Abstract This essay examines the relationship between the establishment of Americanfilms and American Ideas. It features the works of John Ford ("Birth of a Nation") and "The Iron Horse". In addition, the writer tackles the issue of the promotion of the American ideal in Europe and how this influenced immigration.
From the Paper "This new and exciting medium offered a new method of presenting ideas. While there were many movies concentrated around melodrama and the vaudeville tradition, the opportunity was there for film-makers to present their own vision of America. This relationship between film-makers and American history was compounded by the similarity of their development. As with America, film making began in the east. The major studios were to be found in New York with Chicago and its suburbs also being colonised by production companies. At first locating in the east had advantages. It was the centre of American civilisation and had access to labour and supplies and as such was perfect for studio based film making. However, at this time all but the most affluent studios were without adequate lighting systems and relied upon good light to film. This was a problem in the north and east due to seasonal changes in light conditions."
Abstract This paper discusses how American cinema from 1896 and thereafter really has its roots in Thomas Edison's early inventions relating to film projectors. The paper then takes a look at the development of early film and cinematography throughout the 1880s and 1890s, starting from the invention of the kinetophonograph. It also tracks the history of films beginning with the first motion picture called "Monkeyshines", filmed in 1891, through the building of the first film studio and movie theaters. In addition, the paper discusses how, by the 1920s, Americanfilm and cinematography seemed to mature as an industry and how the technology had advanced to such a degree that producers and directors could shift their attention from the technology to the actual making of a film and directing of the storylines.
From the Paper "The development of cinema into an art form in its early years is inextricably related to the development and advances associated with the film technology itself. Eventually the dominance of the East coast film companies which had advanced various film projection technologies in tandem with film production such as Edison's own Edison Company and the American Mutoscope Company among others, gave way to film production companies which began to concentrate solely on film production rather than on the technology development as well as film production. This shift in focus from the film projector itself to actual film production began in earnest in the US with the work of Edwin Porter who is known as the father of the story film (Bordwell 57)."
Abstract This film study brings forth a brief history of Native American filmmaking in the last one hundred years. According to the paper, the early teens of the 20th century brought forth James Young Deer, but after World War I, white Americans in power soon sought to diminish the role of Native Americans in leadership positions, such as director. The slow and often racist agenda for native Americans took a secondary role to western that exploited Indians as obstacles for Manifest Destiny.
From the Paper "This film study will analyze the Native American film history and how it had influenced the major film industry of America. For the past one hundred years, Native Americans have played a part in helping to shape the creation of screenplays, directorial approaches, and other elements in the American filmmaking process. By learning of the various directors and actors in this genre, one can realize the major impact Native Americans had on Hollywood. In essence, this study will bring forth an analysis of the history of Native American filmmaking, and its influences on American filmmaking within the past one hundred years. The first half of the 20th century was a difficult tie for Native Americans, as they were mostly left out of filmmaking within the major industry markets."
Abstract This paper discusses three factors contributing to the development of the Americanfilm industry since 1970 The factors mentioned are the blockbuster film, corporate mergers and the surge in demand for filmed entertainment.
From the Paper "The American film industry has undergone considerable change from the 70s to the present. During the 70s audiences were offered independent films that were successful at the box office and which reflected the changing political and cultural environment ..."
Tags:film industry, filmmaking, studios, motion picture industry, movies, films
Abstract This paper discusses the emergence of social drama's after WWII and examines Elia Kazan's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and "On the Waterfront" as examples of this new trend. The paper discusses how these films addressed problems like poverty, organized crime and racism.
From the Paper "Films of Elia Kazan as Social Dramas
Although a few films at the turn of the 20th century addressed social issues, it wasn't until the 1950s that social dramas, or message films, became it's own genre outright. These films expressed power lessons about the human spirit, or focalized on social issues that directors and writers wanted to shine a light on, (Dirks, Drama Films). No director took this genre farther than Elia Kazan. While there are arguments about his movies, such as A Streetcar Named Desire being produced because it was based off of a play, and therefore "presold," it also brought attention to social issues that became America's focus after WWII, (Kawin: 2008, pg. 220). Message films developed as a popular genre due to his work on movies like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and On the Waterfront. Through these films, with Kazan's excellent direction, audiences of film began to question society and seek social changes."
Tags:Americanfilm, Elia Kazan, On the Waterfront, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Abstract The paper portrays how the United States in the twentieth century was characterized by a degree of political and social upheaval, which effected an equivalent response of the mass media to such turmoil. The paper describes how over the period spanning 1930-1960, Americans reeled in response to World War II, flocking to the cinema against a backdrop of major political and economic change, which in turn colored the cultural trends of the period.
Abstract In this article, the writer maintains that the British film industry often frames itself in respect to its counterpart, the Americanfilm industry. The writer notes that movies made in the United States typically gross larger sums than British films, a point that has long motivated the British film industry to identify American movie-making as a more profitable model. The writer argues, however, that the emulation of Americanfilms by British studios has typically fallen short of projections: the British film-going audience, which hungrily devours American blockbusters, is surprisingly hesitant to engage in films that are made in Britain and utilize American-style plots, cinematography, acting, and special effects.
Outline:
Introduction
British Film Media
Issues of Consideration in British Film British Film and AmericanFilm Summary
From the Paper "When this process occurs, the value of a film made by a British film studio is challenged. The outcome is problematic, as the film itself may contribute to the British film industry as a composition with significant artistic merit, but the lack of financial incentives indicates that there is a strong potential for the film to get "lost" in the cinematic archives. Films that have permanency within an audience are not necessarily those with the greatest intrinsic merit but are instead those that have had backing through a strong studio and have created a market identity through advertising, widespread distribution, and so on. A film that communicates a strong message or has profound artistic composition will not necessarily become a permanent achievement in the film industry, and for most investors and studios an obscure picture might as well have never been made."
Abstract This paper discusses various Americanfilms and the American cinema in general, highlighting the features of two films, ? The Killing? and "Touch of Evil". It looks at how the two films belong to the 1940s and 1950s, an era in which American cinematography was beginning to gain a new momentum and was thus highlighting a new beginning in cinemas and films. It shows how both films are American classics and highlight the problems of society and the corruption found during those days.
From the Paper ""The Killing" depicts a society, which is greedy for money and will do anything and everything in their power to get hold of easy money by wrong means, even if it calls for the shedding of innocent blood. The movie has symbolized the various aspects of the society while showing the greed for money exists in every class of the society from the rich to the poor. "The Killing" is not exactly a murder plot, but instead is the "kill for money", it has also narrated the horse racing culture, which was found during the 40s and 50s; and how ordinary people bet large amounts of money during these races. These people can go to extreme measures for attaining the money they wish to win."
Abstract This paper examines cultural conflict through dramatic recreations or presentations of these conflicts in Americanfilm narrative. The paper holds that, in the popular media, violence has a semiotic role. To much of the world, the paper adds, film violence is a mark of American culture, and many social critics within the U.S. find the same to be true. The paper points out that many filmmakers state that they are not fostering violence but only exploring it, and with some films, the issue of using violence in popular culture is itself examined either directly as a subject or as an inherent element in the structure of the film. The paper concludes that violence is a particular sign in the film, a sign that may mean its direct cause, like anger and fear, or that may reflect something larger about society, such as alienation or lack of empathy.
From the Paper "Consider Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs", a film that takes a satiric look at itself, at the genre of the caper film and the dynamics of betrayal and the criminal code seen in such films. The film is extremely violent, which for many viewers may mask the satiric thrust of the story and the way the interplay of characters involves a twisted sense of morality, the so-called "honor among thieves" that here is a palpable presence holding together a group of professional criminals who have nothing else to believe in except that they will be able to rely on each other. As the film unfolds, though, they can rely on nothing in a universe of random events over which they have no control."
Abstract In this paper, the films of Chinese-American directors John Woo and Ang Lee are considered in relation to Chinese and Americanizedfilm genres. Here, Woo's "Face/Off" (1997) and Lee's "Sense and Sensibility" (1995) are examined for elements of Chinese culture and influence. This paper suggests that each director represent a different aspect of Chinese film, but that Woo's attention to the genre of action films compares most particularly with the martial arts genre made famous in Chinese film industries.
Abstract This film study reflects the central American identity of the conscientious loner that must explore the new frontiers of the Old West. The films analyzed here depict a post-Vietnam point of view of the western hero, which define an American identity that becomes increasingly Leftist in a political and social context. However, the violent and oftentimes white hero of the Old West is still preserved, since the World War II Era heroics of John Wayne.
From the Paper "This film study will analyze the evolution of the western film genre through a heroic perspective. The centrality of the American western was a major part of historical and social of western heroes, such as John Wayne, after WWII. The evolution of Eastwood's hero in the 60s makes no less a reflection American life, as does Costner does in the Post-Vietnam Era. In essence, although the social context of the various western hero changes in how filmmakers approach this issue, the lone frontier explorer is an important mythos that is central to American cultural identity. The western hero after WWII was an independent, but loyal solider or frontiersman that was not truly concerned with a conscientious view other races or cultures in American society."
A look at the issues of gender and ethnic identity in Asian Americanfilm and literature through the review of the films " Double Happiness" and "The Wedding Banquet" and Maxine Hong Kingston's novel " The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghost
2,900 words (approx. 11.6 pages), 8 sources, 2002, $ 106.95
Abstract This essay looks at the issues of gender and ethnic identity in two films and one novel, Double Happiness, The Wedding Banquet, and Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. These works provide the framework from which a reconsideration of ethnic and gender identity can take place. In these works, this reconsideration of identity centers on balancing old structures of identity with new experience and searching for a potential empowerment and confluence in the balancing the formation of a new identity.
Abstract This paper explores the tactics and tribulations that American propaganda employed and faced during World War II against the Nazis. Comparisons are given at the beginning of the paper with just how effective the Nazi propaganda machine was in destroying a nation's morale before military action and how this clearly weighed on the minds of American political leaders at the time. Quotes and excerpts are given throughout the paper from declassified documents from the OSS and OWI, all lending credence to the idea that America's first priority in terms of propaganda was eliminating the concept of an all-powerful Nazi state. The latter half of the paper gives specific examples and discusses them all in great detail. Americanfilm, radio broadcasts, posters, cartoons, and magazine ads are all examined and given as proof of how American propaganda sought to dehumanize and discredit the Nazi regime in order to strengthen the will to fight the Nazis. The concept of morality is heavily discussed, with many propaganda examples containing an idea of American superiority over Germany.
From the Paper "When Adolf Hitler declared war on the United States on December 11th, 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, America was confronted with the prospect of fighting a war in both Europe and Asia. A stream of propaganda against the United States followed the declaration of war from Nazi Germany, and America responded throughout the war with equally strong propaganda that could be found in a variety of mediums. From the traditional war posters, the more modern idea of magazine ads and the growing influence of Hollywood, American propaganda was vital in winning the war against Nazi Germany by strengthening the public's resolve at home and weakening the Nazis psychological grip over Europe."
Abstract This paper describes and reviews the film "The Clash of the Titans," while also considering the mythological basis of the storyline. The paper examines the deeper mythological themes present in the movie, especially how human beings try to satisfy the willful nature of the gods. The review describes the intent of Greek mythology in the paper, also giving attention to its deeper psychological meaning. The review concludes that although the film "The Clash of the Titans" does add some changes for dramatic effect, it does not veer too far away from the themes found in the original Greek myth.
From the Paper "The symbolic frame for the mythology considers that the people form cultures with their own rites and ceremonies, mythology, heroes and stories as unique as any other culture. The Greeks developed over time a massive and complex mythology that explained in animistic, anthropomorphic terms many of the natural phenomena seen in the world around them and at the same time propounded a direct relationship between themselves and the gods as part of that explanation. In mythology, the Oedipus myth suggests that the hero is challenged and reformed by his encounter with his anima in the form of Jocasta, but his daughter Antigone is herself faced with her animus in the form of her father and all that he represents. Even a superficial reading of the story and an examination of the mythology behind it points to the fact that Antigone's character has been formed from her relationship with her father. Her relationship with her mother is secondary and indeed only sketchily formed at all in the context of the myth. Jocasta plays a role that is vital more because she is the mother as well as the wife of Oedipus than because she is the mother of Antigone. Elements of this myth are apparent in the way Perseus seeks to reconnect with the mother and rebuild the family lost so long ago. The godly world inhabited by these characters is a world where human passions have been projected on the deities so that rather than act as deities might be expected to, keeping some distance from the passions of the world, they instead exhibit human passions heightened because they are part of the behavior of the gods."
Abstract This paper discusses the evolution and success of the western genre of filmmaking. It discusses Andre Bazin's "The Western: Or the AmericanFilm Par Excellence" in which he analyzes this genre. It describes Bazin's arguments, as well as his comparison of the western to the courtly romances of the medieval era in their focus on the chaste woman and his comparison of them to the Russian revolutionary genre.
From the Paper "To Bazin, the only other modern epic cinema was the Russian revolutionary genre, which had some parallels to the western: both showed a new society undergoing its tumultuous birth pangs, imposing a new order and morality upon a vast canvas of human activity during a fleeting historical moment. Bazin concludes that, like the mythologized history of the Russian revolution, the story of the American west would have been relegated to much lesser international prominence were it not for the power of the moving image to universalize human experience."
