| Papers [1-15] of 100 :: [Page 1 of 7] | | Go to page : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 —> | Search results on "AMERICAN SILENT FILM": |
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American Silent Film, 2003.
A discussion on the development of American silent films.
4,140 words (approx. 16.6 pages), 10 sources, MLA, $ 143.95
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Abstract
This paper traces the growth of the American silent film from its origins to 1920. It focuses on technology and music. It discusses influential filmmakers such as D.W. Griffith and Ceceil B. DeMille, Charles Chaplin and Mack Sennett. The author also explores the impact of World War I.
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The End of the Silent Film, 2004.
An analysis of the silent film industry and the emerging new 'talking films'.
1,610 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 52.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the beginning of the end of the silent motion picture industry. The paper examines the resistance shown to the emerging trend of films with recorded sound sequences. The resistance came partly from the public, partly from technology and partly from the industry. First, it took some time for "talkie" film sound to be perfectly synchronized with the picture. This generated a level of indifference from the public, who had become well accustomed to silent film and generally preferred it due to a high level of familiarity. Second, the industry, similarly, had become ensconced in the business of silent film, and the many movie theaters in the United States produced a gross revenue of about 360 million dollars by the mid 1920'=s. Consequently, an enormous business had grown out of the production and distribution of almost exclusively silent films and "talkies" stood as a distinctly risky endeavor.
From the Paper
"Additionally, by 1927 the film industry had truly come into its own as a fully fledged art form. The art of drama had been nearly perfected by the silent stars. "Even ordinary actors seemed more than that when effectively presented in a silent film because their own specific identity was somewhat nebulous." (Eyman 73). In fact, the very absence of sound permitted the audience to draw their own conclusions and insert their own feelings and imagination into the film. Much like a reader conjures their own image of characters and settings, the silent film viewer envisioned the omitted aspects of reality according to their own, personal feelings. The consequences of this made silent film a particularly potent devise from an artistic perspective. Obviously, as an art form, film was not required to accurately mimic reality, but instead, render a representation of it that was equally powerful to the audience. This fact made arguments in favor of sound based upon accurate depiction of events groundless; they were analogous to saying that Picasso's paintings were somehow worth less than more realist-based works of art."
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Silent Films and Talkies, 2007.
A discussion of how much the transition to sound changed the nature of films, according to Scott Eyman, in his essay "The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution, 1926-1930."
924 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 32.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the effects on Hollywood of the transition from silent films to films with sound. It analyzes the transition from the point of view of film historian Scott Eyman, in his essay "The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution, 1926-1930." The paper discusses Eyman's theories based on certain films that have been produced since sound was introduced.
From the Paper
"Eyman may be correct that technology changed the financial dynamics of the studio systems, made filmmaking more expensive, and required the import of new actors and talent to Hollywood. Individual actors whose voices clashed with their on-screen personas, like John Gilbert saw their stars diminish, or end. But the nature of the cinematic medium as a visual medium remained constant, even after the introduction of sound. Of course, this is not to deny the presence of films like screwball comedies that were purely the production of the talkies, or the presence of some staged plays for film that became popular. But for the most part, audiences still come to films to see a good show, unlike the theater, where they expect more dialogue and character development, and less technology and spectacle."
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The Art Film and the Genre Film, 2004.
Art and genre criticism in four classic films.
3,048 words (approx. 12.2 pages), 48 sources, MLA, $ 89.95
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Abstract
An analysis of two genre films and two art films - Antonioni's "Blow Up," Kelly/Donen's "Singin' in the Rain", Truffaut's "The 400 Blows", and Sirk's "All That Heaven Allows". The validity of both genre and art film criticism are examined.
From the Paper
"By its failure to accommodate the excess generated by its subject matter, All That Heaven Allows is not only critiquing the genre of melodrama, it also exposes the contradictions and conflicts present in American bourgeois society (Bourget, 1995, 45). However the subversive excess and contradictions present in the film prevent it from being ?just another melodrama?. Sirk worked within yet against the constraints of the Hollywood studio system to subvert the genre, and although the film is superficially a generic 1950s Hollywood melodrama, Sirk?s characteristic stylistic technique marks him as an auteur, a position usually associated with the art rather than the genre film."
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Seventies Films Versus Today's Films, 2001.
A comparison between films from different periods in time, and the differences in their entertainment methods.
2,625 words (approx. 10.5 pages), 8 sources, $ 79.95
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Abstract
A comparison of three honored films from the seventies, "Easy Rider", "Five Easy Pieces", and "The Godfather" and two films from the the year 2000, "The Gladiator" and "Erin Brokovich". The paper considers how they differ in the realm of providing distracting entertainment versus probing consideration of timely issues, concluding that seventies films left a more lasting vision.
From the Paper
"What do we want from our movies? Do we seek simple escape or deeper understanding of our lives? Can a movie be both probing and entertaining? Are entertainment, eye candy and special effects enough, or do we seek something deeper? Do we want to look inside ourselves and ask questions, or to merely stay on the surface, distract ourselves, and deny that there is anything more to be considered? These questions arise when comparing three movies from the 1970s with two films nominated for Academy Awards in the 2000. The films considered are: from the seventies, Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, and The Godfather, and from 2000, Gladiator and, Erin Brokovich. Pauline Kael, the well-know New Yorker film critic, commenting on how she got hooked on films, agrees another critic, Paul Coates, that in its ideal form, ?Cinema is the dream of an afterlife from which to comprehend this one? (Kael 63). In light of this quote, the films from the seventies embody elements which through the focused vision of the director offer mythic qualities that provide not only entertainment but an opportunity for viewers to examine their lives. That in accomplishing this, they provide images that remain in the mind?s eye could be considered the tradition of the seventies. In contrast, recent films Gladiator and Erin Brokovich are entertaining distractions, providing no lasting vision."
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Film Studies: Analyzing Three Films within the Context of South East and Asian Historical Perspectives, 2005.
The Chinese Communist Party soon came to power after years of exile and puppet rule that Pu Yi had experienced in the ever changing political and gove...
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 6 sources, $ 53.95
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Abstract
The Chinese Communist Party soon came to power after years of exile and puppet rule that Pu Yi had experienced in the ever changing political and governmental landscapes of China. In 1950 Pu Yi was forced to leave his Soviet township and soon became a prisoner of the new Communist Party politics.
From the Paper
ABSTRACT TOO SHORT
Film Studies: Analyzing Three Films within the Context of South East and Asian Historical Perspectives Essay 1: Understanding the Premise of Vietnamese Communism within the Film: Full Metal Jacket The film Full Metal Jacket (1987), directed by Stanley Kubrick, offers an American point of view of a Vietnamese conflict that depended heavily on the communist (NLF) National Liberation Front. The communist resistance to American pressure to abdicate to the puppet regimes of older leaders, such as Ngo Dinh Diem, resulted in the NLF being called the "Viet Cong" or a "Democratic Dictatorship" within military and governmental propaganda. The reason for this is reflected in the film, as the Tet Offensive becomes the symbolic part of the movie where the Americans begin to lose the war, marking the American military's last real ground-based initiative to take the country. In this manner, a historical perspective of the NLF can be analyzed, but
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"The Great Train Robbery", 2003.
An analysis of the innovative film techniques of the silent film "The Great Train Robbery"
690 words (approx. 2.8 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 23.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the innovative silent film, "The Great Train Robbery" that bases its review on the primitive mode of representation. It discusses the movie's simple plot but innovative film techniques such as parallel editing, ellipses, jump and cross-shots.
From the Paper
"The primitive mode of representation is a term used by Burch to describe the nascent stages of film before it developed into the institutional mode of representation the standard set of film conventions ..."
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"Run Silent, Run Deep", 2006.
A review of the 1950s film "Run Silent, Run Deep"
750 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 0 sources, $ 26.95
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This paper reviews the film "Run Silent, Run Deep", produced 13 years after the end of the Second World War and starring some of the premier actors of the time. The author gives the film high praise, calling it an intense human drama of ego and duty. According to the author, the film avoids pandering to Cold War stereotypes, instead examining how in the midst of horrific conflict, the line between the ego and duty can easily become blurred.
From the Paper
"Run Silent, Run Deep brilliantly captures the claustrophobic and tension-ridden atmosphere of a submarine at war. Made in 1958, it's a fast paced and thoroughly engaging wartime drama that stars some of the preeminent actors of the day: Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. Alongside the two leading men is an excellent ensemble cast that includes Don Rickles and Jack Warden."
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Black Film History, 2002.
The history of the involvement of African-Americans in the Hollywood film industry with a focus on the contribution made by women.
2,641 words (approx. 10.6 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 79.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at the history of the inclusion of blacks in the film industry since the early 20th century. It discusses major players in the field, especially women, beginning with the all-black film movement that started in the silent era with the Lincoln Motion Picture company in Los Angeles in 1916. The writer mentions the hardships and hurdles that the African-Americans faced in the form of discrimination and racism before they could establish themselves in the film industry. The paper also examines the changing image of how African-Americans were portrayed in movies in the past.
From the Paper
"In recent years, both blacks and women have had to fight to become recognized in the film industry and to achieve any form of power. There are now a handful of black film directors, and a few women directors as well. In the silent era, though, when the economics of filmmaking were quite different, there were a number of women in the director's chair, many forgotten today, just as there were many black directors not in mainstream Hollywood filmmaking but in the all-black film movement. A number of these black directors were in fact women as well, and they constituted an early challenge both to white and male dominance of filmmaking."
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"Nosferatu", 2002.
This paper looks at the 1921 F.W. Murnau film "Nosferatu", highlighting the use of texts, talented actors and special effects to carry this silent film.
1,907 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 60.95
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Abstract
The paper studies the famous silent film and the ways in which the director, Murnau, was able to inform the viewers without the use of sound. The writer analyzes two methods of propelling the plot through the silence and telling the story of the infamous vampire: the first one is reading, the use of inter-titles between shots, and the second method is editing. The paper gives examples of how these techniques carry the narrative of the film.
From the Paper
"One of the most important questions we can ask is how, why and when do we figure out that the Count is a vampire? The earliest clue is Renfield, the accountant for who Harker works. When we first see him he is reading a letter. Not a normal letter but one with strange symbols on it the audience cannot understand themselves. When Harker walks into the office Renfield pulls him aside and gives Harker the assignment of going to a client, as it turns out a Count to buy him a house in Bremen. Promising Harker money to go to the Count in Transylvania Renfield states: ??it will take a bit of effort?a bit of sweat and perhaps?a bit of blood??. By suggesting that Harker has to give ?a bit of blood? if it is necessary plus the letter with the strange symbols the audience can expect that there is something not right with the Count."
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"The Birth Of A Nation", 2002.
Examines director D. W. Griffith's 1915 silent film.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 10 sources, $ 71.95
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Abstract
Examines director D. W. Griffith's 1915 silent film. Griffith's revolutionary techniques and artistry. The cultural significance, impact and mixed response to the epic film that set off a nationwide controversy. Visual impact of film and its inventive images. Griffith's development of a cinematic language. Describes key scenes. Racist content. Protests by public and civil rights groups.
From the Paper
"D. W. Griffith's 1915 silent film "The Birth of a Nation" is one of the most influential films ever made, and one of the most controversial. The movie was the first important innovative motion picture utilizing creative technical skills that were unmatched in its day, and that influenced filmmakers of later generations. The story, based on Thomas Dixon's novel The Clansman, is told in a melodramatic style. The basic plot centers on the friendship of the Camerons, a Southern family, with the Stonemans, a Northern family, and it is a friendship that is both threatened and tested by the Civil War and the Reconstruction period. The Southern family is ruined by the War, the Negroes (the word used at the time) gain some power in the South, and the Ku Klux Klan is formed in "self-defense" of white families and homes. The theme or spirit of the film can be ..."
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"Broken Blossoms", 2003.
An analysis of D W Griffith's silent film, "Broken Blossoms".
690 words (approx. 2.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 23.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes D.W. Griffith's 1919 silent film "Broken Blossoms" starring Lillian Gish. It discusses the film's cinematic techniques and narrative, its editing and camera placement. The paper explores the use of intertitles. The author also expands on the storyline and structure of the film.
From the Paper
"D W Griffith's silent film "Broken Blossoms" is an allegorical melodramatic tragedy about a teenager who lives with an abusive father and is loved by a gentle young Chinese man. All three characters come to tragic ends. Shot in a Hollywood studio the ..."
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Women in Film Noir, 2004.
An in-depth look at the role of women in the genre of film known as film noir.
7,839 words (approx. 31.4 pages), 21 sources, MLA, $ 170.95
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Abstract
Among the various styles of producing films, the noir style is one that has come to be recognized for its uniqueness in characterization, camera work and striking dialogue. Film Noir of the 1940s and 50s was well known for feminine characters that were the protagonists, the femme fatale. This was most common with the French and later accepted in the United States. This paper begins by introducing film noir, its definition, how it started and also the history of this genre in the United States of America. It looks at films such as the "Maltese Falcon" (1941) and "A Touch of Evil" (1958). In the second section, the paper explores how women are represented in film noir (heroine and femme fatal) by discussing the aforementioned films and analyzing them. The paper examines different authors, such as Ann Mary Doane whose research is based on feminism and psychoanalysis and Ewing Dale ("Style and Content in Film Noir"), to discuss their ideas. The paper also compares two film noirs - the "Maltese Falcon" (1941) and "Basic Instinct" (a contemporary noir), to see how women express themselves, looking to see whether they express themselves through their sexual diversity. In the third and last section, the paper examines how women are represented in contemporary noir by analyzing and discussing one contemporary noir - "Mulholland Drive" (2001). The paper analyzes sequences to demonstrate the movie's connection with film noir and examines the role of women in the film. The paper includes illustrations from movies.
From the Paper
"Mulholland Drive reinforces the dominance of the femme fatale in contemporary film noir. In present times the role of the woman in society is observed to have a variation, and this is because of the fact that there is a change in the way that she can express herself. It also highlights the way that she can dominate men without them even knowing it. It is perhaps only when they reach their ultimate doom that they realize that women have exploited them. This kind of character portrayal is one that has increased over the years since the beginning of the film noirs. From then it has developed itself in American filmmaking, which has reflected the strengths and weaknesses both in American society."
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Symbolism in the Film "Modern Times", 2002.
The paper looks at the symbolism present in this historic silent movie and the way it is possible to portray a range of emotions and circumstances in a visual manner without any words being spoken.
833 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 0 sources, MLA, $ 29.95
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Abstract
The paper gives a quick synopsis of the film's plot. The paper describes symbols used in the film to portray the obstacles faced by the leading character played by Charlie Chaplin. It also emphasizes how the character?s near complete isolation from society is depicted through symbols. The paper points out that the only sounds heard in this silent film were mechanical, emphasizing the symbolic criticism.
From the Paper
"Even what little good luck he has is by accident. He accidentally prevents a prison break by other prisoners, and gets a glowing letter of recommendation from his jailer. So, when he leaves prison, he is able to get jobs, but they all go wrong for him. Under circumstances that might have put him back in the mental hospital, he finds a way to connect with people. He helps a young woman he has met before escape from the police and gets his old job back. The young woman finds a tumbledown shack they can live in, and through a collection of incredible mishaps, they end up hired as entertainers."
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Director Pedro Almodovar and the Spanish Film Industry, 2002.
This paper shows the influence of director Pedro Almodovar on the Spanish film industry and how his films helped pave the way for other Spanish directors to find an audience outside of Spain and to reestablish the viability of the Spanish film industry.
3,100 words (approx. 12.4 pages), 8 sources, $ 90.95
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The paper introduces the topic with a look at Robert Phillip Kolker's "The Altering Eye", which considers some of the economic and social forces that apply in different countries to shape their film. It then examines the life and work of director Pedro Almodovar as an example of these theories at work in Spain. It suggests that Almodovar's success was dependent on the social and political changes in Spain, namely the end of the fascist era and a move toward democracy.
From the Paper
"Film is an international medium in spite of language differences, and different countries come to the fore at different times to make a mark both artistic and economic on the world cinema. After world War II, Italian neo-realism burst onto the scene, followed in the early 1960s by the French New Wave. In the 1970s it was a combination of films from Australia and films from West Germany, the latter led by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. More recently, Spain has become a contributor to the screens of the world, with the leading filmmaker of the time being Pedro Almodovar, in some ways an unlikely leader given his penchant for bizarre sexual themes, iconoclastic attitudes, and searing satiric humor."
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