Conform or Subvert Hollywood

This 3rd blog post is in accordance to course work for the module Cinema and Society: Select two or more films of your choice and discuss the manner in which they either conform or subvert hollywood / mainstream filmmaking standards and techniques in at least 500 words.
 

For the following blog post I am going refer to the seven deadly sins of hollywood cinema vs the seven cardinal virtues of counter cinema, by Peter Wollen in "Godard and Counter Cinema: Vent d'Est".

Narrative transitivity vs Narrative Intransitivity
Identity vs Estrangement
Transparency vs Foregrounding
Single Diegesis vs Multiple Diegesis
Closure vs Aperture
Pleasure vs Un-pleasure
Fiction vs Reality

The first film which I am going to discuss whether it conforms or subverts Hollywood is Blake Edwards 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard.

The early romantic comedy follow a regular narrative transitivity where an up and coming author played by Peppard moves into an apartment block where Hepburn's character Holly Golightly lives with her cat "Cat-Cat". Hepburn's character is identifiable to any woman who just wants to be loved, or those who can see the naivety of her actions. The seamless flow of the film does not put any doubt in the viewers mind that this is a mainstream Hollywood production, lacking the broken linking between scenes you could imagine from a counter cinema piece. Everything you witness within Breakfast at Tiffany's belongs as part of the film, from Golightly's apartment to Tiffany's the jeweler's itself, none of it is put there to make the viewer think, why is it there? The meaning of the film is simple and it is about love, it would be hard to find any deeper meaning (unless you consider the novel - which for this purpose we are not). Breakfast at Tiffany's is a happy fictional film, you would not watch it and feel sad, or would you consider it to be reality. This film definitely conforms to the standards and techniques of a Hollywood mainstream movie.

The second film I am going to discuss whether it conforms or subverts Hollywood is Peter Jackson's adaption of Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones" (2009) starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Saoirse Ronan in the leading roles.

Peter Jackson is known for making his Hollywood blockbusters, and although this is know exception, there is aspects which may be slightly different. Jackson has made the narrative intransitivity evident throughout this film as the viewer is always left thinking whether Saoirse Ronan's character Susie Salmon is going to choose between retribution or the peace of her family. Viewers can identify with the characters, through the family loosing the members and being in the position where you have to make a decision, maybe not just for your benefit. Although the film does flow seamlessly, it is broken up by the fantasy like dream scenes of Susie in the "afterlife" where she is willing that someone finds her body so her family can get some peace. In regards to the dream scenes though, there is a single diegisis where the viewer is not left wondering what is happening. Considering this piece is fictional, and about a young girls murder, as the viewer you are still left with pleasure at the end, you are not left questioning what happened. I believe this also conforms to Hollywood, although not in as a direct way as Breakfast at Tiffany's did.


Sources:

http://www.imdb.com

NICHOLS, B., 1985. Movies and Methods: An Anthology, Volume 2. 2nd ed. London: England, University of California Press.

What makes a filmmaker an Auteur?

Tim Burton - An Auteur?

 

In accordance to Cinema and Society course work, the following is the second blog post: "What makes an Auteur – What makes a filmmaker an Auteur? Compile a set of at least 3 films which demonstrate the auteur qualities of a director of your choice accompanied by a commentary of at least 500 words."

 

Although Tim Burton may be widely recognized as one of  the Hollywood studio systems greatest directors he could also be considered an auteur. In regards to film and film making, an auteur is a director who influences the film to the point they are recognized as if they wrote it.

Burton was a lonely child, with an interest in art and drawing from the offset. After studying at the California Institute of Arts he landed a job with Disney where he was one of the animators for the 1981 animation The Fox and Hound and it was through Disney that Burton really found his big break with them giving him the oportunity to release his own films to small film festivals with films such as Vincent(1982) and Frankenweenie (1984).


One of the reoccurring themes evident through a lot of Burton's films is the reference to German Expressionism. Brought to Hollywood by German film makers in the early 1900s it features a lot of emphasis on eyes with them dark against a pale white face, obscurity of shapes and awkward movements. Science fiction could almost draw from early silent films and German expressionism as it was notable with the lack of reality and the blurred lines between reality and surrealism.

Edward Scissorhands, directed and written by Burton is the first film starring Johnny Depp in a leading role for him, of which many more were to follow. Depp's character Edward has many resemblances to the character Cesare from Robert Weine's "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920), it is almost as if the character is based on him with the disheveled hair, glum expression and dark eyes and pale skin. According to the Internet Movie Database during the 1980's Burton was to do a remake of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" however this never came about. It is unusual for a Burton film to appear in "normal" lighting, most of the time they are either very dark and gothic or very bright, like Alice in Wonderland (2010).

In reflection of Burton's lonely childhood, the characters within his films are always a bit odd, outsiders and quirky. One of the most prevelent actors starring in Burton's masterpieces is Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp has appeared in 8 leading roles for Burton, the most recent of which is Dark Shadows in 2012.

Burton appears to have a small pool of actors which he likes to pick from for his roles. These include Johnny Depp, his partner Helena Bonham Carter and Christopher Lee. Burton's 2010 box office smash "Alice in Wonderland" featured the three previously mentioned characters. Burton's use of familiar characters within his films and the quirky atmosphere created make them easily recognizable, one of the attributes to being an auteur.

Burton has used the American composer Danny Elfman in all but 5 of his films, and it appears that Burton likes to use what is familliar to him. His use of music within his films is always unique and usual. It appears that Burton makes the music within his films main contributers to the film, not just an accessory. He has even been quoted saying that Sweeny Todd: The Devil Barber of Fleet Street (2007) is simply a silent movie with music; bringing back reference to his use of German expressionism and early methods of film making.

I believe that Tim Burton's films have a recognizable style, from his use of quirky characters, reflections of German expressionism and utilizing actors which he is familiar with, as well as composers such as Danny Elfman. In my opinion, Tim Burton is definitely an auteur.

Sources:

http://www.youtube.com

http://www.imdb.com

http://www.fanpop.com

SALISBURY, M., 2006. Burton on Burton. Revised ed. London, Faber and Faber.

Five Defining Moments of Pre 1930's Cinema

Like everything cinema had to start somewhere and the following blog post is what I believe are the five defining moments of pre 1930's cinema which set the foundations for what we consider cinema today.

The following blog post if part one of course work towards Cinema and Society.

 

 

1. La Sortie de l'Usine Lumière à Lyon (1895)

Described as the "first film" the Lumiére Brothers, Auguste and Louis, were the creators of a short piece of video footage called (in french) "La Sortie de l'Usine Lumiére á Lyon". The footage is of workers leaving the Lumiére Factory in the outskirts of Lyon. The film was only 46 seconds long and was shown along with nine other films at the screening at the Grand Café in a small room in the basement of the building in 1895. I believe this is a defining moment of pre 1930's cinema as prior to this film screening there was no film footage of this style. 

2. The Enchanted Drawing (1900)

Long before the likes of Disney and Pixar, animation was much simpler. The above video is of what I think could be described as one of the five defining moments to occur in cinemas before 1930 and definitely the first animation. Filmed in 1900, J. Stuart Blackton, a film producer, also appears in the footage, creating the drawing. Blackton was the founder of Vitagraph Studios. 

3. "The Birth of a Nation" - D.W. Griffith

D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" was the highest grossing film of the "silent film" era. It is readily recognized in today's cinema that storylines can be quite controversial however "The Birth of a Nation" faced a lot of criticism as the African-American characters were not played by African-American actors but white actors with their faces painted black. The film was originally split into two with an interval between, the first part of the film focusing on American before the civil war and the second part of the film was about American rebuilding itself. The film focused a lot on racism and featured the Klu Klux Klan. I feel this film is one of the defining moments of the pre 1930's cinema as it uses many new filming techniques, for example using actual history such as the emergence of the KKK through a fiction depiction.

4. Jazz Singer (1927)

The Jazz Singer by Alan Crosland was not the first film to contain dialogue, D.W. Griffith's had already made "Dream Street" in 1921, however this was the first film to feature many songs being performed by the stars with musical accompliments throughout, a breakthrough for the time. Warner Brothers premiered the film in New York in October 1929. The film was made using the vitaphone, opposed to Fox's Fotofilm, which some critics may argue produced a better result. I believe this is the first musical of cinema, and therefore fits within my top 5 defining moments of pre 1930's cinema.

5. Nanook of the North

With the prevelance of reality television and films in todays society, was Nanook of the North (1922) the first reality feature film? Originally it was argued that Robert J. Flaherty's film was a documentary, following the lives of of a family of Inuits however it has since been proven that he set up some of the scenes within the film, perhaps for the audiences pleasure. I feel like this film could fit in both the documentary and fictional reality bracket as for the period, it was the first of its kind.

Sources:

• http://www.filmsite.org
• http://www.youtube.com
• http://www.imdb.com/