P 472 American Film History II, Week 9

8/9/2019 P 472 American Film History II, Week 9

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Drama

The function of the cinema is

³to bring to light certain details

that the stage would have left

untreated.´

Andre Bazin

North by Northwest



Drama

Stage vs. Screen

W est Side Story



Time, Space & Language

Time

± Scene vs. Shot

± Theatrical ³continuous

time

± ³Temporal dislocation´ in

film

Run Lola Run




Space

± Film - audience is passive:The details have beenprovided bycinematography, mise en

scéne, movement, editing,sound, sets & costumes

± Plays are language basedwhile film is visual

± Adaptation of plays toscreen & vice versa

± ³Opening´ it up ± Close-ups & non-synchronous visuals

R omeo & J uliet

1996, 1936, 1968




Space

± Stage player interacts

with viewers - audience is

active

± Adjusts to audience

± Contemporize older

material

Alfie




Space ± Limits of theatrical space

means usually dealswith closed forms ± all

the relevant informationis in the frame

T he Addams Family




Closed forms in film ± All the relevant

information is inside theframe like a painting or

stage proscenium ± Calls attention to the

frame limitations

± Stylized with visualeffects

± Literal truth is sacrificed

for beauty ± Director imposes order

T ouc

h of Evil




Open forms in film ± A moment is reality

± There is life outside theframe

± Director documents afound world or spaceopening a window onsomething in particular

± Informal & unobtrusive

± Truth over beauty

Si ck o



³Auteur´ theory

± Dominance of the director

as opposed to theatre

which the writer is

dominant

± Precision of film is not

doable on stage

T he Little Foxes

The Director



Auteurs

Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Stanley Kubrick, Catherine Breillat

The Director



The Director

Film director has more

control

Camera can go anywhere

Each shot is a different³space´

Clarity in scenes as

opposed to shots

T he T hird Man



Setting & Decor

Set & Décor is a part of

mise en scéne or an

extension of theme &

characterization Set is not constant as in a

play

Babel



Setting & Decor

Reality vs. Stylization

Some genres require

deliberate unreality i.e.

musicals, horror Not a hard & fast rule

Sei nfeld vs. Mid night Cowboy



Setting & Decor

T he Sound of M usi c & Mary Poppi ns



Setting & Decor

Realism & Formalism -

not absolute but most

films tend to one or the

other Kinds of realism - poetic

& documentary

T he Last Ki ng of S c otland

Barton Fi nk



Setting & Decor

Formalist treatment of a

realistic set

Amar c ord



Setting & Decor

Production Designer: Responsible for designing the overallvisual appearance of a movie.

The Art Director: Oversees the artists and craftspeople whobuild the sets.

Set Designer: Responsible for translating a productiondesigner's vision of the movie's environment into a set whichcan be used for filming - The set designer reports to the artdirector.

Set Decorator: A person who has total charge of decorating theset with all furnishings, drapery, interior plants, and anythingseen on indoor or outdoor sets.

Set Dresser: A person who maintains the set per the SetDecorator's requirements, placing elements such as curtainsand paintings, and moves and resets the set decoration toaccommodate camera, grip and lighting setups.



Setting & Decor

Checklist for Setting &

Décor Analysis

± Exterior or Interior ± Style

± Studio or Location

± Period

± Class

± Size ± Decoration

± Symbolic Function

Drawing for Scarlett¶s Bedroom in Gone

with the W i nd by William Cameron Menzie



Setting & Decor



Costumes & Makeup



Costumes & Makeup

Period

Class

Sex

Age

Silhouette

Fabric

Accessories

Color

Body Exposure

Function

Body Attitude

Image

R oxanne

Cyrano de Bergerac x 2



Costumes & Makeup

Period

Class

Sex

Age

Silhouette

Fabric

Accessories

Color

Body Exposure

Function

Body Attitude

Image Roxanne

Cleopatra 1934



Costumes & Makeup

Caesar & Cleopatra 1945

Cleopatra 1999

Cleopatra 1963



All About Eve

± 1950

± Dir. & Prod. JosephMankiewicz

± Bette Davis, Anne Baxter,George Sanders, CelesteHolm, Gary Merrill

± Won Mankiewicz BestDirector & BestScreenplay as well asBest Picture &Supporting Actor



All About Eve ± Extremely large amount of

quotable lines:

± "Fasten your seat belts, it's

going to be a bumpy night!" ± ³I detest cheap sentiment.´

± ³Nice speech, Eve. But Iwouldn't worry too muchabout your heart. You canalways put that awardwhere your heart ought to

be.´ ± ³The cynicism you refer to, I

acquired the day Idiscovered I was differentfrom little boys!"

±



All About Eve ± Later adapted into Broadway

musical, A pplause - shortstory to movie to musical

± " It's all about women²andtheir men!´

± Holds the record for the filmwith the greatest number of female acting Oscar nominations

± Bette Davis on being cast byMankiewicz: "He resurrectedme from the dead."



All About Eve

Me and Celeste Holm (Mrs. Lloyd Richards)

P 472 American Film History II, Week 9

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