New Hollywood Modernism Mean Streets Realism is a

New Hollywood Modernism & Mean Streets

Realism is a style; but the interest is in what's being shown, the content, rather than the created effect, the form. The illusion is that their film world is unmanipulated Realistic films attempt to reproduce the surface of reality with a minimum of distortion Expressionist directors are concerned more with a subjective experience of reality, not how others might see it. This reforming of reality can involve a high degree of manipulation, and the emphasis here is on the form rather than the content, at least as compared to Realism. AKA Formalism: contrasted with Realism. Expressionists reject tradition and turn away from realistic representations of nature and accepted concepts of beauty. The Expressionist artist is concerned with the visual projection of his emotional experience.

The Cassavetes effect • • • low budget aesthetic improvisatory acting style overlapping dialogue rough and ready camera choppy editing sound recorded on location real locations available lighting feel new music clear eye turned on sex, race, violence rejection of classical narrative

Hallmarks of Classical Hollywood Cinema… • General in shot • Continuity editing (inlc. 180 degree rule) • Camera positions and movements used to present viewer with selection of different viewpoints on action – offering ideal perspective on key events of a scene • Smooth and continuous flow across and between these various perspectives • Close up shots of detail are preceded by longer establishing shots designed to provide general orientation. • Eye-line match/ match on action – used to link one image to that which follows. Aim to render editing invisible. Lead viewer seamlessly into space of action. • Emphasis not on construction of sound and images but on narrative events. • Narratives characterised as quite tightly organised sequences governed by rules of cause and effect – story mean to give careful motivation and explanation.

Scorsese’s Hallmarks • Personal style of filmmaking • Rich characterization • Intoxicating belief in the infinite possibilities of the film medium • Dazzling camera • Jump cuts • Vivid frames • The filmmaking itself becomes a subject of his movies • Self-reflexivity • Love of film

Modernity – Industrial Society Modernism – art movements arose from effects of this movement

Modernity • • • Late 19 th Century: major global upheaval, particularly in areas of science and industrial development, advances in technology changed the way the world and society were perceived. Intro of motor car, cinema, radio transmission, transport, Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis Art was effected by all of this

Modernism m odern character or quality of thought, expression, or technique. A style or movement in the arts that aims to depart significantly from classical and traditional forms.

Modernism In Art Realist Novel Plot and character construction lead us through a narrative where the process of narration does not directly draw attention to itself—we are stitched into the narrative (suture) Modernist Novel • Plunge reader in without orientating them. • Experimental • Self reflexive, number or authors, stream of consciousness • Breach of traditional narrative structure

Modernism in art Realist Painting • Seeks to create the illusion of ‘truth’ before your eyes • • Modernist Painting Transposes the three-dimensions ‘truthfully’ on to a flat twodimensional surface. So, in a Picasso portrait, the eyes are flattened out on to the canvas and the nose is placed to the side of the face and not between the eyes. Attention drawn to the materials they use.

Modernism in Cinema • Modernist cinema explores and exposes the formal qualities of film • Makes the form visible • Questions the technology it uses • It questions how it represents and what it represents • Modernism focuses on questions of aesthetics and artistic construction

The modernist project in New Hollywood • A questioning/reconfiguring of US mainstream cinema on a technical and narrative/thematic level • Examination of interiority of characters • General revision of the hero figure • Self reflexive style of film making • Film-makers interested in the visual representation of the interior life of a character

3 Periods of Modernism in cinema. . . Early work of formal experimentalists (1920 s) La Nouvelle Vague (1950 s-60 s) New Hollywood (1960 s-70 s)

Still to cover for Assessment 1 Jaws & Rise of the Blockbuster Noir revisionism in The Long Goodbye Genre revisionism in The Shining (Horror) Modernist hero & The Conversation

Reminder Assessment 1: Essay Assessment Weighting: 60% Word length: 3, 000 Deadline: 28 th Jan 2015 Answer ONE of the following questions: 1. Discuss the ‘Cassavetes effect’ as evidenced in the cinema of New Hollywood. 2. With reference to ANY TWO films viewed on the course, discuss how Modernist texts deconstruct the verisimilitude of Classical Hollywood filmmaking. Your answer should refer both to the narrative and stylistic workings of the films you discuss. Please note that while this question is, of course, asking you to refer to the workings of Classical texts, the major thrust of your answer should relate to the workings of Modernist texts. 3. With reference to AT LEAST TWO films studied on the course, discuss the extent to which New Hollywood is ‘new’.