COMP 1A: Bonnie and Clyde Production Context

Question 1

What marked the beginning of the New Hollywood era?

Answer 1

A series of groundbreaking films in 1967 that ignored Hays Code rules

Notable films include In the Heat of the Night and Bonnie and Clyde.

Question 2

What significant change occurred in 1968 regarding film regulations?

Answer 2

The Hays Code was scrapped in favor of a new ratings system

This allowed more creative freedom for filmmakers.

Question 3

What was the impact of the film ‘Jaws’ (1975) on the film industry?

Answer 3

Introduced the early summer weekend release pattern

This marked the beginning of the family blockbuster era.

Question 4

Which two films are considered major summer blockbusters of the New Hollywood era?

Answer 4

Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977)

These films generated much-needed profits for the studios.

Question 5

What characterized the ‘Hard Body’ era in New Hollywood?

Answer 5

Hypermasculine narratives

This era emphasized strong male protagonists.

Question 6

List key stylistic features of the New Hollywood era.

Answer 6

• Low budget
• Director driven
• On location
• Influence of European New Wave aesthetics
• Stanislavskian acting style
• Realist character driven narratives
• Anti authoritarian themes
• Liberal attitudes to sex & drugs
• Politically charged

Question 7

What challenges did New Hollywood directors face in maintaining their auteur vision?

Answer 7

Struggled to stamp their vision onto films that made profit in the long term

Some exceptions existed where directors remained both visionary and profitable.

Question 8

What was the significance of the film ‘Cleopatra’ (1963) in Hollywood history?

Answer 8

It was a huge budget film with huge stars but marked the end of the studio epic era

Biblical spectacle/sword and sandals epics had gone out of fashion.

Question 9

What happened to young directors towards the end of the New Hollywood era?

Answer 9

They were given bigger budgets and more freedoms, but their ideas did not always attract big audiences

This led studios to become wary of taking chances.

Question 10

True or False: The New Hollywood era saw a return to the old ‘entertainment factory’ styles for success.

Answer 10

False

These styles/formulas were no longer guaranteed to succeed.

Question 11

Fill in the blank: Major studios began renting out their equipment to _______.

Answer 11

[New Hollywood Directors]

Question 12

What prompted conglomerates to buy struggling studios during the New Hollywood era?

Answer 12

Rapidly dropping box office revenues

The appeal of big stars from the Studio era diminished among young audiences.

Question 13

What was the attitude of studios towards new directors and their ‘arty’ ideas during the later New Hollywood era?

Answer 13

Studios began to assert control over their investments

This limited a director’s vision to protect profits.