Cinema: Factory of Dreams
Readings:
Dawn of Cinema
Catching the Light
Europe
The Lumières
- August (1862-1954) and Louis (1864-1948) Lumière
- Cinématograph Lumière
- First Film Show:
- December 25th 1895
- Salon Indien in the Grand Café in Paris
George Méliès
- »French Illusionist (1861-1938)
- The father of narrative film
- Producer / director / writer / designer / cameraman / actor
- His Star Film company made between 1896 and 1906 more than 500 movies (only 140 survive)
- Impressive range of subjects:
- Fantasies (Cinderella, 1899)
- Historical reconstructions (Benvenuto Cellini, 1904)
- Docudramas (The Dreyfus Affair, 1899)
- Science-fiction adventures (A trip to the Moon, 1902)
German Expressionism
Robert Wiene, Fritz lang, Friedrich W. Murnau, …
Robert Wiene’s
French/Spanish Surrealism
René Clair, Jean Cocteau, Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí, …
A Chien Andalou – Click here to open the video in Youtube
David W. Griffith (1875-1948)
- The father of “film technique” (1875-1948)
- Biograph Company (1908 – 1913) »G. W. “Billy” Bitzer
- Narrative techniques:
- Deep elaboration of the mise-en-scène.
- Use of naturalistic exteriors
- Tracking shots
- Crane shots
- Graphic Techniques as “fade”, or “iris”
- Narrative Techniques (Editing parallel scenes)
- Screen acting
With all these elements of film-making that he invented or refined, Griffith created a FILM SYNTAX that would determine the language of cinema in the next decades
Griffith’s Golden Age
- The Birth of a Nation (1915)
- Intolerance (1916)
- Broken Blossoms (1919)
- Way Down East (1920)
- Orphans of the Storm (1921)
- Star System: Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford, Blanche Sweet, Lionel Barrymore, Donald Crisp, Henry B. Walthall and Wallace Reid.
Hollywood: Factory of Dreams
In the learning unit dedicated to the Golden Years of radio, we have already discussed the role of mass communication during the hardship of the Great Depression. When life does not offer any hope, short or long term, individuals look desperately for anything that allows them to escape the bleak reality of their everyday life. Cinema, filmic story telling, offers an effective way out the the misery. It can be through fantastic, science-fiction stories, through adventures in exotic locations or mythical times, or through romantic stories in which true love always triumphs.
Communication scholars refer to the state of mind produced by the magic of filmic narrative as emotional catharsis. A cathartic experience happens when we project our own feelings on the characters we see on the screen. This projection helps us process our own emotions, but also repress the negative ones, which is the reason why they work as a channel for psychological relief.
The happy end is the climax of the cathartic experience.
When we leave the movie theater, we do it with the conviction that the world have a solid structure that may help us, at the end, beat disaster.
Mass Culture versus High Culture
Mass Media and culture are intricately intertwined in contemporary society. Media shape and reflect the values, beliefs, and behaviors that characterize a culture.
Television, film, radio, print, or digital platforms become powerful conduits for cultural expression, dissemination of information, and social influence. Through media, cultural norms, traditions, and ideologies are transmitted, perpetuated, and sometimes challenged, contributing to the dynamic evolution of societies.
Richard Campbell defines Culture as
“The symbols of expression that individuals, groups or societies use to make sense of daily life and to articulate their values”.
When we talk about “cultural artifacts”, we are referring to books, plays, movies, music – you name it .
They all reflect the nature and values of the particular culture that generates them. In the years of the great depression, cinema became the cultural artifact per excellence.
In the following video, you can learn more about the social function of media as manufacturers of culture. The video focus on how mass media have created a gap between consumption of mass and high culture.
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Director: Woody Allen
Script: Woody Allen
Cast: Mia, Farrow, Jeff Daniels