Film and Society – Exam review sheet
We’ve split the semester up into a series of Units. Here are some of the concepts we covered and that you should therefore be prepared to write about on the Exam:
UNIT I – EARLY “SILENT” CINEMA XXXXXXXXXX)
We talked about the multiple technologies necessary for cinema; the Operational Aesthetic and the Cinema of Attractions; the tensions inherent to cinema (respectable vs. trashy, documentary vs. stylized, Edison vs. the Lumiere Brothers, etc.); the east coast business practices (the MPPA); the rise of na
ative; the rise of the feature film; D.W. Griffith; the rise of Hollywood; the conversion to sound.
UNIT II – CLASSICAL CINEMA XXXXXXXXXX)
We talked about the Studio System (House Style, the Contract system, Vertical Integration); Romantic-Idealist Realism; the concept of Genre (Myth, Conventions, Iconography; forms of Genre Experimentation); the rise of Film Noir; the establishment of Censorship (the MPPDA/MPAA, “Compensating Moral Values”, the PCA, etc)
UNIT III – POST-CLASSICAL CINEMA XXXXXXXXXX)
We talked about the fundamental Surface-Substance conflict in this era; we talked about the Cold War; HUAC “witch hunts”; the Materialist culture (the Madison Ave. Man and the Beatnik response); Civil Rights Progress; Civil Defense films; Psychological-Sociological Realism; the Anti-Trust Suits; Method Acting; “Make ‘em Big”; Widescreen Processes and other new technologies
UNIT IV – MODERNIST CINEMA XXXXXXXXXX)
We discussed the concept of Modernism (Self-Conscious Formal and Thematic Experimentation, as well as Intertextuality); we discussed the shifts in American culture during this time; we discussed the rise of The “Auteur” Theory (from French film critics to the United States); we discussed the evolution of Censorship; and we discussed the Exploitation film.
UNIT V – POST-MODERN CINEMA (1977-????)
This unit was primarily focused on the concept of postmodernism itself (Nostalgia for Media Texts, Loss of Reality, High and Low Cultural Modes Blu
ing into “Pop Culture”, Infantilization, Pastiche-Collage-Heterogeneity, and Schizophrenia of Experience). We also discussed Horizontal Integration, Synergy, and the distinction between Mainstream and Oppositional Postmodernism
UNTI VI – A HYPOTHETICAL FUTURE UNIT??
Here we considered what the next unit of this class might look like, discussing such alternatives to Postmodernism as The Independent Film, Neo-Classical Filmmaking, Digital Cinema and Interactive Cinema. NOTE THAT OUR FIRST WEEK’S READING (“THE MIND GAME FILM”) WILL BE APPLICABLE HERE…
Final Exam – Dr. Chris Cooling ( XXXXXXXXXX) – Film and Society On-LineAnswer 4 of the questions below. I expect you to spend about two hours in total writing the answers. Be sure you are answering all parts of the question asked. ALL of the questions expect you to engage substantially with our in-class lectures. Also, be sure to make references to both the full-length films you selected from our syllabus and the film clips viewed within the lectures.
Scoring: 25 points per question. Total: 100 points
1. Some have suggested that the postmodern era of cinema is more similar to the earliest days of “silent” cinema than any other era. Using the concepts of the Operational Aesthetic and the Cinema of Attractions (making sure to define both in your answer), discuss the ways in which this idea can be supported and discounted. Refer to specific details from lectures and relevant film clips (of both eras) in your answer.
2. Discuss the relationship between the Hollywood studios and the Motion Picture Patents Company, making specific reference to the role of D.W. Griffith in this conflict. Why did the MPPC fade away and why did Hollywood succeed? How were their business practices different and how were their films different? Be sure to refer to specific films and clips in forming your answer.
3. What is the role of censorship in the history of American Film? Discuss and compare the 1930s and the 1960s as critical moments in this history, making specific reference to provocative films AND the groups that were created in order to assess them. What are some of the ways in which censorship has shaped film content? Finally, some have said that censorship was actually a good thing for Hollywood cinema – why is this? Do you agree?
4. Why does Film Scholar Drew Casper believe that the Post-Classical era is the richest period of American cinema? Write a short essay on the significance of this era, making sure to refer to the immediate post-WWII social contexts. How does this era of film differ from Classical cinema? Be sure to refer to changes in Film Style throughout your answer (Romantic-Idealist realism, Film Noir, Psychological-Sociological realism, etc). Be sure to refer to specific films and clips in forming your answer.
5. As mentioned in class, post-modernism is more of a cultural ‘debate’ than a fixed concept. Enter this debate – do you think this is a positive or a negative movement? Be sure to consider its relationship to the past (i.e. the postmodern attitude towards modernism). Are we already in the “sixth” unit of class? How will it differ from and/or reflect postmodernism? Make specific reference to the lecture concepts (Independent/Neo-Classical/Interactive/Digital cinemas) and clips in answering. How does engagement with these concepts affect meaning in such films?
[BONUS QUESTION: What was your favorite film or clip you watched for class and why? 5 points]
Screenings, Due Dates and Readings
SCREENINGS
In this class, you are free to work at your own pace. Over the course of the semester, I expect you to watch eleven films that co
espond to a variety of our lecture categories. In each case you will be given a variety of choices from which to make your selections. Take notes during each screening – the final exam questions will expect you to engage with the films you’ve viewed.
Look over the list and plan ahead to make sure you will have access to films – I recommend CLC’s Grayslake li
ary, as well as local li
aries and various on-line services such as Netflix.
Important Note: Four of the screenings must follow a specific genre from the Classical Era to the Post-Modern era. (These selections are designed to help give you some background as you research your genre paper.)
Feel free to propose screenings that are not on this list – I will also be adding titles over the course of the semester.
You will be expected to watch:
One “Introductory Screening”:
The Five Obstructions, Zelig, F for Fake, Koyaanisqatsi, Gummo, Timecode, Schizopolis, Ge
y, My Winnipeg, Sita Sings the Blues, Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Act of Killing.
One Feature-Length film representing the transition to synchronized sound:
The Jazz Singer (Crosland, 1927), Hallelujah, I'm a Bum! (Milestone, 1933), M (Lang, 1931) or Modern Times (Chaplin, 1936)
Two “Classical” Films XXXXXXXXXX):
Saboteur (Spy/Suspense Thriller), The Wizard of Oz (Musical/Fantasy), Stagecoach (Western), The Body Snatcher (Ho
or), They Were Expendable (War), Stella Dallas (Female Melodrama), How Green Was My Valley (Family Melodrama), Sullivan's Travels (Screwball Comedy), Foreign Co
espondent (Spy/Suspense Thriller), Cat People (Ho
or), Bride of Frankenstein (Ho
or), Casablanca (Romance Melodrama), The Adventures of Robin Hood (Adventure), The Thin Man (Detective), Public Enemy (Gangster), Little Caesar (Gangster), Angels With Dirty Faces (Gangster), Citizen Kane (Male Melodrama), Dracula (Ho
or), The Shop Around the Corner (Romantic Comedy), History is Made at Night (Romance Melodrama), The Great Dictator (Satire), Island of Lost Souls (Ho
or), The Uninvited (Ho
or),
One “Noir” Film:
The Killers (1940s version), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1940s version), Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, Detour, The Na
ow Margin (original version), The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, Gun Crazy, Out of the Past, Ace in the Hole, The Set-Up, Murder My Sweet, The Third Man, Kiss Me Deadly, The Killing,
Two “Post-Classical” Films XXXXXXXXXX):
12 Angry Men (Social Problem Film), White Heat (Gangster), The Searchers (Western), North by Northwest (Suspense Thriller), Rebel Without a Cause (Social Problem Film/Family Melodrama), All About Eve (Female Melodrama), People Will Talk (Romance Melodrama), The Enemy Below (War), The Treasure of the Sie
a Madre (Adventure), One Two Three (Screwball Comedy), Bye Bye Birdie (Musical), Hud (Male Melodrama), Lolita (Romance Melodrama), The Counterfeit Traitor (Spy), The Guns of Navarone (Adventure), The Big Country (Western), Bad Day at Black Rock (Social Problem/Western), Strangers on a Train (Suspense Thriller), Lawrence of Arabia (Wa
Biography), On the Waterfront (Male Melodrama/Gangster), Sunset Blvd. (Satire/Romance Melodrama), The Night of the Hunter (Ho
or), Fo
idden Planet (Sci-Fi), The African Queen (Adventure/Romance Melodrama)
Two “Modernist” Films XXXXXXXXXX):
The Graduate (Male Melodrama), Five Easy Pieces (Male Melodrama), Petulia (Female Melodrama), Uptight (Male Melodrama/Social Problem film), Medium Cool (Social Problem Film), MASH, Bonnie and Clyde (Gangste
Romance Melodrama), 2001: A Space Odyssey (Sci-Fi), Dr. Strangelove (Social Satire/Screwball Comedy), Easy Rider (Male Melodrama), Blow-Up (Mystery), Midnight Cowboy, Targets (Ho
or), Night of the Living Dead (Ho
or), Nashville (Musical), Point Blank (Gangste
Crime), The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (Spy), The Quiller Memorandum (Spy), The Ipcress File (Spy) The Wild Bunch (Western), Catch-22 (War), All That Jazz (Musical), Apocalypse Now (War), Bonnie and Clyde (Gangster), The Parallax View (Suspense Thriller), Targets (Ho
or), The Exorcist (Ho
or), The Conversation (Suspense Thriller), The Longest Yard (Sports), Two for the Road (Romance Melodrama), Chinatown (Detective)
Two “Post-Modern” Films (1977-Present):
Total Recall (1990, Sci-Fi/Spy Film), Die Hard (Western), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Sci-Fi/War), Three Amigos (Western), Escape From L.A. (Sci-Fi/Western), Gremlins (Ho
or), Robocop (Crime/Sci-Fi), Blade Runner (Detective/Sci-Fi), Pulp Fiction (Crime/Gangster), The Cotton Club (Gangste
Musical), Dick Tracy (Gangster), Body Double (Suspense Thriller), Ghost World (Female Melodrama), The Hudsucker Proxy (Screwball Comedy), Ma
ied to the Mob (Screwball Comedy/Gangster), Joe Versus The Volacano (Romantic Comedy), Shadow of the Vampire (Ho
or), In the Mouth of Madness (Ho
or), Christine (Ho
or), Three Kings (Wa
Heist), Un
eakable (Male Melodrama), Blow Out (Suspense Thriller), Cape Fear (Ho
or), Bram Stoker's Dracula (Ho
or), Who Framed Roger Ra
it? (Detective), Election (Satire)
Most importantly -- look over the schedule and decide whether you will be able to keep up. Your work over the coming weeks is a full semester in a 200-level college class, so make sure you have enough free time to complete the requirements. Students are required to read a lecture a week, as listed below...