Post on 15-Dec-2015
Movies and the Impact of Images
Chapter 7
“Star Wars effectively brought to an end the golden era of early-1970s
personal filmmaking and focused the industry on big-budget special-effects
blockbusters.”
—Roger Ebert
Movies as Modern Mythmakers
Movies tell communal stories. Evoke and symbolize our most enduring values and secret
desires Make the world seem clearer, more manageable, and more
understandable
Movies distract us from our daily struggles. Movies encourage us to rethink contemporary ideas.
What may be considered violent, unpatriotic, or sacrilegious can change a viewer’s outlook for the better.
Early Film Technology
1889 celluloid Bought by Eastman
Edison patented kinetoscope and vitascope. Méliès and narrative film Nickelodeons
Silent films, “shorts” Popular with new immigrants—images crossed
language barriers Numbers of nickelodeons rise rapidly.
The Power of the Studio System
Edison’s “Trust” Cartel of major U.S. and French producers Exclusive deal with Eastman
Defeated by Zukor and Fox Went on to create their own oligopoly
The studio system (1920s) Created stars
Mary Pickford key figure Helped create directors as “auteurs”
Zukor’s block booking Exhibitors forced to rent new or marginal films along
with popular films Zukor and Fox worked to control distribution and exhibition.
Hollywood Storytelling
Talkies 1927 Warner Brothers’ film The Jazz Singer
Starring Al Jolson Fox studio’s newsreels
Movietone captured first film footage with sound. Takeoff and return of Charles Lindbergh
Blockbusters The Birth of a Nation (1915), D. W. Griffith’s epic,
is considered the first such film.
Hollywood Genres
Action/Adventure Comedy Drama Fantasy/Science Fiction Film Noir Gangster Horror Musicals Mystery/Suspense Romance Westerns
(See listings on pages 224 and 225)
1960s and 1970s: The Rise of Star Directors
Dennis Hopper, Easy Rider George Lucas, American Graffiti Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Brian De Palma, Carrie Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver Steven Spielberg, Jaws Female directors receive few opportunities.
Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) and Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give) are among the few female American directors to achieve critical, commercial success.
Breaking the Racial Barrier
Minority groups, including African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans struggle for recognition
Some have succeeded as directors Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, 1989) Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, 2005) Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals, 1998)
Documentary Film Nanook of the North, 1922 Cinema verité
Portable cameras Rough, grainy look Robert Drew: key innovator
Michael Moore Controversial
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004): a critique of the Bush administration’s Middle East policies and the Iraq war
Sicko (2007): an investigation of the U.S. health-care system
The Transformation of the Hollywood System
The Hollywood Ten Investigations of alleged subversive and communist ties Led by the House Un-American Activities Committee
(HUAC) Blacklisted
Hollywood Ten boycotted by major studios
Paramount decision Major studios forced to end vertical integration
Television Changes Hollywood
By the mid-1950s TV replaces radio and movies for family entertainment.
Movies begin to take on more serious content in response. Anti-Semitism: Gentleman’s Agreement,
1947 Sexuality: Peyton Place, 1957
Also develop new technologies CinemaScope, Technicolor
By 2008… More than 50% of domestic revenue for
Hollywood studios came from video/DVD rentals. Continued popularity of DVD players
DVD introduced 1997 Sales began to outpace rentals, but rentals still
profitable. Netflix
High-definition DVD battle won by Sony’s Blu-ray discs
Figure 7.1
Hollywood and Home Entertainment
“In a world where Amazon offers every book, and iTunes offers every song, people aren’t going to put up with, or even understand, that the film they want to watch is simply unavailable.”
—Saul Hansell, New York Times, 2008
The Movie Business
1.4 billion movie tickets sold in 2007 2007 gross revenues = $9.63 billion Sales and rental business still
produces more revenue: $15.7 billion
Movie business revamped its production, distribution, and exhibition system and consolidated its ownership to survive.
The Blockbuster Mentality
In the 1970s, suburban moviegoers made hits of Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977).
Studios devised strategies to create future blockbusters.
Studios need one major hit each year to offset costs of other films. 80–90% of films fail at box office
Figure 7.2
The Major Players
Warner Brothers Paramount Twentieth Century Fox Universal Columbia Pictures Disney
Only Disney not owned by larger conglomerate
Figure 7.3
What Disney OwnsMovies• Walt Disney Pictures– Walt Disney AnimationStudios– Pixar Animation Studios– DisneyToon Studios– Touchstone Pictures– Hollywood Pictures– Miramax Films• Walt Disney Studios MotionPictures International• Walt Disney Studios HomeEntertainment• Disney TheatricalProductions• ImageMovers Digital
Music• Disney Music Group– Walt Disney Records– Hollywood Records– Lyric Street Records
Publishing• Disney PublishingWorldwide– Hyperion Books forChildren– Disney Press• ESPN The Magazine• Wondertime magazine• FamilyFun magazine
Television/Radio• Disney-ABC TelevisionGroup– ABC– ABC Family– ABC Studios– Disney ChannelWorldwide– SOAPnet– The Radio DisneyNetwork
– Lifetime EntertainmentServices– A&E Television Networks• ESPN, Inc (80% ownership)• ABC-owned televisionstations (10)
Internet/Mobile Content• The Walt Disney InternetGroup– Disney.com– ESPN360.com– ESPN Mobile Properties– mDisney mobile– Movies.com
Disney Parks and Resorts• (5) Disneyland Resorts andParks• Disney Cruise Line• Adventures by Disney
Film and the Internet
One of the biggest challenges facing the movie industry is the Internet. With broadband Internet, movie watchers likely to
get films from the Web. More and more online portals to watch films
Apple’s iTunes store began selling films in 2006, renting in 2008
Hulu: Free streaming TV and movie clips How often do you watch movies online?
The American Way
Do U.S. films contribute to a global village in which people share a universal culture?
Or do U.S. films stifle local culture and diversity?