1954: As the dust kicked up by the nationalistic yet fearful time in American history called the Second Red Scare began to settle, one of the most influential films in American, and international, film history hits Hollywood. Directed by the infamous Elia Kazan, On the Waterfront tells the story of a young Terry Malloy, ex-prize fighter and current dock worker who is suppressed by the corrupt boss of the docker’s union. Disgusted by the union’s manipulation of its workers and horrified by its murder of his brother, Terry informs local officials of the union’s malfeasance, in what is widely recognised as a parallel to Kazan’s “naming names” of eight of his colleagues to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1952. Those accused …show more content…
He reflects on his selection of theme: “In some way the channel of the film should also be in my own life...In some subtle or not-so-subtle way, every film is autobiographical. A thing in my life is expressed by the essence of the film”(Stevens). In his most famous, On the Waterfront, widely regarded as one of the greatest films in the history of international cinema, Kazan emulates his retrospective feelings about his involvement in the Communist party when he was a member of the group theater. When the aforementioned protagonist, Terry Malloy, “rats” on the corrupt Johnny Friendly and remarks that “[he] was rattin' on myself all those years,” Kazan is explaining his temporary seduction into the American Communist party, and his disappointment in this former state of being from the vantage of a sober mind. Johnny Friendly’s coercing of Terry to set up the death of a dock worker who was about to testify parallels the manipulated feeling Kazan experienced when the Communist cell he attended demanded that he fill his beloved Group Theater with fellow communists. Each facet of On the Waterfront is filled with an ingrained passion derived from the pressures and criticisms Kazan faced during his HUAC ordeal. The emotions he distilled in his film, much like those of his enthusiastic actors, were genuine; this is what made his films resonate with such vibrancy to his viewers. He noted that all he was “concerned about...was to say something artistically that was uniquely [his]
In the essay “Beautiful Friendship: Masculinity & Nationalism in Casablanca”, Peter Kunze lavishly explains the magnificence of Michael Curtiz’s 1942 film Casablanca. Kunze focuses on how the movie not only highlights an exchange of relationships, but how the film has an underlying meaning between these relationships. He also implies that there is a more complex meaning behind every character in regards to their gender, economic, and social roles. The overall thesis of his reading is “the patriarchal ideology underlying the narrative commodifies Ilsa, leading Rick to exchange her with other men in an act of friendship and solidarity as well as to dissuade any perception of queerness between the strong male friendships in the narrative” (Kunze
For this free choice final paper, I decided to analyze Oliver Stone and his two films Platoon and JFK. Oliver Stone, a three-time Academy Award winner and known as one of the best filmmakers in his generation, ignores Hollywood convention warning against making films with a message. Among some of his great films, he made the two films Platoon and JFK. In Platoon, he presents a gritty and emotional examination of American soldiers during the Vietnam War through the lens of Chris Taylor, a biographical representation of himself and so...
Thank you Viola for your detailed comments about the HUAC committee activities that created a devastating situation for the film industry. The issue with communistic events indeed interfered with the lives of many and destroyed the careers of actors, especially those who firmly refused to cooperate with that committee. The film Spartacus is one of the most successful films in the history of Universal Studios not only in terms of box office appeal, but it also received six Oscar nominations and was accredited for breaking the Hollywood blacklist. This film was based on Howard Fast's novel, which narrates the story of professionals who refused to collaborate with HUAC committee officials.
The tendency to go soft on McCarthyism has been evident in popular culture as well. The presentation of a special Lifetime Achievement Award to director Elia Kazan at the 1999 Oscar ceremony is the most flagrant and controversial example. Another example of the current vogu...
...y. These factors, coupled with the incorporation of the heart-melting cheekbones of ‘Marlon Brando’ at his prime are more likely to have screamed ‘power’ in the eyes of a 1950’s audience, let alone the viewer of today. Also, the fact that ‘On the Waterfront’ mirrors Elia Kazan’s real-life decision to testify to the HUAC magnifies its validity to human nature and overall potency.
Classic film noir originated after World War II. This is the time where post World War II pessimism, anxiety, and suspicion was taking the world by storm. Many films that were released in the U.S. Between 1939s and 1940s were considered propaganda films that were designed for entertainment during the Depression and World War II. During the 1930s many German and Europeans immigrated to the U.S. and helped the American film industry with powerf...
autobiography, Elia Kazan: A Life, “ ‘I’m glad what I done, you here me, glad what I done!’ That
...ut it really doesn’t matter whom you put on the list, For none of them be missed— They’d none of ‘em be missed!" This was a burden for some of the people carrying out the missions of the committee, but to the high-ranking politicians, the fear and injustice was a victory. To them anything to stop the spread of Communism, for whatever reason or agenda they had, was good. The end of Communism was a wonderful way to gain both business and votes. It was not just the high-ranking politicians that praised the committee’s actions; "friendly" movie stars were tripping over one another to commend the committee. Among these actors were Ronald Regan, George Murphy, Robert Montgomery, and Adolph Menjou. They "donned the mantle of the anti Communist warriors". Some people went to great lengths to make the committee happy. There wasn’t much that the "friendly" actors would not do, not to get "blacklisted". Roy Brewer spoke for three hours about the "reds". Walt Disney revealed a "ploy by the left-wing Screen Cartoonists Guild to subvert Mickey mouse into a Marxist rat". The movie
From a young age, Steven Spielberg knew he wanted to be a director, but had no idea he would have so much influence in filmmaking. Even though he has only received two Academy Awards, he doesn’t need awards to show how successful he is with his films. Media today would not be the same without Spielberg’s influence because he has helped media develop into something extraordinary. With his contributions to the film industry, all of his dedication put into his films, and all of the glory he has received, shows why Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential Americans of all time.
found and documented in all kinds of art. When speaking about his book, Art as
Robert B. Ray categorizes Casablanca as "the most typical" American film. Ray uses Casablanca as a tutor text for what he calls the formal paradigm of Classical Hollywood as well as the thematic paradigm that addresses the conflict between isolationism and communitarian participation. The film is typical in its appropriation of an official hero Laszlo, who stands for the civilizing values of home and community, and an outlaw hero Rick, who stands for individu...
“I’m one of those people that gets upset when people don’t feel what I feel, like, ‘How come they don’t feel what I feel after this?’ which is kinda of adolescent,” he laughs. “It’s true, I want to make things that convey an emotional landscape. So as an artist I try to do that. I like to make it personal so… To make my art unique, it has to be personal,” he continues.
While there are many different ways to classify a Neo-noir film, Roman Polanski’s, Chinatown captures many. The 1974 movie consists of many of these elements, including both thematic and stylistic devices. One of the main themes of neo-noir film that is constant throughout the film is the deceptive plot that questions the viewers’ ideas and perceptions of what is actually happening in the film. Every scene of Chinatown leads to a twist or another turn that challenges the practicability of the film’s reality. All of the never-ending surprises and revelations lead up to the significant themes the movie is trying to convey in the conclusion of the film.
Over the East River in New York City stands the Brooklyn Bridge, connecting the Brooklyn and Manhattan boroughs. From end to end, the bridge spans 6,016 feet and weighs a heavy 14,680 tons. Ever since construction on the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, the bridge has offered a safe route with scenic views to tens of thousands of tourists and commuters who have traveled it via train, car, pushcart, and bicycle. The history behind the Brooklyn Bridge is definitely intriguing as well as important because many fatalities occurred in the construction process, including one which occurred before construction on the bridge even started. Also, a lot of workers, time and money were used in building the bridge. In addition,
Sitting on the site of the former Florida tourist attraction, Circus World, in Haines City, Boardwalk and Baseball came to life as a result of Orlando-based textbook publishers Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich desire to be a part of the theme park and entertainment business, in 1986. Feeling that the circus theme was losing its luster, HBJ closed the property and immediately started a complete makeover into a vintage, sports-themed entertainment park.