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Film Genres > Final > Flashcards

Final Flashcards

1
Q

what material greatly inspired film noir?

A

Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, James Cain, and Cornell Woolrich’s “hard boiled” crime fiction

Painting and photography of the 30s and 40s – Edward Hopper (Think Nighthawks)

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2
Q

During what era did noir flourish?

A

The 40s and 50s

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3
Q

True or false. Noir’s influence doesn’t extend past the 40s and 50s.

A

False. See NEO-NOIR

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4
Q

Why does noir differ fundamentally from other genres like gangster movies, westerns, sci fi, horror, and war films?

A

Noir didn’t appear until several decades after the invention of cinema.

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5
Q

Convention:

cool, reserved demeanor of killers

A

Alan Ladd’s character in Gun for Hire loved only his cat.

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6
Q

Which two films are debated between as the first film noirs?

A

The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)

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7
Q

The final film noir in the genre’s classical phase is considered to be ________

A

Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil (1958)

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8
Q

WHat characterizes a heist film from a gangster film?

A

a clear-cut end goal, sympathetic criminals that allow questioning of the system to take place

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9
Q

what function does the harsh banter between Toby and Tanner serve?

A

helps them reason with their existences/actions

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10
Q

In film noir, the characters get away with it. T or F.

A

False

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11
Q

How does Hell or High Water manipulate conventions of film noir and the heist film?

A

no physical, setting darkness, but moral darkness EVERYWHERE, more depressing and more liberally distributed somehow because everything is bleached by sun. there is no escape, as pools of light sometimes serve as escapes in film noir

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12
Q

Nothing more closely reflects the classical era of Hollywood than the ________ .

A

musical

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13
Q

Classical era of Hollywood

A

roughly 1930-1960

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14
Q

what Hollywood was referred to during the classical era because of the prevailing infl. of the musical:

A

The “Dream Factory”

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15
Q

Who was the most famous dancing duo of the silver screen?

A

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

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16
Q

What was 20th Cent. Fox’s contribution to the musical?

A

establishing Americana through Shirley Temple

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17
Q

Paramount’s contribution to the musical

A

a mythical, globetrotting fantasy Europe

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18
Q

Warner Bros. contribution to the musical

A

surprisingly gritty looks into showbiz, feat. director Busby Berkeley

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19
Q

what genre dominated the 60s more than any genre dominated any era ever?

A

the musical

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20
Q

Shirley Temple

A

20th cent. Fox’s fortune– her magnetism embodied the dream of many stage mothers

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21
Q

According to Desser, the perfectly integrated musical shows ________ as the driving force of the narrative.

A

music and dance

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22
Q

most successful black star of the classical era

A

Lena Horne from Stormy Weather

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23
Q

What was MGM’s home in the musical

A

WW2 morale boosters like Yankee Doodle Dandy

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24
Q

Most famous musical of all time

A

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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25
Q

The iconography of the musical is MORE VARIED/FLUID than any other genre. (T or F)

A

True

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26
Q

More than anything else, acc. to Desser, the iconography of the musical can be attributed to_______.

A

song and dance montages

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27
Q

the great, classic noir films are ________ & __________.

A

black and white

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28
Q

describe the troubled relationship between film noir and the advent of color cinematography

A

Color complicates and diminishes a cinematographers ability to render black as an absolute domain within the visible spectrum of light

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29
Q

How does hard-boiled fiction differ from the crime portrayals of Poe and Sir Arthur Doyle?

A

portrayals are more humane, relating to the common man, proffer physical action, moral ambiguity, and existential darkness.

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30
Q

True or False: hard-boiled fiction was frequently adapted to screen.

A

True

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31
Q

how do film noir and hard boiled fiction treat human behavior?

A

tough, unsentimentally, hard-edged, violently, cynically

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32
Q

The relevance of the painting Nighthawks (1942) to film noir

A

Thought to be inspired by Hemingway’s “The Killers”, features isolated individuals existing together, dark street yawning behind them. The story and painting were adapted for film by Robert Siodmak in ‘46.

33
Q

Arthur H. Fellig

A

(aka Weegee) Important photographer, formed a greatly influential repertoire of nocturnal Manhattan in all of its criminal and unsentimental and gory glory
-his book Naked City (1945) inspired the film The Naked City (1948)

34
Q

what historical factors helped shape film noir?

A

Influx of European filmmakers fleeing the Nazis in the 30s and 40s like Fritz Lang, Rudolph Maté, and Robert Siodmak– brought with them German Expressionism which grafted naturally onto the film noir genre.

35
Q

German expressionism

A

Exaggerated style that features shadowy lighting and moody, atmospheric set design. Came to characterize film noir.

36
Q

what technological and aesthetic factor helped shape noir?

A

The shift away from soft, diffused lighting and shallow focus of the 30s, to hard light and deep focus in the 40s.

37
Q

convention: what established the private detective as the archetypal noir movie character?

A

Detective Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet (1944)

38
Q

what inspired the cinematography of noir?

A

Documentary photos in news magazines and the work of Weegee

39
Q

True or False. film noir inspired box office success.

A

True

40
Q

Why was 1944 the critical year for noir?

A

Marked a new direction for crime films that garnered critical success and turned film noir in a strongly psychological direction

41
Q

DESCRIBE THE QUINTESSENTIAL FILM NOIR IN TERMS OF VISUAL DESIGN, CHARACTER TYPES, AND NARRATIVE TROPES:

A

NARRATIVES are often backward-looking, drenched in what-ifs that affect character’s happiness now. FLASHBACKS are characteristic of noir. Anything dwelling on retirievinf the past. Film noir protagonists are often resigned, passive, embittered, cognizant of their fate.
They get tired of running. They are also more sympathetic morally than gangsters. FATALISM reflecting post-war attitudes, while also investigating the system.

42
Q

Film noir’s most prolific year was _____

A

1950

43
Q

Which studio made the most noir films and how many did they make?

A

RKO– 42.

44
Q

Prominent film noir directors

A

Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Robert Aldrich, Jules Dassin, Anthony Mann, Robert Siodak

45
Q

What is noir’s archetypal femme fatale and who personified her?

A

Barbara Stanwyck - a siren with warm lips, a cold heart, and a hot gun.

46
Q

influential noir male actors and their contributions

A

Humphrey Bogart’s insolence, Alan Ladd’s steely coldness, Robert Mitchum’s sleepy-eyed passivity

47
Q

who played the ultimate loser and fall-guy across film noir?

A

Elisha Cook Jr.

48
Q

What gangster movies are also classified as film noir?

A

Asphalt Jungle (1950) and White Heat (1949)

49
Q

difference between gangsters and film noir protagonists

A

Gangsters are too active in setting goals for themselves, they don’t act resigned or like the victim in accepting a fate like film noir protagonists do.

Gangsters look forward, they want something they don’t have.
Film noir narratives look backward, they want something they used to have or a past bad event affecting the now.

50
Q

film noir iconography

A

Defined by automobiles, city landmarks, well-dressed men and women, cigarettes and cigarette smoke, neon

51
Q

what is the effect of low key cinematography on noir?

A

ensnares characters in the stories, creates psychological depth, claustrophobia

52
Q

Important statement by prince on light in film noir:

A

…light that conceals rather than reveals, hiding information instead of disclosing it. Light illuminates the noir world, showing things the characters might prefer not to see or know. (((((It is emphasized by the contrast of dark, for darkness allows places where truth can hide and people can hide from the truth))) …illumination may be inadequate to reveal the truth… or what it does reveal might be perhaps be better left in the shadows (((the capacity of extreme lows in human nature)))

53
Q

genre films main functions in society

A
  • receptacles of cultural myths, and stories, anxieties, aspirations, obsessions, social values and identities; fundamental archetypes, and a sense of ritual in a secular society
  • cultural memories: help us interpret and codify our history (for better or for worse). Participate in “reconsolidation” of memories.
  • RITUAL
54
Q

how does genre relate to the individual artist/auter?

A

Film genres make artists free to express, attack, modify (acc. to Friedman) while being disguised in a commonly acceptable wrapping of conventions. Individual artists can be responsible to create new genres.

55
Q

genres and audiences

A

genre films and audiences form a conversation as “frames of reference” are satisfied, deviated from, or expanded on in meaningful ways.

56
Q

New media and genres

A

New media blends the past with a modern consciousness. Old loved stories never die. They continue to be profitable as we make up new ways to reconfigure them.

57
Q

new media and audiences

A

new media allows audiences to be creators, and new genres are being created on smaller scales GLOBALLY. Allows genres to be even more precise monitors of social change and changing attitudes all around the world.

58
Q

What film marked the end of the era of the original film musical?

A

West Side Story (1961)

59
Q

What recapitulation of the musical represented a more cynical and depthy worldview?

A

Saturday Night Fever , demonstrates the significance of dance to the formation of community and friendship and celebrating an alternative vision of life’s possibilities

60
Q

What segmentations of the musical were economically minded attractions for youth?

A

teen beach movies of the 60s, featuring Frankie Avalon and Elvis Presley, as well as Disney’s animated features and High School Musical series

61
Q

True or False; over time, the musical has lost multigenerational appeal.

A

True

62
Q

Generally, a film will be a musical if its music does what?

A

Advances the plot or is reflective of a character’s desires, goals, state of mind or inner being.

63
Q

the star vehicle (musical)

A

Took advantage of made films to suit contracted actors – such as tap dancers, Olympic swimmers and figure skaters, dancers – personae and abilities.

64
Q

What were the main typologies of musicals before Altman ?

A

The revue, the operetta, the backstage story, the star vehicle, the musical biography, the integrated musical

65
Q

Are the pre-Altman subgenres problematic?

A

Yes, they do not hold water and overlap with each other madly.

66
Q

What are the three accepted musical sub genres Altman describes?

A

The folk musical, the fairytale musical, and the show musical

67
Q

dual-focus narrative

A

Male-female alternation that advances the narratives of musicals, leads usually in a merging

LA LA LAND

68
Q

function of dual-focus narratives

A

foreshadow eventual encounters and the jointing of couples

Also, to draw contrast and opposition between their situations

69
Q

Function of the couple in the musical

A

To represent contrasting characters and values but also a unification as the very gendered distinctions begin to flow between the two and the characters change

70
Q

What characteristics are associated with the man and the woman typically in the musical, alternately?

A

Work/seriousness for the woman, fun/entertainment for the man

71
Q

What major American dichotomy is present between couples relations in musicals?

A

The struggle between “work” and “play”

72
Q

When did heist films start flourishing?

A

The 1950s as production codes started losing their bite.

73
Q

Elements of the heist film

A

Intricacy, execution, fragile human relationships, double crosses, oversights, poor timing, bad luck (kinda noiry)

74
Q

Which film codified the formula for the heist film?

A

Asphalt Jungke (1950)

75
Q

True or False: American pulp inspired a wave of celebrated French heist films.

A

True

76
Q

Heist films are a loosely defined and encompassing subgenre (T or F)

A

True

77
Q

Who established the neo-heist film?

A

Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs”

78
Q

The convergence between film noir and heist?

A

The protagonists are very bit as doomed, despite complex antihero structures that aim to portray the crime as just a job.

Film Genres (1 decks)

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