Paper Summary:

The paper attempts to broadly define the characteristics and underlying principles of both Hollywood classicism and the art cinema with reference to one film from each category: "Singin' in the Rain" and "My Life to Live" (Vivre Sa Vie). The thesis is argued that the predominant stylistic distinction between the two modes lies in the art cinema's subversion of logical causality. The paper provides a comparative stylistic examination of these two modes of film practice that outlines differences in their broad aims, and how these impact "viewing procedures" of their respective audiences. The paper shows how it is the art cinema's challenge to narrative logic - often within a highly self-referential context that foregrounds the film as "film" - that most characteristically distinguishes this mode of film practice from its more popularly recognized Hollywood cousin.

From the Paper:

"The distinction between Hollywood classicism and the art cinemas is complex in that films within each category operate with often different formal conventions as well as implicit viewing expectations that determine audience responses. Moreover, it must be acknowledged from the outset that these categories are broad and their boundaries permeable, given that some..."

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