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[qu-film-history-to-1968]

Innovations Among the Film Industry in the 1960s

By: Julia Kusmenko

Following World War II, multiple changes were made to movies that altered the film industry indefinitely. For instance, one major change was the implementation of the widescreen images to draw in audiences who were growing accustomed to the ratio used in television in the 1960s. For example, the 1964 film Kiss Me, Stupid is a comedy that deviates from previous films of the same genre since it incorporates a widescreen image. The importance of the widescreen image can be seen by the shot of the character Dino singing to the crowd as the entire stage is visible in the frame. In this film, a songwriter named Orville and his friend Barney are unsuccessful at selling their music. With this, Orville is paranoid that his beautiful wife will leave him for another man. When a famous singer named Dino comes to town, Orville and Barney comes up with a plan to keep Orville's wife out of the so she cannot fall in love with Dino and so they can persuade Dino to buy one of their songs. While this film is a romantic comedy, it expresses cynical themes that are a calling-card for its director Billy Wilder. In addition, this film could not have been made at an earlier time in film history since the plot is based on the idea that a man must win the respect of a woman, whereas the men of previous generations felt that women owed them respect and not the other way around. Moreover, the men of previous generations would have felt ownership over their wives and might worry as much as Orville that their wives could leave them. In this way, the plot of Kiss Me, Stupid was a product of the changing societal beliefs of the 1960s. 

A film that thematically compares to Kiss Me, Stupid is the 1962 film That Touch of Mink since this romantic comedy features a sour attitude towards love between a man and a woman. In this film, a woman named Cathy is splashed by a car driving a man named Philip. After confronting him, Cathy grows fond of Philip despite his troublesome personality traits. Though Cathy’s friend advises her not to go after Philip, Cathy falls in love with him. All-the-while, those around Philip start to see him for the nice guy he really is. From its plot, this film could not have been made at an early time since it criticizes how men treat women. In earlier decades, this feminist theme might have been poorly received as a result of the dominating societal beliefs of the time. 

One element of Kiss Me, Stupid that resulted from the changes in film during the 1960s was that the film was presented entirely in color. The engaging color in the film can be shown by the shot of Cathy and Philip talking at a phone booth. Furthermore, Kiss Me, Stupid and That Touch of Mink deviated from previous romantic comedies due to their innovative visual elements that grabbed the audience’s attention. On the other hand, these two films are similar to the rom-coms that came before their time in that they share a similar plot structure where the couple comes together, has a falling out, then falls in love by the end of the film. 

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How Bicycle Thieves Represents the Italian Neorealism Movement

By: Julia Kusmenko

Among film history, World War II affected the styles of film around the world and people’s perspectives on cinema. One notable movement that emerged after World War II is Italian Neorealism. As stated in Torunn Haaland, “while defying conventions, neorealist film and fiction elaborate on the moral and social components of traditional realism.” In other words, Italian Neorealism analyzes the socio-political environment that influences the lives and wellbeing of a country’s people. A film that is representative of the Italian Neorealism movement is the 1948 film Bicycle Thieves which tells the story of a poor father named Antonio who must try tooth and nail to obtain a bicycle so he can do his job and support his family. After scrapping enough money together to buy a bicycle, Antonio gets his bike stolen within the first day of having the job. Antonio, his son and his friends search the entire city for the stolen bike but fall short. Antonio even finds the man who stole his bike but is unsuccessful in retrieving it. At his wits end, Antonio is driven to steal someone else’s bike at the end of the film but gets caught within minutes. Throughout this film, the hardships of daily life are presented through the turmoil experienced by Antonio and his family. 

While much earlier in film history, this movie reminded me of the 1933 documentary Land of Bread in that the adults who lived in this impoverished town went to extensive lengths to try and feed their children. On the other hand, a contemporary movie that Bicycle Thieves relates to is the 2012 film Les Miserables since the main character Jean Valjean is poor and must steal bread in order to feed his family. The quote from Torunn Haaland’s book relates to Land of Bread and Les Miserables in that both films touch on the morality of the main characters but differs from these two films in that they do not pertain to the social components created by World War II. 

Works Cited

Haaland, Torunn. “REALISM AND NEOREALISM.” Italian Neorealist Cinema, Edinburgh University Press, 2012, pp. 33–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgsn5.6. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.

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How advancing technology and time periods caused Hollywood to lose its authenticity. (Franco Morgante)

Hollywood has gone through many changes over the years. Styles like film noir, westerns, or torture porn once saw great success only to become incredibly niche or forgotten by many film goers. However some things that will never go away are the bedrock genres of the industry like horror and comedy. But even those genres have gone through massive changes and modern films in those genres feel very different from the films of the past. Two examples of this phenomenon are Nosferatu and The Great Dictator.

Nosferatu is a German expressionist film, one of the first horror films. It follows a man named Thomas Hutter who travels to Transylvania to meet a man named Count Orlok who looks to buy the house across from him. But Hutter finds out that Orlok is a vampire who wants to drink the blood of his wife, and the film turns into a mad chase to see if Hutter can save his wife from the fangs of Count Orlok. With this film being very low budget and the technology being very primitive, the film crew had to get very creative for the scares in this film. The film relies heavily on its creepy set design and shadows to make Nosferatu as unsettling as he is. Probably the best example is the iconic shot where Nosferatu is walking up the stairs, but only his shadow is visible on screen causing to appear much larger than he is. It's a testament to this creativity that even amongst all of the other vampire stories out there, Nosferatu is one of the few that is considered on the same level as Count Dracula. A quote from the film society of lincoln center summarizes this film perfectly by saying “ I am going to argue that in nosferatu we have one of the cinema's finest and most powerfully suggestive embodiments of what I call the "Descent myth" - one of those universal myths that seem fundamental to human experience” (Film Society of Lincoln Center). So, while Nosferatu might seem basic by today's standards, its clever camera tricks, good set design, and memorable main villain has made it amongst one of the most respected films in the horror genre.

In contrast, a modern example of what has been lost in horror films can be seen with the new It remakes. While they are enjoyable in their own right, most of the scares in the film felt like they all had the same structure. A character would slowly approach a dark area, the music would go silent, and then Pennywise or some form of him would jump out and chase the characters. While they are good at creating some quick jump scares, I feel like they didn’t stick with me like some of the scenes in Nosferatu. I feel like this is because modern filmmakers have the luxury of CGI, so they could show exactly what they imagined, and they don’t have to rely on clever camera tricks or use of shadows to make their monster feel scary. Granted this can mostly be attributed to the technology of films getting more advanced, but I feel like with the continued use of digital monsters instead of practical monsters, it causes modern horror films to feel less authentic than some of the older ones.

Moving to a different genre, The Great Dictator is a comedy film starring Charlie Chaplin who plays both a parody version of Hitler as well as a Jewish barber in a ghetto. The main goal of the film is meant to satirize the Nazis by portraying them as over the top bad guys that have way too much power. This is because this film was made as a propaganda film meant to make people hate the Nazis. A quote from the Hollywood Quarterly shows how films like this were integral to gain support of the war effort, they write “The motion picture can help the people of the world to share and understand one another's viewpoints, customs, and ways of living; it can in- terpret the common needs and hopes of all peoples everywhere” (Jones). Since this is a satire, much of the film's comedy comes from making the nazi’s look like buffoons, there is a scene where the dictator Adenoid Hynkel is giving a speech to his followers, and at one point he is yelling into the microphone so much that it bends backwards away from him, as if it couldn’t take Hynkel yelling anymore. In fact much of the film’s humor comes from slapstick comedy, as the scenes where the jewish barber is trying to get away from the Nazi soldiers feature physical gags that wouldn’t be out of place in a looney tunes cartoon. It shows the creativity of Charlie Chaplin as he was able to make a group as terrible as the Nazi’s into a complete joke in this film.

Nowadays modern parody films don’t have the same level of creativity as say Chaplin’s films. A lot of them mainly focus on parodying film genres, and much of the humor comes from making raunchy jokes or pointing out how dumb the cliches of a certain genre is. A modern example would be with the Scary Movie franchise, as much of the humor is built around references to other slasher movies. It causes the film’s humor to feel more dated as the humor is centered around multiple franchises that had new installments in over a decade. To me it shows how modern parody films are more about trying to write jokes that are funny in the current time period, rather than humor that can be enjoyed by people of any time period. Chaplin’s humor is timeless because a lot of it centers around clever physical gags and you don’t need to be a history major in order to get the jokes. Leading it to be a timeless comedy that is still praised to this day.

Overall, I’d say that two major things that are lost in Hollywood are creative horror and parody films. Due to the advancements in technology, filmmakers aren’t as incentivised to try and use different camera tricks or unique lighting to make their films scary like in Nosferatu. And with the heavy emphasis on reference humor in modern parody films, it leads them feeling more dated unlike The Great Dictator. While this doesn’t mean that there aren’t good examples of modern horror or parody films, when looking back at some of the older films from these two genres, it's clear that they aren’t the same as they once were.

Sources:

Hollywood Quarterly, Oct. 1945, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Oct. 1945), pp. 1-19

Film Comment, MAY-JUNE 1976, Vol. 12, No. 3 (MAY-JUNE 1976), pp. 5-9

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The Thematic and Visual Elements of La Belle et la Bête and Pépé Le Moko

By: Julia Kusmenko

As World War II impacted Europe in the early 1900s, cinema during this time reflects the effects of German occupation and artistic styles that were influenced throughout these years. In France for example, the 1946 film La Belle et la Bête reflects the impact World War II had on storytelling and 1937 film Pépé Le Moko displays the dark mood felt during the years leading up to the war. 

Regarding La Belle et la Bête, the influence World War II had on storytelling is expressed by the text from Lincoln Kirstein which reads as follows: “The French are famously frank. Four years of individual hell have sharpened their irony and released their creative energies. Their attitude towards the films at the present is wonderfully fresh, interested, responsible and honest” (Kirstein 20). As a result, the stories told were fresh since the French no longer were oppressed by German regulations in 1946. With La Belle et la Bête, this film embodies this new and creative storytelling in France as the plot incorporates fantastical house furniture that comes to life, over-the-top costumes and a living man-beast. From this, German Occupation was not able to stop the creative energies of the French, rather, it encouraged the French to express themselves creativity after years of suppression. 

Regarding Pépé Le Moko, this film is about a man who is notorious for stealing among the Casbah in Algiers and avoids being caught by police. What is interesting about this film is that it presents dark tones to the audience through the mise en scène by the lighting and dramatic camera angles. The themes of this film are also dark as the main character Pépé is depressed and expresses his dissatisfaction with life by drinking and taking out his frustrations on others. Pépé’s sadness can be seen by the image of him staring off into the distance behind bars moments before committing suicide as he watches the life he could have had slip away in front of his eyes. 

A quote from the reading that illustrates this dark mood in Pépé Le Moko says “the mood found in the best of these films––a mood created from the emphasis accorded certain kinds of behavior and especially from formal factors such as lighting, camera angles, iconography, mise-en-scene––may ultimately be closer than a diegetic analysis to what was really felt, and thought, during those dark years” (Greene 440). In other words, the darkness of the mood in Pépé Le Moko that is expressed through the mise en scène and visual elements of the film relates to the uncomfortable feeling experienced by French citizens leading up to World War II. 

With this, “This mood appears to me important enough to constitute not only the originality and unity of many films of this era but also a recognizable style” (Greene 440). In other words, the mood present in Pépé Le Moko is indicative of a certain style that was common in films during the time period. From this, films such as Pépé Le Moko are a product of the social environment as the political climate they are produced in may influence the story’s tone and mood. 

Image from Pépé Le Moko:

  Works Cited

Greene, Naomi. “Mood and Ideology in the Cinema of Vichy France.” The French Review, vol. 59, no. 3, 1986, pp. 437–45. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/392672. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Kirstein, Lincoln. “French Films during the Occupation.” The Bulletin of the Museum of Modern Art, vol. 12, no. 3, 1945, pp. 16–20. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4058089. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

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How Italian Neorealism and Hollywood Realism Influenced Cinema After World War II

By: Julia Kusmenko

As the entire world was impacted by the effects of World War II, the cinema produced across the globe after this time reflects the cinema movements that resulted from this historical event. For instance, Italian Neorealism and post-war Hollywood realism are direct results of the war’s impact on the films created after the 1940s. To illustrate Italian Neorealism, Torunn Haaland writes that “while defying conventions, neorealist film and fiction elaborate on the moral and social components of traditional realism.” From this, Italian Neorealism shows how people’s daily lives are impacted by the social environment in which they live. Similarly, post-war Hollywood realism depicts the lives of those among the varying social classes in America after World War II. Though similar, these movements are individually shaped by the cultures from which they derive. 

A film produced during the Italian Neorealism movement that realistically portrays poverty and struggle is the 1948 film Bicycle Thieves. This film tells the story of a father named Antonio who goes to extreme lengths to try and support his family. This film relates to the quote about Italian Neorealism from Torunn Haaland since the film comments on the morality of Antonio by showing the good and bad qualities of his character. For example, Antonio’s main goal is to provide for his wife and son, but ultimately steals someone else’s bicycle to try and earn a living. This moral gray area makes the character depictions realistic and the story engaging for the viewer. On the other hand, Bicycle Thieves is different from the readings on Italian Neorealism since the plot of this film does not defy conventions of traditional storytelling. 

The changes in Italian Neorealism and post-war Hollywood Realism from previous film movements can be illustrated through the words of Robert Brustein when he writes: “The settings are changing from plushy modem apartments atop imposing skyscrapers to shanty-town slums in rotting southern or northern towns. The costumes, apparently acquired no longer from Mainbocher but from the surplus stores of the Salvation Army, hang on the actors as dashingly as skivvies on a scarecrow” (Brustein 23). In other words, the settings and character depictions in Italian Neorealism and post-war Hollywood Realism depict locations and people as they really are rather than a glamorous or exaggerated version of the real thing. 

A specific impact of the Hollywood realism movement in the United States after World War II is the presence of film noir. According to Paul Schrader, film noir “is not defined, as are the western and gangster genres, by conventions of setting and conflict, but rather by the more subtle qualities of tone and mood” (Schrader 53). From this, the dark and dramatic mood created by film noir creates a distinct tone among post-war Hollywood realism films. While film noir relates to the readings since these films can be a device for telling true stories, the style of film noir is different from the style of other films produced during the realism movements. 

An example of film noir is the 1948 film He Walked by Night. This film tells the true story of a criminal named Roy Morgan who evades capture after committing many crimes including the killing of a police sergeant. The dramatic mood created in He Walked by Night can be seen by the cinematography; for example, the shot of Roy standing in his home moments before the police barge into his home is dramatically lit by his window. As this film realistically depicts the true events of this case as it unfolded in Los Angeles, the film’s story and characters are a direct result of the realism movement in Hollywood following World War II. 

Image from He Walked by Night: 

Works Cited

Brustein, Robert. “The New Hollywood: Myth and Anti-Myth.” Film Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 3, 1959, pp. 23–31. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3185980. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.

Haaland, Torunn. “REALISM AND NEOREALISM.” Italian Neorealist Cinema, Edinburgh University Press, 2012, pp. 33–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt3fgsn5.6. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.

Schrader, Paul. “Notes on Film Noir.” Film Noir Reader, edited by Alain Silver and James Ursini, Limelight Editions, 1972, 53-63. 

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The Changes in Cinema After World War II

By: Julia Kusmenko

In the years following World War II, American cinema underwent many changes. For one, certain directors gained popularity for their style and prominence in the film industry. For example, the director Billy Wilder had a particular style that could be felt through the films he produced with Paramount Pictures. By reading the text by Stephen Farber, I learned that Billy Wilder “is one of the few American directors whose films consistently reveal a distinctive, highly personal point of view” (Farber 9). 

On the note of Paramount Pictures, this was one of the many large studios that the federal government put regulations on since they created a monopoly in the United States and controlled what films were released to theaters. As I learned from Timothy White’s text, the trend of big business in the film industry “began in the years following World War II and was stimulated by the separation of exhibition from production and distribution. The leader in this trend was Paramount Pictures” (White 99). 

 In addition, a major change that occurred in Hollywood after World War II was the switch from black and white to color films. As stated by Gorham Kindem, “Hollywood converted from black-and-white to color cinematography only when technological innovation, economic incentives for industry and public acceptance of color representation converged in the 1960s” (Kindem 29). 

Another change during the emerging Cold War was the presence of blacklisting creatives in Hollywood for their suspected affiliation with the Communist political party. In the words of Arthur Eckstein, “starting in 1947 the House Committee on Unamerican Activities (HUAC) pursued a series of official inquiries into the penetration of the film industry in Hollywood by the Communist Party…In the course of these inquiries dozens of 'friendly' Hollywood witnesses denounced hundreds of people as secret members of the Communist Party” (Eckstein 424). Though I was aware of the effects of the Cold War, reading this text taught me how these suspicions and hearings impacted the film industry.

With this, I did not know the extent to which blacklisting impacted actors and their reputations. According to the American Sociological Association, from “artists’ employment in feature films was influenced by their associations with co-workers who were blacklisted as communists after working with the focal artist. Mere association reduces an artist's chances of working again, and one exposure is enough to impair work prospects” (Pontikes, Negro & Rao 456). Overall, the various changes made to cinema after World War II impacted the future of the film industry. 

Works Cited

Eckstein, Arthur. “The Hollywood Ten in History and Memory.” Film History, vol. 16, no. 4, 2004, pp. 424–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3815610. 

Farber, Stephen. “THE FILMS OF BILLY WILDER.” Film Comment, vol. 7, no. 4, 1971, pp. 8–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43752857. 

Kindem, Gorham A. “Hollywood’s Conversion to Color: The Technological, Economic and Aesthetic Factors.” Journal of the University Film Association, vol. 31, no. 2, 1979, pp. 29–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20687473. 

Pontikes, Elizabeth, et al. “Stained Red: A Study of Stigma by Association to Blacklisted Artists during the ‘Red Scare’ in Hollywood, 1945 to 1960.” American Sociological Review, vol. 75, no. 3, 2010, pp. 456–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27801535. 

White, Timothy R. “Life after Divorce: The Corporate Strategy of Paramount Pictures Corporation in the 1950s.” Film History, vol. 2, no. 2, 1988, pp. 99–119. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3815029.

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The Evolution of Horror

JJ Tafuto

The horror genre has gone through an interesting phase of evolution. The genre was at its peak during the studio style supremacy of the 1930s. “"As it was, by 1930, 95 percent of all American production was concentrated in the hands of only eight studios—five vertically integrated major companies, which controlled production, distribution, and exhibition, and three horizontally integrated minor ones that controlled production and distribution." (Britannica) Studios played a significant role in shaping the cinematic output of the time, and the horror films that released during this time exemplifies the impact of studio styles, collaboration dynamics, and the social and political landscape of the time in which it came out.

Universal Studios really pioneered the horror genre with their iconic and famous monster horror films. “"The minor studios were Carl Laemmle’s Universal Pictures, which became justly famous for its horror films." (Britannica) Those early Universal horror films, namely Frankenstein, directed by James Whale and released in 1931, and its sequel, Bride of Frankenstein released in 1935, truly exemplify the mark left on the horror genre. These films created commonalities of the genre that still persist today. The dreary and gothic set design, the atmospheric lighting, even the mad scientist creating a monster trope are staples of horror that everyone thinks of when thinking of a stereotypical horror film. The collaboration between director James Whale and Frankenstein actor Boris Karloff created a cohesive and studio approved vision for their films, making a studio standard that would be replicated across their additional monster movies. This collaboration not only improved the quality of these films in house, but created a ripple effect that would be seen as a standard throughout the entire genre. The collaboration of these two talents with the studio established a template for how to move the genre forward. Budget constraints made by the studio also allowed for creative problem solving, and even a better product as a result. Due to the budgetary restrictions, Whale was forced to cut out elements from the source material the film was adapting to create a more streamlined approach to be digestible for audiences and only include the most impactful moments. It still maintained respect to the original novel, but was a deviation from the expansive narrative. This is something you see outside of just the horror genre. Films like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, even Marvel movies don’t adapt their source material word for word, but adapt the most important parts and manipulate the story for film format. 

The early Universal horror films were a direct product of their time and reflected the world that they came out in. “"The cultural angsts of the Great Depression found expression in the sublimated monsters of Universal Studios. The social context of Whale’s Frankenstein films, and of the Universal production output during the 1930s in general, cannot be underestimated. David J. Skal writes that Frankenstein’s monster was ‘like a battered hood ornament for a wrecked economy’ (Skal, 1992: 132)." (Smith) These films were produced during times of economic turmoil that was result of the Great Depression and reflected anxieties of society that came from the looming threat of World War 2. The monster, created by humans, symbolized the societal fears and moral issues of the time.

Looking at today’s horror genre, films have definitely seen a change since the early Universal days. The genre still remains, but has undergone significant transformations. The genre exists in various different forms than it once did, such as a parody like Scream or a high concept reinvention like Get Out. Rather than vanishing into obscurity, horror has folded into other genres to create an amalgamation, showing its enduring appeal. This idea of combining genres is especially popular in contemporary films, specifically superhero films. Captain America: The Winter Soldier blends classic superhero tropes with political thriller and mystery, while something like Thor Ragnarok focuses more on comedy and humor with the superhero genre. Genres blending together allow for more adaptability and constant reinvention, finding new ways to captivate audiences.

[qu-film-history-to-1968]

From Poetic Realism to Modern Escapism: A Cinematic Evolution

JORDAN STEWART

The poetic realism of French cinema in the 1930s, characterized by a focus on everyday life, fatalism, and a sense of melancholy, has left an indelible mark on the history of film. However, as we look at contemporary Hollywood, the echoes of this lost style are faint, replaced by a diverse range of storytelling techniques. In this essay, we will explore the evolution of cinematic tones by examining the shift from French Poetic Realism to the contemporary penchant for escapism, with a particular focus on the transformation of themes and styles.

The cinematic landscape of the 1930s, films like "La Grande Illusion" (1937) and "Port of Shadows" (1938), showcased the poetic realism that has become a distant memory in the world of modern cinema. These films captured the essence of everyday life, embracing fatalistic narratives and infusing a sense of melancholy that resonated with audiences.

    Close But Not the Same: "Amélie" (2001) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Amélie" may not be an exact match for the French Poetic Realism of the 1930s, but it successfully captures elements of whimsy and visual poetry. By offering a modern take on storytelling with a touch of magical realism, Jeunet continues the tradition of exploring the human experience through a unique lens.

    The wartime Hollywood distraction, which provided audiences with an escape from the harsh realities of war, underwent a significant transformation over the decades. During World War II, films like "Casablanca" (1942) were not merely pieces of entertainment; they served as a means of solace and distraction for a war-weary audience.

  In the contemporary era, the role of cinema as a distraction continues, albeit in a different form. While modern superhero films, such as "Wonder Woman" (2017), offer escapism through fantasy elements, they lack the direct connection to wartime propaganda and sentiment seen in films of the 1940s. The escapism provided by superheroes is rooted in fantasy rather than the reflection of the immediate societal context.

    The evolution of cinematic tones from the poetic realism of French cinema in the 1930s to the contemporary escapism of Hollywood is a testament to the ever-changing nature of storytelling. While the lost styles and themes of the past may not find direct replicas in the present, their influence continues to shape the way we perceive and experience films. As we navigate the diverse landscape of modern cinema, we witness a dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation, each era leaving its mark on the cinematic canvas.

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Dante Calabrese (What Remains?) "The Hidden message with Reflection of Horror and Societal Judgement" (Final Essay)

                                                                  Dante Calabrese

A number of themes and messages have been attempted to be conveyed to audiences via films over the history of the medium. I want to discuss the horror film genre in this article, specifically discussing Frankenstein (1931). & the same concept used in the 1935 film The Bride of Frankenstein, as well as how society conventions are mirrored. There were some major concerns at the time this movie was filmed. I'll talk about a few things in this movie and how the monster is basically just a real-life human being, most of all the most impactful connection and understanding of implementing a hidden message with a reflection with societal judgement would be seen in "I Walked With A Zombie". 

Without a doubt horror genres have influenced every aspect of hollywood film making from the very beginning till in todays era of films for 2023, It made the effort of utilizing a sense of fear mixed with the harsh reality of implementing meaningful unique perspectives alike and so on etc. Giving the viewers a sense of fear of not liking what they see of others people appearances or how they represent themselves or lash out the way they do cause of this. Society and human beings throughout history and in the film of horror always are seen reacting the way they do due to the deeper root of fear and not understanding or seen as adnomal in societys standards causing them to shun or verbally attack one another.

Back during 1943 saw the creation of the movie “I Walked With A Zombies”, which was made by RKO Pictures. I admit that I had never actually heard of or watched any movies from RKO Studios, but I picked this film because I was curious to see how the tone and decisions would stack up against those made by the other, more well-known studios. This movie differed from other horror movies I’ve seen in the past, and I believe there are some significant stylistic contrasts between it and the horror movies from the 1930s I watched last week. Regarding the idea of last weeks film for summary i watched “Frankenstien” & ‘The Bride of Frankenstien".The idea of Frankenstein serving as a vehicle for early Hollywood franchises makes much more sense after viewing both James Whale films from the 1930s than it did with “just” the 1931 original. The majority of Frankenstein is made up of exaggerated sequences that have been warped from their original, more subdued counterparts in the novel, giving the Monster on screen a world that feels more forceful, antagonistic, and theatrical. I believe that this movie makes an effort to deal with more serious issues, which I feel is unusual for a horror movie because I believe that most horror movies focus more on creating an emotional response than on trying to convey a larger message. Ironically it shows the influence of how society creates ideas and concept being influenced by the real world around us even in todays hollywood movies standards, what makes this very special is knowing the context of what was going on in the world of 1943 at the time with society dealing with racism and utilizing the deeper context of an influential narritive while giving the audience a mindful and crucial understanding at the time with racism. A few key point examples that solitify this and give weight for having this strong connection would be in these specific scenes, The medium shot shows Frankenstein and his helper, along with their conversational expressions and gestures. Later in the film displaying the manner the sequence with the father carrying his deceased daughter was filmed allowed for the villagers' reactions to be captured one by one instead of all at once. The peasants' facial emotions are captured by the camera panning sideways and backward. Additionally, there is deep focus and precise framing that enable viewers to continuously see how the villagers react to what they are viewing.The scene during the film showing the monster "Frankenstien Befriending Maria the little girl at the lake sharing a symbolic and emotional connectionm showing how the real monsters are humans rather than Frankenstien. & Lastly the misinterpretation and status as an outsider, the movie's monster Adam came to represent American individualism in a way. This served as inspiration for numerous Universal Pictures productions in which a misunderstood monster faces social injustice, attracting top talent for related films in the future. For the Film The Bride of Frankenstein expanded on this theme of oppression and repression by including a female character, since women are fundamentally marginalized and sexualized in our culture. As a result, the Bride became the "Other," a horror movie cliché known as the "Return of the Repressed and the Other." Despite having little on screen time, the Bride's presence and rejection of Adam demonstrated the challenges faced by women and the standards of beauty.

Elizabeth Young also uses Bride of Frankenstein as a way of analyzing social attitudes to race and gender in 1930s America in her essay ‘Here Comes the Bride: Wedding, Gender and Race in Bride of Frankenstein’, a text I shall be returning to later as it offers cogent arguments in the way systems of repression are encoded, subverted and reinforced in Whale’s films” (Smith, 22).

"The social context of Whale’s Frankenstein films, and of the Universal production output during the 1930s in general, cannot be underestimated. David J. Skal writes that Frankenstein’s monster was ‘like a battered hood ornament for a wrecked economy’ (Skal, 1992: 132).”

Frankenstein's overarching message heavily relies on the notion of a monster being misinterpreted and being an outcast in a society of others who all have certain similarities. "Whale's Frankenstein films share little in common with Shelley's novel, apart from the most basic plot lines and concepts of Faustian progeny; instead, Whale’s vision of the monster as a deeply tormented and sympathetic antagonist offers a trenchant social commentary on the role of the outsider in a foreign culture," is one quote I came across in "So Why Shouldn’t I Write of Monsters?: Defining Monstrosity in Universal’s Horror Films." This quotation aids in elaborating on the concept of social outcasts as well as the feelings and occurrences.

Smith, Andy W. “‘So Why Shouldn’t I Write of Monsters?’: Defining Monstrosity in Universal’s Horror Films.” Gothic Film: An Edinburgh Companion, edited by Richard J. Hand and Jay McRoy, Edinburgh University Press, 2020, pp. 21–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv10kmdxf.7. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Its very unique and impactful emotionally at times when watching this film there are no doubt future generational films even in todays society of the industry in the world that takes a genre and telling an important serious real world message and problems that still arise today even now. One example i can think of another horror film that utilizes the idea of racism while making a great horror film is “Get Out”, which sees a similar concept of racism but instead of being zombies its dealing with the idea of an interacial couple as well of twisting the concept with the director jordan peel showing and giving the audiance a taste in the horror format of seeing what racially motivated anxiety of being a black person feels like. Going back to the “I Walked with a Zombie”. I believe the decision was taken to address these issues because of the time period and what was going on when this movie was published. In this movie, larger-than-life concepts like slavery and ideals of racism are depicted. Back during In the 1930s and 1940s, there was a lot of racism, especially in the south, but there were racist acts all across the nation.The decision to address this topic and highlight how it was a problem in the country was a strong one made in the film, and I also feel that it was distinctive given the visual style of the picture. I think that what sets I walked with a zombie apart from other horror movies is that broader themes and tackling topics are not generally associated with horror movies. Whats worse in the end of all this we still see racism alive and breathing today, as well of other film genres and formats tackling the issue without shoving it in the audiances face at time while telling an impactful story and entertaining the audience and industy films of hollywood. I really feel that the film being in black and white gave an extra layer of emmersion when telling this story rather than in color. It shows how films such as “I Walked with a Zombie” as well Jordan Peels “Get Out”, takes a scary and real life world issue but instead tackling it in the form of art and story telling visually. I feel its very hard to have a film such as this if it was released in todays time and climate were in it wouldnt be recieved very well what so ever. Lastly i really feel and liked the name of the Studio RKO’s as well just there catalog of films they developed which i feel are unique and gives them a specific identity and face that only people would recognize them for as a studios in the end.

“The next step could be for this kind of filmmaking to be seen as an addition to existing forms or as an original form in itself. But adding candidness to documentary would not change its basic purpose – to convey information – or its basic method – exposition. Candid Drama, however, would add a new purpose – to convey, movie-like, strong experience – and a new method – storytelling through real characters in action” (Drew Associates).

“Cinema Verite.” Drew Associates, drewassociates.com/cinema-verite/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Furthermore for a most recent film in the hollywood industy that follows this same formula of sorts and concept of its own implementing this societal judegment within a horror film is Stephen Kings "Carrie" (2013).. For many teens, high school can be difficult, but Carrie White finds it particularly terrible. Carrie is a shy and awkward adolescent who is often the victim of bullying since she was raised by a religious fanatic. However, Carrie is secretly gifted with the ability to mentally move objects. After a particularly brutal pranks at the senior prom drives her over the edge one fateful night, Carrie uses her telekinetic skills to attack anybody who stands in her way.It depicts bullying in the form of being seen as different in a bad way as well the concept of societys image and pressure which can especially be seen and shown best in highschool, spreading rumors, lies, attacks physically and verbally, which all stems from one girl being seen as different and not accepted by people in her own grade and age. Its the same concept as racism but instead revolves around the idea of religious people are seen as freaks or shunned by the nonbelievers.

"There's a reason Carrie has endured for decades. Whether it's Stephen King's original 1974 novel, Brian De Palma's screen adaptation, or any other version – including the one currently in theaters from director Kimberly Peirce – the saga of Carrie White perseveres because most of us have either been Carrie White or have known a Carrie White, and we can relate to the story of an underdog exacting revenge on bullies."(Watercutter, Angela).

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(CH-CH-CHANGES) Different Horror Styles that Studios Utilized & Influenced (Final)

                                                                Dante Calabrese

During the 1920s-40s, many classics were produced creating what is known as the Golden Age of horror. Universal was producing successful monster films that were pioneering the new era of horror cinema. For Universal Studios, many of these greatest success films featured dark themes, murders, and monsters, releasing horror films that paved the way for how monsters would act and look in horror films. Genre specialization was a practice followed by early cinema production businesses and continues to this day. Known as "The Golden Age of Horror," the studios of the 1930s and 1940s concentrated mostly on producing horror pictures. These movies featured beasts or monsters of some kind rather than humanoid ones. During the early 20th century, RKO Radio Pictures, a well-known studio, was recognized for producing low-budget horror films that utilized studio talent. movies like Frankenstien (1931) & Isle of The Dead. Characters from Universal Studios' horror films, like Dracula, the Invisible Man, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein, helped make the company famous even after it closed.

RKO Radio Pictures is most known for its low-cost psychological horror movies that blend supernatural elements with moral quandaries. Studio talent and low budget flicks.

Known as "The House that Horror Built," Universal Studios was largely responsible for defining the "look" of early horror movies. The biggest monster films of the early horror film era, such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Wolf Man, are all associated with this studio. The German Expressionism movement served as an inspiration for many of the cinematic methods employed in these movies. The 1920s saw a horror film boom in Europe because the genre was not only accessible at low cost, but also resonated with viewers in a society that was morally decaying and hopeless. Consequently, a number of Expressionist stylistic elements were incorporated by American filmmakers, such as the use of chiaroscuro, or high contrast shadows, dramatic lighting, and stunning, geometric sets.Frankenstein (1931) is one of the most well-known horror movies to come out of Universal Studios. This James Whale-directed horror movie had a profound effect on the genre. In addition to taking many creative cues from German Expressionism, it made complete use of the newly available technology in 1930s filmmaking. This movie made strategic use of synced sound, which at the time was still a relatively new technique in cinema. Years before, it would not have been possible to produce the same level of tension and spooky tone as Frankenstein's immersive soundscape.

Furthermore into this focus and concept is the impact and ideas for Island of The Dead. Examine's issues related to the paranormal, superstition, and fear of the unknown. Due to its ability to generate tension and anxiety on such a little budget, this movie undoubtedly drew on studio talents in addition to its significant and timely topics and distinctive RKO studio aesthetic. With such a modest budget, the performers' performances are captivating and convincing, earning RKO further recognition in the horror genre. The stories of these characters, as well as their internal tensions and psychological challenges, are what propel this movie. Set in the era of the Greek War of Independence is Isle of the Dead. When combined with film noir tactics, this particular era gave rise to the successful horror films that they are today. During the Golden Age of Horror, RKO Pictures also achieved great strides, albeit with less notoriety than Universal Studios. While RKO defied expectations by experimenting with horror subgenres, Universal established itself through the utilization of monster movies. A major contributor to RKO's horror heritage was producer Val Lewton. Some of the most well-known movies from the company, such as Isle of the Dead (1945), I Walked with a Zombie (1943), and Cat People (1942), were produced by Lewton. After growing disenchanted with the lowbrow franchise, he cast Boris Karloff from Frankenstein in the latter picture. Even though Lewton directed most of his low-budget films, these movies have aged rather well because of their intriguing atmospheres, mystique, and recurring themes.

There has recently been a horror resurgance in the past 5 years with a specific studio that comes to mind for having the influences and connections with giving a status quo and name of its own for being an indie studio of its own "A24". Some influential horror films they released gathering high praise and fandom from audiences is "Hereditary", "It Comes at Night", "Pearl", "The Light House", "Midsommar" & their most recent success in the box office "Talk To Me". This alone reflects the same coming of full circle in sort of speak with A24 being the next Universal Studios Horror giant.

Works Cited

Smith, Andy W. “‘So Why Shouldn’t I Write of Monsters?’: Defining Monstrosity in Universal’s Horror Films.” Gothic FIlm, 2020

Vieira, Mark A. “Darkness, Darkness: The Films of Val Lewton.” Edinburgh Film Guide, 12 Jan. 2007, edinburghfilmguild.org.uk/2010-11/Val_Lewton_films.pdf

“The distinction of Lewton’s films is further emphasized by their supposed prescience: if, as Wood maintained, they ‘seem to have had little direct influence on” the ‘evolution’ of the horror film, this was supposedly due to the ways in which they ‘strikingly anticipate, by at least two decades, some of the features of the modern horror film’ (Wood, Hollywood 85). Similarly, Gifford has referred to Cat People (1942) as ‘a minor masterpiece that changed the face of horror films’ (161), and Frank has claimed that the Lewton productions were “the most powerful influence in horror films during the 1940s’ (42).” (Jancovich, 21-22).

Jancovich, Mark. “Relocating Lewton: Cultural Distinctions, Critical Reception, and the Val Lewton Horror Films.” Journal of Film and Video, vol. 64, no. 3, 2012, pp. 21–37. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5406/jfilmvideo.64.3.0021. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

“...Lewton’s feline females eventually scared more than $3 million out of audiences. His secretary, Verna De Mots, said, ‘Cat People saved RKO when it was practically bankrupt.’ (Siegel, The Reality of Terror, 40)” (Vieira, 4-5)

Vieira, Mark A. “Darkness, Darkness: The Films of Val Lewton - Edinburghfilmguild.Org.Uk.” Bright Lights Film Journal, 12 Jan. 2007, edinburghfilmguild.org.uk/2010-11/Val_Lewton_films.pdf. 

“The social context of Whale’s Frankenstein films, and of the Universal production output during the 1930s in general, cannot be underestimated. David J. Skal writes that Frankenstein’s monster was ‘like a battered hood ornament for a wrecked economy’ (Skal, 1992: 132).” (Smith)

Smith, Andy W. “‘So Why Shouldn’t I Write of Monsters?’: Defining Monstrosity in Universal’s Horror Films.” Gothic Film: An Edinburgh Companion, edited by Richard J. Hand and Jay McRoy, Edinburgh University Press, 2020, pp. 21–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv10kmdxf.7. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.

https://a24films.com

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Close but not the Same

JJ Tafuto

Film genres provide an outlet for filmmakers to experiment with different styles and provide the viewer with unique storytelling and visuals. However, as genres and audience tastes evolves, eventually some elements of genres get lost and are not fully committed to. I will be examining the worlds of film noir and silent comedies, their rise and fall, and where they are now in the contemporary movie landscape with films like The Batman and The Lego Movie providing homages to what came before, but further innovating and doing something more unique.

Film noir has previously left an undeniable mark on the cinematic landscape. A genre that was once extremely popular has mostly fizzled out in the more contemporary era of cinema. The genre was at its peak during World War 2 and the rise of the growing communist threat as it reflected the complexities and anxieties of the time. Film noir was known for its moody visuals, convoluted plots, cynical characters, and morally ambiguous protagonists. While true film noir may have phased out of the cinematic zeitgeist, modern films do take inspiration from what it began. An example is The Batman, released in 2022 and directed by Matt Reeves. The Batman delves into the territory of film noir, such as the visual elements of taking place in the metropolitan and gothic setting that is Gotham City and incorporating a detective story. However, the film does not fully commit to being noir and is rather a superhero film with noir inspiration. While the atmosphere of the film is truly noir, the dark and brooding nature being front and center, the moral landscape between characters is less ambiguous. Bruce Wayne as Batman and Commissioner Gordon are clearly on the side of good and doing what’s right, while The Riddler embodies an evil villain that must be stopped. The film was almost there in having the audience question right and wrong when The Riddler was unmasking corruption in the city, but all subtleties were quickly lost when he flooded Gotham. The departure from moral complexity leaves the audience with a more straightforward narrative structure than what is typically seen in film noir. This is likely a result to align more with traditional superhero storytelling, which makes you lose the questioning of good and evil and deep moral ambiguity that would come from film noir.

Silent films, particularly silent comedies, are clearly a thing of the past. With the advent of easily accessible sound, the genre in its most pure form has faded into obscurity. Silent comedies, exemplified by the works of Charlie Chaplin in films like The Gold Rush, rely on physical humor, slapstick comedy, and exaggerated characters and situations. These films communicate through the universal language of physical comedy, allowing them to bypass language barriers. While silent comedies are no longer what they once were, surprisingly, their mark on the industry is still felt in modern comedies like The Lego Movie. The Lego Movie is able to venture in the realm of silent comedies with its exaggerated characters and visual humor provided by its unique animation style. The stop motion type animation and jerky movement style of the lego characters offer visual humor in watching them go through motions, as well as lego physics being used for slapstick humor such as characters missing body parts, their faces being erased by a hand wipe, and disassembling and reassembling body parts. Visual gags like the double decker couch allows for laughs that can be had without sound. While The Lego Movie successfully incorporates visual humor akin to silent comedies, it does continue to place substantial emphasis on its witty dialogue and conveying story through characters talking. The Lego Movie’s themes and messages are also much more nuanced than the simplicities that silent comedies are known for.

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Hollywood Realism after the War and Its Influence on Contemporary Film (Final)

Dante Calabrese

We have studied the film industry as a dynamic environment that is always changing due to new trends, technologies, and storytelling approaches throughout the semester. Amidst the constantly evolving landscape, some movies withstand the test of time and continue to hold the attention of viewers of all ages. more specifically going into depth regarding "Rules of the Game" (1939) and "Bicycle Thieves" (1948). They have not only made a lasting impression on the history of film, but they also still have an impact on modern filmmakers. Furthermore, the state of Hollywood nowadays.

Examining Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves," which portrays the human struggle against socioeconomic hardships poignantly. Luigi Bartolini's 1946 novel served as the inspiration for Cesare Zavattini's film adaptation, which won an Academy Honorary Award in 1950 for best foreign language picture. Notably, it was voted the greatest movie of all time in a 1952 survey conducted by Sight & Sound magazine among filmmakers and reviewers."Bicycle Thieves" is still relevant now because it emphasizes the problems that regular people face on a daily basis—a topic that permeates modern film.

Jean Renoir's Rules of the Game (1939) is a timeless investigation of social dynamics. In 1938, during the height of the French cinema industry, "Rules of the Game" depicts human behavior and socioeconomic class. The film's grandiose scale was highlighted when, in spite of financial difficulties, it became the most expensive French movie of its era. It clearly has an influence on Wes Anderson's work."Rules of the Game" is appealing because it offers a thorough analysis of interpersonal relationships and social conventions. The influence of the movie may be seen in the way that modern directors approach narrative, giving their stories complexity and nuance in order to examine the intricacies of the human condition.

Other films influenced into this genre for the years to come:

Filmmaking was Roberto Rossellini's greatest desire. He could not wait any longer after a catastrophic war that left his wonderful city in ruins and twenty years of fascist control over which films he could create. Nothing, not even the war, not the scarcity of studios or expensive gear, could get in his way. It didn't matter if there were bad actors or poor film stock—he would make his movie. Resolving each issue contributed to the emergence of the Italian neo-realist movement.

Thirty years later, a different director would encounter challenges and be determined to make his movie. In 1977, Charles Burnett intended to use his master's thesis at UCLA to create a film about his black neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles. The Killer of Sheep was a 10,000 dollar movie that used amateur performers and the streets as sets to depict the hardships of a single black family. It was shot on 16mm film. Killer of Sheep overcome its subject matter, which is poverty and the collapse of the human spirit, to become an independent filmmaking masterpiece.

Burnett's film, which showed the life of an African-American slaughterhouse worker and his family in a poetic fashion, was not widely shown until 2007 due to copyright concerns involving music.

The film's grainy black and white pictures capture truth at what Godard called "twenty four frames per second," and it's loosely structured as a sequence of episodic vignettes. The Killer of Sheep is the most comprehensive and authentic example of neo-realism among the numerous movies on this list. It is a neo-realist movie in terms of subject matter, style, and challenges encountered during production.

Work Cited:

“Virtually all the new studies turned that French cinema of the Occupation had managed to avoid the issues and reality in an imaginary world. These young critics had no doubt that Vichy cinema was, in the words of Francis Courtarde, ‘a-temporal, mais non a-politique'". (Greene, Naomi. “Mood and Ideology in the Cinema of Vichy France.” The French Review, vol. 59, no. 3, 1986, pp. 437–45. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/392672. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.) 

Bondanella, Peter. “Neorealist aesthetics and the fantastic: The machine to kill bad people and miracle in Milan.” Vittorio De Sica, 2000, pp. 172–179, https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442683136-016. 

Borde, Raymond, and Étienne Chaumeton. Towards a Definition of Film Noir. Accessed 1955. 

"This movie is the product and the symptom of the historical backdrop behind World War II. In the late 1930s, the political and social equilibrium is precarious, and the characters wander anxiously in search of their identity, but they never find it. That’s the society, and that’s the game for Jean Renoir." (“The Rules of the Game: A War Movie without a War.” Hypercritic, 29 Nov. 2022, hypercritic.org/collection/jean-renoir-the-rules-of-the-game1939review/#:~:text=The%20Rules%20of%20the%20Game%20(original%20title%20La%20Règle%20du,II%20is%20in%20every%20frame.)

"As the ultimate synaesthetic medium, cinema allowed Cocteau to combine his artistic instinces and incorporate literature, melodrama, drawing, design, and stagecraft together in a new context."(Misek, Richard, et al. “Senses of Cinema.” Senses of Cinema, 18 Oct. 2018, www.sensesofcinema.com/2004/great-directors/cocteau/.)

https://www.tasteofcinema.com/2015/15-great-american-movies-influenced-by-italian-neo-realism/

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The Moral of the Story: Political Allegory in Film Across the Years

Despite the years, despite all technological and cultural changes, despite everything, there are many similarities between the movies of the past and the movies of today. Of course, nothing is identical, but there’s a clear connection between certain films despite some being made nearly 80 years apart. Because of the technological and technique changes and adaptations, the clearest way to see this is when you look at the content of certain films. In particular, the fact that films have been used as political commentary and allegory is something that has not changed in nearly 100 years. By examining films of the past and films of today, we can see the parallels between them and see what remains. 

Take 1944’s “Lifeboat” as a prime example. Made during and set in WWII, the film places eight British and American passengers and workers of a ship that has just been sunk by a German U-Boat in one small lifeboat. When the German captain of the U-Boat is pulled on board, the characters must decide if they should go with their humanity and trust the Nazi, or if the characters should follow their morals and political ideals and not trust him. The film seems to portray the German as a sympathetic character at first, with him earning the trust of the boat after helping them out at a few different turns. However, as the film continues, we see how wrong it was for the crew to trust him. He hides the fact that he can speak English, hides his compass and points them in the wrong direction, and eventually even throws one person overboard for being Jewish. After this is discovered by the rest of the boat, they all forget their original hesitations, band together, and push him overboard.

The fact that this man is completely untrustworthy sends a very strong message about the types of people that operated under Adolf Hitler. It says that even though these Germans are human beings like the rest of us, you can never ever trust a Nazi on a basic level. Alfred Hitchcock does this by skillfully implementing various themes and moments on top of one another, leaving even the audience conflicted for much of the film as to what should be done with the U-Boat captain. Brent Wood discusses “Lifeboat” and Hitchcock’s other war films when he says “Skillfully crafted and engaging, [Hitchock’s war films] present the filmmaker’s talent in its prime… with intricately layered plots that generate, at times, a cynical tone of noirish intensity. With every subsequent viewing, each film yields some previously unnoticed component woven into the fabric of the story.” However, despite the complexity of the film, when an audience member walks out of the theater, there’s a very simple message they’re left with. “Don’t trust Nazis.”

Another example of a political allegory film from the past is 1951’s “The Thing From Another World.” Made during and potentially set in the Cold War, the film follows an Air Force crew as they discover an alien spaceship crash. When the titular alien is released from his encasing of ice and starts attacking people, the crew has to band together to defeat it. However, the film isn’t as simple as it may sound. It features complex characters with conflicting moral compasses, each with their own understandable viewpoint and reasonings. The Captain wants to kill the alien to protect his crew, no matter what his higher-ups may say about protecting the alien to try and study it. The scientist wants to keep the alien alive in order to not only figure out how it works, but to try and reason with it so that no further harm comes to anyone. 

This is where the political allegory comes in. The “other” of the titular alien has been believed to be an allegory for Communism. This is due to not only the time period the film came out, but also various elements of the plot, such as the alien’s ability to “repopulate” using seeds, quickly and efficiently (emulating the fear of Communism spreading across the globe), how the alien is emotionless, and altogether, despite it looking similar to humans, being completely divergent from them. This means that the ones fighting against the alien are a depiction of McCarthyism, while the ones who want to protect it are Communist sympathizers. But in the end, it’s the scientist who tries to reason with the alien who ends up being proven wrong, as they can’t change the creature’s nature and he ends up getting hurt. Monster movies are a great way to show these political allegories, with a similar film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, showing “‘how easy it is for people to be taken over and to lose their souls if they are not alert and determined . . . to be free…[lending] itself to both right-wing and left-wing readings—either a drama of communist subversion or a parable of suburban conformity.”

Fast forward to today, and this phenomenon is increasingly more common. As was written in Hollywood Quarterly, “Topics relating to the war were much more broadly defined by the late President Roosevelt...Emphasizing the necessity for increased public information and understanding about the war, he outlined six aspects…: the Issues of the War; the Nature of the Enemy; the United Nations and Peoples; Work and Production; the Home Front; and the Fighting Forces.” So, after this time, we see more of these films. Take 2022’s “The Banshees of Inisherin.” This film is set during the Irish Civil War, and serves as a pretty explicit metaphor for it. The plot centers around two best friends who have seemingly started hating one another for no reason, which mirrors the fact that during the Irish Civil War, people who were once friends and close neighbors turned on each other at the drop of a hat. The film escalates from simple verbal arguments to the main character trying to burn down his ex-friend’s house with him inside. The Irish Civil War didn’t end because of a surrender, but rather a ceasefire, which feels very similar to the end of “Banshees” and the final nail in the coffin of Pádraic and Colm’s relationship. 

Another example of this is 2009’s “Avatar.” Set in the fictional world of Pandora, the conflict between the Na’vi and the humans is pretty plainly an allegory for colonialism and imperialism. James Cameron himself has discussed this, saying that the humans act as “the military aggressors from Europe” and “the native Americans are the Na’vi.” With the Na’vi being clearly set as the protagonists, and the vast majority of the humans as the antagonists, the film speaks out against imperialism and sympathizes with natives everywhere. 

In the end, we can see that movies have been moving more and more towards trying to communicate a specific message or moral to the audience in the modern day. However, while rarer, this technique has been around since the beginning of filmmaking. Even as the political allegories have shifted with the times, typically being representative of the most current conflict of when the movie was made, the fact is that filmmakers have always wanted their audience to leave the theater with a message in mind. And if that message speaks to themes that are more global, the more impact that the film could potentially have.

-Haley Ruccio (A1)

Wood, Brent. “The Rediscovered War Films of Alfred Hitchcock.” Foreign Correspondence, n.d. 

Thomas, Paul. “Witchcraft.” Film Quarterly 64, no. 4 (2011): 82–83. https://doi.org/10.1525/fq.2011.64.4.82.

Jones, Dorothy B. “The Hollywood War Film: 1942-1944.” Hollywood Quarterly 1, no. 1 (1945): 1–19.

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What Remains From Cinema’s Past in Modern-Day Films

By: Julia Kusmenko

As horror is a popular genre of the 21st Century, analyzing elements of some of the first horror movies can uncover the impact these films have on today’s horror. For example, the 1922 film Nosferatu and the 1946 film Bedlam are relevant to horror movies as they exist today. 

As a product of German Expressionism, Nosferatu relates to modern-day films that feature the dark and dramatic elements indicative of this film style. In this film, the vampire Nosferatu follows a man named Hutter and his wife Ellen to their hometown where he infects the towns’ population. Two cinematic elements from Nosferatu that display the dark themes elements of the film are the shot of Nosferatu standing over a frightened Hutter in bed and the shot of the empty town with a procession of dead bodies being taken away. As stated by Phil McCarron, German Expressionism “dark, brooding window into the corrosive elements of the human body and soul” were explored thematically. Phil McCarron goes on to say that the dark elements of German Expressionism were shown “visually through the intense use of light & shadow and sharp angles, making the set a character in and of itself.”

A modern horror film that borrows the same dark style used in Nosferatu is the 2017 horror film Tigers Are Not Afraid. This film is set in a poor town in Mexico where kids are left to fend for themselves when their parents go missing due to the drug war. As this story tackles real-life themes, it depicts a darkness that is reminiscent of German Expressionism. Two cinematic elements from Tigers Are Not Afraid that display dark imagery are the shot of the character Estrella being haunted by the ghost of her mother and the shot of Estrella and her friends walking down an abandoned street with all their belongings. A historical event that relates to the elements of desolation shown in Nosferatu and Tigers Are Not Afraid is the Covid-19 pandemic as this was a dark time for humanity and caused many areas of the country to have significant numbers of deaths. 

Furthermore, elements of the early horror film Bedlam influence today’s horror genre. Though it is a horror film, Bedlam serves as a social commentary about problematic practices within mental institutions in the United States. In relation to its social commentary about mental institutions, Bedlam is “‘a horror film in a more actual sense of the phrase,’ in so far as its subject matter makes it ‘morbid and depressing, but fascinating at the same time,’” (qtd. in Jancovich 34). In other words, though dark and disturbing, Bedlam sends a poignant message about society to the viewer. One characterization from Bedlam that connects to its message can be seen by the image of Master Sims treating a patient poorly. As written by Mark Vieira, Bedlam features a character named Master Sims who is “an inhuman bureaucrat who runs the St. Mary of Bethlehem asylum.” In addition, a moment from the film that shows the inhumane conditions of St. Mary’s of Bethlehem Asylum can be seen by the image of The Stonemason walking through a dark hallway of the asylum as the patients are kept in cells like prisoners. 

As modern movies send messages to the viewer about society, Bedlam connects to the social commentary that is commonly infused into modern-day horror films. For example, the 2017 horror film Get Out makes a statement about racial inequalities in the United States through its plot and character depictions. Two cinematic elements of Get Out that display its social commentary are the scene when Chris talks to Rose’s racist family members at a party and the shot when the police car arrives at the scene of the crime, implying messages about the state of racism in America. A historical event that connects to this theme is the Black Lives Matter movement of 2021 which centered around systematic issues still present in America. All in all, both Get Out and Bedlam touch on the idea that social institutions in America and aspects of American society are flawed. In this way, Bedlam serves as an inspiration for horror films to infuse social commentary into their plots. From this, early horror films such as Nosferatu and Bedlam incorporate elements that impact the horror films of today. 

Works Cited

Jancovich, Mark. “Relocating Lewton: Cultural Distinctions, Critical Reception, and the Val Lewton Horror Films.” Journal of Film and Video, vol. 64, no. 3, 2012, pp. 21–37. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5406/jfilmvideo.64.3.0021. Accessed 15 Dec. 2023.

McCarron, Phil. “Fritz Lang - An Auteur of German Expressionism.” ESSAI, vol. 14, no. 26, 2016, pp. 100-102. https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol14/iss1/26 

Vieira, Mark. “Darkness, Darkness: The Films of Val Lewton.” Bright Lights Film Journal, 14 March 2021, https://brightlightsfilm.com/darkness-darkness-films-val-lewton-looking-back-b-movie-master/ 

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Hollywood Studios’ Influence on the Horror Genre

By: Julia Kusmenko

In the past, film genres were shaped by Hollywood studio’s style and associated talent. For example, the studios RKO Pictures and Universal Studios impacted the horror genre. From analyzing contemporary horror films, the relationship between studios and genre films still exists today. 

Studios’ influence on genre can be illustrated by RKO Pictures’ impact on horror. For instance, RKO Pictures' low budget and contractual agreement with the screenwriter Val Lewton influenced the style of horror films produced by this studio. This can be seen by the 1942 film Cat People which is about a Serbian woman named Irena who falls in love with a man named Oliver but succumbs to her fear of an old folk tale that if she kisses Oliver she will become a giant cat. In this film, the horror is kept hidden as the shots hinting at the mysterious cat figure do not show the cat at all. Rather, the beast is left to the viewer’s imagination. Two examples of stylistic shots from the film are when the character Alice walks alone down a dark alleyway and feels something is following her and when Oliver and Alice cower in the corner searching for the cat version of Irena. Furthermore, the particular style of horror used by RKO Pictures “meant not showing the source of terror. This was unthinkable for Universal, but essential to RKO’s low budget strictures.”

Today, movies such as the 2019 film Midsommar illustrate how studios and their associated talent continue to shape the horror genre. For example, Midsommar is largely impacted by its director Ari Aster and the studio A24 which are known for their unique style of horror. With this, A24 produced other horror films directed by Ari Aster which means the relationship between this studio and its films continue to shape the horror genre as a whole. To demonstrate the unique style of Midsommar, two stylistic choices from the film are the fact that it takes place during the day and uses symbols to add tension to the story. With this, the socio-political fact that female main characters are often a representation of a woman’s role in a relationship can be seen in both Cat People and Midsommar as the main characters Irena and Dani are heavily characterized by their role in relation to their significant others. This can be seen by the shot of Dani holding her boyfriend’s hand amidst the horrors in Midsommar. In this way, the societal views that impact films relates to how studios add their own twist to the films they produce.

Moreover, the horror films produced by Universal Studios such as the 1931 film Frankenstein are impacted by the studios’ specific tone and contract with the director James Whale. In this film, the scientist Victor Frankenstein is compelled to create life from a dead body which results in chaos. To demonstrate the style of horror produced by Universal Studios, the quote by Andy Smith reads as follows: “Universal Studios’ series of Horror films from the 1930s and 1940s can be traced back to the most significant moment in the history of Gothic literature” (Smith 21). Regarding the gothic tone in Frankenstein, this is shown through shots that symbolize “the battle between humanity and unnatural forces of evil” (Pagan). Two examples from Frankenstein that depict this gothic tone of good versus evil can be seen by the shot when Elizabeth is approached by the monster and in the shot at the end of the film when the monster is standing on the edge of the cliff. In addition, a historical event that also impacted the horror genre in the early 1900s was the implementation of the Hays Code in 1934 as this code regulated the content shown in films. From this, Frankenstein was influenced by the time period just as it was impacted by the style of Universal Studios. Overall, Hollywood studios continue to impact genre films in that their contracted talent and associated styles influence the stories told on screen. 

  Works Cited

Pagan, Amanda. “A Brief History of Gothic Horror.” New York Public Library, 18 Oct. 18, https://www.nypl.org/blog/2018/10/18/brief-history-gothic-horror

Smith, Andy. “‘So why shouldn’t I write of monsters?’: Defining Monstrosity in Universal’s Horror Films.” Gothic Film, edited by Richard J. Hand, Jay McRoy, Edinburgh University Press, 2020, pp. 21-35. 

Viera, Mark. “Darkness, Darkness: The Films of Val Lewton: Looking Back at a B-Movie Master.” Bright Lights Film Journal, 14 March 2021, https://brightlightsfilm.com/darkness-darkness-films-val-lewton-looking-back-b-movie-master/

[qu-film-history-to-1968]

The Impact of Post-World War II Films on Modern-Day Cinema

By: Julia Kusmenko

Some major changes seen in the films produced after World War II can be observed in modern-day films. For example, post-war Hollywood realism, styles from the 1960s and realistic documentaries are relevant to films of the 21st century. 

Regarding post-war Hollywood realism, the 1948 film He Walked By Night demonstrates realism after World War II since the settings and characters depicted in this film are true to life. This film takes place in Los Angeles and tells the story of a police hunt for the elusive and clever criminal Roy Morgan, a man who committed multiple crimes and killed a police sergeant in the late 1940s. In addition, the setting of this film demonstrates realism as the homes the characters live in depict middle-class suburbia. This can be seen by the image of the average house that Roy boards himself up in that the milkman visits. As said by Rober Brustein in his text from Film Quarterly, “In limiting its world to the domestic scene, the realistic movie provides the adolescent with scenes that he can recognize” (Brustein 31). In other words, viewers can relate to the homes and day-to-day lives of the settings and characters shown on screen. 

Another realistic element of this film is the characterization of each real-life person depicted in the film. For instance, Robert Rawlins, the police sergeant who is murdered by Roy, is shown driving home from work eager to see his wife before his untimely death. A film that relates to post-war Hollywood realism is the 2011 film Moneyball which tells the story of Billy Beane, the manager for the Oakland Athletics. Similar to He Walked By Night, this film is also based on a true story. Often, modern-day films will depict true stories as honestly as they can, which is why realism is prevalent in modern-day cinema. A realistic element of Moneyball is the shot of Billy Beane driving home from work in his beaten down pick-up truck just as Rawlins drives home to his wife in He Walked By Night. These elements, while small, add to the realism strewn throughout the films. 

Another element of Moneyball that illustrates Hollywood realism is the choice to use a fictional name for the supporting role of Peter Brand instead of the real name of the man the character is based on. This is also seen in He Walked By Night as some of the names of the real people in the story are changed to protect their privacy. On another note, a historical event that can relate to post-war realism is the 2008 Great Recession as the true story of this economic downfall was realistically depicted through the film The Big Short. In this way, this film also serves as an example of realism in modern-day cinema. 

Though realism can still be seen in today’s films, the trends of the 1960s are also prevalent in today’s cinema. For background knowledge, some of the trends in the 1960s represented a change in films after World War II. The styles of directors such as Billy Wilder catapulted cinema in a new direction that is still evident in current-day films. For instance, Billy Wilder’s 1964 film Kiss Me, Stupid was influenced by Wilder’s air of cynicism. This film is about a songwriter named Orville Spooner who wants to provide for his beautiful wife and who’s friend Barney plots a scheme to sell one of their songs to Dino. One scene that shows Wilder’s infusion of cynicism in the film is the scene of Orville spying on his wife out of paranoia. Regarding his style of cynicism, “Wilder does not believe that innocence can survive unscathed. He does not believe that faith and trust are a reasonable basis for human relationships. His films chronicle the corruption of innocents, the fall from purity” (Winter 12). In this way, Orville’s general outlook is cynical as he cannot trust that his wife will remain faithful. 

Another scene that evokes cynicism is the moment when Orville and Barney pitch the song they wrote to the famous singer Dino, played by Dean Martin, at the gas station. This scene shows cynicism since the juxtaposition of Dino in a black suit next to sweaty Barney at the gas station undermines the audience’s confidence in Barney and Orville’s ability to persuade Dino to buy their song. As this style of cynicism was a trend perpetuated by Wilder in the 1960s, this trend is still relevant to  21st century films. For instance, the 2016 film La La Land brings a fantastical story down to earth with a realistic, not-so-satisfying ending. In this way, films such as Kiss Me, Stupid and La La Land use a trend of cynicism to base stories in reality. Additionally, La La Land serves as an example of cynicism since the plot revolves around the love story of Mia and Sebastian who, despite being deeply in love for many years, do not end up together. Two moments from La La Land that point towards a cynical view are the scene when Mia and Sebastian argue at the dinner table and when Mia and Sebastian sit on a bench to talk and realize they are growing apart. 

Another change in cinema after World War II that is seen today is the prevalence of realism in documentary films. For example, the 1960 documentary Primary which depicts the campaigns of John F. Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey during the Wisconsin primary election uses realistic elements that are utilized in modern-day documentaries. For example, the extensive use of b-roll and minimal use of narration relates to the format of modern-day documentaries. To demonstrate the true-to-life elements of Primary, this film reveals the “personalities and politics of the campaign trail as they had never been seen before…Primary’ offers a compelling glimpse into the early career of one of the world’s most captivating leaders.” Realistic elements of Primary can be seen by the shot of John F. Kennedy interacting with children and the shot of Hubert H. Humphrey speaking to a crowd of farmers as these two moments illustrate realities of a political campaign. With this, a historical event that relates to realism in modern-day documentaries is the campaign of the Russian politician Alexei Navalny as the story of his controversial campaign was depicted in the 2022 documentary Navalny. Overall, films released after World War II influenced the styles of modern-cinema since realism, trends from the 1960s, and realistic documentaries are common among today’s films. 

Works Cited

Brustein, Robert. “The New Hollywood: Myth and Anti-Myth.” Film Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 3, 1959, pp. 23–31. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3185980. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

Farber, Stephen. “THE FILMS OF BILLY WILDER.” Film Comment, vol. 7, no. 4, 1971, pp. 8–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43752857. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

“Primary.” Drew Associates, https://drewassociates.com/films/primary/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.

[qu-film-history-to-1968]

Navigating the Evolution of Film Genres in the American Studio System

JORDAN STEWART

Over the course of the semester, we have been covering the American studio system. It has undergone a fascinating transformation over the years. Genres were shaped by distinctive house styles, constrained budgets, and the talent under contract. In this essay I am going to explore the evolution of film genres within the American studio system. Two films that I will be  focusing on are two iconic films "That Touch of Mink" (1962) and "Frankenstein" (1931) and delving into the contemporary cinematic landscape..

"That Touch of Mink," directed by Delbert Mann, is a romantic comedy that embodies the glossy and sophisticated studio house style that was prevalent during the 1960s. Within the evolving studio system, the romantic comedy genre was carefully crafted to appeal to a broad audience. The chemistry between Cary Grant and Doris Day played a pivotal role in shaping the genre. Their on-screen chemistry not only defined the romantic comedy but also showcased the studio's ability to create star-driven narratives. The film stands as a testament to the studio's prowess in molding genres to suit the tastes of the time.

  In contrast to the romantic comedy, "Frankenstein" from 1931 directed by James Whale exemplifies the horror genre, a low-budget production characteristic of Universal's approach to horror films. Boris Karloff's iconic portrayal of the monster played a crucial role in shaping Universal's brand of horror. The film marked a monumental moment in establishing the horror genre and iconic monsters in Hollywood. "Frankenstein" also reflected societal anxieties about scientific experimentation, as discussed by Andy W. Smith in his work, ‘So Why Shouldn’t I Write of Monsters?’: Defining Monstrosity in Universal’s Horror Films." The film's impact went beyond entertainment, delving into the fears and concerns of the society it emerged from.

  In the modern era, the American studio system has witnessed a blurring of genre boundaries, exemplified by the Marvel Cinematic Universe a.k.a MCU. The superhero genre, once confined to comic books, has transcended its origins to impact not only film but also television. The MCU blurs the traditional distinctions between these mediums, creating a shared universe that resonates with audiences worldwide. This transformation signifies a departure from the traditional constraints of genres, ushering in an era where storytelling takes precedence over rigid categorizations.

The evolution of film genres is a testament to the ever-changing landscape of the American studio system. While low-budget horror and crime genres persist, incorporating neo-realistic elements, the superhero genre has been reshaped by the likes of DC and Marvel, transcending traditional boundaries. The diverse array of genres persist, with filmmakers continuously exploring new narrative territories. The influence of the American studio system remains transformative, evident in today's cinematic landscape, where the amalgamation of tradition and innovation continues to shape the way we experience storytelling on the silver screen.

Smith, Andy W. “‘So Why Shouldn’t I Write of Monsters?’: Defining Monstrosity in Universal’s Horror Films.” Gothic Film: An Edinburgh Companion, edited by Richard J. Hand and Jay McRoy, Edinburgh University Press, 2020, pp. 21–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv10kmdxf.7. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.