...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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...For over a century now, film has risen as a medium of choice to present war information. War films has risen as a genre particularly depicting warfare using themes and concepts such as naval, air or land battles. War films also focus on the themes of prisoners of war, covert operations and military training. War films do not always, however, depict battles. Sometimes, war films may choose to focus on the day to day military or civilian life in wartime without necessarily depicting battles. War film may be fictional, based on history, biographical, alternative history, or even docudrama. Many historical events particularly since mid 1800’s to the end of the cold war have inspired this film genre. The shifting political climate in America in the last half of the 1930’s for instance influenced the rise of the war film genre (Maland 159). War films more often than not been categorized as wartime propagandas other than classic war films or historical documents. Maland also describes the shift of attention was a change in the Communist party's political strategy that influenced war films during that era. War films that rose in the Second World War era were particularly very much associated with war propaganda. Why we Fight (1942-1945), Air force (1943) and Men at War (1957) are three war films from this time that were thought to be tools of wartime propaganda. A famous actor during that era, Charlie Chaplin, depicted the role of Adolf Hitler in the war film The Great Dictator. "After...
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...The Unfairness and Vagueness 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...
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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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...Date Taking on McCarthyism: Hollywood’s Response to the Blacklist Following the communist scare of the 1950s 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...
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...aware of the Faculty policy relating to academic misconduct (http://www.arts.uwa.edu.au/students/policies/dishonesty) I certify that this work is my own, complies with the relevant guidelines, and uses an approved form of referencing throughout. I acknowledge that the work may be electronically scanned for detection of plagiarism. I have taken a backup copy / computer copy / photocopy of this assessment prior to submission.” Signed Date : June 1st 2013 ------------------------------------------------- Marker’s Comments: PROMT #7: Is media censorship by the government justifiable? BY: RAUL FRANCISCO BAUTISTA DATE: JUNE 1ST 2013 TUTOR: KEVIN CHIAT UNIT: COMM1001 WORD COUNT: 1537 Media censorship by a government is justifiable to a certain extent. To understand the extent to which censorship is justifiable one must understand that media censorship refers to the supervision of knowledge and information examined and controlled by an entity, particularly a government....
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... 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 be done, a rise in war films came about. One film that particular...
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...fiction author Ray Bradbury wrote a novel about censorship and about governments taking away the rights of citizens. In several ways, Bradbury’s theme seems to describe the circumstances Americans have been living in since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. In the novel, as well as in the film, Bradbury presents the reader with his viewpoints on censorship which provide a parallel perspective comparing how American citizens have lived prior to and after the 9/11 attacks. Bradbury’s novel begins with explicit details describing the burning of books. The opening is somewhat alarming because burning books is not what a normal person would consider to be the duty of a firefighter. The government has made it forbidden and unlawful to read books. As a reader, I could not help myself from thinking back to the times of Communism in the Soviet Union and Nazism in Hitler’s Germany. During the 1950s, in protest to Communism and Nazism, many of the same token books were being burned here in the US. In the film a symbolic relationship between black, evil, Communism, and death is painted by the firefighters jet-black hardened helmets and their jet black flameproof jackets. The color black seems to symbolize the coming of death. The firefighters wore all black uniforms and they rode on a very red box-like shaped vehicle filled with petrol. The red could symbolize blood and the vehicle seems shaped like a casket. Another scene in the film, when the firefighters responded to a call...
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...was established in 1919 during the “Silent Era” of film by Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Grifftih, and Charlie Chaplin. The reason they worked alone was because they had their own interests and in which they didn’t want to depend on big commercial studios. The fact that there were no facilities or theater chains allowed United Artists to maintain their own share of business in the studio era. During the 1930s, it was a time of poverty; better yet known as the time of prohibition and the Great depression era (Violence and American Cinema). Howard Hawk’s film, Scarface, examines this era of time through his numerous ideas shown throughout his films. Throughout the 1940s Academy Awards, four of the ten films nominated for best picture were United Artists productions. A few of the initial films produced by United Artists were: The America, Broken Blossoms, His Majesty, and When the Clouds Roll By. For instance, in Broken Blossoms, the film is...
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...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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... Avant Garde Film What Constitutes a Diary Film, and Why Might it be Considered a Form of Avant-Garde or ‘Critical’ Film? In order to answer this question there are a few areas that require specific definition. The term Avant-Garde itself is something that often can differ in its exact meaning due to interpretation. This makes it an almost undesiferrable term for both historians and critics alike. Critic, Ian Christie claims that the term is, ‘always open to dispute and redefinition.’[1] This claim has very strong foundations. The very nature of Avant-Garde film requires it to be at the forefront of experimentation. As new techniques are explored and boundaries are broken down, what may have been at the forefront of experimentation in the Fifties for example, may be one of the most used techniques in Hollywood by the Seventies or now. This gives the impression that to remain innovative, Avant-Garde directors must change style to fit what is required of them during their particular time period. The mention of Hollywood hints at the relationship it has with the Avant-Garde. Murray Smith describes Avant-Garde as a ‘personal mode’, and goes on to say the films are made by, ‘filmmakers alone or in combination with private patronage and grants from arts institutions.’[2] It seems easy to glean that Avant-Garde cinema works outside the Hollywood community. This ‘personal mode’ gives filmmakers a chance to make films for reasons beyond money. To test...
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...One of the most famous literary works involving the suppression of media is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It is a book about a future America that outlaws all books and any that are found are to be burned by the firemen. This has a tremendous effect on American society by directly censoring literature and destroying the knowledge that comes from it. One can only imagine a society without Shakespeare or Mark Twain or any other works from famous authors. Quotes like "to be or not to be, that is the question" would have never been read or known. The effects of media have made a long lasting and sustaining impression on American society as well as the world abroad. Most people view and study the numerous types of media in its original, unedited...
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...some form of censorship over the conduct and opinions of its members… Good morning teachers and students. Censorship by the government infringes upon the rights of the individual and inhibits freedom of expression. Now, censorship is a broadly used term so what exactly IS censorship? Well, censorship is defined by the Australian Macquarie Dictionary as ‘the actions of a censor – that is, an official who examines books, plays, news reports, films, radio programs (and more recently the internet), for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral, political, military or other grounds’. Censorship has been around since the beginning of time. It has been used as a tool to control what others have access to. In Australia today, we are supposedly guaranteed the rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press by our constitution. Yet censorship still exists. We are told censorship is necessary, but at what cost? National security and public interest, are these valid reasons? Why must the government decide what is best for me to read or watch in a cinema or in the privacy of my own home? Sure, we must protect our youth, but that is a parent's responsibility, not the government's. I can understand censorship based upon national security; we can't go around selling all of our secrets without a major threat to our government and our way of life. Censorship is a way of controlling the population. This is exactly why we have laws that forbid random censorship. Some censorship...
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...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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...Act is designed to stop piracy, “with particular emphasis on illegal copies of films and other forms of media hosted on foreign servers” (BBC sopa and pipa 2012). The PIPA act grants the United States government, along with other right holders, the permission to request a court order against any website “enabling or facilitating" piracy. This court order potentially could have a whole website shut down “[making] them "disappear" from the internet” (BBC:sopa and pipa 2012). In addition, the SOPA Act would require all search-engines to remove infringing websites from their search results (BBC: sopa and pipa 2012). Although both Acts could prevent piracy rates from increasing, they also threaten to change the structure of the internet and potentially violate the constitutional right: Freedom of Speech. Background: Both the SOPA and PIPA Act are closely related to the censorship acts implanted in Iran and China, and more recently Spain (BBC: Sopa and Pipa 2012). In China, “the government has put a lot of resources into controlling and censoring the internet content available to its citizens.” Everything from online games to politically sensitive sites are censored and decided whether it should be made available to the public (S. Chen 2011). In China, western social networks such as Facebook are sometimes blocked (S. Chen 2011). In addition to China, Iran (is) also another country where internet censorship has gone into effect. According to an article published in the Huffington post...
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