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Classical hollywood cinema influences
Classical hollywood cinema and new hollywood cinema
Classical hollywood cinema influences
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Analysis of The Graduate (1967)
The very prestigious film The Graduate was a very important movie in film history. It took place during the time of “New Hollywood”. The phrase “New Hollywood” was originally used to express the new wave of films and young film directors that emerged between the mid-1960s to the late-1970s; a phenomenon more popularly regarded as the Hollywood Renaissance.
Among these young and talented new directors was Mike Nichols whose massive box office hit The Graduate, became one of the most momentous, and landmark film of the age, and helped to put in motion an innovative modern era of film production. New ideas within framework of classical Hollywood style may be the most fitting way to explain the formal structure of The Graduate. Emerging from the post studio era of production, a period when Hollywood was producing a high number of successful/great films, The Graduate follows many of Hollywood’s popular trends by setting out to offer an amazing and deep depiction of American society. Through its mixture of old and new Hollywood stylistic conventions, The Graduate realistically captures the 1960s culture of
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alienation, disillusionment, opposition to the status quo and middle class values, and the growing cynicism of a younger generation against the older generation. There was an array of industrial factors that played a significant role to both the coming of young directors such as Mike Nichols and the changing of content in films of the Hollywood Renaissance. One of these factors was the decline of vertically integrated companies together along with a large decrease in cinema attendances, is what contributed towards the end of the studio system of production, and opened the gateways for a more thematically style of film-making. So, because of this, a format was created that gave directors including Nichols more money and freedom to stamp their authority on film projects. Due to these rapid and sudden modifications in industrial factors, several American values were also being challenged. The success of sexually explicit films such as The Man with the Golden Arm, led to some adjustments of the production code. With many barriers falling, Nichols was allowed to portray many different adult themed events such as adultery, affairs and near nudity in his movie The Graduate. Films no longer just strictly targeted the family audience and a new age of films were created. So, Nichols pushed the limits, using both stylistic medium, and of taste. The idea of an older married woman (who is Mrs. Robinson played by Anne Bancroft) eagerly trying and succeeding in seducing a young college graduate almost half her age (aka Benjamin Braddock played by Dustin Hoffman) was very controversial by almost all older audiences at the time, yet proved very successful in targeting the youthful audiences. The film was thought of as bringing something new to Hollywood! In the opening scene of The Graduate, the scene was constrained by the rules of the classical Hollywood style, and audiences are presented with a rational and believable world.
The film begins with a close-up of Benjamin Braddock's face - the white background focuses and draws attention to his steely and motionless gaze. The way this shot is composed accentuates his look of disillusionment to the audience. It seems as if he is isolated, but as the camera steadily zooms out, revealing him to be on an airplane packed with many passengers. By filming his silent bodily movement on the automatic walkway in one slow and extended take, the sense of Benjamin's isolation is heightened even more! Together along with the very popular non-diegetic soundtrack Sound of Silence, Benjamin's mood is perfectly created within the opening
credits. Since the lyrics of Sounds of Silence coincide with Benjamin's behavior, it basically becomes a second language for the film. The song, which was produced by the duo Simon and Garfunkel, became an instant hit with the youth of the 1960s; it also managed to climb its way up to number one on New Year’s day (1966). In the opening scene, the song matches up well with the slow pace and continuity of the scene; the solemn edge and very dim emotional coloring of the track help express the psychological difficulties Benjamin is experiencing. Finally when the shot of Benjamin exiting the airport dissolves to a shot of him expressing his qualms about future aspirations, the viewers are able to understand his psychological commotion. One technique that Nichols used to represent the oblivious older generation is when the older guests of the party find themselves communicating in third person about Benjamin, even though he is positioned very close to them. So with their invasive ways which is pretty much pressuring Benjamin into an answer about his future, none of them truly comprehend and understand Benjamin's desires. To them because Benjamin is looking troubled about future goals, he appears to be resisting the base of the supposed American dream which was a complete American education, followed by a great and powerful career. Like so many young people of his time, he is finding it difficult to agree with the adult working life awaiting him. During the party Benjamin is constantly surrounded by a swarm of people who want to praise his achievements or question him about his future; this only further adds to his nervous and undecided mindset. Even after he thought he had escaped the older crowd to the refuge of his bedroom, he is interrupted by Mrs. Robinson and feels trapped once more! During the same shot that Mrs. Robinson is being framed in the doorway, Ben is also framed within his fish tank which was meant as another symbol of imprisonment that is repeated several times throughout the film. Indeed Benjamin is like a fish himself -trapped. The amazing and classical editing in the opening of the film attains a smooth and faultless style of narration, allowing the viewer to track the direction of the narrative without too much thought; the viewers can even feel the tension in the air created when Benjamin's inner conflicts are crossed with a very strict and non-understanding older generation. Nichols is also able to build compassion for Benjamin because many people didn’t understand Benjamin's troubles during the time period. So in a second close up of his face, Benjamin conveys a look of apprehension as he tries to explain to his father of his need to be 'different.' However, his father dismisses this and Benjamin's worries about his future are seemingly ignored. His father seems to be more concerned about keeping up appearances and persuading his son to attend to the guests of the party. This scene is directly related to the 1960s culture of youthful isolation, because not unlike several young individuals of his generation, Benjamin had emerged from the safe place of the college lifestyle, only to feel confounded and highly indecisive and nervous about his future career. His parents, however, highlight their own intentions for him by coaxing him downstairs as opposed to trying to understand his predicament. Therefore, many young people loved the movie because it highlighted their anxieties, and in the process it put down parents as "self-absorbed immoral clods" who only saw life through the narrow lens of class structure and wealth. Now you may see why it was very controversial! Now back to the bedroom where Benjamin is trapped by Mrs. Robinson. During this scene editing is used to uphold clear narrative action, (which worked wonderfully) as well as build up the moments leading up to the bedroom scene, where Mrs. Robinson will attempt to seduce the young and confused Benjamin. In an long shot of Mrs. Robinson's house, young Benjamin is persuaded to accompany Mrs. Robinson inside. When Benjamin enters, he is surrounded by a porch made of all glass, making the environment outside visible. Also, in one of the most infamous shots in history, Benjamin is framed perfectly under Mrs. Robinson's leg, Mrs. Robinson again takes on the more dominant position; she takes up the role of a predator while he becomes the young and vulnerable prey. These scenes of a aggressive woman symbolizes how easily the older generation and society can lead a fretful, alienated individual astray if he or she is confused and unsure about a meaningful purpose towards life. Benjamin, who is already feeling lost and scared, is caught off guard and becomes easy pickings for Mrs. Robinson to take advantage. Mrs. Robinson's pursuit of Benjamin is important in establishing her constructed gender role; she is neither a liberated woman nor a faithful suburban housewife. During the 1960s, women roles were shifting from 1950s image of housewives, to a more rebellious independent role. However, Mrs. Robinson plays both the unhappy suburban housewife as well an aggressive sexual woman chasing an affair. She is shown asserting her authority and sexual power over Benjamin, yet still bound by her sex; her representation is the result of the film industry's incapability to cut free from the “normal” portrayals of women which were so prevalent throughout the history of early Hollywood cinema. Thus, Mrs. Robinson is a great protagonist and in fact one of the most renowned in Hollywood, however, when her character is measured in terms of gender depiction, it is not hard to see she is not great because of her accomplishments as a women, but because of her role. And her whole story circulates around her relationships; as a result she is just another female character that is defined by her association with a man, instead of her own actions. So I believe that overall, that the period of transition in Hollywood during the fifties and sixties brought a much needed freedom to filmmakers! The film speaks to a helplessness in the world, and the inability to change or to create change. As an example, when The Graduate does portray action, it is performed by one or two isolated hero/s who is in going against societal norms and traditions, and therefore further establishing that genuine change, is going to be almost impossible to bring about. Even though Benjamin and Elaine did escape together in a Hollywood happy ending, they do it by leaving their families behind; and even after everything, the final shot of them staring blankly is an uncomfortable one, especially Benjamin who has the same look of disillusionment like the one in the opening of the film. It makes it seem their efforts were for nothing! However, Nichols does an amazing job of artistically capturing the themes of the 1960’s culture; though, in a commercially dominated industrial era, Nichols is forced to stay within the a box of expression because he needed to get the film funded. By using visual experimentation and having a very constructed radical plot, The Graduate was a perfection.
1959 was an exciting year in the history of filmmaking. An extraordinary conjunction of talent throughout the globe exists. In France, Truffaut, Godard, Chabrol, Rohmer, Rivette, and Resnais all directed their first films, thus establishing the French New Wave. In Italy, Fellini created the elegant La Dolce Vita, and Antonioni gave us L’avventura. Most importantly, though, in America, famed British director Alfred Hitchcock gave us the classic thriller North by Northwest, the father of the modern action film.
Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder in 1950 is based on how Norma Desmond, a huge Hollywood star, deals with her fall from fame. The film explores the fantasy world in which Norma is living in and the complex relationship between her and small time writer Joe Gillis, which leads to his death. Sunset Boulevard is seen as lifting the ‘face’ of the Hollywood Studio System to reveal the truth behind the organisation. During the time the film was released in the 1950s and 60s, audiences started to see the demise of Hollywood as cinema going began to decline and the fierce competition of television almost proved too much for the well established system. Throughout this essay I will discuss how Sunset Boulevard represents the Hollywood Studio System, as well as exploring post war literature giving reasons as to why the system began to crumble.
Lewis, J. (2008). American Film: A History. New York, NY. W.W. Norton and Co. Inc. (p. 405,406,502).
Beginning the mid 1920s, Hollywood’s ostensibly all-powerful film studios controlled the American film industry, creating a period of film history now recognized as “Classical Hollywood”. Distinguished by a practical, workmanlike, “invisible” method of filmmaking- whose purpose was to demand as little attention to the camera as possible, Classical Hollywood cinema supported undeviating storylines (with the occasional flashback being an exception), an observance of a the three act structure, frontality, and visibly identified goals for the “hero” to work toward and well-defined conflict/story resolution, most commonly illustrated with the employment of the “happy ending”. Studios understood precisely what an audience desired, and accommodated their wants and needs, resulting in films that were generally all the same, starring similar (sometimes the same) actors, crafted in a similar manner. It became the principal style throughout the western world against which all other styles were judged. While there have been some deviations and experiments with the format in the past 50 plus ye...
Stanley, Robert H. The Movie Idiom: Film as a Popular Art Form. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. 2011. Print
"Mrs. Robinson, you are trying to seduce me," says Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman). The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols in 1967 is an influential satire/comedy film about a recent East Coast college graduated who finds himself alienated and aimless in the changing, social and sexual general public of the 1960s, and questioning the values of society. The theme of the film is of an innocent and confused youth who is exploited, mis-directed, seduced (literally and figuratively) and betrayed by a corrupt, self-indulgent, and discredited older generation (that finds stability in “plastics”) that I found to be quite clear and understanding, while also capturing the real spirit of the times and allows America's youth to perceive onscreen an image of themselves which they can both identify with and emulate. The Graduate is a significant film even today due to its use of abstract camera angles, telephoto lenses, excellent cinematography, and great acting. Few visual effects were used, however, matting and numerous point of view shots were used. These characteristics and the fabulous use of mis-en-scene, great writing and the era of the film all made The Graduate what it is today, magnificent.
John Gibbs and Douglas Pye (2005) Style and meaning : studies in the detailed analysis of film. Engalnd: Manchester University Press, pp 42-52.
One of the most prominent and influential directors in New Hollywood was Italian-American Martin Scorsese. His first major critical success, and what is often considered his “breakthrough” film, was 1973’s Mean Streets. This film helped to establish Scorsese’s signature style in regards to narrative and thematics as well as aesthetically. Scorsese developed a unique and distinct directorial flair to his films, with reoccurring themes, settings, cinematography, and editing techniques, among other elements. This led a number of film critics to declare Scorsese an “auteur,” similar to Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, and other auteur directors of the French New Wave.
Think about your favorite movie. When watching that movie, was there anything about the style of the movie that makes it your favorite? Have you ever thought about why that movie is just so darn good? The answer is because of the the Auteur. An Auteur is the artists behind the movie. They have and individual style and control over all elements of production, which make their movies exclusively unique. If you could put a finger on who the director of a movie is without even seeing the whole film, then the person that made the movie is most likely an auteur director. They have a unique stamp on each of their movies. This essay will be covering Martin Scorsese, you will soon find out that he is one of the best auteur directors in the film industry. This paper will include, but is not limited to two of his movies, Good Fellas, and The Wolf of Wall Street. We will also cover the details on what makes Martin Scorsese's movies unique, such as the common themes, recurring motifs, and filming practices found in their work. Then on
Connelly, Marie. "The films of Martin Scorsese: A critical study." Diss. Case Western Reserve University, 1991. Web. 07 Apr 2014.
According to historians like Neil Burch, the primitive period of the film industry, at the turn of the 20th century was making films that appealed to their audiences due to the simple story. A non-fiction narrative, single shots a burgeoning sense
It is no doubt that Martin Scorsese has heavily influenced the emulating of American film making from European influences. He is a prime example of a ‘New Hollywood Cinema’ director, not only from his ethnicity and background, but from his sheer interest in this form
The postmodern cinema emerged in the 80s and 90s as a powerfully creative force in Hollywood film-making, helping to form the historic convergence of technology, media culture and consumerism. Departing from the modernist cultural tradition grounded in the faith in historical progress, the norms of industrial society and the Enlightenment, the postmodern film is defined by its disjointed narratives, images of chaos, random violence, a dark view of the human state, death of the hero and the emphasis on technique over content. The postmodernist film accomplishes that by acquiring forms and styles from the traditional methods and mixing them together or decorating them. Thus, the postmodern film challenges the “modern” and the modernist cinema along with its inclinations. It also attempts to transform the mainstream conventions of characterization, narrative and suppresses the audience suspension of disbelief. The postmodern cinema often rejects modernist conventions by manipulating and maneuvering with conventions such as space, time and story-telling. Furthermore, it rejects the traditional “grand-narratives” and totalizing forms such as war, history, love and utopian visions of reality. Instead, it is heavily aimed to create constructed fictions and subjective idealisms.
“Entertainment has to come hand in hand with a little bit of medicine, some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything’s okay. I don’t make those kinds of movies. That, to me, is a lie. Everything’s not okay.” - David Fincher. David Fincher is the director that I am choosing to homage for a number of reasons. I personally find his movies to be some of the deepest, most well made, and beautiful films in recent memory. However it is Fincher’s take on story telling and filmmaking in general that causes me to admire his films so much. This quote exemplifies that, and is something that I whole-heartedly agree with. I am and have always been extremely opinionated and open about my views on the world and I believe that artists have a responsibility to do what they can with their art to help improve the culture that they are helping to create. In this paper I will try to outline exactly how Fincher creates the masterpieces that he does and what I can take from that and apply to my films.
During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that, examining post classical at which time the relationship between them will become evident. It is my intention to reference films from both movements and also published texts relative to the subject matter. In order to illustrate the structures involved I will be writing about the subjects of genre and genre transformation, the representation of gender, postmodernism and the relationship between style, form and content.