Hollywood Cinema Taking Movies Seriously The Wizard of

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Hollywood Cinema Taking Movies Seriously

Hollywood Cinema Taking Movies Seriously

The Wizard of Oz as Hollywood Journey n n Familiar people and scenes transformed

The Wizard of Oz as Hollywood Journey n n Familiar people and scenes transformed Journey into another world n n n Colorful Dangerous Exciting But a recognizably American world Safe return home

The Wizard of Oz (1939) as Cultural Product n n Time: between depression and

The Wizard of Oz (1939) as Cultural Product n n Time: between depression and WWII Cultural Currents in Movie: n n n Bleakness of everyday world (Kansas) Desire to escape to “world without trouble” Dangers loom in both Oz and Kansas n n n Miss Gulch/Witch Tornado/apple trees and poppy field Safety lies in coming home and staying there

Gone with the Wind (1939) n n Subject very different Striking parallels in structure

Gone with the Wind (1939) n n Subject very different Striking parallels in structure and theme n n n Lush technicolor world contrasts with monochrome scenes of war Journey of a heroine to gain what she wants in a postwar world without trouble Expresses doubts about moving from the connection and support of a rural world into the impersonality and efficiency of an industrialized one

Scarlett and Dorothy n Scarlett n n Gains wealth and security Abandons the moral

Scarlett and Dorothy n Scarlett n n Gains wealth and security Abandons the moral code of her mother and “Mammy” (the rural world) Punished by losing what she finally wants Dorothy n n Becomes a hero in Oz, but abandons the new life to go home, giving up her independence Rewarded by the approval of friends and parents

Hollywood and Representation n Hollywood “is not America at all, but it is all

Hollywood and Representation n Hollywood “is not America at all, but it is all America. ” (Ross Wills) Hollywood is “America in flight from itself. ” (Carey Mc. Williams) Hollywood movies “have been able, in an extremely competent way, to show American society just as it wanted to see itself. ” (Andre Bazin)

Hollywood Presents: Hollywood n Sullivan’s Travels (1941) n n Stardust Memories (1980) n n

Hollywood Presents: Hollywood n Sullivan’s Travels (1941) n n Stardust Memories (1980) n n Who’s right: Sully or his producers? What do even Martians know about movies? The Player (1992) n Movies Are Art, Now More Than Ever?

To understand a particular movie, analyze its n n Economics Technique Ideology History n

To understand a particular movie, analyze its n n Economics Technique Ideology History n n n Production Box office Critical response

Early Observers of Hollywood n Hortense Powdermaker (1946) n n Sees belief in formula

Early Observers of Hollywood n Hortense Powdermaker (1946) n n Sees belief in formula as parallel to belief in magic in primitive cultures “There seems to be a continuous conflict between making a movie they can respect and the ‘business’ demands of the front office. It is assumed that a movie that has the respect of the artist cannot make money. ”

Early Observers of Hollywood n Powdermaker’s insights are echoed by many later critics: n

Early Observers of Hollywood n Powdermaker’s insights are echoed by many later critics: n Steven Bach (1986): “The art vs. business conflict has remained stubbornly resistant to resolution and remains the dominating central issue of American motion picture to the present day. ” n Rick Altman (1992): Hollywood movies are constructed backwards to come up with a beginning that guarantees a happy ending.

Affirming the Culture n n n How do happy endings “affirm and maintain” the

Affirming the Culture n n n How do happy endings “affirm and maintain” the culture of which they are a part? How important is a Utopian vision of the world to Hollywood films? Why is this ideal world, recognizably akin to the real one, so crucial to a movie’s success?

The Player (1992) n n What elements are necessary to market a film successfully?

The Player (1992) n n What elements are necessary to market a film successfully? “Suspense, laughter, violence, hope, heart, nudity, sex, happy endings. Mainly happy endings. ” --Griffin Mill, The Player