COMP 1 - Hollywood

Question 1

Peter Bradshaw (Guardian)

Answer 1

Vertigo is a unique balance of Hitchcock’s brash flair for psychological shocks with his elegant genius for dapper stylishness’
‘Private affluence, public squalour- orwell’s airship one’

Question 2

New Hollywood

Answer 2

(Mid-1960’s to early 1980’s) shift from classic Hollywood to contemporary Hollywood; young aspiring directors and writers emerge. Sometimes referred to as “American New Wave”. One of the earliest and most significant films from this era was Bonnie and Clyde.

Question 2

Hitchcock influences

Answer 2

german expressionsims- Metroplis
soviet inspiration, UFA, TV personality. panopticon

Question 3

Kael

Answer 3

Collaboration
Vertigo- Bernard Hermann, Edith Head, Saul Bass, Robert Burrs
Blade Runner- Vangelis, David Peoples, Hampton Fletcher, Michael Deeley, Jordan Cronenweth,

Question 3

Auteur Theory

Answer 3

A theory of film popularized by the critics of the French journal Cahiers du cinéma in the 1950s. The theory emphasizes the director as the major creator of film art, stamping the material with his or her own personal vision, style, and thematic obsessions.

Question 3

Scott interior meaning

Answer 3

Trapped in society
Phallic sexual design of the alien
Questioning identity/ humanity
Creator as a god
Authority
Slavery, religion, research

Question 4

Sarris’ Auteur Theory

Answer 4

technical competence
personal style
interior meaning

Question 4

In both films men are:

Answer 4

hyper masculine and act in a stereotypical way, they are heroized and embody the active masculine role in their respective scenes- Scottie beginning as emasculated in the introduction of Madeline and then over-exaggerated authority and superiority over Judy in the reincarnation of Madeline scene

Question 5

Similar motif

Answer 5

Eye motif
Identity, power and control
male identity crisis/emasculation/castration anxiety
Noir influences
hyper -masculinity
Male gaze
Voyeuristic

Question 5

Hitchcock Technical competence

Answer 5

Master of suspense
Spiral music
Dolly zoom
Hitchcockian
Long cuts
Minimal editing
first person to use sound in British film, psychology, paranoia, vertigo effect shot- dolly zoom, German expressionism, Personality, voyeurism, spying, watching people- not ethical, Scottie spying on Madeline, cinema screen- window, audience spying, peoples dark side, uncomfortable, 4th wall break- audience, Scottie in the dark- audience in the dark cinema

Question 5

Scott- technical competence

Answer 5

Master of Spectacle
Establishing shot- dystopian sets
lowkey lights
Moving flashing lights
Venetian blinds
Gore violence
Sci-Fi
Smoke
dystopian

Question 6

What was the response to 2nd wave feminism in the 80s in family entertainment?

Answer 6

Rise of hard-body action movies

Question 6

Hitchcock interior meaning

Answer 6

Male dominance
Untrustworthy
Maternal figures
Fear of castration
Taboo

Question 6

Directors other films

Answer 6

ALIEN, PROMETHEUS, THELMA AND LOUISE

REAR WINDOW, NOTORIOUS, PSYCHO

Question 7

Scott motif

Answer 7

master of spectacle, strong woman, low-key lighting, venetian blinds, humanity, identity, killing the creator, eyes, dystopian, aliens and androids, gore, violence

Question 8

How was the growth of working women in the 50s after the second world war perceived by men?

Answer 8

Threatening

Question 9

In both films women are:

Answer 9

considered desirable if: they are passive and act for the men, they are in the male gaze, subjective and sexualised.

Question 9

What vision of women was promoted through propaganda in the 50s?

Answer 9

Housewife as the ‘perfect’ woman

Question 10

Hitchcock quotes

Answer 10

“Intrigued with efforts to create a woman… a dead woman”
“Added value you watch the woman resisting being changed back”
“ she has stripped but won’t take her knickers off”
“He is waiting for the woman to undress while he was standing there… he was getting an erection”
“You have a man creating a sex image, and he can’t go to bed with her until he has her back”
“Indulged in a form of necrophilia”

Question 11

What is the dynamic between Deckard and Rachel in the scene?

Answer 11

Deckard attempts a romantic lead but transitions to a hard-body, action-esque style, with blurred lines of consent

Question 11

How is the camera work utilized in the seduction scene?

Answer 11

Handheld camera, long take on Rachel’s reaction, and a voyeuristic shot behind a window

Question 11

scott quote

Answer 11

‘the only way to see a film remains the way the filmmaker intended’
‘I think filmmaking is a team, but eventually there’s got to be a captain.’
‘If studios don’t get their money back, we don’t have any movies’
‘‘formulaic’ is somebody who is unlikely to succeed starting down a process and succeeding’
‘I think there are a lot of men who feel they’re being emasculated by having the woman be in charge; I’ve never had that problem.’
‘all gloss and no substance,’

Question 11

Studio big 5

Answer 11

Warner bros
20th century fox
Paramount
Rko
Mgm

Question 12

What lighting technique is used in the seduction scene of Rachel?

Answer 12

Chiaroscuro lighting with a venetian blind effect

Question 13

How is Rachel’s character portrayed in the scene?

Answer 13

80s sexy saxophone music, changing persona, and homage to Vertigo with a profile shot

Question 13

Studio little 3

Answer 13

Universal
Columbia
United artists

Question 14

Paramount Decree of 1948

Answer 14

Studios were found guilty of restraint of trade and monopolistic practices which in turn put an end to block booking and blind bidding. Also ordered to separate distribution and exhibition (selling off all theaters).

Question 14

How is the makeup and styling of the characters in the scene described?

Answer 14

Severe but beautiful 80s meets 40s makeup, with Rachel walking towards the camera matching the interior

Question 15

Vertical Integration

Answer 15

Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution
Production distribution, exhibition

Question 16

Hays Code (1930)

Answer 16

Set of moral production industry guidelines that were creating following controversy over 1930’s gangster movies, mainly that the ‘heroes’ of the movies drew the public to be on the side of crime, murder and sin.

Question 17

Hitchcock personal style

Answer 17

subjective camera work- mind of protagonist, anchored shot, Scottie following Madeline, hanging from roof, dolly zoom, eyeline matches, flawed anti-heroes, identity with emasculated impotent male protagonists, negatives- discussion with Gavin, projection, not heroic or brave, villains- likeable and charismatic, reflect on audience, James Stewart- clean cut, Everyman character, feminine- midge, corset, dressing up Judy, after madeline’s death- mute, just like first impression of Madeline, vertigo- Hitchcock didn’t meet alpha male model, own sexual impotence

Question 18

What is the significance of Leon hiding his identity from Holden in Blade Runner?

Answer 18

It reminds us that humans are less than perfect and guilty about flaws in their characters projected onto others.

Question 18

What is the significance of the attack on eyes in Blade Runner?

Answer 18

The attack on eyes is a rebuttal of capitalism, threatening the spectators’ voyeurism and questioning the morality of the system.

Question 18

What is the primary focus of Blade Runner in terms of identity?

Answer 18

The film is primarily concerned with male identity, with women playing a role in the male quest for meaning and identity.

Question 18

How are replicants portrayed in Blade Runner in terms of free will?

Answer 18

Replicants are depicted as ‘uncontrollable machines’ who are taken over by their creation, as opposed to having their own purpose.

Question 19

Clouzot-esque

Answer 19

Clouzot created characters that were usually corrupt and spineless, with the capacity for both good and evil within them.

Question 19

What is the symbolic meaning behind the animal associations of the characters in Blade Runner?

Answer 19

Pris is associated with a cat, Zhora with a snake, and Roy is depicted as everything Deckard is not, reflecting deeper themes of the narrative.

Question 20

How does Blade Runner explore the theme of empathy and the meaning of life?

Answer 20

The film delves into the idea that the meaning of life is to love and be loved, with characters like Batty going on an Oedipal journey and Deckard finding meaning through empathy.

Question 21

Gaff

Answer 21

chicken, commenting on Deckard’s initial refusal, mocking his masculinity, stick man with an erect penis- Deckard is proving his manhood, unicorn- virginity and phallic