07 - Hollywood 30s & 40s: 1929 - 1945 Flashcards
Continuity editing became standard during this time…
What is the basic principle of continuity editing?
4 such techniques?
To support smooth, logical transitions & space orientation.
Master shot
eyeline match cut
shot/reverse shot
match on action, etc.
The system was built around 8 Major companies.
5 major and 3 minor. What were these?
These companies were a part of what organization?
5 major (exerted Vertical Control) MGM, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, WB, & RKO
3 Minor
Universal, Columbia Pictures, and United Artists
All part of the MPPDA
What was the MPPDA?
The motion pictures producers and distributors of america
Org. performed functions on behalf of the industry (including self-monitoring content…)
What is Block Booking and Blind Buying that resulted in overbuying?
Block - exhibitor rented films in packages that include the “dogs” & the “hits”
Blind - exhibitor forced to book films unseen.
How did Vertical Control help studios?
allowed studios to influence/control styles, content and censorship… ultimately invited government intervention.
When was the 1st academy awards?
1929 (retroactively to 1927)
When was Hayes hired by the MPPDA? Why?
1922 - enforce restrictions on content & methods. (in light of subsequent Hollywood scandals)
When did the Hayes code come into effect? (What is its formal ‘label’?
1930, but not strictly enforced until 1934
Motion Picture Production Code
What was the PCA, when was it established, and who established/ led it? What enforced it?
1934 - Production Code Administration
established/led by Joseph Breen (until 1954)
Enforced by National Legion of Decency (Catholic legion of decency) - Seal of Approval
When did Vertical Control end? What happened in 1951?
1948 - competition from foreign policy and TV
1951 - movies covered under the 1st amendment (Freedom of speech)
When was the Hayes code replaced by the MPAA?
1968
When color ‘begin’ to be integrated into film? What new ‘system’ was created to allow easier integration of full colour?
Early days of film: tinting, toning, hand colouring, etc.
Technicolor was developed in the early 30s
What sort of films is John Ford known for?
reverence of the American landscape. Stagecoach (1939)
explored the forces set in motion by the european expansion in the New World.
Savagery of the wilderness - symbolized by the figure of that native American.
Indigenous peoples stood in the way of civilized order
What were some emergent genres of the 30’s?
The Musical The Gangster Film (30's atmosphere) Horror Films (Chiaroscuro lighting) Comedy (new expression with sound) Woman Pictures (domestic melodramas) Adaptations Cartoons & Walt Disney Film Noir
Film noir is largely a combination of two “movements”. What are these?
German Expressionism - nightmares & hallucinations (lighting & angles)
French Poetic Realism - femme fetales