...CHAPTER 5: THE COMING OF SOUND * Films were produced with sound by 1930; to get movies across to non-english audiences subtitling and dubbing was used * Jazz singer- premiered October 6th 1927. Released by Warner Brothers- First sound film * THE IMPACT OF SOUND * Increasing costs: the synchronization of the production of the movie with the production of its sound was very costly. Needed to go to Wall Street to raise funds * More Concentrated ownership in the Industry * The language barrier ( Temporary decline in foreign film rentals) the advantage of films being silent made it universally acceptable, but with sound, Hollywood lost that advantage temporarily till they tried multi-language productions. By 1933- dubbing was used to get to their non-English audience. This was expensive * Development of new genres (music and film): new genres emerged with sophisticated comedies replaced silent comedies of Charlie Chaplin; Hollywood musical period emerged; existing genres transformed. There were also new kinds of genres in music. (Hollywood music popular in late 1920’s to early 1950’s) * Transformation of employment structure (musicians vs. script writers): musicians weren’t needed as much, which was a blow (Depression time). Screenwriters were more in demand, so writers moved towards California. They needed better writers; movies could have...
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...Censorship in America Welcome to America. The land of the free and the home of those all too willing to use that right to its fullest extent. The first nation truly founded on the right to speak one’s mind without consequence, America is now the most prosperous nation in the world, largely due to that very fact. We as Americans are blessed to live in a nation that is thriving both politically and socially, both as innovator and steady power, both as a community and as a collection of individuals. The marks of American society have spread far beyond the nation’s borders, with everything from the Big Mac to Steven Spielberg movies to democracy itself making it’s impact felt on this modern world. The name America has become synonymous with freedom, and through this freedom, great wealth, power, and success. And yet history has shown, through the example of democracies like Athens and Rome, that even the greatest of civilizations eventually swerve off course. After reading Patrick Garry’s “An American Paradox: Censorship in a Nation of Free Speech”, Marjorie Heins’ “Not In Front Of The Children”, and various statements from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), I have come to believe that the unstoppable juggernaut that is America may too be in danger of losing its way. The principles of freedom and human rights that this country was founded and subsequently prospered on are often quickly abandoned in the effort to protect the general public from anything deemed even slightly...
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...of the MPAA Rating System Many people take notice of a film rating, whether in the theater or on the DVD case. The American culture, especially, relies very heavily on these ratings. Oftentimes, there is almost an incredible amount of trust put in them. But where did this trust come from, and is it really deserved? The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) determines the ratings on almost every film that is produced today. Although filmmakers are not required to have a rating attached to their films, the MPAA has great power in its ratings. After a close examination of the MPAA movie rating system, it is clear that there are many flaws both because of its unfair rating of different films and also because of its vague guidelines. Before the MPAA's rating system can be critiqued, it is important to understand society's need for censorship, the difficulty in rating, and the history and past critiques of not only the MPAA's rating system, but the other systems that came before it. It is impossible to look at the rating system without questioning the need for it in the first place. Media censorship is tricky, because it must “protect both free speech and children” (Jordan 235). There is a very tricky balance between these two sides. The American government recognizes the right to free speech. This means that, technically speaking, filmmakers are allowed to be able to express what they want to express in the way that they would like to express it. However...
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...(1948) and the Hollywood blacklist that targeted both producers and talent, the years following World War II were not kind to the movie industry. While those two major events changed the course of Hollywood filmmaking, it was the rise of television that inaugurated the end of “America’s love affair with movies” (American Cinema, 1995). The rapid popularity of television left film producers and directors desperate to get audiences back to the cinema by exhibiting films with more mature content, and with narratives that reflected the cultural and social tensions of the time. The Film Studios Collaborate With the Television Networks Once television became a household norm in the mid-1950s, the film studios...
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...THE COST OF ARTISTIC FREEDOM: CENSORSHIP vs. LIBERALISM IN HOLLYWOOD, 1940 – 1960 Destiny Adams History 734 – Seminar in American History Dr. Wintz – Texas Southern University Spring 2009 Table of Contents Part One 1.1 – Introduction – p. 3 1.2 – Social and Political Climate pp. 3-11 1.3 – Production Code Resolutions pp.11-15 Part Two 2.1- Production Codes – I, II, III and IV pp.16 2.2 – Production Codes V, VI, VII and VIII pp.17-18 2.3 - Production Codes IX, X, XI and XII pp.18 Part Three 3.1- Hollywood and Film making – 1940-1949 pp.18-21 3.2- Movies – Awarded, Nominated, Not Nominated pp.21 Part Four 4.1- Hollywood and Film making – 1950-1959 pp.22-26 4.2- Movies – Awarded, Nominated, Not Nominated pp.26 Part Five 5.1- Synopsis of Film making in the 1960’s – New Era pp. 27-28 5.2- Conclusion pp.28-29 The Red Scare of 1917-1920, was the primary influence for the emergence of censorship through McCarthyism and Anti- Socialist sentiments in filmmaking during 1940-1960. McCarthyism and three international wars enhanced Anti – Communist resentments within the United States. A brief emergence of Socialist organizations in America heightened the fervor of conservative versus liberal views within cinematography. Motion Movie producers and Distributors, in Hollywood, California were heavily encouraged to influence film directors, screenwriters and actors by incorporating strict codes within their artistic expression...
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...different ways. Vocally expressing one’s views cannot be repressed for once the words are spoken, they cannot be retracted. Books can be removed; music can be banned; movie production can be halted – but these art forms are in no way different from verbal expression. These forms of art are the author’s own way of bringing personal ideas and opinions to the public...
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...the House of un-American Activities (HUAC) was established and it made a blacklist of movie actors, screen writers and directors who they considered as allied to the communists party. The most prominent of these was the ‘Hollywood ten’ who refused cooperation. This paper will critically examine the black list and the response of Hollywood to the list and to Senator McCarthy who was a significant figure in the movement. This paper will focus on the response of artists who made films that addressed this imposition, scrutiny, and show that Hollywood did not stand for this opposition. McCarthyism is an act of making ungrounded accusations that touch on issues of treason and disloyalty a term that was derived from the name of Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 1950s when there was a communism scare. He chaired several committees that were involved in the accusations against different people who were suspected of being communists. The term was derived from his obsession with communists although he had nothing to do with the Hollywood arrests (Humphries, 3). During this period, movie directors and screenwriters used to get subpoenaed to attend hearings where they would be required to defend their position and involvement in the American communist party. Many of these directors lost their jobs because even the act of being called for a hearing was usually enough for someone to lose their jobs. Ten movie directors however refused to cooperate with the committee and they were imprisoned some...
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...Motion Picture Production Code Hollywood’s morals were quickly declining and people were noticing. To prevent government censorship and continue operating without facing consequences like fines or jail time, Hollywood studios needed to change. This is when the Motion Picture Production Code was introduced to prevent the government from getting involved. Hollywood stars were involved in several risqué films and a series of off-screen scandals such as the murder of William Desmond Taylor and the alleged rape of Virginia Rappe by popular movie star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. Many people felt the movie industry had always been morally questionable. Political pressure was increasing, with legislators in 37 states introducing almost 100 movie censorship bills in 1921. In 1922, Hollywood studios enlisted Will H. Hays to rehabilitate Hollywood’s image. The move to enlist Hays mimicked the decision major league baseball had made in hiring Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as league commissioner to quell questions about integrity of baseball after the 1919 world series gambling scandal. New York Times even called Hays the “Screen Landis”. In 1929, a catholic layman, Martin Qurgley and the Jesuit priest Father Daniel A. Lord created a code of standards and submitted it to the studios. Lord was specifically concerned with the effects of sound film on children, he considered children to be especially susceptible to their allure. In February of 1930, studio heads met with Lord and Qurgley...
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...were based on to how they have evolved today is significant. Along with the changes in the content and the way moves are made so has the movie ratings have changed over the last 30 years. The standards on what children are allowed to see have been relaxed a PG twenty years ago and a PG today are different. The culture of our country has changed and so has the standards in which the movies and rating viewed. In the early 1900s, filmmakers had to tailor their movie to the requirements of more than 40 local, city and state censorship boards across the country. The formation, in 1922, of what is now the Motion Picture Association of America, MPAA, helped by taking the first steps towards self regulation. It required it members to submit movies for approval prior to distribution. This process was governed by the Hays Code; which was named after MPAA’s first president, Will Hays. It imposed a detailed and extensive list of rules to filmmakers. It included that only “correct standards of life” could be presented. No depictions of childbirth, criticisms of religion, “lustful” kissing or “suggestive” dancing was allow. Under the Hays code, films were either deemed as moral or immoral and were approved or disapproved, but times were changing and so were the standards. The 1960’s were times of change in America and so again came change to the movie industry. Televisions were becoming color and people loved to go the drive-in picture show. Jack Valenti, the MPAA’s third president...
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...Paper The Use of Film During WWII At the beginning of World War I, America was neutral to what was happening across the pond. Americans went about with their everyday life. One of the new trends that came about at the time, were cinemas. Cinemas were used to entertain the masses, but that soon changed when President Woodrow Wilson saw how it affected the people. Wilson saw the cinemas as an opportunity to influence Americans to enter war against the Axis powers in Europe. Hollywood agreed with Wilson, and supported his ideas about reaching the audience with films. This was the beginning of film being used as propaganda in the World Wars. During WWII, the role of propaganda film changed a bit. World War 2 caused a spike in propaganda films, films now needed to be monitored by many government agencies, and one of the greatest propaganda films was created. Up until the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many American citizens were closed off from the war. Many of the citizens who remembered WWI believed it was a bad idea for American to join because America was still vulnerable and was just fixing itself after The Great Depression. They believed that Europe and Asia should worry about their own problems without the involvement of the United States (Grzan). However, the government knew that America was going to have to join the war sooner or later. We had alliances that needed to be protected. At the relation of what needed to...
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...The mass- consumption economically, radio, films, cars, and prohibition had social and cultural impact on the American people. The mass- consumption dramatically increased the availability of consumer goods. The prohibition had a strong impact on America socially. The prohibition was supported by churches and woman, and greatly promoted in the south and west, but it was opposite in eastern cities. The Volstead act, passed by congress in 1919, implemented prohibition. The laws was unable to become enforced due to understaffed and underpaid federal and state agencies. This led to underground nightclubs, home brew, bathtub gin, and bootleggers. But economically, saving did increase and absenteeism from work decrease during the prohibition. The prohibition also spawned organized crimes and gangsters like Al Capone. These crimes and gangsters led to gang wars in the cities, and moved crime into other illicit activities, such as gambling, prostitution and narcotics. Organized crimes became one of the nations most profitable business, due to the prohibition. Cars also had a cultural and social impact on america. In 1910, there were about 69 car companies, which impacted people's lives. Henry ford was best known for, cheap, rugged and reliable cars. Production was based on standardization, interchangeable parts, and the assembly line. Dependence of the car industry on steel, made steel industry boom, and thousand of jobs support industries were created. Cars was consider a new standard...
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...Outline Thesis: The MPAA is no longer an effective source to categorize the ratings of modern movies and the lack of censorship is harming children and teens. I: The NC-17 rating has become irrelevant. A. The producers edit and re-submit their films for a lower rating. B. Theaters do not want to air them. II: The MPAA does not treat content consistently. A. Violence is not treated as harshly as sexual content. 1. Small moments of sexual content will warrant a higher rating. 2. It takes extreme amounts of violence to warrant an R rating. B. The system does not consider alcohol or tobacco. C. There is a set limit on swear words. 1. A. An extra use of the swear word can push a film over the edge. 2. Only considers the f word. III....
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...History project Topic: Popular Cultural in HongKong(Film) Un Cheuk Lam 4C35 The Cinema of Hong Kong has consider as the pioneer of Chinese language movie. Hong Kong was the third largest motion picture industry in the world (after Hollywood and India cinema) and the second largest exporter. Hong Kong film has retained much of its distinctive identity and continues to play a prominent part on the world cinema stage. In the West, Hong Kong's vigorous pop cinema (especially Hong Kong action cinema) has long had a strong cult following, which is now arguably a part of the cultural mainstream, widely available and imitated. Especially between the 1970's - 1990's, most of movie fans will be familiar with names like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan from Hong Kong cinema. The reason why these movie star become so popular because they produce a lot of martial art film during that time. And then these martial art film brought to the western audiences. In fact, A lot of english speaking country or european start to aware of Asian movie in that time. Back to Hong Kong cinema, The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the major movie industry in the Chinese language speaking cinema. Before 1997, Hong Kong was a colony of Britain and therefore Hong Kong had a greater freedom on economic and political than mainland China. Even in film industry, The censorship system in Mainland China have a very strict rule. " Hong Kong filmmakers either steered away from criticzing China or did so in oblique ways ". Therefore...
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...What Freedom do you speak of? “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (The First Amendment) In 1787 when the Constitution was proposed people expressed the concern that the document failed to specify the fundamental rights of the people that would be immune from assault by federal officials. We knew not only from the study of history but also from personal experience, that the tendency of governments throughout history was to abuse their powers, especially in times of emergency. The people feared that the federal government would somehow break out of the original Constitution’s enumerated powers straitjacket and misuse its powers to violate the fundamental rights it was charged with protecting. The enumeration of those rights and the express restrictions on government power in the Bill of Rights were to ensure that this didn’t happen. The first thing to notice here is that, contrary to popular opinion, this amendment does not give people the rights to free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. The Constitution does not give people any rights whatsoever, so this is why I value no freedom most. Instead, it operates as a restriction on the interference...
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...Censorship Seri Kamal English 204 Professor Hanan Shanaah April 10, 2011 Censorship When I used to watch cartoons aired on the television, I noticed that sometimes the scenes of the episode aired are repeated, yet the translation is not, making the cartoon look lame since it doesn’t contribute to the story. I asked my big brother about the reason behind that and he said that some scenes may contain some violence, blood, or exposed body parts that the channel, like Spacetoon, wouldn’t want the children to see, so they censor it. Moreover, censorship is not only used in cartoon, it is used also in movies and series to delete sexual content or foul language. In addition, there are many types of censorship, and the types imposed are different from one country to another. Some countries may impose moral censorship; others impose military, political, or religious censorships. Many people would agree on some of the types of censorships enforced in the countries; however, people have the right of freedom of speech and the knowledge behind political issues, so these should not be censored by the country. Censorship is a problem that is known from before World War 1 and it is still a controversial issue with many people who are with the act and laws set regarding censorship and many who are against. Censorship is the restraint over any type of communication like speech regarding many different matters. For example, being against rules set or some political moves that a country...
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