History And Historiography Flashcards
(105 cards)
1
Q
What is histotoriography.
A
1 The study of the methods and principles through which we organize the past.
2 Writing history from a particular viewpoint
2
Q
What is one way of organizing history?
A
Periodization - divides films into historical segments, or periods
3
Q
How we examine Film history is made up of different types of formulas or models. What are they
A
1, industrial history looks at the technology, business practices/policies that shape how films are made and how they are distributed- eg. old Hollywood studio model
- Social history analyses films thru their contexts, the society in which they are made and the one they are trying to depict
- Formal history analyses stylistic choices, cinematography, look gating, costumes, acting and soforth
- Genealogical - how power relationships influence development/importance of one historical period over another
4
Q
How and why does film WRITE history
A
- record actual happenings ( or re-create)
- focus on a person in history eg. Catherine the Great depicted in 1934’s The Scarlet Empress
- shapes how masses see and understand history
5
Q
Periodization
A
1defined by historical events
2share thematic and stylistic concerns
6
Q
Match the periods
A
- Silent. a) 1929-1945
- Classical. b) 1895-1929
3 post World War 2. c) 2000+
4 Digital. d) 1945-1975
5 Cinematic Globalization e) 1975-2000
7
Q
What is canon
A
The commonly accepted list of great works
8
Q
What is cultural weight
A
Some cultures are undervalued in analysis of their films to country, minority, and we try to counterbalance this
9
Q
Characteristics of silent cinema 1895-1929
A
1 rapid development in film technology, form (structure), culture, and development of film industry around the world
2 dominated by Hollywood after WW1 1914-1918
3 Hollywood introduced synchronized sound technology
4 period saw development of film stars system, genres, studio system, and feature length narrative films
10
Q
Which is not part of industrialization
A
1 growth of leisure time and commercialized leisure activities
2. People moving into country out of city, no immigration
3. Shift of traditional class race and gender lines
4 development of popular culture ( as opposed to high culture)
11
Q
Beginning of cinema history
A
Screening of Lumiere brothers ‘Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory’ March 22 1895
12
Q
What is a Nickelodeon
A
Small theatres in store fronts and arcades screening short films for 5 cents
13
Q
What is the Motion Picture Patents Company ( or the Trust) formed 1908
A
A means to standardize, control growth of technology, technique, subject matter and exhibition practice ( where and when film shown)
14
Q
Early Cinema
A
1895 to 1915
15
Q
Characteristics of early cinema
A
1 less to tell a story more to provide exiting spectacle: trick films, comic sketches, life etc
2 shift from single to multiple shots and early development of narrative form ( how to manipulate film form to tell story)
3 examples Fred Ott”s Sneeze 1896
4 By 1911 DW Griffiths ‘The Lonedale Operator’ about burglers threatening a telegraph operator, used 100 shots and parallel editing (cutting back and forth) to build suspense. Also varied camera distance, developing American narrative style
16
Q
Were women involved?
A
Yes
1 directors producers assistants editors writers actresses
2) eg Lois Weber ‘Where AreMy Children’ 1916
3) driven out of industry as standardization,Hollywood mode of production solidified in the ‘20’s
17
Q
Who else did standard practices and economic interests of studio system drive out?
A
African Americans who like women were involved at the beginning of century, even likeOscar Michaux confronted racism and segregation
18
Q
What are race movies
A
Early 20th century films with all black casts, often shown because of segregation at night ‘midnight rambles’
19
Q
When did slapstick comedy begin
A
@ 1910 with literary adaptations also popular
20
Q
Who were 2 wildly popular actresses who helped begin the star system
A
- Biograph Studios ‘Biograph Girl’ Florence Lawrence
2 Mary Pickford, America’s sweetheart
21
Q
Who are ‘benshi’
A
In Japanese early cinema, narrators of silent films
22
Q
What country challenged the Trust’s length of film through its epic films?
A
Italy
23
Q
What 3 historical developments caused Hollywood to come of age
A
1 standardization of film production
2 establishment of the feature film
3 the cultural and economic expansions of movies in society
24
Q
What were standardized formulas of Hollywood in early cinema
A
1 a)studios created teams of there own people including scriptwriters, producers, directors, camera operators, editors, actors
b) longer 100 minute films
c) more sophisticated subject matter
d) elegant theatres attracting elegant people crossing social boundaries
e) development of narrative realism and placement of viewer’s perspective into editing and narrative action
f) films explored simultaneous actions, complex spaces, and psychological interactions of characters through narrative. Camera movement, framing, editing put viewers in the story rather than at a theatrical distance
25
Genres of early cinema Hollywood
Slaptick - Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton modified pure comedy ( keystone cops) by using humour to dramatize human and social themes
Serious spectacle eg DeMille’s ‘Ten Commandments’ which ironically had lurid sex and violence as well as a strong moral purpose
NB early 20s saw lots of sex/drug scandals with Hollywood stars and calls for censorship became widespread
26
1927 ‘the Jazz Singer’
1st feature length film with synchronized speech
27
20’s Hollywood
- Comedy, lavish spectacle, thrilling melodrama
- 50 million weekly moviegoer
- fan magazines flourished stars were norm
- technology exploded - eg synchronized speech
28
German Expressionist Cinema ( in film, theatre, painting etc, expressionists turned away from realism towards the irrational and unconscious sides of human experience)
1918 ( end of WW1) to 1929 - years of German poverty, starvation, humiliation which gave ride to German nationalism, and Hitler in the 1930’s
A) Characterized the despair thru lighting, sets, costume design
B) this period - known as the Weimar Rebublic- was a period were arts flourished and social norms relaxed. First LGBTQ activist movie ‘Different from the Others’ made
C) differed from Hollywood thru commitment to artistic expression through its giant nationalized ( public not private) studio UFA - Robert Weine’s ‘The Cabinet of Dr, Caligari’ 1920: shadowy atmosphere, distorted/artificial sets
29
Prominent German Expressionist filmmakers
1) Fritz Lang ‘Metropolis’
| 2) F.W. Murnau ‘Nosferstu’
30
Soviet Silent Films 1917-1931
- not entertainment history, born out of Russian Revolution and not linked to capitalist economics ( Russian royal family murdered, Russian begins Communism - theory of social equality (the collective), equal money/food/land for everyone)
Films therefore were documentaries/historical subjects and highly politicized to further spread/ teach Communism
Dziga Vertov created a collective workshop called the Kinoki, or cinema eyes, to figure out how cinema communicates both directly and subliminally.
Committed to everyday truths but recognized how the structure of how film is put together affects both the messaging and audience reaction
31
What is montage aesthetic?
Vertov’s Man With a Movie Camera’ 1929
—film of a city where the energy of the city is reinforced by moving from one subject to another, split screens, superimposition, variable film speeds
- always puts viewer in the action
Eisenstein’s ‘Battleship Potemkin’ 1925 about uprising of oppressed sailors representing Eisensteins theory of montage
32
French early cinema
George Melies - took film to the fantastical, trick films like ‘The Vanishing Lady’ 1915
- was the worlds most successful film industry before WW1
33
Who was Oscar Micheaux
African American novelist, writer producer-director
- rediscovered figure in film history
- hot topics, like lynching ‘Within our Gates’ 1925
- an alternative aesthetic
34
French Impressionist cinema 1920’s
Cinema in 1920s championed by artists and intellectuals
- avant-garde movement to challenge familiar or objective ways of seeing in order to revitalize human perception
- also surrealism focusing on memories, hallucinations, fantasies ‘the Seashell andrhe Clergyman’ 1928
35
Classical Cinema
Who were the big 5 and little 3 studios who dominated industry, controlled distribution and therefore had a huge impact on both the industry and culture
5 -20th century fox, MGM, Paramount, Warner Brothers, RKO
3- Columbia, Universal, United Artists
36
What was the Motion Picture Producers and Distruters Association omg America ( MPDDA, now MPAA) formed in 1922?
Purpose to regulate movies’ moral content
- known as ‘Hayes Office’
The Production code they established was initially ignored but strictly followed from 1934
-conservative list of principles governed depiction of crime and sex
- kept censorship in their hands instead of the government
-sometimes led to distortion, like changing lesbian relationships in stories to straight
37
Classical Cinema Characteristics:
- movie dialogue + growth of characterization, characters became more psychologically complex because of dialogue
- prominence of generic formulas like musicals and westerns
- sound capacity incl popular music, where African Americans could appear even if they were barred from central dramatic roles
38
Classical - emergence of studio classics like
Capra’s ‘It Happened One Night’ 1934, a successful story both in theatre and film because of synchronized dialogue
- it was a social allegory about common people correcting greed and egotism of rich
Ford’s ‘Stagecoach’1939
1939: gone With the Wind’, ‘Wizard of Oz’ Wuthering Heights, Mr. Smith Goes to a Washington
39
What minorities were marginalized in classic era
Stereotypes of racist and ethnic minorities despite blacks and Latinos fighting in WW2
- also difficult generally for them to find employment in the film industry ( including women)
40
Who was Hattie McDaniel
First black to win Oscar as Mammy in Gone with the wind
41
What was the percentage of Americans who went to the movies weekly in 1930
65%
42
European Cinema 30s and40s
Internationalism is like globalization, but in this era many countries were becoming nationalistic ( what is good for my country is good, don’t care about others, part of reason for WW2
National cinemas promote stories that define their own language and culture.
What films were international?
1. Blue angel, 1930 filmed simultaneously in German, French and English
2’Madchen in Uniform’ 1931 about a lesbian relationship/repressive hierarchies
43
What is poetic realism
Socially conscious directors integrated artistic innovation into traditional narrative (Clair, Carne, Renoir)
Renoir’s Rules of the Game (1939) uses lighting, long takes, and framing that draws out dark ironies not seen superficially. Uses symbolism and metaphor to show similarities been slaughter of birds to compare with hunters in society
44
Golden Age Mexican Cinema
With Europe at war Mexico became bust producing melodramas comedies and musicals
45
Postwar Cinema 1945 -1975
Cinema is a barometer of social change and movements in art.
What happened post war?
Hollywood studio system faces legal, economic and cultural challenges at home
- many new wave cinemas world wide brought in new ideas
- TV and new ways to spend free time forced Hollywood to attemp to regain their prominence
46
What is the Cold War
After the end of WW2 Europe was split into 2, one side liberated by the allies, Britain, USA etc (known as the West) and to the east the Soviet Union. The soviets were communist and did not get along with the west, threatening nuclear war, and an extreme fear of anything or anyone who might be communistic (they were known as the Reds).
47
Ideological conflict in Hollywood (fear of communism)
The US government, or Congress, investigated the film industry where it was alleged there were many communists.the government set up a committee- the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC, which held hearings to flush out commies, or reds. This ‘Red Scare’ was led bySenator Joe McCarthy.
- 10 directors, screenwriters producers refused to answer HUAC’s questions (intended to rat people out so they would never work again) and were sent to jail. They are the ‘Hollywood 10’
48
Other Holly wood problems:
1 Supreme Court decided studios could not own theatre chains
2 TV
3 tension/anxiety about nation identity as well as security
4 old institutions on the brink of huge change: family units, sex and sexual relationships,
5 beginning of civil rights and women’s liberation movements
49
Post war Hollywood end of studio era
1 led to dismantling some of the power of the studios
2 opening cinema to social and political change
3 two important shifts:
a) recognition and eventual domination of youth audiences
b) increasing importance of European art films
50
How did Hollywood movies change post war
- grew more daring and darker
- challenged traditions and norms
- explored controversial themes or issues
- can meeting with TV they developed a more selfconscious and exaggerated sense of image composition and narrative structure
51
Examples post War Hollywood
New subject matter family betrayal, alcoholism and drug abuse, sexuality, racial injustice, psychological breakdowns
1, ‘the BestYears of our Lives’ 1946 post war trauma in small town America
2 black actor Sidney Poitier fighting racial injustice in ‘the Defiant Ones’ 1958, ‘in the heat of the night’ 1967
3 unpredictable stories/characters, subversive violent visual styles in Welles ‘touch of evil 1958 and Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ in 1960
4 even infiltrated westerns
52
What is port war Hollywood’s film noir cycle
Film noir is associated with cynical heroes, stark light in effects, use of flashbacks, intricate plots and an underlying feeling questioning existence
Vidor’s ‘Gilda’ 1946 andHawk’s ‘the Big Sleep’ 1946 explore perceived threat of self reliant women (autonomy) and female sexuality
—-these narratives seem to lose direction, and the style is gloomy
53
Youth Audiences
| Exploited?
- rise of drive in theatres
- colleges etc became interested in art film and alternative film
- topical films like Rebel Without a cause 1955 depict, shockingly, a generational crisis in which parents have no understanding of their children, who drift aimlessly and hopelessly
54
How did Cinema fight back against TV
Spectacular colour and widescreen technology that couldn’t be duplicated at home
Because studios no longer owned theatres all sorts different theatres popped up that were alt as well as mainstream and aimed at capturing youth interests
55
What was one of the last studio films that was still highly successful
The sound of music, 1965
56
What was the ‘survival path’ for post was Hollywood
- rebellious energy pick up from new European films
- Penn’s ‘ Bonnie andClyde 1967 was pivotal attracting youth audiences with its unprecedented violence and irreverent tone, its challenge of the mainstream norms
57
Also part of survival?
Targeted urban market with low budget films about streetwise African Americans, known as blaxploitation.
—-although suggestive of exploitation the genre was made possible partly by black power movements and the genre became useful for their purposes
—-eg Parks’ ‘Shaft’ 1971 and Van Peebles’ ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song’ 1971
58
Also part of survival
A independent New American Cinema
—-Cassavetes’s ‘Faces’ 1959 made on 16mm, low budget
—-incorporates new voices hiring young film school trained directors Coppola’s ‘the Godfather’ 1972
59
International Art Cinema
-sees studios as old fashioned
—fresh voices, new filmmaking styles
—major new film festivals in Cannes, Venice, Berlin
—‘auteur theory’: the director is the artist, whose thinking and style links a body of work
60
Italian new-realism
| Italy, began during WW2 until @1952
-focus on every day realities
-location shooting
-non-professional actors
-revitalized film culture using stark real style very different from classic Hollywood
Eg DeSica’s ‘Bicycle Thrives’ 1948 or Rossellini’s ‘Rome, Open City’ 1945 which used newsreels as part of its composition
61
French New Wave (and other places) 1950s thru to 1970s
Common features are using film to express a personal vision and a break with past filmmaking norms and genres
62
French new wave
| -also known as Nouvelle Vague
—is the first and most influential
—opposed to conventional studio system
—low budget
-young actors on location
-unconventional sound and editing patterns
- addressed struggle for personal expression
-stylistic innovation freezeframe in Truffaut’s ‘The 100 Blows’ 1959 and the jump cut in Godards ‘Breathless’ 1960
63
Inspiration for French new wave
Came from film critic and theoretician Andre Brezin, who helped establish journal ‘Cahiers du cinema’ which published work by renown directors giving them a place to discuss ideas and revitalize a common film language,
Auteur theory born here, the author of the film is the director
64
French new wave
Became increasingly politicized
65
British new wave catalyzed by French new wave
—‘kitchen sink’ cinema
—working class realism and discontent
—rebellious youth ‘Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner’ 1962
66
Japanese Cinema
- marked by Kurosawa’s ‘Rashoman’ 1950 winning Venice Film Festival
—long history of filmmaking using distinct perceptual and generic forms
-draws on Japanese culture and traditions
-was influenced by Hollywood but remained contemplative and focused on characters rather than action
67
Indian cinema
- first film made 1913
| - golden age came after gaining independence from Britain in 1948
68
Indian Cinema: Parallel Cinema
- alternative to commercial cinema
- realism
- director Satyajit Ray
69
Indian cinema
- bother commercial blockbusters and artistic realism continues to thrive
- episodic narrative (episodes linked together to form a story)
- in the 1970s India overtook Hollywood as worlds largest film producer
- often referred to as Bollywood, movies are rooted in Hindu culture and mythology and are known for elaborate songs and dances
- ‘Mother India’1957 is an Indian classic; patriotic; main character image and metaphor for modern postwar India and embodies the past with the future in a powerful way
- images do India and music important
70
Third Cinema
| - term began with n Argentina
First cinema = Hollywood and commercial film culture
Second cinema = snooty art auteur stuff
Third cinema = unites many countries under political and formal rubric, represents those often left out, like third world countries, working together to have voice and aesthetics
71
Cinematic Globalization 1975 -2000
- a world of political, economic and technological change, shifting global power
- new rise of fundamentalism (strong religious conservative beliefs)and nationalism ignite conflict
72
New Hollywood in the blockbuster era
Power and media ownership in a small number of companies
- knowing the power of youth audience corporate ( big business) Hollywood put energy in blockbusters and global markets
-aggressive market
Begins with ‘Jaws’ 1975, the Star Wars 1977.
-Star Wars introduced formula of sequels reissues and tie-ins ( like merch)
- clearly defined good guys and bad guys
- made more money thru home video and cable rights/sales
73
New Hollywood in blockbuster era
2 trends characterize:
A) spectacles including special effects
B) reflexivity of narratives - in which the audience is made aware of the filmmaking process, made to reflect on their perceptions of what happened and determine ‘truths’
74
Special effects
- Films moves away from engrossing narratives to sensational mise en scene or dramatic manipulation of the image ( because of CGI - settings characters actions became fantastic)
- characters were intentionally superficial
75
Narrative in Hollywood 1975 -2000
Films that did have narrative engagement were often fragmented reframed distorted to challenge coherence and force viewer to figure it out
—eg Pulp Fiction 1994
76
Commercial Auteur
The auteur, or director became a commercial brand
- signature auteurs Scott (Blade Runner 1982), Lynch (Blue Velvet 1986), Tarantino (Pulp Fiction)
- daring disturbing films made possible in mainstream film
77
American Independent Cinema 1975-2000
Auteur - promotion of a directors unique vision allowed independently financed movies gain visibility, for women and minorities
- ( Desperately Seeking Susan 1985) by Susan Seidelman, and Spike Lee (She’s a Gotta Have It 1986, Malcolm X 1992)
78
American Independent Cinema
Winning at film festivals, like 1989 Steven Soderbergh’s ‘sex, lies and videotape) inspired big studios like Miranda to distribute edgy film, targeting art house cinemas, university towns
—stars wanted these roles because it gave them acting challenges
79
Voices possible in independent film
Even 1990s New Queer Cinema
80
New German Cinema
- generated by government subsidy, international acclaim, TV broadcast, and film festival exposure
- often confronted Nazi past, ending cultural silence eg. 1884 TV series ‘Heimat’
- internationally known for its auteurs, Wenders, Herzog, Fassbinder
81
African Cinema 1875 2000
-North Africa has a long history in film, the rest of Africa more recent
-Lumiere brothers shown in North Africa in 1896 develop strong history of filmmaking
- south develops later on after decolonization and development of third cinema
— giving voice internationally regarding culture and globalization
82
Chinese Cinema
3 China’s
1 people’s republic of China (communist)
2 island of Hong Kong now back under Chinese rule
3 republic of China (Taiwan)
Which are all different based on colonial rule, Chinese takeovers communism etc
83
Following communism
Rejection of anything capitalistic and American (sugar coated bullets); communist propaganda
Then in 1980s ‘Fifth Generation’ emphasis ordinary protagonists, rural/historical subjects, filmed with great beauty Zhang ‘Ju dou ’1990 censored at home and won prizes abroad
- after failed uprising against communism Tiannemen Sqaate underground protest movies
84
Hong Kong - not under Chinese rule until 1997, under British
-Kung fu films highly successful
- expensive productions, used western elements well
Jackie Chan, John Woo
85
Iranian Cinema
- Won lots of critical acclaim and festival prize
- shut down during fundamental rule but has come back . Fear of censorship, jail, and worse hasn’t stopped the making of topical films
- successful women filmmakers
86
Changing viewing habits
- starting in 1980s viewing habits changed because of various platforms and views watched films over and over again to piece individual films and series of films together
- streaming services made viewed tastes and interests known
87
What is media convergence
Formerly distinct media (cinema, television, internet, video games) and viewing platforms (TV, computers, cell phones have become INTERDEPENDENT
—are linked thru digitization
—allows ‘big’ media and service providers to maximize and profit from contact with consumers
—-engages audiences directly in the circulation and recombination of media
88
Global Hollywood in Digital Age
Formulaic success in big budget visual effects embracing evolving technology
- sequels, animation, superheroes
- very successful abroad, including China
- corporations like Disney earn more money outside US
- sequels like Marvel Cinematic Universe have built in audiences and vocal fandoms, minimizing risk
89
Does the Chinese market, despite its politics, affect US cinematic decisions?
Yes because of size and revenue potential ( can make lots of money). Will change comic books so as not to puss them off
90
Is cinematic production in the US diversified?
No, still white males. Attempt have been made to be inclusive because of protests.
Voters for Academy of Motion Picture Arts andSciences in 2019 still 84% white and69% male
91
minorities in 21st century Hollywood
- women often ties to genres typically female like romcom
- some films with big stars dealing with same sex relationships eg Call Me By Your Name 2017
- commercial and political gain in black cinema
92
Celebrity Culture
- Stoked by social media
- powerful links between forms of expression (eg film and music) to make social statements, eg the film ‘Lemonade’ 2016 linked with Beyoncé’s album of the same name ( theme: black women’s cultural heritage)
93
International in the 21st century
- world film culture depends on international financing
- circulation of film thru festivals
- lots of media attention
- digital ways for everyone to access films had otherwise been impossible
94
Transnational vs Supranational cinema
The digital world allows for collaboration:
| Transnational means with countries that border yours, supranational means countries anywhere
95
East Asian Cinemas in 21st century
Most celebrated directors and national movements in world cinema in the 2000s came from east Asia.
- not only a top consumer of film but now also producer
- China Taiwan Korea
96
Global Bollywood
- continues to operate outside Hollywood influence
- internet allowed massive south Asian audiences
- is huge
97
African Film
Nigerian film industry is known as ‘Nollywood’.
— African audiences wanting films that are relevant to them
-shot and distributed on video
-in 2006 Nollywood overtook Hollywood and Bollywood in terms of number of films produced annually
98
Film Preservation
- many old film has disintegrated ( prior to 1950) from the nitrate which is highly flammable and also decomposed
-new career path film preservation
-digital is better but not perfect
-80% of our film history is believed to be lost
-people are patching together bits and pieces
-allows marginalized films to be restored as well as canonized , like Oscar Micheaux’s ‘Within Our Gates’ a 1920 African american film, about racism and lynching. This film offers an opposite interpretation of history than the canon of DW Griffith’s famous ‘Birth of a Nation’ which was highly racist
Y
99
Three point lighting
- common
- uses 3 sources:
1. Key lighting - to illuminate object
2. Backlighting - to pick out object from the background
3. Fill lighting- to minimize shadows
100
Key lighting
- is main source of non-natural lighting
HIGH key lighting: little contrast between light/dark
LOW key lighting : big contrast light/dark
- the terms show ratio of key to fill lighting
—-high key lighting even (low ratio of key to fill) used for melodrama and realism
—-low key lighting is dramatic (high ratio of key to fill) used in horror and film noir
101
Fill lighting
Uses secondary fill lights to balance key lighting by removing shadows or emphasizing other spaces/objects in the scene
102
Highlighting
The use of different lighting sources to emphasize certain characters or objects
103
Backlighting
Highlighting technique that illuminates person/object from behind causing silhouette
104
Frontal lighting
Sidelighting
Underlighting
Top lighting
Used to illuminate subject from different directions to draw out features or creat specific atmospheres around the subject
105
The mise en scene can use both hard lighting and soft lighting
Hard lighting: high contrast, creates hard edges, distinctive shadow, and harsh effects, especially with people
Soft lighting: diffused, low contrast reduces/eliminates hard edges and shadow , more flattering for people
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