Another major contender in the comedy genre was Harold Lloyd. He had an unpredictable style of comedy at first. For a long time he wanted to model himself after Charlie Chaplin until he came into his own unique style. Chaplin’s clothes were too big for him, so Lloyd wore clothes that were too small for him. However, it was not as simple as reversing Chaplin’s style. One day someone put him in oval wire glasses and it somehow became part of his persona. Lloyd eventually evolved on his own and claimed his own unique style. “At times he would seem meek but then would explode suddenly with force and anger” (Cousins, p. 73). He became most famous for his incredible stamina and ability to perform outrageous stunts, known as his “human fly” act. In Safety Last he is seen climbing the side of a building, along the way running into many obstacles that would threaten to push him off. He was unparalleled in the way he performed such dangerous stunts all for the sake of comedy. It is true that movies have a certain connection to the time period in which they were created. For example, during the Depression, movies like The Wizard of Oz (1939), Gone with the Wind (1939), and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) were a way for people to escape worry from everyday life surrounding the economy. In this way, silent films in …show more content…
The Jazz Singer was the film that really set off the prosperous time period with its inclusion of sound in the first ever “talkie”. The films in the golden age of Hollywood all had a particular outline, dubbed later the “classic Hollywood style”, consisting of a clear beginning, middle, and end. Films during this time were heavily focused on mankind. A classic Hollywood narrative is usually centered on a couple of characters and their drive and psychological motivation to their actions which eventually leads to their desired goal somewhere around the end of the
Richard Pryor has a key influence on many modern comedians because he took standup comedy to greater heights. Pryor is well-known for his colorful language and his efforts to knock down the racial barrier. He was such a shock to the world because he said things that no one dared.
... Silent movies make people laugh instantly. Stars such as Mary Pickford were a hit in the silent film “America Sweetheart”. Other movies with sound promote Canada and the benefits of settling in the west. Many movies in the early 1920’s focused on fiction and the number of Hollywood films in Canada increased.
The cameras used to film “The Talkies” as they where known, had to be kept in enormous soundproof casing. This immediately hindered directors creativity and made movies such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) much more rigid. Because of the fascination with the lip-syncing that this new technology achieved less attention was played to other attributes that silent films used such as the comedic elements in Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights (1931.)
Classical Hollywood movies are important to the film making. They have set a guide and standards to be followed by filmmakers to come. Making films is not only a business but an art. It reflects the directors and writers imagination of what the film should be. Classical Hollywood films encompass many formal elements. One such film that encompasses these elements is the film Casablanca. IT is a classical Hollywood film because it uses the formal elements in a way to convey its message and has been critically acclaimed for generations.
The silent era in film occurred between 1895 through 1929. It had a a major impact on film history, cinematically and musically. In silent films, the dialogue was seen through muted gestures, mime, and title cards from the beginning of the film to the end. The pioneers of the silent era were directors such as, D. W. Griffith, Robert Wiene and Edwin S. Porter. These groundbreaking directors brought films like first horror movie and the first action and western movie. Due to lack of color, the silent films were either black and white or dyed by various shades and hues to signal a mood or represent a time of day. Now, we begin to enter towards the sound era and opposed to the silent era, synchronized sounds were introduced to movies. The classic movie, The Jazz Singer, which was directed by Alan Crosland, was the first feature length film to have synchronized dialogue. This was not only another major impact in film history, but it also played a major part in film technology and where film is right now.
In fact, 1946 is one of Hollywood’s most successful years. This was due to the massive influx of people returning from World War II, that had ended in 1945. There was a shift from manufacturing items needed for the war towards common household items. During this time period, the Great Depression and wartime air were slowly fading out (Quart and Auster 17). “The film industry changed radically after World War II, and this change altered the style and content of the films made in Hollywood” (“Post-War Hollywood”). Filmmakers started entertaining the technique of using more color and sound in their films to attract more people. At the time, American films embodied the themes of victory and national triumph. Within a time span of two years, 1942-1944, Hollywood produced 440 films in total (Quart and Auster 17). Although there was a positive boom of Hollywood and films, there would be a time of decline that followed
The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, is a black and white film that centers on a young man who wishes to conquer his dreams in becoming a professional jazz singer. This film, directed by Alan Crosland, demonstrates new developments from the decade of the 1920’s. During the decade, many new advances; such as the introduction of musicals and other technological advancements, were created. The Jazz Singer utilized these new advances of the decade and incorporated them into each scene. This is evident due to the elements of being the first talkie film, the introduction of the new musical genre and the introduction of the Hollywood stars system. By utilizing the new advances of the decade, Crosland’s film, changed the way cinema would be seen forever.
Lev Kuleshov and his ‘effect’ « Early & Silent Film. 2014. Lev Kuleshov and his ‘effect’ « Early & Silent Film. [ONLINE] Available at: http://cinetext.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/lev-kuleshov-and-his/. [Accessed 15 February 2014].
The ‘New Hollywood Cinema’ era came about from around the 1960’s when cinema and film making began to change. Big film studios were going out of their comfort zone to produce different, creative and artistic movies. At the time, it was all the public wanted to see. People were astonished at the way these films were put together, the narration, the editing, the shots, and everything in between. No more were the films in similar arrangement and structure. The ‘New Hollywood era’ took the classic Hollywood period and turned it around so that rules were broken and people left stunned.
There are many elements of film musicals, which are present in typical Hollywood, and Broadway musicals. For example the synchronized dancing can be seen in many musicals such as 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' and 'Cabaret'. The musical films are a development from the dance halls and silent movies and became very popular in the 1930's. This popularity remained until the television boom in the 70's and 80's, and also due to the fact that more realistic films were being released and people saw the films as unrealistic and fantastical.
Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941) challenged the traditional narrative and technical elements of classic Hollywood cinema through the successful use of mise-en-scene. According to (Wikipedia) traditional narrative focuses on chronological order of history it is event driven and tends to center upon individuals, actions and intentions. Additionally (Wikipedia) also states that the title “Classic Hollywood cinema” were terms used in film history which designates both a visual and sound style for making motion pictures and a mode of production used in the American film industry between 1927-1963. This period is also known as the “Golden age of Hollywood.”
Classical Hollywood is a tradition of methods and structures that were prominent American cinema between 1916 and 1960.Its heritage stems from earlier American cinema Melodrama and to theatrical melodrama before that. Its tradition lives on in mainstream Hollywood to this day. But what is it?
The introduction of sound to film started in the 1920’s. By the 1930’s a vast majority of films were now talkies. ‘If you put a sound consistent to visual image and specifically human voice you make a “talkie”’ (Braun 1985 pg. 97). In 1926 Warner Brothers introduced sound to film but, other competing studios such as FOX, didn’t find it necessary to incorporate sound to their motion pictures production, as they were making enough money through their silent movies. Warner Brothers decided to take what was considered a risky move by adding sound to their motion picture, a risk taken, as they weren’t as successful in the silent movie department. But this risk paid off with the hit release of ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1927. Though sound in films was then acceptable and successful it wasn’t until the 1950’s that it became feasible to the public as sound was introduced to cinema by the invention of Cinerama by Fred Waller. The Cinerama used 35mm film strip and seven channels of audio.
The most memorable comedian was Aristophanes who wrote satires about war and philosophy. The part of comedy that lasted 2500 years the best were the masked used in performances. The masks often had over dramatic facial expressions which was a key part of the Greek Comedy. There were two masks that were shown at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. One depicted a man screaming but the old thing about the mask was that the mouth was going right through to the back to make a hollow hole right through. When you are up close and personal to these mask, the level of detail to unable to communicate the true talent that goes into making one of the masks. Even to the detail of the hair, you can see strands of hair with its curl at the end. That is one detail that is very clear with a personal experience but images online can not give you the full amount of work that was put into the masks. Many masks have repairs on them which is found through out the gallery. Now, in modern comedy, many still have masks for characters and so in present day we can still easily connect to what the masks are trying to depict. The odd thing is that they were made from marble which would have made it very heavy to hold and move around. Today we use little material and slowly we are changing over to special makeup. All of the masks in the Winnipeg Art Gallery had many repairs on them which is believed to be caused by the weight of them. Actors
The first movies were in black and white and did not have any sound. As time passed by, the way of making movies changed to where sound was implemented, then they made the movies in full color. Today, movies have special effects that are that have made them very realistic. There are two ways people can watch movies, one is at home and the other is at a theatre. Watching a movie at home is better than watching a movie at the theatre.