Essay Classical and Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema

Classical and Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema INTRODUCTION During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that,†¦show more content†¦We have a white male heterosexual protagonist. Also a structure of order/disorder/order restored is one of the most fundamental. This structure is will proceed in a linear trajectory towards a high level of closure or resolution. Every question which is raised during the film must be answe red. Within our linear trajectory we have a cause and effect pattern which means we will watch an action in one scene and proceed to see its effect or re-action on the following scene. In TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles, USA, 1958) we open with a honeymooning couple. Within moments there is an explosion and disorder is created almost instantly. Our central protagonist, in this case Charlton Heston, combats this disorder for the duration until he eventually finishes back in the arms of his wife. This example represents what David Bordwell (Narration of the fiction film, Madison: University of Wisconsin press, 1985) means when he says â€Å"usually the classical syuzhet presents a double causal structure†2. Two plot lines, one which involves a heterosexual romance and another which causes an external struggle (usually for the man and if for the woman inevitably solved by the man). Classical Gender Representation: In Classical Hollywood the representation of women is certainly quite clear cut, our main two definable types being that of the virgin and that of the whore. Our virgin represents the patriarchal ideals of family within which at the time a woman should representShow MoreRelatedClassical and Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema2550 Words   |  11 PagesFilm Studies Assignment 1 Classical and Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema Table of contents INTRODUCTION--------------------------------------------- 3 CLASSICAL HOLLYWOOD------------------------------- 4 Classical Gender Representation-------------------------------------- 4 Classical Style, form and content-------------------------------------- 5 GENRE TRANSFORMATION AND POST-CLASSICAL HOLLYWOOD------------------------------- 5 REFERENCES 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY 9 FILMOGRAPHY 10 INTRODUCTION DuringRead MoreAnalysis Of The Film Theeb 1285 Words   |  6 PagesThe film Theeb, like other classical Hollywood narrative films, is governed by its appearance of being real and believable. The attempt to convey realism is through its narration. Narration is shaping our experience through film style (Bordwell 1986, p. 26). Classical narrative is made up of perfect balance and symmetry of style that aims to convey a message to the audience. It integrates all elements of the film to reassure and satisfy the spectators. The film follows a set of norms and standardsRead MoreMovie Analysis : The Heart Of Hollywood Cinema By Thomas Elsaesser And Warren Buckland Essay2207 Words   |  9 PagesStorytelling has always been at the heart of Hollywood cinema. Revisiting the theories of Propp we can see the difference between a films story and its discourse, a story is what is being told where as the narrative is how it is told - â€Å"[a story is] An account of a string of events occurri ng in space and time†¦ a narrative presents an order of events connected by the logic of cause and effect† (Pramaggiore Wallis, 2008) Thus, it is through a films narrative that Hollywood tells its audience the story. 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There is no beginning, middle, or end, andRead MoreMidterm Answer. Chen Xuanhong. Cine 121 - 01. . 1-Escapist1815 Words   |  8 PagesStagecoach (John Ford, 1939) is representative of Classical Hollywood cinema providing its audience with escapist entertainment, it also develops an â€Å"acute social observation† of life during America’s westward expansion and it challenges elements of the myth constructed around this history (Bernstein 316). a) What makes Stagecoach an example of Classical Hollywood cinema? Identify and explain the main characteristics, features, and conventions of this cinema that are present in the film. b) What makesRead MoreThe Emergence Of The Film Industry1426 Words   |  6 Pagesmass entertainment, and world culture in general. For the first time in human history, visual experience could be shared and – most importantly – sold to the general public. Cinema changed society as much as society influenced cinema. 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