Final Flashcards
Who was the director of It Happened one Night?
Frank Capra
When did ‘It happened one night’ come out?
‘34
What genre did ‘it Happened one night’ fall under?
An extension of Screwball Comedy
Who was the Director of ‘The 39 Steps’? and what year did it come out?
Hitchcock, ‘35
Who was the director of Grand Illusion, and what year did it come out?
Jean Renior, ‘37
What genre what ‘Grand Illusion’?
French Poetic realism
Who was the director of the ‘Grapes of Wrath’ and what year did it come out?
John ford, ‘40
What genre was ‘The Grapes of Wrath’?
Literary Adaption
Who was the director of citizen kane and what year did it come out?
Orsen wells, ‘41
Who was the director of The maltese falcon, what year did it come out?
Huston, ‘41
What were the two key problems in relation to the coming of sound?
Synching and Amplification
What solved the problem of amplification?
Vacuum tube
Which synchronous sound system won out?
Vitaphone/ optical soundtrack
Why did the vitaphone/optical sopundtrack win out?
it synchronized a record player with the projector which solved a major problem
What film is generally considered the first synch sound film?
The Jazz singer
What year did the Jazz singer come out/ what studio produced the movie?
1927, warner bros
What is the Tri-ergon (optical sound) system
using photocells to convert sound into light beams , recording beams on one side of the strip of film and then built a reader onto the projector that could translate light beams into sound
What is Diegetic sound?
sound that is attributed to the context of the stories like a gunshot, or dialogue
What is Non Diegetic sound?
Sound not attributed to the con text of what’s happening in the scene of the film, ie music, narrator
What is Post Synchronous sound?
sound effects dubbed in after the film has been shot
Why is Oscar Micheaux so Important in American Cinema?
He was the father of African American cinema, and first independent director/ race folms
What were the main problems plaguing African American producers/studios in the 20s-30s?
Discriminated against by major studios
- Low budget films
- Didn’t have large audiences (many blacks couldn’t afford to go to the movies)
What was the Lincoln Film Co?
Oscar Micheaux’s independent film studio
- First film company organized by black film makers
- Founded in LA
- Wouldn’t let Micheaux direct first film so he wouldn’t let them use his book
Who was Alice Guy/ What was Solax?
French women filmmaker, first woman to own a studio. and solax was her film company which started in flushings and moved to new jersey
What year was the PCA created/ what was the first year it was enforced?
Created in 1930, enforced in 1934 when Joeseph breen took over
What were the key issues addressed in/ enforced by the PCA
sex, violence, making illegal or immoral life pleasant, and marriage as a sacred institutions.
What Genre did the PCA specifically effect?
Gangster films
How did the PCA effect the gangster film? name one way?
Gangsters had to die or have a tragic fall to make the illegal life look less appealing
What were the three major studios/ genres of the 1930s?
MGM- studio of stars, wizard of oz, Warner bros- gangster film/ musicals, and RKO- citizen kane
What Genres were popular in the early 30s?
Gangster film, screwball comedy, musicals, western, melodrama, horror movies
What are the three phases of film production?
- Pre production
- production
- Post Production
What is Pre Production?
Planning phase of filmmaking
What is Production?
Activity of making a film, ie shooting the film
What is Post Production?
Film is edited to it’s final form
What is a Genre?
A particular type of variety of motion picture. Certain category
What is a Motif?
A distinctive feature that influences the theme. reoccurring theme subject idea
What is a Theme?
Underlying remise/ the subject matter being addressed.
What is an Icon?
A visual symbol telling us what kind of film
What are the three ways genres are discussed?
Origin, definition, and function.
What is the definition of Origin?
Where do they come from, Ie, expressionism- Germany, realism- france
What is Definition?
It’s inner form- what was the underlying meaning, and it’s outter form- ie mise-en-scene.
What is function?
What feelings is it eliciting from the audience
What is meant by Pro-social?
Reaffirming he status quo, everything ends up ok and goes back to normal
What 4 genres emerged out of the American Experience?
Western, Gangster, Screwball, and hardboiled detective
Why is Hawks Scarface considered the urban gangster cycle?
was able to use sound to introduce audiences to the hard hoitting slang, and vioelence of gangsters
What were the years associated with the first cycle oif American sound ganagster film?
1930-35, or because of scarface
How is Screwball Comedy Defined?
romance between rich v small little guy, romantic comedy, the two shot. A screwball comedy(Columbia minor studio) is a comedy which typically included a quick witted, humorous battle of the sexes. Sometimes had themes of social classism
What are the approximate years of the cycle of screwball comedy
1930’s to early 1940’s (I think 34-40)
What is the importance of Frank Capra’s it happened one night?
it was the prototype of screwball comedy
In relation to Hitchcock what two aesthetic traditions does he use in his films?
Montage and Mise-En-Scene
How is the thriller Genre elevated under Hitchcocks direction?
The thriller genre form elevated under his direction from the process of sound and creating tension through both ambient noises and silence. spy, espionage story involving a chase; double pursuit; charming villain
What other directors has Hitchcock been compared to?
DW Griffith, and Eisenstein
What are the Notable themes in Hitchcocks films?
Hitchcockian universe, Voyuerism, and Knowledge= danger, fear of authority, black mail, double chase
What is an auteur and why is Hitchcock often referred to as one?
Someone who has distinctive style and thematic vision throughout their films
What kind of film was the Grapes of wrath/ who directed it/ who was the DOP?
Literary adaption, John ford, and Greg Tolland.
Grapes of Wrath although a Literary adaption is also a _______ film?
road
GOW and Citizen Kane proved that Film Is a ______ effort?
Collaborative
What was the main structure of GOW Grand Illusion, and It happened one night?
Linear
What was the Structure of Hawks scarface?
Rise and fall
What wasthe structure of Citizen Kane?
Cyclical
Renior’s style made great usage of Mise-en-scene, the _____ shot, and _____ focus
Sequence shot, deep focus
What was the sequence shot?
A shot that enploy’s a long take.
Who were the four main charecters in Reniors Grand Illusion?
Rosenthal, Miracheaux, Boldieu, Rolfenstein
In Grand Illusion what charecters represented the old Europe, and the upper class/ aristocrats?
French- Boldieu
German- Rolfenstein
In Grand Illusion what charecters represented the new Europe/ the middle class andf and poorer individuals?
Rosenthal- mechantile class and marachael- working class
What might the Illusion be referring to in Grand Illusion?
Oh the war will be over soon
How did Renior use sound in his film?
Naturalistically/ diegetic
What are some of the principle problems facing the director/ screenwriter when adapting films?
Figuring out how to condense a novel and figuring out what to omit (parts in the book/ minor charecers)
When adapting novels how do directors and screenwriters handle inner monologue that was used in the book?
Turn it into dialogue
How does John Ford handle the realistic and artificial aspects of production?
By shooting both indoors and on location, outdoors
What are some of the conventions of a road film?
The road, the car, the journey
Why is Citizen Kane considered to be the first modern sound film?
It was the first film that had sound design
On what levels can the film, Citizen Kane be discussed?
formal, biographical, Technical Advancement
Structural complexity
Complicated narrative
Controversy as biography of famous person
What is the formal level Kane can be discussed?
Art sound camera
What is the Biographical level in which Kane can be discussed?
Biography of William Hearst and welles himself
How does Kane signal a departure Thematically from Hollywood films of the 30s?
starts with death, ends with death, and states theres no way to know the private life of a person, doesn’t re establish the status quo
How does Kane signal a departure aesthetically from Hollywood films of the 30s?
Considered the first film noir film. usage of mise-en-scene lighting
What are the 5 main characters in Kane’s Life?
- Thatcher- Kane’s guardian
- Bernstein
- Leland
- Susan Alexander
- Raymond the Butler
What was the Original title of Citizen Kane?
The American
What was Alfred Hitchcock’s signature shot?
Birds eye view
What was Rosebud?
the sled that Kane had as a child
Who was Lois Weber?
Most highly paid woman director in the world
- Like Griffith, was one of the first “auteur” film makers involved in all aspects of production
- Screenwriter for Universal
In Grand Illusion Marachael was ______ (religion) ____ class and Rosenthal was _____ (religion) and _____ class
catholic, working class
jewish, merchantile class
Marachal and Rosenthal represaent…?
Seperation by religion and the new Europe
In citizen Kane what kind of lighting is Charoscuro lighting?
use of strong contrasts between light and dark in a singular scene or setting(Deep, dark shadows mixing with bright light) (meant to make a shot ominous powerful, or invoke an emotional response from a viewer)
