COMP 1 - Hollywood Flashcards
Peter Bradshaw (Guardian)
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’
New Hollywood
(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.
Hitchcock influences
german expressionsims- Metroplis
soviet inspiration, UFA, TV personality. panopticon
Kael
Collaboration
Vertigo- Bernard Hermann, Edith Head, Saul Bass, Robert Burrs
Blade Runner- Vangelis, David Peoples, Hampton Fletcher, Michael Deeley, Jordan Cronenweth,
Auteur Theory
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.
Scott interior meaning
Trapped in society
Phallic sexual design of the alien
Questioning identity/ humanity
Creator as a god
Authority
Slavery, religion, research
Sarris’ Auteur Theory
technical competence
personal style
interior meaning
In both films men are:
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
Similar motif
Eye motif
Identity, power and control
male identity crisis/emasculation/castration anxiety
Noir influences
hyper -masculinity
Male gaze
Voyeuristic
Hitchcock Technical competence
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
Scott- technical competence
Master of Spectacle
Establishing shot- dystopian sets
lowkey lights
Moving flashing lights
Venetian blinds
Gore violence
Sci-Fi
Smoke
dystopian
What was the response to 2nd wave feminism in the 80s in family entertainment?
Rise of hard-body action movies
Hitchcock interior meaning
Male dominance
Untrustworthy
Maternal figures
Fear of castration
Taboo
Directors other films
ALIEN, PROMETHEUS, THELMA AND LOUISE
REAR WINDOW, NOTORIOUS, PSYCHO
Scott motif
master of spectacle, strong woman, low-key lighting, venetian blinds, humanity, identity, killing the creator, eyes, dystopian, aliens and androids, gore, violence
How was the growth of working women in the 50s after the second world war perceived by men?
Threatening
In both films women are:
considered desirable if: they are passive and act for the men, they are in the male gaze, subjective and sexualised.
What vision of women was promoted through propaganda in the 50s?
Housewife as the ‘perfect’ woman
Hitchcock quotes
“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”
What is the dynamic between Deckard and Rachel in the scene?
Deckard attempts a romantic lead but transitions to a hard-body, action-esque style, with blurred lines of consent
How is the camera work utilized in the seduction scene?
Handheld camera, long take on Rachel’s reaction, and a voyeuristic shot behind a window
scott quote
‘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,’
Studio big 5
Warner bros
20th century fox
Paramount
Rko
Mgm
What lighting technique is used in the seduction scene of Rachel?
Chiaroscuro lighting with a venetian blind effect
How is Rachel’s character portrayed in the scene?
80s sexy saxophone music, changing persona, and homage to Vertigo with a profile shot
Studio little 3
Universal
Columbia
United artists
Paramount Decree of 1948
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).
How is the makeup and styling of the characters in the scene described?
Severe but beautiful 80s meets 40s makeup, with Rachel walking towards the camera matching the interior
Vertical Integration
Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution
Production distribution, exhibition
Hays Code (1930)
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.
Hitchcock personal style
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
What is the significance of Leon hiding his identity from Holden in Blade Runner?
It reminds us that humans are less than perfect and guilty about flaws in their characters projected onto others.
What is the significance of the attack on eyes in Blade Runner?
The attack on eyes is a rebuttal of capitalism, threatening the spectators’ voyeurism and questioning the morality of the system.
What is the primary focus of Blade Runner in terms of identity?
The film is primarily concerned with male identity, with women playing a role in the male quest for meaning and identity.
How are replicants portrayed in Blade Runner in terms of free will?
Replicants are depicted as ‘uncontrollable machines’ who are taken over by their creation, as opposed to having their own purpose.
Clouzot-esque
Clouzot created characters that were usually corrupt and spineless, with the capacity for both good and evil within them.
What is the symbolic meaning behind the animal associations of the characters in Blade Runner?
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.
How does Blade Runner explore the theme of empathy and the meaning of life?
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.
Gaff
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
