930: movement’s activities intensified However: criticisms were being leveled at the Montage filmmakers by government and film-industry officials Guilty of “formalism” too complex for mass audiences more interested in film style than in correct ideology Eisenstein’s prestige from Potemkin helped him but only ¡Que viva México! for so long… (Eisentein, 1932) 1929: moves to Mexico!  The First Five-Year Plan and the End of the Montage Movement 1928-1932: The First Five-Year Plan Took hold slowly, but government de- invests in film industry 1929: control over cinema turned over to “Movie Committee of the Soviet Union” Less favourable for filmmakers Movement phases out  From Montage to Socialist Realism 1934: "Decree on Cinema" issued by gov’t mandated that all forms of artistic expression, including film, adhere to the principles of Socialist Realism Must depict reality in a manner that glorified socialist values, the Roses for Stalin (Boris Eremeervich, 1949) achievements of the working class, and the goals of the Communist Party strictly enforced remained the dominant artistic ideology in the Soviet film industry until the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s Circus (Grigory Alexandrov, 1936)  Film Technique (1929) Vsevolod Pudovkin Argued that film is a distinct language with its own grammar and syntax the essence of cinema is in the assembly of shots + their juxtaposition Emphasizes emotional + psychological impact of montage by carefully selecting and arranging shots, can evoke specific emotions (viewer guided on how to feel and what to think) precision + control  Film Form (1949) Sergei Eisenstein Eisenstein developed the most complicated conception of montage Combining elements for maximum emotional and intellectual effect scoffed at Kuleshov and Pudovkin as treating shots like “bricks” joined to build a film Shots should not be seen as linked but as conflicting Tension between shots creates new meaning that neither shot could create on its own  Film Form (1949) Sergei Eisenstein Even Eisenstein’s writing style conveys this principle of collision: The shot is by no means an element of montage. The shot is a montage cell. Just as cells in their division form a phenomenon of another order, the organism or embryo, so on the other side of the dialectical leap from the shot, there is montage. By what, then, is montage characterized and, consequently, its cell—the shot? By collision. By the conflict of two pieces in opposition to each other. By conflict. By collision.  Film Form (1949) Sergei Eisenstein Compares film to Japanese Haiku & Tanka poetry, where the gaps in meaning create the space for imagination to fill Goal: compel the spectator to sense the conflict between elements and create a new concept in his or her mind… How does this differ from Pudovkin? Pudovkin believes you can control the viewer and dictate their thoughts & emotions Eisenstein trusts the viewer’s ability to create meaning through suggestion / metaphor / abstraction  true story of a mutiny on the Russian battleship Potemkin in June 1905 commissioned by Soviet government to commemorate 20th anniversary The crew rebelled against their officers over poor conditions and brutal treatment Battleship Potemkin symbolized the (1925) larger struggle  Eisenstein's approach is exemplified in the famous Odessa Steps scene of Battleship Potemkin… Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera (1929) Vertov & co. set out to document life in the Soviet Union in its purest form kaleidoscope of everyday scenes and activities Kiev, Kharkov, Moscow, and Odessa et al. treats the city as a living, breathing organism (a “city symphony”) bustling streets, factories in motion, and the rhythm of daily life Praised for its innovation but also fanned the flame of formalist criticism that ends the montage movement… The History of the Cinema Week 2 / Part 2 German Expressionism LIBA 9314 Fall 2024 Instructor: Adam Cook George Brown College The Scream (Edvard Munch, 1893)  Expressionism A broad movement across art and literature — at first in Northern Europe — dominates German culture 1910s -> 1920s express (Latin) – ex = out + pressare = to press Presents the world in a subjective, unrealistic manner to evoke strong moods and ideas wherein the radical distortion of representation brings out the inner life and/or inner truth of figures, objects, and settings  German Expressionism Begins BEFORE WWI BUT German Expressionist Cinema is viewed as a postwar phenomenon that reflects the nation’s turmoil 1914-1918: World War I 1918-1933: Weimar Republic democratic system established after WWI faced immense challenges, leads to polarized political climate (extremism) 1919: Treaty of Versailles (disarmament + drastic reparations) 1919-1926: Social and economic disarray 1920: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine)  German Expressionism “The German mind had difficulty in adjusting itself to the collapse of the imperial dream” – Lotte Eisner, The Haunted Screen Hyperinflation / poverty / insecurity / trauma Decline in values, increased interest in magic/mysticism + romanticism (the sublime) “…culminated in the apocalyptic doctrine of Expressionism” (Eisner)  The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine, 1919)  Characteristics of German Expressionism Distorted/exaggerated/unrealistic mise en scène Make-up, costuming, blocking, set design, lighting) strange geometry + spatial relations High contrast imagery Shadows + silhouettes Fluidity between character and setting — setting as extension of character and/or vice versa Interior states and essences visually articulated on surface Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine, 1919) The Madness of Dr. Tube (Abel Gance, 1915) Expressionism? The Madness of Dr. Tube (Abel Gance, 1915) Impressionism: Subjective perception of a character (an impression of experience) Expressionism: Entire world is externalized  The German Film Industry 1914-1933 Before WWI: foreign films imported in large numbers, very popular During WWI: foreign films boycotted but a lack of German films to replace them 1917: UFA is formed + the state takes control of all film production With huge financial backing UFA gathers the best technicians and builds the best studios in Europe 1919: Ernst Lubitsch’s Madame Dubarry (1919) a historical epic about the French Revolution is a big hit domestically—and internationally 1920: the only industry comparable to Hollywood !!!  The German Film Industry 1914-1933 1920: success of Caligari leads to greater investment in expressionist cinema As Expressionism became normalized, style no longer as strict; expressionist design could create stylized imagery for fantasy and horror stories (ex. Nosferatu in 1922) Die Nibelungen (Fritz Lang, 1923–1924) showed that abstract patterning of costume, sets, and crowds could be adapted to epics  The German Film Industry 1914-1933 The last major films of the movement: F. W. Murnau’s Faust (1926) + Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) Costly epics drive UFA into debt Expressionism wanes in Germany… …but its influence spans the whole of cinema, most prominently in Hollywood Film Noir Filmmakers are hired out by Hollywood beginning with Ernst Lubitsch in 1923 Eventually: Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger, Robert You Only Live Once (Fritz Lang, 1937) Siodmak, Fritz Lang  Fritz Lang & Thea Von Harbou Lang & Von Harbou form a creative partnership and marry in 1922 Lang: one of the most successful directors in the Weimar Era 1922: Dr. Mabuse the Gambler 1923/24: Die Nibelungen 1927: Metropolis 1931: M 1933: The Testament of Dr Mabuse Von Harbou: successful novelist and screenwriter Adapts Metropolis into a screenplay from her own book Lang & Von Harbou’s polarizing ideologies come to a head during production of Metropolis Lang = concerned with class struggle + questioning authority Von Harbou = far-right politics, interested in an idealist, uniform society  Fritz Lang & Thea Von Harbou 1933: Lang & Von Harbou divorce amidst the rise of the Nazi Party Around the same time, Lang is approached by Joseph Goebbels, the newly-appointed Minister of Propaganda and is offered the position as head of the German film industry Goebbels and the Nazi Party greatly admired Metropolis in particular Lang refuses and leaves Germany for Hollywood shortly after Von Harbou remains loyal to the Nazi Party and writes (and briefly directs) films for UFA The History of the Cinema Week 3 The Golden Age of Instructor: Adam Cook Hollywood Pt. I George Brown College  The Hollywood Film Industry The oldest film industry (companies emerge early 1900s) Classical style dominant in Hollywood in 1910s and worldwide by the 1920s The studios survive WWI, the Great Depression, and WWII Always found a way to adapt to the market Ex. creation of double bills + B-Movies in 1930s 1915-1960: 15,000 feature films produced in Hollywood 90%+ by the Big Five + Little Three at peak in late 1930s: nearly 1,000 per year Rapid technological evolution: sound, colour, increasingly mobile cameras, film stock The key: limited, cooperative competition…  The Adoption of Sound The arrival of sound was slow then abrupt… Technology was developed over decades Western Electric experimented in 10s and 20s WB invested to try and gain an advantage Developed the “Vitaphone” Sound on disc Sound had to be synched by each projectionist! FOX & RCA raced to invent their own 20s = an arm’s race to get ahead of other companies 1927: The Jazz Singer first feature-length sound film — released by WB before sound tech is perfected + standardized  The Adoption of Sound 1927: “The Big Five Agreement” Different studios using different sound tech = big problems for the logistics of film exhibition A threat to the Majors control of the industry overall The Major Studios agree to hold off on sound until a uniform system could be adopted, pooled resources Agree on set of criteria/conditions… 1) equipment had to be technically adequate 2) manufacturer had to control patents 3) manufacturer had to have resources + $$$ Vitaphone (Western Electric) beats out the competition initially but RCA’s Photophone takes over by the early 30s (cheaper, more practical)  The Adoption of Sound 1929: Transition to sound complete! All studios adopt sound tech and are producing mostly if not exclusively sound films Musicals! 1929-30: Production problems Soundproof booth for camera Concealing microphones Changes how director can use the space and light it Multi-camera shooting  The Adoption of Sound 1931-32: recording technology improves camera no longer in booth unidirectional mics actors no longer had to worry about mic placement greater synchronicity pace improves, livelier rhythm staging becomes more complex song & dance numbers no longer static / limited to one space dialogue scenes become mobile  refers to the reign of the Studio System The Studio Era industry dominated by the 8 major+minor studios (“Big Five” + “Little Three”) who controlled Hollywood at every level 1927-1948 begins with the arrival of sound and ends when the Paramount Case breaks up the studio monopoly Classical Hollywood Era refers to when the “Old Hollywood” classical style of filmmaking was dominant (i.e. narrative continuity) “The Golden Age of includes but transcends the studio era as the dominant style does not disappear when studio Hollywood” control diminishes continues into the 60s but new modern 1920s-1960s approaches to cinema are introduced and Classical Hollywood style is no longer dominant  The Rise of the Studio System 1908-14: MPPC (Motion Pictures Patent Company) dominates Hollywood Thomas Edison + film producers band together to create monopoly Vertical Integration: control of patents, production, distribution, exhibition 1915: monopoly broken up when U.S. courts declared it to be in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act What replaced this monopoly?  The Rise of the Studio System Another one: the Studio System 1915-1920s: “The Big Five” replace the MPPC… The “Big Five” or the “Majors” = 5 vertically integrated studios who control production/distribution/exhibition Appear to be in competition (unlike the unified MPPC) but work together to control conditions of industry (a disguised monopoly)  “The Big Five” The Major Studios  “The Little Three” The Major-Minor Studios  The Big Five (Majors) & The Little Three (Major-Minors) The Big Five (Majors) Paramount + 20th Century Fox + Warner Brothers + MGM + RKO vertically integrated studios who control production + distribution + exhibition The Little Three (Major-Minors) Columbia + Universal + United Artists Produced high-level films like the Majors but did not own theater chains At times more successful than the Majors 1920s: not owning theater chains was a disadvantage but… 1930s: …amidst the depression they suffered fewer losses than the Majors More adaptive: Universal + Columbia invented the “B-movie” (adopted by Majors) United Artists (“UA”) = releasing company for A-class productions by its founders (Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks)  MGM More sustainable throughout 30s + 40s Less theaters; less debt Known for: “More stars than there are in heaven!” Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer Refined, classy, sincere, earnest… High-profile, big-budget productions Luxurious / lavish sets Distinct house style (white, brightly lit) Musicals & fantasies (i.e. The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, Meet Me in St. Louis) Romantic epics (i.e. Gone with the Wind) A-List Comedies (i.e. The Philadelphia Story)  Paramount Began as a distribution firm Owned the most theaters 1933: Bankruptcy Known for: Prestige Pictures (A-list stars + high production value) Like MGM but bolder… Clara Bow, Mae West, Marlene Dietrich Sophisticated Comedy Ernst Lubitsch (Trouble in Paradise, Design for Living) Marx Bros. (Duck Soup) Preston Sturges (The Lady Eve) European & bold Josef Von Sternberg & Marlene Dietrich (Morocco, Dishonored, Shanghai Express)  20 Century Fox th Entered the Depression in the worst shape Borrowed + expanded just before crash Fox + Twentieth Century merge Fewer A-List stars + directors under contract but more overall… Shirley Temple; Will Rogers; John Ford Cheaper movies, more movies, shorter runs Targeted rural audiences Known for: A diverse output of genres Period pieces / costume dramas smaller more serious films  Warner Bros. Similarly to Fox, WB expanded before Depression Coped better: sold off assets, avoided bankruptcy Targeted urban audiences Similar to MGM in size *but* took a different approach to production Stars worked like dogs James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis Known for: Lower-profile, lower-budget films Grittier, less polished (the “working man’s studio” Socially conscious / “realistic” films; Gangster Pictures, Bio-pics, War Films, Film Noir  RKO The shortest-lived Major — always behind the others 1933: Bankruptcy The hardest to define — no stable policy or house style Known for: Isolated hits: King Kong Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers Katherine Hepburn in the 1930s * B-Movies Val Lewton & Jacques Tourneur Orson Welles & Citizen Kane  Universal (minor) Constant $$$ problems in the 30s + 40s Very few major stars; notable directors would leave for bigger studios Targeted small-town audiences Known for: “B-series” Sherlock Holmes; Abbott & Costello Horror! Frankenstein, Dracula, The Invisible Man Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi Melodramas Rock Hudson (Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind)  Columbia (minor) Profitable! Led by Harry Cohn (hands-on co-founder) Low-budgets but popular Borrowed stars + directors instead of using contracts Known for: Screwball comedies Twentieth Century (Hawks, 1934) It Happened One Night (Capra, 1934) B-Movies + one-off hits with A-listers Ford: The Whole Town’s Talking Cukor: Holiday Hawks: His Girl Friday Frank Capra in the 20s + 30s The Bitter Tea of General Yen; It Happened One Night; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Mr. Deeds Goes to Town  United Artists (minor) 1919: formed by Pickford, Fairbanks, Chaplin, and Griffith More of a distributor than a studio More successful in silent era Silent stars / directors slowed down (ex. Chaplin) Big independent producers joined studios (i.e. Selznick, Goldwyn) Known for: Small but diverse output with artistic oddities Hitchcock’s first American films: Spellbound; Rebecca One-off hits like Wuthering Heights (Wyler), Stagecoach (Ford), A Star is Born (Wellman), To Be or Not to Be (Lubitsch)  Poverty Row Small Hollywood studios that produced B movies from the 1920s to the 1950s Small budgets Low production value  Characteristics of the Studio System The 8 studios control the marketplace and prevent anyone else from entering it Vertical Integration: top-down control of every step of production/distribution/exhibition Block Booking: multiple films rented out in a package to maximize return Blind Bidding: exhibitors forced to bid on films (often via block booking) without seeing them in advance Runs, Zones, & Clearances: practices by which the studios controlled when and where films were distributed Movies open in first-run cinemas (owned by studios) before cheaper neighbourhood cinemas (independent cinemas forced into block booking and blind bidding) System of zones ensured only one cinema in specified area could exhibit a new movie  The Star System the most precious resource for each studio was their stable of actors held under oppressive 7-year contracts “Star Image” manufactured and controlled via publicity Stars used to market movies to audiences and exhibitors Identity of studio revolved around their top actors A method of exploitation  Stars = Production Value + Trademark Value + Insurance Value “In economic terms, stars created the market value of motion pictures” –Tina Balio The Star Image The “Star Image” Multi-faceted Promotion + Publicity + Criticism (+ Films) Newspapers, fan mags, tabloids, appearances, reviews, advertisements, portraits, production stills, posters, lobby cards, pressbooks… Star Image constructed and exploited by the studios Seven-Year Contracts Actors controlled by studios — bound by seven-year contracts (!) 6-month studio options Studio has all the power could renew contract every 6 months (stars had no choice) Contract options w/ predetermined raises = cost control + maximum flexibility Ex. Humphrey Bogart & WB Middling success in theater/film until WB signs him Develop tough guy persona and becomes a huge star …but then is typecast for years and years against his will (…eventually fights back in 50s…)  Seven-Year Contracts Control over image + services Public appearances Interviews Pressbooks Rights to their image for all publicity Restrictive clauses Only biggest stars had story-approval and even then it was a limited power Studios controlled their names, their looks, their weight, and even their private lives Interfered w/ relationships, constructed fake ones, staged dates for mags Drugged weight control (ex. Garland, Monroe)  Publicity & Promotion Nothing was too private… Excess of promotion spread out through various media Studio’s publicity department similar to newspaper room Publicity directors = important studio leaders Editors who assigned stories and approved copy Unit reporters work with assigned star Photo shoots, fashion shoots, production stills = all generated as fodder for publicity outlets  Publicity & Promotion Studio publicity dept. would feed fan mags + other media materials AND stories through pressbooks & canned interviews Oftentimes fabricated! Ex. Erroll Flynn To promote Captain Blood: “carefree adventurer and a rogue” Described as a former Olympic boxer (a blatant lie!) Fan mags had massive circulations Photoplay, Modern Screen, Silver Screen = 500,000/month family stories, romances, controversy, marriage, death, children, etc. romanticize and idealize stars AND bring them down to earth  Classical Hollywood Style Storytelling is the #1 priority “Invisible Style” Linear structure 3 acts w/ an A-plot and B-plot Flashbacks + dreams = the only permissible non-linear elements “Hook-in-eye” style “Appointments & Deadlines” (perpetual cause & effect where each scene prepares the next) Unambiguous Happy endings with complete resolution Clearly drawn protagonist to identify with Plot is driven by the protagonist’s goals  Classical Hollywood Style Continuity Editing 180-degree line Eyeline matches; matches-on-action Dissolves Analytical editing Cross-cutting Sound precedes cut (ex. hear door open before cutting to show door prepares the audience) Three-point lighting Frontality  The Hays Code Will H. Hays = MPPDA President (1922-1945) MPPDA managed industry’s public relations — more about appeasing the public and markets than internal values 1927: Establishes Studio Relations Committee (SRC) to enforce the “Don’ts & Be Carefuls” 1930: “Code to Govern the Making of Talking, Synchronized and Silent Motion Pictures” AKA “The Hays Code” or “The Code” put in place by the MPPDA  The Hays Code AKA: Motion Picture Production Code Created by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) to appease other censorship bodies and public groups Established in 1930; not enforced until 1934 prohibited explicit portrayals of violence, sexuality, and other “controversial” subjects law enforcement and authority figures must be portrayed in a positive light criminal behavior must be punished on screen  Pre-Code Hollywood Gold Diggers of 1933 The Public Enemy Design For Living Dir. Berkeley & LeRoy Dir. William A. Wellman Dir. Ernst Lubitsch Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Paramount Gold Diggers of 1933 (Dir. Busby Berkeley & Mervyn LeRoy, 1933, WB) Design for Living (Dir. Ernst Lubitsch, 1933, Paramount) The History of the Cinema Week 4 The Golden Age of Instructor: Adam Cook Hollywood Pt. II George Brown College  Pre-Code Genres Gold Diggers of 1933 The Public Enemy Design For Living Dir. Berkeley & LeRoy Dir. William A. Wellman Dir. Ernst Lubitsch Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Paramount Backstage Musical/Comedy Crime/Gangster Movie Screwball Comedy  A Closer Look at Genre… How do we define a genre? What characteristics do we associate with a genre? The Western? The Musical? The Melodrama?  A Closer Look at Genre… How do we define a genre? What characteristics do we associate with a genre? The Western? The Musical? The Melodrama? Formal, narrative, stylistic similarities… Iconography Western = guns, cowboy hats, landscape Musical = vibrant costumes and extravagant sets; backstage or performance settings Horror = dimly lit or shadowy environments Archetypal characters, certain stars, body types Conventions A showdown (Western), a meet-cute and/or an odd couple (rom-com), a police investigation (thriller)  A Closer Look at Genre… Do genres stay the same?  A Closer Look at Genre… Do genres stay the same? The core remains but they are always changing… Cultural attitudes change Technology changes A particular film and/or filmmaker reinvents genre, changes/expands the rules Genres tend to change in cycles… 1: Experimental – exploring new territory, a genre is (perhaps inadvertently!) formed 2: Classical – a set of conventions, themes, and narrative structures become the standard and are fulfilled 3: Mannerist – filmmakers play with and subvert established conventions 4: Refinement – overt self-consciousness (parody & cliché)  The Western Emerged in the silent era and became a staple of Hollywood storytelling Draws inspiration from legends and myths of the American West exploration, settlement, and conflicts that shaped the nation's history Setting: vast and rugged landscapes of the American West, small towns …one saloon, one barber, one jail, one train or stagecoach out of town… Archetypal Characters: heroic cowboy or gunslinger, the rugged lawman seeking justice, the morally ambiguous anti-hero, the stoic Native American, and the ruthless outlaw, etc. Conflict and Morality: good versus evil, law versus lawlessness, and the clash between civilization and the untamed frontier 3 Basic Plots: 1 – Classical Plot: Good vs Evil (Order vs Chaos) 2 – Revenge Plot: avenge a horrible act, morally complex 3 – Professional Plot: gunmen for hire; ambivalent and cynical characters without any morals  The Western & John Ford “My name is John Ford and I make Westerns” Stagecoach (1939, United Artists) Drums Along the Mohawk (1939, Fox) My Darling Clementine (1946, Fox) 3 Godfathers (1948, MGM) Fort Apache (1948, RKO) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949, RKO) Wagon Master (1950, RKO) Rio Grande (1950, Argosy) The Searchers (1956, WB) The Horse Soldiers (1959, United Artists) Sergeant Rutledge (1960, WB) Two Rode Together (1961, Columbia) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962, Paramount) Cheyenne Autumn (1964, Warner Bros.) 1939: “Hollywood’s Greatest Year”?  1939: “Hollywood’s Greatest Year”? The 10 nominees for Best Picture: Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, MGM) - $18 million The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, MGM) - $2 million Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, Columbia) - $3.5 million Stagecoach (John Ford, United Artists) Ninotchka (Ernst Lubitsch, MGM) Wuthering Heights (William Wyler, United Artists) Love Affair (Leo McCarey, RKO) Dark Victory (Edmund Goulding, WB) Goodbye, Mr. Chips (Sam Wood, MGM) Of Mice and Men (Lewis Milestone, United Artists) The Economic Boom + Continued Innovation Hollywood thrived in the wake of The Great Depression The Hays Code has a significant impact on box office Family friendly fare Studios double-down on big productions + investing in technology 1935: Becky Sharp …the first Technicolor feature The rise of a new powerhouse… Katherine Hepburn & The Philadelphia Story Declared “box office poison” in the late 30s RKO washes their hands of her No one wants to make a movie with her So what does she do? Hepburn buys the rights to hit Broadway play The Philadelphia Story and enlists her A-list pals Cary Grant & James Stewart MGM couldn’t say no and the film was a smash! Foreshadows the actors' movement a decade later… The Economic Boom + Continued Innovation Innovations in cinematography (deep focus) and camera movement More complex staging, experiments in visual storytelling Innovations in narrative form More complex story structure Citizen Kane (Dir. Orson Welles, 1941) The Long Voyage Home (John Ford, 1940, United Artists) Cinematographer: Gregg Toland How Green Was My Valley (John Ford, 1941, Fox) Cinematographer: Arthur C. Miller Letter From an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls, Universal Pictures) The Great Dictator (Charles Chaplin, 1940, United Artists)  Hollywood at War 1941: Pearl Harbor + USA joins WWII USA prospers throughout war: expanded economy; manufactured goods; Hollywood enjoys this boom too… …but while WWI led to pacifism in cinema, WWII led to jingoism Pro-war effort propaganda The rise of the evil enemy in cinema (prevalent to this day) Anti-fascist, humanist cinema made during the war too… To Be or Not to Be (Lubitsch); Hangmen Also Die! (Lang), Casablanca (Curtiz) 5 filmmakers make “documentaries” on the frontlines… John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens  The Battle of Midway They Were Expendable (John Ford, 1945, MGM) (John Ford, 1942, United States Navy/Fox) “I despise happy endings—with a kiss at the finish—I’ve never done that. Of course, they were glorious in defeat in the Philippines—they kept on fighting.” –John Ford  The Big Sleep (1946) Double Indemnity (1944) Out of the Past (1947) The Big Heat (1953)  Film Noir: 1941-1953 A genre? A period? A style?  Film Noir: 1941-1953 A genre? A period? A style? According to Paul Schrader… Film noir is not a genre…It is not defined, as are the western and gangster genres, by conventions of setting and conflict, but rather by the more subtle qualities of tone and mood A distinct post-war malaise — a shift in collective worldview in America A stylistic and narrative tendency rooted in a specific period  Film Noir: 1941-1953 Derived from hard-boiled detective fiction of the 1920s (Hammett, Cain, Chandler) Name comes from France Pessimism, self doubt; a cold, detached view of the world Night, urban space, slicked pavements, dark alleyways, sleazy bars Cynical detective (ambiguous, immoral protagonists!) and the femme fatale Low-key-lighting (light & shadow) Debt to German cinema of 1920s (Expressionism) Emigrated talent (Billy Wilder, Robert Siodmak, Otto Preminger, Fritz Lang, etc.) Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944, Paramount) The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks, 1946, WB) Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947, RKO)  Film Noir: 1941-1953 Schrader’s three periods of the film noir: 1 - Wartime Period 1941-1946 - Private eye or lone wolf - Double Indemnity 2 - Postwar Realistic Period 1945-1949 - Street crime; Political corruption - The Killers 3- Psychotic Action and Suicidal Impulse 1949-1953 - Anti-hero without a romantic impulse - D.O.A.  1948: “The Paramount Decision” “United States v. Paramount Pictures Inc. et al” Big Five and Little Three studios accused of collusion re: block booking and vertical integration All eight companies guilty of monopolizing End block-booking Ordered to sell off theater chains One court decision severely alters Hollywood forever… The end of the studio system