Vertigo = Context Flashcards
1
Q
What is the studio system?
A
- The studio system was prominent during the golden age, this is where major studios were able to control every aspect of film making
- Production, distribution and exhibition
2
Q
Who were the big five studios during the golden age?
A
- Paramount
- Metro Goldwyn Mayer
- Warner Bro’s
- 20th Century Fox
- RKO
3
Q
What kind of films did the studio system create?
A
- The process of filmmaking meant that films could be produced in a few months with a range of sets, stages and props
- This meant that they were able to shoot films simultaneously and they ended up being very similar
- It became a conveyor system to produce many films to maximise their profits
4
Q
What is the star system?
A
- The star system refers to how the Hollywood studios marketed and controlled the careers of their actors to generate box office appeal
- Studios were able to market and manufacture stars. This may means giving them new names and creating a public persona
- Actors were often contracted to a single studio and were heavily invested by studios
- Actors were crucial to a film’s success and became a marketing package
5
Q
How was James Stewart treated in the star system?
A
- James Stewart was often the Everyman, he played roles where the average man was thrown into extraordinary situations
- Stewart gained fame under the studio system and signed a long-term contract to MGM
- After WW2, Stewart starred in more complex roles such as ‘Rear Window’
- The decline of the studio system meant that Stewart had more control over his career choices which shifted to more complex dark characters
6
Q
How was James Stewart typically seen in the studio system?
A
- Stewart was typically seen as a trustworthy, wholesome leading man. This also means someone who can navigate the highs and lows of life
- His characterization was humble, decent and morally upright. This means the audience could trust him as a hero
7
Q
How did Stewart in Vertigo differ from his usual characterization?
A
- Hitchcock was able to exploit the stereotype of the everyman to subvert audience expectations
- Scottie is troubled, driven by obsessive desire and morally ambiguous which displays a darker complexity to him as an actor
8
Q
What was Hitchcock’s input on Scottie as a character?
A
- Hitchcock was known for casting stars against their stereotype.
- Scottie is seen as a disturbing and untrustworthy character
- Hitchcock exploited Stewart’s established image to make Scottie’s obsession unsettling. This is furthered as Stewart is normally a character for the audience to trust
9
Q
How did Hitchcock treat James Stewart?
A
- Hitchcock was often known as distant and controlling to mentally push his actors to gain a specific performance
- However, James Stewart worked alongside Hitchcock on multiple other films such as Rope, Rear Window and The Man Who Knew Too Much
- Hitchcock allowed Stewart to play a darker, psychologically complex character.
- Stewart portrayed a sense of helpless and more internalized performance. Hitchcock wanted his audience to feel Scottie’s emotional turmoil without overtly showing it. He believed that silence to represent emotions was the purest form of cinema
10
Q
How was Kim Novak treated in the star system?
A
- Kim Novak was under a contract with Columbia and was moulded by the studio system to shape her image and how she was perceived by the public
- She was shown as a glamorous image as mysterious and an otherworldly presence
- Novak was forced to conform to an image which led to her being typecast as a beautiful woman rather than a complex character
11
Q
How did Hitchcock treat Novak?
A
- Hitchcock was known as having a manipulative directorial style and notorious for having controlling relationships with women
- Hitchcock liked to create psychological tension within his films which was prominent when manipulating Madeline into a darker character
- Novak stated that she felt isolated and vulnerable whilst shooting the more disturbing scenes
- Madeline was manipulated by both Scottie and Hitchcock which mirrored her own image within the studio system
12
Q
What was the Hays Code?
A
- ## A set list of what was prohibited in films and dictated what could and could not be shown
13
Q
What happened to the hays code?
A
- It was abandoned in 1966 by the MPAA which is a film-rating system. This paved the way for New Hollywood with more challening content and ambigiuity
- Audiences wanted more mature and realistic content and filmmakers increasingly pushed the boundaries
14
Q
What is a film noir?
A
- Male anti-hero protagonist who is often dominant, emasculated and invesigating something
- Black and white aesthetic with chiaroscuro lighting
- Femme fatale who is seductive, manipulative and draws the male protagonist down into a spiral
- This narrative is then resolved by the femme fatale recieving a just reward of dying
