midterm Flashcards
what’s the auteur theory?
filmmakers who argued that the director of a film was much like the painter of a painting—that person was the primary creative force behind a film. started with French new wave filmmakers
how is American cinema rooted
realism. basic-conventional.a central protagonist is pushed into a dramatic or comic situation that compels them to become better people. European, South American and Asian cinemas have often operated in far more colourful and fantastical ways.
which filmmaker challenged the conventional narrative? what did he suggest?
Jean-Luc Godard, every film should have a beginning, middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order.
who wrote sunset boulevard?
billy wilder and Charles brackett
who are the characters in sunset boulevard?
norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) and Joe (William holden)
what is the perspective of sunset boulevard?
perspective of Joe who is narrating from the past as he is dead
who is norma Desmond inspired by?
based on a composite of various stars of the silent era who, for whatever reason, could not make the leap into the sound era successfully and were thus victims of the shift in technology.
what other popular movies did. billy wilder write?
the screwball comedy Some Like It Hot (1959), the courtroom drama Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and the social-issue film The Lost Weekend (1945, the first Hollywood film to confront alcoholism, which would win the Best-Picture Oscar).
which French filmmaker confronted classic realism?
Georges Melies, the famous French filmmaker who was also a magician, was playing with camera techniques to create images that were more than simply recording reality.
which films were useful in looking at how extreme the evolution of special effects has been since the advent of CGI technology
the terminator (first three)
what was the evolution of the use of CGI in the terminator movies
The first film (1984) used a lot of models and some stop-motion animation. By the third film (2003), almost all of the effects were done via computer (the opening extended car chase is a good example)
why do ppl not like CGI
ome have argued they’ve taken the fun out of effects and stunts in the movies. After all, now anything can be done, with very little risk,
who is the highest payed stuntman for his stunt in the James Bond movie?
rick sylvester
what is the highest payed stunt in history and for which move?
Rick Sylvester skied off a precipitous massive snowy cliff, then took off his skis, then unfurled a parachute with the Union Jack on it. Captured in one take, he was paid $30,000 for the stunt (and given a bonus when he pulled it off).
-it was for the movie “the spy who loved me” (James Bond)
why is the terminator considered a work of post modernism?
-Schwarzenegger plays a robot who can pass for human (the anxiety about technology replacing humanity is a staple of post-modernity).
- Schwarzenegger himself can be seen as a kind of post-modern actor: his performances rely on pastiche and parody. His acting is wildly self-conscious, we are always made aware he is acting.
-And true to post-modernity – which suggests everything we now see is somehow a rerun of what has come before, he is seen as newer incarnation of Clint Eastwood
what are the similarities between clint eastwood and Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Both actors have right-wing political leanings (and their own political ambitions); both expressed admiration for Ronald Reagan, an icon of the American right; both actors have catch phrases for which they will always be famous (Eastwood: “Make my day”; Schwarzenegger: “I’ll be back”). Eastwood even made reference to the comparison at the 1995 Academy Awards ceremony, placing his hand on Schwarzenegger’s shoulder and calling him “my son.”
what are the two contrasts of seeing schawrzenegger?
That way, someone watching a Schwarzenegger film could see him as a machismo role model to be emulated, or as a ludicrous parody of the masculine male ideal
who directed terminator?
James Cameron
similarities between James Cameron and Steven Spielberg?
they both use lots of special effects, which some people argue makes them create shallow films
contrast modernity and post modernity
-two periods happening around the same time period:
modernism:
- huge scientific breakthroughs, especially the eradication of diseases through the discovery of penicillin and vaccines
- Infant mortality rates dropped, while life expectancy grew
- New ideas about science, mental health and sexuality, in particular the theories of Sigmund Freud
- Modernity was often predicated on a certain optimism, because many saw the technological advances as huge steps forward. People like famous playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw saw a world where women would have the vote, animals would no longer be killed for food (he was a vegetarian) and peace would prevail. In other words, Shaw looked forward to a Utopia.
-This optimism is reflected in the inaugural address of President Harry Truman, made on Jan. 20, 1949. Truman proclaimed the dawn of what he called “The Development Age,” promising universal prosperity through progress in scientific thought and industrial production. Truman was President, so he was trying to rally the population and make people feel good, but his words were telling. People felt new changes in technology were a good thing.
post-modernism:
-During the same period, many saw dark underpinnings to the advances in science and technology that humans had made. And there was good reason to have doubts about humanity.
- The Holocaust. The Third Reich applied the assembly line to genocide, creating factories of death, wiping out millions of lives. Many of the top officials in the Nazi government were doctors and scientists, people who were supposed to be committed to preserving life.
compare most-modern anxiety with modern anxiety
A modern anxiety might be that working in a factory might make us like robots; a post-modern anxiety would be the fear that technology will replace us.
what was the studio’s relationship to stars in the early Hollywood days?
Much of Hollywood history can be told through its use of stars. For decades, studios “owned” key actors who were on strict contracts which forbade them from working for any other studio. Stars were groomed, very carefully, to act and look a certain way, to appear in appropriate films, and to help sell movie tickets.
why did the Hollywood studio system shift and how?
Some actors found it oppressive, and even endured having to be without work for a while as a penalty for not taking on films they didn’t like
who are actors who missed out on work cause they got punished for not taking on certain roles?
bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland
which actor was so popular that he was able to break out of star system and go freelance?
jimmy stewart
which actors started their own production companies?
Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas
which actors started their own production companies?
Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas
